Shall Not Fade レコード& CD

Review: If new talent is your thing, Shall Not Fade has long been a label to watch. While the Bristol-based imprint does sign material from established artists, it consistently promotes music from new or early career producers too. Daughters of Frank, a pair of sisters from London, are the latest rising stars to make their bow on the label. Their debut EP is genuinely impressive, too, delivering a mix of hallucinatory, spaced-out liquid drum and bass ('A Club Serenade'), stripped-back and fiendishly sub-heavy workouts seemingly informed by the skeletal construction and dub-wise weight of bleep techno (EP highlight 'Tracksuit'), giddily saucer-eyed, early morning anthems-in-waiting (the sunrise special that is 'Velvet'), and deep, spaced-out two-step garage (the heady and intoxicating 'Lust 2 Luv').

Review: The high class Shall Not Fade welcomes equally sophisticated and accomplished deep house don Fred P for another of his superbly heady outings on lush purple vinyl. 'High Rise' finds Fry in fine form and layering up dynamic drums with majestic chords and swirling instrumentation that is grand in scale. 'Only Subs' has a little more thump to it with wispy vocals and chords swirling round over the hefty and hypnotic drums and 'Get It On' has a more slick feel with its warped leads and fragmented vocals. Last of all is a Rhythms In The Place beats edit of 'Only Subs' for more direct deployment.

Review: French minimal, tech and house master Janaret is back with more spaced out brilliance, this time on Shall Not Fade, one of the UK's most consistently excellent - and eclectic - labels. 'Joy & Happiness' kicks off with crispy tech beats and swirly sci-fi synths while gurgling bass works away down low. 'Silent' is a steamy brew for more peak time moments but never loses its class, and the vibes keep coming with 'Fallin' then slipping into a super cool and breezy late night deep house groove. 'Advanced' closes down with an electro-leaning rhythm that is light up by snappy snares and synth modulations.

Review: What do we think of when someone says the word 'ambient'? Maybe a stupid question, nevertheless the term is often taken as an implication of background sounds, or at least tracks that are loosely structured around ebb and flow rather than rigid forms. In no way a criticism, Luke Haze's Pure Movements offers a counterbalance to that idea.
Dropping on Bristol's Shall Not Fade - essentially an imprint you might as well buy every release from without bothering to listen - this link was always going to be a bit of a clue as to what's on offer. In many ways, the four tracks here play out like breakdowns within late night club sets, hints of euphoria, an atmosphere of build, informed by acid, progressive and techno, but certainly none of the above.

Review: The superb and ever-hard-to-pin-down Shall Not Fade label is racing on towards its 100th real and this 96th outing sure does come with a big old sense of celebration and joy. It's a fresh collaborative outing between Rhode & Brown & Kid Simius who gets hands in the air with big piano stabs and 90s dance vibes on 'Eurostar'. Things take an Italo turn on 'Delfino Bianco' which is a more melodic and breezy retro-future Beatrice house cuts. 'Suite Tropical' slows it down further with an even more breezy and carefree slice of sunset house that warms the heart. A pair of 'Eurostar' remixes find Jex Opolis going big and Demi Requisimo bringing scuffed-up garage-tinged grooves.

Review: Shall Not Fade is one oath most well rounded labels in the UK right now and this latest drop from Theos and El Rod is another stylish house offering. 'NMW' kick off with blame deep house grooves laced up with soft none chords that bring warm late night colour. 'Please, Get Away' is another fresh electronic house cut with playful melodic phrases over irresistibly warm bass and pitched up r&b vocals. 'Hypnotizing Eyes' completes the trio of originals with a chunky house funk, bulky kicks and spaced out cosmic chords. An Oden & Fatzo remix closed won with some French filter house magic.

Review: Although best known for promoting new and fast-rising artists, Shall Not Fade has also become a regular home for deep house royalty, not least Rick Wade. Golden Era marks the Detroiter's fifth EP for the Bristol-based imprint, and as usual is full-to-bursting with class-sounding deep house hits. The title track can be found stretched across the A-side, with Wade smothering a deep, squelchy synth bassline and pleasingly swinging deep house drums in gorgeous chords, sun-soaked trumpet sounds, heady synth-strings and languid keyboard solos. The classy vibe continues on side B, where the bongo-rich deep house bliss of 'Tropical Twilight' is followed by the dusty, sub-heavy energy of deep and drowsy floor-filler 'That Time'.