Shall Not Fade レコード& CD

Review: French finesse with German fusion... Willis Anne makes his Shall Not Fade debut with this killer 'Movement' EP. As with previous missives on his LAN imprint, the beats roam and romp freely between footwork, jungle and ghetto-tek with strong twangs of Detroit bringing it all together. Highlights include the wonderful layers of organs and vibrant chords of 'Direct Effect' and the fully-swung breakbeats and bellowing sub of 'Unison'. Get moving.

Review: As displayed on her recent Aus Music and Heist Recordings releases, CInthie Christl is more than adept at creating fresh cuts shot through with subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) references to US house cuts of the 1990s. She's on the tip once more on this surprise Shall Not Fade outing, first dousing a rolling house beat and undulating analogue bassline in spacey chords and riffs ('Tough Times'), before joining the dots between late 90s Strictly Rhythm dubs and bouncy New Jersey garage grooves on 'Shuffle & Swing'. Even better is 'Bossa', a fantastically dubby and sub-heavy slab of hypnotic peak-time deep house, while 'Time To F' is a more breezy and sun-splashed affair with restless riffs, squelchy bass and steppers-influenced deep house beats.

Review: Shall Not Fade has proven over the last five plus years that whatever sounds it turns its hand to it does with style. Mostly that is deep house and garage but here we have some warehouse-ready techno from Dasco. 'Powerful Woman' has mid-tempo drums that are run through with a supple and subtle acid line and repeated vocal phrasings that lock you into the trip. 'Acid Queen' jacks a bit more, with raw analogue drums and vintage cow bell sounds before the 303 takes over, then Johannes Volk really bangs the box with his hardcore house remix, full of splintered kicks and dusty hi hats. Chicago Skyway brings plenty of Windy City texture to his version.

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: A regular to the Shall Not Fade output, Columbian producer Felipe Gordon returns for a collaborative EP with Belgian artist, Krewcial, for a deep dive into their shared sonic world. An ode to their shared love of cycling, this EP traverses many textures and terrains, ascending into moments of brightness and descending into deep atmospheres. The first track, '1972', kicks off with an outer casing of flecked percussion, before the introduction of a driving, hill-climbing bass line. Track number two, 'Dying', features rousing choir vocals, bringing a gospel-sensibility to the firmly funk-tied bass line. On the B-side, 'Answer' has a careening melody with hints of nostalgia, side-stepping between satisfyingly clean kick drums and brusque snares. The flip also features a remix by Session Victim - a beautifully floaty reimagining of the more grounded original. A highly multifaceted release and a strong addition to Shall No Fade's already gleaming catalogue.

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: Tel Aviv twosome Red Axes can always be relied upon to deliver trippy, mind-altering and left-of-centre music, regardless of what stylistic or rhythmic framework they're operating in at any given time. That assessment rings as true as ever on the duo's first Shall Not Fade outing. Opener 'The Electric', for example, mixes druggy and hallucinogenic electronic motifs with a throbbing, retro-futurist house groove, sci-fi synths and the creepiest of lead lines, while 'Next One Is Bill' is a twisted, brain-melting jack-track propelled forwards by a filthy TB-303 bassline. Turn to the B-side for 'The Bee', a buzzing, foreboding chunk of punk funk/dub-disco/dark house fusion, and the intoxicating mixture of music box melodies, restless Chicago house drums and clandestine sounds that is 'Axes in the Sky'.

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.