Step Ball Chain Holland レコード& CD

Review: Highly exciting, futuristic trip hop by Helsinki's Trickpony (Maria Korkella). With her EP 'Pillow Talk', she nails an always difficult-to-capture aesthetic, lying somewhere between the glassy future-metropolitan sonic parkour of Mirror's Edge, and the driving whispers and zoneout beats of Bowery Electric, adding yet another ingenious addition to the unparalleled label that is Roza Terenzi's Step Ball Chain. Opener 'Room To Breathe' revels in stretched-out breaks and blithe half-whispered vocals - which vaguely talk of an adversary being unable to stop Trickpony from going with the flow - while the synaptic dirges of 'Shiver' and its 'On Ice' dub version recall an ideaspatial collusion of Tipper and Skanna, seguing seamlessly from IDM downtempiques to drum & bass. Closer 'Pillow Talk' closes on a note of watery montage trance; it's the brightest statement of the bunch; Doss meets Motion Ward.

Review: Hailing from the ever more productive Naarm scene from deep down under and now making a mark on Step Ball Chain is Mabel, a fast-rising new name in the techno underground. She has a sound that is psychedelic and unrelenting and is perfect for energetic raves in insalubrious locations. This new outing is a strong statement: the Pleasure Phonetix EP offers five cuts that take in many different influences from the electronic spectrum from tough techno to stripped-back electro via stylish and classy psy-prog. More good work from the ever-more crucial talent.