YYK No Label レコード& CD

Review: It's been some three years since Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts released his last bits for Mule Musiq, but now the Canadian minimal house mainstay makes a welcome return with this first outing for the Yoyaku crew. In many ways Yoyaku carries the torch for the scene this chap helped pioneer alongside the likes of Akufen and Mossa, so it's good to see things come full circle, and to note that he's lost none of his production flair. 'First Bump' is resplendent with expressive synth lines and an understated groove, while 'Upsalla' happily dives into a more twitchy, tangled kind of construction which will keep DJs more than happy in the extended blend. 'Victory Lap' shakes things up with a leftfield dub drop which typifies Coutu-Dumont's instincts outside the standardised framework of house music.

Review: Varhat continues to explore the potential of sleek minimal tech house attitude with a broad palette of input, serving up some cool and deadly tools on this latest YYK No Label 12" to inject some flair into the party. 'Daddy Beat' is a percussive beast leaning in on dexterous breaks from less-mined sources and keeping the pressure up around the 130 zone. 'Hold On' nods to Detroit techno in its swirling pads and machine soul bleeps, all the while trucking on a focused rhythmic trajectory. 'Surprise I'm Logan' returns to the drum funk sampling and 'Engage' locks into a distinctive strain of machine funk with plenty of hypnotic motifs and playful fills to turn heads in the midst of a marathon session.