Back catalogue: Progressive House

Review: A releaser that crackles with an energy that could only emanate from the shadowy corners of the Swedish electronic underground. Anna Kohlin, label co-head and architect of hypnotic soundscapes, guides us through a diverse sonic landscape, her own 'What Time Is It?' leading the charge. Built from the evocative textures of the Roland JV-1080, it shimmers with a sunrise glow, ethereal pads interweaving with delicate melodies. Kohlin, a master of contrasts, doesn't shy away from the shadows, injecting her creation with sharper, dynamic elements that add a touch of grit to the dreamlike atmosphere. Eric OS throws down a challenge with 'Timeout', a sonic time capsule that transports us back to the early 2000s. Analogue warmth collides with the raw energy of digital sound, vintage synths intertwining with crisp beats in a nostalgic yet undeniably fresh sonic tapestry. Baby Rollen, armed with a looped double bass sample and the crisp snap of a 909, crafts a hypnotic groove with 'TwentyTwenty Home'. A warm 303 bassline snakes through the mix, adding a touch of acid-tinged euphoria to the already infectious rhythm. Basement Space and Mans Glaeser, never ones to shy away from the unconventional, deliver 'Space Glaezer', a sonic maze that twists and turns through intricate textures and unexpected rhythmic shifts. Kohlin's curation is nothing short of masterful, showcasing the diverse and ever-evolving landscape of the Swedish electronic music scene. Inside Out 002 is a testament to the power of electronic music to transport, inspire, and defy expectations.

Review: Rebirth kicks off its 2024 with a remix EP that serves as "a tribute to the Brescian music scene in its many facets and declinations." The full original project is a complete 12-track album that brings together many different sounds, scenes and generations, with the best bits now assembled on this new 12". The revered deep house master Fred P opens up with some texture spiritual synth depths, K-Lone brings some nice house swing to his version of 'Paline' and edit maestro Rahsaan also keeps it paired back and late night on his soulful take on 'Scent Of An Old Life'. A great reimagining of some moving musical adventures, then.

Review: Background is a Rimini-based label which specialises in slinky, playful strains of minimal tech house from some emergent names well worth keeping tabs on. Alex Dima has certainly earned his stripes as a name to get you checking the record, and his opening track 'Twisted' offers the mysterious synth touches and boxy drum machines beats we've come to expect, while Luca Piermattei lays down some seriously satisfying trance-minded melodic lines to loosen the crowd up good and proper. Munir Nadir is in an equally artful, inquisitive mood as he fires off the interlocking riffs and licks of 'Guinea' and then Smoud Beats completes the picture with a diversion into shaky, 90s-styled acid for the jacker in your life.

Review: Novaj Records presents its second vinyl release - 'Space Energy', an electrifying compilation EP inviting listeners on an interstellar journey through a wide array of sonic cosmologies, in good stead with the nascent trend of space-age acid house emergent of late. Lauching into the boundless realms of space, the likes of Donnie Cosmo's 'Venus Transit', MLink's 'Frequencia' and Sunaas' 'Flash Dancer' are all as enchanting as they are out-of-body-experience-inducing.

Review: Fabric Originals releases the collaborative EP of Irish-born DJ, producer, and label owner Mano Le Tough and electronic musician and DJ Perel. This EP marks the second release in the label's new series, 'Future Memories,' which pairs a "legendary" producer with fresh talent, with the aim of safely bridging the ideas of generations (heaven forfend the new generation reject the old ideas!). 'Entertain Us' brings progressive house synth eighths to wonderstruck female vocals, while Perel and Tough share respective solo contributions on the B-side: 'Homage' is the self-described electrance love song written for a secret love object, while 'Infinite Scroll' indulges the contemporary screen-mirror percept, with sloshing sound effects and slow-burn builds suggesting that an embrace of the impending technological infinite need not necessarily amount to a doomscroll.

Review: Fresh from serving up a superb set of off-kilter house cuts from Newcastle-based maverick Man Power, Timo Rotenen's Echocentric imprint has turned to regular Belters contributor Dominik Marz. The long-serving producer has delivered an EP of nostalgic, energy-packed delights that variously doff a cap to dance music sub-genres of the 1990s and early 2000s. For proof, check the gargantuan 'Honesty', where mind-bending noises and sharp, trance style stabs rise above stomping beats and deep, sub-heavy, bleep & bass style low-end pressure. Similarly excitable and mind-altering is EP-opening slammer 'Honesty'. Elsewhere, 'Only One' sees Marz pepper a stabbing bassline and hissing house beats with raw bleeps and nostalgic samples, while 'Never Use Quantize' is pleasingly wayward - like early Chicago house crossed with NYC freestyle.

Review: Known in Tokyo's underground for filling her DJ sets with an enticing blend of house, new wave and disco, Mayurashka's Studio Barnhus debut is - as the label point out -full of sonic illusions: immediately accessible and enticing tracks which are nevertheless filled with quirky sonic details. There's plenty to admire throughout, from the breathlessly dark and driving peak-time jack of 'Cool Stop' and the lightly disco-infused peak-time tactility of 'Cosmic Rising', to the percussive, wildly pitched-down chug of 'Fatties' and the effects-laden, tribal house-on-the-moon insanity of 'Mountain Pads'. Throw in the low-slung dystopian dub disco madness of 'Appex' and you have a genuinely brilliant label debut.

Review: This record delivers a single-track statement with the formidable 'Colossal', a dark and dramatic techno anthem tailored for peak-time festival moments. The track lives up to its name with heavy, pounding rhythms that ripple with an epic intensity, drawing listeners into its brooding atmosphere. Layered with cinematic tension, 'Colossal' balances a relentless driving drive with intricate textures, creating a hypnotic interplay between shadowy undertones and electrifying crescendos. The meticulous production ensures every beat lands with seismic impact, making it a great weapon for use on large scale sound systems.

Review: Flexi celebrated 40 years of energising dancefloors and championing underground music back in 2024. What began as a haven for vinyl lovers and evolved into a cultural force dedicated to high-quality sound. To mark the milestone, Flexi's indie off-shoot Flexi Cuts assembled this limited-edition compilation across several 12". Minimono opens this one with some super smooth deep house on 'Before Morning' and Delphi then switches it up with more twitchy, synth-laced and tense house while DJ Rou's 'Elastic Body' brings acid charm to steely mid-tempo beats. Relative's 'The Piece' shuts down with a darker heart and prying synths.

Review: Italian house lover Fabio Monesi returns to his Wilson label - named and styled after that unforgettable volleyball in Castaway - with a collab EP next to Tom Carruthers. It's rooted in traditional tropes from the 90s and US scenes starting with the kicking, retro flavours of 'Mi Amor' before 'The Bass Theory' brings on, yep, some more heavy bass-driven grooves. Last of all is the more synth-laden 'Killer Fruit' which is a triumph in drum programming that will enliven any crowd.

Review: Moogroove is the alias of Japanese house music producer Kenji Eto, who released this highly sought after gem originally back in 1994 on Mo Rhythm Records. Made famous by Motor City Drum Ensemble on his Fabric compilation where he used the track 'Dark Room', this is the EP's first reissue courtesy of Studio Mule featuring artwork from Lily Fei. Features the hypnotic back room dub of 'Moogroove' (part 2), the classic acid house sound of 'Out Of Control' and the deep, late-night mood music of 'Out Of Time'.

Review: Melody Of The Soul continue to explore their melodically charged strain of minimal tech house on this fourth release on their label, which leads in with the prog-tinted seduction of 'Night Owls'. It's subtly epic, charged with sweeps of orchestration which tease at a big drop to come. 'Flame' has a slightly more intimate, heads-down approach, but it's no less detailed and dynamically produced. 'Igako' explores some pop touches in the context of a bigger room sound which still holds fast to the slick tech house framework and 'Ask The Universe' takes a more delicate approach with pattering percussion and melancholic piano which will set any set off on a sentimental trip.

Review: Mr. Raoul K's Precursor EP sets the stage for his forthcoming album with a captivating blend of Afro-house and spiritual vibes. Returning to his roots in Cote d'Ivoire, Raoul K infuses his tracks with the essence of his homeland, while also incorporating voices from Kenya, South Africa, and India. Sinkere's masterful mixing skills shine through on 'Loni ke,' complemented by a tempered remix from Compost head Michael Reinboth. Featuring contributions from Sidney Simila, Lady Parul, and Abou C., this EP is a shinning example to Raoul K's ability to capture the essence of African music and merge it seamlessly with contemporary house sounds. It's a journey of cultural exploration and musical enlightenment that leaves listeners eagerly anticipating the full album release.

Review: Effortless fusions of broken beat and rabbit hole prog-acid on this latest from Speed Dial. After a slight hiatus, the imprint is back, and is here joined by a slew of underground talent, coming together as one for a combinative set of 'Rhythm Rituals'. Surprisingly for a set of rituals, the three A-siders proffer three wordless mudras (as opposed to incanted mantras), with Mtty's 'Ahhhhh!cid' laying down a two-stepping breaks dust-storm replete with bells, ufologic risers and ectoplasmic synth flatulences; and Pocket's 'Smoke Signals' imparting the ways of long-distance telegraphy by way of a deeper four-wheel drive, with indo-Australian chants sampled therein. B-side helmers DJ Relax and Local Support offer two contradistinct Balearic beats, the former track veering more chuggy and auto-suspensive, in contrast to the latter's emotive, e-organic builds and vox gates.

Review: FUSE London may be 16 years old, but this 12" inch is - somewhat remarkably - the label's first multi-artist EP. To kick-start their new compilation style series, the much-loved imprint has gathered up a quartet of cuts from an eye-catching array of artists. Heist regular Nachtbraker steps up first with 'Banda', an intergalactic-sounding hybrid of tech-house, deep house and nu-disco sounds, before Rob Amboule steals the show with the bleeping electro-meets-twisted electronic funk brilliance of 'Capnhat'. Rising star Reflex Blue joins the dots between sub-heavy UK tech-house and turn-of-the-90s bleep & bass on the superb 'Life's a Bleep', while Mario Liberti reaches for mutilated rap samples and heady organ stabs on the 'Plastic Dreams'-inspired 'We Are The N&B'.

Review: Scopic Records - a new UK label which aims to "bring newcomers and artists with backgrounds, regardless of their background or gender" - launches with a single by its founder New Digital Fidelity in collaboration with singer Monet. We get three nicely different mixes of 'Getting Colder' in all. The A-side is taken up by the club mix, a classic New York deep house groove with chunky pianos chords and Monet's confident vocal performance. The flip begins with the original, a slower version but still effortlessly groovy, bringing its soul, jazz, and R&B influences to the fore. US techno's man of the moment Byron the Aquarius completes the set by turning the track inside out with shuffling hats, snapping machinefunk snares and a bubbling bass, making it even more impressive by exposing its moving parts and giving them a neat polish.

Review: Maceo Plex has managed to pivot this alias from accessible house cuts with creamy basslines into a far more interesting project that explores astral techno with a range of different influences from sci-fi to wave to the sounds of the 80s. That has never been better exemplified than on '93, his expansive album on his Lone Romantic label. It features emo-anthems like 'Revision', disco-techno stompers like 'Go Back' and chunky robot-tech like 'All Night'. Plenty of guests from Mystic Bill to label mate AVNU Jane's Addiction frontman and alternative music legend Perry Farrell all help add a wide world of sound to the electronic core.

Review: Three years after his last album the Anjunadeep label, Marsh is back with another serene exploration of his singular deep house sound. Endless is another ambitious album across four sides of vinyl that features plenty of associates guesting such as Wassu & Mariel Beausejour, Jodie Knight and Simon Doty. It has a range of emotions that go from deeply intense and personal to more expansive and optimistic, all with compelling grooves and well-executed sound designs in each tune. This is another triumph for Marsh, who by now is a master of his craft.

Review: Dutch electronic outfit Tinlicker hails from Utrecht and is made up of Micha Heyboer and Jordi van Achthoven. They have been serving up the heat for more than a decade on labels such as Anjunadeep, mau5trap and Armada, which gives you an idea of their accessible, medically rich sounds. Back during ADE 2023, they hopped on stage with the renowned Metropole Orchestra to play the opening concert. You can relive it in all its glory now with this limited edition release featuring plenty of progressive house highlights from the show, all of which bring together the acoustics and the digital in a seamless fashion.