Review: Domenico Rosa and Riccardo's Imprints label has regularly delivered the goods since making its debut back in 2013. Predictably, this multi-artist affair is also rather impressive. French twosome Charonne is arguably the star of the show, delivering two tidy tracks: the bouncy and far-sighted "Vice City", where '80s synth-funk style motifs and acid-funk electronics ride a bustling groove, and the similarly-inclined, elastic tech-house-funk of "Formule Stardust". Elsewhere, turn-of-the-90s survivor 100Hz delivers a fine chunk of woozy deep house/funky techno fusion and Cobert delivers some spacey and chunky, mid-set tech-house. In other words, all four tracks are playable and worthy of your attention.
Review: Styrax's alphabetized Specials series reaches its fourth volume (or Styrax I / Styrax J to use the correct parlance) with four typically sumptuous examples of archival house. 154's delightfully fuzzy "Daze" opens proceedings, which will cause much misty eyed reminiscing for anyone who indulged in the 2004 Delsin released album Strike it first appeared on. Alongside it, Damon Lamar's luxuriously paced "Rising Sun" is borrowed from Tetrode Music, its intoxicating swirls of kaleidoscopic textures every bit as potent as when it first surfaced. The flipside tracks are naturally in a similar vein with some 2003 bounciness from Claro Intelecto complemented by "Dat America", Lowtec's 1999 jam for the Playhouse imprint.
Review: New label D59B Recordings takes you on a journey through the deeper shades of electronics on their inaugural release. It's quite a mixed bag yet it still remains consistent throughout, whether it's the deep chug of Canadian Eddie C's meditative 'Winter', TCB's descent into the cosmic hole on 'Spring' or Sardinian hypnotic techno expert Claudio PRC's icy dub techno soundscape (ironically) titled 'Summer' - you will definitely experience four seasons in a day on Fall Winter Spring Summer Vol 1.
Review: Since Zip and Villalobos made it one of their coveted deep digs to be heard pealing out of a thousand after hours sessions, the Metamatics remix of A1 People has been a teasingly out of reach dream grab for many a minimal electro head. Now Yossi Amoyal has done the good deed of getting the track remastered and repressed as part of his Fluere series toasting 15 years of Sushitech. As well as that masterclass of elegant machine funk, there's also Kosmogonik's mind-bendingly brilliant 'Circuitry', Silicon Scally's body-popping electro-noir 'Relay' and Matt Chester's melancholic 'November Pathways' to keep your up-all-night marathon sets peppered with spangled surprises.
Review: To date, the Acid Arab Collections EPs and CD - compiled by the Paris-based producers behind the concept, Guido Minisky and Herve Carvalho (who DJ/produce under the Acid Arab alias) - have been little less than stunning. This third vinyl-only EP is of a similar standard. As usual, there's a strong focus on house and techno, with Middle Eastern instrumentation, vocals and samples atop. Highlights include the raw, heavy pump of Society of Silence's deliciously distorted "Baghdad", the spiraling, Brown Album-era Oribital style intoxication of An-I & Capablancas "Farsi Farce", and the ghostly horns and humid pulse of Gilb'r Beesan Rum's "A Song For Anna".
Review: Stop yourself in for another rugged ride through electro and techno from the vanguard here as Thisbe Recordings serves up a fifth fantastic slab of wax. It's a fine various artists affair that kicks off with Acid Washed and the legendary Arnaud Rebotini. Their 'Brandtaucher' is a polished metal and electro tinged disco cut with bleeping melodies. Seb El Zin then keeps it real raw with 'Lingua Minimalista' and the energy doesn't dip on Rambal Cochet's flip side opener 'Oseary Drakoulias' races to the star on slap funk bass and cruising melodies. Mount Kismet's 'Sirocco' rides on rugged arps and last of all Danton Eeprom's 'L'Homme Canon' slows right down to an electro-funk and boogie down workout.
Review: FJAAK is of course the powerhouse behind spandau20, a record label, mixtape series and events that, they say, "revolves around the connection between people and the dancefloor." This new drop on the imprint is a potent one first brought to life by Elli Acula with his ravey and edgy 'Bff.' Claus then goes for something that aprs the mind with its twisted leads and unrelenting linear funk on 'Vape Nation' and finally FJAAk themselves step up with 'Tek Tek Tek'. It's tense and dense techno thumper with the biggest kick drums you've ever heard all cut up by razor sharp hi hats and booming bass. Add in some clipped vocal stabs and you have an all out techno party starter.
Review: Dutch label Illegal Alien is rightly celebrating its last 16 years in existence. It's doing so with a bumper collection of 44 exclusive tracks from 46 of its best artists across an eight-volume vinyl and digital series. The series not only traces the label's evolution, but that of techno itself and this sixth outing once again offers no-nonsense, heady and atmospheric techno that is both physical and inventive. Legendary names old and new like Fixon, The Advent, Cari Lekebusch & Orion and Mari Mattham & Jessse all contribute a range of essential dancefloor weapons.
Review: EPM20 Ep2 goes off on an electro tangent here. On this one, we have veteran producer Cisco Ferreira aka The Advent teaming up with his son Zein on the ferocious electro dystopia of "Strangeform" and as if that was not enough, another legend, the one and only Carl Finlow appears next with the abstract, cybernetic beats of "Optogenetic". Over on the flip, we have someone by the name of Detroit's Filthiest (quite an accolade!) who is in fact Motor City stalwart Julian Shamou (Motor City Electro Company) known for his work as 313 Bass Mechanics or Digitek, and longstanding hero of the Midwest Freddie Fresh should need no introduction; his contribution here under the Modulator alias is the deep mind IDM journey "Promars".
Review: Volume four of the Vanguard Sound series from Anunnaki Cartel label sees Amir Alexander and Chris Mitchell once again open the invitation to the East Coast house innovators. This time it's Plan B pair DJ Spider and Dakini9 who line up alongside the label founders with Amir Alexander setting a rough and rugged tone on opening track "Cypher". Rasping kicks and a killer bouncing analogue bassline drive the track forwards as Alexander gradually weaves in a searing synth tone which increases with smudged incandescence until a vocal sample offers some brief politically tinged respite before the synth tone kicks back in. Mitchell is in equally bullish mood on "213 NL" a straight up drum track that ratchets up into full blow acid filled psychedelia as the final third hones into view. On the Plan B side, Spider drops one of his trademark lurching rhythms, with skittering drums traversing the gritty lower frequencies of "New World Resistance" which is filled with the sort of vocal samples that justifies the title. "Rollercoaster To Nowhere" from Dakini9 is just as impressive, retaining the murky mood yet driven by it's own almost drunken percussive swagger.
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