Review: Philpot's Traxworx series got off to a blinding start earlier this year with the dust down from Roman Rauch and label regular Ike and it looks to be quite the promising endeavour if the line-ups remain as strong as this second duel featuring Arttu and Hakim Murphy. Neither artist really needs a formal introduction here and both are well suited for the floor focused nature of this series. Arttu is first up with "Can't Get Down" a collaboration with Kaye that bounces along with loose and deadly intent - if you liked the Geeeman stuff on Clone you will love this pappy, especially when that sax comes in! On the flip Innerspace Halflifer Hakim Murphy goes for the abstract approach on "ES1" which features some superb drum edits.
Happy707 - "Where Does That Noise Come From" (4:28)
Review: Menacing EBM and dark synth billows from a Netherlands hinterland; our heralds speak of an esoteric encampment by the name of Espectro Oculto, said to be the remote incantators of an unstoppable curse in sound. Six shadowy emissaries have been sent to spread the pestilence; Trenton Chase, Martial Canterel, DJ Nephil, Exhausted Modern, Fragedis and Happy707. Clearly, the faction have recruited only the best, trusted and yet most nefarious of spies from as far-flung regions as Czechia and Argentina in the administering of such a sordid sonic plague. We're left most quivery at the centrifugal doom drones of Exhausted Modern's 'Fear Of Focus', across whose breakdown banshees are heard wailing and snarling, and Fragedis' 'Landing In Reality', a lo-fi techno freakout and sonochemical anomaly, channeling militant two-way radio samples and hellish FM synthesis.
Review: Despite being born and raised in Detroit, Luke Hess is rarely mentioned in the same breath as his Motor City peers. Then again, his brand and dub-infused techno doesn't fit neatly into the futurist narrative. This latest full-length flips the script slightly. While it has plenty of dub-flecked moments (see "Overcome" and "Humility"), there's a greater reliance on melody over mood. While this could be a reflection of the involvement of collaborator Omar-S, it's more likely an indication of Hess's development as a producer. Moving from hypnotic deep house to robust techno via beatless interludes, Keep On is Hess's most accessible set to date.
Review: Detroit-born but now based in Thailand, Scott Hess returns to show his enduring Motor City class with Redlight Bangkok Vol. 3, a third instalment of his vinyl-only series on Adeen. This one opens up with 'En Bloom' which is a Miami bass-inspired jam with crisp kicks and icy cold 808s. Rocco Universal's remix is more deep and house-leaning with some magnificent melodies then on the B-side, 'Whitelight' gets more twisted with elastic bass and snappy percussion. 'Untitles' is a cosmic journey with a funky guitar and dreamy chorus and last of all comes the smooth and serene, chord-laced soundscapes and fathom deep grooves of ''Untitles' which is a classy late-night sound.
Review: The late, great Mike Huckaby is one a clutch of artists who helped to define the Detroit house sound of the last 20 years. The DJ and producer was also keen to give back and during his life held various workshops to pass on his skills, as well as releasing esteemed sample packs for producers all over the world. He only released a small selection of records himself, but every single one is a killer. Take this one for example - an ode to one of his chosen synths and an EP priming with grainy, lovely, deep and dubby house atmospheres, marbled with deft synth lines that bring them alive and still sounding future now many years after the first release.
Review: London underground night train riders Deadbeat Records prioritise techno-breaks handmade for late night and early morning dancefloors, times when both the best and worst comes emerges from each of us. Their inaugural Deadbeat Breaks compilation hears six out of ten full digital curations brought to a shadowy, space-invaded black vinyl truncation, with modern talking synth vomits from Olly Rant, booty bass hups from Hunter Starkings, hackney parroting hurtles from Rnbws, and a closing breakstep broil from Hooverian Blur.
Review: Kyle Hall and Steven Julien have been working together on and off for a whole decade now as Funkinevil. To mark the occasion they have pulled together their first two releases - namely 2012's 'Night / Dusk' and 2013's 'Ignorant' - on one new double album that very much sums up their raw house sound. The Detroit-London duo draw on plenty of their hometown's signature aesthetics, from well swung drums to soulful synths, and the results are still fresh sounding and captivatingly deep. Importantly, all these years later, there is still real emotional punch in these tunes as well as damn good grooves. Essential stuff from this vital pair.
Review: Having built plenty of hype over previous outings, Hardacre finally drops this long-awaited debut on Alien Communications. It's a standout long player with acid, house, electro and techno all jumbled up into effective, 'floor-facing sounds that are high on power. There are lithe, metallic twitchers like the Kraftwerkian 'Transmission' as well as more future-facing and acid-laced bumpers such as 'Alien Intelligence' with plenty of cinematic and atmospheric bits like 'Radio Command' in between. A classy take on a classic sound.
D-Breeze - "Crazy For Love" (Autechre remix) (6:11)
MicroControlUnit - "Save The World" (MCU Apocalypse mix) (6:19)
Magda Rot - "Alter Simus" (5:23)
Signaltype - "In Abyss" (7:16)
Radioactive Man - "Night Bus To Nowhere" (5:59)
Illektrolab - "Overdrive" (5:29)
Ement - "Despite Of Time" (4:59)
Dynarec - "Sunken Park" (4:13)
Helena Hauff - "Turn Your Sights Inward" (6:40)
Review: In the post-minimal years, and after the deep house revival, dark techno and electro became the most fertile ground for new producers. Hamburg-born Helena Hauff was one of those who brought through such sounds and she has since become a global tastemaker who has perfected the art of dark and hard-hitting soundscapes. She shows that off once more here with her selections for the mighty Fabric presents series. It is raw, fierce and rough yet seamlessly moves through breakbeat, electro and the still magical charms of Autechre's remix of D-Breeze's 'Crazy For Love' from 1999 which closes the mix in style.
Review: Jamal Moss aka Hieroglyphic Being is one of the most fearless experimentalists in house and techno. He confronts dancefloor disillusionment head-on with Dance Music 4 Bad People, his raw, uncompromising debut for Smalltown Supersound. A veteran of Chicago's club scene, Moss channels four decades of history, highs, lows and trauma into an album that defies escapism. These are not crowd-pleasers but cathartic confrontations dense with abrasive synths, molten drum loops and uneasy textures which all crash together in chaotic, transcendent layers. There's no clean resolution anywhere, instead just tension, dissonance and moments of stark beauty. Far from a nostalgic Windy City love-in, Moss' music reflects a dance culture in crisis and provides a place to rage against it.
Review: Hats off to Jamal Moss for the tongue-in-cheek title of his latest album as Hieroglyphic being, which is naturally another pleasingly wild, freewheeling, imaginative and out-there excursion in his now trademark style. It sees him sprint between mutant electronic jazz ('Circumploar'), out-there analogue techno ('21 Days'), organ-rich post-beatdown chuggers ('Foreboding Self Pleasure'), reverb-laden ambient soundscapes ('A Dream Within a Dream', 'Delta Opus L'), industrial-strength dancefloor weirdness ('The Prograde Direction'), sub-heavy lo-fi deep house ('Black Love On An Early Sunday Morning'), sparse electronic future funk ('Future Shocked'), and jacking, sci-fi seeped brilliance ('The Andromeda Strain'). In other words, it's another excellent collection from one of dance music's genuine geniuses.
Review: Much missed Detroit techno legend Mike Huckaby created The Down Under Kit for the Australian leg of the Red Bull Music Academy's world tour and it's so much more than a simple sample pack, as Huckaby gives a narrated tutorial on creating templates and generating ideas, a fascinating glimpse into his philosophy and techniques. Obviously, there are lots of thumping kicks, distinctively trademark pianos and pads and more to load up, but this pack not only gives you the means of production, it also gives you a guide to how to put it to its most effective use.
Review: We have been digging in the warehouse and have found some copies of one of the faultless EPs that Detroit house royalty Mike Huckaby put out in his lifetime. It features three tracks that are all steeped in deepness and dubby goodness and are unlikely to ever age. 'Wavetable No. 9' is spaced out and rather menacing in a subtle, sparse way. 'Fantasy' is a more airy and light cut with meandering melodic leads and thinking keys that bring a cosmic feel. 'Jupiter' closes out with nimble bass and splashy hi hats joined by conversational synth leads that glow with a late-night warmth. Included in this is a CD featuring plenty of the samples used in the making of the tunes using the Waldorf synth.
Review: Hypnotone's iconic self titled mini album reissued and released just in time for this Summer Solstice. Originally released by Creation Records in 1991 - long out of print and now reissued - this one comes now meticulously remastered and pressed onto pristine white vinyl, aesthetically bolstering its pure, ascendant sound to match. The Hypnotone moniker was formed out of the bemused miasma that came after the wake of the infamous Hacienda nightclub in Manchester; made up of another related but no less legendary Tony (Martin, not Wilson) and yet another Martin (Mittler) (don't get confused, now), their eponymous debut came after an inspirational spell of digital sampler experiments and intentional Balearic hitmaking.
Ascending Into The Clouds (feat Elisabeth Troy) (6:13)
LMZNIN (2:39)
Winter Crush (5:40)
In Order 2 (4:52)
Review: HudMo is on rampant form at the moment, firing off collaborations left, right and centre and, as usual, never missing. That said, this project feels like something very special indeed, as he doubles down on kinship with Canadian techno legend Tiga to make an album in thrall to the surge of feelings that hit us when we submit to the possibilities of the night. It's a romantic kind of techno that comes on like early B12 or Artificial Intelligence-era techno in places, but there's also some crafty hooks and flamboyance as you would rightly expect from such a heavyweight studio pairing.
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