Review: After a brief pause to allow their frankly huge 36-track VA compilation to sit and breathe a while, Motive Hunter Audio is back at the sharp end of the jungle scene with this new EP from the brilliant ARKYN. It's a lovely slab of grey wax that revives a blend of hardcore jungle techno that is not for the faint of heart and comes with a tasteful homage to this subgenre's roots. Packed with piano stabs and 4x4 kicks, the EP delivers controlled mayhem that is perfect for the club as collaborations with SYNTAX, DJ B, and ARKYN's alter-ego DJ TUF all bring depth and hints of early Dutch rave influences.
Review: Mike Ash burns the dancefloor to a crisp with these firing new UK hardcore assaults. 'Eurotic' is dense and loopy with bright metallic synths looped next to grinding bass until you are at breaking point. 'Eat My Bleep' brings lottery, trance-tinged rave stabs up top over more snappy low ends and 'My Number' then brings some old school piano energy snappy drums. 'Spell Bleep' taps into that 90s Warp sound and has the kind of menacing synth oscillations that bring original rave bang up to date.
Atlas & K Super - "Supply & Demand" (feat Wild Swan) (7:55)
Atlas & K Super - "Talk To Frank" (Buda remix) (7:44)
Review: Atlas and K Super echo a well-known drug advice line slogan with 'Talk To Frank', a supreme jungle techno sheller of risky but rewarding proportions. This sizzling five-track slice of 12" from the renowned DJ-producer pair echoes Mole The Dipper or Noise Factory with its free-flowing but still relentlessly factorial breaks slicers; the A-sided Double Drop remix of 'Red Marios' marks an impressive scission through both pitched up-and-down breaks layering come harmonics. Meanwhile, the title track and 'Partyline' dial the hysterics knobs up to eleven, deploying an unheard-of amount of jank and stab; the latter track feels especially destabilising, a central "oo-er" vocal sample heard buried well below the main melee. 'Supply & Demand' and Buda's version of 'Talk To Frank' round things off on twin notes of mecha-trance breaks and pitch quartz unleashings on an overtop lead sample respectively, proving the artists' rightful joint mastery over an incipient UK hardcore sound.
Review: B.I.T. Productions launches its new Alternative label with UK talent Stu Chapman's debut rave house sounds first to make their mark. The original mix if 'Hold You Tight' is a high-energy, synth-driven anthem featuring a hands-in-the-air piano break and soaring vocals serving up a catchy chorus. The Retropolis Remix transforms it into a breakbeat powerhouse with gritty synths and melodic pianos then the Crowdpleasers Remix delivers an uplifting house stomper with organ melodies and a massive piano break. Finally, the M-ULATE Remix throws it back to 1992 with a piano-driven breakbeat rave-up. Reach for the lasers!
Review: Everyone's talking and no-one is listening... Unless Chatta B is chewing your ear off with his militant breaks - because then we're all ears over here. Unleashing the ghosts of 93 with big sacks of sheesh and oh my gosh, each of these cuts hits hard with the neck-snap breaks and big hooky samples. 'Watch Out' sets the scene with energy, 'Real Badman Sound' goes full-on rudeboy, 'The Exit' is a big sing-along moment while 'Easy Take It Easy' sends us off into the sunset with mixed sentiments... The vocals are like a sweet rum punch while those rattling breaks on the rhythm are more like a tum punch. Talk to us.
Review: "A record planned for almost 30 years is finally happening!" say the only notes with this new, one-sided and limited edition hand-stamped 12". It finds DJ Heartchore offering up two versions of the same track. 'In Love' is a classic hard techno banger with more energy than a classroom full of nine-year-olds after a crate of Monster energy drinks. It issuer rave fodder for main room deployment and also included is a 1994 Tool with a more old school feel but no less of an impact.
Review: Dogpatrol returns to Sneaker Social Club with four more tracks of gritty, genre-bending rave damage. Despite hailing from Offenbach in Germany, his sound blends UK influences like breakbeat hardcore, dubstep and garage and that results in a mutant style that's uniquely his own. '1200kcal' features jagged UKG drums and cosmic bass arps while 'Baby Flame 'channels warehouse electro with a heavy synth splat. 'Ya Playin Yaself' delivers a dubstep roller with playful keys and 'Offgenbach HBF Riddim' adds a breakbeat twist with echoes of The Blapps Posse. Dogpatrol's irreverent, misfit approach to rave shines again here.
Review: Double B is Barry from 2-X-Treme and is surely the most famous rave producer to have come out of Portsmouth. The dance floor don wrote this one at the same time as his celebrated 2-X-Treme EP so brings back plenty of the scone pleasures of that ear. Now pressed up once more it blends breakbeats and UK hardcore across five unrelenting cuts that very much chime with the current leanings of the underground scene towards harder, faster sounds.
Review: Revered and uncompromising techno talent Dr Rubinstein's 'Rubi Acid Spa' is the subject of this superb new remix EP on Uppers & Downers. Dave NA kicks off with thrilling take on 'Extacid' that is riddled with 303 lines and snappy snares. 'Rubi's Acid Spa' (Yazzus Jacuzzi remix) is a quick and bubbly acid techno workout, Blind Observatory's Mitsubishi mix is a more emotive sound for once the rush has really kicked in and you're flying high at 5am and last of all is the brightly coloured melodic madness of 'Ravey Intro 2 (DJ Mell G remix).
Farayen & Liam Parkins - "Where Do We Go" (Jamie Unknown remix) (5:04)
Dan Newman - "Movin'" (5:05)
Dean & Di After - "Wicked Dreams" (5:06)
Shade Guevara - "Ted Or Dead" (4:07)
Review: Warehouse Tools takes listeners on a nostalgic journey through the vibrant world of UK house music, showcasing the iconic sounds of Hooj Choons. Opening with Farayen & Liam Parkins' 'Where Do We Go (Jamie Unknown Remix)', the track blends high-energy euro house with New York-style house rhythms, offering a dynamic trip back to the early 90s. Dan Newman's 'Movin'' follows with a melodic Balearic progressive house gem, featuring heavenly piano moments paired with a serious beat that creates a dynamic vibe. On the flip side, Dean & Di After's 'Wicked Dreams' brings retro energy to the forefront, evoking the essence of house music's early days while offering a fresh perspective. Finally, Shade Guevara's 'Ted or Dead' delivers a piano-driven breakbeat, showcasing a vintage sound that encapsulates the roots of house music. This compilation is a well-crafted tribute to the genre, perfectly balancing nostalgia with contemporary energy.
Review: Hellfish invites you to swim deep down into some thrilling gabba waters on this unrelenting, punishing EP of destructive dancefloor dynamite. 'A Word From Your Leader' kicks off with distorted low ends and driving drums, mad vocal samples and hundred mile an hour hard techno drums. 'Shake Your Ass' keeps the energy up with more manic loop chaos and dense arrangements, then 'Break The DJ' gets even harder and more distorted with its frazzled stabs. 'Get Some ' is all glistening video game effects and squealing guitar lines.
Review: British acid, techno and hardcore coalition Messiah formed in London in 1988. Members Mark Davies and Ali Ghani had a huge impact on the scene, not least with their 1993 classic 'Temple Of Dreams.' Enduring breakbeat lovers Kniteforce now reissue it for modern floors with a slightly updated version and Nightmare Mix. Both are dense, caustic sounds with a blend of pounding drums and euphoric pads. 'You're Going Insane' (2024 Rebuild) is another all-out assault with big piano moments.
Review: Minds At Large are back on Vinyl Fanatiks with a second outing, this time to resist their 1993 bangers 'Futureworld' and 'Spinechiller' which only came on white label the first time around. 'Spinechiller' is possibly more well known for being the standout on LTJ Bukem's 'Hardcore Volume 9' mixtape from the mid-nineties. It's a pristine breakbeat workout with chopped vocals and rich bass, while 'Futureworld' pairs even more manic breaks with some ethereal vocals. Two stone-cold killers.
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