Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Inimeg Records label boss and general underground don Joey Anderson has always operated on the fringes of the deepest house and techno sounds. The New Jersey mainstay returns now with the Vanish EP on Obia Records while owner Wendel Sield also pops up with one tune. Anderson's trio ranges from the dusty, smoky basement dub of 'Vanish' to the ticking and glitchy minimal menace of 'Masked Ones' via the intense synth dystopia of 'Escape'. Sield's 'Cultivate' is a smeared, spacious cut with meandering pads and prickly percussion that zones you out for days.

Review: An innovative EP emerges from the collaborative work of two accomplished music producers in Stockholm's Weirdvin, founder of the thriving Maraton label and here making a debut on Lyssna with the label's own Flord King. Their music finds a perfect common ground between electronic minimal funk and atmospheric textures, with overtones of ocean-faring trips on a voyage to the depths of the Baltic Sea. From the snappy percussion of 'Navigation' to the ambient synths of 'Oyster' via the nice and delicate drum loops of 'Telefunken' the more warped lines and turbulent bass of 'Bende' this is an EP with a unique sonic aesthetic.

Review: Aterral Limited has taken things slowly to start with but that's fine because the quality of the label's first few releases has remained high. Carlo is behind this one and opens up the EP with 'Hungover', a tune that features Black Loops, who has previously released his own EP on the label. It's lithe, funky deep house with silky synth work and classic drums. 'Lelazo' (feat Emanuele Barilli) carries on down the same path but this time has a darker bassline and more garage tinged skip in the grooves. On the flip side things slow down to a sunset sound on 'Maison' (feat Hauke Freer) and 'Poops' Feat O is a tight, well swung bumper with jazzy keys. Robust and emotive house music from front to back, then.

Review: We can't fault anyone for calling their EP Four Really Good Tracks just so long as it does indeed feature four really good tracks. This hand-stamped 12" from Terrazzo does just that with contributions from four different artists. Remotif's 'Ludovician' kicks off with a nice zoned-out tech roller for 4AM. Jay Gadian then steps up with 'Crisscrossing' which has a busier rhythm anymore searching synths smeared over the face of the groove. Reflex Blue's 'Mystic' is a busy workout with spiraling melodic refrains and a constant sense of cosmic takeoff. Wilt's 'Fractal Ceiling' then shuts down with acid laced deep techno.

Review: Waage is a firm favourite amongst dub techno fans. The Icelandic producer has long been turning out icy and atmospheric rollers for the heads and here he works alongside a fresh name, Quantal, who is sure to go on to big things. Here they land on Thule Records, a legendary label in its own right with roots going back to 1995. They kick off with the textured dub of 'WQ1' which has glitchy sounds paying over the rolling drums. 'WQ2' is much more smooth and streamlined, with an underwater current that sweeps you off your feet, then 'WQ3' leans into the wind with hypnotic techno drums and vamping chords that melt the mind. Last of all comes 'WQ4', a timeless dub with infinite horizons and the most frictionless drum loops.

Review: Born less than an hour from Chicago but now based in Detroit, Rick Wade cut his DJ teeth in Michigan's Nectarine Ballroom in the 80s and early 90s, at the same time as a certain Jeff Mills was also making giant strides at the venue. Wade's sound is more rooted in deep house but, as this four tracker demonstrates, there's a cosmic spirituality and otherworldliness to his music that it shares with the best of UR and other notable Detroit greats. We kick off with 'Groove Tool', powered by a beautifully pliable, funky bassline and embellished with floating chords and subtle bell sounds way up in the high frequency range. 'Pimp Prophecy' boasts a little more disco swagger, with its niggling guitar riff and some excellent bongo bashing. 'Jazzy Tears' revolves around a sturdy kick and a processed, timestretched vocal refrain, played off against jazzy guitar chords and strings ascending to the heavens. 'Ooo Ahh' is probably the catchiest of the lot, with a shuffling beat undercarriage and an infectious hook, all wrapped up - as all four tracks are - in some understated but still lush musicality. 'Deep Incantations' indeed.

Review: wAFF is a part of the big room techno future at this stage. The UK artist has been rolling out effective tracks to lock in large crowds for many years on a range of labels. It is Nature where he finds himself here and once again he sticks to his usual formula - well designed drums that are chunky but warm, with burrowing synths up top and some effects and vocals to bring them alive. 'Leaving You' starts things at a slick pace, 'Underbite' is a little more minimal and loopy and 'Fat Couch' brings a classic r&b sample to the tech beats for even more crowd-pleasing effect.

Review: A striking debut EP from Tokyo artist Iori Wakasa; 'Botanica' is a psychedelic house EP unto its own, summoning the environmental/ambisonic ritualisms of his locale, but repackaging them into a thoroughly danceable deep tech aesthetic. It's a fusion sound which is quite rare in other contexts. Wakasa, also a DJ (and now label head) based in Japan, has more recently expanded his repertoire to performances in Indonesia, Vietnam, and South Korea, and we'd wager it's this wealth of experience that has informed on the impeccable sonic synergies of 'The Pure Land' and 'Lunar Down'.

Review: The small but well-formed Snaretrade label squeezes out the third release just before the end of the year. It is some super stylish minimal from the Walrus with 'EchoEva' opens up with a dark web of twisted synths and whispered vocals. 'Your Heart Is Your Passport' is a deft tapestry of icy snares, chopped vocals and fizzing synths that get you into a late-night dream state. Last is 'Weekend', a punchy acid house cut with elastic bass and knack-snapping drums all fizzing and spitting with real sleaze and attitude.

Review: Six years ago, Vince Watson released a digital-only compilation marking two decades since his first release, in the process providing updated re-makes and remixes of some of his best-loved cuts. The versions on this 12" appeared on that set but have not been released on vinyl before. His re-wire of 1999 cut 'Mystical Rhythm' is little less than sonically gorgeous, subtly updating Watson's classic, Detroit influenced sci-fi techno sound to include all manner of spacey chords, warming organ sounds and jazzy, life-affirming synth solos. His version of 2000's 'Moments in Time' is even deeper and more intergalactic in tone, delivering heart-aching Motor City style machine soul by the boat-load. In a word: stunning.

Review: Wave Particle Singularity takes charge of the first release on Groove On The Carpet and shows off his fine house music credentials. This trip begins with 'Zarbeeya' which is a soulful sound filled with Saharan chords and chants by the artist's best friend's wife, Sabrina, who hails from Algeria. The next track tells the story of the carpet manufacturing process and on the B-side, 'Ghardaia' delves into micro-minimalist grooves with desert-like harmonies while the final track is a nice dubby groover that ties the EP together and links the Algerian Sahara to Berlin's electronic scene.

Review: Chiwax are back this week with a more than welcome reissue of Wax Fruit's one-and-only release Whispers from 1994. This was one of many aliases sussed by Toronto-based producer Ron Allen, who some of you may know for his seminal work as one half of Psyance (with Hayden Andre Brown) who released on Plus 8, as well as his work under the names Aztech, The Apache Project and The R.A.S.E. The late night mood music of the title track is a true zeitgeist from the period in which it was released, while the looped-up disco sampling deep house of 'Just A Party' or 'Mindgames' over on the flip were equally as trendsetting as anything fellow Torontonians like Nick Holder or DJ Sneak were making at the time.

Review: Oh how we all miss Andrew Weatherall. Not only was he a masterful DJ who could lock you down for hours on end, but he was a producer who could bring his own brand of sleaze and filth to disco and techno. On top of that, he was always a voice of reason, of humour, of realism. Sad as his passing is, it's nice to hear from him again via this previously unreleased track on DISDAT. 'YW Eleven' is all distorted synths riffs alternated with beautiful chord progressions that make for another standout bit of apoco-disco. On the flip, Rhadoo reworks it into a superb bit of snaking and brain melting minimal tech house.

Review: Classy dancefloor-slaying action on 10" vinyl no less from West Norwood Cassette Library, combining a thumping four to the floor beat with nifty percussion, a fairly well known snippet of hip-hop vocal and ravey stabs. The results are as hard to resist as they are to classify, except to say it leaves absolutely zero prisoners. "This one had been previously doing the rounds as a 'dubplate only' exclusive," WNCS told us, "cut especially for the Futurepastzine tenth anniversary bash just on the cusp of lockdown ... so it seemed only appropriate to ask FPZ head honcho and fellow Cassette Librarian, Rawtrachs, to attend to remix duty." So flip it over for that equally excellent reworking from Rawtrachs and stand well back - we predict not only a riot, but an awful lot of spilt beer too.

Review: For ravers of a certain age, Wighnomy Brothers are real heroes. They made such weird and wonderful sounds that afterparties were never the same without them. It's great to hear some new music from the pair and even better to know it is just as out there. This one starts with some found sounds that will freak you out, then slips into a nice synth laced minimal groove on 'Moppal Kiff.' 'Dukktus' has a more airy feel, with sunny pads lingering up above the beats. 'Something For Your Majo (Mind Ging Bis Dato Noch Nicht)' is an experimental loop for adventurous DJs.

Review: Constant Sound is one of the very many labels that is headed up by Burnski and one that he reserves for club-ready tech house and minimal. Wodda steps up for the latest outing and brings some future garage energy to the opener, 'Reggae Fusion' (Deep mix) which is lit up with lithe synths and smart vocal samples. 'On My Way' has more infectious garage vibes to it with the squelchy drums and hits and some nice heady melodies up top. 'Changing Faces' gets more twisted and brings intergalactic drama to the ass-wiggling cyborg tech beats and last of all, a Tuff Mudda mix of 'Reggae Fusion' shuts down with a silky thump and throwback UKG bass.

Review: Ralph Lawson's legendary Leeds-based label 20/20 Vision is in the middle of celebrating 30 years in the game. Part of that now extends to this reissue of a record that played a huge part in establishing the imprint back in the day. It comes from the co-founders' production alias Wolf n Flow and though it was recorded more than 20 years ago, this record still bangs. 'Messin' With My Mind' is a perfect mix of squelchy tech and vocal loveliness that calls to mind early Fresh & Low. The Oliver.r dub is more sleek and blissed out and two Electric Press remixes close out with some late-night heft.

Review: All we really know about this one is that The Wolf is an artist based in Berlin. He has started his own label here to serve up his latest studio concoctions and this first one is all about slamming minimal cuts. All of them are untitled in true underground minimal fashion, of course and the first one pairs rickety lines with under-lapping bass and dreamy chords. The second one heads to the stars with Detroit style pads smeared about the mix over punchy but stripped back rubber kick patterns and last of all is a more thumping deep house groove with more liquid pad work and a sense of serenity.

Review: While their output has understandably become less frequent in recent years, Kyiv-based Artreform continues to do its best to showcase a new generation of Ukrainian producers. Label boss JOSS is at it again here, offering up a debut EP from previously unheard local talent Wonkie. In its' original form, 'I Meet Somebody' is a ten-minute slab of mind-mangling tech-house complete with fizzing TB-303 motifs, ghostly pads, distant-sounding melodies and deep, evocative bass. Kyiv scene stalwart Io Mulen remixes, wrapping choice elements of Wonkie's original around a shuffling, breakbeat-goes-tech-house beat. Turn to the flip for something rather unusual (but pleasingly good) - a stretched-out tec-house interpretation of Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells', where flashes of the famous melody bob and weave around weighty bass, trippy electronics and crunchy beats.

Review: The Worm burrows deep with this evocative new outing on Deep Cub label, which continues to turn plenty of heads before it has even got to release number 10. '12 Days Of Squirm' is dubby, mid tempo and slow motion techno for early evening warm ups. 'Lisa' brings a more cid laced and percolating sound to up the energy levels and '808 Verb Talk' is darker, more heavy, with bright acid leaving a menacing mood in its wake. 'Pytch1' is another deft and atmospheric wedge of slow, purposeful techno.

Review: Laurant Webb, Dave Coker, Justin Bailey, and Dave Pine were the key figures behind Strange Weather Studios, which was a creative hub in Southeast London that helped shape the very early sound of tech house in the capital. Collaborating with friends and partners on several projects, they produced a number of influential records that defined the genre including under aliases such as Housey Doingz, 7th Voyage, and Space Bunny. This release on Sushitech, which always does a fine job of offering up the best tech house past and present, pays tribute to the studio and its collaborators with representative tracks carefully selected by Laurant Webb and label head Yossi Amoyal. Restored and remastered from rare DATs and pressed up to no fewer than six sides of vinyl, it's a great look at a significant moment in the evolution of tech house.

Review: Working with various collaborators, Laurant Webb, Dave Coker, Justin Bailey, and Dave Pine produced influential records under aliases like Housey Doingz, 7th Voyage, and Space Bunny at the influential Strange Weather Studios. Those records very much helped to define the early days of the tech house genre. This Sushitech release comes on clear vinyl and honours their legacy, with tracks handpicked by Webb and label founder Yossi Amoyal. They have all been remastered from rare DATs and across three slabs of wax make for an essential deep dive into an important phase in the earliest days of tech house.

Review: Since first emerging three years ago, Harry Wills has built up quite a reputation, first as a maker of sub-heavy, garage-influenced tech-house jams and more recently via releases that blend melodious, bouncy house and techno sounds with nods towards broken beat, rave-era anthems, electro and IDM. Luxury Bedtime, his debut album and the inaugural release on Wills' new label Nimble, is generally warming, tuneful and atmospheric, with a mixture of attractive motifs and wonky electronics rising above beats that variously draw influence from tech-house, breaks, deep house, dubstep and electro. It's a gently eclectic beast for sure, but also a coherent and high-quality listen.