AUTOMATIC TASTY Schallplatten & CDs

Review: If you have prior experience of either Dublin label Lunar Disko or the producer Automatic Tasty, who hails from nearby Wicklow, you'll be familiar with both a sense of humour and accomplishment in production that lifts them a fair few iotas above the standard disco affair. This latest EP from the latter on the former demonstrates this perfectly, launching with the spoken word opener "Keep Your Receipt" which shows a cheeky idiosyncrasy absent from most records since Ninja Tune in it's late 90s pomp, whilst "Beannach Mhor" could easily be mistaken for Vibert under his Kerrier District alias, rewiring the think break to drive dreamy analogue clouds of 303. "Over The Hill" sounds like the sorely missed Italian duo Jollymusic reborn - all percussion scattering gleefully over a thick 101 bassline and outer galactic keys before dropping into a streamlined, dub-laden thrust. "Tropic Exchange" continues in this manner with dusty, jacked drum complemented by ever twinkling layers of keys and Lowlands style analogue bass, whilst "Small Hours" heads for the stars with colourful bursts of sonic texture filling the gaps between the 808 patterns.

Review: Jonny Dillon AKA Automatic Tasty lands on Central Processing Unit for the first time with an EP that is far from typical of the Sheffield label's output. While there are nods to the label's usual sci-fi electro sound, the majority of the tracks draw more influence from electrofunk and, more obviously, the deeper end of the 1980s synth-pop spectrum. For proof, check opener 'The Future is Not What It Used To Be', whose robotic vocoder vocals, chiming melodies and Chris Lowe style chord progressions gives the track an 'overlooked 1988 Pet Shop Boys B-side' kind of feel. Elsewhere, 'Romance in the Old Country' is atmospheric, warming and bittersweet, 'Rising Sun' is giddy and cheerful, and 'Adventures in the World of Becoming' sounds like a long-lost, late '90s Plone track.

Review: As Jonny Automatic Tasty Dillon prepares to release his sixth studio album A Farewell To Reason, Lunar Disko take us back to 2012 and one of Jonny's many discographical highlights "Fieldwork". An EP of four stages, the concept takes us across the day using Foley sounds. "Field In The Morning" is a bright, bouncy piece dusted with birdsong, "Field In The Afternoon" is a warmer, more energetic piece of acid house, all bleepy and relentless with its rolling drums, "Field In The Evening" brings a more sobering reflective note while "Field By Night" climaxes with an intense acid rave-up, like all the best days spent in fields should. Eight years old but still as timeless as ever, Tasty has always lived up to his name.

Review: Johnny Dillon returns on Sheffield's Central Processing Unit with some fun loving, feelgood electro that doesn't take itself too seriously. Testament to this is first track "Aromatic Toasty Hits The Town" sounding like something on the soundtrack of an '80s Commodore 64 computer game. "The Life Parochial" is a homage to the same era albeit this time a b-movie soundtrack style that Giallo Disco fans would love. "The Parish Hotline", the standout track here; could be assumed to be an old Italo disco gem unearthed. Lastly the tongue twister that is "The Twofold Exaltation of An Acid Called Tinfoil Hat" calibrates Dillon's style finely with an absurd psychotherapy derived monologue over a sleazy little 303 ditty.

Review: The work of Sheffield-based label Central Processing Unit has also undoubtedly helped to facilitate electro's stealthy return in favour, issuing a succession of 12? ripplers from Semantica and Frustrated Funk regular Plant43, DMX Krew and sometime Planet Mu artist Mrs Jynx since it was established last year. The label's latest release welcomes another like-minded soul into the fold in the shape of Wicklow-based producer Automatic Tasty who's been responsible for some wonderfully insouciant material for the likes of Lunar Disko and Photic Fields. His Sentimentalist's Choice 12? sounds like vintage Automatic Tasty, throwing in the occasional famous breakbeat amidst the richly textured synth-lines and crisp 606 patterns.

Review: You can always rely on Dublin's Lunar Disko Records to provide the heat; this time it's in the form of some heavyweight electro vibes by the industry's best and brightest. But this is no surprise given the imprint's invariable doses of quality. First up is Dutch maestro DJ Overdose with "Arecibo", a comparatively more pensive and introspective electro appearance than his usual work, but TR One's "Escape From Enceladus" takes this pensive sway of synths and crystal-like sonics to an even deeper level. Raiders Of The Lost Arp kick off the flip side with the smooth and suave flow of "Equinox", this one belonging more to the house end of the spectrum, whereas Automatic Tasty comes through with a quirky little digi number with the aptly odd name of "I Can't Find My Own Manual (How Therefore Am I To Restore My Factory Settings?)". A tidy little blast of synth-filled goods.

Review: Rebel Intelligence was never the most prolific of labels, with its' first three releases - a trio of excellent analogue workouts from Matt Whitehead - coming out over a two-year period. This fourth 12" - the imprints first since 2011 - sees a new wave of artists bringing their synthesizers and drum machines to the party. JTC's "Habit" opens proceedings, sounding not unlike a cross between classic EBM, sparse analogue deep house and pitched-down early Detroit techno. Automatic Tasty impresses with "Winters Evening", a deliciously melodic chunk of Claro Intellecto style electro, before Elec Pt1 charges off on an intoxicating 303 acid tip ("Daytime Acid"). Finally, Abraham Cowley flies off into space with "Shifting Seasons", a wonderfully evocative fusion of constantly building analogue beats, melancholic chords and eyes-wide-shut melodies.

Review: Berlin's newly formed Vortex Traks makes the perfect debut to kick start their catalogue, by bringing together four exciting young talents from the outsider house spectrum. First up is Harmonia's Mesak with an excellent slice of electro in the shape of "Ketale", while Tabernacle's Jeremiah R swings through a bit of fast-paced, synth-heavy deep house from outer space. On the flip, it's "Forbidden Capital" by Matti Turunen, a chilling piece of underwater electro funk, and the equally foreboding "A Reading From The Misanthropist's Guide To Romance" by Automatic Tasty.