CHAOS IN THE CBD Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Lo-fi house lovers Chaos In The CBD make their Fabric debut with a new mix CD and LP, contributing their wares to the latter's fresh mix Presents series, which came about after the end of the FABRICLIVE series and has seen to the likes of Sherelle, Octo Octa and Marbou State also feature. This 22-track extravaganza is noted to have been Fabric's most challenging licensing ordeal to date, having to polish a variety of sonic gemstones including by The Logic Box, Box Clever and Psychedelic Research Lab. Clearly, the relative obscurity of the names on the CD make this the duo's ode to 'hidden' house. Their original track 'Higher Elavation', meanwhile, cements this mysterious mood with surreptitious basses and smoggy pads.

Review: Kiwi brothers Chaos In The CBD return to Mule Musiq with their third EP for the long running Japanese label. They are in fine form throughout, offering up cuts that combine great ideas and intriguing musical motifs with just the right amount of serious dancefloor grunt. They're in full on saucer-eyed mode on A-side "Hydrate", a breakbeat-sporting deep house roller whose extended ambient intro, swirling chords, whispered vocal samples, gentle acid lines and early '90s U.S garage stabs combine to create a suitably loved-up vibe. Flipside "Searching For Signal" is similarly inclined but sounds a touch more psychedelic, with trance-inducing electronics and heady chord sequences catching the ear above another shuffling breakbeat-driven groove.

Review: Kiwi siblings Chaos In The CBD have long been a reliable source of deep house, though in recent times their releases have tended towards the deliciously dubby and ultra-deep. Ton their latest two-tracker, they return to the woozy, warm, chunky, jazz-flecked deepness that has long been their calling card. Title track 'Intimate Fantasy' is particularly special, with the duo dousing a chunky bassline and loose-limbed deep house beats in glistening jazz guitar, sun-splashed chords and languid melodic motifs. On 'Club Miyako', they craft a classic-sounding US deep house groove out of rolling beats and double bass, onto which they layer summery melodies, jazz piano and some wonderfully eyes-closed vocal samples. Music to lose yourself in while dancing: more please!

Review: Shockingly, it's been almost three years since we last heard new material from Chaos in the CBD aka London-based Kiwi brothers Ben and Louis Helliker-Hales. This two-tracker is not only well overdue, but also as quietly impressive as you'd expect. Title track and A-side 'Sirena Deep' lives up to its name, offering a subtly summery shuffle through lightly dubbed-out, organ-rich deep house goodness complete with an expressive and tasteful flute solo from fellow New Zealander Nathan Haines. Those looking for a more driving, sub-heavy and late-night focused workout will love flip side 'Outdoor Limit', where creepy, ghostly chords and textures ride tough house beats and a deep, dubby bassline.

Review: First available digitally earlier in the year and now finally out on wax, this tidy 12" showcases a quartet of killer cuts from the studios of In Dust We Trust co-founders, Chaos in the CBD (New Zealand-born siblings Ben and Louis Helliker-Hales) and Jon Sable. The trio offer up two collaborative cuts, both of which give different spins on the fusion of dub techno and hypnotic deep house. There's opener 'Mahia Madness', a thickset, late-night number that's as dubby and hazy as any Deepchord record, and the gently picturesque, Sprinkles-esque 'To Puke Thunder'. The EP also boasts a solo track apiece, with Chaos in the CBD opting for non-stop, energy-packed deep techno hypnotism ('Coral Castle'), and Sable reaching for dreamy deep house chords and rubbery broken beats ('Ascension Island').