GROUND Schallplatten & CDs

Review: New Japanese label Grunge House Records featuring Japanese artist Altz cover of Everybody Loves the Sunshine, Peter Power (Multi Culti/ Invisible, Inc.) mysterious ambient tune, and a polyrhythmic tribal dub techno cut with a motif of Japanese mythology by Ground (ESP Institute / Chillmountain).

Review: Akira Arasawa opens up with psychedelic Balearic house on 'Panorama New Touch' while OR's 'Hammock Beats' is glitchy and low-slung downtempo. On the flip is the nine-minute head melter 'Liquidanz' with its rippling synth modulations and Hutte Sound System close down with the dreamy end of the night soother 'Fire Fly'. Thsi mproject sees Especial Specials joining forces ed up with Chillmountain Recordings - a label from Osaka, Japan - on a series of new EPs, this being the first of hopefully many. The idea is to show the world the talents the label has at its disposal. It's definitely a case of mission accomplished on this evidence.

Review: Especial Specials has joined forces with Osaka-based imprint Chillmountain Recordings to offer up another Enjoy Your Self EP. This one once again showcases the talents on its roster with label head Ground kicking off with a beatdown meets trance sound on "Utau Narukoyuri'. After that slow burner come tribal percussive sounds from 'Arauma' (Kobato Dub), sunny cumbia on 'Something Sign' and a meandering Balearic journey from Akira Arasawa With KUN & FRANKY-CH that is brought to life with new age flute sounds, bird calls, jungle drips and folkloric strings. A fantastic EP, then.

Review: Enjoy Your Self EP 3 is, as the title suggests, a third deep dive into the offerings of Osaka, Japan-based label Chillmountain Recordings. It has a wealth of different producers on its roster, all of whom twist up house, electronica, experimental, dub and Balearic sounds into fresh new grooves for cultured dance floors. It is tribal and percussive dub from Aki Nagase that immediately gets us locked in before Akira Arasawa & Ground combine for the sludgy and slow motion dub of 'Multi Gud Z.' Akira Arasawa's 'Dolphin' has underwater sonar sounds and watery rhythms then the EP closes on what might be the best of the lot - a percolating dub in the form of 'Dancing Pikapika.'