IO (MULEN) Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Ukraine's tech house champ per excellence iO (Mulen) is back in action, following up on last year's first instalment of Oldivibes with some more chunky, playful workouts for the floor. Given the title of the release, it's no surprise to hear some trancey flavours threaded through lead track 'Join Me', but they're framed by a tough, pumped up house backbone to get you jacking with approval. 'What I Want' is a dirtier affair, but the spirit is very much the same. 'Hey Hey!' takes things in a trippier direction without dipping the energy and then 'Outgoing Song' completes the set with the standout track - a seductive and spooky groover with the perfect slithers of female vocal to draw the crowd into the palm of your hand.

Review: Mulen main man IO has been surprisingly quiet this year following a stellar 2019 in which he released a quintet of must-check EPs. The good news is that the Meuse EP was worth waiting for. The A-side title track is a terrific example of the more robust, peak-time-friendly end of his style, with addictive riffs, spacey electronics and ricocheting percussion hits riding a storming, beefed-up tech-house groove. He begins the B-side with a deeper, loopier and hazier (but not less rhythmically driving) excursion - the disco-tech jack of 'Flirt', before reaching for swinging drums, alien-sounding motifs and warming chords on hypnotic closing cut 'Response Profonde'.