Kepler

Review: There's something brilliantly unfussy and matter-or-fact about Matthew Farrow's latest outing as Kepler, which marks his first appearance on no nonsense Mulen sub-label Hoarder. The four collected cuts are subtly varied and all aimed squarely at the dancefloor, with Farrow striking a near perfect balance between rolling dancefloor hypnotism, funk-fuelled glitch-house and bottom-heavy peak-time intent. We're particularly enjoying the spacey and ultra-deep swing of "Self Hypnosis" and the weighty, stripped-back pump of opener "Few Days' - a track built around little more than fluid sub-bass, crunchy drums and metallic electronic riffs - but the organ-powered, U.S garage-influenced tech-house bump of "French Lessons" is not far behind.

Review: Matthew Farrow brings his Kepler project back to Aesthetic following sterling turns on Silencio, Pathway Traxx and Pleasure Zone. The vibe is infectiously bouncy on opening track "Us01", while "Heads Down" stays true to its title as it favours a subtle approach for meditative immersion in the tech house tradition. "Dream State" finds Farrow exploring his jazzy tendencies once more with some ace, ear-catching chords that skip around a shuffling beat. "Locker" rounds the EP out with a mellow, dubby groover shaped out by gaseous pads and underpinned by a subtle, wriggling synth line.

Review: Kepler has already been on a barnstorming run over the past 12 months with key drops on Pleasure Zone, Hoarder and Discotech amongst many others, not to mention his killer garage excursions as 0113. Now he shores up on Constant Sound with some fizzing, energetically charged techno that packs a punch and dazzles on top thanks to an acute sense of melody. DX7 organ basslines collide with cosmic arps and a thumping rhythm section on "Contact", while "Afterglow" takes things a little deeper without dropping the tempo. "Movement" revels in a cascade of interwoven synth lines, while "Pulse" takes a leaner, clubbier route without losing that up-for-it rush around the upper 120 BPM range.

Review: The fourth release on LONEWOLF comes from a cast of underground talents. Four phenomenal slices of retro-futuristic techno by EYA Records aficionados Manuk,Otis and new affiliates Kepler and AC130.