MIHAI POL Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Micro Orbit is back with another trip around the cosmos almost exactly a year since they first launched into space with the first in their Pioneer Series. That was backed up with their Origins Series in January this year but it is to the Pioneers we return here with four finely crafted minimal and tech house cuts. Mtps's 'Moonrise' is a gritty, punchy opener with a stripped back sense of menace. Michaelis's 'Wax Off' is the sort of silky sound to spin you out at 5am and Mihai Pol's offers up deliciously deep and heady loops on his 'Zelot'. Fedo closes things down with the floating and suspensory dubbed out tech house delicacies of 'Anantkar Kaur.'

Review: Mihai Pol has been a leader of the Romanian underground for a long time now but keeps on coming up with the goods each time he steps out on to wax. It is the 15th EP from Hashplant which he takes care of here with his usual deft touch and silky fusion of rhythm and sound. 'Decisions' kicks things off with nice broken beat patterns and funky bass topped off with some lush cosmic synth work. 'Ripple' is a more zoned out and dreamy cut but one packed with meticulous synth craft and 'Subsonic Groove' is another super smooth one for blissed out cruising. Last of all is 'Fading Light' with its percolating tech funk and glossy synth lines shining bright.

Review: London-based label Telum only recently started their offshoot label Aurum - back in April this year, actually - and now comes a third transmission from the cutting-edge of the tech house world. Mihai Pol is in charge with a crunchy and crispy sound that is full of kinetic energy and twitchy beats on 'De Tune.' There is more playfulness in the synths that wander up and down the scales on 'Remote' and last of all is 'Mocanita', again a steely and tightly arranged cut with clipped drum funk and synths squirming in and out of the beats.