SHAN Schallplatten & CDs

Review: In a taxi en route to an airport, Gerd Janson mentioned to Midland that he might have some demos for the label that he had been working on with fellow Frankfurter, Shan. What resulted were a pair of tracks that perfectly nail the vibe and what the label is about, 'soundtracking the moments of the night and day when everyone on the dancefloor feels like a family.' Legend has it that in 2015, Midland watched Janson close Berlin's infamous Panorama Bar. The way he played on the night, the energy levels he maintained in the room altogether inspired him to write some music influenced by the experience. The tracks that followed were the first release on Regraded and fast forward to this, the third release: it all seems to have come full circle.

Review: Frankfurt producer Victor Shan has long been one of Germany's premier rave revivalists, periodically returning to Running Back with EPs that evoke mental images of turn-of-the-'90s warehouse parties and sweat-soaked basement parties illuminated by little more than red lights. His belated return to Gerd Janson's imprint pushes this sonic aesthetic to the fore, with the title being a reference to the Chicago venue of the same name that helped birth house music. It's full-throttle, hands-in-the-air music from the off, where stab-happy, breakbeat-powered stomper 'Abfahrt' is followed by the 'Apache'-sampling excitement of 'Strobelight' and the surging, Italo-style arpeggiated bass of 'Volume Up'. The fun continues on the flip via the moody 'Textura', the lusciously loved-up 'R8000' and the classic Chicago house flex of 'Shifter'.

Review: Frankfurt producer Shan has enjoyed a long and productive friendship with Running Back Gerd Janson. To date, it has included a swathe of collaborative tracks and remixes, as well as regular solo releases on the label. Shan's latest EP for the imprint is naturally packed with playable material. Saucer-eyed, retro-futurist opener "Who Run Tings", for example, underpins jaunty, Inner City style stabs and piano riffs with corking, hip-house style breakbeats, while "Awakenings" offers a slightly more muscular, big room-friendly take on the turn-of-the-'90s piano house blueprint. Shan deviates further from the script on the Nu Groove style vintage deep house musicality of "English Summer" and deep '80s synth-pop-meets-deep house flex of closer "Take Me To The Top".

Review: Ever since Gerd Janson snapped up his fine Chord Memories E.P back in 2014, Shan has enjoyed a productive relationship with Running Back. City Never Sleeps marks the Frankfurt producer's third outing on the hyped house imprint, and boasts a quartet of retro-futurist treats. He doffs a cap to the melodious analogue deep house of the Burrell Brothers and Larry Heard on the delicious title track, before effortlessly emphasizing his own chunky, cymbal-heavy groove on the subtly acid-flecked "Lin FM". "Caiber" sees him sending shivers down the spine via warehouse-friendly piano riifs and boisterous house breakbeats, while closer "691 Beats" is a pulsating, bass-heavy drum workout with added rave riffs.

Review: Few are better at saucer-eyed, rave revivalism than Victor Shan. He's made a habit of successfully doffing a cap to the early '90s, primarily via collaborations with Tuff City Kids and the booming Chord Memories 12" on Running Back. Here he's at it again, kicking off with a "Piano Mix" of "Work It" that sounds like a long lost collaboration between Inner City and Tyree Cooper. There's a more flustered, UK hardcore feel about "Bassline Party", even if it does contain a classic Chicago house bassline and a swinging, boompty style groove. Flip for a ghetto style "Miami Mix" of work it, plus a couple of handy DJ tools (the hip-house-goes-rave groove of the "Rave Beats" version being particularly potent).