SHARIF LAFFREY Schallplatten & CDs

Review: The joy of Sharif Laffrey's productions is the way that he's able to craft trippy, mind-altering epics using a sparse selection of elements - usually a couple of key samples, a drum machine, a TB-303 bass synth and copious amounts of brain-melting effects. He's at it again on "Sounds To Come", a 12-minute workout that seems designed for maximum hallucinatory impact. For the first five minutes it bubbles away menacingly on a bed of metallic drums, throbbing bass and wavy spoken word samples, before Laffrey ratchets up the weird noises and sharp electronics while playing with the effects. The results are spellbinding whether you're stone cold sober or completely intoxicated.

Review: Sharif Laffrey is something of an unheralded hero of the underground Detroit scene. Active since the halcyon days of the mid-90s Motor City rave movement, his sporadic releases are rarely less than superb (as those who copped last year's radical, thrillingly wayward acid house mutilation of Pet Shop Boys "Always On My Mind/In My House" will attest). The single-sided "And Dance" is another delightfully wonky epic; a 14-minute fusion of chopped-up Italo-disco loops, rising and falling acid lines and heavily manipulated spoken word vocals. There are multiple stops, starts, breakdowns, drops and build-ups, with Laffrey subtly building up the pressure via waves of wonky Motor City electronics throughout. There aren't many of these around, so act fast if you want to secure a copy.