TIM REAPER Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Waveforms is a brand new label spearheaded by ASC and Presha who the already revered minds behind Spatial/Auxiliary and Samurai Music respectively. They say they are on a mission to dive deep into the menacing world of early 90s jungle and cook up tunes reminiscent of that era and then serve them up lovely slabs of 10" wax. And right from the off the man who never misses, Tim Reaper, transports us back to the driving breakbeats and raw energy of that time with a pair of tunes that layer up a flurry of snares and booming low ends with wiry synths the sense of futurism that still holds true to this day. Sure to captivate old-school heads and new listeners alike.

Review: London wax institution Phonica continue to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a label in deep-digging, highly eclectic style. This fourth sampler continues to hint at a much larger VA album with a wide range of sounds across the techno/jungle axis. Tim Reaper & Comfort Zone get us in the groove with the savage drum funk of 'Subterranean' while Toby Tobias eases down the tempo and takes us to some mystical places on the Balearic-on-Mars funk of 'On My Mind'. Meanwhile on the flip Shy One goes full-on Co-Op / Bugz vibes with its sparse broken beat jazziness while Orphic's Kieran Jandu closes the EP on a bumping early 90s-inspired techno roll-out. Happy anniversary Phonica.

Review: Myor Massiv dial up two of the heaviest operators in contemporary jungle for a sure shot split 12" which will charge up the dance whichever side the needle drops on. 'Lucky Go Happy' is a chirpy workout from Reaper, getting lyrical with the snare rushes, pinging some sprightly chords around the mix and juggling some diva vocal licks without losing that sharp edge that always marks out his tunes. Coco Bryce brings a more widescreen, techno-styled palette to 'Down The Way' on the flip, but there's still plenty of space for swerves into giddy old-skool sampling deployed with the flair which has made him one of the brightest talents in the field. Jungle by numbers this ain't.