Review: Hey boys, hey girls... Chemical Brothers are back with some superstar business and all is well with the world. Instantly slipping into their signature, 'No Reason' smacks with everything we love about Tom and Ed. Big funk bassline, cheeky party samples and a presence that could get everyone from your nan to your naughty next door neighbour dancing. 'All Of A Sudden' takes us up a few gears in a way that only the Chemmys can; unrelenting laser bass marching music that pushes and pushes and pushes to the very end. Here we go!
Review: Whatever you were expecting from an album named 'Superflous', forget it. An exploration into all the many paths of light that refract from the prism of house music, Bagarre commands the dancefloor with every track, placing specific emphasis on keys - a side of the genre that the mainstream has fallen out of love with in recent years. The silky smooth jazz house of 'Espirit Coubertin', a more classic NYC brand of vocal house (beset with 80s synth phrases) in 'Truman Flow' and a divulgence into some driving piano acid house with chopped up vocals in 'Annees Folles' to even a more modern, turn of the century approach with the big hit 'Eurovision' - I could go on. A wonderful and tight package, this LP almost feels like a compilation for how varied and versatile the tracks are. The packaging being one of the selling points of course, the carbon impact of the vinyl production promising to be compensated by a French organisation. You certainly don't have to feel bad about dancing to this now.
Review: Trident is dropping a couple of top EPs this month. One is from Derrek Carr, and one is this double white 12" that finds Deltamaxx and O En One join forces. They take us on a storytelling trip through cosmic techno that varies in mood and tempo. 'Conexxion' rides a nice rubbery, bumpy groove with incidental and wispy synth sounds, then 'Delta Pavonis' seems to soundtrack a beach party up amongst the stars. There are darker, more heady cuts like 'Donnager' and icy electro cinematics on 'Isonoe' to make for a worthy collection of sounds that work on the dancefloor and beyond.
Review: UK's All My Thoughts label has built up a strong reputation the past half-decade. Fans of the label point to it alongside a few others as the perfect blend of house and techno music. Edmondson is equally as strong with a handful of releases that have also garnered high praise for. Vanarama houses four examples of deep house that bridge garage music and dance music to make them both futuristic, deep and fun. We really like the wide range of moods in this EP. All My Thoughts has another winner! Only 80 copies in total so be quick!
Review: Hungarian electronic music producer Laurine Frost's Cabaret Nord lands as the debut release on Spanish label Andermedt, and it's nothing short of a radical statement. A vault of unreleased material over five years in the making, it's a return to Frost's 4/4 roots but filtered through his signature lens of dark mysticism and surreal funk. Earth-shaking drums, warped grooves and grotesque theatrics unfold like a ritualistic performance in each track as he twists techno cliches into something deeply personal. As such Cabaret Nord blurs lines between satire and sincerity, rhythm and poetry. It's not comedy-it's an avant-garde theatre of sound and a mind-bending triumph that demands immersive listening.
Review: Strap in for more rickety breakbeat workouts here from Imaginary Number on a limited edition heavyweight white label. Opener 'Push' is crunchy as you like with raw drum work and frayed edges to the synths. 'Grv' pairs a lively breakbeat drum loop with bleeping synths and the sort of pent up late night energy that gets any floor going. 'Somebody' is a more macho and texture techno wobbler built on ramshackle drums with wild vocals and last of all is another physical and prickly drum workout 'Fools' that is pure heat, especially with the pitched up and snatched vocal that cuts in.
Review: The eagle-eyed out there might have spotted Lepaya making a debut appearance on Sanguina back in 2021 s part of a VA split release, but now they step out with a release of their own on burgeoning label Mormorio. Minimal tech is the order of the day here, but other forces are at play such as the subtle pop melancholia in between the broken beat of 'Freeway'. 'Social Disdancing' is a more classically stripped back rhythm workout for the DJs to get tricky with. On the remix front, Traumer has a fine time shuffling up 'Freeway' in his sleek, distinctive style while Giorgio Maulini gets into a trippy tech-trance frame of mind reworking 'Social Disdancing'.
House Brigade - "A Madd Cry" (Dungeon edit mix) (4:12)
Review: Yet another early Masters At Work proto-jungle cut gets released on the inimitable Kay Dee recs. 'Blood Vibes' (Demo Version) is a desirous gemstone whose best facets reflect reggae, hip-hop and party breaks, though each side can only partially bend the unmissable light that is Kenny Dope" Gonzalez's production touch. Built around elements of Junior Reid's reggae classic 'One Blood', 'Blood Vibes' came about amid the pose-striking ballroom craze in New York in 1991, and even now we can hardly prepare ourselves for the riot that ensues on the following B-side, 'The Madd Cry'.
Review: MmWave and Sound Synthesis step up to Doppler Shift here with a superb new split EP that explores acid, electro and breakbeat-infused sounds. MmWave takes care of the A-side firstly with 'Sequential Phonk,' which pairs nice elastic synth and basslines with snappy drums, while 'Signal' twitches with a more restless rhythm and 'Citadin' is a minimal, stripped-back electro rhythm that slithers through the night. Sound Synthesis's trio includes the cinematic 'Ambionic', starry melodies of 'Time_Rez_Bsline' and ambient atmosphere of 'Improv Landing 8'.
Review: This reissue brings a sought-after Italo-disco classic back to the dancefloor. Originally released in 1984, it's a timeless anthem with infectious melodies and pulsating rhythms capturing the essence of the era. The reissue features three distinct mixes, each offering a unique flavour. The 'New York - London Mix' is a vibrant and energetic journey, while the 'Free House Mix' takes a more laid-back approach, its hypnotic groove perfect for those hazy after-hours moments. The 'NU Style Mix' injects a contemporary twist, updating the classic sound for modern dancefloors. Whether you're a seasoned Italo-disco aficionado or simply a lover of feel-good dance music, this reissue is a must-have.
Review: Japanese heavyweights HHV continue their ongoing trawl through the back catalogue of long-serving hip-hop producer, DJ, record collector and self-styled King of Diggin', Muro. Here they present the second part of the dusty-fingered hero's turn-of-the-millennium Pan Rhythm series of 12" singles, this time presenting it on a tidy seven inch single. 'Hip-Hop Band' is a weighty, floor friendly, horn-heavy re-make of the Stetsasonic song of the same name, with local mic man Boo delivering tweaked versions of the U.S crew's verses in his native Japanese. While jazzy, the bombastic backing track - which can be heard in full on the flipside instrumental version - is forthright and club-ready, making the single a must-have for working hip-hop DJs and those who love the more up-tempo end of the rap spectrum.
Review: Muted, pitch-shifty Rhodes tones and smeary breakbeats from Sam Park, delivering fresh flavours for Real Feel with 'Another Dream'. Think XXYYXX meets Delroy; the title track basks in a supremely timestretched breakbeat, said effect causing a sort of disbelief-suspensory breakbeat to resound, and around which distant acids and whistles may dance. Then, the breaks suddenly 'open out' into a wider vista of high end on 'Dance For Me', against which subtly vocoded vocal transitions and shouts grate, before folk-stompy production specialist Karizma comes through for a wonky 4x4 rendition of the A1.
Review: From Ransom Note and Gestalt to Further Electronix, Placid One has been laying out an impressive repertoire of deep diving techno and electro steeped in the tropes of machine soul and rendered with a mature touch on the production. This double 12" for Altered Sense finds some breakbeat qualities slipping into the foundations of the tracks, albeit smudged under a heavy blanket of pads and woozy synth lines. There's an endless vista of harmonically enriched goodness to savour here - dance music with an emphasis on restoration rather than annihilation.
Review: Raji Rags brings his unique brand of melodically infused breakbeat to new label OTIH. His Congratulations EP makes its debut release and after the amusingly titled 'Obligatory Ambient Intro' comes the exotic synth charm of 'Kiran's Bike' and kinetic drum workout that is 'Making Love To A Ghost.' 'Bullet Train' (feat Sonia Calico) is more dark and dirty with busy synths panning about the mix and last of all is 'Enchante', which merges celestial synths with vulnerable string sounds. It all adds up to a unique EP.
Review: Funk maestros Rockid Sound Machine returns with yet more of their timeless and seductive instrumental funk sounds. They have turned out tons of it over the years on a steady and always high quality basis. This double A-side kicks off with 'Scorpio' featuring tight drums and wah-wah guitar smudges next to big horns. The track blends funk with soul and merges old-school vibes with modern energy. On the flip side, 'Stardust' ramps things up with prickly drumming and percussion, wet cymbal crashes and more bendy guitar work that brings psyched-out 60s vibes. Another great outing for Rockid Sound Machine's signature bristling beats.
Review: Israel 'Iz' Gravning aka Tone Scientist hails from the West Coast of the United States. He has a room packed with gear - drum machines, samplers, keyboards - and he sure knows how to jam on each piece if this new EP is anything to go by on Basic Moves. 'Discrepancy' kick off with whirring chords and clacking drums, 'Heartache' is suspenseful and airy drum & bass and 'Pyramids On Mars' dubs and dives on drums that flap like sheets of metal in the wind. There is still time for the deep and sludgy 'Things Get Done' and another jungle work out in 'Esoteric Junglist.'
Review: Stefan Schwander is known for aliases like Harmonious Thelonious, A Rocket In Dub and Antonelli Electr and now strikes once more with his third EP, 'While My Sequencer Gently Bleeps'. Entirely crafted on Elektron's Monomachine, this one delivers deep basslines, ravey bleeps, piano chords and synth melodies that evoke the sounds of Jamaica, UK and Chicago while looking toward the future. The EP opens with the groovy 'Title Track' followed by the minimal, dub-influenced 'Sublime' with shuffling beats and a smooth synth line. On the flipside, 'Definition Of ...' combines deep bass, lively percussion and subtle melodies that are both danceable and storytelling.
Review: Named after their infamous Brixton club night, Basement Jaxx's second album Rooty saw them continue to push the boundaries of pop and club music. The album mixes classic house with generous lashings of punk, funk, R&B, jazz, hip hop, 2-step and pop song-craft in a mad genre crash that works like a charm. It features the massive tracks 'Where's Your Head At', 'Romeo' and 'Do Your Thing'.
Review: Bicep's second album is shaped by the experience of touring their debut long player for something like three years, a period during which they honed and perfected their instinct for tracks that would stand the test of time and repeated listening. What develops is a distinctive style typified by a combination of ethereal sonics and cheeky, memorable instrumental hooks, only set to a variety of beats that reference and indeed fuse the plethora of different dance genres that have sprung up since the acid house revolution if the mid-80s. So we get everything from the electro-tainted 'X' to 'Rever', where an African choir floats over a subtle deep house shuffle and 'Saku', where UKG bass pressure and skippy beats provide a hypnotic background for Clara La San's sweet but ghostly voice.
Review: Bobo is Mr. Burns's beloved teddy bear but it is unlikely that the same bear is also a dab hand at crafting weighty bass music. Although born in Sweden, this Bobo is now based in Manchester and this is his debut album on Erbium. It's a work that draws on all forms of electronic sound from bass to dubstep as well as ambient, house and electro. The resulting melting pot is a triumph of both dance floor clout and home listening richness. 'Beyond This Realm' is tinged with old school rave energy, 'Rebellion' is eerie and empty bass music and 'Nowhere' is a deep jungle excursion with cuddly bass pillows.
Nine L - "Untitled" (Houston, We Have A Problem B2) (4:02)
Sykosis 451 - "Monsoon" (4:08)
Original Clique - "U = Underground" (4:49)
Original Clique - "Now Hear Me Now" (5:46)
MI7 - "Show I" (5:41)
Napoleon - "Fortuna" (4:34)
Napoleon - "La Chaux Du Fonds" (5:45)
Ragga Head - "Give The People What They Want" (4:54)
Return Of The Living Acid - "Big Dipper" (6:00)
Ministry Of Fear - "Original Cliche" (4:35)
Nine L - "Untitled" (Houston, We Have A Problem A2) (5:09)
Review: Between 1986 and 1994, Tony Boninsegna released an insane amount of music under dozens of different aliases, offering up rave-ready tracks that variously mixed and matched elements of acid house, bleep & bass, hardcore techno and breakbeat. Yet he remains almost unknown. Notes From The Underground, a two-part retrospective of his career, is therefore well overdue. This second part, which boasts extensive sleeve notes from UK dance music historian Matt Anniss, is packed to the rafters with re-mastered treats, with highlights including the electro-tinged bleep business of Lab Technicians' 'We Gave You Life', the weighty acid breaks of Sykosis 451's 'Monsoon', the breakbeat hardcore funkiness of MI7's 'Show I', and the proto-jungle madness of Raggahead's 'Give The People What They Want'.
Zubbizerretta - "Wake The Town" (Somnabulist mix) (4:08)
Estudiantes - "Let The Music Into Your Mind" (4:44)
Zeco - "The Witch Trials" (5:52)
Big Showdown - "They're Here" (4:56)
The Rhythm Squad - "Animal House" (5:57)
The Rhythm Squad - "Manhunt" (instrumental) (4:24)
Nine L - "Islands Part 2" (6:42)
Review: At long last, a light has been shone on the career of one of the UK's true underground rave heroes: Bedford producer (and man of umpteen aliases) Tony Bonisegna. Cold Blow and Musique Pour La Danse have done a terrific job on the two-part set, offering up remastered killer cuts from Bonisenga's vast catalogue alongside extensive sleeve notes by Join The Future author Matt Anniss (whose book was the first to tell the producer's remarkable story). There's plenty to set the pulse racing on this first volume, including Bonisegna's earliest explorations of house in the late 80s (both as part of The Rhythm Squad), the clonking and bleeping shuffle of Original Clique's 'F (Whistle Mix)', the Pet Shop Boys-go-to-a-rave shimmer of 'Tonnere' by Pierrepoint, the acid-flecked breaks madness of Big Showdown's 'They're Here' and the sub-heavy early breakbeat hardcore of AEK's 'Lick It'.
Mood 111 (feat Dino D'Santiago & June Freedom) (2:24)
Leve (feat Tuyo) (4:49)
Slide (feat Jay Prince) (3:28)
Nuvem (feat BIAB & Gafacci) (3:22)
Fortuna (feat Yeri & Yeni & Carlao) (3:24)
Found My Way (feat Carla Prata) (4:07)
Soma (2:38)
Cinzas (feat Teresa Salgueiro) (3:38)
Impulso (3:07)
Agenda (feat Bryte) (2:50)
Voar/Balanco (outro) (2:19)
Review: Portuguese producer and Enchufada label owner Branko is back with his fourth full-length solo album and once again he pushes his own high standards even further. Soma was recorded in Lisbon over a three-day jam session that saw him asking plenty of top local Lisbon-based musicians to improvise over rhythmic frameworks. The resulting man-hours live recording was the blueprint for the album which Brano then worked into the compelling and worldly tunes you have here with vocals from the likes of London, Cape Verde, and Brazil, including Jay Prince, June Freedom, BIAB, and Tuyo.
Review: French house duo Cassius are undersung stars of the genre. Their cuspate millennial smash 'Cassius 1999' marked out well the fervour of the time, fizzing against our ears with its liminal "don't" vox, creep-in bass, brushup rides and stinger Morricone chords, which all build to a laggard but crucial French house wahher. A full-length album followed, exploring the same themes: and now the duo share a new "tool" version of the record, which pares the each of said debut LP's tracks to their barest bones. An "homage to our early experiments with endless loops", 1999 DJ Tool celebrates the long-form, live set cutup approach necessitated by their many European tour dates during the early noughts.
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