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: Nsyde is one of those labels that only release music it truly believes in. This means there hasn't been a whole load of it, and it doesn't come on a regular basis, but when it does arrive, it's more than worthy of your attention. Mesak is next up with any electro-techno mix that opens with the thoughtful synths and skittish broken beat patterns of 'Katosi'. 'Narina' then layers up loopy drums and fuzzy sine waves that eventually grow into a celestial broken techno workout and Poborsk remixes with a flittering sense of rhythm constructed from infinitesimally small sonic details. 'Post Sweat' is a warm and balmy cosmic house closer.
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'.
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: The late great Cosmic AC's vast catalogue again yields some posthumous treasure with part two of the For Now album. It's another record that is as sophisticated as it is adventures with plenty of painstakingly crafted but effortless smooth breakbeats on 'Larvy' topped with pensive synths. Elsewhere there are logic-defying rhythm structures on 'Snood', hooky synth shimmers and more raw textures on 'Wisconsin Desert' and jazzy, cosmic motifs on the wonderful 'Setting Sun'. This is a high-class mini-album full of next-level sound designs and turbo-brain drum patterns. It makes for a compelling listen wherever you may be.
Review: Inventive acid-ambient from Guy Contact here, who returns to Butter Sessions for a round total of 10 new tracks. Following up 2019's 'Liminal Space', 'Drinking From The Mirage' hears the Perth pusher's penchant for plinky chord plucks, not to mention a subtly heavenly sound design that sounds somewhat informed by '90s trip-hop. The self-titled track, featuring fellow artist and singer Nori, is a prime example, while other tracks chart increasingly bangerized feels. 'Spirit Level' might just be our highlight; a phased-out, downtempo breakbeat bit that recalls peacefully free-running in Mirror's Edge, or cruising a future vision London in a self-driivng sustainable drop-top. Make sure to cop this one before the pain of missing out on its neural, brainwaltzing fruits fries your brain.
Review: Kicking off his new R&R imprint, LA-born and Berlin-based producer Huerta brings us TV Slang - an LP which exists somewhere between rhythmic and ambient house. For the title track, woozy voice samples drift in and out of focus, existing in a space just outside of reality. 'Stutter Dub' emerges as one of the more dance-geared tracks, yet it's still decorated with the hazy sound design of the release's ambient numbers; its buffed-out environment softening the edges of Huerta's percussion. On the B-side, 'Traces' features dreamily reverberating piano chords embellished with glittering breaks. This is a highly multi-faceted release which promises to take listeners and dancers alike into a beautifully realised soundworld.
Review: Mike Paradinas is a veteran producer and owner of Planet Mu but he keeps on serving up thrilling new sounds. Grush is his latest, a new album packed with energetic tracks that he hopes reclaim the "dance" element of IDM. Inspired by the melodic dance music of the genre's early pioneers, Grush blends sweetly nostalgic melodies with dynamic, road-tested rhythms. Many tracks were developed during times on the road and from the spiralling notes of 'Hyper Daddy' to the aquatic acid footwork of the title track, Grush traces Paradinas' musical journey with signature style and invention. With influences from early Black Dog to Drexciyan funk, it's a vibrant, live-inspired record that works in a wide range of contexts from the club to the sofa.
Review: Never one to sit still, Sasha used the change in mindset that came with the lockdown to inspire his approach to music. LUZoSCURA (which means light and dark) is the new compilation that has resulted having evolved from the playlist of the same name. It's packed with new music from the man himself as well as newer names and more established artists. There are floaty, synth heavy ambient pieces like the 'Yin/Yang' opener, lush melodic electronic grooves from QRTR, symphonic garage cuts from MJ Cole and crunchy old breakbeats with more than a hint of Renaissance from Because Of Art.
Review: The next level beat maker and sound designer that is Skee Mask returns to long-time home label Ilian Tape with another bold and brilliant album, Resort. It's an album that expands on the artist's usual sound with fusions of celestial ambient, IDM sound design and lithe, rhythmic techno drums. There are breakbeats on 'Reminiscrmx' backlit by heavenly pads, 'Schneiders Paradox' is marbled with zippy pads and raw drum hits, 'BB Care' glistens with a futuristic glow and 'Holzl Was A Dancer' slips into a shuffling, UKG tinged dub house pumper. It's a wild, wonderful ride that reaches all new levels for this already accomplished producer.
Review: Munich based producer Bryan Mueller aka Skee Mask presents his latest album titled Pool, via local imprint Ilian Tape which follows up his LP Compro which came out three years ago. There's an extensive collection of sonic experiments on offer on this one, such as opening cut 'Nvivo' which goes down an IDM route, to the glassy eyed rave euphoria of 'LFO', the intelligent drum and bass reductions of 'Rio Dub' and UK influenced steppers like 'Crossection'.
Review: Yo Speed has been making moves on the likes of 83 and Distorsion Records, and after several standout EPs, now makes his full-length debut with Colores. Across four sides of vinyl he explores every facet of breakbeat, starting with the sort of emotionally, architecturally grand cut that has defined Sasha's approach to sound for many years. 'Fucsia' gets more down and dirty with howling basslines from drum & bass and soulful r&b vocal hooks. Elsewhere are gems like the sun-kissed and serene 'Esmeralda' and masterfully melodic, tightly sequenced arps of the potent 'Escarlata'. A real widescreen trip.
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