Staff Picks w / c 14th April 2020

Review: Following a six-month break - presumably to get their breath back - the shadowy and mysterious Phone Traxxx crew returns with a fourth collection of late '90s/early 2000s UK Garage-inspired dancefloor bangers. First up is the bustling and bassbin-bothering "On '27", a muscular slab of speed garage revivalism with added cut-up hip-hop vocal samples, quickly followed by the warped, jazz-wise sub-bass, skipping two-step beats and fluid electric piano motifs of "Back OF". Over on side B the un-credited crew peppers a crispy two-step beat with pulverising bass tones and spacey synths on "Rewind Your Neck In", before cannily combining "Show Me Love" style US garage organ stabs, smooth bass, sensual chords and shuffling beats on deeper closing cut "Lily's Groove".

Review: Three years ago, Giuseppe Tillieci and Filippo Scorcucchi joined forces as LF58 for a debut EP of blissful ambient epics on Auxiliary that arguably didn't get the coverage its quality deserved. We have a sneaking feeling that the pair's debut album, which lands on the fantastic Astral Industries imprint, won't go unnoticed. For starters, it's brilliant, with the four lengthy tracks seeing them drift between Global Communication/Irresistible Force style melodic positivity (the hazy effects, huggable pads and echoing melodies of "Iniziazione"), ultra-deep, psychedelic dub techno ("Rituale", where simple melodic refrains wind in and out of sparse but hypnotic beats), swelling tropical ambient warmth with added deep space effects ("Metamorfosi") and the kind of languid, slow-motion fare that sits somewhere between Pete Namlook and Spacetime Continuum (side D suite "Evocazione/Contatto/Risveglio").

Review: To celebrate the 15th birthday of his essential and often eccentric I'm A Cliche label, French DJ/producer Cosmo Vitelli has decided to offer-up an expansive, triple-vinyl compilation featuring a wealth of exclusive, previously unheard tracks from label artists old and new. It's naturally reflective of the label's sleazy, mind-altering vibe, with the included tracks flitting between dystopian, Krautrock style analogue moodiness (Orestt's creepy opener, the echoing guitars of Sunju Hargun's edit of Awkward Corners), bubbly wave/electro fusion (Volga Select), EBM (Coy), industrial music (Rouge Mecanique), Cosmic disco (a fine chugger from Benoit B), dub-fired punk-funk (Fantastic Twins), Italo (Cosmo Vitelli himself) and spaced-out electronic soundscapes (Linja).

Review: Ilian Tape welcomes a new artist to the roster here, as Zeki 808 offers up an EP that defies easy categorization. Check first opener "Present", where ghostly techno chords and bubbly electro style melodies ride stuttering sub-bass and elastic post-dubstep beats, before admiring the even more prominent analogue bass and echoing drum hits of "Hole Flow". "Mersh" is a full-throttle number built around military-strength Belgian "hoover bass" and skittish beats, while "Live Wire" looks to Grime and mangled 21st century digi-dub for inspiration. To round things off, "White Label" brings the ruffneck breakbeat heat while dubstep number "The Beach" takes deep sub-bass and Sheffield style bleep noises to epic new levels. Impressive stuff all told.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: In an age of over-information, it's refreshing to see Aurora Halal take her time with the Mutual Dreaming label, which notches up just its third release since launching in 2014. It's also the New York scene leader's first record in three years, and it's worth the wait. Some elements are familiar - Halal still has a keen instinct for heavy-hearted synth lines shaped out in bold curves, but the level of expression going into these tracks makes each one stand out like a striking painting. From the eerie mood of "Fattal 22" to the crunchy bleep workout "Nasty II", the character just oozes out of Halal's productions. With a remix from Wata Igarashi thrown into the mix as well, this is a record loaded with fresh and powerful takes on techno.

Review: Upront to juno ! In 2009, a group of seasoned funk and soul session musicians joined forces to record a rousing rhythm & blues-meets-funk cover version of Duffy's 2007 single "Mercy". Subsequently released on both Tri Sound and Acid Jazz, the track has become a must-have for soul DJs ever since.Sounding as though it might have been recorded in the late 60's it has a powerful funk driving backbeat ,thumping bass, soaring male soul vocal and screaming swirling hammond organ. Only 300 pressed. Don't sleep !

Review: Look at what we have here... Two mythical nugs from dubstep's heartiest primordial soup courtesy of Croydon pioneer DMZ's Loefah. "Natural Charge" stutters with those clipped drums leaving stacks of space for those humungous iconic bass drones to bounce around while his remix of D1 drives a heavier plough with pushed drums, technoid bleeps and that gritty warehouse intensity. Both seminal jams from the FWD>> era, both on dub ever since... These have been sought after for many years.

Review: TerraFirm's fifth release comes courtesy of Vytamin, a debutant producer with a fetish for the more psychedelic aspects of electronic music culture. For proof, check opener "Conquete", a bustling chunk of trippy acid electro rich in 1980s style Fairlight stabs, or the bustling track that follows, the funk-fuelled electro-breaks retro-futurism of "Telemetro". There's a slightly more intergalactic feel to similarly thickset flipside opener "Speed Limit" (an ear-pleasing slab of tech-funk filled with squiggly synth lines and bubbly bass), while closing cut "Outer Rim" is a slightly tougher and alien-embracing dance through far-sighted electro-breaks pastures.

Review: After building a career as ambient, electronica, dubstep and glitch-hop fusionist Slime, Will Archer reset his career in 2017 and re-emerged as Wilma Archer with a new jazz-flecked sound. On debut album "A Western Circular", he goes one step further, delivering a set four years in the making that's undoubtedly his most ambitious and impressive work yet. Mixing and matching elements of jazz, neo-classical, softly-spun pop, folk, hip-hop (MF Doom makes a surprise appearance), Jon Hassell style 'fourth world' fusion, slow burn soul and opaque electronica, Archer offers up a collection of songs and instrumentals united by a shared sense of late night atmosphere and intricate musical detail. It's a staggeringly good set that should be at the top of your shopping list.

Review: The follow up to 2017's critically-acclaimed long form outing, 'This Is Eggland', has certainly had fans chomping at the bit since its release was announced. The Eggs continue to beguile, mystify, entertain and impress in equal measure, and have been unveiling some truly captivating singles - complete with equally captivating sleeve design - in the run up to this grand unveiling, whetting appetites no end. So here it is, then, the promise and the proof. 'I Am Moron' cements the British band's position as fiercely independent in attitude and irreverent in style, calling on experimental, psyche, indie and punk to deliver a devastating commentary on the country the outfit calls home - from the plight of working classes to the beastly hypocrisy of those higher up the salary and food chain. Not to be missed, not that you needed us to tell you that.

Review: Here's something to set the pulse racing: a first three-way collaboration between Young Echo collective members Rider Shafique, Ishan Sound and Kahn on consistently good Portland label ZamZam Sounds. "When Shall We Rise" is little less than a modern dancefloor dub masterpiece: a fine chunk of fusion in which Middle Eastern instrumentation and pro-working class/anti-elite vocals rise above a pitched down, steppers style riddim, echoing keyboard riffs and a booming digital bassline. Flipside "When Shall We Dub" is, if anything, even better, with exotic instrumentation echoing into the distance while a beefed-up version of the killer riddim rumbles away below.

Review: The mighty Tom Jenkinson follows up the rambunctious success of his recent "Be Up A Hello" LP with this wonderful EP of mind-bending electronics that show off his musical chops and programming genius alike. In particular, we're in thrall to "MIDI Sans Frontieres", a track created in response to the 2016 Brexit referendum which found Jenkinson reaching out to "sound makers, irrespective of what kind of music they make, where they live, their background or their age". The results rank among one of the most gorgeous tracks to emerge under the Squarepusher banner in recent memory - a powerful, melancholic lead and some deftly arranged breakbeats that become much greater than the sum of their parts, as a project like this should be. Top drawer stuff from one of the all-time greats.

Review: Over recent months and years, Bristol-based DJ/producer Boca 45 has served up more donuts than an average branch of Krispy Kreme. To continue the metaphor, we'd say that his latest - which features guest rapper Craig G on side A - is one of those 'premium' ones with fancy glazing and a gooey centre. "Turn It Up Loud" certainly delivers in instant hit of energy and a sugar-rush, with Craig G turning hype man over a notably crunchy, early Beastie Boys inspired beat from Boca 45. Flipside "Blow Your Mind" delivers similarly sweaty and crunchy drums, with rock riffs and breakbeat lifts being joined by tight scratches and all manner of dusty-fingered vocal samples. Just like a real donut, it will leave you bloated but happy.

Review: Those with a passion for early new age music should know all about Iasos, a California-based musician who has been serving up deliciously meditative ambient and new age albums since 1975. Here he offers up a new edition of his sought-after 1978 set "Angelic Music", a warm, dreamy and luscious blend of slowly shifting chords, sustained notes and slow-burn melodies that increase in prominence as each of the two 30-minute tracks progress. Interestingly the versions showcased here are longer than the edited versions initially released, with the flipside - where recordings of crickets rise and fall around swelling synthesizer chords - being our pick of a very strong pair.