DJs: Most Charted - Minimal / Tech - August 2014

Review: Harry Agius seems to have settled into a confident production groove over the past year or so that has seen him work with some highly respected labels, not to mention set up his own Graded operation. After Midland drops on Aus and Autonomous Africa, Agius returns to Phonica for this sublime exercise in snapping, effervescent house music on the Soho shop-cum-label's Phonica White series. The presence of a remix from Gerd The Word Janson shows the regard with which Midland is now held, and the fact the London-based producer isn't overshadowed by the German's contribution demonstrates how classy his productions are right now. Based around a core string sample and some great drum arrangements, "Before We Leave" is a track you won't get tired of hearing any time soon.

Review: UK vinyl only label Strobewax return with their third release and it marks the commencement of Waxology, a new series aimed at bringing together music from various corners of the international house community to form a coherent 12" shaped message for the underground. The man charged with opening proceedings is Josh Tweek, founder of the Louche clubnight and his "Super Nugg" is a sublime slab of beatdown house drenched in tones inspired by some extended time in the company of Detroit's finest wax. French producer Anaxander ups the ante with "I Can't See You (But I Can Feel You)" which draws from a peak time palette but does so with the sort of panache we've come to expect from him. Flip the Waxology over and Leeds based producer Drummond veers into more broken, abstract territory with the foreboding "Helix" whilst Strobewax's own Bobby O'Donnell closes the release with the pulsing, throbbing excellence of "Red".

Review: Any new Mr G release is cause for celebration, but this coloured vinyl 12" - with hand-stamped labels, natch - is extra special. While details are sketchy, at best, we're reliably informed that these four tracks have been rescued from the vaults. Whenever they were recorded, there's plenty for fans to enjoy, from the sparse, synth bass-propelled 4/4 funk of "Birthday Jam With Extra Rum", to the mutant bass, swinging cymbals and cut-up saxophones of "Summer Finally Here Or Is It?". There's some trademark sparkling deep house in the shape of the US garage influenced "Tommy's Groove", while opener "Weekend Off" - the pick of a strong bunch - is a deliciously fuzzy chunk of no-holds-barred techno-funk with incessant mutant organ stabs and hip hop vocal samples aplenty.

Review: Ever a powerhouse of quality, mood-enhancing electronic music of a 4/4 persuasion, Lawrence returns to his regular stomping ground Mule Musiq for another delectable EP of subliminal sounds for deep questing spinners and sofa jockeys alike. "Blue Mountain" is a shimmering triumph of cascading synths and poised drums, unfurling the component parts with poise while always marching forwards. "Simmer" takes you on a haunting diversion into reflective electro for laying your head down to, while "The Cave" creates a more mischievous kind of fairy tale that makes for one of the pinnacles of the record. "King Quail" then smooths things out with a more steady ticking kind of house jam, albeit shot through with the same misty melodic refinement that we would always expect from Lawrence.

Review: Back once again on his usual stomping ground, Dutch artist Makam gives up more of the goods to Sushitech with his decisive take on club-ready deep house. The three untitled tracks on here all sport plenty of techno-minded characteristics, from chunky, chugging rhythm sections to alien melodies, with a touch of dubby meditation thrown in for good measure. The first cut finds a stout groove to wrap around, with just enough swing to make it utterly danceable while the rest of the content heads straight for the subconscious. "Track 2" has a more spaced out melodic tone while avoiding any jarring elements to upset the flow, leaving it "Track 3" to turn out a lighter if not wholly weightless kind of house music.

Review: When the hitters are as big as Maceo Plex and Kompakt, there's no need for trite B side distractions and so this single-sided release comes forth with exactly the kind of anthemic, pop-straddling tech house that you would expect from such a combination. There may be edgy arpeggios and chunky drums powering the rhythm of the track, but with the straining emotional vocal and romantic pad sweeps, this is a track to garner appeal across the board, and not at the expense of the impact this will have in a club. It won't take long to learn the words, so before the summer is out you can expect plenty of people to be cooing along dreamily to this bright and bold belter.

Review: With last year's long-overdue debut album for Smallville Records still on rotation here at Juno HQ, Steven Tang returns to the Hamburg institution for a follow up entitled Leaving The Physical World. Building on the masterful approach to deep house seen on Disconnect to Connect, the Hong Kong native delivers three nuanced productions that show the skills he's been honing for many years. The percussive bump and complex chord arrangement of the title track are finely complemented by the searching shamanic house of "Mystic Ritual" and melancholic soundscape of "Reality We Make", each of which are as deceptively complex as anything Joey Anderson has been putting out of late.

Review: Crazy 12" from Rush Hour's No 'Label' operation which really offers some insight into the deranged production mind of Irish producer and selector Morgan Buckley. Not only does Shout Out To All The Weirdos In Rathmines possess one of this year's best titles, it possesses some of the most distinctive music put to wax in 2014. There's plenty of mixtape potential across the four tracks be it the Charles Manier does psyche rock of "Call Incoming" or the pure mind bending psychedelia of "Inner City Hum" on the A Side or the more floor friendly bump of the two B Side cuts. More please Mister Buckley.

Review: Jamie Blanco and Chris Stoker recently debuted their Ess O Ess project with an impressive single on Love on the Rocks. "Baboon" was particularly potent, offering a decidedly Balearic fusion of low-slung, Italo-influenced rhythms, punk-funk bass and jangly, bluegrass-infleunced guitars. Here they deliver a speedy follow-up for Japan's impressive Ene imprint. "Re-enter" is a decidedly tougher prospect, with relentless, Italo-style arpeggios and Detroit techno style chords riding a wave of locked-in, jackin' percussion. Man Power remixes, turning the original into a sprawling chunk of late night Balearica complete with tactile melodies and a faintly foreboding groove.

Review: Having another John Heckle release on the Liverpool-based Tabernacle Records is like The Beatles collaborating with Ravi Shankar again - it's always welcome. This time around it's Heckle's 2013 album Desolate Figures which gets remixed and first up is Greek producer Vercetti Technicolor, known to Simoncino's HotMix label, who supplies a vamp-heavy and empowering Italo remix of "Inhuman Nature". Peoples Potential Unlimited artist Moon B goes tropical with a choir of synthesised vocals in his 're calc' of "Power Of Two", while Call Super proves to be this record's wild card adding a gorgeous 'Cyan Stain' to the track "Love Lies".

Review: It's been a while since we heard anything from Bristol's best dressed chicken in town Borai, so it's great to see him leading the way on this second edition of the Jackoff Beats series from Berlin label Jackoff Records. Indeed this is Boris English's second contribution to the series, having appeared on last year's inaugural 12" alongside Iron Curtis and Oli Deutschmann. "The Rejection" demonstrate's Borai's lost none of his production verve for emotionally loaded house music and sets a high bar for what follows. Deep88 rolls deep on a lo fi filtered disco flex with the excellent "Works" whilst Oliver Deutchsmann also maintains his 100% Jackoff Beats appearance record with the stripped down acid burner "Straight Up My All". A welcoming titular vocal hook is the key element around which the Freestyle Man lays down a classic dusty house groove on the closing "Give It To Me".

Review: Fresh from his inauguration of Lazare Hoche's Oscillat Music sub label, Samuel Andre Madsen wastes little time in presenting a second S.A.M. release on his own Delaphine label. Last year's debut Delaphine release proved hugely popular in minimal circles and Delaphine 002 contains more of the same from the Danish producer (with the added bonus of actual track titles this time!) A press release from the label states Madsen was attempting to reflect the "melancholia of the northern hemispheres" by combining field recordings with classic drum machines and dub textures and he's largely successful; crucially there is still plenty of dancefloor power in his productions too. The B side contains a killer abstract dancefloor remix of "LFO" from none other than S.I.M., the brother of S.A.M.

Review: With just one other release behind him on the Naural imprint, Barac makes the leap to a full-blown double pack which finds the Romanian producer exploring the fringes of the current explosion in minimal breakbeat tracks. There are serene and melodic moments as in opening cut "Marea Neagra", and there are more sparse and alien moments such as "Does It Float". It's not all chopped up rhythms though as "Muntii Bassului" provides a strict house beat to latch on to, although it is very much the exception to the rule. That said there's plenty of variety on the release with the closing title track particularly standing out with its punchy box beats and seductive synth tones.

Review: Haunting minimalisms packed full of subtle cheekiness and clubby vibes is what "Semi-Floating Objects" is all about, and you can really hear the machines and the people behind them bring this track to life. Meanwhile on the flip there's a watery, acid house touch to "Semi Flying Objects" that maintains the danceable, club construction of this track, which all the while keeps in theme with the spooky purposes and atmospheres of this 12". Turn the lights down for these two.

Review: After the runaway success of the Dilated Pupils release, bright young imprint Sol Asylum kicks off release number three with more sublime stripped down house business from a triple whammy of production talent. Dana Ruh spreads across the A side with a swirling, dubby jam that has no trouble in getting its head deep down in the groove. On the flip side, Patrice Menier drops a tight shuffler with ethereal pads and tones drifting eerily in the background, and Miss Jools wields a carefully shimmering synth hook with a delicate touch around a clean and crisp beat with just a smattering of found sound filling out the gaps.

Review: Hailing from sunny Los Angeles, Plastic Love Records kicks off our first release with an EP from label co-boss Jimmy Maheras. Maheras made his debut in 2011 with his Space Jam EP on the Crosstown Rebels edit sub-label, Rebellion. Since then he's released remixes and singles on Strainjjur, Riff Raff, Supernature, and Left'd.

Maheras's two original tracks showcase his depth with The Man From Another Place being squarely aimed at the big room dance floor and the second track, Arecibo, bringing a little Kraftwerkesque funk. We've commissioned Timothy J Fairplay (Crimes Of The Future) and Cottam (Aus Music / Ruff Draft) for two very unique remixes. Fairplay crunches down the original melody and throws it over the famed amen break to give TMFAP a hands in air late night feel while Cottam's remix brings the dreamy melody closer to acid with storming late night kick ready to knock down a wall.

Review: Having just mixed the 16th installment of Watergate's showcase compilation series, Sanna La Fleur Engdahl graces the label with her second 12" offering in the shape of Arms Around. Any vinyl selectors who enjoyed Watergate 16 will probably doing a little victory pump as this 12" culls both her original productions from that 15 track mix, as well as providing quite a bonus in the shape of a Carl Craig remix. The eponymous track is reminiscent of the melodic early-noughties with a dreamy, synth-driven break that practically guarantees a proverbial "Arms Around"-effect on the floor. Complementing this, "Stella" shows La Fleur can take it deep too with filtered pads and vocals shreds augmenting what feels like a never ending groove. The aforementioned Planet E boss does his thing to "Arms Around" with his self-styled 'Affected Remix' retaining the charms of La Fleur's original production but sliding up the sense of intensity.

Review: Originally started in 2004 as an outlet for Richard Fearless' Death In Vegas project, the Drone label had been on hiatus for almost a decade when the English musician decided the time was right to reboot it. The new era of Drone was inaugurated with a 12" from Fearless himself which featured a remix from the always excellent D'Marc Cantu and it seems this is a template that will be used for the foreseeable future. Here Fearless indulges his cosmic side with the bristling analogue techno business of "Gamma Ray" which is turned inside out by Danny Wolfers whose remix uncovers all manner of textural detail and pitch bent vocals. Let's hope the italo disco gem from Fearless that Prosumer has been dropping makes it to Drone some time soon!

Review: Following his runaway success in 2013 - and no less than seven 12" singles across the course of the year - Gerry McCartney seems to have calmed down a little. The Belfast producer is still capable of making potent house productions, though, as this solid three-tracker on his new Exploris imprint proves. Opener "Rick Flair" sets the tone, building a rolling tech-house bomb out of garage-influenced beats, pulsating sub-bass and all manner of twisted electronic noises. "Skitter" doffs a cap to acid whilst retaining his usual tech-house bounce, before he darts off into space with the deeper, shimmering "Prototype".

Review: There is no shortage of emotive dance music in Matthew Dekay's back catalogue, from trancey turns on Armada to proggy house on Deep Records amongst others, and now he slides up to Maeve with a pair of immersive jams that draw on diverse sound sources to express melancholic tones with a crisp modern edge. "Fangtango" uses poignant blasts of string and horn to offset a stout, bongo-laden beat with just enough mystery woven into the fabric of the track. "Patience Please" meanwhile reaches for that mournful vocal lick pitched down low to extol its own message, touching on the progressive throb that Dekay made his name with.