DJS: MOST CHARTED - MINIMAL / TECH - MOST CHARTED IN JANUARY 2014

Review: ** Repress ** Almost twelve months after he first debuted on Clone Jack For Daze, L-Vis 1990 returns to the Rotterdam label with a 12" that features the first new material under his Dance System alias. First introduced on a mix for DIS magazine that featured a glut of the producer's Chicago influences like Paul Johnson and DJ Deeon, original material under the Dance System name takes a similarly Dance Mania influenced approach. Four tracks deep, this EP demonstrates the New York-based Night Slugs CEO has the energising functionality of Ghetto House down to a tee and look out for "Move It" which sees Connolly draw a direct line to Dance Mania's lineage. Here the producer teams up with Jammin Gerald whose titular vocal hook is thrown about with the same gleeful abandon as the rusted key line

Review: Colin McBean is back on the case with yet more of his refined house reductions, whipping up a trio of high grade deep house considerations with all the elements you want from a Mr G record. "P Bar Jam" makes no bones about its inspiration, stamping out an energetic but utterly streamlined kind of club track that makes the most of a catchy chord line without ever pushing too hard, the drums dutifully ticking along, the sub bass wobbling underneath but everything in perfect harmony. It's the same on "Tripped Out", albeit in the context of a more introspective jam that would fare better away from the peak time glare. "End Of Day Jam" too speaks to a more mellow situation, in this case letting some sweet organ notes warm the cockles over a delicate but purposeful groove.

Review: Originally released back in 2005 on NRK, "Club Therapy" was UK veterans Peace Division in their element with hypnotic beats, a dark throbbing mood and a wonderfully disinterested vocal delivery from Dan Diamond. Fast forward to present day and the track is given a timely re-appraisal by London crew Dogmatik with a newly remastered version of "Club Therapy" complemented by some well chosen remixes. Apollonia founder Dan Ghenacia pulls rank and lines the A Side with the kind of well honed techy grooving house he's been guiding dancefloors with for a long time which is complemented nicely by the rougher house rendition from Red Rack'em.

Review: Focusing specifically on one release from 2013, Djebali commissions a pair of remixes to bring other acts into his self-focused label project, starting with Christian Burkhardt and his version of "The Ultimate Dare". It's a heads down affair with stout house drums and a dirty synth hook for the later end of the evening. Hreno and The Mole meanwhile take a different approach when remixing "Sun Rise Way", getting into a deep down chug that speaks to their twitchy musical personalities while keeping a disco locomotion to the track at all times. In between the kinky samples there's time for some warming chords to keep things from getting too alien.

Review: After a barn-storming year making their name on their own self-releasing terms, Birdsmakingmachine slide over to Half Baked with a pair of new productions that further build on their continued invigoration of the minimal scene with tracks as soulful as they are stripped back. "King Pulga" features a plush spread of tones and textures that make up the full atmospheric language of the track, creating discordant atmospherics and warming melodics that slide in between the razor sharp beats. "Gnip Gnop" is more outwardly friendly with its gently dubbed-out chords and linear persuasion, leaving plenty of room for Fumiya Tanaka to interpret a more freaky version of the track on his remix.

Review: After establishing themselves as a party in the crowded waters of Berlin, the Sol Asylum crew are transferring their organizational talents on to wax with this first release on their new label, featuring a hitherto unknown artist called OdD. The tone is a deep and mysterious one across all four tracks on this EP, as pads linger fuzzy in the background and tones pulse through delay units to create a very tangible sense of place. "Ayahuasca" makes the most of its titular premise to lay on organic and tripped-out sonic details in a deep house environment, while "Solar Heart" gets into a more jazzy kind of reflection with its pondering keys dominating the mix. "Nothing Odd" is a more streamlined minimal track with the pre-requisite interlocking percussion and found sounds falling into a neat and tidy cycle.

Review: Canadian producer The Mole, or Colin de la Plante to friends, has been in fine production fettle so far this year, gracing labels as varied as Red Motorbike, Slices Of Life and his own Maybe Tomorrow operation with his distinct brand of tongue in cheek mutant house. History Of Dates marks the long overdue Perlon debut for The Mole and it's celebrated in style as Zip's venerated label call in DJ Sprinkles on remix duties! The title track and "Lockdown Party" line up on the A Side with the latter track a particularly cheeky production, as playground chants sit deep beneath an insouciant house groove. It's this track that Sprinkles remixes, implementing some subtle production additions such as handclaps and playful filtration on the vocal samples which lend the track a different energy as Thaemlitz deftly builds up a killer contemporary disco groove.

Review: With a dizzying catalogue of work behind both of them, Ricardo Villalobos and Butch form a partnership for the former's Sei Es Drum and the results are nothing short of startling. "Up" is a show-stopping track through and through, as a delirious synth rises constantly over some vintage 80s tom fills for a truly mind-bending experience. "Balam" by way of stark contrast is a stripped down tech house snake, putting some bubbling acid on to simmer while chopping up an intricate and persistent beat. It's high quality leftfield house for those who like their ideas fresh and freaky.

Review: * REPRESS * After his welcome return to the long-player format for Crosstown Rebels in the shape of Her Blurry Pictures, three of Mathew Jonson's creations from the record have been given over to a fine selection of remixers to bring their own interpretations to bear on the plush electronic soul the Canadian champ peddles. Dixon makes for a snug fit on "Level 7", simmering the original down without losing any of the celestial magic of those trademark Jonson synths. Tale Of Us bring a live, skippy feel to "Kissing Your Eyes" with some hands-on drums and warbling keys a plenty. Akufen meanwhile seems to be reaching more towards his Horror Inc project as he muses on "Body In Motion" in a low-slung, jazz-inflected style with a healthy dose of micro shuffle thrown in for good measure

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: The Apollonia train keeps rolling as Dan Ghenacia brings it back home for the first time in over a year with another heavy-lidded house work out that trades on the Frenchman's predilection for lean, bassy constructions. "Ometeo" is all suppressed intensity, holding down a shimmering beat while the synths come stalking in with a punchy presence that gives the track its guts. Fellow Apollonian tech-house enchanter Dyed Sondorom is in an equally stripped-down mood on his remix, getting into a groove and sticking with it. Occasional whispers of melody come snaking in but this one is all about the sizzling drums.

Review: Recent times have seen Gerd Janson and Phil Lauer focus on developing their Tuff City Kids project into a fully fledged production unit, with a EP on Delsin complementing the usual raft of remixes the pair get involved in, which include Internasjonal, Phantasy, DFA, Visionquest and Mojuba this year. This new Running Back record sees the pair revert to their other successful ongoing partnership, with Janson as label owner and Lauer as artist. Entitled Laui XIV, this four track 12" is the first solo Lauer record since last year's superlative BIS transmission and lives up to the label's billing as "Post-house-proto-disco-trance rockets fuelled by new wave and sound transmissions from middle-wave Caucasus". Lead track "Tyler" is a particular delight, filled with the sort of effervescent, rich sonic qualities that Phillip has made his name on!

Review: As they hit release number six Chicago's Episodes label reach out beyond their regular circle of producers and invite a fellow Windy City dweller to extol the virtues of outboard gear. Compared to the rough edges of Ike Release, Hakim Hurphy and the label as a whole, G Marcell's approach is a smoother one, allowing plenty of drifting synth lines and gently tempered drums into the mix for a worthy take on yearning techno and homespun house music. From the gentler shades of "I Be Damn" to the jarring jack of "Strange Blu Fish" there is a great focus on futuristic synth lines for all times and places, and it gives G Marcell a character all of his own.

Review: Venerated house producer Elbee Bad goes toe-to-toe with his alter ego LB Good on this first transmission from Basement Floor, and first up is the subtle DJ lament of Bad's "These Mutha Fukin DJ's", a darkly, dubby house tune perfect for the warm up set. "Tracks Drop" mines a similar path with beat down drums and electro styled bassline similar to Detroit electro group Erika with the added, and necessary bonus of a deep, drawly, yet clear vocal. This EP also introduces new name Line Cook who on the B-side first provides a filter funky "Never", but it's the trippy dubbiness and linear grooves of "Zero" that adds the finishing touch to a superb debut release.

Review: Baby Ford and Zip need little introduction and debut on Trelik as "BFZ" featuring co-conspiritor Thomas Melchior. The trio originally appeared on the 1999 "Perlondon" 12" for Perlon with Ford and Zip re-uniting for the "Glidin' Along The Riverbed" release then 2010's "Clean Hands" on PAL SL. Thomas Melchior recently appearing on [a:rpia:r] and his own Aspect Music kicks off the 12" with a floor friendly up-beat 9 minute "Melchior Productions LTD" edit remix of "Uff". An "Uffapella" closes the A-side featuring abstract sound design and textured vocals. Side-B's "So They Say" creates a feeling of space and unhurried rhythmatics whilst the title track "Uff" combines deep instrumentals, chord and haunting vox with subtle bass and modulating kick. Recorded in London and Berlin. Mastered at D & M.

Review: With the fourth installment in their fledgling series the creative mind(s) behind Birdsmakingmachine go ever deeper into the realms of heavily-stripped and hard-grooving house music. On a similar tip to Audio Werner the funk remains insistent throughout this EP, using subtle elements to make for addictive and impeccably delivered dance music. "Antonio's Swing" even has a soulful lilt buried under the surface of the track by way of a harmonious chord swell, while "Silk Road" makes the most out of some space-age chords for a more spooky kind of track. "Dead Lines" breaks from the shuffling beat to opt for something a little more scattered, but still the refined production levels and breathable mixes abound for some decidedly classy results.

Review: Detroit master of Technosoul Eddie Fowlkes shows us that he can still surprise us with his original beats. Influenced by soul music, in love with dance music, this powerful track is a perfect combination of his inspirations. And it really makes you want to dance and feel the music go into your ears until "Something E special" gets stuck in your head for good. Bringing you catchy lyrics, vibrant beats and a great kick. Who else than the legendary Eddie Fowlkes can declare war on dance music? Well, not me. The only thing to do is to follow the hypnotizing beats and sounds of this track and let our bodies go crazy. And when the backbeats hit us, it transports us to a new level where we definitely join Mr Fowlkes on his trip to become his allies.