Review: Many Hands is a fresh label helmed by Jona Jefferies and Kava that here kicks out an eclectic EP with four tracks from various members of its musical family. Dan Aikido opens with '0800 TXT4 Herb,' a smooth fusion piece that builds a laid-back groove, blending fretless bass, jazzy keys and soulful vocals all reminiscent of Rare Silk's 'Storm.' Ernie Ruso's 'Stroke It' offers slow, sensual r&b infused with P-funky wah-wah effects while DJ Nomad's 'African Boy' brings upbeat pop house next to funky organ and a female reggae MC.Jefferies' closer 'A Change Will Come' samples Dr. Martin Luther King Jr with a rave-inspired beat and soulful piano. Cracking stuff.
Spectrums Data Forces - "Darkness In My Head" (6:04)
EC13 - "Profundo" (Interludio) (0:49)
Wicked Wes - "X1000" (feat Space Frogs From Saturn) (5:48)
Review: Granada's Cosmic Tribe know the definition of "electro" in its broadest sense; their new Xtrictly Electro comp keeps the dystopian sound endemic to the genre's most present incarnation, but refuses to restrict itself to one tempo: the standard 130-ish that has sadly infected the otherwise genius genre as a necessity. An international splinter cell of spec-ops and mercenaries are recalled from retirement here, as we hear Calagad 13, Nachtwald, EC13 and many more mechanoid ilk lay down all manner of slick utilities, making up a morbid multi-tool. 5zyl brings further lasery Lithuanian steeze on 'Vilnius Bass', whilst Spectrums Data Forces betrays the existence of a sinister corporate entity, whose business model works towards the object of instilling 'Darkness In My Head' through giant, killer mozzy basses.
Happy707 - "Where Does That Noise Come From" (4:28)
Review: Menacing EBM and dark synth billows from a Netherlands hinterland; our heralds speak of an esoteric encampment by the name of Espectro Oculto, said to be the remote incantators of an unstoppable curse in sound. Six shadowy emissaries have been sent to spread the pestilence; Trenton Chase, Martial Canterel, DJ Nephil, Exhausted Modern, Fragedis and Happy707. Clearly, the faction have recruited only the best, trusted and yet most nefarious of spies from as far-flung regions as Czechia and Argentina in the administering of such a sordid sonic plague. We're left most quivery at the centrifugal doom drones of Exhausted Modern's 'Fear Of Focus', across whose breakdown banshees are heard wailing and snarling, and Fragedis' 'Landing In Reality', a lo-fi techno freakout and sonochemical anomaly, channeling militant two-way radio samples and hellish FM synthesis.
Joseph Cotton & Earl Heptones - "Misty Morning" (4:00)
Room In The Sky All Stars - "Smoking Horn" (feat Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton) (4:21)
Review: The latest from the Joe Gibbs label features a powerful roots rockers reinterpretation of The Sensations' classic rocksteady tune 'Everyday Is Like a Holiday.' The new version from Ruddy Thomas brings a different kind of energy while honouring the soulful essence of the original. It's packed with plenty of mad mixing desk effects and endless echo while warm vocals and deep basslines lock in a steady, hypnotic rhythm. On the B-side, Joe Gibbs & The Professionals deliver 'Holiday Style' which has happy horns and melodies that sparkle in the hot summer sun. Real roots authenticity and dub mastery make this another vital 7".
Dead Man's Chest - "Living Real" (Artificial Red remix) (5:41)
L Own X Response - "Rumination Cycles" (7:59)
Eusebeia - "Affinity" (5:44)
Esc - "Hot Hands" (7:11)
Review: Dead Man's Chest is about to unleash all kinds of breakbeat mayhem with the third volume of Western Lore's Blunted Breaks series and here's a little taster of the full flavour experience to expect. Artificial Red kicks off with a hazy-but-heavy remix of DMC's 'Living Real' before L Own & Response's 'Rumination Cycles' enshrouds us with rasping tendrils of acid and loose live drum breaks. Flip for two more breath-taking moments in (blunted) breakcraft as Eusebeia captures that early Good Looking magic on 'Affinity' and ESC closes the EP with the powerful, cobweb blast celebration of hardcore's influence on 'Hot Hands'. Get blunted!
Review: London's FUSE is one of those labels that is so dint it has a sound of its own that is often initiated but never bettered. The latest to serve up an authentic twist on the tech house template is returning artist EB Flow whose opener 'Celestial' makes a quick impact. It's a cruising, effortlessly cool groove with cosmic synth sounds and an aloof little vocal hook. 'Boundless' has more tension in its breakdowns and muted pads but the sub-bass is to die for. This sophisticated new school EP shuts down with 'Illusion' which has a gurgling lead wobbling about the mix while the long, leggy, loopy kicks bring great swing to the party.
Andrea Bertoli & DJ Bogdan - "Extremely On Line" (5:36)
Review: Exxtra Beats Records backs up its commitment to pushing things on with a new four-tracker of minimal and tech cuts. Edo Ecker's 'Extraluxxo' has warped synth lines that encourage introspection while the snappy beats make you move physically. Leff's 'Future Problems' has hazy and positive arpeggios that toot away over sustained chords and move at a nice inviting pace. Little Sea offers the snappy drums and gurgling acid lines of 'How I Wanna Feel' while Andrea Bertoli & DJ Bogdan's 'Extremely On Line' is a snappy and upbeat cosmic tech cut with wonky lines adding the charm.
Review: What would it take to universalise disco so that every brain sandwiched between two ears could hear and take to the sound like glue? Eddie C and Keita Sano continue a protracted research study in the pursuit of an answer, bringing three new dream-heaters to contrast to their original two in the series' debut, 'Disko Universal' and 'Joy Joy Joy'. Here, 'Not This Time' stands out among a trifecta of well-doused house rousers, steeped in the attenuated, bubblier deep end of a soulful disco-garage-house tradition.
Review: Astonishingly, 18 years has now passed since Gilles Aiken - probably more celebrated these days for his work under the alternate Desert Sky alias - first offered up off-kilter tech-house tracks as Edward. Last year, he impressed with a wonderfully deep and unctuous EP on deep house imprint Smallville; here, he makes his bow on another must-check label, Kalahari Oyster Cult. In keeping with the imprint's love of all things trippy and otherworldly, opener 'Tentacle' sees him wrap chiming lead lines, psychedelic synth motifs, weird noises and layers of percussion to a chunky, locked-in house groove. Aiken then goes off piste via a skewed, druggy and at times dreamy tech-house remix of Trybet's 'Moodsetter'. Arguably best of all though is impossible-to-pigeonhole flip-side 'Dr Octo', which is immersive, unsettling, tactile and eccentric in equal measure.
Review: Swedish label Borft has been digging in its archives again to assemble another volume of what it sees as its most classic cuts. And we don't disagree with these, which are taken from releases that originally landed between 1998 and 1999. Egglady's- 'Prinsessan Och Agget 1' is well-swung and deftly dubbed out with lovely analogue drum sounds cutting through. Nikolas Rowland's 'Headspin' is another smooth one with molten chords and a firm low-end drive. 'Puffy Nipples' from Kord is a wonky number with an unhinged charm and stomping groove that will stand out in any set while Crinan closes with the classy and raw house, dub and tech fusion that is 'Suit 61'.
Review: Leipzig-based Eira Haul takes his tech house sound forward with a fine outing on genre-specialists RAND Muzik here. 'Pocari Sweat' manages to combine the stuff, compelling drums of tech with more balmy and silky synths that bring great dynamics to the groove. It's spaced out and pacey then 'Tectona' kicks on with some bouncing bass and kick combos, sci-fi motifs and smart vocals worked in to bring the soul. 'Root Synergy' zips along with a sense of cosmic space travel that can easily get you locked in and zoned out and then 'Beach Haze' shuts down with a more heady, deep vibe, tropical synth details and a steamy atmosphere for late-night back rooms.
Review: The electrifying return of El Combo Batanga. The Afro-Cuban band and Ubiquity Records favourites descend upon us once more in a sallying storm of Isthmian lightning, bridging the spirit of classic Fania and Tico Records releases, and whipping them back around and through gales of Latin funk, son, timba and boogaloo. "Batanga" refers to the traditional Cuban instrument heard throughout their records, if you listen closely: new A cut 'La Cuota' brings an urgent, hyperbolic funk, while 'Darling' contrasts with nixie moods, a heart-burning Latin soul lament.
Review: El Michels Affair returns with a new two-track release that showcases his continued excellence as both a producer and musician. The A-side, 'Mr Brew,' opens with a menacing intro before evolving into a spacious tune masterfully balancing tension and release. Gentle guitars, strings, flutes and brass weave over a heavy drum track to make for a bright and immersive landscape. On the B-side, 'Kodak' is a lesson in space and arrangement with mellow drums and beautiful instrumentation setting the perfect mood. EMA's trademark restraint ensures the vibe remains the focal point while delivering a perfectly crafted sound that never overwhelms.
Review: A new school roots tune from Bruges, Belgium that draws on a rich heritage of reggae and dub and adds some fresh modern twists. The vocalist Emma delivers a nice and airy, breezy vocal that floats up top over the rumbling rhythm and fine production by Dub Traveller. It's got plenty of natty chords, organic percussive textures and neat melodies and on the flipside, Dub Traveller & Roots Explosion hook up for 'Free Dub' which is a cavernous dub with lots of room for you to get lost in as you marvel at the studio desk magic unfolding around you.
Review: Since emerging from Thessaloniki's underbelly in the mid-2010s, Endlec has carved out a reputation for punishing, no-frills techno rooted in the discipline of the 90s. A regular on Mord and MindTrip, he's long been a reliable source of dancefloor artilleryibut this one marks a shift. Self-released on his Renegade Methodz imprint, this debut album spans a full decade of experience, pulling together tracks made between late 2023 and October 2024. 'Omicron' and 'Clockmaker' are classic Endlecirelentless and tactileiwhile 'Sunday To Monday' and 'In Negative' draw from a deeper well, brushing up against melody and restraint. 'Mechanizer' grooves with mechanical tension, and 'No Return' rides a punishing loop without ever losing momentum. More refined than anything he's done before, it's a brutalist record with emotional depth, capturing an artist at a point of hard-won maturity.
Review: Ida Engberg's contribution to this release marks a striking departure from the Swedish techno DJ and record producer's usual sound, an unexpected, lush journey through the world of 2 step genre that's definitely not typically seen in her catalogue. The track is at once sensual and booming, designed for the late-morning hours when the dancefloor shifts from peak-time frenzy to more reflective, intimate moments. It pulses with a calm intensity, creating a smooth yet exhilarating rhythm that invites the listener into an immersive experience. On the flip side, 'Pink Monkeys' is a true sonic adventure, blending elements of EBM and sawtooth trance to produce a thrilling, psychedelic atmosphere. The track is a festival-ready anthem, charged with energy and unrestrained sound, allowing Ida to stretch her creative muscles even further. Meanwhile, Marco Resmann delivers two tracks that showcase his deep-rooted versatility. 'RIMA feat. Laatz' is a high-octane techno rollercoasterimenacing, frenetic, and impossible to ignore. Its relentless drive and chaotic energy keep the listener on their toes, offering a new, radical take on techno. Then, 'Dimensions' shifts into a more intricate, electro-driven vibe. Its low-slung groove is filled with subtle details, creating a balanced equilibrium that simultaneously engages both the mind and the body. Resmann's approach is detailed and meticulous, ensuring each sound has a purpose and brings the track to life. Together, these four tracks exemplify a mastery of genre-blending, pushing boundaries while still maintaining an infectious, danceable core that connects with listeners on a deep, visceral level.
Review: The Space Trace label keeps quality high with this fourth outing on wax. Eric Os is on the button for this one with 'Underworld' first to lure you into its world with gently broken bets and moody pads setting an eerie tone. 'Stereophysical' is more jacked up with fizzing synth lines and warped pads over future house beats and 'Elusive' bringing some trance energy to its flashy, bright synths. 'Electrodreammachine' is a wonky electro workout with withering sci-fi motifs, puling synth sequences and raw hits. 'Feeling Real' and 'Cherry Red' complete the EP with more blends of house, electroclash and sleazy guitar riffs.
Review: Funk, soul and boogie foundations are relaid, with this standout 7" record from 2023 reissued through the same outlet, Boogie Back. With authorial stylishness and pelvic passion, Ernie & The Family McKone have been going ever since the eponymous Boogie Back founder first began releasing underground dance music and street soul in 1992. After a mid-noughts hiatus, he is back with a fresher soul delight, charting the smoother soul directions he's reoriented himself in in recent years. Slick basses and fire falsettos charm up this puree of sound, as Lex Cameron and Valerie Etienne each compel us to move closer inwards: 'Feels Like I'm In Love', with its titular refrain, mirrors our reaction to the music.
Review: Oscar Escapa continues to carve out his space in the techno scene with his latest offering, a pair of tracks that are as compelling as they are inexorable. Hailing from Barcelona, Escapa has made a name for himself with productions that blend hard-hitting rhythms with atmospheric intricacy. On 'Enemy Returns', he delivers an unremitting onslaught of hyperactive techno, driven by a pounding kick drum, a gnarly bass riff and dissonant industrial stabs that dart in and out with menacing precision. The track's chaotic energy is held together by subtle shifts in texture, creating an almost hypnotic effect despite its aggression. Flip-side, Escapa teams up once again with Joanna Dark for 'It's My Life', a track that balances industrial intensity with an odd sense of melody. Dark's robotic vocal, repeating the track's title like a mantra, contrasts sharply with the swirling percussive layers and fuzzy bass arp. The track's unsettling atmosphere is heightened by unexpected guitar notes, which provide a brief respite from the techno madness. Escapa once again proves his mastery of balancing fierce, implacable energy with nuanced, finely-tuned composition, solidifying his role as a rising star in the genre.
Review: After his recent releases on X-Kalay and Craigie Knowes, Melbourne's Escape Artist returns to Phonica where he has previously released his well-received Energy Breakthrough EP. Once again here he shows his love of serving up euphoric and energetic cuts with the A-side, 'Forgot Who I Was,' building great intensity with delicate melodies and a shifting bassline. The B-side, 'Remembering', offers a contrasting yet complementary vibe that keeps on with the previous track's two-step rhythm while evolving into a more uplifting direction with ambient techno elements and acidic breaks. It's potent stuff.
B-STOCK: Slight surface marks, record slightly warped
When I’m Homeward Bound
When I’m Homeward Bound (Nathan Dawidowicz remix)
When I’m Homeward Bound (Secret Soul Society remix)
Chasing Horses
Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight surface marks, record slightly warped***
Max Essa is a bonafide Balearic boss man and one of the regulars of the Is It Balearic? label. It is there that he returns now with 'I'm Homeward Bound' which is a textbook sound from the producer, with a hint of Tears For Fears. The pads are delightfully gooey and subtly uplifting over gently percussive and stuttering beats and the whole thing is rich in lazy poolside energy. Nathan Dawidowicz remixes into a percolating bit of deep and tribal disco, Secret Soul Society brings out the early evening house grooves ready for sunset sessions and the closing cut 'Chasing Horses' is a super sweet late night groove with heartfelt chords
Review: One of the most keenly watched of the new generation of d&b producers, Eusebeia's latest release is jungle at its most consideredirich in detail but never overworked. The A-side ' Purity' moves with an unhurried ease, its breaks sharp but not intrusive, its melodies bright without being overbearing. There's a lightness to it, but it never drifts too far. On the flip, 'Artificial Red' strips things back, letting the low-end do more of the talking. The rhythm feels looser, more drawn-out, but still precise in its movement. Both tracks sit comfortably in that space between introspection and momentumipurposeful without feeling like they have a point to prove.
Review: Three new undiscovered species from sound taxonomist Eusebeia, spotted deep in the heart of the jungle. Described as "mind massages", Eusebeia leans further into his preferred mode: sculpted highs and caresser sound design. Sparking up the proceedings with pre-release single 'Zenith', we reach vicarious peaks of untrammelled 808 and sprightly sub-aqua pads. Emphasis shifts between cute, gamified pluck melodies and deeper persuasions, proving that surface and depth persist in necessary dialogue with one another.
Det Blaser En Vind Genom Varlden, Och Det Har Det Alltid Gjort (6:54)
Review: An experimental techno hexagram in LP form from Stockholm artist Evigt Morker. Without so much as a hint of context, the techno dark-shooter here drops his third LP for resident label Northern Electronics as a surprise, and the result is rather stunning. A bleary set of impressions, some tunes on this record clip the top edge of the mix, chinking our emotive armour. The effect is gastric, dehiscent, exuding bile: 'Hemilga Eldar' leaves us dumbstruck by its ambient eventidal winds and strangely sprawled drum shapes, while 'Sokaren Hittade' combines nyctophile cantos with electric twangs. The closer 'Det Blaser En Vind...' is a headland of humility, letting in much longer gusts of tuned air.
Review: Two more battle weapons handpicked from the eponymous UK armoury. Label motto ("You want this party started, right?!") and A-cut refrain ("la-di-da-di, we like to party"), converge in perfect sync here on this latest 7": the obverse samples Doug E Fresh & Slick Rick's 1985 mover, peppering slight but bright brasses over a punctuated beat mix. 'Tambou' on the B-side honours a historic canonical Swizz Beatz crunk bit with a re-edit of 'Tambourine', produced and released in 2006 for blase partystarter Eve.
Review: Grenoble DJ and producer The Hacker, known for his dataphile dark trance excursions, teams up with newcomer Endrik Schroeder for a full-blown creative grand slam, 'Puissance 4', betraying decades' worth learnedness in the knob-twiddling manual arts. The title track here builds from a classic beat into a euphoric hoover-rave crescendo - luring dancers in with hypnotic acid textural decoys - but then finds mercy on said prey, giving the dance what it needs: a rave riff on loan from heaven. 'The Voyagers' contrasts with an 808 soul slapper, its sensuality and understated heavenliness recalling obscure 7th Plain releases.
Review: EC Underground is back with more inquisitors of low-end heavy sounds on Bass Scene Investigation vol 1 and again digs deep into the worlds of electro, techno, breakbeat and IDM. The compilation kicks off with the skittish percussive patterns of Illektrolab's 'Making Heads Dip', then heads into moody ground with ADJ, Pablo Funk brings some menacing synth work and Errorbeauty gets all weird and trippy with some mad electronics. Francois Dillinger offers a dystopian electro sound full of irresistibly jacked-up drums. A fine investigation indeed.
Review: Serious seriality from the OHM Series, an imprint and sole patent owner of the rare, aurally administered chemical known as Omega X. The alphabetic Greek letter ohm determines impedance / resistance in an electrical circuit, and so too do each of the dub techno tracks released on the OHM Series amount to tergiversating transductions, their chillout chord-knocks and hardened beats never quite letting us settle. Though titles like 'Innocence' and 'Downtime' persist here, the tracks perhaps inadvertently prove that flow is impossible without resistance: Separation's track is especially unorthodox in its strange reordering of phaser, pan and saturation effects on the pad-stab, which produces an unusual swirling effect.
Review: Mita Gami and EREZ unite for 'Where's My Voice?', connecting thrilling Tel Aviv, nighttime NYC and lit LA. Their debut on Damian Lazarus' Crosstown Rebels follows earlier releases on Borders of Light, and also introduces EREZ to the fold. Mainstay Gami, a fixture on the Tel Aviv scene, also here returns a lauded remix of Parallelle & Nicolas Masseyeff's recent single 'Renegade'. EREZ too reiterates his productive intricacies, rejoining after standout releases on Get Physical Music and Discotexas. 'Where's My Voice?' blends EREZ's entrances with rhythmic infections, scaffolding organic percs about a vocal formwork. Samer Soltan's remix deepens the mood, lengthening the three-word motif across a brooding extension.
Lou Rawls - "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" (Kenny Summit, Frankie Knuckles & Eric Kupper's Brawls Deep unreleased remix)
Kenny Summit, Frankie Knuckles & Eric Kupper - "Loving You" (feat Yasmeen)
Review: This special 12" sampler, part of the forthcoming compilation, taps into the timeless spirit of the Paradise Garage with two unreleased collaborations that showcase the late Frankie Knuckles' legacy. On the A-side, the final production from Knuckles, alongside Kenny Summit and Eric Kupper, delivers a soulful, uplifting remix of Lou Rawls' "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine." It's pure house brilliance that captures the essence of the Garage sound. On the flip, the trio reunites for "Loving You," a Motown-inspired anthem featuring Yasmeen's powerful vocals. These tracks, which have been staple spins for DJs like Cajmere and Sonny Fodera, form part of a larger collection that celebrates house music's rich history, with remixes of iconic tracks. The cover art, designed by Alexander Juhasz, adds an extra layer of cultural significance to this must-have release.
The Masters At Work (Keep It Comin' Now) (One take Tito mix) (5:08)
The Masters At Work (Keep It Comin' Now) (Masters At Work dub) (4:59)
The Masters At Work (Keep It Comin' Now) (bonus beats) (3:35)
The Masters At Work (Keep It Comin' Now) (The Kenlou mix) (5:38)
The Masters At Work (Keep It Comin' Now) (Eddie Mood dub) (6:33)
The Masters At Work (Keep It Comin' Now) (LP version) (4:21)
Review: Rather significant as old-school house releases go, the chain of influences behind Masters At Work’s ’The Masters At Work (Keep It Comin’ Now)’ is an elusive one. In 1991, Louie Vega and Marc Antony remixed new jack swing titan Keith Sweat’s own ‘Keep It Comin’, a timeless B3 side to round out Sweat’s original Elektra Records release. The track was a snowballer indeed, as it evolved into a standalone B-side in its own right, complementing the garage house classic release ‘Ride On The Rhythm’ on Atlantic Records. Now promoted once again to an A-side, we hear three new and exclusive mixes of thee original dub as well as two variations: Latinesque backing fills and programmable melodics twaddle away in the background of One Take Tito’s mix, while Kenlou and Eddie Mood bring twin yogic, myofibril relaxations to an already contracted sound.
Review: Ehua treads into new territory with her debut full-length, Panta Rei, arriving via 3024 after an extended period of experimentation and self-reflection. Over 18 months, the London producer and DJ - originally from Italy - fused deep bass mutations with live percussion, acoustic textures, and, for the first time, her own voice. The result is a humanistic record, with glassy sonic abstractions, vocal reversions and rhythmic interruptions serving plenty space for intimacy and contrast. Ahead of a launch party scheduled in South London on April 24th, hosted by 3024 and Planet Wax, the likes of 'White', 'Bumju' and 'Albicocca' are propulsive, driving integrators of brain and body, perfect for imminent deployment in the divey New Cross establishment.
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