Review: Boulderhead's I Need Space to Dance EP marks a significant expansion of his sonic horizons, taking in everything from contemplative dub moments to glistening rollers and a psychedelic tour-de-force. Tracks like 'I Need Space' featuring Overnite Oates and 'Dance and Dance Again' deliver shuffly spoken-word tech vibes, sure to become club favourites. Unified yet diverse, the EP appeals to fans of tech-house, prog, broken beat, and minimal techno alike, while Boulderhead, aka Henry James, exhibits the kind of top-tier production skills that hint at the potential for a full-length album.
Review: "Right, OK!" Worm Records offer up their second various artists release for 2024, coming just a neat two months after September's inaugural release featuring Ruf Dug, Wallace, The Mole and Gallegos. Now the label turn their hand to a completely different league of artists, convoking Boulderhead, Wooka, DMX Krew and Jorg Kuning for yet another star-studded audio-strudel, spanning both chilled and heated ends of the spectrum. Boulderhead's A1 is the ludic highlight among the four, a charming Valley Girl voice peppering the vocal track with exceptional backhandedness; we hear talk of floating on clouds and an affect of casual acceptance behind the glitch-science, suggesting vibes of bounciness and breeze. Wooka goes sillier speed garage on 'Make Yourself Comfortable', a challenging charge given the track's otherwise rather jagged jam; Krew and Koenig close things off on a comparatively calm note, the former's B1 opting for a set of bruk-en beats and wet synth yaps, and the latter's 'Imbolc' quiescing with clement Rhodeses and homely drum machines.
Review: Pleasure Zone continues to be an inspiring force in the European minimal tech house scene, and they've really pulled the stops out with this essential new release from Boutiq.808 and Tom Marvin. We're not hip to who these cats are, but their music says it all as they skip through snappy rhythms and bold synth forms with the kind of flair you might find on a Spacetravel record. If you appreciate your quirky minimal played out with a live immediacy and some of that Perlon-esque sauce, this record will be well up your street.
Review: It's often a challenge to find dance music as jovial and goofy and as this, but this charmer from Lisboan musician Rory Bowyer has for once mitigated our need to seek it out. Janky and angular in their formation, the likes of 'Crunching Numbers', 'Bob's Your Uncle' and 'Horizontal Horizon' evoke the feeling of revisiting Kraftwerk's Computerwelt with 21st Century eyes. Simple melodic progressions (bloop style), pff-ing snares and nimble 909s render this 12" an unmissable cop.
Review: Stefan Braatz's latest EP, Outlaw, on Nu Groove, showcases his timeless sound and genre-defying approach. With a career spanning three decades, Braatz is celebrated for his diverse expertise, blending old-school reverence with contemporary techniques. The title track, featuring vocals from Chicago house pioneer Harry Dennis, kicks off the EP with Braatz's signature synth energy complemented by Dennis's effortless flow. The following solo tracks further exemplify Braatz's defiance of genre constraints: 'Conversation' engages in a euphoric dialogue between synth strings and piano loops, while 'Dingy Thoughts' and 'One More Dream' delve into darker club territories with intense, pulsating rhythms.
Review: Brako continues to go it alone with self-titled releases on a self-titled label, and why not? When the tunes are this good you don't need the extra boost of a big name label. There are just two of them on this punchy EP, the first being 'Bandit' which has a snaky bassline and loose-limbed groove. It is run through with spaced out pads, gurgling cosmic lines and silky hooks that are finished to perfection with a great neo-soul vocals. On the flip, 'Police' is a more dubbed-out and stripped-back tune with elastic rhythms and heady pads. Great work.
Review: Three years after launching as a digital-only imprint, Vinny Villbas's Badabing Diskos label finally makes it to wax. In keeping with the label's desire to promote homegrown talent - an approached pioneered by his old pal Prins Thomas via the long-running Full Pupp imprint - all three showcased cuts come from Oslo-based artists. The legacy of synth-heavy, off-kilter Norwegian 'space disco' can be heard across the EP, but especially on Jarle Brathen's 'No Restaurants', which conjures memories of Lindstrom and Todd Terje's work of the late 2000s and Vilbas's dreamier and more loved-up 'Just In Time'. Bolder, bigger and even more life-affirming thrills come to the fore on the flip, where label regular Sommerfeldt delivers the epic breakdowns, driving bass, restless cowbells, winding acid lines and shimmering synth chords of 'The Everlasting Frog'.
Review: How-it's-done deep garage house and more from Berlin's Marc Brauner, who rejoins the Shall Not Fade posse for a bustling new four-tracker. The city's resident DJ's fourth record for the UK label, Brauner here trains his hand on melodic major synth toplines and smartly timed dotted rhythms, producing a vibe of the utmost slickness and finesse. The leitmotif is obviously street smarts, as indicated by the loiterer on the front cover, and 'Sketchy Sidewalks' before 'Ghetto Birds' both give this off as much, through their faint hip-hop sampleage and rubbery sound-sprays. 'So Hot' and 'Breakthrough' shunt things up a few modes, into relatively minor-keyed crystalline waters on the former, and soul-feeding breaks choppage on the latter.
Review: It's five up for Spanish label Les Enfants who have done a fine job of bringing some colour and personality to minimal, which can all too often be rather dry and abstract. 'Adapt Or Die' opens up with nice fleshy bass rotations and some characterful synth details then 'High Volatility' gets more direct with an acid-tinged vibe and dirty low ends. A Priku remix then smooth stings out and brings some signature cool to 'Love That Keys' and the original is a frantic collage of hurried loops, deep space pads and progressive energy. Bravo by name, bravo by nature.
Review: No prizes for guessing the motivation behind this new EP, 5 Years Of B2 Recordings. It is a tidy and tasteful celebration of half a decade of top quality deep house from a range of key players. This one opens with Frenchman Brawther getting dubbed out and deep as ever with some nice lounge chords and blissed-out pads. Bengoa's 'Neftina Dub' has a subtle US garage shuffle to it that harks back to the 90s and Lex & Locke then bring rich paint chords and withering synth motifs to 'Atenas Blues' before Zaq's 'Make A Wish' shuts down with some cosmic rays of positivity. A fantastic EP so here's to the next five years.
Step By Step (feat Panda Bear - bonus Beat) (4:07)
Review: Alan Braxe is one of the cornerstones of the famous French touch house sound. He's crafted plenty of seminal tunes and now is back once again with Falcon for this new and lush deep house 12" on Smugglers Way. It bears all the hallmarks you would expect of the pair: big loopy loops, filtered chords and house drums that get you grooving. 'Love Me' is the one old heads will appreciate the most thanks to its old school ways, while fresh disco influences colour 'Creative Source.' 'Elevation' is more blissed out and Balearic and 'Step By Step' is downtempo lushness.
Review: Boris Brejcha's distinctive style of 'high-tech minimal' has earned him much credo over the years, enough to warrant the rerelease of several of his most enduring tracks under the recently embarked-upon Classics series. The tracks this time around are 'Festival Of Love' and 'Wolcke 7', originally released in 2007 and 2008 respectively on the Harthouse label before taking the international minimal scene by storm. Though they're both shuffling, popcorny sundowners for those who like it clean, classy and glassy, these tracks explore different zones, with the A-sider far jankier than the more accessible B.
Review: Boris Brejcha tops up his functionally named 'Club Vibes' series with a refreshing pair of minimal/deep techno tunes, both of which provide a unique take on the style. 'In The Shadows' is a big-room EDM number replete with talking bass 'yuhh's, sinister horror voices, and It-madhouse melodies, pulling of the difficult-to-nail mood of cheeky, yet horrific. 'Schwartz', meanwhile, plunges us into the void with farty reeses and soft synth whoops, building to an overall cavernous sonic image.
Review: IRMA has assembled a trio of top remixers here to add their own spin to some fine originals from Bright Magnus. Up first is the LTJ Xperience remix of 'Jungle Corner' and it is a low slung and steamy funk number with loose shakes of a tambourine and languid bass riffs drawing you in. 'Selim/Miles' (DJ Rocca 606 remix) is a blend of smeared synths and woozy guitar riffs over more lush downtempo beats that make it perfect for the midnight hours. Last but not least is 'A Way' (DJ Rocca Black Satin remix) which is a more psychedelic sound thanks to the drawn-out synth percolations that stretch through the mix.
Review: Third part of the compilation celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Milanese record shop. This collection is entirely composed of previously unreleased music, exclusively produced for the occasion by many artists of great relevance in the worldwide music scene, who supported the store over the last ten years. The artists who produced the music for this compilation are Egyptian Lover, Ellen Allien, Thomas Brinkmann, Neil Landstrumm, JD Twitch, Matias Aguayo, San Proper, Tolouse Low Trax, Jay Glass Dubs, Dj Marcelle, Jorge Velez, Tamburi Neri, Fabrizio Mammarella, Heith, Itinerant Dubs, Timeslip89, Kreggo and Intersezioni Ensemble. The entire work is composed of 4 x 12", plus a bonus EP.
Review: Brique and Babu step up for two tracks each on this nice and cosmic new tech house offering from the Quinoa Cuts label. Brique get first with a deft blend of silky synth designs and snappy tech house drums. It's both driving and physical but nice and heady at the same time. His 'Customer Service Meltdown' has more textural, fizzy synths snaking their way through the crispy tech beats, then Babu's 'Apollo' has an acid-laced sound and cyborg vocals piped in. Last of all is 'American War' with more tight, bobbing beats and electro-tinged rhythms.
Review: Tetsu Shibuya, better known as simply Tetsu or BRISA is a Japanese producer and DJ known for works on the iconic Japanese Jazzy Sport imprint, King Street sub-label Nite Grooves and his own BRISA Music. Leading the EP is title-track 'Stir', in collaboration with Turbojazz BRISA delivers a classic slice of deep house built upon layers of bright stab sequences and loose organic percussion. Detroit's beloved Jon Dixon turns his hand to 'Stir' next, encapsulating the soul of his hometown in reshaping fragments of the original composition. The original of 'Reverie' opens the B-side, laying down a broken rhythm, low-pitched vocal hooks and elongated bass grooves for a more bruk tinged feel. Byron The Aquarius then extracts the core of 'Reverie' and spins it into bumpy, subtly nuanced house workout. Lastly the third original 'Flux' rounds out the release, shifting deeper in funkinfused realms with a playful plucked bass groove and heavily swung drums.
Review: Broken Keys is a multi-talented musician and producer based in Los Angeles. His cut 'Assorted Colors' has become a real underground house classic that now lands on wax for the first time as a special extended 12" remix that really locks you into the languid grooves. The legendary Galcher Lustwerk steps up to add his own distinctive take on the original and infuses it with a techy yet atmospheric groove. Broken Keys explores a different facet of his sound with three distinct cuts on the flip that range from blunted beats and sun-kissed Balearic to chilled-out future soul. They make for a diverse package perfect for the after-club or Sunday morning listening.
Review: Casino Classix is one of several aliases for legendary minimal man Baby Ford. Here it is also the name of a four-track EP that finds the long time UK underground operative working alongside fellow British techno luminary Mark Broom on a quartet of devastating cuts. 'Ringer' opens up with some dark and nimble baselines darting about beneath a dense layer of percussion and FX. 'Hoppa' is then a more precise and minimalist cut with wonky bass snaking down low beneath the icy hi-hats and jumbled toms. There is a warm dub depth to 'Hot Pot' to kick off the flip and 'Beach Club' shuts down with a restless mix of synth daubs and deft percussion over an ice cold groove.
I'm Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair) (John Morales M+M main mix) (8:06)
I'm Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair) (John Morales M+M mix edit) (4:16)
I'm Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair) (John Morales M+M Classic club) (7:59)
I'm Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair) (John Morales M+M instrumental mix) (7:50)
Review: Inner Life's 'I'm Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair)' released in 1979 is a quintessential disco anthem that captures the exuberance and allure of the era. Jocelyn Brown's powerful vocals deliver a story of fleeting romance, seamlessly intertwining with lush orchestrations and a driving rhythm section that still get people up and dancing all these decades on. The track's infectious groove, memorable hooks, and lavish production epitomise the magic of late-70s dancefloors which is it why it is such a staple in both nostalgic disco sets and modern dance compilations. This reissue offers up four different versions by the great remix king John Morales.
Review: Jesse Bru lays down the first in his 'Chronicles Of Bru' series, which narrates the comical tale of an ambitious young man whose sole goal is to save the planet from the false excesses of climate catastrophe and environmental decay. Somehow, this vision of sonic ecology translates to deep, ambient trance and piano house, which is funnelled stylistically into five new heaters for France's Happiness Therapy label. Faint birdsong and overblown Chicago-esque motifs are laid down in a quickly successive, through-composed fashion, as if to suggest that the political project that ignites change should be one of musical, harmonious enjoyment, not of stingy utility, where house music cannot be heard.
Review: Cabinet is a highly cultured label for those who appreciate classy tech and house. Burden is next up with a special limited edition eco-vinyl pressing. On the A-side is 'Time 2 Play' the nice an airy, smooth and frictionless 'Time 2 Play' which is expertly designed, full of atmosphere and deft melodic hooks. 'Music Makers' brings a different kind of vibe with more wooden percussive details, a sultry spoken word weaving in and out and more minimal tech drums all serving to move mind, body and soul.
Review: Cult minimal label Cabinet is back with another vital two tracker, this time from Brudan. It kicks off with the glitchy beats and silky, warming, machine soul of 'Time 2 Play' with its silky grooves soon to lock you into a heady vibe. On the flip is the more stripped back 'Music Makers' which is a little more minimal and abstract in its designs but is just as much of a seductive sound that worms its way deep into your brain. Both of these are tasteful tools for discerning selectors.
Revolution Of Tha Mind (Lil Mark Swing Tech mix) (6:15)
Revolution Of Tha Mind (Chris Carrier 909 Tribute mix) (6:10)
Review: Oblivium's first vinyl outing is well worthy of its space on wax as Nicola Brusegan and Camilo Gil serve up the deep than deep house of 'Revolution Of Tha Mind 909 Poems By: Tea Time.' The original Hood mix is first and is one coated in sustained chords, dusty atmospheres and soulful vocal mutterings with plenty of analogue percussion and loopy, swinging drums. The Luciano remix is a more uneasy and stringy minimal version, as you would expect, and then comes a much more raw and edgy number from Lil Mark in the form of his Swing Tech mix. A Varied and vital package is shut down with Chris Carrier's steamy and humid 909 Tribute mix.
Review: Serious deep house heads take note, this is a superb new EP that instantly fits in with your favourite classics by the likes of Moodymann and Theo Parrish. It comes from Dean Bryce, one of London's best-kept secrets, and he delivers his signature touch on this latest release for Extra Soul Perception. Known as the founder of Technicolour Records-home to early releases from Peggy Gou, Actress, and the breakout Barry Can't Swim-Dean has a reputation that speaks for itself. This record sees him tapping into his re-edit collection to bring us three timeless tracks. The much-loved 'H.E.R.' makes a triumphant return next to two gems 'TEAZE' and 'Winner' on the flip side. Crucial.
System T aka Bs As Deep - "Linear Waves" (New York mix) (7:30)
Bs As Deep - "Love For The House" (7:31)
Nicola Brusegan - "Colour Tea Time Vox" (6:32)
Nicola Brusegan - "Miniature" (6:25)
Review: The well-formed young Mostly label continues to stride onwards into fresh deep house territories with its latest various artists EP. System T aka Bs As Deep kicks things off and toys with classic tropes but brings some newness to the rhythms, while the same artist then appears under his other alias for 'Love For The House' which is a percussive, slinky number with molten synths and smooth bass. Nicola Brusegan's 'Colour Tea Time Vox' is a more dark and heavy dub house cut and 'Miniature' shuts down with more techno energy and forceful kicks.
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