Alleviated US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Shout outs to Larry Heard for finally relenting to the numerous requests to reissue his highly prized Gherkin Jerks material through his own Alleviated label with some digitally enhancement help from the guys at Clone. The 1990 EP was the last of the two EPs that Heard anonymously released under the Gherkin Jerks name back in the late 80s as a creative experiment. Notably less unhinged than Stomp The Beat, the six percussively taut tracks here feel like Heard was reacting to the nascent strains of techno emanating from Detroit. Opener "Meltdown" for example is a rolling slab of pitched-down techno with sharp Motor City-esque synth stabs and nagging, incessant keys, whilst the interplanetary connotations are clear as crystal on tracks such as the beautifully chiming "Red Planet" and the pressurised funk of "Saturn V".

Review: Amongst Larry Heard's many, many celebrated achievements in the field of pioneering house music, the Gherkin Jerks tracks have a certain magnetism thanks to their downright nasty rawness. The original late 80s 12"s have been revisited in the past, but now the bonus tracks originally released on a comprehensive 2013 compilation get their own outing, cut to wax for the first time to serve all those who love their foundational house as rough as it comes. 'Psychotic Fantasy' is a dissonant masterpiece of gnarly acid, while 'Rezynator' has a slightly more melodic demeanour alongside its own grubby brilliance. The 'Original Full Take' of 'Ecstasy' is a slow-burning monster of needlepoint 303 tweaking and bludgeoned beats which jacks out for a full eight minutes.

Review: Michael Kuntzman presents a uniquely odd but compelling EP for Alleviated Records, following up his split EP 'The Underground Files 1' from 2016. From opener 'Dixie Queen' to its closing 'Dripped Version', we hear four ultra-hazy, muddy wallops in Memphis house, as if to evoke the feeling of attending a local squat rave while pranged off your nut on sizzurp. Vocal elements pop out of the mix like shared, up-close-and-personal conversational slurrings with new acquaintances you've just met, but the tracks all nonetheless command a beautifully driving surrealism, the star example of which has to be 'Mystery For Leo'.