Crayon Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Mark Ambrose brings his years of expertise in the deeper end of the techno spectrum to bear on this latest joint for Crayon, the label he founded way back in the mid 90s. "Destiny Angel" is a stomping, expansive cut with a cinematic lilt to its sound design and melodic progression - one for people to truly travel on. "Bleeps & Bits" is a more rugged workout that digs deep into intricate rhythm programming and FX processing to create a unique future-tribal flavour. "Just Tonight" keeps the beats dynamic and broken, but with a much hookier punch and some choice vocal snippets that should find favour with all kinds of DJs.

Review: As a regular contributor to institutions such as Force Inc Music Works and Mosaic, Mark Ambrose has plenty of heritage in the deep and dubby crossover between house and techno, and so this archival release on his own Crayon imprint brings forth more of that meditative manna. "Close" rides on a subtle and shuffling percussion line while a perfectly weighty bassline ticks away underneath, sitting in contrast to "Hokus (Edit)"s tightly-wound and fidgety techno roll. "Floating Around" lives up to its title with a more sleepy kind of pad-focused refrain, while "Idea 3" delivers the kind of soul-soothing synths and rhythms that Fred P et al have built their names on.

Review: Some five years after re-launching his Crayon label via a fine EP of vintage "Tracks From The Vault", original 1990s tech-house producer Mark Ambrose serves up more gems from his bulging archives. The quality threshold remains dizzyingly high throughout. Check first the moody, back room dub of "Nightshift (Deeper Mix)", where gentle, alien synth lines and deep space chords tumble down over a heavy analogue bassline and locked-in beats, before turning your attention to "Space Animals", a deliciously dubbed-out affair rich in sub bass and drifting, deep space chords. If that's not enough, flip over and trance out to B side "Seduction" and finally, the slamming techno beats, looped electronics and mind-mangling TB-303 motifs of closer "Dusty Acid".

Review: Crayon take another trip into the realm of deep house with this split 12" from a range of talented individuals. D'Funk takes a little lick from Roy Ayers on "Follow Me" and frames the sample in spooky keys carried along by a sturdy four-to-the-floor thump. Adam Collins and Mark Ambrose get a bit freakier on "Modern Moule", using all kinds of oddball sounds to whip up a decidedly off-kilter mood. D'Funk's "Break For Jungle" takes a few cues from the hardcore continuum, and places them in the context of an uptempo house workout, and then Mark Ambrose completes the set with the amped up old-skool techno energy of "Machine Man".