Meanwhile Schallplatten & CDs

Review: The man behind the track that Move D proclaimed "owned the dome at freerotation" , returns with 3 new tracks of deep machine grooves, his first release since 2013's Analogue Mapping. "Frey'd" is built around a synth patch stumbled upon whilst conducting a test on one of bovill's machines with rennouned Synth engineer Frey Smith. Opening with playful ,bubbling analogue tones and nostelgic pads, before characteristic basslines, percussion and 303 lines join in, ending on a spaced out contemplative groove . " L.A.T. " is a more stripped down track, which ebbs and flows around subtle builds, tweeks, and delays, perfect for the deeper late night dancefloor. Closing the ep is Golden burn, the deepest and most dubbed out of the 3 tracks, sprinkled with emotive keys, and underpinned by distinctive bass lines.

Review: Analogue Mapping sees Meanwhile founder Robert Lawrence return to production duties as Bovill in requisite fashion after a four year absence. In this time Lawrence has focused on establishing the London label as a worthy outlet for the deeper echelons of techno with material from Murmur, Sven Weismann, Bvdub and Conforce. Spread luxuriously across two slabs of vinyl, the six tracks allow Bovill to make room for soothing, dubby moments that ease you in as well as productions characterised by their driving drum and chord arrangements. See the spine tingling opener "So It Goes" for evidence of the former whilst "Neap" and "Hunt Or Herd?" provide perfect examples of the latter.

Review: Meanwhile can always be counted on to unfurl seductive machine soul from the farthest reaches of the techno plain, and so it goes on this new album from Grit. The chords undulating through "Drifting From The Bay" match the track title perfectly, while "Dead Faces From The Past" sinks beneath the surface to present a ghostly ambient piece populated by haunting dub techno chords. "Principle" is equally blown out, albeit locked to a more insistent loopy mantra, while "Expansed" sounds positively sprightly in comparison with its pronounced beats. Things get more experimental on the metallic churn of "Piagga", while "Pheonix" brings a more functional deep techno flavour to the record before the appropriately sleepy finishing move of "Immersion".

Review: As I Look To The Sky From The Surface Of The Water is the much awaited second album from GRIT, aka London producer Gary Brackley and it's found a perfect home on Meanwhile. The label is well placed to be an outlet for GRIT's explorations deep into the realm of deep techno, thanks to it's standing within the techno community and this album stands tall alongside contributions from the likes of Murmur, Sven Weismann, Bvdub and Conforce. Opening with the expansive title track, GRIT sets the tone for what to expect with the ripple of syncopation shifting in and out of focus amidst the viscous layers of foggified luminescent ambient texture. Across the subsequent five tracks this tone is retained throughout as Brackley playfully explores the inventive sparks that arise when rhythm rubs with texture, with the smudged out subaqueous "Safer Retreat" a real highlight.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: Remote_ is a criminally overlooked figure in techno, held in high regard by those tuned in to his sublime, deep diving approach. Meanwhile is a label that's been hip to his sound since the early 00s, putting out a couple of immaculate 12"s and now finally following up with this stunning fresh transmission of heavy dubbing, smokers choice beatdowns. There's a delicate house throb pulsing through these jams, but the slithering beats are mere vessels for gorgeous swathes of woozy pads and submerged basslines - this is refined and understated deep techno elegance for connoisseurs to melt down into.

Review: Meanwhile returns having celebrated its 10 Year Anniversary, not by releasing a swanky box set, but by taking a year off. First release on the fully rejuvenated meanwhile is from Sen AKA John Shern who forms part of the Satellite Religion collective along with G.r.i.t, Future Thought Tapestries, Channel 73 and Space_ci. Here he delivers 25 minutes of deepest machine music spread over 2 tracks. A side Future Thoughts Jazz is a deep drifting Detroit infused journey through the far reaches of outer space, while the B Side Wars of Truth(reseen) is an epic slice of heavy clanking industrial rhythms and deep textures. The release is also the first to feature artwork commissioned by sometime Meanwhile recording artist Samuel Van Dijk aka Mohlao, Inward Content, VC118a, Multicast Dynamics. So, both sonically and visually this release sits perfectly within the meanwhile catalogue of quality not quantity.