Review: &Me and Black Coffee make for something of an Afro house dream team here. The latter has long been this sound's pin-up and has gone from playing in South African townships to producing with Beyonce and winning Grammy Awards over the last decade. Now deep in his latest Ibiza season, he unveils collaborative track 'The Rapture' (Pt III), a deep rolling cut with spine-tingling chords and a rich atmosphere. &ME then goes solo for 'LIFE', a shuffling percussive groove with spoken words and enchanting chords to make for a classy two-tracker.
Review: Since returning to action in 2016 after a seven-year break, 1990s techno survivor Lee Renacre AKA 100 Hz has released some of the best music of his career. This fine four-tracker marks the long-serving Londoner's first outing on Romanian imprint Amphia, who are best known for serving up sparse, minimalistic tech-house. As you'd expect, there's a slightly fuller sound here, though sonically it's as pleasingly druggy and mind-mangling as much of the imprint's output. Renacre brilliantly flits between trippy, arpeggio-driven, house-tempo techno (the otherworldly 'Machines of May'), dubstep-influenced UK bass/techno fusion ('Gadget', which echoes the ethos of his early 100 Hz releases with James Chapman), intergalactic tech-house ('Dark as Night'), and frankly filthy low-end wobblers ('Swiss').
Review: A solid four track EP on Step Ball Chain records blending minimal and tech house with a splash of techno. offering a diverse range of sounds for late-night dancefloors. Side-1 starts with 'Do U Want Me', a playful peak-time house track filled with nostalgic old-school samples and a serious grooveiperfect for keeping the energy up during those late-night sets. It's followed by 'Make Me', which shifts gears into a dubby mix of dubstep and liquid drum 'n' bass, offering a bass-heavy, laid-back vibe. On Side-2, 'Bassy Bits' drives things forward with its fast-paced tech house beats and dirty bassline, making it a DJ-friendly gem designed to shake the dancefloor. Then there's 'Lick My Chain', a deeper, moodier track with a wall-shaking bassline and a futuristic, sensual atmosphereia slick, immersive cut for those looking to bring the energy down but keep the intensity up. Rounding off the EP is the 'Lick My Chain' (PSL remix), which adds a techy edge and a sexy vocal, transforming the track into a late-night anthem. Overall, Step Ball Chain Holland is a versatile release for tech house and electro fans alike.
Review: Humanoid Recordings co-founder 4d lays down another four-track 12" for the label, scouring the weightier and scrapier ends of minimal and acid house, all while teasing out a retro-robotic edge. Only an artist with a real sense of humour can invoke ideas of 'Stupidity' and 'Quantum Theory' in the same breath; both tracks betray the unified whimsy and intelligence that a successful acid house and techno artist must portray in order to win hearts. The latter uses a particularly sticky, hard-to-pin-down 4x4 kick style; contrast to B1 'World In Our Head', which portrays a psychic model of the outside world through trilling trance lines, and the meek glissandos of 'Sowie Lockers', securing an indeterminate but funky mood.
Review: What's that, a new year means a new label from Burnski? We'd expect nothing else. The man has more imprints than a beach has grains of sand, but importantly they all serve a purpose and all kick out killer jams. Mikasa starts with this lush and lithe prog house EP from Abdul Raeva. Stylish opener 'Cream' is a bouncy, feel-good and sleek electronic house sound for peak time fun. 'Helico' is laced with acid and 'Tex Mex' has psyched-out lines rising through the uplifting drums while 'Vanguard' shuts down with a percussive edge and a killer bassline.
Review: Abdul Raeva's 'No Risk No Reward' EP captures the spirit of minimal and tech house with four dynamic, dance-ready tracks. Side-1 kicks off with 'Spazza', a lively, upbeat tech house track primed for the dancefloor with an infectious groove. It's followed by 'Eurotech', which brings in a high-tech, acid-tinged vibe, nodding to the ravey energy of the 90s with an irresistible, driving beat. Side-2 transitions to a more introspective energy with 'Phaselock', a melodic and flighty piece that leans into late-night techno territory, with a hypnotic, trance-adjacent sound perfect for deeper, immersive moments. Closing the EP, 'Crystal Palace' dives into heavy acid rhythms, blending elements of acid trance to create a powerful, pulsing finish.
Gonna Do & Do It More Now (Titonton Duvante FLiP) (6:27)
Review: Acapulco Heat is a new duo from Acapulco made up of Felipe Valenzuela and new comer Ossios. They share a love of colourful shirts and making "sensual moves in the shade of palm trees" and here offer up a set of cuts designed to encourage dancefloor mindfulness. 'Intellectuelle' is a crispy tech house groove with thudding kicks and enough detail to keep the mind as locked as the heels. 'Gonna Do & Do It More Now' is a highlight on the flip - a trippy synth line buzzes about over flappy drum programming that suspends you in the groove. The one and only Titonton Duvante offers a remix that has a darker heart.
Review: Accented Measures Series (AMS) is a still relatively new series that has been compiled and arranged by Accented Measures and is designed to deal in unreleased and new music from some of the scene's key names. The Space Drift Remixes EP is next up the series with a combination of 90s vibes and modern grooves. '97NY' (TC80 remix) is heads down and raw as you like tech. 'Aeons' (Pedro Goya remix) rather spins you out on more silky cosmic pads and the Miles Ellis remix of 'Bad Sector' is thudding tech with rigid drums and washes of sugary synth. 'Space Draft' (Karaba remix) begins some serenity and smoothness to the final cut.
Review: Fuse is one of those labels and parties that has a very distinctive sound and hardcore following for it. Spearheaded by Enzo Siracusa and now a real institution of the underground, here it looks to Admnti for three fresh new sounds. 'Vibrations' is kinetic future music that twists together wiry synths and tight tech drums into something irresistible. 'Infinite Function' is another brilliantly infectious mix of tech and dub that makes for high-speed groove-thrills and 'Original Sin' then takes a more spaced-out approach with warped acid lines. Malin Genie remixes the opener with a cool sense of deep house smoothness.
Review: Sonder is a new London-based label dealing in sprightly tech house with plenty of wiggle. Cutting the ribbon is ADMNTi, who has been on superlative form via releases for Dansu Discs, 4Plae and Yamanu amongst others. His 'Liquor Locker' and 'BetaSpace' cuts are splashed with a little sunshine, some garage bump and subtle trance touches, all the better to grease up the dancefloor. Laidlaw takes up position on the flip, offering his own strain of shuffling funky stuff for the peak time crowd. 'Open To Receive' has a subtly spiritual slant to it, while 'Repeated Patterns' gets into a snaking house trip with cheeky hooks and snappy basslines for days.
Review: We are real fans of the PIV label out of the Netherlands for the way they have bright plenty of new thinking to house and tech. Their Limited label off-shoot is even more forward-thinking and this time welcomes ADR for some of their signature sounds. 'Daft Excluder' gets underway with flappy snares and a nice nebulous ecosystem of neon synth details and snappy drums. The Casey Spillman remix gets more punch with wet clicks and a garage tinge to the drums. 'Professor Magnet' sinks you into a bulbous bass line that is warped and fluid under snappy claps and 'Infinity808' brings nice and trippy electro vibes and a kinetic rhythm to close. It might be the best of the lot.
Review: Brixton-based David Agrella returns after the success of his Baby Ford-remixed 'Modulo 02', with two tracks and a nifty remix of each to boot. 'I Felt It Coming' is a heady peak time track, with Underground Resistance-style drum machine handclaps and an addictive synth hook and all the suspense and drama of a Stephen King horror tale. Domenico Rosa's remix turns that frown upside down, converting it into a perky, cheeky and altogether lighter workout that nevertheless will keep feet on the dancefloor. 'Reflexion Nocturna' (Priori remix) kicks off the B-side with fizzling dub techno stealth, subtly embellished with a smidgeon of 'Funky Drummer' breakbeat, while Agrella's original closes proceedings with head down, echo-set Leftfield-style prog house skank. Not for nothing is this chap known as one of the techno scene's fastest rising new names.
Review: David Agrella returns to his Agrellomatica Records with the spacey house sounds of 'Flowing', featuring remixes from Ben Hauke & Mr Barcode. Hot on the heels of his recent 'Freedom Unfolding' release, praised by Raresh, Sasha, Laurent Garnier, Vladimir Ivkovic and Dorian Paic, Italian-born tastemaker David Agrella is back on his Agrellomatica imprint with more intergalactic fire. This time, the London-based selector serves up four groove-laden cuts across 'Flowing', including remixes from Woop Records' Ben Hauke and Into The Wizards' Sleeve Mr Barcode.
Title track 'Flowing' is a cosmic voyage peppered with glossy pads, eerie synths and sharp percussion, before Agrella's own 'Sabotage Mix' throws in deep, driving tones, subtle robotic vocals, and interstellar keys. On the flip, Ben Hauke delivers a dubbed-out reshape, harnessing fluttering echoes, emotive harmonies and deep basslines. To close, Mr Barcode provides a punchy electro remix, as warped samples and driving low-ends get down in this slice of dancefloor mania.
Review: Long time friend Akyra from Switzerland (by way of Italy) follows up releases on Blind Vision, WE_R House and Modula Records to join One Of 4, on this latest release alongside Italian compatriot Demi James. Four proper house jams on this one titled 'Akyjam'; there's the dub-tinged stomp of A1 cut 'Funkier Than You' which calls to mind classic Cab Drivers, while the quirked-out minimal house off 'NFSE' follows in suit. Over on the flip, 'Back & Forth' takes on a classic UK tech house flavour that's quite infectious, and finally the hypnotic swing of 'Bees' closes it out in style with more for the afterhours.
Review: French electro house hurl-your-wayers DiskCard are a new, one-off label verging on guerrilla art operation. Their new EP from producer Alich is a cogent musing on the new age of cashlessness and so-called "dematerialisation" (a misleading term, since what we experience as end users of the "cloud" is only the endpoint of an actual huge increase in operating hardware across the board). Even so, it's almost unheard of to hear an EP inspired by the fiscal realities and precarities of the modern world, but here you have it: this 12" electro record doubles up as an (unfortunately unusable) bank card, and themes itself entirely after the anxious state of depersonalised fiscal hyper-convenience we find ourselves in today. The motto is, "for the music that matters, there is DiskCard": and, whether the label mean this explicitly or not, the fetishism of vinyl as a tradeable asset - in the "vault" of every small collector - has telling corollaries with today's largely privatised cashless money system. An ironically slippy verve thus suffuses the EP, with 'Automated Funk Machine' and 'Credit Limit Exceeded' giving banana-split sound design and funhouse electro moods, all informed by the producer's use of small synths and pocket drum devices, and akin to the irreverent ease with which we might part with our money nowadays. Speaking of...
Review: Ibiza-based Londoner Kellie Allen is making increasingly vital moves of late. She has played all over some of Europe's finest parties and dropped, or is about to drop, music on labels such as PIV Records and Boogeyman. This one on House Puff in France is a perfect indication of her sound - classically informed house music with fresh perspective. 'Back In The 80's' is a New Jersey vibe, 'I Know' has a spaced out synth feel and 'Parisian Summer' is more kinetic and future-facing with slick grooves making you move. Closer 'Funk For Peace' is another nice and breezy house cut perfect for balmy nights.
Review: The all-new Tapioca label debuts here with a head-turning EP full of lovely bright, bulbous and fresh synth designs. Nathan Alzon is the alchemist behind it and 'Wiggle & Wobble's Russian Roulette Extravaganza' soon locks oyu in with nice tech drums and busy synth daubs darting about the mix. 'Garage Baker' is a hurried, scruffy and UKG-tinged sound with more unique synth work and 'Hopeless Maniac (feat Litmus)' completes this most vivid and vivacious EP with another stylish tech house twist.
Review: Nail is one of UK house music's most vital contributors. His raw sound pioneered a new style of tech house in the 90s and here he reappears under a different alias, AM Vibe. 'Vibe With Me' kicks off with nice loose drums and perc and jazzy keys adding the warmth and soul. 'I'm So High' brings some loopy and filtered fun and phased vocals for a sleazy feel, then 'Dried Fruit' gets more upbeat with lush synth swirls and effortlessly cool drums and rich r&b vocal samples. 'Powder' closes out with some thumping kicks and more tender vocal stabs. As always, this is brilliantly heartfelt and effective tackle from Nail.
Review: Rob Amboule makes a compelling debut on Raum... musik with his 'Digerital' EP, offering a fusion of minimal, techno, and progressive trance. The three tracks exhibit Amboule's mature musical ideas and finely tuned production skills, with 'Chairfix' setting expectations with its hypnotic intro morphing into stompy, pulsating techno, evoking a state of rave euphoria and the title track offering a more banging four-to-the-floor techno with atmospheric elements and nods to acid and progressive trance. Closer 'Klenkl', meanwhile, continues the hypno heady grooves and arrangements. Amboule pays homage to the golden age of ravey techno and trance, reinterpreting these genres for modern audiences. Raum... musik's 117th release solidifies its reputation as a quality label for introducing fresh talent and pushing boundaries in electronic music.
Review: There's seemingly no end to the mind-blowing vaults of UK tech house titan Mark Ambrose. Even after the extensive three-volume run of reissues on Repeats, Rawax have found more of the South Coast legend's late 90s material that hasn't been reissued yet. Sharks be damned, the Cat Groove 12" is back within reach and remastered to bring the best out of the tracks. The title track is one of those artfully squashed, funk loop-riding jams that turns the heat up without any need for studio showboating - just the right ingredients. 'Floating Around' is a heady tripper crying out for the morning, while 'Hook Up' finds another soulful lick to place at the centre of a groove so crunchy it just has to come from an MPC. Hold tight for 'Warehouse Blues', which injects some nasty, pumping techno energy into the mix with a metallic bassline that comes on like Mr Fingers dipped in chrome.
Review: Few countries do minimal better than the Romanians, and it has been that way now for well over a decade. PhonicHouse1 is one of the more recent labels to emerge from the country, and this is its fourth release. It takes the form of a collaborative EP between Anas M and Farid Odibekov with a couple of tasty remixes. 'Dozhd' is first up and is a nice languid and loose tech house groove with bulbous synths and dry drums. Mikhu makes it a much fuller sound with myriad cosmic details then 'Sneg' is a pumper with farting bass sounds and snares encircling you on the dance floor. A Vern remix is filled with pent up but coy funk and bubbling arps.
Review: The fledgling WEorUS label rolls out more stylish, minimal and tech here from a trio of artists. Andrade goes first with 'Kubernetes,' a driving minimal house cut packed with hefty groove. It is followed by 'Content Security Policy' which is a slick, rhythm-forward roller that locks you into its flow. Flip to side-B and get swept into Dragosh's 'One Way,' a deep, hypnotic workout that's all tension and release and rounding off the trip is Fabrizio Siano's 'Control Your Emotions,' a poignant, late-night burner that delivers introspection through rhythm.
Review: The cult Pillz label returns hot on the heels of a sold-out 12" last time around. For their next drop, they welcome Argentinian talent Stefano Andriezzi who is known for bringing great colour to his beats. This 'Elektronico' EP showcases his skill with four tracks that explore diverse underground moods with take cues from ravey electro, techno and hints of house. 'Elektronico' opens with turbocharged pads and bass making of an upright and urgent future tech house beat. 'Raves Weekend' is more fluid with a bouncing bassline and old-school rave sirens to get things going and 'Acid Computer' then pairs things back to a lovely organ line and 90s house vibe with colourful daubs of synth. 'Get Fanki' shuts down with a nice fist-pumping thump.
Review: You can always rely on Dungeon Meat to kick out the jams and that is the case here with Julian Anthony next up to make a solid house statement. 'Dale Ale' kicks things off with a tumbling hook that sounds like someone whacking a giant metal drum, while 'Phantom Strike' brings shuffling garage energy to the beats. 'Radikal Forze' is one of those late-night jams with some mysterious pads leading you to mischief and last of all 'Z-Town' rides on rubbery kick drum loops with tripped-out pads. Heady and physical at the same time, all four of these are superb.
Review: Organ-filled ambient house courtesy of a four-way collab between AP, DJ Tjizza, Eversines and Michelle, who all form parts of the UK dance music collective Picnic. Refractive acid, dreamatic plastics, stoic echoics... every possible corner of trance-inducing dance heaven is scoured on this all-encompassing EP, the highlights of which, in our humble opinions, are 'Nyxation' and 'Panther'.
Song Of The Siren (The Gospel Of Thomas remix) (4:50)
Song Of The Siren (Mediterranean mix) (5:43)
Review: First released way back in 1990, 'Song Of The Siren' remains one of Ronald Burrell's most magical productions as Aphrodisiac - an atmospheric, poetic and genuinely tactile New York deep house classic that sounds as good in late 2024 as it did at the turn of the 90s. Nu Groove thinks so, because they've paired the track's most popular original mix - the gorgeous, lapping waves-sampling 'Mediterranean Mix' - with a trio of edits and reworks. Bushwacka focuses on the groove, chords and twinkling piano motifs, delivering a more DJ-friendly take smothered in echoing drum hits and delay-laden vocalisations, while Dazzle Drums opts for a jazzier and more trippy interpretation. As for the 'Gospel of Thomas' remix, it's warm, groovy, trippy and evocative, with fine use of echoing, marimba-style melodies and vintage garage-house drums.
Review: Anil Aras' latest effort strikes with unexpected force, blending deep house with subtle nods to dub and techno. The EP has a tangible weight, where basslines resonate with a satisfying depth and rhythms maintain a fluid, hypnotic quality. Aras doesn't rush, opting for a slow, deliberate groove that feels like a late-night conversation. There's no push for flashiness, but rather a focus on space, restraint and atmosphere, allowing each track to breathe and shift in an organic, almost meditative fashion.
Review: With releases already under their belt from Bilal and Deyayu and a split 12" from Alex Dima and Cristian Sarde, London's Oscuro is shaping up to be one of those destined to take up position towards the top of tech house shopping lists everywhere. That said, the four tracks from Arnic have a cheekier, mor sprightly vibe than a lot of tech-house, the likes of 'Night Children' and their tribute to the Glasgow clubbing institution that is the 'Sub Club' drawing on disco and early Chicago house influences, all within the economic and stripped down framework that put a big smile on a DJ's face when they're in the mix.
Review: London scene veteran Alex Arnout has released on labels diverse as Dogmatik, S.A.S.H. and La Vie En Rose and now he is back with the second release on his very own Modern Explorer. There's four tracks on his new Mind Control EP: the deep retro techno of the title track features an array of early 90s dance music tropes for a proper throwback, being treated to a remix by Laidlaw (Beeyou/Infuse) up next, who injects the track with a nice sense of swing for more of a tech house sound. Over on the flip, Arnout goes all the way back to Detroit circa 1988 on the high tech funk of 'Complex' followed by one more old school blowout on 'Hype Over'.
Review: The latest addition to House Puff records, Dutch DJ Aron Volta teams up with Frenchman DJ Steaw for the first in a series of exciting house EPs. Steaws' soul-inspired, bass-rich productions are the perfect counterbalance to the rolling groove on Volta's side 1, with 'Room 101' having a disco feel, whilst 'Lyre' borrows from trance sensibilities in its melodies. Side 2 sees the bass turned up a notch in piano house cut 'Inner Beauty', borrowing from classic New York 80s House, and a more melodic, rhythmic 'Cosmic Dream' is a throwback fantasy for house oldheads. Split Ep1 is a sign of even more to come hopefully, and this small sample will definitely excite you.
Review: Following a fundraising event in Leeds, 3AM Recordings have released this limited 100-copy 12" sampler as a not-for-profit project, with proceeds being split equally between Help Ukraine Center and the ActionAid Ukraine Appeal. Auto Sound City's 'L-XXVII.313' is deep house at its percussive best, a vintage-sounding drum machine intricately programmed to fire on all cylinders. On the flip, Al Bradley's 'Druzhba' is dubby house with a subtle, light touch, an irresistible layer of eeriness flavouring free flowing beats. Good tunes, even better cause.
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