Review: Satya deals in a certain brand of deep house that is dreamy and organic. It's perfect for the cosier dancefloors out there, the more heady crowds who don't need big drops and samples to get their musical thrills. If you are one of those people then get your ears around this superb new various artists 12". YokoO & Zone+ offer one of the standouts with 'Once I Had It"]' which pairs subtly swirling pads with cuddly deep drum loops. Hermanez has his kickstand with a little more weight but they are no less hypnotic, while Moya (US) brings some enchanting strings and yawning vocals to 'Meliora' and Electricano keeps it nice and warm and liquid with the supple loops of 'Universal Language.'
Review: Some six years after the label's last outing, Moody Grass returns via a rock-solid outing from lesser-known producer Valentin Zad and - on the two A-side tracks at least -collaborator Klatt. EP opener '42' is wonderfully hard to pin down, with fuzzy coldwave synth sounds and glacial electronic melodies riding a beat that sits somewhere between relaxed electro and IDM, while 'Answer' adds icy synths and heady electronic string sounds to a locked-in tech-house beat. Elsewhere, 'What Have I Said' is another coldwave-influenced, post-electro nugget - this time with beefier sub-bass - and 'Artefacts' is a tough and ghostly chunk of electro/tech-house fusion.
Review: .Zurich has a small but well formed scene that now bears fruit in the form of this new label, alt?r:alt?r. Zefzeed takes the reins of the first sonic statement with four tracks of sophisticated and deep house and tech. 'A Well Watered Fern' is brain cleansingly smooth with buffed metal synths and liquid grooves. There is a darker minimal march to 'Save The Day' that reminds of Melchior and a sweaty pump to 'Farm That Face' that makes it a standout. 'Fishbed Touring' swings low with tripped-out designs and melted synths.
Review: JS Zeiter returns with another masterclass in dub techno, proving why he has remained a staple in the genre for nearly three decades. The first track, Momentum, delivers the atmospheric, deep dub techno that has long defined Zeiter's sound, with swirling textures and a hypnotic groove that pulls you into its immersive world. On the second side, Exodus takes a more melodic turn, layering emotive synths over a deep techno foundation, creating a track that feels both expansive and introspective. Closing the release is Resolve, a more reserved offering, moody and subtle in its approach. While understated, it serves as a subliminal peak, building tension without overt intensity, showcasing Zeiter's ability to create depth with minimalism. This release is yet another testament to Zeiter's skill in crafting refined, atmospheric techno that remains both timeless and forward-thinking.
Review: Two years on from delivering a notably dark, fuzzy and drum-heavy debut on Public Possession (the genuinely brilliant 'Percussion Heaven', which more than lived up to its title), Zellmani is back on the Munich-based imprint with a similarly inspired four-track EP. Check first opener 'Yongheng Forever', a left-of-centre house cut in which weird electronic noises, atmospheric field recordings, saucer-eyed chords and cute melodies ride a charred bassline and unfussy tech-house beats, before admiring the quirky, breakbeat-driven deepness of Piotr collaboration 'Nuevo Portamento'. Over on side B, Gojiano hook-up 'Smutt' is a spacey, thickset slab of late 90s tech-house revivalism with added pots-and-pans percussion, while 'Eternal Loop of Emotions' is another jazz-flecked, breakbeat-driven slab of star-gazing wonder.
Review: ZKY who minimal fans will know as one half of Cab Drivers now finds himself on fine French label Phonogramme with a new EP that offers up his lovely and warm analogue house jams. 'Love Train' kicks off with a nagging, wobbly baseline between silvery drum loops and fleshy bass. 'Instant Delight' has the sort of synths that bring to mind deep Detroit techno and they're paired with over sized hi hats and a serene sense of futurism. Last of all is the most playful - 'Punky Music' with James Brown samples, smeared chords and steamy vocals.
Review: Relative but strong newcomer ZKY, lands their New Standards EP on the fantastic French label Bass Culture. The EP includes four house standouts that are reminding us of gems that you would find on Nu Groove or Strictly Rhythm. 'Zycho' is a spirited tech house track that is as exciting as it is deep while 'Floating Phonk' adds a robotic funk to the mixture of deep and fun dance music. For the second side, 'Sonar Train' is a more futuristic ride that becomes an addictive workout quickly. 'Feeling RG' wraps up the EP on a soulful mood with this strong end of the nighter. ZKY is making waves in the scene and should be a producer we can look forward to hearing more from. We really like these mid 90s house sounds - not to be overlooked.
Silat Beksi & Soyro - "Shout In 30 Seconds" (7:22)
Last Pines - "Sway" (7:04)
Fedo - "Lena Told" (6:42)
Review: Juuz Records box up, package and release the fifth edition in their vinyl only series. Silat Beksi, Soyro, RWN and Zlatnichi are the latest artists to be spotlit, and all of them deliver a seamless minimal techno experience, teeming with tics and fidgets, the four-piece sonic equivalent of a gut microbiome. Usually, we like to home in on the oddest tunes and we'll certainly indulge the impulse here; Silat Beksi and Soyro's 'Shout In 30 Seconds' makes impressive use of gurgly, subharmonic dream-voices, swabbed across the otherwise sticklike mix, like glue holding a skeleton together. Equal technical and ambisonic itches are scratched on Fedo's closing 'Lena Told', whose transitional vocal scramblings play back like furtive rumours spread through a fragile transmission chain.
Review: This is Ukrainian artist Zola's first EP since the war began back home so we shouldn;t be surprised that it's one of resolve and survival. The five tracker explores the tension between peace and conflict and notes the forest as a sanctuary for strength and reflection, somewhere to find respite from the chaos. The tunes shift between moments of quiet introspection and raw confrontation by layering delicate melodies with haunting textures. Personal and cathartic, it reflects the resilience and the importance of sanctuaries and is a great reminder of the spaces that ground and sustain us.
Review: Zon Records has released music digitally before, though this is the first time the wilfully eclectic Belgian label - and the producers behind the label, also called Zon - has made it onto wax. As vinyl debuts go, it's pretty good. They set their stall out with title track 'Keys For Days', a warming and sun-splashed slab of tech-tinged deep house peppered with warming chords, jazzy synth-bass and subtle TB-303 motifs, before diving into deeper, more immersive territory on the gorgeous, sunrise-ready 'Spring Break' (featuring vocalisations from Lotte Sarembe). Over on the reverse, 'Upon Us' is an analogue-rich chunk of deep tech-house, while Ukrainian producer Kirik's remix of the same track is a far more bass-heavy, tactile and otherworldly affair.
Review: Zoo Brazil follows up the digital release of 'Stand Alone' with a fresh new wax edition on Housewax. Bringing together spitting snares, illiquid FM basses and shimmyingly panned plucks, 'Faceless' moves like a cyclical upward ascent to heaven, yet the movement is still towards a set of pearly gates that we can never quite reach. Then comes the spiritually dragged disco-drive of 'It's You', which assures us of our importance as we gaze into a future soothsaying font, the track's asynchronous voice calling out to us from without. Finally, 'The Night' brings an ultra-clip-distorted experiment to our ears, in true curveball fashion, an unusual bucking of the trends of the minimal techno world.
Review: PMLD Records describe Zorak as a 'ghost producer', though what they exactly mean by this is up in the air. But this, of course, lends to the mystery. Does Zorak work nights as a hack hand for stadium-packing EDM artists, or are they (the likelier scenario) simply an enigmatic name on the much vaunted international disco edits scene? Whatever the case, we buy the hype. Our psychic investment is certainly helped along by the content of this slick blue-vinyl variety-hour; A-sider 'Jackie' channels a dubby boogie-house temperament, risers and eighthy vocal gates aplenty, while 'Mystery' pulls no punches in working the odd amen break hit between each kick and clap.
Review: Elevated Senses is the new series from the prolific Berlin-based producer Todo Kunst aka Zug (aka Gruvaldo among many others), this time exploring such concepts with the third eye, premonitions, telepathy and other arcane subjects. On the A-side you've got the deep groove of 'Tercer Ojo' followed by the late night affair of 'Premonition' - both on a housey tip. Over on the flip is the subtle computer funk 'Telepatia' and finally 'Seres De Luz' is a contemplative IDM affair that's perfect for drifting beyond the afterhours.
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