Minimal/Tech House charts

Review: Though his career has taken many turns over the last decade, DJ Koze has remained that most illusive of creatures: a minimal-minded producer with an ear for a melody. This fourth full-length, packed to the rafters with big-name collaborations (Apparat, Caribou, Ada and Matthew Dear all feature), continues his move towards the home-listening sphere. So, while many of the heady rhythms and shuffling grooves hark back to his stripped-back past, Amygdala impresses with its woozy songs, genre-straddling fusions (see the modern soul meets deep house of "Homesick" or the steppy, tropical vibes of "Marilyn Whirlwind") and homely atmosphere.

Review: 11 years on from DJ Koze's one and only commercial mix, 2004's All People Is My Friends for Kompakt, the Pampa boss lines the 50th DJ Kicks mix, following high profile contributions from Nina Kraviz and Actress. This vinyl edition offers the best of both worlds really, featuring some 17 highlights of Kozalla's selection in their original form spread across two slabs of vinyl whilst !K7 have also thrown in a CD copy of the mix so you can hear how it's all done Koze-style. As you'd expect Koze presents one of the more far-reaching selections in the series, with Madlib-produced Freddie Gibbs nestling up alongside William Shatner, Boards of Canada remixes, Broadcast whilst the likes of Marcel Fengler, Session Victim and Frank & Tony offer some deepness.

Review: Following the release of his 2009 debut album, Studio 10, Mathias Kaden seemed to disappear from view, re-emerging at the tail end of 2013 with a trickle of new 12" singles. Here he finally delivers his sophomore set, Energetic, which seems largely focused on inserting some soul and melodic warmth into the often dry and metronomic world of European tech-house. For the most part, this achieved by the use of sparkling synthesizers and quirky vocals, both of which add a level of looseness to Kaden's otherwise tight grooves. Highlights are pleasingly plentiful, from the skittering late night pump of "Korokana", to the twisted electronics and mangled textures of "Tangerine".