Review: Rush Hour have released some killer reissues in their time, and this mini-album from Ben Cenac of Newcleus fame, released under the Dream 2 Science moniker in 1990 is no exception, sounding like a conscious response to the warm, soul-flecked offerings of contemporaries Bobby Konders, the Burrell Brothers and Lamont Booker. Amazingly, Dream 2 Science still sounds remarkably fresh, 22 years on. The production, in particular, is terrific. While many house records of the period sound clumsy and dated, there's a timeless quality to the intricately programmed drum machine rhythms, the drifting chords, warm analogue basslines and cute vibraphone melodies.
Hit It Bubba (I Want My Dadda's Rekids!!!!) (5:42)
Party Marty (5:47)
Review: The Detroit badman always delivers the goods, but he'd recently focussed on his more house-centric style thanks to a series of sleek, soulful releases. This time, he's come out all guns blazing with this new four-part killer, led by the absolutely nutty groove that is "Sink Holes" - a proper slice of Omar S acid, delivered in fine style and with his inimitable rawness. "HELL ON EARTH" is a moodier, funkier house tip with a jazzy side, while the flipside's "Hit It Bubba (I Want My Dadda's Rekids!!!!)" is a fast, upbeat house bomb with a crazy little disco sample that floats amid the grainy bass drums. "Party Marty" is a no nonsense kind of lick, pouncing away with a steady, yet unmistakably Omar S-style percussion, and a heavy bass blow. This is one hell of a way to make an appearance this early in the year - highly recommended!!
Review: Return to 2001: Swiss brothers Shakedown drop an iconic house anthem that debunked the standard XXL funk du jour with a much spacier, synth-based 80s boogie sound. Still relevant and heavily played, Defected have commissioned three on-point artists for the 2018 contemporisations: Peggy Gou gets her acid tweaks on, Tiger & Woods pitch down the vocal and dust off the Street Sounds electroid feel and Purple Disco Machine cooks up an unapologetic funked up house jam that wouldn't have gone amiss on Classic back in the day. For good measure Shakedown return with their own signature Galactic Boogie version that pumps with strong Moroder tendencies. Good night.
Review: With a title like Annoying Mumbling Alkaholik, you'd expect this three-tracker from the mighty Alex "Omar" Smith to be full of pent-up anger and bitter frustration. Sure, there's a raging rawness about the third track - an undulating trip into spiraling acid territory - but for the most part the EP is a beacon of simple beauty. The opening track is particularly picturesque, with beautiful, new-age influenced melodies and immersive pads riding a cymbal-heavy Detroit deep house groove. There's more Mood Hut/Future Times style synth work on the Tangerine Dream influenced "Track 2", which contrasts deep, sun-kissed melodic loops with a fuzzy drum machine groove.
Review: MOY has been whipping a very tasty strain of braindance over the past year across a number of labels such as AC Records, Batrachian and Exalt. These are surely bountiful times for warm, playful acid and tricksy electro, and this latest drop from the London-based artist on new label Emotec surely adds fuel to the fire. MOY's sound is rounded and self-assured, striding forth with the moody, breaks n' bleeps vibe of 'Dreamcoast' and bolstered by the emotional jack of 'Wheel Of Time'. 'Echolab' has a fatter, more polished finish to it, but once again the gnarly 101 and 303 lines are front and centre. 'Cyclotron' offers up something a little deeper to close the EP out, completing a beautifully rendered set of braindance dynamics.
Review: Omar S has always been something of a maverick, but even by his own high standards, surprise second album It Can Be Done, But Only I Can Do It is something else. Like much of his work, it's an album of acute contrasts: tough and aggressive on one hand (the ragging acid of the opener and "Ganymede"), soft, calming and blissful on the other ("Nite's Over Comption"). Along the way, highlights are plentiful, from the heady deep house of "You Wish", sparse porno beatdown of "Look Hear Watch" and hypnotic rhythms of "Bobien Larkin", to the next generation Motor City techno of "Over You Two" and near-anthemic simplicity of "Here's Your Trance, Now Dance".
Review: 'These Complimentary Track'x' is a classic 12" from Omar S - though to be honest, which of his releases aren't classics? - that came back in 2010 and features four of his firing cuts. 'Solely Supported' is a deep and slow burning house sound with a menacing energy. 'Under Jamaica' layers acid synth lines into raw, dusty analogue drums as the claps get increasingly coarse. 'Columns' brings out the 80s r&b loving side of Smith with a heart aching female vocal over deep kicks and 'Boot Hill' shows his fucked up and textural techno side with a twisted sound for dirty warehouses.
Review: Originally released back in 2011 in conjunction with Scion Audio/Visual now repressed by Omar S on his FXHE label "Who's In Key" features Theo Parrish!
Review: JKriv's classic Bukom Mashie Rework gets a deluxe revival in a delectable 7-inch package having long been hard to find if not out of print entirely. And now what's more it also features a fresh acid dub. The original eight minute opus has been expertly trimmed for a streamlined A-side stomper, while the B-side showcases a brand-new version with a reimagined arrangement. This edition is embellished with vibrant 303 acid lines and live flute by the talented Domenica from Underground System all of which ensure that it is sure to become a big summer anthem once more in 2024.
Review: The second installment of Multi-Culti's Moon Faze Sun Gaze series is a typically psychedelic affair, with an impressive cast of producers delivering a quintet of trippy workouts. Von Party & Dreems join forces to present "Wet Raga", a spaced-out combination of delay-laden drums, space disco electronics, and Eastern mysticism. The ever-reliable Red Axes fuses heavy post-punk bass, with punchy percussion and minimal wave melodies on the excellent "Boosha Gdola", while Dreems go solo on the weirdo acid-electro bubbler "Sine O'The Tymes". Nick Murray and Kris Baha underpin psychedelic disco electronics with the heavyweight throb of house on "Say Something", before Cocolo draws proceedings to a close with the pitched-down shuffle of analogue wobbler "F33lings".
Review: The FunkyJaws Music label invites us deep into their world for a third time here with another delicious 12".It's a various artists EP that features one of our top disco favourites - Eddie C. He opens up with 'Do You Wanna Dance' which has vocals pacing about the mix and old school acid bass twangs under raw house drums. Elado's '25.4 Millimeters' is a Middle Eastern funk workout with spangled drum hits and the flip side brings twisted acid disco and the cosmic trip that is 'In Your Ear With It' from Funkyjaws themselves.
Review: Last year's 'Will We Ever Dance Again' 12" was a big one for Coyote who now follow it up and impress once more. First up they do so on 'Baka Re-Rub' by paying their respects to the iconic Jon da Silva remix of The FADS track. It's steamy, tropical, full of loose drum energy and jangling synths that lightened up any club. On the flip you find 'No Entry' which is a big house anthem plenty of classic tops, uplifting arpeggios and pianos, and dramatic strings next to big acid lines. It's an all out, hands in the air gem that brings the good times.
Let It (Give Me Back My Love) (feat AbbieLee) (5:55)
Another Dawn (vocal mix) (5:07)
The Bassline (Kerri Dark mix) (7:09)
The Breeze (7:57)
Review: New Jersey house don Kerri Chandler is rightfully lauded as a hero of the scene. He continues to pour his heart and soul into every record and imbue his music with real-world emotions that elevate his tunes. He is of course a master of a deep but driving sound that borrows from soul, funk and jazz in ignitible ways. The third volume of his Lost & Found EP series on his own label Kaoz Theory is packed with more gold, from the slinky depths of 'Let It (Give Me Back My Love)' to the soul staring vocal work of 'Another Dawn' via more paired back sounds on 'The Bassline' (Kerri Dark mix) and the percussive energy of 'The Breeze.' Yet another essential Kerri 12" for your collection.
Review: Funkyjaws Music has decided to offer up its first solo EP here having decided to make the previous four volumes of its Let's Dance series various artists collections. JKriv gets the nod here and doesn't disappoint. First up is the leggy mid-tempo disco of 'Share The Night' with its chattery Chicago house style drums and rasping bass. 'Big Chief' is a brilliant mid-tempo jumble of percussion, toms, hits, grinding bass and lazy kicks and 'Let's Do It Right' then takes off on nice clean piano house grooves full of uplifting joy. 'Acid Fantasies' closes out a truly varied EP with a more raw and direct acid house jacker.
Review: Given their famously militant approach to music formats, it's a surprise to see Paranoid London's previously vinyl-only 2014 debut album finally being issued on CD. For those who missed out first time around, it's well worth checking. As you might expect, it makes great use of both vintage analogue equipment and similarly old skool influences, in turn doffing a cap to Phuture-style Chicago acid, Inner City, hip-house, Green Velvet, Dance Mania style ghetto-house, and stripped-back, dancefloor-friendly machine soul. Despite the ragged nature of some of the material, it's both hugely listenable and hangs together impressively - no mean feat given the DJ-friendly nature of the tracks. It all adds up to a retro-futurist treat.
Review: been four years since Chicago producer Andres "Specter" Ordonez pitched up on Theo Parrish's Sound Signature label with the smoky, bleep-laden killer "Pipe Bomb". Here, he returns to the Detroit veteran's imprint, bringing with him three more slabs of fuzzy analogue oddness. "The Gooch" is the real killer, a 10-minute freakout that sounds like a jazz band making murky techno with just analogue machinery to play with - all wonky electronics, subtle acid and loose but relentless cymbals. The bolder "Zodiak" impresses with its 303-driven aggression, while "Body Blow" sounds like Hieroglyphic Being jamming with Buddy Miles. On Mars. That's gotta be good, right?
Review: London producer Scott Ferguson, aka Robot84, continues his superlative run through 80s speckled gear on his own label. This time he's cooked up a killer slice of proto house with an Afro vocal boost from TAMA. From the slick reverse edits to the warm thrum of the bassline, the classic drum machines patter to the spangled arps, this is feel good business rendered with reverence and love for the roots of dance music as we know it today. Stick on the A side for the vocal version, flip it over for the dub, or better still bag two copies and get creative in the mix.
Review: Six years have now passed since cuts from Roy of the Ravers' brilliant '2 Late 4 Love' cassette made their debut on vinyl, via a highly limited EP that's now fiendishly hard to find. This '2023 Edition' of the in-demand EP offers two tracks from that 12" - pleasingly lo-fi acid jack-track '2 Late For Love (Part 1)' and the fuzzy, machine-driven deep house-goes-acid minimalism of 'Emotium' - plus a pair of favourites featured on the cassette version but not the previous vinyl release (the brain-melting acid electro jam 'Cwejman Acid (Part 2)' and the hissing, distorted TB-303 and TR-909 weight of 'Melchester Acid (Part 1)'. Throw in a bonus cut recorded in the same period ('Track 5') and you have an indispensable reissue.
Review: You've heard of Two Shell, but now it's time for Two Cold, whom you almost certainly (and criminally) haven't. A mysterious project blending lo-fi, acid house, and electro, 'Desert Leather' is their latest statement of intentional crunch, spanning everything from dungeon-synthy workouts to bouncy acid oddballs. Most of note is the sonic rubber ball that is 'Katanga Slide', essentially a sports-whistling body-motivator from cyberspace.
Review: Following on from his remixes of Robert James' LP Battle Of The Planets, Berlin-based Klix goes in for the kill with four examples of club-friendly grooves that are big on dancefloor dynamics but also boast a delicate sensitivity to melody that's often left behind when it comes to the minimal/tech genre. Check, for instance, the distinctly understated acid undertow to 'Just Tell Me', balanced beautifully with lush, New Order-esque pads, or the almost imperceptible trails of flute left across the landscape of 'Satisfaction'. Best of all is probably 'Squanchy Thoughts' featuring Shibafu No Baga, the vocoders and synth lines rendering it like a post-rave Kraftwerk.
Review: We still don't know much about Digwah, but what we do know is that they make killer tech house cuts. In the past, these tasty, straight-to-business white label 12"s have been supported by dons like Ricardo Villalobos so Digwah is deffo doing something right. For this one, we get treated to 'Right Place' which samples some of the vocals, chords and fx from the legendary Radiohead tune 'Everything In Its Right Place.' They are layered into a sleek, silvery, well-polished tech house groover that bumps, grinds and makes you sweat. Sure to come big on the underground circuit.
Review: The Neapolis label brings us two slices of sun drenched house with a distinctly European feel and a dubby twist, as Partenopes from Naples offer up the beach ready 'Nella' before Craig Bratley takes the track and turns it on its head. His remix is a slow burning acid affair set to leisurely, breezy hip-hop beats, tailor made for that hour when the sun goes down and the tempo goes up. Magical.
Review: Chicago based producer Tai Davis first came to light earlier this year with the Made In Chicago 12" on Dizzy Tunes, and now he follows that up with an EP on the ever productive Vibraphone. As the title No Computers Necessary would suggest, this is classically-rooted house music with all the charm the hardware process provides. Davis' productions are bright, melodic creations with rock solid grooves and strong hooks for all kinds of good times, with B2 track "Floating" standing out with its strafing acid line punching out into a decidedly ethereal soundscape.
Review: (Emotional) Especial and Giraffi Dog join forces once more to offer up the second installment of their concept EP series. It is focussed on live and studio collaborations and this one comes in two halves: the first half kicks off with '6th Chakra' (feat DJ Deflektorschild) - a fully live deep house and hi-tek soul exploration with mind-expanding synths and Detroit drum sounds. 'King OTN' is a jack dup acid cut ripped with cosmic synth details and 'DX Metero' has sheet metal synths lashing about next to ethereal synths and busted drum breaks. 'Starfather' is a star-facing closer with elegant piano notes dancing over serene grooves. A vital showcase of this essential live artist.
Review: First released by Snuff Trax in 2015, but potentially recorded much earlier, 'U Won't C Me' is one of Mystic Bill's most potent cuts - an analogue-rich hybrid Chicago deep house/acid house cut which sounds like Larry Heard jamming with Adonis circa 'No Way Back'. This Nu Groove reissue naturally features the long-serving producer's original mix, the original bonus track 'Like a Dream In The Night' (a moody, low-slung chunk of warehouse-ready, late 80s style Chicago deep house) and two reworks of the title track. Stefan Bratz ups the acid house factor, reaching for driving drums and mind-mangling TB-303 bass, while Jake Savage's 'Acid Re-Rub' is a jacking, sweat-soaked affair smothered in red-raw acid lines, cut-up spoken word snippets and a ghostly melodic motif.
Review: (Emotional) Especial looks to the emergent producer that is Chez De Milo for a new EP that collides the energy of Glastonbury, historic echoes of the free party scene and the psychedelic electronics of Bristol and the West Country into four fresh new cuts here. 'Et Al' is a mystic late-night house cut with crisp hits and spooky synths keeping you on edge, while 'Gieser' is dark and paranoid as the churning beats and snaking leads tempt you into the shadows. 'Kremer' keeps you locked in a synth-heavy and transcendental suspense at the heart of the dancefloor with Egyptian folk samples and ethnic grooves and 'Thus One' is a razor-sharp electro closer.
Review: Last time out, Stefan Ringer came well and truly correct for People of Earth, so the follow up EP was always going to be a tough challenge. French producer Hugo LX proves himself more than worthy of the job, however with this superb deep and spaced out four tracker. 'Freedom House Dance' is the opener, and rides on waves of cosmic synths and deft pads. 'Catching Thunder' is more business like thanks to the chattering claps and more direct and purposeful bassline. 'Track three layers in some doleful trumpets to a taught baseline to make for stylish jazz vibe and lastly, you're cast off into the universe on a wave of infinite pads and meandering leads.
Review: The sixth UFOs outing is another intergalactic adventure in sonic form and this time at the buttons it's New Balaance, a Mexican artist at the heart of a new wave. Space Jungle though is an apt title for this EP, which kicks off with some stylish breaks and nimble basslines overlaid with lush cosmic arps. 'Space Jungle' (feat Parallax Modulators brings a more pensive mood thanks to the sustained chords and deeper grooves, but subtle acid and chattery perc bring it to life. 'Grantourismo' is a lively and dynamic cut with more swirling synth work while 'Redemption' closes down this quartet of excellent explorations with a mix of 90s prog, techno and breakbeats all imbued with plenty of colour.
Review: Aniruddha Das (DSPSSSSD) and Gary 'Roy' Stewart (Dubmorphology) have been collaborating since the mid '80s as Dubnoiz Coalition. While Das went on to acclaim as part of Asian Dub Foundation, Stewart is an experimental artist producing sound design and immersive works for the likes of Tate Museum. Back in 1990, they created some of their first tracks as Ani-Roy, mixing the early influences of acid house with their interest in drone and sound effects, the results being the improvised jams 'Tilt' and 'Fari 116'. They were pressed as very limited white labels, remastered and reissued some 30 years later here on Platform 23.
Francesco Farfa & Joy Kitikonti - "Beat Control" (Siena mix I) (8:14)
Public Relation - "Eighty Eight" (instrumental) (4:35)
Ghostdance - "Ghostbeat" (New Beat mix) (5:05)
Chris & Cosey - "Exotika" (12" remix) (6:00)
Review: For their second release, Sound Migration has taken a deep dive into the music that soundtracked the infamous Goa party scene - initially populated by exiled hippies, but later a holiday haven for British E casualties and young Israeli ravers - between 1987 and 94. The tracks were chosen by scene stalwart (and key DJ) Ray Castle, making the blend of post-industrial EBM, early trance, new beat, formative progressive house and acid techno accurate and authentic. It's a fantastic musical snapshot that surprisingly sounds fresh and contemporary, with our picks of a very strong bunch including the bustling brilliance of FUSE's 'FU (2) (Re-Edit)', the glassy-eyed Euro synth-pop chug of Psyche's 'The Saint Became A Lush', the dreamy-but-acidic colour of Man With No Name's 'From Within', and the foreboding new beat shuffle of Public Relation's 'Eighty Eight (Instrumental)'.
Review: Shall Not Fade and SB Jamz producer Kassian sure does like to let his music ruminate for a while before he follows it up with any more. This is his third outing on his own self titled label and it comes well over 12 months after the last. Once again though we're treated to three superb jams. 'Get Down' is a heavy analogue house jam with skewed synths and sleazy vocals perfect for a grotty warehouse. 'Timewarp' is even more raw and naughty with its acid prickles and ghetto drums then 'Ultimate Warlord' closes out with stomping peak time energy.
Review: You have to admire Alex Warren AKA Kiwi's work rate. Here he makes his Kompakt bow with his eleventh EP since the start of 2018. Vocalist Bestle guests on superb A-side "Hello Echo", a spacey chunk of lilting nu-disco/synth-pop fusion that's so deliciously warm and summery that we believe it will become a sing-along anthem before the year is out. He shifts focus a little on B-side opener "Down With The Rhythm", a more sleazy, analogue-driven affair that sits somewhere between Chicago style acid-jack, effervescent NYC freestyle and bold, 21st century nu-disco, before offering a deep, melodious and melancholic take on acid-electro that could well be the most arresting, ear-catching moment on an EP that's full of them.
I Love Talking To You, Even Though I've Nothing To Say (6:04)
Beyond Content (11:07)
Review: Fast-rising French label Phonogramme has released some genuinely brilliant music of late, and this three-tracker - a collaboration between long-serving Ukrainian producer Vakula and fellow Eastern European artist Logich AKA L.G - is another must-check EP. The pair hit the ground running with 'FD', a deliciously mind-altering, 13-minute concoction in which bubbly acid lines, spacey electronics and dubbed-out synth sounds rise and fall atop a jacking, 116 BPM deep house beat. Elsewhere, 'I Love Talking To You, Even Though I've Got Nothing To Say' is a deep, dusty, low-slung and analogue-rich slab of lo-fi deep house excellence, while 'Beyond Content' is an ultra-spacey exercise in tease-and-release dancefloor hypnotism that runs to 11 mesmerising minutes. If you like your house deep, you need this in your life.
Review: Razor-N-Tape is like catnip to disco and funk lovers - the label seems to serve up endless amounts of dance floor gems and now it is a couple of sick remixes of Phenomenal Handclap Band which have got us all ready for the weekend. First up is a sublime and deep Prince Thomas Diskomiks of 'Burning Bridges' which has gloopy bass and leggy nu-disco drums all overlaid with some funky guitar work and ethereal vocals. The more slow and lumpy original is included while on the flip is 'It Was The Summer' (Each Other remix) which is laced up with restless acid tweaks and slapping hits that mark for a much darker vibe than the hazy and laidback original.
Solid Gold Playaz - "I Can't Think (The Nation Is Sick)" (7:11)
Solid Gold Playaz - "I Sold My Life To Acid" (7:13)
Gari Romalis - "Detroit After Dark" (7:30)
Brian Neal - "Panties" (4:01)
Review: Upstairs Asylum Recordings is one of the many seminal Detroit labels run by local legend Norm Talley. It's right in the middle of a busy run right now with no fewer superb run with three new EPs all dropping in quick succession. This one is a split EP with US duo Solid Gold Playaz taking care of the a-side. As always with this pair, their sounds are deep and dusty house with exquisite melodies tugging at the heart. On the flip, Gari Romalis steps up with the slick percussive skip of 'Detroit After Dark' then 'Panties' from Brian Neal brings jacked up analogue groves that lean into techno with a big fat bassline.
Review: Neapolitan producer Partenope certainly wears a big Underground Resistance influence on his sleeve in the case of 'Odysseya' - it's even mentioned in the press release, and we're not going to argue either. But it's no bad thing, especially as it's a general love of the soulful, uplifting, musical end of the techno scale rather than a creative plunder of any UR track in particular. The label has pulled out the big guns with a Gerd Janson remix to accompany it too, and Janson certainly delivers with his warm production bringing out the best via three way acid trance techno hybrid.
Review: Fresh from delivering a solid three-tracker on Drum Chums, Hidden Spheres returns to Rhythm Section International with what could be his most expansive and hard-to-pigeonhole EP to date. The Manchester producer excels on the A-side with 'Tanzen', a pleasingly nostalgic, warehouse-ready affair available in two distinctive forms: the breezy piano-sporting, summery, analogue-rich deep house gem that is the spine-tingling club mix, and the sweat-soaked, sub-heavy jack-track that is the 'Mate mix'. Elsewhere, he opts for weighty sub-bass, looped stabs and vintage turn-of-the-90s deep house vibes on 'Mind Over Mate' and reaches for sparse electro-not-electro beats on the late '80s early morning brilliance of 'Not Of This World'. To round off the EP, Paula Tape opts for hands-raised acid house nostalgia on her fine revision of 'Tanzen'.
Review: A welcome return to action from Studio Barnhus boss man Axel Boman, who has been surprisingly quiet since the release of his excellent Luz/Quest For Fire double album in 2022. On the Space Drag EP, Boman showcases the depth, variety and imaginative eccentricity of his deep house productions to the full. For proof, check side A, where the ghostly, stab-happy hedonism of 'Acid Left and Right' - all bubbly TB-303 motifs, synth-strings, digital woodblock lines and repetitive bleeps - is followed by the druggy, dubby and percussively dense Latin house quirkiness of 'Forever Latino'. He throws in a fine curveball in the shape of 'Space Drag', where looped-effects laden Swedish vocal samples and woozy chords ride a tight kick-snare pattern and deep, warm bass, before closing things out via the picturesque breakbeat house deepness of 'Ohh Baby'.
Review: Astonishingly, GRIT is Luke Vibert's 18th album under his given name (he's released many more as under other aliases such as Wagon Christ, Kerrier District and Amen Andrews), though his first for a couple of years. It's a predictably fun, TB-303 heavy affair, with the prolific Cornishman giddily sprinting through rubbery acid-electro ('Surrounded By Neighbours'), deep acid wooziness ('Decay Hole'), thrillingly wayward machine funk ('Partron'), subdued, bass-heavy swingers (the vaguely Wagon Christ-ish 'Gas Legs'), surging jack tracks (the breathless title track), jaunty house retro-futurism ('Swingeing Cuts'), Kerrier District-goes-acid insanity ('Disco Derriere'), hard-to-pigeonhole madness ('Screwfix Typeface'), and much more besides. A must-check for lovers of trippy acid lines and sweaty, loose-limbed beats.
Bass - The Final Frontier (David Holmes remix) (7:08)
Bass - The Final Frontier (3:23)
Demons Of Dance (6:02)
Mumbo Jumbo (3:44)
Review: Last year, Pamela Records launched with a fantastic EP of cosmic club music from the late, great Andrew Weatherall and his long-time production partner Nina Walsh. For release number two, they've turned to another long-serving London producer, former Aloof collaborator Jo Sims. Lead cut 'Bass - The Final Frontier' (track two on the A-side) is definitely one that Weatherall would have played: a psychedelic, mid-tempo chugger with trance-inducing electronics, twinkling synthesiser lead lines and a throbbing groove. David Holmes remixes, slowing it down further while adding undulating TB-303 'acid' lines and plenty of cinematic textures. Elsewhere, 'Demons of Dance' is a moody dark disco throb-job (Richard Sen would approve), while 'Mumbo Jumbo' is a deep Balearic breaks number tailor made for sunsets and sunrises.
Demi Riquisimo & Michelle Manetti - "All I Need" (6:35)
Corbi - "Kraken" (6:56)
Lulah Francs & Nebari - "Don't Make Me Wait" (5:12)
Nairless - "Swell" (5:46)
Last Magpie - "Release It" (5:22)
Jive Talk - "Wizard's Slippers" (5:31)
Review: Semi Delicious go full flavour for this new various artists EP to mark their 15th vinyl outing. It's Demi Riquisimo & Michelle Manetti who kick off with the surging house stylings of 'All I Need,' a vocal laced peak time track with rushy feels. Corbi cooks up some rugged broken beats on the sleepy 'Kraken' then Lulah Francs & Nebari tap into he Peech Bosy classic for the vocal top line of their 'Don't Make Me Wait' and pair it with classic analogue drum clatter and gurgling bass brilliance. The flip has three more tunes including the rave of 'Nairless' and blissed out, sun up cut 'Release It' by Last Magpie. Jive Talk's 'Wizards Slippers' is a lovely electro bubbler to round out a diverse EP.
Review: Hailing from the brilliant, tangled web orbiting Future Sound Of London, Mental Cube was one of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans' short-lived side projects which found them indulging in the bleep and acid house sound. Given the talent at the controls, it's little wonder this release became such a holy grail - a misfit twist on the conventional formula of club records at the time and yet still as satisfying as any of the more widely played early 90s hits. This is the first time the release has been reissued in its true original form, meaning both mixes of 'So This Is Love' and the 'Santa Monica Mix' of 'Q'. Listen out for the cheeky nod to 808 State on 'So This Is Love' - a respectful tip of the hat rather than a cheeky lift, we'd say.
Review: Berlin's Cocktail d'Amore and Tokyo's Ene Records have come together once again to present the music of Solidair. The duo of Cocktail alumni Luigi Di Venere and Jules Etienne present three tracks aimed to induce a dance floor hypnosis. Orgonite (Riding the Waves) does just that, a slow build awash in the ebb and flow of acid tinges, just enough to wet your whistle on a Saturday night. The original mix keeps the skeletal support but throws in a life preserver of 8 bit gaming synthesis. Frisky arps call and respond to each other before making way for sinewy pads to lift off. Tiger's Eye sets itself onto cruising speed incorporating elements of late 90's acid techno with the sleek and smooth clubbing aesthetics of modern day Berlin.
Review: Amongst Larry Heard's many, many celebrated achievements in the field of pioneering house music, the Gherkin Jerks tracks have a certain magnetism thanks to their downright nasty rawness. The original late 80s 12"s have been revisited in the past, but now the bonus tracks originally released on a comprehensive 2013 compilation get their own outing, cut to wax for the first time to serve all those who love their foundational house as rough as it comes. 'Psychotic Fantasy' is a dissonant masterpiece of gnarly acid, while 'Rezynator' has a slightly more melodic demeanour alongside its own grubby brilliance. The 'Original Full Take' of 'Ecstasy' is a slow-burning monster of needlepoint 303 tweaking and bludgeoned beats which jacks out for a full eight minutes.
Review: The Groove Access label kicks on to a third release here and it comes in the form of a split EP between Rob Threezy and Maddjazz. Threezy kicsk off on the a-side with 'Threezy', a panel beating techno workout with leggy drums and elastic bass that will spangled any crowd. His second cut, 'Liquid Metal' is another masterclass in bendy bass and chunky drum funk, this time with vocal stabs layered in for extra spice. Maddjazz then steps up to kick off the flipside in frantic acid laced fashion with all sorts of OG Chicago house ranges over booming techno grooves. 'TR DrumTool' is a final weapon for dance floor destruction.
Review: 'Loose Fit' isn't always the first song name that springs to mind when thinking about the Happy Mondays, but the immediately identifiable opiate guitar riff is up there with the band's most memorable and infectious. A highlight of the group's third album, Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches, the track was already dancefloor ready before this pack of re-dos arrived on the scene. We're glad it did, though. Greg Wilson and Che Wilson open the scoring, keeping things thoroughly Manchester and acid-tinged, it's a trip through the blue lights and sweat of a warehouse at 2AM. The Grid's EOE Edit and subsequent Remix take the tempo down and the atmosphere deeper, almost druggier if that could humanly be possible given the wider context here. Topped off with a post-club overture in the form of the epic downbeat Perfecto version, and you might want to stick it in the shopping cart now.
Review: Shadow Pressings returns to their own self-titled label with more joyous disco, house, acid and funk fusions on their Mid Level Boss: Bonus Round EP. 'Find A Friend' is a lively opener with funky basslines and big claps, scurrying disco grooves and call and response vocals that brim with character. 'Holding One Shoe' flips the script to bring some slow motion acid house undulations while 'Train Of Fools' is a deep cut with raw percussion and sensuous vocals adding soul. Superb chords bring late night charm to the prickly beats of closer 'More Music In The Night'.
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