Review: High-octane experimental trance via freetek via hardcore from Hamburg collective Phantasia, with an absolutely flooring, walloping debut release. The fact that four different artists might each bring their own mood to the table and yet hear their respective sounds unified bespeaks the brilliant mastering job held down here: Dolomea's 'Augural' and Rupert Marnie's 'Elastic Thoughts' commit to a mutual sonic trustfall, one seeming to writhe about in rhythmically unpredictable fashion through pressure-cooked, rubber-ballistic acids, and the other rootling its 4x4 kick snout into floors down under. The B-side goes electro, culminating on the brilliant brainwash by Finona Rider, 'The Impact', a track haunted by the voice in its own head.
Review: Robert Drewek vs Tomie Nevada's 'Time 4 More' EP was originally released on Unleash Records in 2005. Nine years on and Rawax are reissuing it on black wax and the tunes sound as good as ever. 'While He's Away' is a slick blend of garage-infused house drums and warm synth pulses with catchy vocal samples that bring a hint of old school. On the flip is 'Down With the Bass' which flips the script with a stripped back and militant but silky groove, dubby pads and a head's down vibe that really hypnotises.
Review: Yay Recordings closes out another solid 12 months with a various artists' EP that showcases right where the label is at. Heavy Mental kicks off with 'Dabro', a colourful and loopy house jaunt for sunny days. Twowi's 'Metaverse' takes off to the cosmos on lithe electro rhythms with ice-cold beats and widescreen pads. Parchi Pubblici & Lucretio's 'Aladdin Sane' brings some wonky deep tech vibes with of-balance drums and muffled spoken words and Rinaldo Makaj closes down with a fresh party sound perfect for cosy floors. There's plenty of variety here, which makes this a great addition to your bag.
Review: Nicole and Troy's latest collaboration sharpens their vision for Cath Records, the Berlin-based label they launched as a home for boundary-pushing techno. Their stripped-back but potent style thrives on precision, drawing from deep club lineage while keeping an eye on the future. 'Out Of Control' is a lean, tunnelling workout, its tension amplified by Z@p, the Uruguayan producer whose percussive, swing-heavy take on techno has earned him a cult following. His remix reshapes the track with a ghostly, skipping momentum. 'Woo Woo' flexes a rubbery, low-end groove, built for peak-time propulsion, while 'Fractals' twists through warped, off-kilter sequencing. A sharp, high-pressure release that reinforces the duo's deft touch.
Review: Banging electrobass from Spain's Masa Series, mooting six of their roster artists for an incendiary exercise in grit and vibrancy. Having already invited a slew of artists for individual releases, the Cluster series here aims more at collectivity. All the tracks here nail the label's signature smushing of heavily heat-glued sound, moving between everything from electro to breaks, landing somewhere in the synaesthetic register of an earthen sonic purply-brown. The highlight here, though, has to be Anna Kost's 'Conjunction', which breaks this general rule through a fast dubstep-ish 150BPM exploration in nervous respiratory pad design and glance-off percs, making for a bracing potential set intro.
Review: Impressive debut business from Egyptian producer and DJ Taher, with 'Rival Conga'. Debuting on the nascent and bawdy breakbeat outfit Geeza Records, Taher demonstrates the best of his abilities and agilities here. The fast pace of 'Rival Conga' doesn't just establish a heavy, fun-loving performative and creative attitude, but also nods subtly towards Taher's foothold in the live electronica circuit, through which he performs most of these tracks on the fly. Best of the bunch has to be the weirdo's modu-twiddler 'Pogo Slick', which launches outwards and outstrips the EP's acid midpoint for a tense but still cathartic, chorded uprising.
Review: While she's been making moves as a club DJ in recent times, Paula Tape has not released a record since 2021. This EP, whose title doffs a cap to her Chilean roots, is therefore well overdue. It's rather good too, as proven by opener 'Acid Latino (Sonido Real)', where distinctively South American melodies, TB-303 tweaks and echo-laden spoken word snippets rise above a bold acid house bassline, tough beats and layered percussion. 'Feel 2 Real' sees our hero reach for sparkling house pianos, deep bass, sharper acid lines and spacey synths, while 'De2 Locura' is warmer, heavier and more melodically complex. To round off a fine EP, she joins forces with Caravan for the sax-laden South American house excellence of 'Ibis', a track as percussively intense as it is sonically seductive and sub-heavy.
Review: Captain Barbatus D. Wreckords' journey started on the label's first release and carries on with aplomb in Episode 2, "where the pirate sails through The New World." In this sophomore outing, the mystery of the 'Void Century' unfolds and is brought to life through the sound of two seasoned Neapolitan sailors, Luigi and Andrea, aka Two Opposites. They infuse the tale with Italian romanticism by blending trance-infused electro with haunting sirens and secret government whispers. In short, this is a nice storytelling EP of well-designed electro.
Hazmat Live - "The Marriage Of Korg & Moog" (4:50)
Review: Passing Currents aims to stand out from the predictable by offering a deeply human touch in its music. This five-tracker backs that up by melding academic expertise with dancefloor intuition and the A-side features txted by Phil Moffa remixed by Yamaha DSP coder okpk after they met during doctoral studies, they flip technical mastery into bass-driven energy while Atrevido' fuses California warmth with analogue electro, Josh Dahlberg's rediscovered 2009 electro gem, 'Ass On The Floor', still bangs and Detroit's Kevin Reynolds delivers hypnotic grooves before Hazmat Live pushes boundaries with a sound rooted in soulful, experimental innovation.
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