Review: Despite some FXHE releases containing playful artistic references to the films that undoubtedly referenced the titles, this Romancing The Stone double pack from Omar S is sadly lacking in any MS Paint renditions of the Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner 90s vehicle of the same name. It does however contain four more fine examples of the fact no one does it quite like Omar S. Lead track "Leave" sets the tone, as ripples of percussion emerge from a pool of simmering sonic emotion and embarks on a masterclass in slow build dancefloor revelation at breakneck pace. "Romancing The Stone" pulls from the same palette of anthemic Omar S productions as "Here's Your Trance, Now Dance" and "Psychotic Photosynthesis" as a lead array of synths, keys and chords weave with supple grace over crunchy drums - watch out for the track finishing abruptly. On the second 12", "Frogs" dovetails from a simple disco guitar loop into fucked up abstract acid techno territory with little prior warning whilst "Surpass" finds AOS ending with some anthemic maximal piano house.
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: 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: '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: This EP from 2010 is an oldie but a goldie, which is pretty much something you could say of everything that this Motor City maverick has ever put out. It finds the former Ford factory worker in techno mode from the off: 'Ultra Fine One' is a pounding mid-tempo cut with airy hi hats and kicks that never quit. The whole thing is marbled with fuzzy synth sounds and a corrugated acid line that pries ever deep. 'Ultra Fine Two' is, in essence, the same cut but with broken beat patterns and different filters applied to the acid line. 'Mid 90's' is gloppy acid techno with warped bass and loopy kicks designed for 5 am freakouts.
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: 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".
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: Drop Music marks a quarter of a century of reliable and ever-on-point sounds with a special series of EPs that embodies what it's always been about, offering up both classics and never-before-released tunes. This one kicks off with 'Make A Move' which is chunky low-slung tech. It unfolds at a relatively slow tempo but that gives the fat acid gurgles time to really hit. Inland Knights then serves up the next three cuts, starting with the bass bin bothering sounds of 'Push It', the more silky tech loops of 'Long Time' and the vocal-laced acid-tech swagger of 'Same Talk.' Here's to the next 25 years.
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: 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: 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: The sign of a truly great artist is that you can put on one of their records from some 15 years ago, as well as one out next week, and not tell which is which. Mr Pittman is one of those - a Detroit flag bearer with a raw, otherworldly take on house and techno that always sounds futuristic. 'The Midwest Advocates Part One' first dropped back in 2007 and is being repressed now and is just as good as ever with ramshackle and dusty grooves, wonky synths and eerie textures all getting you into a trance and keeping you there. Both cuts on this are standouts in his impressive discography.
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: 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: (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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Serious house heads know that Hollis P. Monroe's 'I'm Lonely' is a stone cold classic cut. It's about time it got a proper reissue and that's what we get here courtesy of Groovin Recordings. The original is an emotionally intense one with streams of warming chords and deep, rubbery drums overlaid with digital sequels and a heart wrenching male vocal full of tenderness and pain. The DJ Decent Acid mix is a broken beat work out with lashings of lithe 303s and the Wamdue remix is more slow and bubbly for late night freak outs.
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: 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.
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: 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: 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)'.
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: Stefan Braatz's latest EP, Outlaw, on Nu Groove, showcases his timeless sound and genre-defying approach. With a career spanning three decades, Braatz is celebrated for his diverse expertise, blending old-school reverence with contemporary techniques. The title track, featuring vocals from Chicago house pioneer Harry Dennis, kicks off the EP with Braatz's signature synth energy complemented by Dennis's effortless flow. The following solo tracks further exemplify Braatz's defiance of genre constraints: 'Conversation' engages in a euphoric dialogue between synth strings and piano loops, while 'Dingy Thoughts' and 'One More Dream' delve into darker club territories with intense, pulsating rhythms.
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'.
Your Ghost In Me (feat Hard Ton, Noteless & Ruf Dug - Lipelis remix) (8:20)
A King Of Comets (feat New Composers - Samo DJ remix) (5:35)
Time Traveller (feat Cefric Gasaida, Lipelis & Mujuice - Cable Toy remix) (8:04)
Untitled Ritual (feat Noteless - Linja remix) (7:48)
Review: With such a collaboration heavy project in the "Yet Another Kito Jempere Album" announced it is no surprise that this following remixes pack comes laden with familiar friends'n'family, plus additional support.
Taking the ambient meets acappella paene Your Ghost In Me and creating one of his on-point dance floor dramas, Lipelis (Animals Dancing / LIES), utilising Hard Ton's classic 'US House' vocal delivery to create a perfect "big room" anthem.
Next up Born Free boss, Samo DJ (Public Possession / Trilogy Tapes) pumps A King Of Comets with Mood II Swing punch meets Ballistic Brothers riddim'n'culture for some hip-breaks-dancehall swing.
Cable Toy (Low Budget Family) presents the label favourite with his bouncing, yearning remix of album stand out, Time Traveller. Countered with a perfect touch of summer vibrations and melancholia this up and coming St Petersburg resident has to be watched.
Finally, Linja (Avidiya / Malka Tuti) offers a deep, shuffling version of Untitled Ritual. Arpeggios throb, percussion snaps, tempos shift, planets realign, vocals by Noteless call...wait believing, just we have seen it, God is waiting, nothing can bleeding.
Only friends. Only family. This is Kito's emotional response.
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'.
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: 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.
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.
Review: Chicago house artists don't come much bigger or more accomplished than Boo Williams. The man has a famous signature sound that is full of party but never short on class. His chunky drums are always the foundational element and they come embellished with superb synth work. This new EP on Pariter finds him lean into tech with the loopy acid squelches of '303 Effect' keeping you in suspense, 'Acid Smoke' layering soft 303 lines into a punchy deep house cut and then comes the EP highlight, 'Extension Time'. It's a zoned-out roller with tender piano chords turning you inwards for deep reflection as the rubbery drums keep things moving.
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: 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'.
Indo Tribe - "Bring In The Pulse" (MFK mix) (5:10)
Indo Tribe - "In The Mind Of A Child" (First Born mix) (5:04)
The Future Sound Of London - "Hardhead" (Frothin' At The Mouth mix) (6:06)
The Future Sound Of London - "Pulse State" (831 AM mix) (7:20)
Review: Jumpin' & Pumpin' looks back into the seminal archives of The Future Sound of London here to reissue their fantastic The Pulse EP from 2008 which also featured tunes from Manchester pair Indo Tribe. It is they who start with 'Bring In The Pulse' which features some Happy Mondays hallelujahs, mad rave whistles and bristling electronic breaks. 'In The Mind Of A Child' (First Born mix) is then a bouncy techno cut with more visceral synth and acid lines and The Future Sound Of London kick off the flipside with 'Hardhead' (Frothin' At The Mouth mix) which is an assault of breaks, congas, whistles and rave signifiers. 'Pulse State' (831 AM mix) is that perfect tune to zone out to on a late night drive on the motorway.
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