Review: Knee deep in the foundations, head high in the clouds, anchored by bass: Robin Clarke's Dream Cycle is the perfect match for Sneakers Social Club. Across five tracks he runs the gamut through precision 2017 vision; "Dream 93" is a steppy drop into a slo-mo rave, "Start While It's Hot" tips a nod to the warmer tones of Detroit with its lilting chords and persistent drums, "Sour" dusts off its reeboks for a little garage hypnosis while "Paradise State" is a hardcore flashback with strong twangs of early Moving Shadow. Closing with a mesmerising ambient remix from Them & Us, it's yet another unique trip from the friendly trainer crew.
Review: Fred Again's new LP Ten Days is decidedly minimal in both visual and sonic feel, making for a well-put-together exercise in chic dance summeriness, one that manages to feel, paradoxically, nostalgic for the present moment. If the crux of Fred Again's appeal rests our vicarious enjoyment of his evidently voracious enjoyment of life, then this is equally as reflective in the music here, with 'Adore U' skimming through pitch-warped vocals sampled from Obongjayar's live performance dedicated to his sister and mum, as if to immortalise them in a rush of frenetics and lightness of being, and 'Ten' equally playing up the bare skeletals of snap-rims, warbly samples and ever more pitch-effecting, this time on Jozzy's vocals. Less earnest than his outing with Brian Eno, and more dedicable purely to the young adult gaieties of summer, Ten Days marks a little over a weeks' worth of fun, tinged with a tiny hint of melancholy.
Review: Beeyou Records proudly presents False Promises, a captivating EP from Dennis Quin, a renowned artist known for his timeless, soul-moving house music. The A-side kicks off with 'Reactivate,' a high-energy garage track that immediately captures the listener's attention with its punchy basslines and crisp percussion. Following closely is 'Diamond Hunting,' a bumpy 4x4 track that is guaranteed to get any dancefloor moving. On the B-side, Quin offers a more introspective sound with 'Accidentally,' a track that blends classic house grooves with playful modern production. The EP's title track, 'False Promises (Original Mix),' is a standout, featuring a lovely vocal and vibrant house energy. Finally, 'Well Conducted' showcases Quin's versatility with its downtempo, chilled vibe. False Promises is a must-listen for fans of house music. Quin's talent for creating timeless tracks is evident on every track on this EP.
Home Sweet Home (The Journey) (DJ Spen remix) (7:29)
Home Sweet Home (The Journey) (DJ Spen dub) (6:23)
Home Sweet Home (The Journey) (DJ Spen Hump mix) (5:53)
Review: Demuir's Visions album gets its first series of remixes here as standout cut 'Home Sweet Home (The Journey)' gets reworked by Baltimore's finest dance music ambassador and bona fide legend DJ Spen. First up he brings some shuffling and deep soul to the groove with an irresistible skip to the drums and a lush vocal. The dub pairs things back a little further with more splash in the percussion and last of all comes the Hump mix. This one has noodling keys working their way up through the mix to bring real enlightenment.
Review: Low-cal melodic pop d&b done from a new-gen perspective: Piri & Tommy's take on drum & bass has been a runaway success in the last two years as the couple bring their own unique song writing signature to the genre. Now to mark this year's RSD, their debut album Froge.mp3 enjoys a limited vinyl outing and it sounds amazing for it. Cuts like the sing-along 'On & On' and the lofi dreaminess 'Slowly But Surely' and the sun-kissed summer joint 'Beachin' all still sparkling as bright as they did when they first dropped last year, this is a significant moment for Piri & Tommy. Happy Record Store Day!
Review: UK legend MJ Cole is best known for his vital contribution to drum & bass and then garage over the years, but on his first new album for 17 summers he takes a different turn. Here he dare on the classical music on which he was brought up, and shows off the vast array of studio skills he has picked up over the years, all in order to lay down some evocative early hours ambiance, classical compositions and sunrise sounds on his studio's piano. It's a serene listen, a grown up sound that provides you with plenty of moments of contemplation and is finished with some lush strings for a truly luxuriant sound.
Review: Wrong'uns is a newly established label designed to serve up dirty jams for the dancefloor. For this second outing, they look to a beat-making crew of miscreants in Just Olly, Mehlor, Jake Rollinson and Joejoemojo who all offer up one jam each. Just Olly's 'Tougher' has filthy basslines and lip-curling menace in the stepping drums. Mehlor's low ends are just as warped and the drums and percussion are just as kinetic, then Rollinson's 'Trip The Funk' is a sinner blend of synth modulation sand bleeping dial tones that is full of fun for the club. Last but not least, 'Shake The Funk' is a catchy slammer with big breaks and sirens designed to blow up any sound system.
Sammy Virji - "If U Need It" (extended mix) (3:58)
Gorgon City - "Voodoo" (extended mix) (6:11)
Azari & III & Max Dean - "Reckless" (2024 extended mix) (7:49)
Alan Fitzpatrick & Ronnie Spiteri - "On My Mind" (extended mix) (4:39)
Review: Time-honoured, blue-crossed phono-phrenic audio pharmacists Positiva celebrate their 30th anniversary with the launch of a brand new sampler series. Simply titled 'Positiva', the new outing spans every sonic end-logic from slick UK garage to mesmeric trance, the throughline being the modern uplifter sound into which the label has settled; a far cry from their jet-propulsive Ibiza-rave garage house days of yore. Most of the tracks on this first edition of the series are already floating about out there, though they've never been compiled onto a single record before: Sammy Virji and Gorgon City complement each other well on the A-side's 'Voodoo' and 'If You Need It'; then Azari & III, Max Dean, Alan Fitzpatrick and Ronnie Spiteri spin things out ever further, into two warming, well-layered party-pushers driven by ecstatic vocals.
Summon (feat Hayden Thorpe - East Coast Love Affair mix) (6:35)
New World (Flow) (feat Fiorious - Ray Mang remix) (8:54)
Review: Harmonics, the latest album from Hot Chip's Joe Goddard, is a celebration of warmth, instinct, and collaboration. Spanning 14 tracks, this record weaves through UK garage, house, hip-hop, pop and disco, bringing together a diverse array of voices. Eno Williams of Ibibio Sound Machine energises the afro-house groove of 'Progress,' while UK rapper Oranje adds flair to the starry-eyed 'When Love's Out of Fashion.' Hayden Thorpe's expressive vocals elevate the low-slung house track 'Summon,' and Hot Chip bandmates Alexis Taylor and Al Doyle lend their talents to the shimmering 'Heal Your Mind.' Goddard, known for his 2012 hit 'Gabriel,' revisits that focused energy here while capturing the carefree spirit of his earlier solo work. Tracks like 'Mountains' and 'Follow You' echo the Hot Chip sound, while collaborations with artists like Falle Nioke and Alabaster DePlume bring in elements of Afrobeat and jazz house. 'Destiny' and 'New World' showcase Goddard's mastery of house music, making Harmonics his most fun and genre-spanning solo album yet, proving his versatility in crafting compelling dance music.
Review: First released digitally earlier in 2024, Prince Palmer's first outing on Bobby Donny's 'Ace' series heads to vinyl in expanded form. It's the Dutch producer's vinyl debut and a quietly impressive one at that. The headline attraction is 'Serious Play', a rolling, loose-limbed and sub-heavy slab of revivalist garage house/New Jersey deep house fusion that comes accompanied by a chunkier and undeniably trippy, dancefloor dub style 'Vibe Mix' makeover courtesy of Joy Jenkins. There's plenty to set the pulse racing across the rest of the EP though, from the Burrell Brothers-meet-Jovonn flex of 'Get Down' and the jazz-house/garage-house fusion of 'Sleeping City (Wake Up Mix)', to the organ-rich house positivity of 'Polygon Island' and the peak-time-at-Sound Factory NYC flex of Frits Wentink's fine revision of 'Airlift'.
Review: Margate-based Braga Circuit showcases a refined signature style and knack for killer sampling with this standout debut on Air Miles. 'Fall' kicks off with amped-up chord stabs and brilliantly well-swung, rolling kicks that soon get those hips moving. 'Closer' oozes summer cool thanks to the balmy chords that soften the percussive, garage-flecked house drums. There is also plenty of Kerri Chandler soul in these here beats that makes them all the more essential. 'Filter Feed' layers up dusty perc and thudding kicks with sultry vocal whispers. It's steamy and irresistible and last but not least, Leod is another talent from the coastal town of Margate and remixes this one with a more direct and dubby style.
Review: Will Hofbauer returns to Wisdom Teeth for another addition to the label's Hessle-esque vision for the fleshing out the more playful side of 'bassy techno'. Hofbauer is a firm fixture and favourite of the sort of quasi-underground UK DJ circuit that has cut the teeth of the likes of Moxie, Rhythm Section, OK Williams and Ben UFO - and these four new ones are bound to cement that favour, with bare-essentials bits like 'Subtracing The Egg' blending with mischievous audio-hijinks like 'Hiccups' for a humorous, yet no less powerful EP.
Review: It can be hard work keeping up with the myriad of different labels that Burnski aka Constant Sound aka Instinct heads up. This one leans more into UK garage and welcomes Main Phase for another succulent selection here. 'Gotta Maintain' kicks off with a nice dusty garage sound that will get your lip curled, and then Buckley brings broken beat rework with dubbed-out low ends. 'Soul Mirror' is a clean, bouncy sound with a cool synth breeze and 'Breather' brings some olds school references - the raga vocals, the bleeping synths and the monstrous bass. Brilliantly filthy.
Review: The mysterious but magnificent Phone Traxxx dial in with another killer 12", their sixth so far. 'Slinkzer' is a nice playful house number with some bubbling synth melodies and zippy lines adding energy to the dusty drums. 'Groovement' picks it up with more slamming drums and hard-edged hits as was as chopped-up melodic bursts and sci-fi effects. 'Mentasmluv' is a garage number with a scruffy low end and some fun oinks and boinks and cartoon sound design adding colour. 'Humbucker' is a slinky percussive number that closes out at a lick.
Review: Burnski's Pilot label keeps it fresh with more sounds that operate in the middle ground between house, tech and garage. This one is a split EP that kicks off with Vitess's 'You Got Work,' fizzy, sugary cosmic cut with bouncing drums. 'Play My Game' is another trippy and astral affair with disco energy and wispy synth melodies that hit different. Robin Graham steps up on the flip with 'Not Here 2 Party' which is a low-slung tech cut with a sordid little bassline. 'Pipe Dream' gets even more abstract and minimal with sleek drums and dry drums rolling onwards.
Review: Iglooghost's third studio album marks a departure from the intricate world-building of previous works, embracing a sonic maximalism that pulses with chaotic energy. The Irish producer seamlessly blends IDM, techno, deconstructed club and grime, creating a whirlwind of sound that never overwhelms thanks to his meticulous layering and dynamic composition. Tracks like 'Alloy Flea' and 'Pulse Angel' showcase Malliagh's ability to keep the music clear and coherent, even as he adds element after element. His voice, more prominent here than on past projects, takes on new dimensions, from distorted static in 'Coral Mimic' to ethereal contrasts with female vocals on 'flux•Cocoon'. The album's production is dynamic, with a textured, weighty sound that contrasts with the clutter of earlier works. While the relentless intensity of some tracks might seem predictable, Malliagh's ability to craft tangible build and release ensures each moment feels intentional. The result is an intense experience, one that finds Iglooghost maturing as an artist without losing his experimental edge. This album presents a refined sound, rich in texture, rhythm and conceptual depth, solidifying Malliagh as an electronic innovator with endless potential.
Review: Who doesn't love The Streets? From cheeky chappy to a revered part of the British music establishment, Mike Skinner as The Streets was there at the start of the UKG scene and still invigorates it to this day. His first new music in a while is an understated ballad that features the by now trademark internal monologue, but here paired with what is a beautiful vocal from Jazz Morley and a skittish drum pattern. Mike Skinner has also self-directed his own music video to go with the title track and it is well worth seeing if you can.
Review: Hidden Folder label head Christopher Ledger is back with another slamming outing, this time in the form of his NRG 12". For this one he draws on a love for and understanding of breaks, garage, house and tech and kicks off with the filthy dirty and brilliantly sleazy 'NRG' with its wub-wub bassline sure to get lips curled in mock disgust. 'How Do You Like It' is a more prickly and spaced out dollop of industrial tech house, 'Back 2 Bass' is a thrilling blend of tightly programmed beats and big chord stabs and 'This Way, Please' is cruising party pumper. A Donnie Cosmo remix of that cut close with more excellent sleazy garage house bounce.
Review: Mother is Logic1000's debut album. An alias of Samantha Poulter, the Berlin-based DJ and producer explains it has been insured by her becoming a parent. "I felt so much love and inspiration entering into motherhood that I just needed to create something really powerful," says the producer who hails from Sydney and has collaborated on the lad single 'Grown On Me' with her husband and long-time creative partner Thom McAlister. It is an album that runs that gamut from broken beats to smoky soul, shuffling basement grooves to heady and hypotonic, dubbed-out rollers.
Review: The Time Is Now label single-handed ushered in a new era of garage if you ask us. That was a few years ago but the label continues to lead from the fort here with a new EP from Samurai Breaks & Napes who make their label debut in explosive fashion. They are skilled studio talents who are nudging at the boundaries of the current UK bass sound and here they hybridise bassline, jungle and garage. You won't easily be able to fit these into one stylistic box but they will do damage on the floor, from the ghetto restlessness of the opener to the manic melodies of 'Correct Technique' and onto the turbocharged 'FrogMob'. Thrilling stuff.
Review: Time Is Now has done a sterling job of driving the garage sound of now forward. Obviously thinking they have spotted another niche, they recently started a white label off shoot that is presumably devised so as to help them navigate any difficulties that may come with using some of the samples we suspect have been used here. Whatever, the are all buying, full flavour garage tunes with bulbous bass and glitchy percussive patterns that will cut up the dance floor. The smart vocal flourishes bring heart and soul and ensure maximum impact.
Review: The debut EP from The Set Records arrives as a vinyl-only offering, shunning digital realms in favour of pure analogue sound. This limited edition record shines a light on six standout artists - five from the UK and one Dutch - who've carved out their own corners of the deeper house spectrum. From the first groove, TSR001 pulls listeners into a nuanced exploration of house music's more intricate layers. Garage rhythms hum next to progressive beats, with each track offering its own distinct energy. It feels like a journey into the heart of a dancefloor before the lights come up - familiar yet full of surprises. What makes TSR001 especially exciting is how each artist brings something different to the table. There's a sense of variety that never strays too far from the EP's overarching vibe, which is smooth, sophisticated, and unmistakably underground. These are tracks for the heads, the DJs and anyone who knows the satisfaction of holding something rare and tangible in a digital world. The lack of digital presence ensures this isn't just a release but a coveted collectible. Collectors, be warned - missing this means missing out completely. V.A. TSR001 is here, it's elusive, and it's gone before you can press play twice.
Review: Almost a year after it debuted on digital download, Mr X's most celebrated single for Vega Records finally lands on wax - and in expanded EP form, too. Lead cut 'The Curse' is a terrifically energetic, sweat-soaked affair with incessant electric piano riffs riding a breathless base of swinging, bumping house drums, deep bass and echo-laden percussion fills. The mysterious, New Jersey-based producer remixes it himself on 'The Curse (Revisited)', opting for a darker, moodier sound and loose-limbed, Kenny Dope-esque drums. He also offers up two bonus cuts: the funky bass-propelled jack-track 'The Underground', and the low-slung, heavily edited disco-house throb of 'B-Side Only'.
Review: The man, the machine, the legend! Anile makes his return with two utterly outrageous remixes of LSB's classic 'Potshot'. First up comes the d&b version that plunges you down to submarine levels before pull you up too quickly and giving you the bends. Need something a little slower with more swing but hits just as hard? Jump on that garage version. Holy moly. Welcome back Anile!
Review: Crosstown Rebels compere Damian Lazarus teams up with fellow musician and singer-songwriter Jem Cooke, with new track 'Searchin'': a primeval precognition of the big bad boss man's upcoming fifth album on the label, Magickal. Though it's been released digitally with a focus on Bullet Tooth's remix on the B-side, this blue-innered vinyl edition compiles all three of the track's versions, also clocking a sure-to-be much-spun Radio Slave remix on the B. The original is an FM-led brooder with posterities of bleep techno and darkside fidget house. Cooke's vocals belt searchingly against burbling synthwork, while Bullet Tooth's remix takes a tempting dark garage turn, risking briar-shod paths of bass as Cooke's refrain is made gothic. Slave's version is, as ever, hardly slavish, preferring a more tensile daytime vibe of subtle piano and muted vox.
Review: US house legend Dennis Ferrer's debut album The World As I See It was a masterclass in soulful, emotive house music that really cut rherough when it arrived in 2007. Blending gospel, Afrobeat, and deep NYC roots, Ferrer avoided big-name features in favour of fresh vocal talent while delivering heartfelt tracks like 'Run Free' and 'How Can I Let Go.' The iconic 'Son of Raw' and 'Underground Is My Home' bring dancefloor fire, while 'Change the World' and 'Dem People Go' showcase Ferrer's cultural depth. With rich percussion, fat basslines and sincerity throughout, this isn't just a house albumiit's a powerful work that transcends the club and still bangs today.
Review: The Time Is Now label continues to lead the way in new school garage sound with a fresh platter that matters from Mass Transit System. As ever this is hefty, bass driven tackle with plenty of throwback sounds like the reversed bass and yelping vocals stabs on 'Need Someone' and it is absolutely irresistible. After that face melter is 'Hold U Tight' with its whirring bas sounds and dark grooves, the crispy 2-step naughtiness of 'Fever' and 'Tasty' with its badman lyrics, withering sci-fi synth sounds and gritty warehouse sounds all primed and ready for maximum impact.
Review: The third release on SP:MC's own Declassified Records label is another killer from the boss himself. The man born Stewart Proctor's first two releases sold out in quick time and thus one will as welll: it another meticulously crafted, high quality two tracker that mixes up bumpy garage, shadowy 2-step and plenty of heft bass. 'Inside Looking Out' kicks off with those mysterious late night vibes, primed and ready for a dark and gritty warehouse space. On the flip, 'All Night' samples classic Chicago house vocal over a skeletal groove with some nice warm and jazzy chords. It's an absolute viber that will bump and dance floor.
Review: First released on Nice & Ripe in 1994 when it was produced by early UK house and garage dons Grant Nelson, Si Firmin, and David Thackeray, this track has been remastered for the first time. The reissue comes on Digital Tape Recordings and sounds as good as ever, especially given the current revival of original garage. Reminiscent of their iconic 24hr Experience and GOD releases, it opens with the gritty and low slung sounds of '1 2 Luv', features the more thumping 'Sampler', diva vocal cries of 'Groovement' and stripped back version 'Dubment'.
Keep It Moving (feat Riko Dan - Bakey dub mix) (4:38)
Keep It Moving (feat Riko Dan - instrumental) (4:24)
Hear This (4:57)
Review: Freerange Sounds - which shouldn't be confused with Jimpster's deep house label Freerange - is reissuing its first release from back in May 2022 here. It's a dark garage outing from 9TRANE that kicks off with 'Keep It Moving' (feat Riko Dan) with edgy vocals, late-night urban menace and some crisp drum patterns. The fantastic Bakey dub mix brings more pruning basslines and withering pads while the instrumental is stripped back and more haunting. Last of all is 'Hear This' which leans on the Burial style of ghostly production but with a more fulsome low-end and prickly percussive brew riding the beats. Serious tackle for sure.
Review: Next up on the To The Rock label are four firing remixes of the Danny J Lewis tune 'Best Friends'. The original is a real UKG classic but any measure and one of the tunes of the year back when it first landed back in 1999. It's got plenty of London swagger endnote of that is lost in any of these reworks. Chicago's Garett David opens up with some dancing chords and tight, shuffling drums, newcomer Late Nite City then slips things back and goes a little deeper with his more seductive take and and multi-instrumentalist Mom Tudie layers in the soul with his more heartfelt version and funky guitar twangs. The Dominic Spreadlove remix might be the best of the lot with a nice pitched up vocal hook and dry as you like drums.
Review: Very few producers in the game can hold a candle to Zed Bias when it comes to exceptional garage sounds. He has helped shape the genre many times over and now comes through on the IFG label with another gem. This one features Abstract Sonance and Amber Prothero and is deep, cuddly, dubbed-out mid-tempo garage with long-legged drums and mystic melodic leads next to a spine-tingling vocal. The Zed Bias 4x4 remix bumps a little more directly with fizzing static marbled the beats and some nice wobbly bass finishing it in style.
Review: 'Done Me Wrong' is one of trailblazing Glasgow label Numbers' essential cash cows. The track is etched into the brains of most clubbers still out today, owing to that short but sweet, mid-2010s interregnum that somehow bridged the gap between UK funky, post-dubstep, future bass and Night Slugs adjacent 'wave'. As is the case with the Hyph Mngos and the Midnight Request Lines of the era, producer Mosca seems to have touched a collective nerve with this one, one that lent the 'Done Me Wrong' a self-starting energy that served to promote itself; or perhaps that's an illusion, as it was, of course, rinsed to death on Rinse FM, and included in many a post dubstep DJ set too. Whatever the case, 'Done Me Wrong' and its inverse 'Bax' reflect the playfulness of a transitory era in bass music, being two of those tunes that, despite all our genre namedrops, never quite fit into any neat box.
Review: Damian Lazarus's Crosstown Rebels shows it very much still has its finger on the pulse with this new and garage-tinged outing from Bullet Tooth. If opens with the pitched-up vocals and rugged drums of 'If I Can't Be Yours' before 'You Think You Can Fix Me' has more floating grooves and waif synths keeping you suspended above the dance floor. Enamour then steps up with a remix that strips it back and reworks it into smooth deep house groove for beachy fun. Last of all is a Sicaria remix which is emotive, punchy and built on glitchy broken beat loops.
Review: Yaleesa Hall wastes no time setting the tone on this Timedance release, delivering a weighty fusion of UKG, electro and sub-heavy pressure. Opener 'Halfway Gone' lurches forward with a heady mix of swung percussion and cavernous bass, its tension building like a slow-motion collision. 'Light Headed' dials up the energy, its restless breakbeat patterns and distorted low-end hitting with unrelenting force. On the flip, 'Voices' leans into dubbed-out textures, letting ghostly vocal snippets drift through the haze as tightly coiled rhythms keep the pulse locked. Closer 'Still Here' brings the release full circle, with fractured beats and rumbling sub-bass weaving together in a hypnotic finale. It's a bold statement from Yaleesa Hallione that feels tailor-made for dancefloors that thrive on weight and space in equal measure.
Review: NC4K's second hand-stamped 12" is more irresistible garage business from Stones Taro. 'Anywhere' (dub) has lovely warm woodblock hits and oscillating low ends with minimal drums and an aching r&b sample that brings the soul and draws you into the skeletal rhythm. Flip it over and you get something more fleshy and fulsome with 'Finally' (dub). Here the drums have more snap and are more prominent with a corrugated bassline down low and a heavily treated classic vocal sample the hook up top. Two killers that mix the old school and the new school in style.
Review: Burnski's agenda-setting garage label Instinct is back with killer new beats from Mance. 'Atmos101' gets things underway with sparking melodies zipping about the stereo field over chunky drums and with a filthy bassline. There is more of a throwback feel to the dusty drum loops of 'Stone Cold, Baby' complete with great vocal samples and spiralling pads. 'All Night' shows another look again with dry, stripped-back beats and big hits under warped synth stabs and more brain-melting bass. 'I Can't Help It' shuts down with silky pads work and soulful vocals.
Review: Plenty of neologistic fun can be had with the work "break", but we must admit that "breakflow" is a new one on us. Lisboa produtor b0n impresses such sonic and titular genii with a new, green-goo-hued four-track EP on Portgal's fantastical Magic Carpet label, spanning clean future progressive and garage-acid tempos. The title track and 'Sasha Palomal' only tease the unortho-breaks with tricky garage beats and straighter but admittedly still formative breaksteps; it's only by the point of the B-siders 'Positive Morph' and 'Fractures' that any such fluvial breakbeat is properly put back together and course-corrected. Be warned, the latter track moves through the nicely rare variants of freestyle and "electrance"; careful not to dance yourself to breakdown.
Review: Toby Ross joins the Time Is Now family with four massive bass-driven bangers. Clean yet raw, airtight and hermetic breaks come among slews of laser faller SFX, sampled David Rodigan hypeups, and offbeat bubbles on 'Foundation', while the ensuing 'Stamina' prefers to wobble away next to "rudeboy!" shouts and patois murmurations. The B-side's 'Sekkle' takes a deeper dark garage turn, wresting our attention with "yos" and "yeahs", not to mention a massified sub-bass; finally, MC PAB delivers a wonderfully laid-back flow over the top of 'Make It Thru', getting at the quintessential character of UK breaks and garage today.
Review: The inimitable Santonio Echols/Next Generation have penned many a great soulful house hit and one of them is 'Bad For Me' which now arrives as a remix package on the NCM Label out of Detroit. First up is Eddie Fowlkes's dub which brings nice warm, smeared chords and allows the vocal to pop out of the mix and bring the sunshine. Ron Carroll's club mix has a little more direct energy in the drums, then the Emanuell Groove mix is a funky one with steamy sax notes up top and nice loose drums. Last of all, the Mannywya Deep dub mix slows things right down to a late-night crawl.
Review: Italian house and techno powerhouse Vithz openly admits he can't dance, but isn't that the whole point of music production - to provide refuge for the less somatically, more cerebrally inclined? It would certainly seem so: Vithz seems perfectly happy behind the knobs and buttons, laying down four behind-the-curtain conspiracies to fill floors on behalf of label Suena Hermosa, perhaps so that he need not himself. Opener 'Break The Beat' is the choppy, vocal-stuttering, short-filling minimal house opener, shortly followed by the titular sampled mutterings of 'Can't Dance', across which oncoming tides of reversed chord stab lap against a muffed garage house propulsion. Then there's the B's wonk-out that is 'Groove Republic', sounding like the inside of a Tardis turned jazz bar, while the closing collab with Emanuele Barilli, 'Sometimez', moves the utmost deep and subbiest.
Review: London's 1-800 Girls brings cleanly garage and bright breaks to his All My Thoughts label, riffing on the combo of infectious aural hooks and brutalist sonics fashionable among the present chart doyens of UK dance music and techno. 'How I Feel' sounds like an innocent admission of affection in techno-garage form, pairing the flunky inter-jabs of 2-step garage with the cute-aggressive seethes of a repetitious sampled vox; the track centres on a nostalgic, airtight sequence of parapractic phonemes, onto which the listener may project their longings and amours. 'Signal' embraces both big beats and biomech squeaks verging on sports-whistles, while 'Like You Do' returns for a comparatively brooding burbler. Finally, 'Guy's Salmon' rounds things off on a dense sequence of yeahs and ohs, as ever building up a slow-burn of cool wonderment and openness.
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