Review: Batu and Nick Leon united for this surprise release late last year and it now arrives on lovely vinyl where it sounds sublime. The four-track EP blends Latin and UK club influences with a psychedelic twist on Batu's label, A Long Strange Dream which, since its 2023 launch, has gained recognition for pushing experimental club sounds of the highest order. 'Rezz' kicks off with shuffling tight percussive rhythms and 'Yiu' is more intense in its high-fidelity loops. 'Tuvan' is a minimal broken beat stepper and 'Palo' closes with some snappy Latin rhythmic invention.
AudioChain - "Back To The Time" (Tm Shuffle Myotatuuli dub remix)
Celestial Sphere Aka Hirotaka - "Concept Depth"
Review: Swiss label Introspection Audio Limited hist 12" number five with some exceptional techno workouts from producers based in Switzerland, Finland and Japan. Each track delivers a distinct atmosphere and emotion, perfectly crafted for the dance floor. Alessandro Crimi's 'Always' keeps it deep, dubby and minimalist, Needless layers up delightfully smooth drums and dub chords and a Tm Shuffle Myotatuuli dub remix is frosted with icy static and chilly winds. Celestial Sphere Aka Hirotaka shuts down with a more textured and snappy dub tech vibe.
Review: Swedish label Borft has been digging in its archives again to assemble another volume of what it sees as its most classic cuts. And we don't disagree with these, which are taken from releases that originally landed between 1998 and 1999. Egglady's- 'Prinsessan Och Agget 1' is well-swung and deftly dubbed out with lovely analogue drum sounds cutting through. Nikolas Rowland's 'Headspin' is another smooth one with molten chords and a firm low-end drive. 'Puffy Nipples' from Kord is a wonky number with an unhinged charm and stomping groove that will stand out in any set while Crinan closes with the classy and raw house, dub and tech fusion that is 'Suit 61'.
Review: Following a surprisingly extended hiatus of three years, the admirable Earthly Measures imprint is ready to unleash the fourth volume in their Earthly Tapes series. This time round, they've not only chosen to showcase the work of more female artists, but also producers and musicians with "native roots connected to five countries in South America and Europe". Musically, it furthers the label's "electronica plus nature" ethos, flitting between deliciously dubbed-out ambient chuggers (Manu Ela), Latin-tinged slow motion dub disco (Barda), percussion-rich wooziness (Shigara), locked-in low-slung house hypnotism (Sahale & Samarana), tropical house sunshine (Carla Velenti) and chugging Balearic dreaminess (NoN Project).
Review: Silias Records welcomes Marko Nastic, a venerated DJ and producer from Serbia who could rightly claim to be one of his country's biggest underground electronic music exports. He brings peak time renegers here with tracks rooted in techno and tech such as 'Sour Pie' with its mechanical drum loops and rickety rhythms run through with blasts of electricity. 'Circuits' is smoother, deeper, more rounded in design and jazzy in melody. 'Que Rico Enrigo' is packed with well-designed sounds and a hint of Latin flair in the vocal sample and 'Clockworksx' shuts down with a thudding, persuasive and chunky tech sound with clattering percussion adding some texture.
Neg & Franz Di Maio - "A Bright Spot" (Paradise edit) (6:40)
Neg - "Echoes Of Thoughts" (5:02)
Neg & Marco Spinetti - "1112" (5:27)
Neg & Franz Di Maio - "A Bright Spot" (DJ Soch remix) (6:41)
Neg & Franz Di Maio - "A Bright Spot" (DJ Rou On The Surface remix) (6:54)
Review: Hello to Metrica Recordings, a new label from Italy that wants to win hearts and minds with its take on minimal and tech house. It begins with an EP featuring Negs on all cuts but with various collaborators. Franz Di Maio is first on the classically inclined deep house of 'A Bright Spot', while 'Echoes Of Thoughts' is a solo cut with more early Chicago synths and dusty drums. Marco Spinetti steps up to help on the more marching and moody '1112' and two remixes of 'A Bright Spot' shut down with a blend of Balearic and Italo style.
Review: Eterno's third outing is as enticing as its first two. It's a pensive electro sound that managed to marry physicality with emotionality in perfect harmony. New Balaance is behind this one and opens with the serene, sweeping, widescreen pads of 'XTC' before 'v' rides on tighter, bumpier drums with swirling celestial melodies. 'Bacilica Cistern' explore a different rhythm with thudding kicks from techno and icy electro percussion floating through the cosmos as subtle signals beam down from distant planets. 'Multidimentional Beings' is a brilliantly ice-cold and funky closer with ambient smears and irresistible drums.
Review: The Nextmen team up once more with Kiko Bun here and he is proving himself to really be one of the UK's standout vocal talents right now. Together they to deliver a big anthem bursting with feel-good vibes. Perfect for sunny days, this track begs for windows down and volume up. The vocals are packed with soul and flow freely over instrumental beats with a cool sense of funk. The tune has another robust groove doused in club culture and a love of hip-hop, as is often the case with Dom Search and Brad Baloo aka The Nextmen who are renowned UK DJs and producers celebrated for their eclectic mixes, albums and podcasts.
Review: Zurich-based duo The Nightstalker, which consists of Dan Piu and Popshop aka Gary Rich, craft a fulsome musical world that delves into the darkness and offers a mystical allure. Following two acclaimed albums on Berlin's Childhood Intelligence, they return with Isoutopic Fantasia, a mini-album on World Wide Web Records. Featuring six tracks that blend danceable darkness with surreal and playful moments, Isoutopic Fantasia is a fine fusion of deep mystery and bizarre beauty. The music leads through a dreamlike realm where every beat surprises and melodies unfold into unexpected dimensions to create a hypnotic journey where light and shadow converge in perfect harmony.
Review: Liverpool Dubstep Heads invite Russian artist Ninety over for some low-end fun and these four tracks are the result of their adventures. As with many of his previous tracks, Ninety errs on the side of trippy across the EP with strange off-grid flurries and psychedelic twists throughout. Highlights include the wavey sheen and sparkle of 'Rouz', the pinched staccato drama of 'Fear Suppression' and the all-out theatrical tension of the title track. Hunt and go hard!
Review: Nitechord is an anonymous "ambient-tech duo" that impresses with this fine debut, Lume, which is a meditative exploration of the calmness and mystery of the night as distilled through mid-tempo rhythms and atmospheric whispers. These sounds were first submitted as a raw, uncredited cassette demo in 2002 and have hardly been changed from that state but for the mastering. Tracks like 'Reflect' and 'Near' blend shimmering guitar loops, sub-bass and subtle twangs over dancefloor beats. 'Dim' breathes with layered drones, while 'Absent' offers mournful serenity and last but not least, 'Carry' blossoms into orchestral harmony. A sublime soundscape.
Review: The second release from Diggers Society Records features NND, who is renowned for both his compositional talent and his skills as a selector. This EP is a real journey through NND's diverse musical landscapes and his rich musical background. The A-side is defined by dark atmospheres and deep, powerful rhythms. On the B-side, a track inspired by the iconic soundtrack of an '80s cult TV show shines bright and is followed by a celestial production that transports you to otherworldly realms while blending nostalgia with a modern techno touch.
Review: Vibes Addikt welcomes N.O.B.A into the fold for a new EP back with his powerful, emotional productions. In the past, he has earned support from top names like Amelie Lens and Charlotte De Witte, which gives you an insight into the sort of world she works in. This one opens with 'Shadows From The Darkness', an intense wall of techno that comes with a hypnotic remix by INIGMA who layers in some smart tech-trance vibes. 'The Unit' then delivers an acid-driven techno-trance groove while 'Sunset' brings a nostalgic 90s trance feel with uplifting melodies.
Review: Oi oi, gun fingers and glow sticks at the ready for this one, which is a jungle, d&b and hardcore fusion that throws it back to the good old days. 'Feel The Magic' has it all and then some with blistering amen breaks and killer vocal stabs, 'Wheel Up' keeps on the pressure with more irresistibly funky breaks, spin backs and prying synth tone and 'Come Inside' hypnotises with a mystic flute lead before the devastating drums drop once more. 'Breakage #6' shuts down with another lively rhythm that will turn any 'floor into a rave den.
A Naranjo - "The Adventures Of Fuzz Aldrin" (6:38)
Donnie Cosmo - "El Funk Del Espacio" (6:33)
Emilio Mustafa - "Pump Mafia" (5:42)
FI-LO - "Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice" (5:45)
Review: This 12" is the debut vinyl release from Noisy Neighbours, a Colombian label we're told will be dedicated to showcasing top South American club music producers. Featuring the label's founder A. Naranjo, Emilio Mustafa, Donnie Cosmo and FI-LO, this inaugural EP sets a fine standard from the off by delivering four high-energy tracks. Drawing influences from 90s deep house, UKG, tech house and breakbeat, these tracks are crafted to ignite the party and offer fresh weaponry for DJs. All bases are covered along the way and we're already looking forward to the next one.
Review: The Clergy Ten Year anniversary celebrations continue with a fourth special instalment of their various artists series. It's packed again with the sort of high-functioning techno that DJs always need to construct powerful sets, and that dancers will respond well to thanks to its detailing. Norbak opens with the moody minimalism of 'Sinto', Sciahri explore a more uptempo sound with grainy, gritty loops on 'Antartide' and Phara's 'Faint' gets more twisted with hellish effects and caustic textures all getting you on edge while the pummelling drums bounce out their muscular rhythm. These are evocative cuts for techno storytelling.
Review: We assume that Nuts World Tour is a new label that will serve up sonic homage to each of the cities it names its EPs after. First up is the Big Apple with four cuts all named after four of the city's main boroughs. 'MNHTTN' is first, so it taps into myriad samples from the likes of Mobb Deep, Biggie Smalls, ODB and Aaliyah. They are all dropped over a leggy, rolling deep house groove with a wiggling baseline that its sure to be hugely effective and crowd pleasing. 'STTN ISLND' is more blissed out deep house and is again packed with hip-hop samples, which prove great fun decoding. 'BRX' is soulful, simple, seductive and 'QNS' gets a little more raw with a drilling bassline. 'BRKLN' shuts down with a final variation on the theme.
Review: Barro Music Label pushes the limits of dark, hard-hitting techno with NX1's latest EP. The Barcelona duo of Surit and Samot have long been a part of the underground releasing on labels like Bite and Earwiggle while running their own Nexe Records. This outing delivers four relentless tracks with 'BR1' setting the tone with pounding industrial beats, while 'BR2' and 'BR3 'intensify the energy with razor-sharp sound design and commanding vocals. The final track slows the tempo to evoke dystopian landscapes and Nole's remix of 'BR2' reshapes the rhythm for another dancefloor weapon. This is pure, unrelenting techno at its finest.
Review: The Valley of Tears series has been a key part of the success of the Soil Records' journey. The next edition is another doozy that features Parand, who is the newest member of the crew. His 'Missed Connection' is a warped and darkly futuristic techno-come-electro offering with fizzing synths. NX1's 'SL2' is a tightly, loopy metallic sound with bass that is full of unsettling tension and Crystal Geometry's 'Haute Tension' ups the ante with more unrelenting loops and percussive patterns. E-Bony closes this fresh techno 12" with the metallic clatter of 'Zero Point Echo.'
Odopt - "11000 Versions Of A Simple Track" (Berlin mix) (5:37)
Remotif - "HAJKSD15" (6:39)
N Tropic - "One Night Stand" (Full Circle & Kris Baha remix) (7:45)
53X - "Simulaatio" (5:38)
Review: Avidya is back with a third EP to build on the head-turning success of the first two and it is another trip to the outer edges of the dancefloor. Odopt from Born Free and 777 Recordings kicks off with a snappy cut that is deceptively simple but devastatingly effective with its gurgling and acidic bass. Remotif is a fast-rising talent who impresses with the heavy techno sludge of 'HAJKSD15' and Full Circle aka Alexis Le Tan and Joakim link with Kris Baha to offer a remix that is all twitchy electrons, busted drum loops and fizzing pads before 53X's 'Simulaatio' is another brilliantly loose jumbled of wiry electronics, sci-fi effects and techno chug for a fantastic closing beatdown.
Review: If you like it deep and dubby, keep reading. Poro, Nicholas Barnes, Tm Shuffle and Monoder all work to explore exactly those types of sounds on this tenth outing for the Finnish label Vuo. Opener 'Moysiys Strip' is impossible cavernous with its rolling bass and languid chord structures, then 'Tommottos' rolls serenely on frictionless kicks and undulating bass. It's smooth like chocolate and infused with real machine soul. Last but not least, this EP of quite artists and devastating depth comes to a close with 'Limited Value'. Smeared, grainy chords arc like windscreen wipers over deft little percussive details and broad, rolling bass. Head perfecting.
Review: Intime Anthem is a new label that makes a suitable impressive debut here with a various artists offering that explores a leftfield disco sound. Ramozel's 'Nomentum' has deadpan indie vocals and stark mechanical drums with cold wave synths. Parker Bjoske wars monads with twisted synth modulations and slow, purposeful kicks on 'Tempo.' Naimer then switches the mood with a more playful and 80s-inspired sound, bright retro synths and euro-dance grooves on 'Wildejoe.' There is a supple acid-laced majesty to Ivaj Odnode's closer 'Atillol,' which makes this as vital as it as varied.
Review: This 1965 collaborative album brings together some of the international music world's finest talents. Featuring Nara Leao's soothing vocals, Edu Lobo's striking guitar and Tamba Trio's vibrant harmonies, 5 Na Bossa captures the essence of Brazilian bossa nova and jazz with a warm and sunny inflexion. With iconic tracks like 'Reza' and 'Zambi' bringing Latin jazz flair, and Edu Lobo's 'Estatuinha' offering more ruminative folk sounds, this is a brilliant album for those who like South American sounds in all their many guises. The album was recorded live at the Paramount Theater in Sao Paulo and is truly essential listening.
Review: Nektar were never your average progressive rock band. For starters, it was made up of British musicians based in Germany, and it was that country (or West Germany at least) where they earned their reputation for combining loud but pristine sound with genuinely psychedelic visuals. While they eventually rose to international fame, their earliest music was self-released. This album, their 1971 debut, was amongst that list and despite prior reissues, is still hard to find on CD. This edition pairs the fully remastered original studio album - a conceptual musical meditation on the potential for nuclear war with added sci-fi flourishes - comes paired with a second CD containing one the best-known bootleg recordings of the band. This was captured on tape a year or so before the album came out in 1970.
Review: Cabale Records is a Parisian label that has, for the last few years been exploring the minimal techno world. It now branches out with its first various artist release featuring some tasteful tune makers starting with Pheek. He brings some loose percussive energy and wonky drum funk to his opener then Mod303 layers in dreamy and immersive pad work to deft, subtle drums on 'Paris City Zoo.' Night No Tori Vs Hubble keeps it deep and dubby with the late-night introspection of 'Deja Vu' then Sten's 'Slope' is a trippy afterhours sound with tumbling synth smears and percolating dub tech beats.
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