The Exaltics & Paris The Black Fu - "Wea Poni Zedin Form" (4:02)
Alex Jann - "Android Memory" (5:31)
Lost Souls Of Saturn - "Rave Is Back" (6:31)
Kim Cosmik - "Moonrise" (6:58)
Review: Ralph Lawson's Leeds based 20/20 Vision label has made a distinctive shift into electro territory over the last couple years. It is a sound the boss has said has long been in his heart despite him being best known as a house head and longtime resident at Back to Basics, and the quality of the tunes he unearths to put out more than backs that up. The Exaltics & Paris The Black Fu kick off with a shiny, bright, visceral metallic electro workout then three further cuts take in dark wave drum machine rhythms and acid-laced bangers.
3kelves & We Are Neurotic - "Laguna Reservoir Funk" (4:00)
Naux - "Foxxy Cleopatra" (6:18)
Partner Music - "People Should Romance" (5:15)
Review: Moiss Music is dropping two slabs of heat this month - their sixth and seventh EPs overall. Both are various artists' collections with plenty of 'floor-facing disco fun. Mathew Ferness opens this one with 'Paradisio' which has plenty of inspiration taken from late afternoon dances somewhere like Ibiza. 3kelves & We Are Neurotic get you working your feet with the busy percussive grooves and squelchy synth funk of 'Laguna Reservoir Funk' while Naux brings lots of loopy fun and throwback vocal goodness to his steamy 'Foxxy Cleopatra.' Partner Music rounds out the EP with the most energetic and busy of the lot - the restless melodies of 'People Should Romance.'
Review: Our second sound-clash instalment sees Panix lock heads with DJ Snowy Buffet. Based out of South London, Panix made a name for himself in the dubstep scene, before emerging as one of the most exciting producers of UKG and breaks. The A1, 'Premium Dubz' combines moody bass-lines with ravey stabs to make the ultimate 2-step dance floor killer. The A2, 'Hefty' does exactly what it says on the tin.. Hefty basslines and squeaky clean 4 to the floor drums. DJ Snowy Buffet is another veteran of the dubstep game, producing under the well known WZ. Surfacing as his new alias, the Czechoslovakian producer shows depth to his game with a bouncy UKG sound. The B1, 'Can I Tell' provides skippy garage drums and synths certain to light up any set. The B2, 'Club Life' showcases the darker side of UKG, with warping basslines and amen breaks.
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: The Vivid label is yet another one from Burnski who also runs Constant Blanc and Instinct. He is s single handed garage hit making machine and he knows how to tap into the next gen, too. Here he calls upon Peaky Beats for a naughty and nasty three track affair that has retro feels but contemporary style. 'Can't Stop' opens up with a 2-step shuffle and steely hits, then 'Get Ready' gets more free and melodic with some boxing little melodic patterns and oscillating bass. Last of all is the most menacing and dark - 'Wildcat' flips into a dub wise swagger mid-way through that is going to blow up the clubs.
Review: The first offering from Personality Edits got plenty of plaudits so we're glad Harri Pierson now goes to work adding his own tweaks to a primitive house jam. 'Work That Boogie' has whistles and jacked-up drums, razor-sharp hi-hats and corrugated bass, all of which serve to get the floor in a sweat. Flip it over and you'll find 'Coco' as edited by Tomato Wallet. It's a mix of old-school scratching and cut-up b-boy breaks with some cosmic melodic signifiers and rich percussive play. This super limited 7" arrives as a one-time-only pressing with no digital alternative.
Review: Two stone cold legends on one unforgettable 45": Courtney and Omar build on their recent Black Notes From The Deep live collaborations with a stunning original and killer cover. "Rules" is a funk-based track that jumps and sizzles with a fresh contemporary energy that you might not expect from either party while "Butterfly" pays a very special homage to another stone cold legend Herbie Hancock. A beautiful release. You might say there's nothing like it.
Review: Pixelife is no stranger to the Tusk Wax family, having appeared on the Horn Wax label some five years ago, alongside intermittent releases on Throne Of Blood and more recently Samo Records. Now Pixelife is back with a gutsy release in the Tusk Wax style that matches warm, analogue power with bombast and drama in abundance, not least on EP opener "Radial Velocity." "Digital Silhouette" is equally epic in its construction, but sports a leaner club focus in between the surges of full-bodied synth swells. LA-4A is in a vicious mood on his remix of "Radial Velocity," uses some snarling low end acid tones to devastating effect, and then "Virtual Light Institute" finishes the EP off with a swooning, emotive cut that capitalises on Pixelife's bright and bold sound.
Review: Plants Army Revolver debut on Avian. The Italian live act will join Avian for a five track EP showcasing the pair's breadth as producers. Working within the bounds of a carefully refined sound palette, Marco Ragni & Birgan Valentin look to the more muted, tentatively melodic end of loop Techno, with excursions into washed out Ambient & leftfield Electronica, placing the focus on sound texture & tone.
Review: Chad Pulley makes his first solo appearance on John Beltran's All Good Music label, although keener eyed spotters will know that Pulley and Beltran previously collaborated on a track under the Bel-Pull Productions moniker. He steps up to the task ably, slipping into All Good style comfortably with the calm and melodic, gracefully coasting techno of 'Through My Eyes', before the flip side reveals the wistful 'Mesmerizing Blue', where pianos and synths call and respond over exotic rhythms. 'Sticks' completes the set, slightly harder and funkier than its two predecessors but again with an emphasis on musicality, off kilter danceability and originality. On this showing, a name to watch.
Review: Theo Parrish is a world-renowned name in the global Detroit house and techno game, and he's thrown a fascinating curveball as the latest entrant for the acclaimed DJ-Kicks series. Mr. Parrish has gone above and beyond the duties of most invitees - rather than just licensing tracks from his favourite artists and big-name-friends, he's asked his own community from Detroit to each produce their own mixable tracks, exclusively for the comp. What's more, these are hardly established names - they're organic connections to Parrish, not occupying the top layer of attention and recognition. Bits from H-Fusion, Jon Dixon, Donald Lee Roland II, Ian Fink and Raybone Jones all dominate this anarchic new deconstruction of the otherwise exclusivist mix series.
Review: Given that all four members of Piroshka have serious musical heritage stretching back to the late '80s and early '90s (famously the line-up boasts former members of Lush, Elastica, Moose and Modern English), it's perhaps unsurprising that their trademark sound taps into these roots. Love Drops & Gathers, their sophomore set, evolves this collective style further, adding notable nods towards shoegaze and shimmering electronica amongst the rugged Britpop grooves and classic indie-rock song structures. The result is a warm, drowsy and more musically adventurous affair that still puts hummable melodies and sing-along choruses at the heart of the action.
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