Review: Chris Stussy is very much one of the contemporary scene's most prominent producers. He has emerged from the Dutch underground to take the global circuit by storm as a DJ but also a studio slickster who fuses tech, minimal, house and breaks. His own label deals in just that and here it offers up a trio of trippy and future facing dance floor delights from Varhat. 'Nobody' is a turbocharged tech cut with freewheeling cosmic melodies and 'Mopho' takes a more deep and breezy approach while 'Breaking Out' (Paolo Rocco remix) is balmy and deft minimal lushness.
Review: Acid Cuts is only young but already has amassed an impressive discography of contemporary techno. The sixth outing comes from Varonos and starts with mind-melting acid-laced techno stomper with thunderous stabs adding to the tension. After the even more raw Beats version comes 'Caliber' which is more minimal and loopy but soon builds inescapable tension that disorientates your mind from your body. 'Hordes' then cuts loose with visceral acid lines and the sounds of a spacecraft taking off over sizzling beats.
Review: Fans of UK street soul from the mid-80s you need this one in your life as Heels & Souls Recordings returns with its eighth reissue and unveils some treasures by Elaine Vassell and 3rd Zone. In 1993, amidst the rise of house music, UK soul thrived, accompanied by its DIY street soul sibling as perfectly exemplified here by 'Never Give Up' which boasts a raw, breakbeat-driven groove, blending soulful house, hip-hop, and r&b, while 3rd Zone's 'You Stole My Heart' from 1991, later featured on their 1993 EP No Real Reason, offers a tender yet tough underground vibe. Both tracks showcase the era's spirit, proving that creativity trumps big budgets. Each side includes an alternate version for added depth and diversity.
Review: Released on Cinthie's 803 Crystal Grooves sub-label, Collective Cuts, Valerio Vaudano's latest offering is an exploration of house music's classic influences, filtered through a contemporary lens. Vaudano's commitment to a hardware-based production process, utilising a 90s sampler, lends a distinct warmth and texture to the four tracks.The title track, 'Lose My Mind', immediately grabs attention with its crisp, saturated drums and crunchy stabs. The track builds dynamically, layering choppy vocal hooks and bright strings to create a compelling dancefloor experience. It's a track designed to move bodies with an energy that's both infectious and sophisticated. 'Sunday Remedy' takes a different approach, incorporating bumpy breaks and a weighty kick drum. The track's core lies in its clever amalgamation of vocal samples, which intertwine seamlessly with gritty bass stabs and classic piano chords. It encapsulates the essence of house music, blending raw energy with melodic sophistication. On the flip side, 'Down The Street' delves into deeper territory. Airy chords and breathy vocal chants create an atmospheric backdrop, while bouncy bass stabs and a reduced rhythm section add raw intensity. It's a track that's both introspective and groove-driven, inviting listeners to lose themselves in its hypnotic rhythms. The EP concludes with 'Smooth As Butter', a clear nod to the Detroit house sound where shimmering keys, jazzy drums, and twinkling chime melodies create a lush and sophisticated sonic landscape. Low-pitched vocals add soulful depth, completing the track's near-five-minute journey. His skillful blending of 90s nostalgic melodies with Detroit, Chicago and Italo influences creates a sound that's both familiar and fresh - not to mention, highly playable.
Review: Southern Magic is a sub-label of Secret Society Chile, but there is nothing submissive about the sounds of this new various artists 12". Valerio Vaudano soundtracks the end of the party with a big house bouncer full of vamping chord energy and euphoric little vocal stabs that cannot fail to send people home happy. Luca Piermattei then welcomes you to the after party with scuffed up and frazzled deep house drums under mind melting synth modulations on 'Quilmes.' Flip it over for VICARI's fizzing but feel good tech house on 'Residual Bitterness' and Lootbeg's brilliantly futuristic 'Transitions,' which is alive with alien lifeforms and a crispy tech beat.
Review: Long-time quality deep house operator Andy Vaz has a classically inclined sound that is infused with his own European perspective. Never has that been more obvious than with this EP on I'm In Love which assembled some of his best work. A Collection Of Trax Vol 1 is a limited 12" that opens with 'Only', a lively rhythm with jazzy chords and smooth vocal hooks, while 'Balances' strips it back to deep, warm, diffuse basement house. 'Deutz Motorcity (From The D)' channels the best of the Motor City with its balmy pad work and 'Little Acid' brings some raw 303 lines to a twisted house sound for the freaky after-hours.
Review: Andy Vaz shares a fresh Detroit-flavoured deep house EP, fenced through one of many production studio complexes lying in the heart of Cologne, Germany. With slurred streetwise vocals sounding spreadeagled over modal chords and bodying beatwork, this one hits different. A rarefied soul vibe emerges especially on 'The New Germans', which fleshes an immensity of feeling out of a simple kicks n' claps mix alone and 'Hometown CGN' does similarly with its trombone-esque lead parp and brain-fogged puff-around synths.
Review: The staff at Paris record shop Yoyaku have scored something of a coup for their curated YYK No Label imprint, snaffling a collaborative cut from French house stalwart Ben Vedren and legendary Chicago producer Chez Damier. In its original A-side form, 'Majestic' is bold and beautiful, with heady synth stabs, melodic motifs and electronic flourishes riding a driving deep house groove and Ron Trent style Latin percussion. Over on the flip, they opt for a darker and more marauding, tech-tinged vibe on the similarly outstanding 'Club Mix', before rounding things off with the colourful, immersive and more light touch 'Dub Feel Mix'.
Music Is My Life (Masters At Work remix dub) (4:44)
Review: Louie Vega continues to offer up fresh remixes of tracks from his epic 2023 album Expansions In The NYC. The latest cut to get the rework treatment is Unlimited Touch hook-up 'Music Is My Life', a joyous and gently soulful fusion of disco instrumentation and house nous. There are two mixes from Vega and long-time studio partner Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez as Masters at Work: an A-side full-vocal remix that gently beefs up the house elements and adds some tasty Rhodes licks, and an EP-closing dub in which the storied duo reach for spacey synth sounds, rolling grooves and selected vocal snippets. To complete a strong package, British veteran Dave Lee doffs a cap to his popular 'Remixed with Love' series and re-imagines the track as a punchy disco-funk workout.
Review: Floating Point and co's Melodies International label makes its first outing of 2022, and what a fine one it is too. It is a much needed reissue of two massive soul and disco gems by singer Al Johnson and Tom Fauntleroy, backed by a cover of the same tune by New York singer Tat Vega who had been active since the 60s and was big in musicals as well as singing to Berry Gordy's Motown. Her vision, a duet with George Curtis Camero, was actually released on her fourth solo album but now comes in handy 7" format for DJs.
Review: The "fool's paradise" is a classic device, espoused by many a luminary from Milton to Dante, referring to a special kind of metaphysical plane reserved for those too foolhardy to reflect on their lived misdeeds in any of the main three afterlives: heaven, hell or purgatory. It stands to reason, then, that a small band of nu-disco and house proponents should name their label after it, not least for the stupefying power of disco, and/or the sense of having evaded our sins when compelled to dance! A spin-off of Toolroom, head soundsmith Mark Knight gathers four guardian expiators to lead us into the vainest of all discotheques - Joey Vegas, Tenacious, Sgt. Slick, and Tommy Glasses - for a lulling set of automotive power-disco dreams, in which many a familiar sample from our fleshly lives - from the 70s and 80s, to be exact - filter in and out.
Review: You might not yet know the name Velvet Skin but you will surely know of VIL, a top-level Portuguese techno producer who co-founded the Hayes Collective. He has already impressed on labels like Klockworks but embraced a new electro sound for this project which arrives on Eupasia. There is a purity to his sound that is compelling from the word go. Track one begins with squirreling synths, pinging cowbells and dark bass and then things grow more frantic and paranoid on track two, trippy on track three and then slow down to get sludgy and acidic on track four. Track five ends with atmospheric ambient swampiness.
Review: The label at the helm of the Minimal ship, Mindhelmet, is back with another dazzling release. Never has an artist's name so well reflected their sound - Velvet Velour's production is exactly as you might expect: smooth, effortless, yet party ready. The first track, 'The Waltzer' has an undeniable zero-gravity quality, zooming through the cosmos, encountering meteoric fields and spacious, star-studded vistas. 'Khaosan Rodeo' rushes through aqueous landscapes, embellished with water-muffled vocals, and oxygenated bubbles, this is a buoyant track for flowy, dancefloor moments. 'Wave Wizard' offers a broken, breaksy view into the Velvet Velour sound world. An excellent example of restraint from the producer - this track holds the perfect balance between substantial percussion and airy atmospheres. A mind-melting release from a standout label in the minimal scene.
Review: Small Hours from the Berlin-based Brit Youandewan is a young and already cult label that does things well, if not fast. Yet here we get a second EP in quick succession with the sixth outing again offering up four vital names from the house and tech underground. Velvet Velour opens up with squelchy, funky bass on 'Show You The Door' before Liquid Earth melts the mind with impossibly bendy synths and stiff drums on 'Gummo Hardrive.' Flip this 12" over and you'll find some cosmic tech in the form of The Honda Boys's 'Funghi Pie' and gurgling, gritty, metallic deep space house from Dreaming Mind who offers up 'Mid-Bozz.' Top tackle for sure.
Review: The Vendetta Suite returns in early 2025 with a stunning pair of singles on Hell Yeah, blending acid acerb, house heat, disco d'oeuvres and a Balearic bliss. Long thought by some to be Belfast's best-kept secret, the Suite has garnered well-deserved traction for his genre-spanning productions, fusing ambient, post-rave, dub and psychedelic. First up, 'The Jam Answer' reinvents acid house with dusty analogue drums, hypnotic 303s, and cosmic cantatas; then the flipper 'Island Hill Microdot' drifts over into dreamy Chicago house and IDM, offering a lusher, tuned bamboo percussive pelagi-scape.
Review: Yugoslavia went through unthinkable turmoil during the break up of the Soviet Union, which is why it is all the more astounding even all these years on that it had quite such a fertile and innovative music scene. In 1984, Zoran Jevtic and Zoran Vracevic were a key part of it and helped revolutionise the sound of the day by introducing synth-pop, breakbeat and hip-hop with their Data and The Master Scratch Band projects. Their releases paved the way for modern electronic sounds and this album dives deep into that era and compiles their earliest unreleased works from between 1981 and 1983. It's a daring exploration of genres including industrial, EBM, minimal synth and electro-funk. It adds up to a true digger's gem that will significantly elevate your vinyl-hunting credentials without having to do the hard work yourself.
Review: Monica Venturella is a rising talent from Sicily who is fresh off a much talked about performance for System Error on the MS Hoppetosse. At just 22 years old, Monica has already won over knowing audiences with her self-produced tracks and slamming sets. Now, the self-taught musician develops her sound further with elements of high-energy electro, raw emotion and smart melody. 'Arabian Nights' marries tough drums with whimsical melodies, 'Expectations' is a real crunchy house stomper with blazing synths and 'Respect Your Fantasy' is stiff but playful with 8-bit synths bringing colour. 'Dans Avec Moi' shuts down with more rough and tough tech beats.
Review: The first ever vinyl record to the name of Italian prodcuer Verniss (aka. VerniB) hears the artist expedite three floor-fillers for the Seekers sublabel Twig. Efficiency is the key word here; each track emphasises less productive floweriness and more floor-readiness, though that isn't to say the record lacks subtle embellishment: 'FS Polymonkey' is especially jamboree-ish, its organic, tuned percussions merging, grading with those which are synthetic. The mood of a metallic biotic rave continues well onto the itinerant B-sider 'Travel Smp'.
Review: The ever-versatile Dutchman that is Versalife returns with more of his artfully crafted techno fusions, this time for the Spanish label Apnea. 'Colorvi' kicks off with a jumbled of glistening synth lines, tumbling arps and bristling drums that awaken every sense in your body. 'Omen Observer' has a darker underlying bassline but still gets lit up with sparkling keys that dart about the mix. 'Prophetic Traces' keeps the energy levels up with more fresh broken beat workouts and glowing, pixel-thin synths while 'Out Of Ether' shuts down with a fourth and final electro-techno fusion with an acid and squelchy bassline.
Review: Versalife is a master of the deep and one of many aliases from the Dutchman born Boris Bunnik. From dub to techno to the electro he explores here, his grainy sound is impossibly atmospheric. 'Copepods' opens up with far-sighted and sustained chords that speak of a future metropolis and 'Ultraviolet' then rides a lush broken rhythm and has melodies that glow like fireflies. 'Counter-illumination' gets more turbulent with its edgy lines and rubbery reverberating bassline and 'Vortex Storm' is like a reflective hall of mirrors with tension and eeriness in the air.
Review: Versalife is one of the many aliases of prolific Dutch producer Versalife. It is where he explores electro in meticulous detail and this new Technofeudalism 12" is as good as it gets. 'Cataclysm' kicks off with a deft and broken beat rhythm, celestial chords and eerie little melodic details that keep you on your toes. 'Intrusion' is darker and more direct with a menacing bassline. 'Syndicate War' ups the ante once more with more energetic rhythms and jagged synths flashing across the face of the tune while 'Axon Terminal' is a moody closer with bittersweet melancholic in the pads.
Review: Achingly Responsive is the label run by UK-based Vertical Cat. Amazingly, it started in 2002, but put out only two EPs in the next two years. After one in 2020, now it is back once again with some stunning new material from label head Dan Arthure which again has us swimming in deep house, acid, downtempo, dub and techno waters. His silky sounds take in the high speed techno catharsis of 'Parole', crunchier bumps of 'Luna' and warm, progressive styles of 'Papaver' while 'Moss (Electro Origins mix)' closes in dreamy deep space electro fashion.
Review: Originally hailing from The Isle of Wight but now based in West Norwood, South London, Vertical Cat has been releasing tunes since 2001 on imprints like Smallfish, Vice and his own rather wonderfully named Achingly Responsive, but now finds himself delivering seven varied creations for Chicago's Kimochi Sound to issue via the kind of hand-numbered, limited edition run that's sure to get trainspotters salivating like Pavlov's dogs. From the jazz-inflected phrasing, subtle phasing and jiggly sub-bass of 'Go Willy-nilly' to the Mills-esque thumpfunk of 'Oh You Mucky Bugger!', there's a bit of everything here, but every last moment is delivered with quality and clearly perceptible personality. You've also got to love outro track 'I'm Leaving', which soundtracks an awkward call to HR with some nicely cheeky, perky exotica.
Review: Vertical67 makes a striking debut on Mechatronica with a powerful lineup of hypnotic, melodic, and darkly futuristic club tracks, weaving through electro, techno, breaks and acid. Each cut on this release pushes boundaries, balancing hard-edged rhythms with entrancing atmospheres that keep the energy high yet immersive. This selection is as much a journey as it is a dancefloor experience, showcasing Vertical67's knack for blending genres into a dystopian yet deeply engaging soundscape.
Review: Vertigini's Thunder EP is an electrifying journey through 80s-inspired Italo house, disco and space funk, spiced with a touch of electro. Released on Bordello A Parigi, this EP perfectly captures the essence of Nu-Disco and Balearic House. Side-1 opens with 'Thunder,' a track brimming with futuristic Italo house vibes, melodic synths, and electro flair. 'Galaxy Funk' follows with great keys and a catchy acid line, making it an instant favourite. Side-2 shifts the mood with 'Final Space,' presenting more serious, French-sounding house elements that add depth to the EP. 'Space Trip' concludes the record on a high note, offering fun and melodic rhythms that encapsulate the playful spirit of space funk. Thunder EP is a vibrant, nostalgic, and innovative collection that will resonate with fans of disco and Nu-Disco. Looking for something unique? Check this out.
Review: Vibez 93 offer an eclectic mix of bootlegged drum & bass remix styles on their latest unknown artist EP here. In the ten-or-so minute interval that makes up the A-side, we span hip-d&b to instrumental liquid: 'That Once' functions as a rattling remix version of Beyonce's 'Yonce', acapella culled from her Homecoming Live album. Then 'Teardrop', you guessed it, serves an incredibly well-mixed version of Massive Attack's eponymous pre-eminent. B-siders 'Honey' and 'Who Got Me' move increasingly r&b come d&b, the B1 plot-twisting Erykah Badu's 'Honey' and 'Who Got Me' reworking Alina Baraz.
Review: Fokuz Recordings' Vibez 93 departs from its typical lineup of unknown artists to present a set of liquid drum & bass remixes on a 12" vinyl, where the original artists are named this time. On the A-side, there are impactful and energetic pop remixes of Racoon's Love You More and Dustin Tebbutt's Resin. The B-side offers a lighter yet equally lively vibe, featuring versions of DJ Spoony's Gabrielle and NxWorries' Where I Go, showcasing the record's commitment to a fluid liquid sound.
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