Review: NY breakbeat craftsman 88 Katanas gets explorative on Silent Force with four outstanding jungle adventures. The brilliantly titled 'The Standard Of The Archipelago' ignites the EP with a brisk drumfunk type of flavour that's comparable to Seba. From there we move inland to brutalist terrains... 'Radiant Energy' is a halftime march through thick swamps and woodland, and 'Bit Rot' takes us onto elevated fields where the air is fresher but the ground is very slippery underfoot. 'Subconscious Emotions', meanwhile, takes us back to a much calmer shore where a good looking ship awaits for voyage home.
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.
Scene 1 (original version Of Shk Movie Soundtrack Scene 1) (9:02)
Review: A minimalist masterpiece, this 12" captures the raw, uncompromising spirit of the early days of Sahko, the Finnish label which brought us Pan(a)sonic, Jimi Tenor and many other greats. On Side-1, 'Kuvio' pulses with hypnotic precision, its sparse yet resonant bleep pattern unfolding with a mechanical elegance that defines the label's aesthetic. Stripped to its essential elements, it's a study in restraintievery kick, every frequency shift carefully placed for maximum impact. Side-2 ventures into more atmospheric terrain, offering an extended take on an excerpt from the Sahko Movie soundtrack. Dubby electro textures intertwine with eerie space-age sonics, creating a sense of vastness and isolation. There's a weightless quality to it, as if floating in some abandoned industrial zone, the echoes of machines long dormant still humming in the background. Originally from the Metri album, 'Kuvio' distills the essence of its eraiwhere techno, ambient and experimental electronics blurred into something both cerebral and deeply physical. It remains a timeless document of innovation, showcasing a singular vision that continues to influence artists across genres. Essential listening for those who appreciate the purity of sound design and the art of reduction.
Now Is Your Time (A Lost Story) (feat Jenifa Mayanja) (7:07)
Review: This three-track release from a legendary Toronto house producer is a cream example in deep house sophistication. 'Kickstarter (Mainpass)' opens with jazzy, melodic elegance, its slick, clean production exuding class and warmth. The track's deep grooves and epic progression make it very appealing for DJ's. 'Music For Table Tennis' shifts gears with an electro-tinged beat, enveloping listeners in a lush, deep soundscape that radiates beauty and warmth. Closing the EP, 'Now Is Your Time (A Lost Story)' featuring Jenifa Mayanja, blends deep house and techno into an atmospheric masterpiece. The production here is next level, with intricate textures and a hypnotic flow. Rooted in the spirit of New York house but imbued with a contemporary finesse, this is a refined and essential deep house release.
Review: Acid Sessions Vol. 3 is another white-knuckle journey into the world of acid with five top talents in the field all pushing their own limits. Acidulant opens with "Serpentacid' featuring hypnotic 303 grooves and relentless energy, then Sarufaromeo & Papaverhof deliver 'Acid Nihonshu' which blends atmospheric depth with chaotic acid vibes. G303 takes you beyond with 'Live Long and Prosper,' an interstellar anthem filled with cosmic acid and resonant grooves. Paul Renard closes with 'SO36' which is all about the fat rhythms and powerful dancefloor drive. Long live acid is what we say.
Review: This new solo outing from Aussie talent Ad Nauseaum has it all - acid, rave, techno, hardcore and more. 'Omega System' sets a pretty brutal tone to get things underway with filtered synths and blazing acid lines searing about the mix over raw, hard, flat drums. 'Alpha System' is even quicker and brings serrated synth madness to video game motifs and slamming kicks. Last of all is 'Always Acid,' a track that was made back in 2004 but doesn't sound in any way out of date. It's another one to blow the roof off any party.
Review: After spending the majority of his 20-plus-year career flitting between the Kompakt and Coneme labels, Matias Aguayo makes a rare outing on another label - a delayed debut for Matt 'Radio Slave' Edwards' REKIDS imprint. In its' original form (side A), 'El Internet' is a typically off-kilter affair in which his own poetic, spoken word vocals (in Chilean, of course) and fuzzy, elongated synth sounds ride a beefy but wonky bassline and the long-serving producer's usual South American-tinged, hand percussion-enhanced hybrid house/techno grooves. It comes accompanied by a vocal-free instrumental mix, where the full breadth and depth of Aguayo's production can be heard, and a useful acapella DJ tool.
Review: Nail is one of UK house music's most vital contributors. His raw sound pioneered a new style of tech house in the 90s and here he reappears under a different alias, AM Vibe. 'Vibe With Me' kicks off with nice loose drums and perc and jazzy keys adding the warmth and soul. 'I'm So High' brings some loopy and filtered fun and phased vocals for a sleazy feel, then 'Dried Fruit' gets more upbeat with lush synth swirls and effortlessly cool drums and rich r&b vocal samples. 'Powder' closes out with some thumping kicks and more tender vocal stabs. As always, this is brilliantly heartfelt and effective tackle from Nail.
Review: It doesn't seem like the hard techno revolution is going anywhere any time soon. AnD (techno) is a label making sure of that and its sixth missive from the boss is another one to make the eyes water and the heart race. The white knuckle slammer that is 'I Got So Much' kicks off and then 'Screeching' does just that with a terrifying sense of anxiety and menace. 'Your Energy' is all glitchy sounds, squealing textures, hard techno drums and twisted sirens and the final part of this techno equivalent of a Monster energy drink overload is the rip-snorting 'On A Mission.'
Review: On The Button is a Leeds based record label and party that has a cultured following. Its first musical outing drew rightful praise and now comes a second, this time from Barcelona based Aniano. This one is not short on energy: opener 'No Me Dejo Enganar (feat Rub Db)' has a filthy bassline that will get lips curled in mock disgust. It's fat-assed tech with real swagger and 'Did You Want This' keeps the vibes flowing with more fresh sounds designs and characterful basslines. 'Spellbound Sage' is marked with intriguing sound designs and warped pads, digital melodies and wonky energy and 'Futuristic Residential Area' is a fine experimental closer that is dense and inventive.
Review: Last spotted raising hell and taking names with Jon 1st on Defrostatica, Arcane (who is also known as one half of the more mainstream-sounding d&b act Kleu) goes full nelson on the breaks with these two choppy choppy bangers on Foxy Jangle. Both cuts focussing on the drums, subs, samples and FX, these are fully timeless trips and sculpted strictly for the heads. Great for losing yourself inside at 3am and even better to mix. Just like concrete.
Review: On 'Ten Steps' and its accompanying tracks, new Fokuz signee Archangel nails a much coveted mixture of sweetness, simplicity and maximalism, etching and planing each final mix as though they were blocks of marble to produce a muted, yearning and propulsive set of workouts in hard liquid. Higher powers and penitent milestones are invoked on the title track, with its memoric cascades of yearner vocals and una corda pianos set against piston-powered breaks. 'U & I' goes on to swirl its vocal samples into sloshy sci-fi garbles of emo science, while 'Darkside' near-perfectly hangs the balance between headbang jump-up and resolute emotion. Serious stuff from the 12" newcomer.
Review: This is the first in a new collaborative series between Derailed Records and Planet Rhythm who have teamed up for a new vinyl series that launches with Rotterdam's ARKVS. 'Sonus' rumbles with low-end threat and fizzy static that locks you in the moment. 'Deviate (feat Ronald Nels)' is more sparse with claps echoing out to an event horizon as supple acid tones linger in the air. 'Amphibian Velocity' layers up gurgling synths and pent-up drum tension and 'Crashing Rhythms' is a punchy but deep closer and a fourth and final evocative and sophisticated offering which gets this series underway in style.
Review: The ASHPPE series has been nothing if not unhurried. It started several years ago but always results in essential outings when they do come. The fourth transmission from the techno talent emerges from subterranean shadows with three tracks aimed squarely at the club. 'Judge' is tightly looped and edgy without letting you settle and 'Deeper' then brings muscular broken beat patterns, glitchy textures and raw hits into a futuristic techno soundscape. 'The Box' brings bright and shimmering synth smears to more contorted and twisted drum patterns that demand your more inventive moves.
South Of The Clouds Part 2 (Gregor Tresher remix) (11:25)
South Of The Clouds Part 2 (Extrawelt remix) (6:23)
South Of The Clouds Part 2 (2025 remastered edit) (5:53)
Review: Aural Float's 'South Of The Clouds' first evaporated, then fell as rain in the form of a two-parter progressive trance track released on a wider EP out on Elektrolux Records in 1995. Said to have effortlessly captured the feel and fervour of the Frankfurt trance zietgeist, the creative trio of Alex Azary, Gabriel Mastichidis and Pascal Dardoufas were over the moon to have heard their EP opener claimed as a scene favourite. Now after almost 30 years of cloud residence time do we hear two further precipitations of the already 26-minute (in total) track, by Gregor Tresher and Extrawelt respectively.
Review: Planet Rhythm bring a high-energy, percussion-driven EP from this hot new Brazilian producer. Side-1 launches with 'Latin Hot Sauce', a tribal-infused, mysterious techno cut that rides on rolling drums and deep, hypnotic grooves. 'Small Talk' follows with relentless, loopy energyidriving, hard-hitting and built for peak-time chaos. On Side-2, 'Locking Collar' dives into darker territory with subterranean bass and pounding beats, creating some heady atmosphere. Closing things out, 'Overcharged' brings a playful, high-voltage energy, balancing intensity with a sense of movement that keeps dancefloors locked in. A dynamic ride through modern techno's heavier side, built for DJs who thrive on pushing momentum forward.
Review: The Birgan project is all about melding diverse musical words - ambient, techno and Afro-inspired polyrhythms - into something that is utterly unique. Many artists set out with this intention but few achieve it as successfully as this one, as this sensational EP shows. It is an immersive and escapist five-track work of stunning sound designs and inventive rhythm that feels both organic and natural yet synthetic and futuristic. The tracks explore deep, mysterious sonic landscapes that are both tranquil yet complex and make for an immersive, thought-provoking listen from the dubscapes of 'Beats Of The Congo Cosmos' to the more psychedelic realms of 'Subaquatic Sonic Voyage'.
Review: We shall never apologise for our love for the work of Steve O'Sullivan. His contributions to the world of dub techno are second to none. They are also mad consistent both in style and quality which means they never age. Here he steps up to Lempuyang with his Blue Channel alias alongside Jonas Schachner aka Another Channel for more silky smooth fusions of authentic dub culture and Maurizo-style techno deepness. Watery synths, hissing hi-hats with long trails and dub musings all colour these dynamic grooves. They're cavernous and immersive and frankly irresistible and the sort of tracks that need to be played loud in a dark space. In that context, you'll never want them to end.
Hate 2 Love U (feat Ari Lashell Marquinn Mason) (3:34)
Patterns (5:56)
Sex Fire Passion (4:52)
Wya (3:19)
Review: Luminaries of the St. Louis and Atlantan experimental dance circuits, Blvck Spade and Stefan Ringer reign over similar territories in the niche downland of raw, soulful house. Here the pair team up for the first time ever for a notable Touching Bass debut, with Ringer handling production and Spvde masterminding all things poetic, choral and verbal. Building on both artists' slowly accrued, and now prolific, contributions to such labels as Eglo, FWM and Dolfin Records, this newly erected album-temple hears the duo shift impossible sacral brickwork by the force of composition alone, with star relic 'YOURZZZ' especially cultivating an inner sanctum of humid cowbell, funky acid line, and theophanic vocal run.
Review: Almost a year after his last outing on Dungeon Meat, Amsterdam's Borren is back with more hefty slabs of hardcore house and garage fusions. 'Space Mode' kicks off with shuffling beats and low sling bass that can't fail to amp the party. 'UKTD Gangsterloop' is another naughty and smiling cut with characterful samples and filthy bass. There's some nice and trippy melon to 'Warp Garage' that makes it perfect for those inky blue late night hours and 'Zeer Zakelijk' shuts down with chunky drum funk and rolling bass that is so deep it rattles foundations.
Review: After a blistering first 'Hot Creations Sampler' EP heard an inaugural black-gold palm tree get blown down, with everyone to hear it, now comes a gratifyingly quick follow-up, this time with Steve Bug, Denney, Joshwa, Vintage Culture, Vinter and Hot Since 82 all in tow. No-one misses a kick, with Bug & Denney's opening gambit 'That Beat' locking down a morse bassline against stereo planed beat axis; Hot Since 82 contrasts with the incredibo 'Sonedo', which relays pop dance saxophony a-la Alexandra Stan through a believably ecstatic deep house filter. Second's the best!
Review: Cosmic vibes, disco roots and a touch of robot melancholy, created during a time of isolation and strange moments apparently, so channels feelings of longing and creativity into something playful and deeply human. We're told that what began as an open-ended studio session became a journey fuelled by synthesisers, with Luis adding guitar and Marabou handling gear and recording. The tracks balance nostalgia and futurism across remixes from I-f, Gerd Janson and Dan Tyler of the Idjut Boys.
Review: Massive jazzdance and UK bass fusions on the new e-glowup from Eglo (though the record is also released physically). Celebrating 15 years of the nominal "post-dubstep" label, this limited 12" EP hears four exclusive, unreleased tracks from an upcoming label-definer compilation, the third in a series. Born from the basement of Plastic People, the pressure has remained continuously on Eglo to keep the same foment of bass musical innovation that the club nurtured alive. Plastic People is a routinised object of nostalgia, and it is often deemed the last proper place for innovation in bass music before austerity Britain militated against it. Zed Bias's remix of Chunky's 'Dancing On Tables' with Metrodome - and the deep, bruk-inspired track, 'Minerals,' from Liverpool's rising star Sticky Dub - both prove this assessment totally wrong. Genius thrives. On the flip, we've also house legend Giles Smith (formerly of Secretsundaze) delivering fresh material, as well as label boss Alexander Nut making his official debut with the lo-fi electro house track 'Arcade Fun Pt. 1.' The full compilation, featuring artists like Shy One, Steve Spacek, and Fatima, drops in April.
Review: The 15-year anniversary of Coki's 'Goblin' is upon us and forms part of UKF Dubstep's UKF15 sreies, which also celebrates 15 years of UKF with multiple series of releases spanning drum & bass, dubstep and beyond. Now pressed to 12" black vinyl, and helming up an A-sider's stardom compared to the original Ringo Records 12"'s B-side, 'Goblin' gets the respect it deserves. Once famed and flamed for being one of "the tunes that spawned brostep" alongside 'Spongebob', 'Goblin' is a seriously impish impressor - its snagletooth lead line emblematic of Coki's signature noughts breakout sound - and the track has never sounded so especially powerful and puckish as it does now, with extra reverb and decay effects peppered in. And on the B, fast-riser producer Hamdi provides an asphyxiant B-side, contrasting the original's fanged sludge.
Review: New US label Soft Spoken Secret does a fine job of asserting itself from the off with this tasteful drop from Adam Collins. His 'Coming Together' is a busy minimal tech sound with plenty of things to keep your attention beyond the bubbly groove. Deft pads and airy hi-hats, rising bass sequences and hints of acid make it a real gem. Then comes a 100hz DC10 remix with wonky low ends and more stripped back designs for late night sessions. Finally, the 100hz Concorde remix brings more widescreen synths and patient tension building.
Review: Concept Werkstatt is an experimental project, not defined by identity but by pure sound and vision. It offers a space, say the eponymous producer behind the beats, where music exists for its own sake, free from ego and expectation. The first transmission is a useful one that taps into tool-like techno. The opener is in a hurry to get you under its spell with dusty drums and fluttering percussion. 'Stahlwerk 102' is more raw with unsettling vocals beaming in as if down a badly tuned radio and two flip-side cuts keep things wonderfully weird.
Review: Bristol label-turned-blog Innate launches a new sub-label, Innate Editions, which it says is dedicated to timeless UK techno, IDM, electro and ambient music, and it'll all come on heavyweight vinyl to boot. The first release revives Connective Zone's Palm Palm, a millennium-era cult classic and Ben UFO favourite that first came out on Mark Broom and Dave Hill's Unexplored Beats in 2001. Now, this long-out-of-print, expensive and hard to find gem has been remastered by Jamie Anderson and so sounds superb with many lavish electronic layers, richly emotive melodies and dynamic drums that lean on UK techno, IDM, and deep electro. Sounds as good now as it ever did.
Review: Patrick Conway is back on ESP Institute for a third time and the returns are as brilliant as the first two outings with plenty of emotional depth on display. Opener 'Loss' sets a melancholic tone with a repeating high piano note guiding a poignant chord progression, angelic voices and a modulating synth all sinking you in. That contrasts with a gritty rhythm section made from corroded dancehall elements all bathed in saturation for added authenticity. On the B-side, 'Silencio' explores negative space and rhythmic dialogue using anthemic synth stabs to unify the more meandering melodies. When chaos and order synchronise with force like this, there is fun to be had.
Right Here Right Now (Opolopo instrumental remix) (5:12)
Nothing But Love (DJ Friction vocal remix) (4:07)
Review: On his 2023 Soul Fiction album, Berlin scene stalwart Cosmo Klein utilised a wide range of high-quality jazz musicians, recording their contributions in a campervan he'd turned into a mobile studio. Pal Daniel Best was impressed, so has decided to get the best tracks from the LP remixed. On this tidy four-tracker, we're treated to a rubbery, disco-fired interpretation of 'Nothing But Love' by Art of Tones, a propulsive dub-blues take on 'Life Back Now' by Freerange Records regular Philippa, and vocal and instrumental takes on 'Right Here Right Now' by man-for-all-seasons Opolopo. He naturally delivers the goods, wrapping P-funk and boogie influenced synths, snaking sax lines and jazzy piano motifs around a heavy electronic bassline and loose-limbed deep house drums. A genuinely superb remix package all told.
Review: Burnski's high-quality Constant Black is back with more essential club-ready sounds. Donnie Cosmo and Pascal Benjamin step up for one side of action each. Cosmo's 'Holo Glitch' is first and pairs balmy synth work that is colourful and silky with some punchy tech drums and rolling bass that pulls you in deep. 'Echo Drift' is another lithe and lively one to get you on your toes while the groove flows and 'Airplane Mode' is another stylish mix of lush synth design and great rhythm. Benjamin's trio on the flip is a little more gritty with industrial-space-tech many the most fitting way to describe these curious cosmic cuts.
Review: Rhythm N Vibe label head Marc Cotterell strides into 2025 with a killer new three-track EP featuring plenty of his signature garage and house crossover jams. 'Annihilate The Rhythm' gets things underway with some rave-ready sirens and tightly programmed beats and bubbly bass. UK talent JACKARD steps up to remix and does so with razor-sharp hi-hats and low-slung kicks that bring the sleaze. 'Floor Dance' then brings the funk with some playful chord sequences and swirling pads and fFeed Your Soul' shuts down with aching vocal hooks and old school piano energy over some fresh US house drums.
Review: The brilliant Room In The Sky All Stars presents a heavyweight roots reggae slab here with some serious steppers from guests Joseph Cotton, Laylah Arruda, Ashanti Selah and Rivah Jordan. This essential 12" includes two new tracks, each with four mixes that take the original into all new sonic realms. Rico from the renowned OBF Sound System and Dubquake Records does a fine job with his versions which spin out 'ever bless' into worlds of reverb and lyrical worship. 'Mother Nature' is another impassioned sound with swirling Latin vocals and florid melodies.
Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Drop Music marks a marvellous quarter of a century of releases with this new slab of vinyl featuring some gems from disco funksters Crazy P and the house mainstays Inland Knights. Crazy P go first with 'Disc Odyssey' which is perfectly indicative of their much beloved sound with its low slung kicks and funky bassline. Inland Knights then offer a trio of in demand & unreleased tracks. 'Overnight' is a bumming deep house joint, 'Walk On' has an icy late night vibe and balmy pads and 'Do It Again is a more playful closer, with some killer b-line action. All four, needless to say, are timeless gems, and the fact the last two are appearing on vinyl first the first time makes it an even more desirable cop.
Review: Techno doesn't come much more pure and effective than when it is served up by the Planet Rhythm label. At the helm of this fresh serving is Creznight. He goes straight in at the deep end with the muscular drum funk and tightly lopped vocal fragments of 'With You' which soon get you banging the walls. 'March on Mars' is just as direct but funky with warm and punchy kicks triggering percussive rolls and smeared synths. 'Backstab' shows no let up in the drum pressure but does have a more deft melodic touch that allows in some light and 'Instinct' shuts down with more well designed loops, a hint of 90s minimalism and a taught bassline that keeps things moving at pace.
Review: The Crime Partners duo from Nantes, French, are no strangers to this label, having dropped plenty of heat here before. This new EP is another one primed and ready for the club: 'Pumping Bush' bursts out of the blocks with musical drum funk and classic dub chords smeared over the top. 'Raindrops' is a grainy and monochrome dub techno driver with endless reverb to get lost in and 'Deep Cover' is an unsettling pumper that keeps you on edge with its nervy synth loops. There is more upright and punchy techno fun on 'You Got Our Vibe' and 'Keep Pushing' while 'One More' is a great and gritty warehouse banger.
Southern Coastline (Jack Lever Northern mix) (4:05)
Southern Coastline (Inhmost Coastal mix) (6:27)
Southern Coastline (Synkro remix) (5:39)
Review: Inspired by "slow and quiet life on the southern coasts of England", the debut from CVOIA - a new collaboration between producers and Captured Visions label founders Adam O'Hara and Tom Parker - offers gorgeously lolloping, lazy beats and expansive, cinematic orchestration. There's the brittle, slow motion breakbeats and woozy instrumentation of the duo's original, then remixes from four of their favourite acts: Awakened Souls, Inhmost, Jack Lever and Synkro. All the tracks are about as strenuous as an afternoon on the beach, and equally nourishing, with Synkro's rich, synth-soaked near-ambient mix a dramatic, undisputed highlight. Jack Lever's Northern Mix, meanwhile, wouldn't sound out of place nestled somewhere in Mo'Wax's first dozen or so releases. High praise indeed, but much deserved.
Review: Death, taxes and quality techno from Planet Rhythm are the three sureties of life. The label that maintains a high laity output and never strays from its blueprint is back with more functional and well-formed sounds, this time from Mattia Dambrosio. He opens with a cut doused in static, fizzing synth lines and with a funky, mid-tempo beat on 'Spring.' 'Ossidiana' dials it back to allow the dub chords and deep roaming bassline room to lure you in then 'Domani' mesmerises with silky synth sequences that glow bright above an implied rhythm. 'Stabs' is an upright and warm techno pumper with Detroit chords and 'Warmer' then takes you way down deep into cavernous underground dub worlds.
Chez Damier - "Speechless" (Chez Damier Panorama Bar remix) (5:04)
Makez - "Rocket Music" (5:15)
Alkalino - "Rio" (Alkalino rework) (5:30)
Gledd - "Sere Yo" (5:31)
Review: Adeen Records returns with a superb EP that blends a classic with three new and fresh unreleased tracks. Deep house don Chez Damier's Panorama Bar Remix kicks off and is a a 2021 standout with a killer baseline and Spanish guitar that brings some sunny soul and makes for some top level house grooves. Makez then shines with 'Rocket Music' which has a chunky low end and glistening, golden piano chords making it a late night favourite. On the B-side, Adeen regular Alkalino delivers a tropical-infused edit for the peak time and Gledd closes with a classy cut 'Sere Yo' that is all about the drums. Lovely stuff.
Review: The world of dark disco tech is vast and so covers plenty of niches and nuances with artists all over the world adding their voice to the conversation. Spanish label Waste Editions offers up four more to the mix here with another well-assembled VA. Dark Vektor's 'Amb La Mirada Ens Menjarem' begins with some synth sounds that evoke a horror scene over snappy drums and sleazy guitar riffs. Synth Alien's 'Replica Cosmica' gets a little more loose but still comes with evocative vocal samples and a characterful world of synth sounds, some that fart, some that gurgle, some that amuse. Imiafan's 'Stupaj (Keen K RMX)' is another prying, loopy sound brought to life with myriad effects, textures and vocal snippets and Wardum shuts down with 'Wrambling' which has grinding bass and scuttling effects topped with occult vocals.
Review: DC11's approach to techno is that he is always trying to find the perfect loop. Whether or not he thinks he has on this latest EP for Dutch label TH Tar Hallow, he sure does hit a nice sweet spot between dub, techno, depth and drive. 'Forced Removal' is a fierce opener with twitchy synths peeling off the muscular drums. The hulking great groove of 'A Vast Reserve Of Indifference' keeps the pressure on while 'Florus' is lit up with synths that shiver across the face of the drums. After a locked groove comes the menacing funk of 'Terribly Partial.' Serious tackle.
Review: Drei Vinyl launched back in 2023 and has slowly but surely amassed a respectable catalogue of various artists' releases. This sixth outing is the most straight-up techno offering yet and it opens with one of Spain's finest in Eduardo De La Calle. 'Deva5Vyasa' is heady and otherworld loop techno perfection with synth daubs and conscious vocals peppering the rubbery kicks. DJ Shufflemaster brings more texture to the raw, percussive madness of 'Axiom' and Tensal layers up unsettling and anxious synth murmurs with rising drum tension on 'Thermal Cycler.' Pergo's 'Lume' is a brash, industrial closer full of urgency.
Dead Man's Chest - "Living Real" (Artificial Red remix) (5:41)
L Own X Response - "Rumination Cycles" (7:59)
Eusebeia - "Affinity" (5:44)
Esc - "Hot Hands" (7:11)
Review: Dead Man's Chest is about to unleash all kinds of breakbeat mayhem with the third volume of Western Lore's Blunted Breaks series and here's a little taster of the full flavour experience to expect. Artificial Red kicks off with a hazy-but-heavy remix of DMC's 'Living Real' before L Own & Response's 'Rumination Cycles' enshrouds us with rasping tendrils of acid and loose live drum breaks. Flip for two more breath-taking moments in (blunted) breakcraft as Eusebeia captures that early Good Looking magic on 'Affinity' and ESC closes the EP with the powerful, cobweb blast celebration of hardcore's influence on 'Hot Hands'. Get blunted!
Review: Alex Eveson aka Dead Man's Chest is the man behind the Bristol-based Western Lore label, which is a trusted source of some mad cap jungle. The man himself is back with more such sounds here, starting with the impassioned vocal cries and soulful pad work of 'How U Wanna Do This Baby?'. The vibes keep flowing when 'U Don't Know Me' drops with some old school piano energy and unrelenting amen breaks. It's controlled chaos with great filter work building the tension and 'How U Wanna (Jungle edit)' shuts down with hyper speed drums and devastating snare work while the angelic vocal tones soar.
Review: Karol Mozgawa is Polish techno talent Deas, and he brings his class to Planet Rhythm here, although it's Ferdinger remix of 'Dissociation' which gets things underway. It's a speedy and supple techno pile-driver with euphoric chords sure to elevate the 'floor. '8 AM' is much more mechanical and industrial with unrelenting drums and textured hooks peeling off the beats. 'Dissociation' in original form is a classic bit of soulful hi-tek Motor City goodness and 'Error' closes with some raved up synth madness and super-sized hi hats.
Review: Long awed electronic rock moniker Death In Vegas, formerly a duo but now largely masterminded by one Richard Maguire, brings its latest set of cutting room floorers to a very different kind of (dark dance-) floor. The new 'Acid Rejects' series hears DIV cycle through offcut avant-gardisms and industrial churns, veering heavily on sides of unpolished and intense. The daymare 'While My Machines Gently Weep' mourns in dialogue with the synths used to make the track, with its gurgling sawbasses, while the lighter lilt that takes the EP's title manifests as a recompensing sonic dream, with sonar tweeter synths fading in and out over a painterly soundscape.
Border One - "Organoid" (Jeroen Search remix) (5:47)
Review: Binar's fifth outing looks to a selection of talented remixers to add their own spin to some stylish techno originals. First, it is Decka's 'Alignment' that gets reworked by Efdemin, who we haven't heard from for a while but are glad to do so now. He flips it into a straight-up and smooth techno pumper with fuzzy pads softening the edges. Next, Amotik brings some urgent synth pulses and hunched-up drum funk to 'Remains Mystery' and The Lady Machine remix of 'Run' is all fat, drunken synths tumbling about with jacked-up drums and analogue hits. Jeroen Search brings some signature future cosmic energy to his take on Border One's 'Organoid.'
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