FLORA FM Vinilo y CD

Review: Hailing from Michigan now based in Seattle, producer Taylor Hawkins offers 4 tracks for his debut on Vanity Press Records. Though a new name to most, he's no stranger to the game, with releases under the alias Community Corporation on the Crisis Urbana and Argot labels. In shifting to the Flora FM moniker, Hawkins explores aquatic themes and space funk while retaining an undeniable Midwest bounce.

Review: "Gazillions" marks a first VA offering for the Fever AM label. It calls upon emerging producers from around the world and kicks off with Russian duo Formally Unknown. "Lotus Turbo" is a squelchy electro workout with kick drums to die for. CCL and Flora FM then come together for "Iridescent Lake", an utterly wild drum workout that will blow your socks off. London based brothers Ed and Rob work together as Paper on the old school bleep techno cut "Beaman" before Silene rounds things out with "Jiro", the most experimental of the lot thanks to its hall of mirror feel, slithering synths and jerking rhythms. Fresh indeed.

Review: For the latest release on her admirable Planet Euphorique imprint, Sophie Sweetland has gathered together a quartet of box-fresh club cuts from up-and-coming artists. As you'd expect, much of the material is psychedelic and intoxicating, reprocessing a range of vintage influences in a myriad of ways. Killer DJ's kick things off via the epic trip that is "Track 1", a saucer-eyed fusion of tropical house drums, ambient techno electronics and humid samples. Dj Donini raises the temperature further via the retro-futurist techno trip of "Donini's Dream", before CCL and Flora FM join forces on the bassbin-bothering tribal shuffle of "Liquify Interference". SMP rounds things off in fine style with "Natty Bop", a similarly bass-heavy fusion of skipping, post two-step beats, spacey sounds and low-end power.