JACK SMOOTH Vinilo y CD

Review: Man of many aliases Ron Wells is undoubtedly an under-appreciated British dance music hero - a producer who delivered a string of innovative jungle-techno releases in the early 90s and has been serving up killer cuts in a variety of styles ever since. Here he dons the Jack Smooth alias (a moniker he debuted way back in 1991) for a collaborative four-tracker alongside fellow storied veteran Anthony Wilson AKA Chicago Loop. They begin in sensational fashion via the bleep-sporting analogue acid house of 'Waverider', before opting for warehouse-ready early UK techno sounds on the gnarled and nasty 'Innervision'. 'Blunderbuss' adds warped hardcore rave sounds to a sweat-soaked jackin' house beat, while 'Under The Influence' sounds like a long lost, loved-up tech-house blueprint from 1994. Stellar stuff all told.

Review: It is now Jack Smooth's turn to serve up some sonic brilliance on the hardcore-focused Cantina Cuts. And he does so with a great blend of old-school authenticity but new-school sound design. His rave stabs are tightly coiled and looped, the bass is fleshy and elastic and the vocal samples add that unique character. Once the pianos arrive, the euphoria flows freely. On the reverse is 'Groove Tek' which is a prog techno come jungle fusion which never lets up and is packed with energy and deepness.