KEEPSAKES Vinilo y CD

Review: New Zealand-based producer Keepsakes follows his appearance on a split Oaks 12" back in July 2023 with his first full release since early 2022, also his first EP for the label. "Definitely stepping into some new territory on this one," he told us, "with some tracks that are a bit on the funkier side and even a bit of euphoria too alongside the harder stuff I've usually been known for." The five tracks here are hard but definitely blessed with a muscular grooviness, the likes of 'Dog Anonymous Fluid', 'Funk The Influence' and 'Egotistic Horn' all tempering the robotic machinefunk with sampled up, tactile human voices. The latter of those three is our favourite of the five, the theoretical answer to the question 'what would Yello have sounded like if they'd recorded for Underground Resistance?' Definitely a Keeper.

Review: Well, at least Keepsakes aka James Barrett is waving the techno flag for New Zealand, while most of his compatriots are delving in raucous levels of sub-bass. However, one thing that characterises Barrett's music is, indeed, the low frequencies, and this is true of his latest release, Perspectives From A Sterile Hellhole, out through his newly found Haven imprint. "Mind Your Manners Munted Millennial" is, as you'd expect, an absolute firebomb of a tune, banging its heavy kicks about the place with absolutely no care in the world, while "Maximum Mind Control" unleashes a deadly barrage of distorted synths on the floor. On the flip, "Pick 'Em Till They Bleed" is the Container sort of techno, dishing out toxic bass like DJAX used to; the Ansome remix breaks the groove and uses new levels of duttiness to destroy the place. Technoid tip!