KIM COSMIK Vinilo y CD

Review: Ralph Lawson's Leeds based 20/20 Vision label has made a distinctive shift into electro territory over the last couple years. It is a sound the boss has said has long been in his heart despite him being best known as a house head and longtime resident at Back to Basics, and the quality of the tunes he unearths to put out more than backs that up. The Exaltics & Paris The Black Fu kick off with a shiny, bright, visceral metallic electro workout then three further cuts take in dark wave drum machine rhythms and acid-laced bangers.

Review: To date, Kim Cosmk has generally done her own thing - self-releasing a string of digital-only singles and albums which variously mix and mangle elements of electro, IDM, techno and dubstep. Here she pops up on an established label - Ralph Lawson's 2020 Vision to be exact - for the very first time. First, she whips up a frenzy courtesy of the fuzzy and aggressive riffs of techno roller 'Night Flight', complete with creepy chords and foreboding motifs. She then delivers raw, heavy, industrial-fired electro on 'Ore', whilst warped dubstep and electro are brilliantly mixed on 'Nocturnal'. To round things up nicely, 'Drifting' is a partial vocal number built around a wobbling dubstep bass with punchy electro drums and twinkling pianos.

Review: Hybrid Collective is a new label set out to bring together all forms of electro. The first release is a powerful statement of intent that draws together a crack team of sonic explorers who are all hell bent on blowing up the dance floor. The brand of extra the opener explores is industrial and mechanical, with Kim Cosmik's 'The Ascent' twisting metal and contorting synths into a ragged rhythm. The Droid's 'Upgrade' is a more futuristic blend of cyborg funk and Broken Joe's 'Fallen Crane' is full of spooky lines and jittery rhythms. Ekata's 'Dark Drive' rounds out with a straight ahead banger.