Review: Jeigo dropped a thrilling debut album Cerulean back at the end of 2022, worked in a tune with Elkka for her DJ-Kicks mix and also dropped a mix for Bicep not long ago. Now he follows all that up with a firing four-track EP on Tread Records that again collides different club sounds, great samples and hooky melodies. 'Hatchet's Cave' is hands-in-the-air house euphoria with blistering drums and warped pads, then 'Move X' is a gritty tech bouncer and 'Compulsions' is a bubbly one with crisp hits. Nervous Horizons label boss Anunaku remixes the title track into a bass-heavy banger too.
Review: Mike Bandoni returns with Crate Breaks Vol 6, the latest installment in his renowned series. This record is a great tool for adventurous DJs, featuring eight drum fills perfect for slicing into mixes. Each side of the album offers a rich array of segments to elevate any set. Side-1 includes the breaks named 'Diggin In The Pit,' 'Dream State,' 'Hold Fire,' and 'Swing By,' while Side-2 boasts 'Love Scheme,' 'Space Kool Moon Dance,' 'Party,' and 'It's Still Good.' As you can see from the names, these are sure to get the party going. True to its Funk genre roots, this release from Drumstream is ideal for DJs seeking fresh, phat drum segments.
Review: Dogpatrol returns to Sneaker Social Club with four more tracks of gritty, genre-bending rave damage. Despite hailing from Offenbach in Germany, his sound blends UK influences like breakbeat hardcore, dubstep and garage and that results in a mutant style that's uniquely his own. '1200kcal' features jagged UKG drums and cosmic bass arps while 'Baby Flame 'channels warehouse electro with a heavy synth splat. 'Ya Playin Yaself' delivers a dubstep roller with playful keys and 'Offgenbach HBF Riddim' adds a breakbeat twist with echoes of The Blapps Posse. Dogpatrol's irreverent, misfit approach to rave shines again here.
Review: NJoi's Hidden Gems series exists primarily to plug gaps in their catalogue, featuring as it does previously unreleased cuts that first featured in their live shows in the early 90s. Some of these have been reconstructed and finally "finished off", though pleasingly they still sound like unheard period pieces. They begin with 'Get Hype', a stab-happy, rave-era hip-house workout featuring Krayzee Thoughts and Luvain, before reuniting with 'Anthem' vocalist Saffron on the piano-powered breakbeat house rush of 'Feelings Inside'. Over on side B, 'Bring That Beat Back' is a Hoover bassline sporting slab of Belgian rave/Yorkshire bleep/London hardcore fusion, while 'Lovin' U' is giddy, glassy-eyed and rushing, with wiggly acid lines and life-affirming piano riffs catching the ear.
Review: "And the award for best named album of the month goes to..." No prizes for guessing, Rephlex alumni Bogdan Raczynski delivers yet another record as manifesto. A collection comprising warm melodic 'electronic sketches', to borrow from the official release blurb, You're Only Young Once But You Can Be Stupid Forever is complex lo fi businesses, and immediately engrossing. Short and incredibly sweet, the tracks here are cute and unconcerned with imposing themselves on the listener. Instead, they invite us in from the cold of pretentiousness to play and connect with our inner child. At times, it feels like we're bouncing along the levels of a platform video game. In other moments, it's less, more minimalistic. Those thinking of chip music should move on, though, as this is none of the above.
Review: UK producer NJOI delivers the white label goods with 'The Dubs', allegedly after "unprecedented demand from fans". Through four full instrumental mixes of formerly unreleased Hidden Gems tracks, the bits here range from gargantuan acid to close-up deep Chicago house to acid trance, making for a thoroughly enjoyable exercise in house versioning and flippage.
Review: New York City-based DJ, producer and impresario DJ Spun aka Jason Drummond has been involved in many different live bands over the years but also knows how to kick out the jams in solo electronic mode. 'Tribal Toilet' is a twisted, percussive techno tune with abstract motifs, bells, warped bass and layers of vocals that make it evocative and unhinged. 'Hear My Mega' is a throwback tune that rides on dusty breakbeats with old-school rap samples, whistles, helps and everything you need to get the party going off.
Review: The Future Sound Of London are well-known for their intense sectioning-off of various albums into sagas. Conceived as far back as the late 1990s, the 'Environments' album series has been routinely topped up on a slow but steady basis, and has thus far manifested as a grand total of seven psychedelectronic odysseys. 'Environments Seven', which came out earlier in 2022, is testament to the duo's madcap penchant for sagaizing; indeed, this seventh instalment in the LP is split into a trilogy, and 'Environments 7.02' is the second in said trilogy.
Review: Brako continues to go it alone with self-titled releases on a self-titled label, and why not? When the tunes are this good you don't need the extra boost of a big name label. There are just two of them on this punchy EP, the first being 'Bandit' which has a snaky bassline and loose-limbed groove. It is run through with spaced out pads, gurgling cosmic lines and silky hooks that are finished to perfection with a great neo-soul vocals. On the flip, 'Police' is a more dubbed-out and stripped-back tune with elastic rhythms and heady pads. Great work.
Review: Bicep's second album is shaped by the experience of touring their debut long player for something like three years, a period during which they honed and perfected their instinct for tracks that would stand the test of time and repeated listening. What develops is a distinctive style typified by a combination of ethereal sonics and cheeky, memorable instrumental hooks, only set to a variety of beats that reference and indeed fuse the plethora of different dance genres that have sprung up since the acid house revolution if the mid-80s. So we get everything from the electro-tainted 'X' to 'Rever', where an African choir floats over a subtle deep house shuffle and 'Saku', where UKG bass pressure and skippy beats provide a hypnotic background for Clara La San's sweet but ghostly voice.
Review: Scott Hallam has been an acid devotee since the early days, and he's largely put out his music on his own Axia label. While most of that is digital-only, now Cartulis have picked up on the considerable talents of this hardware lifer and presented five of his finest works on wax. The vibe veers tremendously, touching on dark and sinewy dungeon acid, boxy electro workouts, strangely psychedelic hardcore and plenty more besides. Hallam's style feels betrothed to the outboard approach - it's all synths and drum machines to these ears, and its immediacy is a big part of the charm. That, and the playful personality he works into those wigged out acid lines and pinging FX.
Review: The eagle-eyed out there might have spotted Lepaya making a debut appearance on Sanguina back in 2021 s part of a VA split release, but now they step out with a release of their own on burgeoning label Mormorio. Minimal tech is the order of the day here, but other forces are at play such as the subtle pop melancholia in between the broken beat of 'Freeway'. 'Social Disdancing' is a more classically stripped back rhythm workout for the DJs to get tricky with. On the remix front, Traumer has a fine time shuffling up 'Freeway' in his sleek, distinctive style while Giorgio Maulini gets into a trippy tech-trance frame of mind reworking 'Social Disdancing'.
Review: San Francisco-based Indian duo Baalti really do bring plenty of freshness to this, their third EP outing. They have said this is their most personal and authentic rase to date and it is about as kinetic and impact as house music gets, all infused with myriad samples from their own heritage. Those nostalgic South Asian flavours derived from classic Indian, Pakistani, and Bangaldeshi sounds are carefully sprinkled into percussive workouts, leftfield dancefloor rhythms and club-ready grooves. A perfect fusion of modern electronic music as traditional Asia sounds.
Review: It was way back in 1994 when original rave hero and genuinely foundational DJ Ellis Dee (real name Roy Collins) offered up his one and only 12" as Norty But Nice. 31 years on, that two-tracker returns to stores in remastered form via this coloured vinyl reissue from Vinyl Fanatiks. Lead cut 'Do You Want It' is spacey, intoxicating and - as you'd expect - breathlessly energetic, with Collins placing piano riffs, vocal samples and intergalactic electronics atop a jungle-style hardcore breakbeat and booming bass. On flip-side 'Give It To Me Baby' he opts for more deep space synths, rolling bass, deeply layered breakbeats and more rushing piano motifs. Both tracks are, of course, genuine breakbeat hardcore classics.
Review: Dutchman Tifra is given the reins for the second release on the Dutch label Proxy and does great job of taking inspiration from 90s rave sounds and weaving them carefully into his own futuristic grooves with a tech house and minimal aesthetic. Bold bass and sleek rhythms define these cuts from the slick and spaced out sounds of 'Peninsula' to the warped and pulsing sounds of 'The Algorythm' and broken beat lushness of 'Bio Lab.' Also on the B side, Local Group bring a distinctive mix of UK breaks, d&b and rave into their arresting remix of 'Bio Lab'.
Review: MmWave and Sound Synthesis step up to Doppler Shift here with a superb new split EP that explores acid, electro and breakbeat-infused sounds. MmWave takes care of the A-side firstly with 'Sequential Phonk,' which pairs nice elastic synth and basslines with snappy drums, while 'Signal' twitches with a more restless rhythm and 'Citadin' is a minimal, stripped-back electro rhythm that slithers through the night. Sound Synthesis's trio includes the cinematic 'Ambionic', starry melodies of 'Time_Rez_Bsline' and ambient atmosphere of 'Improv Landing 8'.
Review: Trip-hop meets modern digital ambience on Gi Gi's latest for INDEX:Records. Nothing but the music meets the ear here, plunging us into ricochety sonic hotwirings from the jump. Allusions to dancehall ('Maiolica'), dub ('Palm Slick') and illbient ('Lilted Song') ring true here, while a vocal feature on the track 'Sinews' - from fellow mic-caresser and expert moniker-coiner Hysterical Love Project - yields a sound that recalls something like the combined sonics of HTRK and 3XL. A not-to-miss EP for anyone who loves it textural.
Review: Following the skittering, syncopated arrangements and left-handed excursions of 'Aslohop' and 'Detrant' back in September, Ricardo returns to Rawax with two more broken rhythms. 'Neunachi' is a classic Villalobos wonky shuffer with off-grid kicks and a rainbow of wet, cavernous noises. Take away the demonic reverse vocals and you're in microhouse territory. 'Detrant' is a much more driven affair, up-tempo and thicker, electro kicks off-set by a far-away chant. Each cut going the full nine yards; if ever we've had time to truly lock in to Ricardo's famously enduring grooves, it's right now. Neun out of ten.
Review: This project celebrates B-Boying, which is one of the core elements of hip-hop culture, with tracks inspired by spontaneous dance challenges-whether in the street, subway or at a bus stop. Featured in Marc-Aurele Vecchione's ARTE series Boys and Girls Africa, the collection includes tracks like 'Perkushun,' 'Latin Breakdown' and 'Tex Mex Breaking.' Limited to just 300 copies, each vinyl sleeve is tagged, numbered, and signed by street artist Golf which makes it an authentic and collectible record for hardcore breakdancers.
Review: Guachinche Records captures the best of the Andalusia and Tenerife breakbeat scenes led by the renowned groups Mutantbreakz and Bubble Couple. Their debut vinyl release, GUACH001, is a compilation that perfectly embodies their musical essence and quality. It kicks off with 'Old Groove,' a standout track by Rasco and Bubble Couple and featuring memorable piano and basslines. Suga 7 follows with 'Hideaway,' offering a taste of the Canary Islands with high tempos and playful bass. The B-side includes Mutantbreakz's intricate track with guitar, piano, and vocals, culminating in Raverman's epic 'Sayonora' which is a stunning piece of acid electro-trance.
Review: This new series brings forth a fusion of late 60s/early 70s Funky Rock Breaks from around the world, promising dancefloor action for Hairy B-Boys and Head-Banging Breakers alike. Side-1 kicks off with 'Good Thing Going (Put It On A Record),' blending guitar riffs, big beats, rock vocals, and rap phrases to ignite any party atmosphere. On the Side-2, 'Whole Lotta Drugs!' delves into the wild world of groupies and illicit substances, featuring an obscure brassy cover of a classic rock track with added beats and samples for a backstage after-party vibe. Released on limited edition purple and black vinyl, this series delivers a high-octane soundtrack for the upcoming festival season.
Review: Stefan Schwander is known for aliases like Harmonious Thelonious, A Rocket In Dub and Antonelli Electr and now strikes once more with his third EP, 'While My Sequencer Gently Bleeps'. Entirely crafted on Elektron's Monomachine, this one delivers deep basslines, ravey bleeps, piano chords and synth melodies that evoke the sounds of Jamaica, UK and Chicago while looking toward the future. The EP opens with the groovy 'Title Track' followed by the minimal, dub-influenced 'Sublime' with shuffling beats and a smooth synth line. On the flipside, 'Definition Of ...' combines deep bass, lively percussion and subtle melodies that are both danceable and storytelling.
Review: Brooklyn is not often somewhere you think of when it comes to minimal, a sound more usually associated with European artists these days, unless of course, you're talking about early US originators like Dan Bell and Robert Hood. This release suggests that view is wrong with a trio of classy cuts. Mike Berardi's 'Helicopter Ride' is lively and jazzy and rides a nice broken beat. Samuel Padden's 'String Theory' is more icy and paired back to a minimal cosmic trip and Jay Tripwire's 'Floorboards' a wonky late-night charmer.
Review: Munich based producer Bryan Mueller aka Skee Mask presents his latest album titled Pool, via local imprint Ilian Tape which follows up his LP Compro which came out three years ago. There's an extensive collection of sonic experiments on offer on this one, such as opening cut 'Nvivo' which goes down an IDM route, to the glassy eyed rave euphoria of 'LFO', the intelligent drum and bass reductions of 'Rio Dub' and UK influenced steppers like 'Crossection'.
Freak Like U (Luca Lozano The Breakbeat Guy remix) (7:15)
Freak Like U (feat Karlos Moran - Luca Lozano Tribal Workout dub) (6:32)
Review: Second time round for Masarima's 'Freak Like U', a sparkling 2020 tribute to post-Italo-disco proto-house, co-produced by Whodamanny and Mystic Jungle. This time round, the track has been reimagined by two stellar talents: West Coast electro stalwart Egyptian Lover and Sheffield-based bleep, hardcore and acid revivalist Luca Lozano. The former handles side A, delivering warming, dreamy, tactile and glassy-eyed electro takes (vocal and instrumental) that reinforce the track's mid 1980s inspiration. Lozano, meanwhile, opts for another kind of nostalgia altogether, first combining house tempo breaks with echo-laden elements of the original (and a couple of hazy new synth stabs) on the 'Breakbeat Guy remix', before layering up the beats on a rather lovely 'Tribal Workout Dub' featuring percussionist Karlos Moran.
Review: The latest in broken beat's best and brightest comes from Croatian producer Laseech, who is a relative newcomer to the scene. He's nevertheless managed to enlist the help of its greatest stalwarts for remixes, owing to his veritable 'rising star' status. Namely, Dego and Patrice Scott are on remix duties for this already steamy extremity-oiler; the original 'Hey Love' has a laid-back flair enough, but Dego's version has a bit more of a nu-funk verve to it (as ever showing off the longtime production player's versatility), and Patrice Scott's is equally as infectious with its comparatively straighter 4x4 house rendition. The star, though, comes from Laseech himself, on the one-off B-sider 'You See', which proves the undying spirit of broken beat with what could be one of the most hypnotic tracks to come out in the style in years.
Review: Lurka ended the year on a high with a kick-ass new EP on his own new label Make Your Own Meaning. He is now set to start 2023 in an equally strong fashion with four more futuristic bass fusions. 'Wire' is a minimal stepper with bursts of bass and flitting percussive lines. 'Molten Drum' is another twitchy mix of malfunctioning computer sounds, refracted vocals and fizzing synths that keep you on edge then 'Machine' picks ups the pace with jumpy rhythms and militant snare work. 'Zone (Packet)' rounds out with a double-speed workout and juke patterns that head out on a cosmic journey.
Review: Zach Murray is a fast-rising London producer who makes a great impression here with an ambitious and ultimately accomplished double pack on Oscuro. The title track 'Pieces Of The Puzzle' opens with sweeping ambient before 'Chill Pill' explores as glistening melodic world of futuristic tech and 'Can't Stop The Rain' has an old-school energy to its marching drums and rave stabs. There are also forays into acidic electro like on 'Keep Chasin'' and rugged breaks on 'Phase Me', elastic house sounds on 'Dubmotions' and cosmic turbulence in the trippy 'Dreams,' all of which show off this producer's versatility in style.
Mind Over Rhythm - "Kubital Footstorm" (Global Beatmix) (6:14)
Dream Frequency - "Dream The Dream" (5:48)
As One - "Isatai" (5:01)
UVX - "Elevator (Trancefloor Transporter)" (5:11)
Review: Dance Music From Planet Earth is a new sub-label from Ransom Note that kicks off with a heritage compilation, Dream The Dream. It looks back in great detail at UK Techno, House and Breakbeat 1990-1994 with Richard Sen as the man in control. He was a DJ back in those days, playing the most epic raves around Europe and taking some of the photos which now form the artwork for this collection. His obsessive record collecting from those days is reflected here across a series of sometimes obscure but always brilliant UK tunes for the worlds of ambient, techno, tribal house, breakbeat and early trance.
Heavy Water (D Tiff Floating To The Top mix) (7:18)
Diact (6:19)
Trouble Down Groove (6:45)
Review: The Cosmic Soup label did some mighty fine work in bringing Howard Dodd's work as Doc Bozique and Anoesis back into ear shot. Dodd released a fair clutch of wiggy, trance-inflected house and techno back in the wild old days of the mid-90s, and so it's no surprise to hear his music finding new relevance at a time when that sound is so warmly received on dancefloors all over the place. This release for German label Spray pulls together a few different bits from 1994, ranging from 'Heavy Water' and 'Diact' from The Anoesis EP to 'Trouble Down Groove' from Eight Day Music. Bringing the relevance with the current zeitgeist in no uncertain times, we're also treated to a remix courtesy of a scene leader in this field, D. Tiffany.
Review: Cold Diggin' kick off a new series here that is designed to acquaint you with the talents of 'The Dude Ya Love To Hate. We can't find out much information about he, or she, or them, but can only assume more is to come given this 7" has its own catalogue naming convention. This first limited one-off pressing comes on one-sided black vinyl with a silk screen print. 'I Like Your Stye' is raw and irresistible jungle, library and funk fusion from front to back. A great one to cop, and a great new artist to keep tabs on for sure.
Review: Mental health charity label Serenity keeps it sophisticated with its sixth outing and once again donates all proceeds to charity this time Young Minds. It is underground house mainstay and DiY Discs legend Nail who steps up first with a much more breezy and balmy sound than you would expect but it sure is lush. 'Pad On' slips into his more usual and driving house sound but with swirling pads up top for summery refinement. Trixie, Connor Male & Thoma Bulwer then get deep and late night with their punchy 'Impromptune' while Trixie's solo cut 'restless sculptures' is a jacked-up and percussive number that leans into techno.
Review: Toby Ross joins the Time Is Now family with four massive bass-driven bangers. Clean yet raw, airtight and hermetic breaks come among slews of laser faller SFX, sampled David Rodigan hypeups, and offbeat bubbles on 'Foundation', while the ensuing 'Stamina' prefers to wobble away next to "rudeboy!" shouts and patois murmurations. The B-side's 'Sekkle' takes a deeper dark garage turn, wresting our attention with "yos" and "yeahs", not to mention a massified sub-bass; finally, MC PAB delivers a wonderfully laid-back flow over the top of 'Make It Thru', getting at the quintessential character of UK breaks and garage today.
Review: The classical-inclined RAWAX crew looks back to another great retro EP here and reintroduces Orlando Voorn under his FIX alias. His superb Flash 12" was originally released on KMS Records in 1992 and this new pressing of it features the original plus bonus tracks 'Face' and 'Players Anthem.' As you would expect given the heritage, these are all timeless outings. 'Flash' is the most well-known with its wonky lead hook and coarse drums and perc. 'Dope Computer' brings some zippy motifs and electro-funk-inspired drums and 'Face' then gets more smooth and seductive with a garage-tinged groove. 'Players Anthem' is a bright, visceral, off-balanced rhythm that sounds like little else before or since.
Review: FOXBAM INC is back to build on the momentum of their first EP with a second one that packs a mighty punch. This one kicks off with EBY, who this year has been cooking up acid for 40 years and here offers the warped low ends and garage-techno power of 'Goldtooth'. Foxtrot vs Ma Bla then mashes up old school samples with earth-shattering bass on 'Deep Down Inside' and bRz vs Stije is a double-time hard techno stomper with warped synths and twisted bass that is inspired by and named after ISCO, a concept from Einstein's general theory of relativity that makes predictions about the dynamics of black holes.
Review: Loose Caboose by Electroliners is a quintessential mid-90s west coast classic that embodies the essence of breakbeat and house music fused with a rave attitude. The title track, 'Loose Caboose,' is a timeless anthem that resonates with American ravers from that era, leaving an indelible mark on dancefloors with its infectious energy. On the flip side, 'Crazy Train' further solidifies the EP's reputation for delivering dancefloor devastation with its powerful beats and wicked energy. The Bassbin Twins remix of 'Loose Caboose' on the B-side adds a new dimension to the track, elevating its trippy vibe to new heights. Overall, Electroliners' Loose Caboose EP is perhaps the pinnacle of west coast breaks.
Review: The Incredible Bongo Band were a loose studio collective interpreting classics of the day in their own inimitable percussive fashion .They are of course most famous for their ultimate b-boy classic version of "Apache". This particular 7" however features two Incredible Bongo Band cuts that have not previously featured on any albums. "The Riot" is a frenetic drum workout and has been championed by the likes of the Chemical Brothers. "Ohkey Dokey (Part 2)" takes on a somewhat more subdued hue in comparison, but has some dope funky clavinet in the mix. Well worth checking.
Review: Following on from his remixes of Robert James' LP Battle Of The Planets, Berlin-based Klix goes in for the kill with four examples of club-friendly grooves that are big on dancefloor dynamics but also boast a delicate sensitivity to melody that's often left behind when it comes to the minimal/tech genre. Check, for instance, the distinctly understated acid undertow to 'Just Tell Me', balanced beautifully with lush, New Order-esque pads, or the almost imperceptible trails of flute left across the landscape of 'Satisfaction'. Best of all is probably 'Squanchy Thoughts' featuring Shibafu No Baga, the vocoders and synth lines rendering it like a post-rave Kraftwerk.
Review: London underground night train riders Deadbeat Records prioritise techno-breaks handmade for late night and early morning dancefloors, times when both the best and worst comes emerges from each of us. Their inaugural Deadbeat Breaks compilation hears six out of ten full digital curations brought to a shadowy, space-invaded black vinyl truncation, with modern talking synth vomits from Olly Rant, booty bass hups from Hunter Starkings, hackney parroting hurtles from Rnbws, and a closing breakstep broil from Hooverian Blur.
Review: The Jalepeno label is a famously fiery funk outlet that serves up more of that dance floor heat here. It comes from Skeewiff's One Sample Short Of A Lawsuit EP back in 2000 and gets pressed to its own tidy 7" here. As the title of that EP suggests, this is music that mashes up the past with a serious of sizzling samples over driving rhythms. 'Shake What Your Mama Gave Ya' is real horn led b-boy stuff with crashing breaks, and on the flip is 'Man Of Constant Sorrow' with its nagging and iconic vocals over a more country-fried funk beat.
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