Juno Recommends Breakbeat: May 2023

Review: Hey boys, hey girls... Chemical Brothers are back with some superstar business and all is well with the world. Instantly slipping into their signature, 'No Reason' smacks with everything we love about Tom and Ed. Big funk bassline, cheeky party samples and a presence that could get everyone from your nan to your naughty next door neighbour dancing. 'All Of A Sudden' takes us up a few gears in a way that only the Chemmys can; unrelenting laser bass marching music that pushes and pushes and pushes to the very end. Here we go!

Review: Meat Beat Manifesto is a British electronic music band formed by Jack Dangers and Jonny Stephens in late 80s Swindon, with the now California-based Dangers now the only permanent member. Known for their eclectic, breaksy style - not to mention their nominal humour - theirs is a straddler of various emergent musical forms, from industrial and IDM to breaks and drum & bass, though it never quite settles into any one sound. Now aiding the [PIAS] umbrella label celebrate its 40th anniversary, five of their most iconic tracks come released via the label as part of their mammoth new ultracomp. From the sci-fi soundtrack hit 'Prime Audio Soup' to the seminal 'Radio Babylon', Meat Beat Manifesto's legacy and influence is most on show here.

Review: Breakbeat Paradise invites back onto their island once more for a tenth volume of the on going Toxic Funk series. This is another vital 45rpm for DJs which will blow up any spot with b-boy sounds and edgy breaks. 'Hang On The City' offers up some tightly woven in, Kendrick-like bars while on the flip, 'The Funk Is Yours' is a more coruscated and disco tinged tune with a searing bassline and mid tempo drum loops as well as retro rap vocals and lively yelps.

Review: Peak Geeks are a duo from San Diego specialising in potent potions of breakbeat and acid, two key ingredients in the making of such devilish dance concoctions. Their latest in-stock wares can be found on the shelf labelled Surf Chicks! Part 2, one of two selections (in EP form) that pay homage to the unforgettable surf and party scenes of US West Coast. As ever for West Coast breaks, these effervescent entheogens contain everything from sliced-up vocal shots to hand-scratched vinyl 'wiki-wiki's. Don't miss out: experience the San Diego synergy, and Peak Geeks' visions of vibe.

Review: Swedish label, Arkajo, has secured its place front and centre for delivering the very best spaced-out, dub-tinged techno. And the latest addition to their output, Ebende's 'Arkajo 4', is no exception to this rule. The first track, 'The Source', arrives with light-footed skittering atmospheres, skating effortlessly across airy yet undertonally eerie atmospheres. Fans of Forest Drive West - this track is one for your arsenal. Arkajo's remix of the same track, housed on the second half of the A side, punctuates the original with the label head's distinctive bass-driven groove. On the flip side, 'Magic Land', lands with ethereal, icy atmospheres, melting away into delectably breaksy rhythms. Puglist's remix, the final track of this fantastic EP, is a darkened, electro-breaks take on Ebende's original - powerful and driving, this is an amazing addition to the release. Wonderfully varied yet very much of-a-piece, this is one of those releases that is destined to fit comfortably across a diverse range of record collections.

Review: Serge Geyzel is a Russian-born, Berlin-based producer responsible for many-a-belter, among others, on the titanic Brokntoys label. 'As Fallen Leaves' is his second EP for the Londoner label, and spans six cuts of explicitly 'heartbroken electronica', blending IDM, breaks, melancholic melodies and intricacies that are as difficult to pin down as we know it is to repair a broken heart. Cold, reversy piano overtones lay Geyzel's heart bare on the chilly title track. Things grow warmer on the ensuing tracks, with 'Observations' ricocheting away in an entertainingly laboured fashion, and closer 'Noizette' reintroducing a sense of uncertainty via experimental slow builds, and Shepard-esque tones and huge noise bursts to boot.

Review: It was a while ago now that Spanish label Frigio dropped the fourth instalment of this series - back in October 2021, in fact. But as big time breakbeat lovers we're glad they have cooked us up another serving. This fifth edition doesn't muck about either with the crashing jungle intensity of Starhawk & Friends's 'X-22' opening up. There is French rap over more crunchy analogue drums on Rambal Cochet's 'Metacortex' manic industrial electro noise on Jack Carel's contribution and an ice cold sense of cold wave funk to Neud Photo's standout 'Spark Knock.' These are just some of the gems on this timely release.

Review: While the Vinyl Fanatiks label may deal in reissuing some of the less heralded pioneers of breakbeat, hardcore and acid, their Acid Boom sub label is also ready to embrace newer producers keeping the sound alive with a degree of authenticity. As such, they've done the right thing in tapping up Dawl, who delivers the kind of moody, grubby squat party gear that sounds like it's got the spirit of 88 pumping in its veins. The acid squelch on 'Close Your Eyes' and titular sample speaks directly to the kind of edgy sound cemented in UK rave lore at the RIP parties at Clink Street, where grittiness and sinister moods prevailed. You can always spot newer artists who quite simply get it, and Dawl is definitely one of them.

Review: While he might have come to attention exploring Fourth World percussion with Wolf Muller, Niklas Want has since proven himself to be equally happy indulging in full-tilt rave action, and that's exactly what he's up to on this fresh and fruity 12" for Warning. 'Die Glocke' is a rowdy, acid-tweaking breakbeat monster with some playful, braindance chords on top. Fantastic Twins then team up for a sweatier, techno-tooled remix of the track pitched squarely at strobe lit basements. 'Bodyzeit' finds Wandt indulging chunky piano stabs, Detroit synth orchestration and electro swagger, all adding up to a seriously fun kind of club wrecker, which Borusiade then simmers down to a smouldering, after hours roller for the smoke machine crew.

Review: Aiden Francis brings a superb mix of influences to this EP, from trance to breaks, house to tech house and it makes for a third fine offering from this young but promising Ellipse label. 'Atacama' opens up with blistering pace and molten synths tightly woven over the propulsive drums. 'Twilight' is another track seeped in lush melodies and with a throwback techno sounds that is full of subtle dancefloor electronics. 'Awareness' (Sunset mix) is one to get the hands in the air as the trancey chords and acid rain down. Energy levels don't dip on the flip either on this most powerful and consuming of space-techno trips.

Review: Sound Metaphors continue to dedicate themselves to unearthing the trippiest, sneakiest gems from the early days of breakbeat and give them a proper reissue treatment for our listening and raving pleasure. High Lonesome Sound System were a collaborative crew made up of Michael Kandel and Tom Chasten who kicked into gear in 1991 with a run of releases on their own Exist Dance label, spearheading the West Coast breaks scene in the process. 'We're Go: Stage 1, 2, 3' is a freaky wiggler of a track with plenty of crafty samples and synth wriggles which speak to the particular vibe the Bay Area rave scene embraced over time, while 'Testimonial' ups the pressure without losing that free-flowing flavour. 'Psychic Dreaming' tips a little towards house without losing the gritty Akai sampler finish, making for the most endearing track on an EP full of mystical charm.