Staff Picks: June 11th 2021

Review: Charlotte de Witte takes care of the sixth outing on her ever more prominent KNTXT label, and does so with her usual sense of techno power. "Sgadi Li Mi" opens in hard hitting fashion, with laser-link synths shooting across the face of the cantering drums and distant vocal cries adding a churchy feel to the arrangement. "Return To Nowhere" dials it back to a more shuffling techno groove and "Ensemble" offers perfectly transcendental techno for late night reveries. Enchanting ambient vocal "What's In The Past" closes out a forceful EP.

Review: This one has long been described as 'peak Ricardo' or 'classic Villalobos.' It comes on the new vinyl only label arm of Berlin-based record store and distribution company black.round.twelve, who are five years in and have a fine reputation. The track itself, 'Mecker,' first appeared on Ricardo's legendary 2007 Fabric mix but has never been officially released. 14 years on it still sounds as wonderful weird and avant-garde as ever. The drums twist and turn, the elastic synths pop and ping and the whole thing is perfect head-wrecking material.

Review: RTC or Round The Corner is back with more of that irresistible vinyl only goodness, with ALCI at the helm. 'Ukiyo' is pure, unadulterated minimal with edgy jazz keys fully out of tune and out of time up top for a haunting feel while the flapping minimal drums roll below. 'Drifting Drones' then sinks down into gritty little glitch territory with whirring tones and alien effects that need to be heard of super high quality systems for maximum effect. Closer 'Take Two' is another tune so deft you won't hear it unless you give it your full attention at 5am on some darkened floor.

Review: Detroit legend Norm Talley calling his new EP Deep Essentials suggests that, somehow, everything he makes isn't deep and essential. But it is. Anyway, here are five more perfectly designed grooves that sink you into a warm, smoky basement and keep you there. 'Holla-Day' has those trademark sharp hi hats and rolling drums, 'One Track Mind' has a hypnotic synth loop you hope never ends and 'Deeptroitsrumental' is a fantastically rickety drum workout that is primed for dance floor action. 'D-Toolz' rounds out with a sense of edginess, the promise of a big techno breakout that never comes but keeps you locked in hope.

Review: It's a bold move to call your EP The Spirit of Ibiza when so many different people have so many wildly different views on just what that might sound like. The second release on the Balearia label makes a good crack at it though with sunset house vibes, lush percussion and plenty of tropical feels. The DJ Fede original is a rolling, tom-peppered groove with bird calls and balmy pads all transporting you straight to the med. Adding real authenticity is the Balearic master Don Carlos with a remix that cops up the groove to make for something more funky but just as humid and sun baked. Massimino Lippoli then pairs things back to a late night Ibiza vibe, with a rugged baseline overlaid with a sprinkling of hippie hand drums.

Review: It is not often that you see names as diverse but high quality as Neil Landstrumm, Matias Aguayo and Egyptian Lover on the same EP. Each is a leader in their own respective field and here they are joined by the equally innovative Tamburi Neri for a fantastic various artists release on Italy's Serendeepity. Neil Landstrumm serves up the EP highlight with 'Squweee,' which is a thrilling fusion of juke, electro and bass music. That bass drills deep, with claps chattering away up top and a vocal repeating the tracks title next to the odd blast of manic synth. It's unlike anything else and is sure to blow the roof off.

Review: With just over a month to go until the long-awaited debut LP from Welsh beat-wizard Koreless arrives, it's easy to see why this two-track on the renamed Young imprint (formerly Young Turks) might tip a few heads over the edge. Anticipation was already pretty significant before last month's track was unveiled, 'Joy Squad', and now it's included on a double-A side and in many ways is the weaker of the two.

'White Picket Fence' is one of those real electronic oddities - it kind of almost sounds like cinematic acoustic or journeyman folk in moments, but really is all about waves of uplifting synth, the kind of noises that scream distorted euphoria. It's earthy, and yet out there like Pluto. Coupled with the beguiling horror movie, IDM, UK step of the flip, it's a powerhouse package for the mind.

Review: CZARFACE & MF DOOM's newest team-up record Super What? is an all powerful outing. Doom's famous wordy wizard is unleashed with wicket wordplay tying your mind in lots for the first to the last beat. CZARFACE's production (with help from Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck and Esoteric) is on point, with golden age beats, cosmic thrills and spills and killer bars all lock-in you in.

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'.

Review: Sound Signature launches Special Versions with new takes on "This Is For You" by Theo Parrish (with Maurissa Rose) + "Ain't No Need" by The Unit.

Review: Sushitech continue to celebrate the depth and breadth of their catalogue with another 15th anniversary reissue in the form of this surefooted two-tracker from Delano Smith and Norm Talley. This is the sweet spot where Detroit house and Detroit techno intertwine, leading in with the dreamy haze and steady trucking groove of 'Constellation'. 'Detroit 2-Step' has a spicier demeanour which artfully merges sultry sax with an ear-snagging riff which sounds organic and metallic all at once. Again, the groove is locked down and impossible to shake off course, making this heady club tackle for those who want to season their set with some of the finest rollers in the game.

Review: This special anniversary edition of Squarepusher's debut album Feed Me Weird Things is released almost exactly 25 years to the day after the original. Back then it came on Aphex Twin's now defunct Rephlex label and has not been available on streaming platforms ever since. All remastered from the original DATs and with a new, original booklet filled with note and ephemera it is an essential cop for fans old and new. The record broken out of the tight genre restrictions of the time to pair complex rhythms with disarming melodies.

Review: Backatcha Records dig into the vaults of New Jersey producer Randy Irwin for Toast's 1983 disco masterpiece 'It's Just An Illusion.' Toast was a band of Baltimore singer-songwriters and well-known New York session players and this was the only release on Irwin's Charm City imprint. But it is a belter. A slow motion tune with the sort of deep cut drums that sink you in for the ride, with lush flutes, sensuous falsetto vocal delivery and funky little guitar riffs. Flip it over for the instrumental version which allows the drum work to really shine.

Review: The final release on Midland's ReGraded label culminates with the release of the double A side by Philadelphia-based artist Elvin T, who follows up a great track not long ago on Cosmic Incantations last month. Both tracks were staples in the label boss' sets for the last three years: the low slung boogie-down vibe on the disco inferno of 'Get Close' while the deep and sensual mood music 'Pressure of Desire' has a certain atmosphere reminiscent of legend Kenny Dixon Jr.'s work - really digging this one!

Review: When it comes to tasteful mash-ups and club-ready re-edits, DJ Soopasoul's Soopastole Edits series is always a reliable source of fresh dancefloor heat. He's in predictably fine form on this latest volume - the 26th in total, fact fans - which sees him re-animate an already killer Fatman Scoop cut. On the A-side, he places energy-raising snippets of the Harlem-raised, gravel-voiced rapper's 'Put Your Hands Up' atop a funky backing track crafted from loops lifted from a classic disco-funk workout. That fresh, sample-heavy instrumental re-edit can be heard in full on the flip, offering is a chance to wallow in the killer groove and tight, clipped guitar licks.

Review: Before he signed with Tru Thoughts 21 years ago, and many years before he became one of Ninja Tune's most popular artists, Simon Green AKA Bonobo was merely a bedroom DJ/producer knocking up tracks in his Brighton home. The two tracks showcased on this limited-edition "45" date from that period and have never before seen the light of day. A-side 'Brighton Tapes 01' is warming and hazy, with toasty chords, drowsy flute and female vocal samples and deep bass rising above crunchy, loose-limbed MPC-driven drums. Flipside 'Brighton Tapes 02', which contains the same high level of vintage cassette hiss, is similarly warming, with a sweet female vocal sample, snaking sax samples and rich Rhodes chords wrapping around a head-nodding hip-hop beat.