Electro charts

Review: Mono Junk only loosely uses techno as a foundation for exploration of various different forms on this new EP on Cold Blow. The opener has jacked-up beats with an electro feel and prying bass that brings great bounce. 'Gamma' is brilliantly dark and moody with domineering synth notes and shuffling hi-hats getting heads down and feet marching. Katerina's Mind mix of the opener then opens it up into a more expansive and widescreen synth world and the Sansibar is pure muscular rhythm.

Review: The Jaffa Kid is a pseudonym from long-serving braindancer Daniel Pringle, who also released a lovely 12" as Qeta on La Beaute du Negatif last year. His recent output on Bandcamp has been a lot to catch up with, but he's also snuck out releases on Deeptrax, Obsolete Future, Utter and Pulse State. Now he comes to Cold Blow with another six divine drops from unheralded dimensions, spanning a spectrum of energy levels from the feisty thrust of 'Itled' to the sad-eyed somnambulant electronica closer, 'Dolt'. Grabbing hold of melody with two hands and creating his own variation on the braindance theme, The Jaffa Kid once again proves himself to be a leading light, appearing on a label which is buy on sight.

Review: Mono Junk has long been putting Finland on the map with his unique take on techno for decades. The irrepressible talisman this time makes a solo debut on Cold Blow with his IATI EP. As always it is atmospheric stuff that brings more than just machine grooves: the opener and title track marries slick drums with molten synth work and a dreamy male vocal which has a meditative effect. There is also synth heavy techno such as 'Love Divine' and the deep and bleeping sonic pulses of 'I Am Yours (You're Mine)' to lock you in. Another artful EP.

Review: This release features four club tracks from the recent Cold Blow fifth anniversary CD compilation. It includes contributions from Matti Turunen of the renowned electro group Morphology who does a good job of serving up his signature while the EP also highlights a funky electro collaboration between Qwerty and Ed DMX. Additionally, there's a true minimal techno banger from the legendary Mono Junk and last but not least is the introduction of an enigmatic new producer named Sleep Mathew. He adds an intriguing touch to this diverse collection that marks five years of Cold Blow in style.

Review: Legendary Rephlex alumni and electro mainstay DMX Krew revisited a Minneapolis sound with boogie and freestyle elements in this timeless 2005 Japan-exclusive release. After almost 20 years it finally gets a vinyl issue over there in Europe thanks to Cold Blow and is a surefire way to kick start your day no matter the mood you are in. As ever, the studio wizard cranks up through the gears, gets the most out of his array of machines and explores rhythm and sound from many different angles, sometimes seemingly all at once. This remains a great record despite its vintage.

Review: Let's hear it for Ed Upton, otherwise known as the evergreen DMX Krew. We're never short of essential electro of all stripes from the Rephlex veteran, but there's a special place in our hearts for the vocal turns he used to do back in the early days. Around 2004 he was focusing on purely instrumental experiments through the Collapse Of The Wave Function series, but Japanese label Poplot convinced him to return to the feelgood vocal electro and synth-pop sound and snuck this out as a CD-only release. Now on double vinyl, it's a love letter to the best of boogie and electro funk and Upton has a whale of a time laying down those endearingly straight-up party time, open-hearted lyrics about good times and love lives that any proper boogie record needs.