Fokuz Recordings Holland Vinilo y CD

Review: We've all looked skyward for inspiration at some point and now it's the turn of Pittsburgh-based d&b producer Alpha Rhythm. Michael Gorman, to use his real name, deals in the kind of introspective, ethereal rollers that suit rainy day reflection as much as the deeper part of a dance, and he applies that style to the celestial bodies of our solar system to great effect. There are notable vocal spots from Leo Wood, Natus and Gemma Rose which only add to the heavy load of feels pouring out of this expansive long player dropping on Fokuz.

Review: A year on from their debut appearance, Archangel is back at it on Dutch d&b label Fokuz with more of the atmospheric, emotionally-charged gear they delivered on their two previous EPs. This is a suite of moody rollers in the cinematic sense of the term, all brooding melodic arrangement and forlorn vocals atop crisply programmed beats. Hiraeth's epic remix of 'Sound Of Silence' originally arrived on prior dici-only EP Android Waltz, but it was more than deserving of a chance to step out on wax, while Faction gets busy weaving deft tech step touches around 'Life Indoors'. It's a powerful, captivating listen from a talent firmly on an upward trajectory.

Review: Drum & bass liquidator and Spearhead Records founder BCee returns for a Fokuzed, four-track liquid slab of sloshers. Wildly punchy and watery, as if attending a fantastical rave in a magical-natural mineral water spring, BCee amps up the sound design and depth here, with basses and impacts on the likes of 'Water Hole' and 'Rain' playing up the more eternal-live-giving capabilities of drum & bass. They don't call it liquid for no reason.

Review: Based in The Netherlands, Fokuz Recordings has been a key drum & bass label since before the start of this current millennium. It does a wide range of styles from sold out in a flash r&b edits to rollers for the club. They have helped make the label head Focus a mainstay of the scene and now he's back with another top nugget on nice blue vinyl. 'Take Me As I Am' launches with hyper-speed breaks and ice-cold hi-hats before the lush and romantic 'Do 4 Love' soothes mind, body and soul. 'Long Way Up' is another one with a perfectly pitched r&b vocal sample and sleek beats before the pensive and late night, piano-laced cover of Depeche Mode that is 'Enjoy The Silence.'