Mysticisms

Review: London's Mysticisms imprint reissues a 1993 release by enigmatic Manchester quartet B:dum B:dum Sound. Merging their backgrounds in post-punk through dub and their city's vibrant dance scene, their sole 12" (originally funded by the Bolton Art Council) incorporates samples, sound design and middle eastern influences on what is now a cherished item among diggers and earning exorbitant amounts on the secondhand market. From the bass-driven exotic enchantment of 'Istanbul', they take a slow-mo version of bleep and mix it with dub techno on the mesmerising groove of 'Stateless' (which was well ahead of its time) as well as the deep dub of 'Do Don'ts' providing perfect armchair riddims.

Review: The Mysticisms label continues to explore trippy corners of 4/4 club music where the jack of old meets the broader horizons of the modern age in superlative fashion. DJ Hedonist appears to be a new name on the scene, but they step out best foot forward with the bleep-tinted jacker '#1'. '#2' gets into a grainy, lo-fi house mood thanks to some seriously scuffed drums and a gnarly chord, while '#7' heads into electro-techno territory with nagging programming and a peppy tempo carrying some delightfully alien sonics pitched at the freakier end of the floor. '#6' completes the set with a bass-tilted workout for those who like their parties ghoulish and grungy.

Review: DJ Hedoni$t is a hitherto unknown artist making their first appearance on Mysticisms with the kinds of heads-down throbbing house music the label doth love so very much. '#4' has the right kind of Lately-bass seduction, teasing acid and come hither pads to get a dancefloor loosened up, while '#5' brings something a little nastier but no less nice to the table. '#3' has a little more jack in its bones, with a generous layer of dust on top, but it's still squarely pitched at serious dancers. '#8' brings something a little different with its walking bassline and spacious, jazzy beat - it might not seem an obvious fit for rocking the crowd, but there's weight tucked away in that groove that could well induce a subtle kind of shock-out.

Review: Taking a moment to pause from their extensive exploration of Persian's illustrious archives, the Mysticisms lot turn their attention back to another fine exponent of UK dance music across the eras. Neil 'Nail' Tolliday had an incredible hit rate with his productions in the mid 90s, and he's since embarked on a mammoth resurgence over the past eight years which almost eclipses those seminal early days. After reissuing the classic Cassiopeia 12", Mysticisms hit up Tolliday for some unreleased gold which he dutifully served up in a blissed-out haze of winding synth lines and deep-digging drums. It comes on a little more wigged-out than you might expect from Nail, showing further insight into the formative years of one of the true stalwarts of UK house music.

Review: Persian's close working relationship with the Mysticisms label continues apace with this new release. Titled Dubplate #1: Space Within Art, this latest 10" features more of the artful, mixed up ravey dubbings Persian has scattered throughout his long and winding career. 'Dunya 2' is a potent club stepper rolling at 150 with plenty of system pressure folded into its bones, while 'D Dub Retwist' drops down into a rolling breakbeat skunk-out peppered with sample snatches and a hefty sub line. 'Space Within Art (Dubplate Mix)' takes on a more worldly, wiggy stance dripping in 90s pop-dance magic. 'Jacob Dub' gets into a positive skank and 'Augustus' cools things down with a more roots-minded excursion clearly doffing its cap to one Mr Pablo.

Review: Mysticisms is back with more of that freaky floor fare to get ID spotters looking worriedly at their Shazams while the real party people get on down. Persian originally dropped the absolute bomb that is 'Feel Da Vibe' back in 2011 on Existence Is Resistance in a hailstorm of samples and some lairy garage bass wobble under a swung house beat. It's high time the mighty test press power of Persian hit a few more platters, and the track's sounding stellar 10 years on. Brother Nebula does a stellar job of hazing the track out with warbling pads pitched for the spooky but sexy hour. 'Silver Spaceships' was originally out in 2001 as a white label, capturing the energy of breakstep mixed with the airy synth platitudes of finest deep techno and electro. Alphonse offers up a remix which wigs the track out as a weightless wonder with ample subs and scattered breaks for the patient ravers.