RAND Muzik Germany Vinilo y CD

Review: R.A.N.D. Muzik Recordings brings back one of its old friends here as Basic Mind returns with more of his mind-expanding tech house trips. The Perth, Australia has always got grooves at the heart of his tunes and this offering is no different. 'Closed Gateway' kicks off with a sense of serene synth craft and crisp drum work before 'Exit Strategy' slows right down to leggy, slow-motion loops and dub swagger. 'Comm Cycle' has squelchy bass powering it along as widescreen and balmy pads soothe the soul up top then 'Meridian' closes out with another downtempo excursion.

Review: Ewan Jansen returns to RAND Musik for a tricksy foray through the standard yet effective selection of four tracks: all are disparate, seemingly enchanted worlds. From opener 'Electropolis', we're launched into a bustling, wild, alternate garden of the dance, teeming with all manner of keen creatures and organic-sonic delights. Then comes the (hopefully) anime-referencing 'Lain's Groove' and 'Dead Nights And Headlights', which edge closer to the darker cores of Jansen's shadow self in sound. We finally reach the precipice on 'Wild Shore', which hears us witness the sonic core to end all other cores, in its brimming totality.

Review: Olsvanger lays out his vision of tech house here on a superb EP for RAND Muzik that is a perfect mix of OG sounds and styles and new school thinking. It is a fat bassline that immediately gets your attention on 'Phantom Lady' - it brings real funk to the snappy drums and swirling cosmic pads. 'Lotusing' immediately flips the script with a mix of rough-assed broken beats and glistening pads full of optimism. The variety keeps on coming with lovely 90s house update 'Air Balunga' cruising along effortlessly and 'Rezo Mantra' offering far-sighted and elongated deep techno tripping. Brilliant EP with many great sounds.

Review: Adding yet another slice of cheeky, aquatic and breaksy music to the pile, Lithuanian artist Pletnev debuts 'And You Never Came Back' for RAND Muzik, not shying from the characteristic playfulness that has his earlier releases like 'Peep Of Dawn' or 'Voranto Bros'. The opening track evokes the sense of turning subwoofers to quicksilver with a minimal MIDI midas touch, while the EP begins to open up properly on 'Average Monday', a slow-burn of sloshing flute-birds, gated vocals and buzzers. The B's highlight is 'Am I Looking At Two Cats', whose unusually bass-heavy groove recalls the work of late 1990s UK artist Snake Thing.