Wania Norway Vinilo y CD

Review: Warehouse find! Sex Tags Mania co-founder DJ Sotofett's Dritfett EP is an unabashed homage to the visceral, brutal power of the 909; five tracks of pure drum-fuelled machine madness. "Track 1" sees a manic shower of exploding hi-hats rain down on a warbling bassline while "Track 2" is a more reflective affair, with a charming organ bassline at the fore. Flip over for three more Sotofett workouts; our pick of the bunch is "Track 5" which is characterised by some delirious snare rolls for guaranteed mind f*ckery on any dancefloor - it sounds like an outtake of "Plastic Dreams" at times. If you missed this first time round, don't make the same mistake again.

Review: Sex Tags Mania alumni DJ Sotofett returns with some more idiosyncratic house movements on the Wania label, after the blink and you'll have to shell out on Discogs Driftett EP that proved so popular last year (Jackmaster and Ben UFO among that single's more illustrious fan base). Lead track "Pulehouse (Reggi mix)" sounds like a Workshop artist covering "Pacific State" then subsequently getting bent out of proportion by John Heckle, deftly combining dreamy synth work with gurgling analogue textures and rippling, metallic drum sounds that threaten to pierce the ankle high sub bass. "Pulehouse's" soothing powers are intoxicating enough you can easily picture Move D ending one of his emotive sets at Freerotation with it while holding back the tears. It's complemented by two further tropical excursions on the flip with the lolloping rainforest beatdown of "Sta Opp Med Sola (Chiang Mai version)" complemented by the full on "scare a darkened room of people at 3am" psychedelic afro house wig out of "Assa Med Den Derre Floyta". Highly recommended.

Review: Serial Sex Tagger Sotofett flips to his other mothership for a casual drive to deepest Turkey. All smoky woodwind and eastern chords, wafting heavily over a roomy percussive drum arrangement, there's a great sense of mystic charm to his foggy sojourn. New artist Vera Dvale makes their debut on the flip with a dense drone that pulsates and quivers with a life of its own, gradually getting lighter and lighter towards the end. As with all Sotofett-related releases, this is a real record to lose yourself in.

Review: The latest missive from Sex Tags' eccentric Wania offshoot is a multi-artist affair, though as usual co-owner DJ Sotofett is in the thick of the action. On the A-side, the long-serving Norwegian producer offers up his interpretation of "Pohj", a killer cut from Finnish electro sorts Jesse. Sotofett's version is loose, dubby and loved-up, with the graf-loving DJ/producer re-casting the track into a meandering chunk of deep dancefloor hypnotism. While impressive and undoubtedly club-ready, we actually prefer the flipside ambient house bliss of Sotofett's latest hook-up with Freakout Cult artist LNS (AKA Laura Sparrow), "Soft Peak Mix". Built around sparkling, watery electronics and a relentless melody line that bobs and weaves throughout, it's a saucer-eyed chunk of horizontal brilliance.

Review: LNS and DJ Sotofett clearly enjoy working together. "Jugando Con Fuego" is their second collaborative single in the space of six months for Sotofett's left-of-centre Wania imprint. As you'd expect from the eccentric Norwegian, each of the four available versions is notably different from the others. So, while the A-side "Club Mix" is a thrillingly loved-up, glassy-eyed trip into Latin-tinged Italian dream house territory (think Morenas covering Keys & Tronics Ensemble's "You x Me"), the "Cosmix" take is the kind of deep space ambient you'd once have expected to hear from Pete Namlook. Similarly, the tribal style "Percussion Mix" is entirely different in tone to the piano-driven "Sunrise Mix", which sounds like a long lost ambient house classic.

Review: The second EP of this latest batch of Wania burners, from the talented DJ Sotofett, sees the Norwegian team back up with LNS, a recent addition to the Wania family who seems to be killing it on all fronts. Unlike the Salik outing, this 12" focusses on techno, the sort of original gear that manages to portray a minimal aesthetic without forcing it, or making it seem like a passing trend. The extended mix of "Blot" is a deep, wondrous techno journey that keeps the movement thanks to a punchy kick drum, but it's on the 'Techno mix" where the basslines truly comes out to bang hard - what an absolute driver! The 'Fuge mix', unsurprisingly, offers the ambient version, and while we're weary of bold statements, this might just be our favourite of the lot, spreading its gentle waves of euphoria like Vangelis on Blade Runner. 10/10.

Review: Norway b2b Canada part three: LNS and Wania boss Sotofett collaborate for the third time this year with the mystical odyssey that is "Missed Connection". Long-breath pads, snake-like FX and a deep breeze atmosphere wrap around the steady kicks lapping persistently to create a wave-like sensation, it's a great landing from the dizzying highs of their last collaborative composition "Jugando Con Fuego". For a more hypnotic experience, flip for the tribal mix where a tightly-weaved percussive roll provides more of a mesmerising sense of momentum. Connection made.

Review: DJ Sotofett's Wania imprint closes a wild and entertaining 2017 off with a pair of masterful EPs, both of them showcasing the Norwegian's genre-crossing tastes and outlook. First up is this steely 10", spear-headed by newcomer Salik, out of London Town. Up until now, the imprint has predominantly focussed on the US styles of dance music, a rough and ever-quirky blend of house and techno, but Salik's "Inna Brixton" verges on much more UK-centric territories with its near six minute spew of moody energy, clicking and bouncing steadily to the sound of deep, treacherous sub bass. The flipside features DJ SO-PHAT himself, coming through with a beatless away of acid-tinged melodies that blend into a tight little rhythm, before dissipating into a loose pool of drones and bass - Sotofett at his most outlandish. An essential buy.

Review: The latest Sex Tags Wania missive is a 10"-shaped soundclash between Phil Sherburne/Pitchfork agitator DJ Sotofett and a true legend of the Sydney scene in Carlos Zarate aka Zarate Fix (Thug/Sweet Chilli). On the A side, Zarate serves up "Sands Of Time," a smooth low-slung groove carried by exotic vocals reminiscent of Dead Can Dance's Lisa Gerrard; a nice touch. On the flip, Sotofett takes it down to grinding and slow-burning pace with the lysergic EBM styles of "Coiled (Acid mix)" which is one gutsy groove indeed; with a seriously nasty arpeggio covered in the right amount of rust and dust as we like!