Was/Is US Vinilo y CD

Review: The Was/Is crew have proven themselves to be dab hands at burrowing away at the hidden folds of the 90s electro scene and finding some truly unsung heroes worth of a reissue. Following on from excellent work supporting the likes of Archetype, the US label can now be found shining a spotlight on the work of Can Oral under the 4E moniker. Originally appearing on labels such as Force Inc and Mille Plateaux, 4E's sound was quintessentially mid-90s, but only surfaced over a short period of time between 1994 and 1998. This record originally came out on Sockett in 1996, and it's been sought after as avid diggers pull out every thread of dope, adventurous electro they can find. Discogs pirates laugh no more, because now this essential record is back in the hands of the real music fans!

Review: British producer Mark Ambrose has been steadfast in the deep techno scene since the mid 90s, keeping his head down and slinging out refined, immersive tracks with a minimum of fuss. His Crayon label carried his most personal gear, and there was a lot of it, so now Was/Is have done the right thing and sifted through the catalogue to find the strongest jams for this Crayon Classics 12". "Zulu Groove" is a quintessential rolling groove, all pattering percussion and dubby FX threads, while "Warehouse Blues" ramps up the hi-hat sizzle and plots a course for the techno end of Ambrose's repertoire. "Thru" finishes the record off with a housier disposition, all shuffling beats and looped up melodic hiccups locked into an irresistible funk.

Review: The first release on our was / is sublabel, Glyph03 was intially set for release in 2002 on Charles Noel's (aka Archetype) 21/22 Corporation. This was slated to be the 4th in his Glyph series, a raw and freaked out exercise in pumping, tweaked-out midwest techno. Each of these records featured 4 tracks cut at 45rpm to create a true play-at-your-own-speed adventure. Since their release, the original Glyph 12""s have become timeless tools in the bags of the most respected techno jocks. We are happy to say that after a 15 years hiatus the drought is over. Stay tuned for more from Archetype, Glyph and 21/22 Corporation on was / is.

Review: Archetype may not be one of the household names of the Midwestern house and techno scene but his work as a producer and with the 21/22 Corporation label is exemplary. As such it's great to see him getting some recognition with this release on Was/Is as the new US label hauls out some tracks from fifteen years ago that never got to see the light of day originally. Archetype is on killer form here, creating all manner of insistent rhythm tracks that bristle with inventive studio approaches that stand apart from any notion of cookie cutter techno. Managing to be both highly workable for the dance as well as fascinating to listen to, this release is a treat for those already tuned in to Archetype's sound, and a perfect introduction for those who were unfamiliar.

Review: Having done some sterling work in reissuing the ace material from Archetype, the emergent Pittsburgh label was / is now turns its attention to cult mid-90s techno label Temple Records NYC, and this rough and ready burner from Cube 40 (a short lived outfit with close ties to Air Liquide and more besides). "You Make Me Function" is everything you want in an acid party banger, with a killer vocal hook looped into infinity and enough jack in the drums to lift and articulated lorry off the ground. "Fun House" is the more rowdy of the two, coming on strong with a Dance Mania friendly swagger and healthy amounts of 303 thrown into the mix.

Review: Omni Am brings some no-nonsense tough rhythmic workout business to Was / Is, leading in with the tool tones of "Tubes For Allah". While it may be heavily focused on the drums, this stormer of a track has the right ingredients to get people freaking, and Mark Ambrose follows the same path with his almost tribal remix. "Hit That Shit" and "Pyramids" both appear in edited form on the B-side, providing a fresh perspective on the sound Omni Am was exploring back in 2001 when "Tubes For Allah" was first released.