YYK No Label Vinilo y CD

Review: It's been some three years since Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts released his last bits for Mule Musiq, but now the Canadian minimal house mainstay makes a welcome return with this first outing for the Yoyaku crew. In many ways Yoyaku carries the torch for the scene this chap helped pioneer alongside the likes of Akufen and Mossa, so it's good to see things come full circle, and to note that he's lost none of his production flair. 'First Bump' is resplendent with expressive synth lines and an understated groove, while 'Upsalla' happily dives into a more twitchy, tangled kind of construction which will keep DJs more than happy in the extended blend. 'Victory Lap' shakes things up with a leftfield dub drop which typifies Coutu-Dumont's instincts outside the standardised framework of house music.

Review: Chris Korda's latest EP, we are reliable informed, "interrogates the myth of human superiority and the barbarism that flows from it." A high faulting concept for sure, but that doesn't mean this music isn't sure to bang on the dance floor even for those who haven't heard the backstory. The opener has a brilliantly odd monologue over a squelchy bassline and edgy technoid beats. 'K35' then paid thumping deep house drums with winky and off-grid chord full of colour. 'Lunch Break' is a broken jungle rhythm and 'SAZ' rounds out with glowing retro-future melodies and more thumping deep house grooves. A truly fresh sound for sure.

Review: Transgender environmental activist Chris Korda founded the Church of Euthanasia (CoE) in 1992 and advocated for the end of humanity's destructive practices. Korda's work itself transcends activism by drawing on art, music and technology in groundbreaking ways. A retrospective of her oeuvre at Goswell Road unites her CoE actions with her personal creative practice and showcases original banners, archival materials and unseen paintings. Korda's music, meanwhile, is generated by kinetic virtual sculptures and collaborative algorithms that reflect her vision of machines as equals in the creative process. Her unique approach challenges traditional boundaries and results in some gorgeous groves that are powerful physically and emotionally.

Review: Chris Korda continues to fuse her acerbic digs on human culture with quirky, polyrhythmic minimal house with this latest release on YYK's No Label series. Not My Problem I'll Be Dead takes aim at the shoulder-shrugging adults of the world right now who are watching the planet's ecosystems decline while continuing with business as normal, and she presents these ideas with her usual devilish comedic streak just to land the point with even more flair. The vocoder run on 'Baby Batter Bingo' is catchy as hell, not least when matched with snappy organ licks and crisp drums. The title track heads off into machine jazz territory which might remind people of Akufen's diversions as Horror Inc, not a million miles away from the sound Korda is exploring on this EP.

Review: With Yoyaku's record shop staff handling A&R, the YYK No Label imprint has become impressively unpredictable. Recently, they've served up 21st century progressive house from Varhat, a killer collaboration between Chez Damier and Ben Vedren and an experimental synth-pop album from People People. Here they turn to Swizz jazz drummer Samuel Rohrer, an artist with extensive experience of delivering hybrid acoustic-electronic tech-house and minimal techno excursions. That's what's on offer here, with Rohrer blending vintage electronics and his own drums and percussion with synthesiser sequences, machine beats and intoxicating aural textures. This approach is best exemplified by the Tangerine Dream-goes-tech-house flex of 'Rewired Paradise' and the sludgy, pitched-down 'Memory Reset', though ambient jazz number 'Into The Void Where Things Go (Part II)' is also brilliant.

Review: Varhat continues to explore the potential of sleek minimal tech house attitude with a broad palette of input, serving up some cool and deadly tools on this latest YYK No Label 12" to inject some flair into the party. 'Daddy Beat' is a percussive beast leaning in on dexterous breaks from less-mined sources and keeping the pressure up around the 130 zone. 'Hold On' nods to Detroit techno in its swirling pads and machine soul bleeps, all the while trucking on a focused rhythmic trajectory. 'Surprise I'm Logan' returns to the drum funk sampling and 'Engage' locks into a distinctive strain of machine funk with plenty of hypnotic motifs and playful fills to turn heads in the midst of a marathon session.

Review: The staff at Paris record shop Yoyaku have scored something of a coup for their curated YYK No Label imprint, snaffling a collaborative cut from French house stalwart Ben Vedren and legendary Chicago producer Chez Damier. In its original A-side form, 'Majestic' is bold and beautiful, with heady synth stabs, melodic motifs and electronic flourishes riding a driving deep house groove and Ron Trent style Latin percussion. Over on the flip, they opt for a darker and more marauding, tech-tinged vibe on the similarly outstanding 'Club Mix', before rounding things off with the colourful, immersive and more light touch 'Dub Feel Mix'.