Back catalogue: Progressive House

Review: Amulanga, operating out of Thailand, emphasise beauteous atmospheric progressive house, pairing each compilation with exquisite, extra-worldly sci-fi themes. Their latest, sixth vinyl V/A hears additions from Dulus, Acrobat, Ilias Katalenos & Plecta, Taleman and Shri & Alej, each track a seamless infusion of living, writhing organic sound. More than just music, the aim is to imply a narrative, shuttling and transforming listeners over and beyond centrifugal, interplanetary orbits - not just dancefloors.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Volume One of a label retrospective of pioneering early 90s Prog House label Interactive Test Compiled by Alex from Utopia Records and enigmatic Interactive Test founder Franco Falsini. Falsini, responsible for many of the underground classics on the label he founded in Florence in 1991 was first known for his 70s Italian Prog / Cosmic group Sensations Fix. A trailblazer who continued to push the boundaries of electronic music two decades later with Interactive Test, accompanied by the up-and-coming talents of Trance hero DJ Miki the Dolphin, his brother Riccardo and an host of cult Italian music producers. Here we start with 5 tracks from the archive, all highly collectable, remastered for DJs and psychedelic music enthusiastic alike from the best sources possible. Authentic and original dance sounds still hitting the spot in our times.

Review: "Yeah, as I gaze upon you, I am overwhelmed by the fact that beauty is an insufficient phrase to describe you. You are the definition of pure perfection, and though many have tried and failed to get close to you, I run that walk into the flame." Echoing the seductive vocal soliloquies heard overlaid in much deep Chicago house - the work of the late Paul Johnson springs to mind - K' Alexi Shelby marks a terrific introduction to this new V/A from Cod3 QR. The label was long the subject of much speculative chinstroking; only in recent years was it revealed to be the brainchild of Laurent Garnier and Oliver Way. Here on this latest output from the label, we hear a mix of technical and tribal moods traverse across a mostly slow-burner sensibility, pinnacling on DJ Bone's bosomy chord viber 'DD'.

Review: Sohrab's 'Dreams of Dawn' on his new Toneblind label is a musical story that bridges night's last whispers and dawn's first light. Blending progressive styles along the way, it marks a clear evolution from his past work and so each track throngs with transitional energy that captures dreams melting into reality. It is an EP which is a heartfelt statement reflecting friendships forged on the road and global experiences lived, while even without the backstory, the tunes make an impact from the colourful and painterly pads of 'Perplexity' to the more jacked up trance-house of 'Constance'.

Review: Belfast's Space Dimension Controller returns with six glistening slow-burners that nod to Warp's early 90s Artificial Intelligence era, while gently messing with the co-ordinates. There's a subtlety in the programming: 'Infinite Image' drifts with a low-lit acid bassline and glassy synth layers, while 'Variation Five' hints at the woozy futurism of B12 or Spacetime Continuum. 'The Mirror Dome' and 'Chemical Glass' are deeper stillibuilt less for peak-time than post-club recalibration, hovering somewhere between ambient techno and dream-sequence electro. Even the percussive flickers of 'Reflect Itself' feel fluid, while closer 'Island Eye' stretches out like mist. Not nostalgic, not entirely newijust rich, soft-focus electronics executed with typical finesse.