New releases last four weeks: Progressive House

Review: Belarusian producer Four Walls is back - this time around he finds himself on the new Ultraworld Records imprint from DJ Craft. This one kicks off with the lush prog house and silky synth arps of 'Mind Charger' which soon takes you to the stars. 'Metamorphosis' is a more raw-edged and acid-laced techno stomper for peak time action and 'Summer Nights' is a bubbling, elastic tapestry of new age overtones, thudding kicks, and trance-tinged pads. A remix by Toronto-based Pletnev adds another dimension to this club-ready EP.

Review: Sascha Funke is a long time master of the deep who arrives on the always tastefully diverse Running Back label headed up so expertly by Gerd Janson. He brings a slightly different look here with the wonky, twitchy and tech infused rhythmic stomp of 'Reality'. There is more melody on display on 'Fantasy' with its ever rising synth loops glowing bright with a celestial hue and on the flip-side 'Puzzle' pairs some subtly joyous piano chord stabs over prickly disco-tech beats with molten arps underneath. 'Halle Weissensee' then closes down with a nice stiff and rave ready house sound, snappy beats and tight bass.

Review: Barcelona mainstay Baldo originally released 'Ride The Night' as part of digital single Saturdays Come And Gone on Permanent Vacation in 2022. As a fierce and fabulous homage to Hi-NRG, it showed the most muscular, nocturnal side of Baldo's sound and the track took on a life of its own. Now the label have decided to give the track more prominence with this heavyweight vinyl remix package, which kicks off in style with a suitably throbbing workout from Red Axes before switching to the strutting big room style of Alex Neri. Jennifer Loveless zeroes in to the sensual heart of the track with a thrumming low end and a powerful command of the tension in the track, leaving it to Baldo's original to close the EP out in style.

Review: London-based artist and Semi Delicious label head Demi Riquisimo brings some peak time future tech inspiration to his new Windows 95 Anthem EP on Higher Ground. He has already dropped signature sounds on Ninja Tune, DJ Tennis' Life & Death and collaborated with Carlita, UNKLE and TSHA, so is very much a man of the moment. In this EP he leans on Italo and acid for his melodic licks which are high speed and glossy as they surge over crispy beats and retro-future keys. Chloe Caillet and Spray also add their own remixes to this tidy new 12".

Review: Humanoid Recordings co-founder 4d lays down another four-track 12" for the label, scouring the weightier and scrapier ends of minimal and acid house, all while teasing out a retro-robotic edge. Only an artist with a real sense of humour can invoke ideas of 'Stupidity' and 'Quantum Theory' in the same breath; both tracks betray the unified whimsy and intelligence that a successful acid house and techno artist must portray in order to win hearts. The latter uses a particularly sticky, hard-to-pin-down 4x4 kick style; contrast to B1 'World In Our Head', which portrays a psychic model of the outside world through trilling trance lines, and the meek glissandos of 'Sowie Lockers', securing an indeterminate but funky mood.

Review: Frame Of Mind has been one of the best techno and house labels in the past couple years hailing from the Netherlands. This is the second appearance for Synaptic Voyager on the label in total. 'Epoch Ten' exhibits a premier example of the quality ambient techno the label has released in recent years. Fans of As One, FBA, Stasis and Sensurreal are sure to gravitate toward this track in particular. The 90s Detroit vibe is here in many respects. 'Ne Plus Ultra' and 'Reverie' are perfect tributes to the lineage there. The robot funk in 'Milestone' is particularly exciting with this early 90s styled foray into UK techno while 'Parallax' gives off a heavy Innovator and early Warp label impressions. If you are a fan of ambient techno then this is a quick and easy pickup.

Review: Dave Seaman and Steve Parry's Selador Recordings imprint releases most of its music digitally, serving up the most in-demand tracks on vinyl via the ongoing Magic Black Plastic Series. Volume five in the series boasts four more tried-and-tested treats, beginning with Clavis' gorgeous remix of Charles Webster and Ursula Rucker's 'Begin Anew' - all bubbly, hypnotic electronic bass, trippy tech-house noises, immersive chords, bouncy beats and poetic spoken word vocals. Timanto blurs the boundaries between warming deep house and melody-rich progressive house on 'Other Side', before Dave Seaman joins forces with Thomas Gandey on the low-slung dark room moodiness of 'Heavyweight Residue'. To round off the EP, Harcourt delivers a hypnotic, soft-touch tech-house take on 'Red James' by Robert Babicz.

Review: Josh Ludlow shows that he knows a thing or two about crafting superb arps and lush prog house records with this new outing on Nocturne Music. 'Mindways' is a brilliantly colourful opener with neon lines and bubbling sequences over fleshy drums. 'Touch' channels a bit of Metro Area style nu-disco production with its cowbells, textured bassline and late-night allure, and 'A Little Love' then gets more deep cut and steamy with some sensuous vocals and vast, pillowy kicks. Last of all is the more textural and raw tech-disco stepper 'Diska Tek!' to complete the package.

Review: The fledgling but already notable UFO Series now looks to Italian producer and prodigious underground innovator Riciar Ghir for a captivating journey through the more energetic house realms, all with an outer space feel. 'Niriba Shuttle' opens with tribal percussion and progressive synths that are coloured by subtle acid lines. 'Silenzio' is slow, heavy and persuasive with its old school piano acting lighting up your soul. There's a twisted tech funk to 'Platter Dreams' that makes it perfect for 2am cruising and 'Bad Egg' sets down with plenty of colour. These cuts will all work several different moments on the dance floor making it a hugely useful 12".