Tags: Breakbeat House

Review: London-based label For Those That Knoe returns with a terrific release by underrated Slovenian producer Vid Vai. He's been slowly yet steadily honing his craft over the last 12 years with releases on respected labels such as Assemble Music, Tvir, Gilesku and Oskar Offermann's White to name but a few. Laminar Flow also happens to be his first full-length, taking in a wide variety of moods and grooves along the way. From the evocative and acid-laced flow of 'Incubation Theory', the sci-fi electro of 'Oort Cloud' to the sublime ambient offering 'Dusk By The Bay' and the saucer-eyed sunrise breaks of 'Shifting Sands' - the result is a timeless piece of liquid-smooth sonic art.

Review: (Emotional) Especial and Giraffi Dog join forces once more to offer up the second installment of their concept EP series. It is focussed on live and studio collaborations and this one comes in two halves: the first half kicks off with '6th Chakra' (feat DJ Deflektorschild) - a fully live deep house and hi-tek soul exploration with mind-expanding synths and Detroit drum sounds. 'King OTN' is a jack dup acid cut ripped with cosmic synth details and 'DX Metero' has sheet metal synths lashing about next to ethereal synths and busted drum breaks. 'Starfather' is a star-facing closer with elegant piano notes dancing over serene grooves. A vital showcase of this essential live artist.

Review: Astonishingly, GRIT is Luke Vibert's 18th album under his given name (he's released many more as under other aliases such as Wagon Christ, Kerrier District and Amen Andrews), though his first for a couple of years. It's a predictably fun, TB-303 heavy affair, with the prolific Cornishman giddily sprinting through rubbery acid-electro ('Surrounded By Neighbours'), deep acid wooziness ('Decay Hole'), thrillingly wayward machine funk ('Partron'), subdued, bass-heavy swingers (the vaguely Wagon Christ-ish 'Gas Legs'), surging jack tracks (the breathless title track), jaunty house retro-futurism ('Swingeing Cuts'), Kerrier District-goes-acid insanity ('Disco Derriere'), hard-to-pigeonhole madness ('Screwfix Typeface'), and much more besides. A must-check for lovers of trippy acid lines and sweaty, loose-limbed beats.

Review: Jumpin' & Pumpin' looks back into the seminal archives of The Future Sound of London here to reissue their fantastic The Pulse EP from 2008 which also featured tunes from Manchester pair Indo Tribe. It is they who start with 'Bring In The Pulse' which features some Happy Mondays hallelujahs, mad rave whistles and bristling electronic breaks. 'In The Mind Of A Child' (First Born mix) is then a bouncy techno cut with more visceral synth and acid lines and The Future Sound Of London kick off the flipside with 'Hardhead' (Frothin' At The Mouth mix) which is an assault of breaks, congas, whistles and rave signifiers. 'Pulse State' (831 AM mix) is that perfect tune to zone out to on a late night drive on the motorway.

Review: Nug Nation Vol. 2 is here for all your high-energy and nuggety needs. This one is another four-track journey into club-ready sounds that pick up where the first instalment left off. It's a knowing mix of golden era house and progressive influences with a contemporary twist from the back-to-the-wall prog-trance-techno of 'Three Of Hearts' to the unrelenting machine drum sounds of 'Hyperdrive'. 'Are U Ready (Flight To Toulouse mix)' is brilliantly clipped and bouncy and 'You Don't Know (Another Nother mix)' is a turbocharged face-melting tackle for fun dance floors only.

Review: Klasse Wrecks has started a new catalogue naming convention for this Boy EP from Mogwaa which suggests it might be the start of a new series. Either way it's defined by an epic, side-long title cut that is a real house and techno fusion. It has the soulful pads of house but the drive of techno drums, with pitched-up hardcore vocals over the top and a bright, screwy acid line tearing up the middle. It's a beautiful collision of party-ready sounds. After that 14-plus minute epic is a half length VIP mix that distils everything into a more potent and direct track.

Review: We loved the first PUP release so are super hyped to get this second one. It's a fine various artists' collection that explores an array of tech, acid and minimal sounds. Rat Bastard opens up and doesn't muck about with a fast-paced groove and slick electronic bass. Deezy layers in some trippy acid and lively breakbeats on 'Earnin' Bumps.' On the flipside, 'Prima' brings some fresh UK funky drum patterns and wooden hits to the light-footed tune by FRND and more Uk styles are tapped into on Mr Bizmuth's bass-driven, bulky 'Charmed, Sworn, Severed, Torn.' Woof wood, we dig!

Review: More proper tacker makes it way to vinyl here courtesy of the blow label who enlist four more producers of this latest various artists EP. Kitchen Plug's 'Cheat Code' marries the best of tech, garage, dub and house into a kinetic bit of body music that oozes warm and lo-fi soul. CYMKA brings kaleidoscopic colour and squelchy acid to 'Sweet Peach' then it's all pout old school piano rave madness from Batenko on 'Inside Summer 21'. Last of all is the searing electro funk of Les Hauts with 'Passing Clouds', a blisteringly quick trip into another dimension with some rueful chord work. Sensational EP.

Review: Following releases by Thai minimal producer DOTT and label chief Rudoh, Jugaar Records is back this time with a full-length, double-pack vinyl, bringing together friends from Asia and Europe. The record is truly indicative of where the Asian electronic music landscape finds itself at present, and the fresh sounds they are capable of. We particularly enjoyed Joe Koshin's late '90s styled big beat on "Astro Wax", London minimalist Voigtmann getting those classic house sounds in effect on the groovy "Time Waits For No Man", while Egyptian gem Hassan Abou Alam delvers some experimental post club music on "Gloom" and Aussie Shedbug serves up the evocative progressive breaks of "A Lil Piece".

Review: Halvtrak is hardly prolific - this EP is just his fourth solo vinyl outing in a decade - but what he does release is invariably excellent. The Finnish producer's trademark sound is rooted in the past, referencing British breakbeats, ambient techno, bleep, Motor City futurism and Chicago house, but always sounds fresh, pleasingly melodic and analogue rich. Opener 'X-Pressed' is probably the most peak-time ready of the strong bunch of tracks on show, with glassy-eyed chords and spacey melodies riding a thrusting bassline and sweaty breakbeats, though the house-tempo melodic techno strut of 'Rhythm Overture' pushes it close. Elsewhere, 'Phase Distorshun' is a more angular, deeper and lo-fi techno excursion, while 'Doubt' sounds like a cross between deep bleep minimalism and hypnotic, mid-90s Detroit techno.