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GDE 004
20 May 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
Review:
It seems that the nu-disco trend of re-edits is one that just keeps growing. Everyone from Siberia to Greece is doing it, and now the fever has spread to Ireland too in the form of the Get Down Edits label. Thankfully these guys don't (usually) pick the obvious stuff - Fingerman samples Luther Vandross' "Never Too Much" on "Too Much" so they lose points for that, but generally it's all good jazzy, funky retro jams.
505114 2099969
20 May 13 Deep Dubstep
Review:
If you judge a producer by their ability to successfully apply a winning formula to a variety of styles, Alix Perez is a master. While drum and bass remains his forte, there's enough on Chroma Chords, his second album, to suggest that he's growing as a producer. This EP discards with the synth-laden head nodders featured on the full album, though the four tracks here do still demonstrate the versatile nature of Chroma Chords. Thus the grimy hip hop of the Metropolis featuring "Blue Print" shares space with the soulful stepping action of "Playing Games" whilst the the excellent vintage Timbaaland does halfstep of "Shadows" (featuring breakout Eglo talent Strange U") joins up with the vicious "Burnout".
MRD 003
06 May 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: B-Jam, DJ Butcher (Chopshop Music), Fingerman, Yam Who?, Jayl Funk, Downtown Party Network, The Funk Hunters, The Glue, Shota Tanaka (Beaten Space Probe), Weedyman, Caserta, Peza, Get Down Edits, Dynamicron (Los Grandes/Our Nights), Lesale, B.g. Baarregaard, Grass Green
Review:
Arriving at a fourth Midnight Riot label compilation in little over a year is no mean feat for Yam Who?'s ISM operation, and the key to their success lies in the diversity of sounds you can include within the overarching theme of nocturnal grooves. And of course the high standard of artists that contribute, with this bumper 23 track selection no different as Yam Who? call on some respected names to contribute; seeing the likes of Joey Negro, Ilya Santana, Rakyo and LTJ Experience puts you at ease as you know you are in good hands - the Negro edit of Yambee's Ballistic Brothers classic "Blacker" is a notable highlight. Yet the fact these established names don't overshadow the contributions of lesser known Midnight Riot newcomers such as Dan Butler and Caserta - indeed the latter Boston based producer provides perhaps the best example of a 'nocturnal groove' with his slow burning, beat down house cut "Get Down".
SIGCD 009
20 May 13 Drum And Bass
Review:
Given his status as one of drum and bass's true heavyweights; you'd expect this eighth Calibre full-length to be one of the most hotly anticipated jungle sets of the year. Certainly, it's a fine effort, packed with emotion-rich atmospherics, fizzing rhythms and intricate, occasional beautiful, musical touches. He seems to be at his best when concentrating on musicality, as the delightful "Close To Me', soulful "Wilderness" and summery "Do Not Turn On" prove. There are, of course, rawer moments (see the tech-tinged "Simple Things" and dubstep flex of "Start Again"), but these don't hit nearly as hard as his effortlessly soulful compositions.
SPEAKS 013
20 May 13 Bass
Review:
London via North Devon imprint Shifting Peaks are keeping the party pressure on with this bumper-packed EP. It's a label debut from duo De$ignated (Nima Bazrcar and Rory Bowyer) who split their time between London and Hampshire. Having garnered some major hype from a string of remixes, they've managed to secure Kyiki from Crystal Fighters for this, this own single. "Valentine" mixes fuzzy urban funk with old skool 2-step and half time breaks. "Russian Roulette" however is a much harder post-dubstep gurning banger. Best of the remixes is Kaveh's thumping acidic afterhours workout.
DDD 040
15 May 13 Drum And Bass
Review:
Billed as 2013's biggest collection of reggae-fuelled party tracks, this madcap collaboration between New York's own reggae star Tuffist and newcomers Soul Rebel, DJ Tzinas and Bluntskull whips up new creations from some of reggae's finest tracks. From Toots and the Maytals to The Ethiopians, Soul Rebel, DJ Tzinas and Hammond Classics work together to bring a new flava, while Tuffist's jungle vibes and Bluntskull's breakbeat hype provide fresh new sounds to get the party skanking. Don't underestimate the power of reggae to get floors filled across the country, this series confronts non-dancers and shuns bad feelings. Embrace the party jams!
VHR 18
14 May 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
Review:
Russian producer Valique is back with the latest installment of his successful disco edit series. He specialises in toughened, quanitised beats, lending old stuff a modern electro-house groove. Highlights here include his highly danceable take on The Smiths' "Barbarism Begins At Home", the skippy, cut up house shuffle of "Angry Brides" and the infectious electro-funk anthem "Like Dancing".
BOMBBASSF 001
15 May 13 Breakbeat
Played by: Mooqee, Actual Sounds, Utah Saints, The Funk Hunters, Basement Freaks, Essex Groove, Tulioxi
Review:
Mooqee's label Bombstrikes is doing all right for itself. So much so in fact that they've reached that milestone - a label's first compilation album. Here Mooqee has selected 25 sizzling bangers new and old that do it for him, and hopefully will do it for you too. Highlights include the compressed electro steamroller that is "Back To School", the crunch synth funky freakout of "Come On Bounce" and the devastating bass that's eaten all the pies of "Let's Do It Right Now". Heavy!
DB 089
16 Apr 13 Bass
Played by: Low Slung, Eric Sharp, Mat Cant, S-File, Diplo, Aka Tell (A.g.trio), Carl Cox, Xpress 2, Trevor Vichas, 2 Good Souls, Jeremy Glenn, Caserta, Groove Armada, Resident Advisor, Nice7, Tocacabana, DJ Hell, Sister Bliss, Phuturelabs, Umut Akalin, Ntfo
Review:
Ben Westbeach's Breach alter ego continues to frolic wildly in the lush pastures of low-end house music with "Jack". The bassline swings like an acid house pendulum while the beats shuffle nonchalantly in the background and a sultry staccato vocal delivers concise instructions on how to unleash the sexual potency of the groove. "Let's Get Hot" continues the timeless less-is-more jack magic but does so with much more of a techno twist. Getting hot is not an order... It's a promise.
CTFAT 127
20 May 13 Bass
Review:
Originally released spring 2012, Foamo's monstrously heavy bass chugger "Sherlock" gets the treatment from a variety of talented players. Kry Wolf drop the tempo slightly for a resonant UKG strut, Taiki & Nulight continue the garage vibe with a more uptempo, menacing bass motif, Millions Like Us add some cinematic breakbeats and shivering synth washes to the mix, My Nu Leng take a leaf out of Bassbin Twin's booty-bass book while LKid calms us down with a very neat, early 90s house version. A great spread and not a duff rub in sight.
SIMBLK 002
06 May 13 Deep House
UTS 040
09 May 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Mark Knight, Jkriv (Deep And Disco/Razor-N-Tape), P A U L I E, Fredeverything, Shota Tanaka (Beaten Space Probe), 2 Good Souls, Jeremy Glenn, Lesale, Disco Doubles
Review:
The fantastically named A/Jus/Ted - veteran producers Justin Strauss and Eddie Mars on a collaborative tip - make their debut on Under The Shade. "A Brighter Light", featuring the treacle-thick soul vocals of Jeremy Glenn, sits somewhere between electro-soul, early Chicago house and Balearic nu-disco. As you'd probably expect from the soul-minded Strauss, the resultant track is effortlessly soulful, quietly uplifting and brilliantly produced. The same could be said of the more instrumental Re A/Jus/Ted remix, which blends skittering proto-house rhythms and electrofunk dub elements with woozy modern deep house. Like the original, it's excellent.
ELR 008
15 May 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
Review:
Possibly named after his favourite retro toasted sandwich maker, Brevil is an Australian disco producer currently on his third outing for Kosta Ellis' Superbreak imprint. His sound is low-slung and dirty and any of the four tracks here are guaranteed to get everybody in the mood for some disco love. Highlights include the loopy and hypnotic "Slow N Low", the shimmering female funk of "Never Gonna Stop" and the rumbling bass and delayed drums-fest that is "Turn U On".
SOS 027
13 May 13 Bass
Review:
Sounds Of Sumo label bosses Kry Wolf return to their home imprint with a bold new sound in the form of Concrete; eschewing their usually lighter take on bass music, the title track is a dark combination of wobble bass and dub atmospherics, held together with some steely techno rhythms which comes across like Objekt's "Cactus", while "Bluffin" combines more abstract beats with ghetto house-inspired vocal samples and dubby stabs. Woz is tapped up to remix the title track, being considerably more sparing with the savage bass and rearranging its rhythms into something altogether more angular; Benton's remix of "Bluffin" is classic SOS, providing a bouncy piece of bass-heavy garage house.
ALND 31
05 May 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: The Groovers
Review:
Given his encyclopedic knowledge of music, you'd expect any compilation put together by Bill Brewster to be full of unlikely gems and lesser-known anthems. That's certainly the case with After Dark, the first in a new DJ-focused series from the Late Night Tales camp. From start to finish, Brewster's selections are spot on, from the lowdown, slo-mo disco oddness of Sheffield chanteuse Marti Caine's "Love The Way You Love Me" and wide-eyed, acid-laden kosmiche of Coober Peder University Band's "Moon Plain", to the dirty electrofunk of Zed Bias's "Koolade" (featuring Toddla T, of all people) and mid'80s percussion fest of Martin Kershaw's "Keep On Pokin". If that wasn't enough, Brewster has also unearthed a decent Jamiroquai record. The wonders never cease.
CRIT 070D
13 May 13 Drum And Bass
Played by: Good News Boppers
Review:
Emperor began his journey not so long ago with his own brand of drum & bass that reaches beyond the depths. This EP sets out in stone his arrival into the inner circle. Starting off with the hauntingly savage "Begin" featuring the silken tones of Georgia Yates, there is no let up in the speed or accuracy with which tunes are flung forward. "She Said" is a double bass stepper Roni Size would be envious of, "Radar" rips through minimal synths at hyperspeed, "Precursor"'s strange, offset tape noise intro gives way to serious bass tremors and "Solar", featuring fellow English bass terroriser Centra blasts partway through the universe with huge neuro shockwaves. A serious contender for EP of the year so far.
GGD 01
14 Mar 13 Breakbeat
Played by: Goodgroove Records, Spinforth, Featurecast, Bmd, Roast Beatz, Hong Kong Ping Pong, DJ Stex, Chudy, Trotter, Nick Hollywood, Voodoocuts, DJ Aka (Funk Moguls), Mooqee, Jayl Funk, Actual Sounds, Juno Recommends Breakbeat, Badboe, DJ Axe, The Funk Hunters, Rory Hoy, Ez Icarus, Basement Freaks, Essex Groove
Review:
Welcome to the mid-2000s. A few years before Jalapeno took him on and developed him into the nu-funk guru he is today, but after he'd scored international kudos by syncing to an Apple advert "Channel Surfing", Featurecast was one of the biggest bootleg barons on the scene. 21st century big-beat and turbo-hip-hop, Goodgroove released some of the cheekiest sample-heavy tunes of his early career. And here they are in all their remastered glory. Highlights include the Wild Cherry sampling bootie shaker "Funky White Brother" and the Vandross-DMX love-in "Get It On The Floor". If you weren't around the first time, now's your chance to catch up.
ED 26
08 May 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
505572 1810624
20 May 13 UK Funky/UK Garage
Review:
They always say that if you are disadvantaged in some way, just accentuate it and make it a badge of honour. So Birmingham's Tom Short has become Tom Shorterz and a glittering career can only but follow suit. Here he has remixed his own tune "Wot U Do", turning in a linear but bassy, seven-minute garage stroller. Onwards and upwards!
NHS 233DDB
20 May 13 Drum And Bass
Review:
Been missing the hyperactive influence of Danny Byrd in your lives? Stop your whining and get your eardrums wrapped around this. The original party starter's latest collection of tunes has been designed to get glowsticks raised across the country. "4th Dimension" powerslams old school rave with high energy drum & bass to create an unmistakeable Hospitality soundtrack. "Bad Boy (Back Again)" adds some serious jungle vibing to proceedings, bubbling over with bassline bounce and a seriously sing-along-able vocal hit. With a hard-hitting remix from 303 as Flux Pavillion bring some swag with their "Bad boy" refix, get hoping for some good weather because these are going to blow the roof off clubs everywhere.
WD 16
30 Apr 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Sleazy Mcqueen, Fingerman, Superbreak, The Glue, Shota Tanaka (Beaten Space Probe), Weedyman, Kono Vidovic, Grass Green, Monkey Boots, Vinyladdicted
Review:
Whiskey Disco returns with a quartet of blisteringly good reworks from Dead Rose Music Company and Satin Jackets. Dead Rose Music Company open proceedings in style with "Nothin To Ya", a brilliantly low-slung, bass-heavy re-edit-turned-remix of the Jones Girls' "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else" that turns the delightful original into a dubbed-out chunk of dancefloor chugginess. The more upbeat "Too Late", based on a lesser-known favourite, is almost as good. Satin Jackets' "The Hustle" provides some looser - but still formidably heavy - dewy-eyed disco-soul thrills, while "I Can See The Light" is more Balearic than a wet, sloppy kiss from a grinning stranger.
505545 3688508
13 May 13 Breakbeat
Review:
Is it just us or are Basement Freaks albums getting funkier and funkier? As hinted with their Soul Digga EP last winter, the trio just keep getting more organic and authentic, this being their most engaging, juiciest funk LP to date. From the Alabama 3 meets the Daptones style "Gimme More" to the insanely authentic Parliament skit "Disco Boy" via the mild skank bounce, organ noodling and Troutman crooning on "Red Light Streets", this really is party dynamite. Basement Freaks are ruling the nu-funk scene right now.
GGR 003
29 Apr 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: DJ Butcher (Chopshop Music), Cloned In Vatican!, Pablo Contraband (Disco Deviant), In Flagranti, Joseph Terruel, Kono Vidovic, Grass Green, Monkey Boots, Vinyladdicted, Mr Hooky
Review:
Further proof of the blurred boundaries between nu-disco, deep house and '90s house revivalism is provided by this jaunty four-tracker from Auckland-based studio buff Shallow Taxi Club. There's much to admire about the crisp, vintage house pianos, twittering melodies and bumpin' beats of opener "Flashback", but it's the deep, Crazy P-ish nu-disco groovery of "Mark My Words" that most impresses. Choose between the baggy 'Disco Edit' and a delightfully touchy-feely rework from Greg Wilson faves Monkey Boots. The latter also turn "Melody of Creed" into a gorgeous slice of shuffling deep house bliss.
MCDE 1210
08 Apr 13 Deep House
Played by: Paul Mac, Low Slung, Kisk, Henri Kohn, Alkalino, Juno Recommends Deep House, Freddy Love, Fredeverything, Fredeverything, Posthuman, Resident Advisor, Lesale, B.g. Baarregaard, Grass Green, Jakobin&domino
Review:
Dani Plessow dons the Motor City Drum Ensemble name with Say A Prayer signaling a return to the production game following his much publicized creative burnout. It's clear that Plessow's period of convalescence has worked wonders, with the four tracks here every bit as deep and dusty as the much vaunted Raw Cuts series upon which the MCDE project was launched skywards. Proceedings open with the two part suite of the title track, laying down fuzzy chords and intermittent vocal swoons over a gritty 909 backbone on the opening track; part 2 meanwhile will have you digging out those Raw Cuts 12"s in order to do a MCDE master mix, such is its immediate warmth and neck snapping drums. Meanwhile, Plessow uses "The Stranger" as a chance to traverse bleepier, rattling techno terrain with superb results, whilst "SP11" is rasping high octane house at its finest.
CHOPDIGI 022
05 Apr 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: DJ Butcher (Chopshop Music), Dicky Trisco, Redsoul, Fingerman, DJ Friction (Germany), Los Charly's Orchestra, Superbreak, Juno Recommends Disco, Pablo Contraband (Disco Deviant), Alessandro Otiz, The Funk Hunters, Disco B, Weedyman, Peza, Get Down Edits, Dynamicron (Los Grandes/Our Nights), Lesale, B.g. Baarregaard, Lazy Kiss, Vinyladdicted
Review:
Trust us, in our experience when encountering someone who goes by a nickname like Fingerman, it's usually best not to enquire as to how they came to be christened so. Here though he seems intent for us to know his true story, and luckily for us he's explaining it through the language of music. "I Know Its Mine" is a snazzy, brassy anthemic jam, "Lenny's Disco" is super camp fun of the Carl Bean variety, "Outta Sight" is more low-slung stuff, and "Honky Honk", with its incredible sliding bassline, is the sound of a roof being raised!
VHR 17
22 Mar 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
Review:
Following the success of the first three volumes of his AOR-tinged V's Edits series, Russian producer Valique (best known under his usual pseudonym for disco-flecked funk breaks) unleashes another EP of scalpel jobs. This time, the sources are a little more obscure (the silly artist names offer clues), but the party-starting remit remains. So, we get some chunky low-slung, Fleetwood Mac-ish rock ("Because"), a dash of hustling disco-funk ("Up"), a sprinkling of synth-bass laden funk-rock ("Soul Francisco"), a thickset house version of a soul classic ("Good Or Bad") and a big chunk of '90s US garage silliness ("Love You Too") - all tweaked and teased with an eye on dancefloor devastation.
RINSE 024D2
20 May 13 Bass
Played by: King
Review:
Rinse's own Royal T has been listening to UKG for as long as he started stealing bootlegs from his brother. With the advent of online mixtape technology and the worlds of grime, bassline and UK funky at his feet, the Southampton-based producer's latest offering is a filthy culmination of sticky dancefloors, hastily-printed rave flyers, pirate radio and the dawning of crisply ironed trap. There's a feeling of nostalgia about the whole EP for times when listening to grime at the back of the bus really was the pinnacle. Nostalgia too often comes with negative connotations - rather than stale Royal T brings his own modern edge to the retrospective bubbles he creates with each track. It's a celebration rather than a museum piece. Long live the spirit of the underground.
DIKSOF 012
15 Apr 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Dicky Trisco, Tronik Youth - No Dice Edits, Sleazy Mcqueen, DJ Friction (Germany), Venice Beach, Juno Recommends Disco, Shota Tanaka (Beaten Space Probe), Get Down Edits, B.g. Baarregaard, Miles Reverse, Monkey Boots, Jakobin&domino, Disco Doubles
Review:
Larse is a hard act to track down and although we don't know much about them, one thing we do know is that Larse is very good at getting backsides moving. This turbo-themed EP boasts 4 original deep body-disco cuts, the standouts being the sublime and totally glamorous "Hot" and the (possibly even better?) Adana Twins remix, which is indeed based around a twisting bassline. What's not to love?
HF 040D
20 May 13 Deep House
Review:
It's been some two years since Shackled, George Fitzgerald's last outing on Hotflush and it's fair to say the landscape both occupy has shifted some in that period. Both artist and label are fully entrenched in the current UK house explosion and Fitzgerald's return to Paul Rose's label with Thinking Of You seems primed to reverberate across festivals, Croatian beaches and warehouse spaces as the summer months roll on. A prominent track in Fitzgerald's recent Essential Mix, "Thinking Of You" sees the producer continue to refine an approach to forthright house music shown on recent dalliances with Aus Music and Hypercolour and feels almost proto fidget in execution. The techier accompaniment "Nighttide Lover" is drawn from a similar fist pumping palette and features rolling vocal manipulation reminiscent of Switch in his heyday.
CIAUK 005
20 May 13 Drum And Bass
Played by: S Man
Review:
Newcastle-based trio of drum & bass production masterminds Sato, Phobia and Tyrone have booted a spring up the bad parts with "Intermission", an immediately arresting delve into the murky jungle pasts of all three chaps. Bassy in all the right places and filled with the classic jangle of vintage amens, it's a star in its own right. "Knock Knock" is a more contemporary affair, in so much as it uses all the futuristic Carl Sagan-esque sound effects in its power to create the sensation of being hurtled through space to an ice cool jungle break soundtrack. Raw and heavy these tracks hopefully herald a new future of decent jungle-inspired D&B. We can only hope.
RSR 029
23 May 13 Scouse House
SRSC 02
21 Mar 13 Breakbeat
Played by: Goodgroove Records, Spinforth, Bmd, Roast Beatz, Hong Kong Ping Pong, DJ Stex, Chudy, Manmade / Cmc-Silenta, Voodoocuts, Jayl Funk, Actual Sounds, Johnnypluse(Bulabeats Records), Juno Recommends Breakbeat, Badboe, DJ Axe, The Funk Hunters, Rory Hoy, Turntill, Ez Icarus, Basement Freaks, Essex Groove, Jiggyjoe, Bialson Hajsy
Review:
Spinforth's quest for freshness continues as he follows up the debut December Scour dispatch with another generous selection of chunky-jacksy bass joints. With gnarly fingers probing every party pie, across the collection we're treated to dubstep-meets-classic-Brooklyn ("Time To Rock"), 23rd century electro wobbles ("Boss DAT!") and VERY cheeky Cypress Hill booty business ("Insane Brains"... obviously!) And that's only three examples. Get Scouring.
LSR 010D
29 Apr 13 Deep House
Played by: Fingerman, Superbreak, Kisk, Alkalino, The Glue, Shota Tanaka (Beaten Space Probe), Joseph Terruel, Grass Green, Vinyladdicted
Review:
The Legendary Sound Orchestra continues his attempt to provide disco edit lovers with something extraordinary, with a third collection of hand picked reworks. Predictably, there's plenty to enjoy, from his own sparse, piano-heavy version of Silvetti's Salsoul classic "Spring Rain", to the rolling, bongo-laden goodness of 78 Edits' sprightly but loopy "Don't You Know". Highlights-wise, it's a toss-up between Alkalino's baggy disco-soul shuffler, "Have A Ball", and Jimmy The Twin's superb, TR-707-enhanced "Party Down". The latter, a horn-heavy chunk of upbeat disco-funk, is arguably the Bristol-based scalpel fiend's best work to date.
MIL 002
20 May 13 Deep House
Played by: Lee Daley:contentmcr/Beef/Huddtraxx
Review:
Originally released over two 12" singles earlier in the year, Lovebox 001 sees Manchester-based label Music Is Love's setting out its formula for future success. That means delivering warm, endorphin-boosting deep house cuts, garage-influenced tracks and deliciously summery dancefloor tracks from a range of new or little-known artists. Pleasingly, there's plenty of high quality material to enjoy, from the lucid deep garage revivalism of Maxwell's "Need U", and bouncing grooves of New Jack City's "I Believe" (complete with heavy New Jersey organs, of course), to the '89 hip-house funk of Jamie Trench's "Juicy" and Gwen Guthrie-sampling goodness of Mikki Funk's "Deeper Love".
AUS 1345
15 Apr 13 Deep House
Played by: Alkalino, Pete Tong, Juno Recommends Deep House, Pablo Contraband (Disco Deviant), John Warren (Aural Graffiti), Aka Tell (A.g.trio), Matt Tolfrey, Luka, Marc Vedo, Resident Advisor, Jack Fell Down, Timo Maas, Sister Bliss, DJ Sarah Giggle, Umut Akalin, Benny Kane, Ben Pearce
Review:
Dusky have come far in quite a short space with their modern house music interpretations and make quite a decisive move with a high profile transfer from Simple Records to Aus Music. This is still prime, slickly executed house music but with a healthy amount of bass woven into the mix, not least on the fearsome "Alone". A meaty sub line pulses out under the crisp 4/4 while interludes of found-sound percussion come darting in amongst snippets of vocal for a surefire banger. "Dummy" likewise flexes its brawn with pride, from the snappy beat to the punchy bassline, even as the synth elements are intent on sending the track into more spaced-out places.
CR 004
22 May 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Vinyladdicted
Review:
On a retro TV show, Imagination singer Lee John discussed how everybody thought they were an impossibly glamourous an beautifully produced American soul act...until they learnt that they were from Brixton. After that they were just dismissed as a camp joke. Thankfully the passing of time has proved them to be the former, resulting in many respectful tributes, if maybe one too many unnecessary re-edits. Also included are retweaks of Alphonse Mouzon's wonderful "Everybody Get Down" and the electro-squiggles/funk of Stephanie Mills' "You Can Get Over".
WHEELYDEALYCD 002
13 May 13 Deep Dubstep
Review:
While the cover artwork may make Benton look like a moody former member of an R&B boy band, the music contained on Reflections is as robustly underground as you'd expect. Moving from Burial-ish paranoid atmospherics to deep dubstep-soul via a series of sparse, moody and emotion-rich soundscapes, it portrays the London-based producer as a man for whom the simple pleasures of form and function are just not enough. Along the way, there are growling, murky floorfillers (check the hissing "Herman's Hideout" and "Defect Mind"), dubwise steppers ("20/20 VIP") and occasional blasts of piano-laden beauty (the intricate "We're Both Lost").
SDRRLS 85
13 May 13 Drum And Bass
Review:
LA-based drum & bass label Soul Deep Recordings is one of the most diverse and prolific out there. Concerning themselves with the deeper side of D&B, unlike many labels who take "soulful" to automatically include liquid, much of this release features tracks focused on the heady early days of drum & bass to fantastically smooth effect. Most, if not all the tracks included are from new, upcoming artists from around the globe and this is reflected in the diversity and energy of the compilation as a whole. Check Disept & Zendi - "Around The World" for early days vintage vibes, Introspection - "HumaNature" for deep, rolling beauty and Remote - "Stars" for some truly old school sounds. Essential listening for those who prefer beauty in their bass.
UTTU 028
13 May 13 Bass
Played by: Phuturelabs
Review:
Given Unknown To The Unknown's wide ranging remit, including bassline garage, Detroit electro and Chicago house, it was perhaps inevitable that a genuine 90s house record would find its way onto the label at some point. Originally released in 1992, OHM's "Tribal Tone" was supposedly the first tune to use the Korg M1 sound that was later immortalised by Robin S' "Show Me Love", and had considerable impact at the time, being championed The Shamen frontman Mr C, being licensed to R&S sub-label Global Cuts and US label Vibe, and finding itself remixed by the Sabres of Paradise trio. Here it finds itself with three similarly great remixes, a stripped-back, raw groover from Marquis Hawkes, a horn-heavy piece of 90s action from Capracara and a thundering mid-tempo effort from Northern Souls. Essential!
KGS 002
06 May 13 Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Disco B
Review:
This duo of edits was originally released by DJ Ionic's imprint, Kojak Giant Sounds, a few years ago. Although the choice of source material here is undeniably obvious, Rayko is fairly restrained in his rework's of Nick's AOR classic "Edge Of Seventeen" and Cara's 1983 benchmark electro-disco tune "Breakdance", providing a little bit of vintage class to modern dancefloors in the process.
BOOTYFRUIT 012
08 Apr 13 Breakbeat
Played by: Spinforth, Roast Beatz, Chudy, Actual Sounds, Johnnypluse(Bulabeats Records), Juno Recommends Breakbeat, Badboe, Ez Icarus, Essex Groove, Miles Reverse, Bialson Hajsy
Review:
Booty Fruit's DJ Maars joins forces with newcomer Tom Showtime for some seriously delicious sound mash-ups for this latest EP. "Heatwave Episode" is a funked-out re-edit of Dr.Dre's and Snoop Dogg's infamous "The Next Episode", whilst "Hungry Busta" puts a real dancehall vibe over Busta Rhyme's inimitable vocal machine-gun bursts. "Rocksteady Up" re-fixes yet another early 2000's hip hop gem "Ante-Up", and "Champion Steez" goes all breakbeat/ska mode, introducing some rather rapacious Jamaican lyrics over that booty-shaking groove.
BLKBTR 42
12 May 13 Deep House
Review:
Despite getting everyone all hot and bothered with the promise of their collaboration, Gorgon City - aka Foamo and Rack N Ruin - have been sparing with releases to say the least. Still, it's all about quality not quantity, eh? Both tracks on this EP scream class and are immaculately produced: "Intentions" is a slick deep roller, complete with bouncy bass, shuffly garage beats and a soulful 90s-style urban vocal. The percussion is pushed to the fore on the corresponding club mix, but it's the dark and positively subterranean bass vibes of the moody "Cycles" that really does it for us!
VHR 012
24 Jan 12 Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Timewarp, Jamie 3:26, Paul Deighton, Juno Recommends Disco, John Warren (Aural Graffiti), Neil Diablo, Karim, Eddie Matos, Peza, Dynamicron (Los Grandes/Our Nights), Juno Best Sellers 2012, Tulioxi
Review:
Anyone who decides to dedicate a fair chunk of his debut edits release to scalpel cuts of tracks from Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane and Stevie Wonder must have gonads the size of watermelons. Sitting down could be an uncomfortable proposition, then, for the mysterious V, whose seven-track debut EP also includes chunky, floor-friendly re-tweaks of The Kinks and Sly & The Family Stone (as well as a couple of stonking disco bangers). While some would argue that much of the material here didn't need messing with, he's done an excellent job. The Dub of "Whole Lotta Love", for example, is pitched just right, offering much more bang and exactly the right amount of disco dubbiness.
NONPLUSLP 004I
11 Mar 13 Techno
Played by: Paul Mac, Spec., Alkalino, Juno Recommends Techno, Pablo Contraband (Disco Deviant), Simonlebon, Menorah, Resident Advisor, Cosby (Car Crash Set), Larssen, Jt86, Eats Everything, Dapayk Solo
Review:
The Boddika-helmed Nonplus unveil Think & Change, the label's first compilation and what a way to mark such an event. Calling on a cast of the great and the good of contemporary techno and bass music, Think & Change arrives sporting some thirteen tracks, a statement of how far Nonplus has come since its emergence in 2009 as an outlet for the Autonomic family of artists, gradually mutating into a more wide ranging approach, with material from Actress, Kassem Mosse and Basic Soul Unit ensuring a reputation as one of the most respected labels in the bass music diaspora. The highlights on this compilation are many, but you should be checking Four Tet's contribution "For These Times" (easily his best, least fussy club track to date) "Bad Chicago" from Martyn, and Kassem Mosse's excellent "Broken Patterns".
CHST 027
20 May 13 Deep Dubstep
Review:
If you're looking for a lesson in how to totally murder it with a single vocal loop then look no further than "Transmission". Tripped out, tight and mind-boggling, it builds up with a guttural, industrial riff to chaotic effect. "LV-223" is more your techno flavoured slice of steppery. Dungeon depths and slimy subs; this is for the most tribal of tear-ups, while "Antidote" flips back to the genre's halfstep roots. Spacious and engaging with a series of well textured bass leads, it rolls and develops with production panache; "Kraken" ends with fitting gusto. If you're looking for a lesson in how to totally murder it with a dramatic orchestral sample then look no further.
082367 0042732
17 May 13 Deep House |