Basic Soul Unit At Juno Download

Review: Basic Soul Unit follow up their Tuff Luv EP with a stellar package of "Jak D Freq" from Dave Huismans, aka A Made Up Sound. The Dutchman, best known for his productions offerings under his 2562 moniker, kicks off with the Puur Natuur mix, which strips the jacking original into a mechanical, dubbed out affair. His acid rework creates a smorgasbord of crunchy beats, squelchy basslines and general motorik goodness.

Review: Following on from last month's superb "Tuff Luv" EP, Toronto based Basic Soul Unit makes his Room With A View debut with a three tracker that displays his futuristic take on classic sounds. Deeply connected with the original feel of classic labels of the Trax, Strictly Rhythm, Nu Groove and DJ International ilk, BSU's "Midnight Ridim" creates a fascinating hybrid of futuristic techno with classic Detroit and Chicago overtones. By keeping jazz influences in toe for the release too, this is a dynamic EP that is simply not to be missed.

Review: Motional Response marks the excellent (and long overdue) debut album from Canadian producer Basic Soul Unit which finds a welcome home on the Still Music imprint. In the works for some two years, the album follows an eminently impressive array of releases for the likes of Mathematics, Creme Organization, Dolly, Mule and most recently Nonplus and sees the Toronto based artist otherwise known as Stuart Li craft ten tracks of elaborate techno. Anyone with a firm grasp of the Basic Soul Unit style will know not to expect straight up 4/4 and this truth manifests itself in the opening track "Across The Room" which pairs delicate fluttering melodies with bass heavy broken rhythms and remains pleasantly surprising on the ear throughout.

Review: On the title track, Stuart Li opts for a defined sound, and does a fine job of replicating deep Detroit techno, replete with a swinging, off-beat rhythm underpinning his dreamy pads. Li casts his vision wider on "The Long Way" and "Flying Through The Fog", with heavy drums, reverberating claps and warbling acid lines complementing the dreamy melodies. However, none of these tracks can prepare the listener for Shed's remix of the title track. Like his Wax project jacked up on steroids, the slamming, rock-hard beats have a distorted resonance and the shredded, mangled percussion adds to the intensity. Only the rave-like dreaminess that underscores the remix provides a hint as to the track's origins.

Review: Now exclusively helmed by Boddika now that his Instra:mental cohort Jon Convex has moved on with his own Convex Industries imprint, Nonplus enters a new phase of its existence. Those worried that the change in management will mean a dip in quality should rest easy however, as the veteran Canadian producer Basic Soul Unit is tapped up for one of his best releases to date. There's no bells and whistles with these tracks; "Swept Up" revolves around a raw breakbeat and rugged analogue one-note bassline, giving way to a wash of pulsating filtered chords and deep melody, while "Mindstorm" utilises muffled percussion and a sludgy but frenzied acid line, but there's no denying the craftsmanship on display. Not many producers can create techno that's satisfyingly deep and has industrial rhythmic tendencies, but this release positively nails it.

Review: Toronto based Stuart Li, better known as Basic Soul Unit, returns to the Creme Organisation with a new four track EP of dirty, acid house. His releases over the last year, including his remix of Arnold Jarvis' classic house track, "Take Some Time Out" have proven his ability as a producer. This rep is only going to be further enhanced by the raw edged, Detroit influenced techno of "Tuff Luv".

Review: Leicester hasn't got much going for it musically. Praise be, then, for City Fly, the acclaimed local deep house night that's now morphed into a record label. This first release - a four-track label sampler - delivers some high quality deep house fare, suggesting that City Fly could well be a label to watch in coming years. There's a variety of top notch dancefloor flavours on show, from the midtempo shuffle of James Johnston and soulful boompty-lite cut-ups of YSE to the luscious late night deepness of Tone Control (an excellent remix of their own 2008 Kerri/Theo fave "Illusion") and lo-slung techiness of Basic Soul Unit.

Review: While its releases have so far been sporadic, Hamburg's Room With A View has an impressive pedigree. Under the watchful eye of owner and A&R man Phil Dairmount, the label has proved a constant source of quality house and techno over the last three years - as this 15-track retrospective neatly shows. There's much to admire, not least Dairmount's overriding passion for machine soul. Everything here is touched by raw, electronic beauty, be it spine-tingling vocal techno (the wonderful Sebastien San/Aaron Carl collaboration "Faces"), Larry Heard-ish Chicagoan deepness (Motor City Drum Ensemble), melancholic futurism (Sasse, Basic Soul Unit) or smooth deep house (Art Of Tones).