Monty Luke At Juno Download

Review: As Planet E's current run of releases attests, Detroit's house and techno community is in the middle of a renaissance. This is borne out further by "Futures Unholding" by new artist Monty Luke. Diverting from the Motor City house script, "Futura" is a heavy, tribal house affair, its epic chords sounding more similar to the 90s Tenaglia/Tribal sound than Omar S or Reggie Dokes. However, it becomes clear on "When We Left Earth" that Luke is from Detroit; its stripped back rhythms are reminiscent of Juan Atkins at his most obtuse and the eerie synths sound like classic Aux 88. Luke Hess's epic chord-led version of "Futura" completes an impressive release from this new school Detroiter.

Review: Steadily working his way up with a sumptuous deep house sound, Monty Luke, Carl Craig's right-hand man at Planet E, appears on his own fledgling imprint with some surefire party rockers. "Yesterday & Today" ticks away in all the right places, using an urgent vocal to create tension while the same relentless bassline keeps hammering away at your dancing organs. "Tomorrow" is a stranger affair, taking an unconventional approach to beat-mapping which calls to mind the earliest drum machine workouts of the early Detroit forefathers. With pads to match, it's clearly a nod from Monty to those that came before him and he makes it work a treat.

Review: While Modern Underground Music Volume 1 may be a cumbersome title, it's certainly accurate. You see, this split EP is unflinchingly contemporary and touches on a multitude of styles and sounds. There's some loose, off-beat, hip-hop influenced instrumental action (Artie Strongman's delicious "Impressed To Dress"), some fuzzy analogue house gear (the Disco Nihlist-ish "Chasing Rainbows" by Fholston Paradigm) and even a dash of spacious, slightly cosmic hip-house (Monty Luke's "Through The Galaxies"). The Carter Brothers also dazzle with their trip back to the days of loose-limbed techno (check the Detroit riffage and tribal drums on "Ritual Business"), while Kuru goes all crunchy and spooky on the excellent "The Draconian Hybrids". Top stuff.