Xdb At Juno Download

Review: Under his XDB guise, Kosta Athanassiadis has been responsible for killer dubby techno and deep house releases on Sistrum and Metrolux. The fact that he's releasing on Echocord suggests that he is keen to highlight the dub side of his productions, but the opposite is true. The title track is a deep, dreamy affair, with XDB deploying a squelching, throbbing bass with devastating effect. Meanwhile, "Blakpin" is more sombre and showcases his esoteric side, as ghostly analogue synths and eerie horns wind their way through a shuffling groove. Finally, Sven Weismann scatters rattling percussion over brittle beats for his understated yet individualistic take on "Apari".

Review: Recago is another master class from a producer who effortlessly crosses the divide between house and techno. The title track is fuelled by a slamming rhythm, but disco riffs and loose bongo drums offset its dense, acidic undercurrents. A similar approach is audible on "Ontak", where XDB lays down an upfront groove and a rumbling, menacing bass, but on this occasion warm synth riffs temper his techno leanings. "Sunda" is more delicate, its subtle piano lines unfolding over a stop-start bassy groove, but Brooks Mosher's remix of the same track brings the release to classic techno-house territories. Trance stabs and doubled-up claps are powered by a surging bass, and the arrangement allows Mosher to use the kind of evocative vocal sample last heard on Kevin Saunderson's classic "Forces" as Essa.