Back Catalogue

Review: A superb Bjorn Torske gets the remix treatment EP from Smalltown Supersound as Todd Terje, Harvey and Crimea X all tackle tracks from the Norwegian's 2010 album Kokning. No stranger to the art of the remix, Terje has been cutting his teeth of late with some killer original material (um "Inspector Norse" hello) but his remix of "Langt Fra Afrika" proves Toddney has lost none of his Midas touch in that department. Retaining the loose Afro groove of the short original, Terje extends the track tenfold, embellishing proceedings with a dizzying concoction of detuned drums, catchy horns, shuffling shakers, samba drums and crazy chants. Up next, Mr Bassett adds some requisite sleaze to "Nitten Nitti" whilst Italian duo Crimea X bring out the arpeggios for a ride to outer galactic discoteria on a brilliantly throbbing take of "Slitte Sko".

Review: Despite making a name for himself in his hometown of Portland, Oregon, Elliot Thomas has yet to make his mark in electronic music at large. Judging by this first solo single for Voyeurthythm, he could be a name to watch in coming years. Brimming with snappy analogue drums, vintage synths and tear-jerking melodies, "Sirius" is a delightful slab of stargazing deepness with some impressive influences (early Chicago deep house, the Burrell brothers, classic Detroit techno). It sounds like something that could have been made in '88 or '89, right down to the analogue warmth present throughout. "Desert Light" follows a similar template, delivering bubbling electronic arpeggios, yearning synth melodies and subdued analogue drums. Recommended.

Review: James Teej's work hasn't ever really edged towards the funkier side of house music; however Fame on Apersonal Music sees the producer enter hitherto uncharted waters. An underlying funk rolls with immediate effect on both "Fame" and "City Celebrity", with the title track playing with synth snarls, groove ridden guitar licks and a wailing vocal; a belting summer hit if ever we heard one. Up next, the Cisco Cisco remix strips things back and focuses on a pushing key sequence and addictive rhythm section that moves things forward. Last but by no means least, "City Celebrity" sees a plucked bass guitar that swallows the bottom end and bounces perfectly against the electric keyboard arrangement up front. Solid release.

Review: Young Turks continue their assault on releasing good music, paying no heed to genre politics in securing some all too rarely seen original material from Barcelona resident John Talabot. The tracks on Families really provide further evidence of the somewhat mysterious producer's endless progression into a musician of real talent, perhaps most notably on the title track collaboration with Glasser's Cameron Mesirow. "Families" is in a word sublime, a perfect melding of pop sensibility and glorious electronic production. It's obviously going to add to the reputation Talabot has amongst the music press glitterati, but crucially could see him gain wider appreciation. This is not a one track EP though, with Talabot indulging in some crazed digi horrorcore boombap business on "Lamento", all jagged vocal edits stretched over a sea of white noise and click clacking percussion. "Lovers Tradition" occupies similar territory, aping the hip-hop trend for chipmunk vocals and sinking them deep beneath twisting Eastern melodies that worm their way into your cerebral cortex with far too much ease. The final track sees Lonely Club rework "Families" - adding more club meat to the beat and laying down some hypnotic melodic qualities before slowly bringing in the vocal refrain. It's a perfect end to an excellent release.

Review: When quizzed about his debut full-length before a Juno Plus party last year, John Talabot paused for a minute. "It's not really house, more electronica - like a proper album," he finally remarked. It's an apt description. Fin is clearly rooted in house - and the kind of melody-driven, atmospheric tackle that the Barcelona-based producer excels at - but it's certainly not a dancefloor-focused set. There are off-kilter downtempo moments, slo-mo compositions and twisted beatscapes that recall the impossible-to-pigeonhole antics of Hyetal (circa "Broadcast"), Sepalcure and Instra:Mental. Then there's closer "So Will Be Now" (one of two collaborations with Pional), a near-genius chunk of future garage/deep acid house fusion that's so beautiful it almost hurts. As transformations go, Fin is stunning.

Review: Second time around for John Talabot's brilliant debut album Fin, an expansive exercise in woozy dark-pop, off-kilter dream house and inventive IDM. This time round, the album has been padded out using a mix of previously released remixes, unheard versions and previously unreleased bonus cuts. There are some real gems among the nine additional tracks, from Bullion's breezy, off-kilter pop take on "Destiny" and the shimmering electronica of "Tragedial", to a hitherto unheard 'album version' of Talabot's seminal breakthrough cut, "Matilda's Dream". The droning synth-pop of "I Want Tonight" also impresses, as does the skittering rhythms and bold synths of "Zanzibar (80tapemix)". In truth, it's all pretty hot.