100% Silk At Juno Download

Review: Amanda Brown has a keen eye to spot new talent, and the arrival of Oakland-based Bobby Browser (real name Andre Ferreira) on 100% Silk is a great example. While he's operated for a while under a number of pseudonyms, he's yet to really make his mark. Just Browsing should change all that. In typical 100% Silk fashion, the EP's four tracks join the dots between touchy-feely, retro-futurist house, acid and slick, mid '80s synth-boogie. Throughout, the production is blissfully glassy-eyed and authentically vintage. The results are superb, with the chiming, sunshine-bright "Always Many" and similarly gorgeous "Smooth Cruise" standing out.

Review: The latest 100% Silk release maintains the label's retro M.O. while managing to be more subversive in nature. The signifiers are clear, from the post-punk / no-wave grooves of New York to the grainy electronics of krautrock, but the cumulative result is pleasingly fresh. Lead track "Shadow Disco" sets the tone with a disco beat and looping bass lick over which synth stabs, FX and warbles duck and dive. More awesomeness from Amanda and Britt - the juggernaut rolls on!

Review: In its original form, this latest audio missive from electronic producer Daniel Martin-McCormick is a bit of an oddity. Sitting somewhere between the neck-snapping electro grooves of Dexter (think early Clone) and the chiming, bleep-heavy electronica of Warp's original Artificial Intelligence series, it's like a glistening, soft-focus take on dancefloor electro with a few clattering noises thrown in. It should appeal to more open-minded nu-disco heads. Saviour attempts to provide an anthemic alternate version, lacing his similarly skewiff remix with the vocals from Candi Station's much-sampled "You've Got The Love". It's a definite Marmite track, but dropped at the right moment, in the right circumstances, it will cause commotion. More quirky goodness from 100 Silk.

Review: Mi-Ami band member Damon Palermo pops up on the excellent 100% Silk label with a surprisingly varied EP of retro-futurist dancefloor fodder. As "Clubhouse" shows, his default position is classic sounding, string-drenched house - like Inner City or early David Morales with a postmodern wink (like a groovier Lone, perhaps). There's a touch of this vibe about the early moments of "I Can Feel The Heat", too, before it morphs into a no-holds-barred Italo-meets-disco house assault. It boasts an hilarious cock rock guitar solo, too. "Trax Crusader", meanwhile, is a tribal drum track that sounds like it would have done heavy damage back in the days of Twilo. Recommended!

Review: It's fair to say that by anyone's standards, Maria Minerva has had a pretty impressive year; with both her fantastic EP on 100% Silk and acclaimed album Cabaret Cixous on sister label Not Not Fun finding admirers across the sonic divides. She caps off 2011 with this six track EP for 100% Silk, which finds her moving her sound forward, and swapping her lo-fi tape aesthetic for something altogether cleaner and dancefloor focused; "A Love So Strong" sees a throbbing Italo bassline holding together her spectral vocals, while "Kyrie Eleison" and "Another Time & Place" both recall jacking proto-Chicago house in a Fingers Inc. vein, filtered through 100% Silk's typical weirdness. "Gloria" meanwhile is a masterful exercise in contained euphoria, with skipping drum machines and gleaming synths which recall the Minimal Wave reissued Linear Movement. The furious pace of "Turn Me On (Working On Full Powwa)" meanwhile recalls early bleep techno with a hypnagogic backdrop. The EP is rounded off with "Luv So Strong", a reprise of the opener which replaces its melodic sensibilities with a shambling 5am raver with skeletal, detuned piano. All in all, an incredible finish to 2011 for one of its finest newcomers.

Review: Having garnered much praise for his recent Ital output, Daniel Martin-McCormick brings his production partnership Mi Ami over to 100% Silk for some more of that teasing, house-informed-but-not-dictated goodness. Mi Ami come on like a drawn out live jam of deepest house, as vocals and effects feed into an endless hypnotic loop of drum machines and live bass. The tracks require lengthy running times to cover all that noodling ground, so live is the feeling on these tracks. While it's an enjoyable prospect while coursing through your headphones, you can only imagine what the effect in a physical setting would be.

Review: 100 Silk continue their unstoppable run of fine hazy house jams in brilliant style with this EP from Brooklyn based producer Octo Octa, who works through a number of styles to fantastic effect. "Let Me See You" is an interesting mix of slo-mo piano driven house, booty rhythms and vocals and arpeggiated Italo pop, while "High Reflection" takes the direction into more expansive territory with its breathy synths and billowing vocals building up to a beautiful crescendo of saw waves and icy melody. "Coldwaves" is a similarly roomy production, focusing on deep bass and glacial organ tones which give the track a frosty appeal. The undisputed highlight however is "I'm Trying", which takes a sample from an already well reworked Amerie track and filters it through some New Jersey house production with deftly handled classic synth stabs with an undeniably jacking quality.

Review: Having already seen the light of day on a limited cassette release, 100% Silk do the right thing and share the woozy delights of Polysick's EP with the rest of the world. As usual with 'Silk, acid house forms a great deal of the inspiration, but the concept is a nifty one as two ten-minute pieces meander through all manner of vignettes on an imaginary radio band. The plush synths that dominate the start of "Side B" are a thoroughly tempting proposition for the dancefloor, but the presentation of the music in this patchwork fashion almost forces the music into a comfortable corner of home listening.

Review: The under-the-radar space Paul Dickow inhabits may be shortly vacated as he crests his head up to appear on ace L.A. imprint 100% Silk. Five fully realized tracks see Dickow digging into an artful world of sound, diverse in its sources and rich in character. "Skanking Stabs" revolves around a dubby refrain and thick globules of synthesisers, while "Feel The Earth" kicks off on a rough garage bump before sweet-natured chimes and bells ring out. There is a feeling of convolution to the Strategy sound which might put off some DJs, but somehow Dickow makes it sound like disparate elements from opposite cultures were always meant to be heard together.