Blah Blah Blah At Juno Download

Review: Released by the fledgling label grown out of the popular dance blog We Are Blah Blah Blah, the ridiculously young Alfie makes a killer contribution to the grimy techno/UK bass scene with this two-tracker that's already garnered support from Four Tet, Claude Von Stroke and Addison Groove. On a militant tech tip, "Uncomfortably Numb" rocks a rush of pattering hats, colourful slow release pads and some seriously deft arrangements, while "About Midday" is a gloriously gonzoid thump of 808s and skeletal melodies. Hugely impressive stuff - these have a long shelf-life indeed.

Review: Getting early support from Deadboy, Laurent Garnier and Mary Anne Hobbs, this new release celebrates five years of the Blah Blah Blah label in style. On "Hoop Dreams", Blacksmif forges a mix of rushing arpeggios and tranquil, enveloping pads which fit a crisp 2-step beat like a glove. "Microweight" is every bit as mighty, thanks to some rising, brass-like wonky synths and a mix of straight-up house beats and funky-patterned natural percussion sounds.

Review: With the sublime summer hit "Hoop Dreams" still ringing in our ears, Blacksmif returns for his second outing on the BlahBlahBlah label. Opting not to tinker with the lush post-garage formula that made his debut such a winner, he presents a similarly urgent take on melodic bass music with "How The Fly Saved The River", as rolling yet distant UKF inspired snares tumble over a collage of fractured vocals and hazy stabs, while "Kangs Odyssey" takes a slightly more laid back approach with its jazzy arrangement that recalls a slightly more focused James Blake. Remix duties for the title track fall to Dummy Records and left_blank artist Lorca, who transform it into a piece of dubbed out yet melodic house music which should go down a storm on the dancefloor, making the insistent bass stand out even more against its spacious backdrop. Fans of Jacques Greene should check this!

Review: Despite the irreverent moniker, we reckon this Brighton act are just being coy - they probably spend ages perfecting their sounds really. Besides history is littered with warnings about what letting the machine do the work, haven't they seen Terminator? Anyway "One Love" is a big bear hug of a house record featuring a gruff voiced man spreading the love over some deep grooves and woozy key stabs. "Brighter Day" is a hazy, melancholic slice of early Chicago-style house and is a joy to behold.