Clone Jack For Daze Holland At Juno Download

Review: Long overdue return to Jack For Daze for Geeeman aka 4Lux boss Gerd, whose previous emission on the Clone sub label, the Traxmen referencing "Rubberband2" still remains a totally unhinged highlight of the Dutch hub's recent output here at Juno. Gratifyingly "Bang't" is every bit as good, twisting a detuned organ riff around a heaving, viscous basement beat and ham slicing percussion. That intermittent vocal sample dances a merry dance in-between the arrangement as the erstwhile Geeeman works it hard on the drum machine. "Fire Extinguisher" is a more thick set accompaniment, with gaseous analogue touches tickled by percussive rhythms in the opening moments before the entire emphasis of the track gets turned on its head as a metallic drone comes to the fore, the prelude to a full on glorious malfunction that gets repeated gleefully several times over.

Review: As his previous releases have so thrillingly demonstrated, nu skool German revivalist Murphy Jax is more than adept at conjuring intoxicating blends of vintage Chicagoan jack and head-warping electronic disco. "Kevin Spacy", initially released on vinyl earlier this year, is a perfect example of this. Revolving around hard, sharp sequenced basslines, twisted arpeggios and lazy, star-gazing synth melodies, it offers the sort of balls-out, analogue-heavy take on space disco that was once the preserve of fellow Clone adventurer Legowelt. Orgue Electronique take the track back towards Chicago on two string-drenched, Larry Heard on valium reworks, whilst bonus cut "Smoodrama" offers a deeper take on early Chicago house.

Review: By now, we should all know what to expect from Clone's Jack For Daze offshoot; namely contemporary would-be Chicago jackers influenced by the city's mid to late '80s heyday. That's precisely what we get here, with lead cut "Splice" sounding like a vintage fusion of Ralph Rosario's "You Used To Hold Me" and Jibaro's "Can U Dance". Flipside "Project Piano", meanwhile, comes on like a hypnotic collaboration between Larry Heard and Virgo Four, mixing deliciously touchy-feely pianos, pads and synth bass with heavy acid-era percussion. With warmer production and a drifting late night feel to the melodies, it's arguably the pick of the two tracks.