Firecracker At Juno Download

Review: Ukrainian producer par excellence Vakula maintains his label hopping endeavours with this utterly essential drop on the newly minted Shevchenko label. Named in honour of the Ukrainian cultural icon Taras (as opposed to the one time free scoring forward Andrei) and rumoured to be closely affiliated with the Firecracker imprint upon which Vakula first came to our attention, it's a stellar first release that gives further credence to the growing opinion Vakula can do no wrong. "Mama Said Go Slow" is typical Vakula, twisting through various analogue passages, the few constants being the gloopy subaqueous rhythms that occupy the nether regions along with what might just be a sample from one of Muhammed Al Fayed's favourite musicians and the hissing oscillations of percussion. The next track sees Vakula indulge in some smudged out beatdown business on "Deaf World (Dub)" which draws you on a kaleidoscopic journey to the lower echelons of hypnotic, fluttering house music. Obvious sonic references to Detroit pervade the track but it's indelibly marked with the graceful Eastern European touch of Vakula. It proves to be a subtler yet equally potent example of the producer's lack of interest in traditional house music structures. Hopefully Vakula will continue to release music of this standard long after we run out of superlatives.

Review: Having launched in fine style with the crazed Moodymann meets Dance Mania genius of Bakey USTL, Firecracker's Unthank offshoot keeps the focus squarely on Eastern Europe with some equally fine productions from a more celebrated entity. If this year is going to be dedicated to anyone, Ukraine's favourite son must surely be on the list - treating our ears and your hips to a veritable bounty of expert releases on numerous labels of high repute - Dekmantel, 3rd Strike and Ethereal Sounds to name but three. Anyone who has indulged in just one of the aforementioned releases should need no prompting to check this ten inch - with Vakula drawing on a surfeit of influences such as AFX, Claro Intelecto and DBX across the three untitled tracks. The A Side is where the deepness lies whilst the flip contains an expansive deviation into subaqueous, stripped down, hypnotic minimalism. Don't be expecting "A Tender Place" Mk2 but do expect to be seriously impressed.

Review: Gavin Sutherland aka Fudge Fingas is the man behind the seventh missive for the peerless Firecracker imprint, with "What Works" showing a move away from the soulful strains of his recent long player for Prime Numbers and towards moody, shuffling Detroit house. It seems fitting that remix duties are handed to Vakula - it was Firecracker after all who first showcased the Ukrainian producer's sounds to a wider audience - and despite his prolific form in recent times, his appearance here still feels very special indeed. Unsurprisingly, he turns in a memorable, highly atmospheric remix of "What Works", before another Fudge original, the chiming sea of calm that is "Mass X", rounds off an essential release.