Idle Hands UK At Juno Download

Review: Alex Coulton marks the third Mancunian to step up to the Idle Hands platter. "Candy Flip" gets things off to a storming start, wrapping a tight beat up in impeccable sound design, but when the bassline drops, you know you're hearing a very special slice of hybrid dance music. There's no drop in quality on "Brooklyn" either, which starts off on a false pretence of bluesy keys and steady beat, before another one of those killer b-lines comes creeping in. Proof if it were needed that there's no need to revisit past styles when such fresh, uncomplicated ideas are being generated in the here and now.

Review: The shady Manchester duo AnD make the jump to Bristol's Idle Hands label for this release, two sides of dark techno at its finest. "Hydrothermal" initially wrong foots you with its syncopated toms but soon eases its way in to four to floor techno. It's a track that concerns itself primarily with atmosphere, as metallic synth tones provide the most sparing of melody. "Lights Down" meanwhile takes their material in a more unexpected direction, jettisoning any regular rhythmic pulse for a more bass inspired drum pattern, which combined with the furiously pulsating bassline which ripples underneath and creates a track that nicely highlights the common DNA between Bristol's fervent bass scene and the sort of tightly woven Berlin inspired techno that AnD excel in.

Review: After the rip-roaring cocktail of acid house futurisms that made up Reeling Skullways, Bass Clef is back once again to tap into that fertile geyser of 4/4 creativity for the first track on this single on Idle Hands. With the drums bouncing in a playful furore across its breadth, "Dawn Chorus Pedal" represents the widest possible stretch of house with swing, but really it's the rich and glutinous bassline that makes this track an instant classic. In contrast, "You Don't Know Don't Know You" is a more introspective affair decorated in detailed layers of percussion but pressing forth on a weighty half-step beat. With synths ranging from frazzled to soothing and a plaintive piano providing a more thoughtful side to the track, it's far from a typical dubstep track.

Review: As one of the most active members of the Young Echo collective, Kahn has already revealed a sizable spread of styles in his output, and this latest emission for Idle Hands flips the script once again. It's an emotive and linear place we find Kahn in on "Margeaux Pt 1", as a bouncy 2-step beat and chirpy bassline get offset by dense layers of heavily treated vocal from Kahn himself, creating a pastoral kind of vibe as the end result. Meanwhile "Margeaux Pt 2" spaces things out with a more jagged beat and a brooding bottom end, while obviously continuing the theme found on Part 1.

Review: Let's hope that Canadian producer Kevin McPhee can avoid falling into the trap that so many promising producers are guilty of. McPhee received a lot of praise earlier this year for his debut release, Get In With You on [Naked Lunch]. Let's hope that he can learn a lesson from other upcoming producers, who having enjoyed a brief taste of recognition and decide to rush out a slew of identikit releases in a short space of time, effectively alienating those who had found their first few steps so endearing. It speaks in McPhee's favour that his music could never be described as 'big room' or 'peak time'. Instead, he prefers to follow a path where subtlety and creating an atmosphere are at a premium. It certainly sounds that way on the title track: over a pared back groove, he layers atmospheric textures that are both haunting and curiously upbeat. This is the strength of McPhee's approach - his sound is both involved and understated, complex and at the same time brilliant in its simplicity. "House 44" follows a similar path, but is more lo-fi sounding, as wave upon wave of hissing percussion is fused with stuttering vocal samples, woozy atmospherics and doubled-up beats. It's in keeping with McPhee's idiosyncratic seduction techniques - something that on the evidence of Sleep, will be with us for a long time to come.

Review: Kowton (aka Joe Cowton) is the latest in a proud and distinguished line of Bristol based bass music producers, and his two track EP on the fledgling Idle Hands imprint (also based in Bristol) is nothing short of superb. Treading the grey area between house, techno and dubstep, "Basic Music Knowledge" utilises a shuffling house beat and cut-up garage vocals, much in the same vein as Ramadanman and Midland's recent EP on Will Saul's Aus Music. On the flip, "Hunger" is like a subtle, pitched down slice of deep techno hiding behind clunking rhythms and uncertain beat.

Review: With the dust barely settled from his last grime-infused monster on Livity Sound, Bristol's Kowton returns on the city's premier label at the bass/house/techno intersection, Idle Hands. "Never Liked Dancing" is classic Kowton - raw, stripped back drum machine rhythms, sprung bass, all twisted into unique shapes that hint at sinister figures lurking in the shadows. "Track Mute" meanwhile takes that simmering energy and turns the heat right up, as rapid stabs, laser FX and a churning low end intermingle in a sweaty Stokes Croft basement vibe. As with any Kowton release, this is essential.

Review: Given their ability to produce both thrilling dancefloor cuts and woozy, sun-flecked early morning fare, it's perhaps unsurprising that Bristol duo Outboxx have delivered a superb debut album. The combination of talented keysman Matt Lambert and young producer extraordinaire Jake Martin (aka Hodge) is key; their disparate influences, passions and skills are evident throughout a pleasingly varied set that's equally balanced between serious dancefloor fare (see the sublime piano jam "Sunshine Mills" and the wide-eyed, boogie-garage jam "Jaded") and picturesque, sun-flecked home stereo material (check the atmospheric "Home", Dam Funk-ish "Jewel City" and intoxicating closer "My Destination"). Recommended - and then some.

Review: The latest release from Bristol record store and label Idle Hands comes from the mysterious outfit Rachael, and it represents yet another curve ball from an imprint that has trades in musical diversity. Occupying a zone somewhere between Chicago jack and the early sci-fi end of Detroit techno, "You're Driving Me" nevertheless has a similarly abstract analogue quality to label mate Bass Clef's recent excursions into modular techno, as florescent bleeps tumble across dystopian pads. "Kung Funk" meanwhile lies somewhere between Space Dimension Controller and Theo Parrish, taking things down a deeper path with a sprung bassline and live, wonky keys that hint at classic house without being overly referential - all said, another essential release from the Idle Hands stable.

Review: Once again Bristol's Idle Hands have come up trumps with another release of locally sourced talent in the form of the third record from the anonymous Rhythmic Theory. The producer debuted last year with Twilight Distinction, a release for the BRSTL imprint that showed the mystery entity to have a knack for creating deep, viscous loop techno in the Skudge mould. Rhythmic Theory's Idle Hands release is something a little different; described by the label as "deeply indebted" to jungle and D&B, "Land Of The Lost" fleshes out its deep techno skeleton with powerfully oscillating low end, while "Riveted" takes a syncopated, shackling rhythm and combines it with cavity-vibrating, jungle-inspired sub-bass.

Review: When he's not dropping wiry minimal bombs for the enigmatic Horizontal Ground/ Frozen Border operation, Szare can be found curating his own Syndrome Z label. This release, on Idle Hands, sees the producer dropping the tempo and focusing on a more abstract approach. The title track unfolds to the sound of a humming bass, randomly arranged, pitter-pattering claps and disjointed vocal samples. "Action Five" meanwhile is more dreamy, but through its atmospheric textures comes the unmistakably seductive shaking percussive licks that are synonymous with Szare's music and which guarantees its usefulness for DJs.