Pollen At Juno Download

Review: Another superb offering from Nottingham based DJ and production duo, Brackles & Shortstuff who have been firmly on our radar for some time now. Title track "Broken Harp" is an evocative exploration with shimmering harp flourishes interwoven into the bass heavy, garage and 2 step influenced fabric of the track like a finely woven musical cloth. Up next, hot shot remixer Geoim goes in on the original and re-works those fibres into a new material, with a spaced out soundscape, full of chiming beats, tight percussion, Guido-esque moods and slouchy, hip-swinging panache. Don't miss out on this one.

Review: It's not often that Bristol label Pollen pops up with a release, preferring instead to bide its time with choice offerings when the time is just right. As such, the Portrait release comes in a rose-tinted haze of contemporary garage flex, steeped in melody and melancholy, with crisp, snappy beats. "Because" weaves around piano chords and a light touch of boogie which adds weight to the floaty leanings of the track. "All Me" takes a more outre route, with a slower tempo that allows the space required for a slippery beat like this one. There's a soulful funk at work here that gets the feet tapping, even when the rest of the track positively encourages wistful daydreaming.

Review: With releases on Doc Daneeka's Ten Thousand Yen label as well as Well Rounded, Manchester's Xxxy is going from strength to strength with every release. This latest on Pollen features some excellent chilled, phased stabs that slowly get conjoined with slow-attack strings and punchy sub-bass. British dubstep wizard Jack Sparrow keeps the vibe similar on his mix, but adds more grimey kicks and bass hits to help drive it along a little stronger. Perfect for the head as well as the floor.