Trapez Ltd Germany At Juno Download

Review: Indian producer Arjun Vagale pops up on Trapez with this wholly inspiring three track EP. Regarded as one of the stars in the Indian electronic music scene, Vagale shows his penchant for crafting deep, sultry grooves on the Danger Mouse EP, with the title track opening proceedings with a heady yet subtle melange of twisted sonic touches primed for late night/early morning use. Rounding off an impressive package is "The Second Nutcase" (check the grandiose breakdown) and our pick of the bunch, "Indian Shot" which bumps and rattles with all manner of delicious percussive elements and an irresistible groove.

Review: A belated return for tech-house type Leo Grunbaum, who showcases more quirky but appealing cuts for pitch black basements and dimly-lit dancefloors. While lead cut "Cafetero" is a touch more upbeat and percussive than usual - think South American tribal, with Spanish vocals to match - he's back to his usual throbbing, chugging self by track two (the decidedly druggy "Count To 3"). "Mind Cue" treads in similar territory, although its woozy melodies offer some musical respite from the dark rhythms. The stand-out track of the EP, though, is closer "Heart Cue", which has far more emotional resonance thanks to some spooky chords, dubbed-out Latin vocals and treacle-thick rhythms.

Review: Never judge a book by its cover or a techno track by its opening bars. The second part of that statement is especially applicable to the title track of this collaboration between veteran Mollin and fast-rising Greek producer and sometime Perc Trax and Soma artist Mihalis Safras. Starting life as a typical, rolling minimal house groove, it suddenly veers into one of the most gnarly, distorted basslines this side of Alex Cortex. "System" doesn't offer quite the same level of unpredictability, but it does see the duo bring dreamy chords to a ping-pong rhythm. "Move" also offers some surprises, this time with the duo fortifying the stripped-back arrangement with organic, rolling drums.

Review: Mark Henning returns to esteemed Cologne imprint Trapez for "La Galaxia Llorona", his first release of 2010 in conjunction with 31337 Records artiste Den. The title track is deeply emotive techno at it's finest as the duo layer a succession of careening melodies atop a simple percussive groove. Taking its cue from the title "Close Encounters Of The Deep Kind" lays futuristic patterns atop shimmering chords submerged beneath liquid Detroit atmospherics. Eccentric London producer Sebastian Russell opts for a deeply melodic house take on "La Galaxia Llorona" with the addition of retina-burning synth workouts. To round things off hotly tipped Ed Davenport pays homage to his adopted home of Berlin with a Basic Channel-esque bass driven groover.

Review: Butch continues to grow as an artist. Already a staple in the record collections of fellow techno DJs Richie Hawtin, Dubfire, Ricardo Villalobos and Luciano, he continues to build on his fast growing reputation as a producer. "Reshef" is another impressive slice of deep, percussive house and techno that validates his lofty regard amongst his peers.

"Reshef" is a twelve minute killer of epic proportions. It manages to do the whole frenzied techno monster thing but still sounds deliriously funky in the process. It has a groovy beat and almost tribal percussion as Butch layers the sounds to devastating effect. Slowly building throughout the track, the tension bubbles away just beneath the surface in this dancefloor destroyer. Amir's remix comes next with a seductive and trance inducing quality that makes this too, perfect for the dancefloor. With eerie tribal chants added to the spellbindingly funky percussion there is an element of ethnicity that makes this remix all the more exotic and dangerous. A new version of "Muskatnuss" follows, its crazed vocals and sirens doing much to keep up the wild and untamed atmosphere throughout this release which finishes with a trio of new remixes of "Reshef." UK producer GOW delivers an intensely deep and hypnotic version before Markus Sur strips things down to the original's funky rhythm. Deep'a & Biri close the release with their raw, super deep remix whose deep rolling percussion collides nicely with the ethno elements that give the track real flavour and identity.

If deep, funky, tribal percussion is your thing then you need look no further than "Reshef." Armed with infectious rhythms and eerie atmospherics, this is one of that tracks that can drastically change the mood of a room in an instant.