Well Rounded At Juno Download

Review: Getting ever more visible across every corner of contemporary electronics, Distal appears now on Brighton's Well Rounded with the logical pairing of juke champ DJ Rashad, and between them they hammer out three monstrous rave bangers full of finely chopped samples, zany melodies and cheeky lifts. "Behold The Jungle Bootleg" is an Abba-baiting riot of old-skool rave dynamics, while "Short & Sweet" sounds more suited to the former's title with its rolling amens and early 90s stabs. If you're tackling the kinetic force of juke with its all-encompassing source material ethic, then this EP has the kind of firepower you need for mass hysteria.

Review: Although he's got remixes for Nguzunguzu and Crystal Fighters in the bag, this debut full release from the London producer has been eagerly anticipated for a while, especially with Well Rounded records having already introduced the talents of Deadboy to the world. Thankfully it doesn't disappoint; "I Could Be There" consists of a deep garage bassline, shackling percussion and a synth melody that drifts through a fog of auburn mist. It's undeniably the vocal hook that makes it though. "Cactus Banger" meanwhile clatters along with all the aplomb of a Gerry Read production, with sinister atmospherics sitting alongside a confident sense of melody which marks Gongon out to be more than just another also-ran in the bass music stakes.

Review: Although Leon Vynehall is one of an increasing number of producers bringing the influence of bass music styles into the deep house formula, the Mauve EP stands apart from the rest of the crowd - the title track is anthemic stuff, mixing Detroit and Bristol house styles in just the right quantities with hands in the air piano, soulful vocals and quietly bubbling bass. "Picture Frame" is a much slower end of the night number which has echoes of classic Balearica, while "Homage" opens with subtle cut-up rave stabs, rippling percussion and moody spoken word intro, before erupting into life with devastating subs which catch you totally off guard. House? Bass? It doesn't matter - the only sure thing is that Vynehall is someone to keep an eye on.

Review: Portsmouth-based bass-goes-deep house adventurer Leon Vynehall has yet to emulate the success of fellow Well Rounded Housing Project graduates James Fox and Outboxx, but you can tell he's destined for big things. The Rosalind EP is a perfect fit on WRHP, delivering tracks that offer the perfect balance between bass-heavy swing, Detroit-influenced crackliness and emotion-rich deepness. "Untitled 017" sets the tone, layering pitched-down R&B vocal samples over a tumbling groove. "Title No. 7" adds some Outboxx-ish organ warmth to proceedings whilst retaining a similar sonic approach, while the startling "Rosalind" delivers a dreamy dowmtempo delight.

Review: On the Interplanetary EP, Littlefoot skilfully combines seemingly disparate elements of rave, garage, funky and house on this dope four tracker for the Well Rounded imprint. "Tuesday Club" sits somewhere between Roska and DJ Mujava, with some classic chord stabs thrown in for good measure. Equally impressive is DJ Dom's remix of "Sell My Soul", probably the EP's most euphoric moment, with more rave chords, this time supplemented by a clipped female vocal some delicious low frequencies. Up next you'll find two (relaitively) sedate james, namely the early morning shuffle of "Great Dark Spot" and oven warm Detroitisms of "Planet October".

Review: While there may quite an alarming amount of buzz around South London Ordnance for a producer with just one record to his name, it's not hard to understand why he's attracting the attention. His take on house and techno tropes has a very contemporary sound that fits in very neatly with the wave of young UK producers that favour rugged industrial drum hits and nutty sampling. There's a fizzing energy to "Pacific" that keeps the essentials rigid for the mix whilst the decoration flirts with your eardrums. It's all underpinned by a deliciously acidic bassline as a gruesome foil to the pleasantries of the pads. The bassline on "Trojan" is even fouler, dominating the track with its stretched out dark side leanings, but once again there's plenty of light-hearted diversion to be found elsewhere in the track.

Review: Nottingham's Spare introduces himself with this five-track calling card on Well Rounded. The guy's sure got vision and these tracks here don't really sound like anyone else. "Slacking" begins things on an ominous note as slow booming bass is sprinkled in fuzzy sonic shards (oh and a posh guy next door can be heard playing the violin). "The Weekend" is claustrophobic dry throated 2-step, "Making Em Seen" is loopy micro-electro, "Spare Room Offence" is like classic hardcore (listened to underwater) and things end with a delicious wobble-banger "Kankie".

Review: Infrasonics label boss Spatial takes a trip beyond his own label for this new three track release on Well Rounded, dropping an absolutely mighty tune in the shape of crisp and dry 2-step tech monster "Bring Me". Alongside the choppy thrills of that opener, "Discoborg" boasts a demented set of disjointed stabs over an equally airless beat, while the rooted-noted techno of "You Workin'" slowly builds into a gloriously far out and head-expanding delight.

Review: Following his "All Werked Up" release on Well Rounded Individuals last year, Texan producer Wheez-ie cooks up an even more hardcore trip into '90s rave with "Remember The Score". Ghetto juke gets mixed with pitched-up rave pianos on the title tune, while "Fuck Yer Shit" rests on a slew of trancy and winding acid synths.

Review: Summer's coming and Manchester producer xxxy has decided to have it. Big time. An excellent and vital producer, who's been impressing hugely over the last year with mixes on Fortified Audio and Ten Thousand Yen, xxxy steps away from his more woozy bass mode on "Everything", which simply leaps out on first listen thanks to a Chicago-esque vocal chopped up anthemically yet tastefully over some hands-in-the-air Juno stabs and jacking drums. Trust us, this is going to be huge. Up next, "I Know This (Can't Be Love) is pretty essential too, thanks to an unlikely mix of acid basslines and pitched-up vocals. Hugely recommended all round.