ePM Music At Juno Download

Review: London-based digital distributors and press people EPM continue their label adventure with this cheeky release. Zarathustra is already well-known to film fans as the soundtrack to the unforgettable Kubrik work "2001: A Space Odyssey", but this is the first time that composer Richard Strauss's epic orchestral composition has been dragged onto the dancefloor. In the wrong hands, it could have been a cheesy disaster, but thankfully Italcimenti fuses it with a bubbling bassline to make a cheeky but unforgettable pop dance track. Zar's version is even better; pushing the distinctive orchestral sound into the background, he delivers a spacey but dancefloor-grounded Italo groove that would make Alexander Robotnick proud.

Review: Forming an integral part of the experimental electronica outfit Vessels, Lee J Malcolm has decided to step out on his own with a new project that sees him delving further into the intricate and dynamic realms of pastoral digitalisms he was already inhabiting. There's a wealth of sonic detail to delight the mind in "Trashcan Riotface Queen", from pulsing bass to 8-bit bleeps, thick chords to glassy shatters, ever moving forwards and evolving after each bar. "We Just Might" holds back a little, keeping a more concise tone within which to plough an equally emotive furrow, leaving it to Vessels to back up their band mate with a more restrained remix that takes its time to reach a searing crescendo.

Review: The veteran UK producer Paul Mac is enjoying a renaissance at the moment and Drums & Breaks is a reminder about why he is held in such high regard. The title track is based against the backdrop of a pulsing rhythm and crunchy beats, but it's the shimmering, trancey synth, combined with a groovy filter that give the arrangement so much impetus . "Doubts Remain" meanwhile, is a classic 90s techno track, its surging chords and hissing percussion reminiscent of vintage Ian Pooley. EPM have also commissioned on point remixes of the title track: G Flame's version is a compressed, chugging affair, but for those who want a throbbing, acid-fuelled remix, head straight for the Advent vs Industrialyzer reshape.

Review: Unlike many of his peers, veteran UK producer Paul Mac excels at the album format. Previous long-players Old School Former Pupil and Push Came to Shove have afforded him the opportunity to showcase his versatile approach, and Insomnia is no different. The rolling, loopy groove of "Disc Elecronique" and the stripped back rhythms of "Driven Points" prove that he's still got an intuitive dance floor feeling, while the dramatic string stabs of the title track and the evocative chords on "Old" see him bring the Detroit narrative to clubby techno. But Mac is not just about copying existing narratives and the chord-heavy, filtered groove of "More Disco" represents a new mutant strain - dubby, disco techno.

Review: Paul Mac is one of the UK's real techno veterans, a producer with a sizeable back catalogue spanning a variety of sounds. For this EP, a taster for an album of the same name, he focuses on deep, Detroit techno, but with a twist. The title track is a driving affair, but Mac lends it a musical sound with evocative, breezy chords combined with dramatic string stabs. "Undoubted" sees him go down a more tracky route and its heads-down groove veers close to militaristic, but he keeps it on the right side thank to the clanging drums and crashing percussion. Marcel Fengler also contributes an excellent, wobbly bass-led version of "Insomnia".

Review: Toby Leeming aka The Third Man provides a taster of what we can expect from his album Beyond The Heliosphere, due out in May, with the Double Dawn EP on the EPM label. Leeming's production style is somewhat reminiscent of classic Dan Curtin in prioritising melodies but also has a rough and ready touch, yet Leeming is far more linear in his approach, as characterised on the title track. The grandiose swaggering way Leeming utilises his melody lines over the noisy, acid blotted bassline ensure your attentions remain elsewhere though! EPM excel themselves in procuring remixes from the superb John Heckle and Claro Intelecto, with the former's typically intensity complemented by the latter's spiky metallic rhythms.

Review: London distributor, PR/DJ agency and all-round nice guys EPM celebrate 10 years in business with a compilation that features some of electronic music's most respected names. Italo veteran Alexander Robotnick delivers the tear-jerking melodies of "Running About", while Rob Hood, working as Floorplan, delivers the looped disco meets Chicago house jack of "Move It". There is austere techno courtesy of Mark Broom and James Ruskin on the restrained, bleepy minimal "Merz" and Sandwell District's dub meets chilling strings workout "Live in Berlin", while RadioNasty drops the woozy bass and elector breaks of "Radio 3". All these contributions display EPM's flawless underground credentials, while they may have a mainstream club hit on their hands in the shape of the shimmering strings, plaintive keys and Ibiza-friendly groove of Marius's "Jet Set".

Review: Drafting in some of their regular co-conspirators, pan-European techno and electronica outfit EPM have stitched together this compilation packed full of dark and punchy dancefloor bombs. Dirt Crew are in fine form with the measured funk of "Glance", while Carl Taylor dishes out an all-out Detroit assault that leans heavy on tinned strings and lashings of emotion. Arnaud Le Texier delivers one of the highlights with his more contemplative and intricate electronica, working a vast array of details into a crisp slice of leftfield techno. For a sturdy spread of tough beats with a UK tint, there's plenty to sink your teeth into here.