This Week

Review: Vae Victis follow their smashing debut release from The Analogue Cops and Blawan with apparent newcomer(s) Nightjars taking the reins but still maintaining the philosophy of analogue processes and hybrid styles. The concept is further crystallised here with two distinct sides to the record; starting with the 'raw' side, "Thing Movin On" steps and shudders in a sparse fashion, using very little percussion besides a kick and rimshot playing against a looped synth refrain and a purposefully distorted vocal sample. "Heavy" however fares far better with some nasty processing, as a mean acidic bassline rubs up against razor sharp hats in belting fashion. The more melancholic material in Nightjars' repertoire has been wisely saved for the 'clean' side, starting with the plush finish of "Left People". The drum patterns maintain the stripped back ethos, but in this instance a gently delayed melody rings out in a never-ending loop of repetition that seems to come from the Terry Riley school of composition. After that ambiguous exercise, "Everynight" positively shines for its focus and dynamics. While there's no greater complexity at work in the music, the pace and flow of the track feels far more engaging, not least when the vintage garage-house bassline comes in. Recommended.

Review: The third release on Komisch sees the mysterious producer deliver his trademark warehouse techno sound, but with a twist. Lead track "The Escape" reveals a more musical side to SP-X than usual, with eerie riffs and robotic bleeps creeping in over his razor sharp percussion and thumping drums. SP-X also makes reference to musical elements on the title track, with an epic chord sequence building over a slamming, piledriving rhythm and in the background an eerie synth lingers. However, any such concessions disappears promptly on "Attack Pattern': as his relentless drums build and build, he lets loose with a gurgling acid line that brings to a head SP-X's most merciless track so far.

Review: Fast on the rise and seemingly everywhere at the moment, Trevino shifts from the snappy electro of his [NakedLunch] release to two crisp and punchy analogue house cuts that sport the same tendency for strong atmospheres and subtly modulating synths. As with the last release though, it's the clarity of the beats that make the tunes, particularly on "Backtracking". Up next, "Juan Two Five" is no less stark in its lavish production, as a sticky pad washes around the rigid jack and deadly bassline. The old skool house march goes on, and the ideas still keep on coming for fresh ways to interpret a classic sound.