Lettuce shaking savagery right here as Ego Trippin pay homage to everyone's favourite late night snack. Rasping, sour and sizzling, this lives up to its name with humour and funk. It's backed up by plenty more tear-ups; 'Exterminate' brings a little darlek menace to your blends, 'Fatality' is a gloopy, trippy mess of bass and swinging triplets while 'Mud Foot Skank' brings us back to bodily issues for a classic early 2000s Bristol flavoured finale. Stinkers!
Although they've released music on countless labels (they were initially associated with I'm A Cliche, Correspondant and Hivern Discs), many of Red Axes' most potent dancefloor workouts have appeared on Erol Alkan's Phantasy Sound imprint. This tidy compilation rounds up the best of their material for the label to date, flitting between certified bangers (the frankly mind-melting, extra-percussive 'Some Lights', the hypnotic and hallucinatory 2018 anthem 'Sipoor', wonky electronic disco workout 'Shabak Shalom', the rushing gorgeousness of 'Rhythm Passage' and the deep, sub-heavy throb of 'Sound Test'), and lesser-celebrated - but no less trippy - B-sides (the bleeping and creepy '20 Min', angular acid weird-out 'Sound Text XoX', and frankly insane 'Oh My Arp').
There has been some excellent material released by Nu Groove since the long-dormant NYC label was reborn a couple of years ago, though this EP from Ibiza-based Italian Guiseppe Tuccillo may well be the best yet. It starts on a warm, deep and spacey-sounding flex with the rubbery 'Sunshine City'. 'It's Not Over' sees him join the dots between rolling, mid-90s NYC house and classic Italo-house, while 'Let's Do It' is a slightly slower slab of swirling house retro-futurism. Three quality club cuts for those who like their house to be as addictive as it is classy.
For their latest remix compilation, Californian label Dirtybird has selected some of its standout tracks over the years that have left a special mark, tapping some of the scene's finest for their reinterpretations. Highlights include Innervisions co-head Dixon's moody, tension-filled dub mix of "Urban Animal", Chi-town legend DJ Sneak bringing his unique brand of boompty-funk to a rework of label boss Claude Vonstroke's classic "Deep Throat", as well as veteran Harry 'Choo Choo' Romero's dancefloor drama version of Scavazza's "Shake Your Hearts" and label staple J.Phlip's version of Luca Lozano's "Berlinetta" among many others.
Following releases on Float and SK Eleven, Ahmet Altinbas delivers this hypnotic four-tracker for Token. The title track is based on a rolling groove and nickel-plated percussion, with hypnotic synths and tonal bleeps swirling up through the arrangement. "Integrate The Shadow" sees Altinbas adopt a more stripped back approach, as snappy hi hats and gloomy tones unfold over a lithe rhythm. "Tenacity" is powered by tough kicks and visceral sound design, while he reverts to a hypnotic approach on "Follow The Eyes". Although it's based on a high tempo, its eerie synths and subtle filters mean that it retains a softer edge compared to conventional club techno.
Fresh from the release of their pleasingly epic (and immensely beautiful) album 'Destination Unknown II' on Bedrock, prolific long-serving twosome Pig & Dan make their bow on Get Physical. They've joined forces with You Plus One label founder - and Canadian scene veteran - Siavash to deliver two typically atmospheric, early morning-ready club cuts. First up is 'Get Down', a slowly unfurling workout in which echoing, stripped-back beats and a futuristic electronic bassline provide a pleasing platform for eyes-closed vocal snippets, sparkly synth sounds and warming bass. 'Try Again', meanwhile, successfully blurs the boundaries between hypnotic tech-house, hazy late-night workouts and the kind of unashamedly melodious progressive house numbers that Pig & Dan has long excelled at making.
