Review: Most box-set releases tend to focus on reissues and re-releases, but on Brainbox De:tuned opts for a different approach. The compilation features artists who defined European techno and electronica's golden age during the 90s, but the Belgian label has commissioned new or unreleased material from these acts. Fans of that era will be thrilled by B12's moody electro, the raw, analogue warmth of John Beltran's "Nineteen Eighty Nine" and the resonating bass-y techno of In:Sync's "Crack in the World". While not every track impresses - Move D's contribution sounds tepid - there are enough jaw-dropping piece of music on this compilation, witness the autumnal majesty of as One's "Where Did He Go & Why" to make Brainbox an essential release.
Review: Prins Thomas' recent Paradise Ghoulash mix was something of an epic, stretching across three CDs. It also featured a number of special versions, re-edits and remixes by the man himself, a selection of which have now been available digitally for the first time. There's naturally much to admire, from the rolling, dancefloor-friendly rework of Box Saga's forgotten 1995 B-side "Zen & The Art Of Deadlines", and a blissful Balearic house interpretation of Hieroglyphic Being's "Imaginary Soundscapes 9", to two fine versions of Blacknecks' 2014 jam "Don't Dream It Be It", in which the Norwegian adds his own krautrock-influenced percussion and psychedelic builds. Arguably best of all, though, is Thomas no-nonsense edit of U's "The Subdubba Beat (Stockholm Glue Mix)", which tightens up and cuts down the dub techno epic to make it vastly more workable for DJs.
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