Review: Following chart-topping mixes from Henry Saiz and Tim Green in 2023, Balance presents a new compilation curated by two masters of their craft: the great Dave Seaman and Quivver. Seamlessly blending style and substance, this release showcases their collaborative effort in reaching out to a diverse array of producer friends & associates - taking in exclusives, classics and fresh bangers from the likes of Robert Babicz, Underworld, Aikon and Timo Mass remixes - not mention the dudes themselves via five collaborative productions. Balance, keeping it tilt!
Review: Described by TAU as a "Ukranian prodigy", Aikon has taken his brand of wide-eyed, heads-down dancefloor fare to labels including Renaissance, Diynamic, Multinotes and Radikon. He's clearly a genuine talent, because the This Is Power EP is excellent. His trademark sound sits somewhere between warehouse-ready tech-house, deep house and neo-trance, with occasionally nods towards dark disco. That blueprint is explored to the fullest on the EP-leading title track, a mind-mangling affair full of faintly threatening square wave bass, shimmering chords, jacking machine drums, dubbed-out melodic motifs and rave-ready stabs. He reaches for echo-laden minor key organ stabs, dark noises and clandestine beats on the aptly titled 'Big', before opting for a deeper and smoother sound of 'Hypnotic'. Closing cut 'Just Wanna Dance', meanwhile, is a mind-mangling slab of tech-house hypnotism.
Review: AIKON returns to Renaissance with this Dark Horse single that weaves dark wave vibes with bouncing sub-pop and synth bass music. Somehow still holding an indie groove like a Michael Mayer track might, the "Dark Horse" takes on a slightly sultry, country and emo tip with its subject matter by Kyozo a tone on top. Getting a deeper and techier mix from Made By Pete, a club mix focuses of the original's more subtle synths which are pushed up front, with a deeper and choral bonus track added called "Unfold".
Review: As the title makes clear, Shir Khan's 'Exploited Club Trax' series - which here reaches its' eighth instalment - is not bound by a complicated concept: it's merely about making people dance... and ideally in the most energetic, enthusiastic way possible. The long-serving DJ has once again selected plenty of no-nonsense, peak-time ready treats, all of which are guaranteed to get dancers in a spin. There's plenty to set the pulse racing across the 15 tracks on show, with our picks including the fiendishly sub-heavy, mid-90s piano house rush of 'Hurts' by Black Hawks of Panama (featuring vocals from Bisi), the Italo-meets-robo-disco bounce of Packim's 'Tanzen', a brilliant booty bounce revision of Aiwaska's 'Imagination' courtesy of DJ Assault, and the 8-bit electro-disco of Levantine's 'Disco Relaxation'.
Review: TAU bosses Adana Twins have always used the label's annual Spektrum compilations to showcase the quality and variety of the imprint's output, with tracks coming from both established artists and new signings. They've stuck to the same principles on volume four in the series, resulting in another strong collection of guaranteed dancefloor hits and pleasant surprises. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the psychedelic, post-tech-house trip of AIKON's 'Magenta', the deep space electro shuffle of 'Forever Mornings' by Echnonomist, and the bouncy, acid house-goes-boompty sweatiness of SXF's 'Workshop 5', to the throbbing Itali-disco revivalism of GUMM's 'Heroes Call', the sleazy TB-303 insanity of Adana Twins' 'Feel The Acid', and the fuzzy, hypnotic Berlin house haziness of 'The Covenant' by Volar.
Review: According to the label, Global Entry is a place for psychedelic, left-field music, and it sounds like they have succeeded in their approach. This compilation starts with the slightly ominous, mid-tempo chugging groove of Iorie's "Dangerous Love", before moving into "El Teatro de lso Suenos" from PAAX (Tulum). Based on a similar tempo, it goes deeper, with evocative vocals unfolding over piano keys and a melancholic groove that calls to mind Ibizan sunsets. Anthony Middleton of Audiofly fame adds some techy beats on "Energy is Currency" but even here the mood remains reflective thanks to the use of dreamy synths and a female vocal intoning the words to Simon & Garfunkel's evergreen the Sound of Silence.
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