Review: More original work here from Portuguese disco don Alkalino. There are only two tracks included this time but seeing as they're both seven to eight minutes each we'll forgive him. He's in a moodier mood too this time too, with "Thebe" being a slice of acid-tinged electroclash-inspired disco with a killer psychedelic middle eight. "Pluto" explores the realms of raw and loose house as heard through a proggy punk-funk prism.
Review: On this digital-only three-tracker, Portuguese-in-Munich Lino Rodriguez dusts down and reissues some overlooked cuts from the archives. Opener "Message & Meaning", first released in 2011, is one of his most potent house productions to date - a dense, hypnotic fusion of classic Iberian tribal house attitude, heavy African percussion, foreboding chords and gentle melodies. The previously unreleased "Glocke" continues on this percussive theme, with looser - but no less dense - African rhythms, early Chicago style vocal stabs and disco-friendly party atmos. Finally, the similarly unheard "Parcelas" sees Rodriguez travelling into late night tech-house territory via trippy electronics, heavy bass and wonky sound effects.
Review: Given that this is Audaz's 50th release (good going, given that the imprint was only launched in 2011), it seems fitting that it comes from label boss Lino Rodriguez, AKA Alkalino. The Munich-based producer has predictably gone in hard, delivering a quartet of original tracks aimed squarely at late night dancefloors. Opener "Side It Up" seemingly surges from the speakers, with flittering tech-house elements and murky vocal samples riding a wonky, bass-heavy groove. "Drumberg" sees him charge off into tech-acid territory with impressive results, while "Sparkling" sounds like vintage Orbital fused with 21st century German tech-house. Finally, he reaches for the mutant bass, horror textures and acid lines on closer "Minga", arguably the EP's standout moment.
Review: Munich-based Portuguese producer Lino "Alkalino" Rodriguez pops up on Italian label DaBit with a pair of pleasingly warm and toasty deep house cuts. Both "Martin Luther King" and "Isolation" feature inspirational spoken passages from classic speeches, giving each track a quietly uplifting feel. Throw in enveloping chords, pleasingly loose beats, cascading melodies (in the case of "Martin Luther King") and alien electronics (in the case of the more Balearic "Isolation"), and you've got yourself a pair of winners. Sccucci Manucci boss Vorres drops a piano-laden US garage remake of "Isolation", while the mysterious QLab turn "Martin Luther King" into a swinging chunk of late night post UKG-house that boasts delightfully jaunty riffs.
Review: Munich's finest and Audaz head honcho Alkalino is back at it again! This guy is really hitting his stride at the moment, so don't stop we say. The vocal mix of "Need Ya" is peak time house with a slick and bumping bassline plus diva vocals and cowbells: all you need really! The "Dub Mix" does exactly what it says on the cover, for those of you less keen on the vocals. Go Alkalino!
Review: Maybe it was his move to Munich that inspired his conversion to house, but whatever it was, Portuguese disco edit don Alkalino's original productions have got a lot more mechanical indeed. This is not a bad thing, it just means we get less disco for now. This latest two-tracker boasts a pair of tracks that presents deep and sparse robotic house grinder "Bang The Box" and the frankly superior spooky rhythmic riser, "Dementia".
Review: Portuguese producer Alkalino has enhanced his reputation of late thanks to a series of well-regarded original productions. Having previously concentrated on edits, he now seems fully focused on making his own music. "Hot Like The Sun" is typical of his recent efforts, mixing European deep house sounds with elements inspired by "Iberican" tribal and classic US house. The package also includes a veritable sack full of reworks, of which Panaroma Groove Express's classic deep house tweak most impresses. That said, the chiming synth-marimba vibe and tactile drums of the Tonto Dub runs it close.
Review: Since moving to Germany, Portuguese producer Alkalino seems to have wholeheartedly embraced the world of original production. Having previously delivered a smattering of deep house tracks here and there, he finally cuts loose on his own Audaz imprint with a quartet of late night shufflers. As with previous, there's plenty of old-skool influences on show - particularly on the soul-flecked, basement-bothering highlight "Much Love" (named after his short-lived project with Alphabet City) and early Orbital flex of "Jungle Dee" - but also some heart US garage-influenced rhythms (see "To Nice") and retro-futurist riffage (check the pianos on "We Jiggle").
Review: Portugese edit hitman Alkalino drops two new cuts on his home label Audaz, and it seems he's in the mood for some deep and mystical house servings this time around. "Dancing With Somebody" is a true groover, a chunky dance arrangement surrounded by loopy R&B vocals, while "Dance To The House" is distinctly old-school in flavour, a mid-90's joint that has been reworked and twisted into a more contemporary disguise.
Review: Portugese tech deviant Alkalino makes his way back to Audaz with the second helping of the Now I Got Your Attention mini-series, a sub-sector of the man's catalogue reserved strictly for the funkier side of his skills. "Glad To Be A Man" is a chuggy, dusty house swinger complete with audacious vocal chops and beautifully delayed chords, while "Girls For Boys" opts for a deeper and more ethereal approach, giving you the finest in hip-swinging tech-house for floor action.
Review: By day Portugal's Alkalino is a totally on fire disco-edit dude, but night he gets up to naughtier, house-led shenanigans. This is represented in his Now That Got Your Attention series, and this third installment is probably the best yet. "Far Away" is a sublime eight-minute slice of fizzy, cosmic chug-disco a la Ajello, complete with sleazy vocals and haunted by the spectre of the Human League. "Tonight" is even better: black and velvety melancholic electro-house sprinkled with hushed female vocals and new romantic synthlines.
Review: Prolific Portuguese party pounder, Alkalino, appears to have fully released himself to house, delivering release after release of sizzling electronic jams that have little trace of his disco edit past. The New Light EP boasts two really strong productions, the slighty proggy tech-house mood enhancer "Beat Bons" and the EP highlight, "Mellow Biafra" - which is a totally cool accelerated retro housier with echoes of Ten City's famous laser-stab riffs.
Review: Is it disco? Is it minimal? No, it's Alkalino's latest release. Drawing on the tripped out rhythms of minimal house and the sample heavy approach of the disco/edits scene, he delivers "El Che". It's not clear whether the title is a reference to the revered Latin American revolutionary, but the shuffling rhythm and 'French Kiss'-style riffs do provide the basis for Alkalino to sample an uplifting vocal rant en espanol. Whether it's a call to arms or just the meanderings of a random Spanish speaker is unclear. On "Roshna", he veers more towards the kind of jazz-inflected sound of Cadenza, with hollowed out drums and a sonorous bass guiding the way.
Review: Since delivering a set of solid re-edits for KAT in the summer, Alkalino has been on a mission to showcase his original house productions. This is his fifth and presumably final EP of the autumn and contains four reliable chunks of dancefloor goodness. We're rather enjoying the bustling and foreboding late night nu-disco synths and exotic electronic melodies of "Do You Wanna", as well as the organ-driven late night house throb of "Grow Effekt". That said, closer "Ballash", a saunter into the kind of hazy, dub-driven deep house that was once the hallmark of Miguel Migs' productions for NRK, is also rather good. "Glance", a swirling fusion of trippy electronics and elastic drums, completes a tasty package.
Review: For the time being, prolific Portuguese producer Alkalino has turned his back on the re-edit scene in which he made his name, preferring instead to focus on original productions. You'll find a trio of these on From Minga To The World. He begins with the pulsating, body-jacking throb of "Remodel", where throbbing synthesizer arpeggio lines, druggy riffs and spacey electronics catch the ear, before peppering a bustling, muscular house groove with chunky bass, creepy chords and meandering spoken word samples on peak-time workout "Sagan". You'll find more rambling, psychedelic-inspired speech on deeper and slower closer "Spiritual Awakenings", which benefits greatly from alien sounding electronics, undulating acid lines and jaunty, jammed-out electric piano riffs.
Review: Munich Machine Alkalino is back with more well crafted grooves that you've come to expect from the man - courtesy of his always reliable Audaz imprint. Although more renowned for his edits in the past, the Portuguese producer has now made the transition to the studio proper - and producing his own creations to rather impressive effect. The most surprising thing is that it's not disco - as the slinky and hypnotic tech-house of "Flaucher" pleasantly demonstrates. Something reminiscent of the early noughties electroclash scene can he heard on the frantic groove of "Latest Joint" followed by some dirty boogie-down bounce on the tough closer "Storm 2"
Review: More from prolific Portuguese producer and noted social media rant-machine Alkalino, who here serves up two of his most potent original productions to date. First up you'll find "Mountain Top", a rolling, early morning affair that wraps sparkling, delay-laden synth stabs and trippy electronics around ricocheting, drum machine style percussion and one of the heaviest analogue basslines you'll hear this year. This simultaneously deep and heavy number is accompanied by "Move Everybody", a cheeky, old school style affair that pits the shoulder-popping rhythmic swing of U.S garage against the rubbery bass and chiming synthesizers of nu-disco.
Review: Three very different tracks here from Munich-based Portuguese producer Alkalino, coming on his own Audaz label. The clue's in the name with 'Rave Selection', as Prodigy-like toytown keyboards, big buzz bass and rave sirens bring the fuzzy nostalgia while a more contemporary-style vocal keeps us grounded in the present. 'Metal Strain' harks back to the tribal era in mid-90s NYC with relentless, pounding drums, a chunky, funky bassline and cut-up diva vox, before 'Recent Places' closes out the EP, a track that's harder to pigeonhole but that blends elements of tech-house and filter disco.
Review: A very distinctive-sounding EP here from Berlin-based Portuguese producer Lino Rodrigues Polonio, better known as Alkalino, coming on his own Audaz label. 'Rastafari' is a midtempo deep house groove, long on sweeping pads and topped with a spoken Rastaman vocal, with the overall effect recalling the work of the mighty Mutabaruka. 'Haile Selassie' veers more towards leftfield electronica with its slo-mo drums and synth bleeps, and sports just a looped female "Selassie-I!" by way of a vocal. It's really the former that will be of most interest to house buyers, though 'Haile Selassie' could still find its way into longer, more adventurous sets.
Review: Known primarily for his re-edit work, here Audaz boss Alkalino - a 30-year scene veteran - serves up two original productions. 'It Grows On You' is a shuffling deep houser, quite pacey by today's standards, that's long on otherworldly swirling synths, and that borrows the vocal - old habits die hard! - from 1994 Murk classic 'If You Love Someone'. The accompanying 'U Can Not Have It All' rides simpler thudding 4/4s with cut-up male vocal snips and New Jersey-organ parps, then introduces some acid squelch as the track nears its end. Both are quality cuts and will keep house floors moving for sure.
Review: Berlin-dwelling Portuguese producer Lino Polonio, AKA Alkalino, serves up a truly distinctive house release on his own Audaz imprint here. Musically, 'We Shall Go Down' is a fairly simple affair consisting of crisp but unassuming percussion, a throbbing bassline, handclaps and fluttering flutes, but it's the vocal that makes it stand out: it's sung in English but in a west African style, with perhaps a little hint of African reggae in there as well. An alternative Version 2 brings the bassline further the fore, but whichever rub you plump for that chant-like vocal is a guaranteed earworm!
Review: Audaz boss Alkalino takes time out from curating the label's stream of 'Lolita' re-edit EPs to serve up three heavily sampled-based tracks of his own. 'Let You Go' purloins the vocal intro from On The House's early (1986) house gem 'Pleasure Control' and places it over clattering beats and warping, reversed-sounding synths, while on 'Ice Cold' a chugging, bass-y tech-house groove underpins a snatch from Frankie Bones' 1989 classic 'Call It Techno'. The inspiration for 'Another Generation' is harder to pinpoint, but that distorted 303 bassline is frustratingly familiar! Three very solid cuts that join the dots between past, present and future.
