Review: While Paul 'Apiento' Byrne could hardly be described as prolific, the few singles he does release are rarely anything less than brilliant (see 2010's "She Walks" and 2011's much-played "The Orange Place" for proof). This first outing for four years, this time for Phil South's brilliant Golf Channel label, is another belter. While "The Light Machine" - a dreamy, slo-mo combination of drifting pads, bubbling acid lines and sparse analogue beats - is a fine concoction, it's "ESP" that's the real killer. A chunky, undulating midtempo Balearic house groover built around a rush-inducing synth melody, it sounds like a summer classic in the making. Lexx remixes, adding a little low-end throb and more percussive density.
Review: Since launching at the dawn of the decade, Paul 'Mudd' Murphy and Simon Purnell's Leng label has risen to become one of the most consistent nu-disco labels around, with a trademark style that cannily combines chugging grooves, dub disco rhythms, and clear West Coast psychedelic rock and contemporary Balearica influences. It's for this reason that this celebratory 10th birthday compilation is such a treat. The multitude of highlights includes, but is no way limited to, the kaleidoscopic nu-disco rush of Pete Herbert's vintage remix of Apiento's 'She Walks', the kraut-folk-goes dub insanity of the Idjut Boys remix of Mountaineer's 'Golden Chalk', the intense drug-chug of Mudd's 'Slow Rave' mix of Tiago's 'The Source', and the late-night exotica of 'Luna' by Turkish producer Ali Kuru.
Review: The legacy of Throne In Blood is certainly not insignificant in the annals of recent dance music history, but they're reaching into new ground with this series of compilations. The first two volumes of Moon Rock were already highly worthy of attention, and so it continues on this new installment, where further investigations of ambient, new age and downright mellow techno are brought together by a host of top shelf characters. Steve Moore opens up proceedings in suitably epic fashion, while elsewhere Tempelhof, Pittsburgh Track Authority and Tim Love Lee all excel in various shades of chill-out with guts.
