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Borai
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Played by: Dj Pencil
Review: The Time Is Now team seem intent on continuing their exceptional run of high quality releases, with this brand new five track experience from Borai being the latest in a long line of very impressive originals. We begin with the title track 'Naturally', a smokey combination of sharpened drum processing and breathy percussive pulses, with 'Love Is Gone' then providing a groovy follow up, tied together with glistening chord progressions and clucky percussion below. From here, '2 Steppin'' then unleashes a choppy combination of swirling synthetic twists and clicking chime like melodies, with 'Dance 2 Gether' then going much heavier on the synthesiser designs and switching up the rhythmic approach entirely. Finally, a twist of jungle freshness as 'Phosphenes' gives us a very tasty fusion of original breaksy drum designs and modernised subby smoothness for a top notch closer.
Various
Review: Shall Not Fade's annual birthday compilations are always worth a look, not least because they tend to be packed with plenty of previously unreleased material from label regulars, friends and newcomers. This seventh birthday edition - the label's fifth compilation in total - is another epic, with 28 high quality tracks jostling for your attention. The track listing reflects the label's eclectic but largely dancefloor-focused approach, with highlights including the stomping big room techno darkness of Alan Fitzpatrick and Reset Robot's 'Alpha', the organ-rich New Jersey style peak-time house bump of Lis Sarocca's 'Oasis Floor', the bumpin' speed garage revivalism of 'All The Girls' by Main Phase, the warped, MC-sporting two-step wobble of Killjoy and Kwam's 'Active', and the deep and dreamy breaks/two-step fusion of 'Overcome' by Adam BFD.
Review: Rinse have had a great run of releases over the last few years, exploring numerous different areas of electronic dance music, from UK funky to techno and everything in between. This high energy double drop from Club Glow gives us a look into dancefloors today with some shimmering production techniques and high tempo arrangement styles, kicking off with the intense 4x4 drum arrangements and shimmering vocal-like synth of 'Mosiquito', which through it's hardcore approach and recognizable vocal slices is sure to keep the ravers moving until the early hours. Next to this, the breaks infused rhythms and pulsating low ends of 'Our Style' give us a bit of a different taste of direction, focussing on reversing drum sounds and bulbous kick booms to give us a nice level of b-side contrast. Excellent work indeed!
Played by: Juno Recommends Breakbeat
Review: The Hardcore Energy team have assembled a very cool collection of dancefloor ready weapons here as they invite the sounds of Borai inside for a heavily sampled display of breaks-inspired marvelousness. We open up with the old school vocal repetitions and chunky breakbeat drum lines of 'Lets Jet Out', which through a subtle, reesey bass pulsation below, really gets the party started. From here, the dizzying shaker lines and moogy pulses of 'Get On Down' give us a more airy arrangement, giving us a nice sense of contrast, before 'Call Me' sends us straight back to the underground with an unorthodox showcasing of old school synthesizer bleeps, soulful vocal drives and sharpened breakbeat drums for good measure. Lovely work!
Played by: Manami
Played by: Juno Recommends Electro
Played by: Juno Recommends Breakbeat
Review: Since breaking through with the colossal 'Anybody From London' on Hotline Recordings five years ago, Boris English AKA Borai has proved to be one of British dance music's more cultured hardcore and jungle revivalists. He's at it again here, too, filling his Vivid label debut with a quartet of sub-heavy, breakbeat-driven bangers dripping in saucer-eyed, rave-style samples. He begins with the sharp riffs, pitched down Amen breaks and booming bass of 'In My Life', before upping the tempo on bustling breaks roller 'Dead Drop'. English doffs his cap to spacey early drum & bass on the loose-limbed 'Keep Steppin', while closing cut 'C'Mon' is an insanely weighty, pitched-down hardcore bomb.
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Various
Played by: Juno Recommends Electro
Review: The latest drop on Constant Sound's electro branch, Infiltrate, comes from wild-card Bristolian chameleon Borai. When he's not dropping tuff, jungle-hewed rave wreckers for Hotline and Higher Level he's collaborating with October on refined house bumpers or dread-filled noise excursions in Spiritflesh. As if that wasn't enough, here he is turning his hand to genuinely fresh twists on the electro formula - a breath of fresh air in a crowded marketplace. "Flutta" keeps things snappy and decidedly pacey, but the overall mood is really quite light, while on "Rashaba" things get much darker, to an almost theatrical degree. Some of that breakbeat ruffness sneaks in on "Runnin" and then a little garage swing offsets the dubbed out showers of melody and cheeky rave stabs on EP closer "Narroways". Stunning stuff.
Review: For this latest outing from the E-Beamz team, we see them welcome the combined powers of Denham Audio & Borai for a seriously heavy breakbeat adventure, kicking off with the relentless rhythms and scattered ditherings of 'Skrrrrt'. Next, we dive into the techier stylings of 'Oldboy', before the phasing synthesizer lines of 'Euphoria' and cloudy atmospheric pads of 'Intraleks' move into play. Finally, we engage with the shimmering chord movements and bouncy rhythmic layout of the title track 'Clouds Across The Stars', bringing a very well laid out EP full circle. Excellent work!
Various
Review: Formerly Halo Cyan Records, Halocyan was rebranded and renamed in 2014. It is a sublabel of Phthalo, launched by LA musician Dimitri Fergadis. It's had some great artists appear recently in the form of Paul Woolford, Extrawelt and of course the legendary Dave Angel - who presented the last two releases as part of the Incoming series. Next up is Bristol's Borai, who has had releases on top local labels like BRSTL and Happy Skull in addition to internationals Tasteful Nudes and Retrofit. Dark Of The Sun features a variety of moods that are all expertly executed for whatever the occasion. From the evocative opening track "On The Horizon" which has a Detroit hi-tech soul type of vibe which we really enjoyed. The title track is more straight ahead with its Berlin style warehouse stomp, complimented by suspense filled dub chords, pounding drums and hypnotic pads. Finally "Wetware" takes it down a notch or two on this retro-flavoured deep tech house number - which is perfect to play just before the lights come on.
Played by: Denham Audio
Review: Boris 'Borai' English has been collaborating with Julian Smith over the past five years, and this record follows on from their Head 4 Phuture record on Brstl last year. The title track is similar to the sound that prevailed on October's debut album; a wiry, insistent rhythm, shot through with an undercurrent of moody bass, provides a cushion for a vocal loop that exudes the paranoia of vintage industrial/ebm acts like Nitzer Ebb. Thundering tribal drums add weight to the track's swagger. "Nine Tomorrows" is a different proposition; more restrained and less oppressive-sounding, at the heart of its understated, metallic rhythm is a melody so frosty and icy, it'll cool even the warmest heart.
