Review: Dalfie follows last year's Can't Think Right Now release on Pets with another dance floor-primed EP. "FJ" is sure to get a floor moving thanks to its combination of growing bass, acid spirals and what sounds like a sample of a dog barking. Powered by a series of irresistible builds, it's a subtle but hugely effective dance floor bomb. "R Rated" sees Dalfie opt for a somewhat different approach: the groove is straighter and pulsates to the sound of a buzz saw bass. Factor in some subtle drops that provide space for subtle vocal snippets and it's clear that Dalfie's tunes are as appealing as the EP's title suggests.
Review: Glasgow's Dalfie (Gruuv/Glasgow Underground) is back on Pets Recordings with his third release.The Can't Think Right Now EP is definitely optimised for employment on the dancefloor, with the dirty lowdown electro bounce of the title track being one you'll hear rocking dancefloors well into the summer. Not just content being groovy, the Scotsman then serves up the tough rolling tech house of "Revolver" which is aimed squarely at White Isle dancefloors this season, and finally it comes to a close with "Me Plus 1" - a fierce and barrelling techno banger which will mix in well with your Drumcode or Suara tracks.
Review: Dalfie follows Purple Hub, his 2016 debut on Pets, with this tripped out three tracker. "Outlaw" resounds to detuned riffs, rasping percussion and outer space swirls and swooshes. It's a perfectly weighted slice of futuristic tech house. On "For It", the emerging producer opts for a more organic style; the drums are hollowed out and rolling - calling to mind the late 90s West Coast house sound - albeit with a tone-shifting bass in the background. The final track, "Right Up (dub version)" is different again; featuring tripped out vocal samples, rave whistles and an insidious, wiry rhythm, it sounds like an update of Classic's distinctive sound.
Review: It's been another great year for Catz 'N' Dogz's Pets Recordings imprint. If you missed any of the Polish imprint's many essential releases, fear not, as help is at hand via this top-notch round up of their biggest cuts of 2019. There are naturally plenty of contributions from the label's popular head honchos, with highlights including Andhim's evocative, acid-sporting vocal remix of "Would You Believe", a suspenseful contemporary dream house rework of "There" by Terr and a deliciously retro-futurist house take on "New Love" by Gerd Janson. Elsewhere, top picks include the warehouse-ready throb of Truncate's "Pressure", the pitched-down darkroom chug of "Rattlesnake" by Psychemagik and the drowsy deep house/UK garage fusion of Black Loops' "Keep A Secret".
Review: Chief wranglers at PETS Recordings Wojciech and Grzegorz can certainly give each other a well deserved pat on the back for a seriously prolific 2018 - and this compilation is testament to the fact. Best Of 2018 features last year's greatest hits and near misses, with highlights not limited to: the pair themselves getting a moody and woozy rework of their track "Don't" by Live At Robert Johnson's Roman Flugel, the fabulous collaboration of heavyweights Matthew Dear, Joe Goddard & Eats Everything on "Love Games", through to Jesse Perez' edit of Mathias Kaden's "NoKick" which gets the Miami booty bass treatment, and the always reliable man from Madrid named Bawrut - who gets those classic house vibes in effect on "Your Job Is My Job".
