Review: Ed DMX must be a playful mood judging by this latest two tracker. It's a cheeky release to say the least and is sure to bring a grin to the faces of even the most serious electro purists. "Hot Punch" sounds like a retro 8-bit rendition of a 1980s US sitcom theme, or like Kool And the Gang as rendered in Ceefax muzak. "My Metro" is a moodier affair: all slo-mo electro-boogie with a smidgeon of Metro Area for good measure.
Review: After almost 20 years in the game, Ed DMX's discography is so vast that you'd probably need a small warehouse to store all of his releases. The thing is, even after all these years he continues to deliver authentically funky electro, space funk and electrofunk jams. As usual, "Funky Dancer" ticks all the right boxes, lacing Dwayne Omarr-ish talk box vocals over a bubbling old skool electro groove and some super-cheeky synth melodies. "That Wild & Freaky Robot Funk", meanwhile, adds a dash of P-funk sassisness to the same template to great effect. We know what we're getting, but it's always good.
Review: After a whirlwind 2022, with releases on Super Rhythm Trax and Furthur Electronix, DMX Krew returns to Gudu. The title track puts a heavy focus on Detroit techno, with a jerky bass and whooshing synths providing the stage for Ed DMX to drop a warbling, UR-style acid sequence. On "Altered Chords", that Motor City connection continues, as he deploys a walking funk bassline with chilling strings. In contrast, "U Ain't Really Down" is an outlier. Harder and distorted, it resounds to coruscating analogue riffs rather than studied musicality. However, it's only a temporary divergence: the snaking groove of "I Love Juan" is right up there with the Model 500 innovator's own creations.
Review: The second release on Peggy Gou's Gudu label comes from a reliable source: long-serving electro/techno fusionist Ed Upton AKA DMX Krew. Upton is in predictably fine form from the off, sprinting his way through the atmospheric late night chords, garage style organ motifs, bustling acid lines and jacking drums of "CJ Vibe". He moves further towards vintage Motor City techno territory on the lusciously melodious but percussively punchy peak-time skip of "DXIOO", before reaching for the boogie synths and proto-house drums on futurist electrofunk number "Don't You Wanna Play". To round things off, Upton brilliantly dips the tempo and layers up spacey melodies over classic analogue bass on "110 Series".
Review: Jerome Hill's imprint welcomes DMX Krew back to Super Rhythm Trax with another EP crammed full of future classics. Following up some great releases of late on Hypercolour, Shipwrec and Abstract Forms, the UK electro legend delivers a few jams in his renowned style, plus goes old school techno here and there. "Grand Tour" modelling his style on 'Magic 'Juan Atkins' exploits as Model 500 in the late '80s, while the booming smack techno of "Death Blip" sounds like an old Djax Up Beats record on -8. "The Wiggly Worm" gives us a taste of the acid life, complete with wobbly arpeggios and jacking vocals until it all comes to a fine close with the classic, neon-lit, hi-tech soul/funk of "Old Groove".
Review: DMX Krew deserves praise for enticing Blak Tony to appear on Night Creatures. With a catalogue that stretches back over 30 years, the Aux 88-afiliated producer is one of US electro's unsung heroes. He delivers a suitably futuristic contribution to the title track, where Ed DMX weaves his vocal narrative about 'creatures of the night' into acid tones and a stark rhythm. The Breakin' boss ups the tempo for the rave-focused, clubby electro of "Bounce Your Body". "Dynamic Jit" is faster still. The lean, steely rhythm features sped up Kraftwerk samples and insistent cowbells - a paean to part of the rich Motor City sound that Blak Tony has played a key role in.
Review: DMX Krew is back with a twisted, body-morphing collection of tunes on his own Breakin' Records, the label which the man has been curating since the mid-90s. Once again we're treated to a beautiful cocktail of electro deluge and machine-drum psychedelia; "Honeydew" is a classic DMX cut with enough funk to leave you roasted on the floor, while "Dramatic Exit" heads even further down the rave era thanks to its slippery beat layout and nostalgic melodies. "Sppoookey" is an AFX-reminiscent hurter, complete with plenty of acid licks and gritty-as-hell drum programming, whilst "Apple Grid" takes a bouncier approach to things and "Superficial Appearance" blends far-out acid trickles, heavy snares, DMX grit and spits it back out into a luscious deep house belter...something only the man is capable of.
Review: Operation Madness is a new label, and it opens its account in style with an EP from DMX Krew. While some of the veteran producer's recent releases have focused on techno, Time Holes follows more diverse paths. "Local Off" is a wonky, lo-fi rhythm, while "More 606Es" is a frenetic melange of spiky techno rhythm and relentless metallic percussion. Given DMX Krew's heritage, it's no surprise that electro also looms large. There's the warbling bass and acid-spiked tones of "Trigger Warning" and "Software User Guide". Showcasing his versatility, "Distress Signal on Mars" is a harder, more stark iteration of the sound, as DMX Krew delivers a dance floor track that is reminiscent of Drexciya at their most abrasive.
Review: Peggy Gou's label delivers a compilation that features regular contributors to her label. Mogwaa's "11khz" resounds to a fusion of rolling, shaking drums and lush synths. Exploring this theme further, Salamanda's "Mockingbird" is more contemplative thanks to its combination of swirling melodies and downtempo drums. In contrast, the wonderful Hiver duo drop a crystalline electro track in the shape of "Lunar". The compilation also serves up some fine dance floor tracks: DMX Krew weighs in with the clubby, angular rhythms of "One Take", Brain de Palma's "Road to Tatooine" is a fine, wonky acid track - and Closet Yi's "Sonder" is a shimmering break beat track
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