Review: As a label, Idle Hands have been known for exploring the more abstract zones of electronic music, with this brand new four track display from Dream Cycle being another great adventure for us all to enjoy. We kick off our dive with 'Jump Blue', a gorgeous exploration into punchy percussive pings and distant soundscaping above, giving a real sense of airiness, followed by the crunchy yet organic sounding drum breaks of 'All The Things' which calms down the flow a tad. Next, the stuttered 808 booms and glittering arpeggios of 'Sonntags' keep the relaxed atmosphere rolling with some seriously cool harmonic structure, before the title track 'Deep Dream Generator' fuses moody longue instrumentation with crunchy half-time drum expressions and bubbling melodies above for a perfect touchdown. Wicked work.
Review: Following on from his debut form last year, Dream Cycle returns to Sneaker Social Club with three supplementary doses of bass-centric tech-stomping. Thanks to strong elements of dub techno, Chicago house and UK dubstep, Dream Cycle has crafted his own sound, his own way, and he now belongs to the realm of what we like to call 'legends'. The opening "Influence" is a weighty, rolling slice of broken beat, minus the jazz, while "Afters (3am mix)" takes a look at UK garage for inspiration, and "DCYX 5" rolls on through with a badness and intent that we always saw in peeps like Derrick Carter or Glenn Underground. BAAAD!
Review: Jamie Russell's Sneaker Social Club is one of those labels that just don't give a damn. We love them for that. Across its catalogue, you'll find an array of releases spanning from Bass Clef to Neil Landstrumm, and all sorts of continuous newcomers, such as this latest EP from the unknown Dream Cycle. It ain't really house and it ain't really tech, but somewhere in between, peppered and smoked with just the right amount of UK bass sensitivity. To give you a taster, "Dream 93" is a resurrection of the jungle and breakcore movement, stripped-back and repurposed for the 2017 mentality, while "Start Like It's Hot" takes some lessons from peeps like Leo Anibaldi - pure deep house magic! "Paradise State" is another magnetic jungle reinterpretation, and Them & Us' remix of "Absolutely" floats the waves drone and ambient with a touch of class rarely heard these days. Most importantly, Dream Cycle seems to be all about movement and progression. Two winning tactics.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.