Review: On this aptly named release for Odd Even, Flug brings the listener on a real journey. It starts in dramatic mode with the title track, where layers of Plastikman-style acid are integrated with waves of steely percussion. "Mental Trip" is deeper, but it's just as intense. Flug conjures up layer upon layer of moody chords, adds a ponderous vocal sample and lets the combination unfold over staccato drums. The result is nothing short of mesmerising. "101" is based on a stripped back, percussive rhythm - which acts as the backdrop for repetitive, tranced out stabs. "Miracles" rounds off the release to the sound of concrete weight kicks and rasping hi hats.
Review: Marco Faraone and Flug have both impressed with separate releases on Rekids and Drumcode. Now they pool their talents to deliver this high-impact EP. Issued on Faraone's label, it's inspired by early-00s loop techno and is designed for peak-time use. The title track is powered by a menacing bass and a rolling rhythm, with these elements providing the backdrop for intense, filtered builds. The duo uses a similar approach on "Dirty Funk". Led by a frenetic groove and peppered with chord stabs, its disco filters and vocal snatches make it stand out. Both tracks serve to underline the fact that when it comes to peak-time, banging techno, they have few peers.
Review: The second RSPX compilation picks up where the first volume left off, with a focus on crafty house and techno jams. This aesthetic is at the heart of the raw, jacking groove of Radio Slave's "F__k Em" and "This Is Our Groove" a hypnotic, minimal house workout from Rekids regular Confidential Recipe and Lady Tazz. It's also audible on the compilation's techno contributions: Slam's "Beat Control" sees the Soma duo infuse a looped groove with insistent, pitch-bent vocal samples and V111's "East Sex Rave" is a rousing, chord heavy affair. Meanwhile, Markus Suckut's "Flux" takes inspiration from Octave One's primal funk to bring the compilation to a mesmerising climax.
Review: With a back catalogue that reads like a who's who of modern techno labels, Flug now lands on Drumcode's re-launched limited edition label. As its title suggests, "The Punisher" is a lean, linear workout; powered by pulsating acid lines, rolling snares and lone bleeps, these elements make for a refreshingly raw combination. Flug ups the tempo and intensity levels on "Acid Thought", and the gurgling 303s and relentless hi hats make for a tough but compelling peak-time track. Changing tact again, "The Purple Landscape" is more offbeat, with doubled-up kicks and atmospheric synths delivering a somewhat more esoteric take on Flug's techno sound.
Review: Glasgow label Avoidant returns with another killer electro compilation. From the dystopian synths of
Three Faces Of Eve's "Wish You'd Leave" to the raw funk of DJ Godfather's "It's Only Detroit" and Versalife's "Shift Levels", Dark Planet covers the darker side of the electro sound with considerable style. It also delivers a series of surprises; nestled alongside contributions from scene stalwarts like The Exaltics are artists who wouldn't normally be seen in the electro field; these include Vril with the brooding, bass-heavy tones of "Orgon" and the spiky beats and layered samples of Lord of the Isles' "Approach & Identify".
Review: Following on from their recent Rubber collaboration for Drumcode's limited edition label, Dubfire and Flug deliver another red-hot EP. The title track is based on frenetic tribal drums and a growling bass, which provide the basis for wave upon wave of filtered synth builds. Woven together seamlessly, all these elements make for an impactful but memorable dance floor track. Like their previous release togtether, the second track presents a very different side to the pair's sound: led by insistent claps and a dubby groove, "Algorithm" also features a looped vocal sample that will have a mesmerising effect whenever it's dropped.
Review: For Drumcode's latest limited release, the veteran techno producer Dubfire hooks up with Flug, who has won acclaim for his releases on Suara and Rekids. As should be expected, this partnership yields two underground techno bangers. "Rubber" resounds to clanking percussion and a pulsating, swampy bass, with these elements swathed in a layer of grimy acid. On "Metanoia", the pair opt for a slightly more subdued approach: the drums are hollowed out and sparse and provide the backdrop for the pair to add in hissing hats, a growling, croaking riff, layering all of these elements over an irresistibly shuffling groove.
Review: Next up on Suara is Sebasti?n Lopez aka Flug to deliver a follow up to 2018's The Hedonist. The title track is a pounding slice of techno that resounds to rolling snares and tweaked acid lines, with these elements supporting a ponderous vocal sample. On "Nightmares", Lopez opts for a similar approach by deploying a throbbing bass, but this time combining it with tingling keys instead of the arcing 303s. Meanwhile on "Isolated", he throws down a pulsating groove and the kind of gurgling acid lines that wouldn't sound out of place on a Tin Man record. In contrast, "Winter Mood" is a far darker, grittier affair underpinned by rough kicks.
Review: The sixth volume in the SUM series sees Second State pair up tough tracks with some deeper productions. It starts in high-octane form with the tough tech-house of VNTM & Tahko's "Rave Culture" and Risa Taniguchi's "Ridiculous", while Industrialyzer steers the compilation down a darker techno path with the pumping "Pulse". Counteracting these heavy elements are contributions from Nick Curly, who drops the pulsating deep house of "Refuge" and the heads-down tracky groove and pitch-bent vocals of Flug's "Maschine". The compilation also features a summer anthem in waiting - the epic synths and trance-inspired builds and drops of "Relief" by JNO.
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