Richard Sen - "Varanasi Sunrise" - (10:34) 123 BPM
The He-Men - "Nonsense" - (7:36) 122 BPM
Thomass Jackson - "Hippie Times" - (7:51) 116 BPM
Forriner - "Frustration" - (5:25) 128 BPM
Timothy Clerkin - "Ciervas" - (6:17) 132 BPM
Review: Viscera Transmissions' first 'Galactic Service Broadcasting' comp was released back in May, as a fundraiser for charities supporting the UK's National Health Service; now here comes Volume 2, with profits this time going to the homeless charity Shelter. With 16 tracks from as many artists to choose from, there's a fair degree of stylistic variety on offer, from the acid electro throb of Duncan Gray's 'Punish' to JMII's floaty, proggy 'Intika', but the emphasis generally is on that region of the contemporary disco spectrum where Italo, EBM and experimental electronica collide, with occasional forays too - as on Owain K's 'Quantum Leap' - into deep house territory. Interesting stuff all round.
Review: Although his releases can be frustratingly sporadic, there's no denying that JMII AKA Juan Miguel Bassols not only makes great music, but also seems to be getting better with age. A few have commented that "Modulations" - his first EP for three years and second for Hivern Discs - is Bassols' strongest collection of tracks to date, and we'd tend to agree. For proof, check the deep and psychedelic flex of "Synthesizer", where dub techno style synth stabs and undulating acid lines rise above a locked-in groove, and the mangled late night strut of "Modulation", whose reverb-laden percussion hits and cascading synth lines help to create a a mind-altering mood. There's plenty to set the pulse racing elsewhere on the EP, too, with the skittish drums and dreamy, meandering musical flourishes of "Communication" standing out.
Review: Juan Miguel Bassols first pricked our consciousness way back in 2012, when he delivered a fine debut under the JMII moniker on 100% Silk. He's not released all that much since, making this first appearance on Hivern Discs his highest profile EP to date. There's naturally much to admire amongst the three original productions present, from the stripped-back but melodious acid house shuffle of "Thrills", to the wild lead lines and chugging bottom end of the analogue synth-heavy proto-house snap of "Tightbrass". Christian S provides two tasty reworks of that cut, including a dark and seductive "Angry Dub". A woozy, dreamier John Talabot re-edit of "Thrills" completes an excellent package.
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