Review: Moving from the mournful minimal house of Christian Loeffler's "Lost" into the high-priced brooding techno of Edit Select's "Inlands", it's fair to say that the latest compilation on Just This covers a lot of ground. However, there are commonalities; Abstract Division, best known for their tough, kicking techno, venture down a more brooding path with their contribution, "Aftermath". Meanwhile, Locked Groove of Hotflush fame opts for the same approach for the melancholic "The Come Up", while Eduardo De La Calle delivers the dubbed out "Mondo 8". As autumn draws in and the nights get longer, Broken Memories makes for the perfect soundtrack.
Review: The last commercial mix that Robert Hood did back in 2008 for Fabric re-ignited his career. Appearing at the tail end of minimalism, its hard-edged sounds provided a welcome relief to the prevailing sound. A decade on, the 66th DJ Kicks finds the Detroit artist once again in firing form. "Focus" signals his intent with its massive siren riff and pounding drums, while "Clocks", which builds and builds to electronic bee swarms, shows that he has lost none of his minimal techno firepower. Sure, there are other fine contributions, like Truncate's sheet metal banger "Terminal 5" and the shadowy riffs of Marcel Fengler's "Thwack" - itself a paean to Dr Motte's "Der Klang Der Familie" - but like the Fabric selection, this instalment of DJ Kicks is all about Robert Hood.
Review: Here's an unusual release; Italian house duo Hunter/Game have teamed up with Icelandic band Kura, and now their collaborations get remixed by some of techno's biggest names. Robert Hood conjures up a moody spectre with his version of "Signs of Change", with a tearing electronic riff cutting through an insistent metallic rhythm. In stark contrast is Etapp Kyle's remix; dissected vocals float over dreamy, floaty synths and a laid back, dub groove. The direction shifts again when Bambounou gets to reshape the same track; the French producer's first take is a sprawling, spaced out take, while his dub version descends into a complex, abstract workout, led by percussive hiss and tape noise.
Review: Here's an intriguing prospect: a collaboration between ambient and dub inclined Icelandic band Kura and Italian house/techno types Hunter/Game, under the previously unseen Landside alias. Happily, the fusion of the two outfits' different styles is a successful one, resulting in two highly evocative and atmospheric compositions. They begin with "Silence Before The Storm", a spacious, bass-heavy fusion of post-dubstep beats, drawn-out chords, woozy electronics and tumbling vocals. They move further towards the dancefloor on the droning 4/4 pulse of "Still There", whilst retaining the vocal-led, texture-heavy feel of its' predecessor. Remixes come from Max Cooper and Benjamin Damage, whose techno rework of "Silence Before The Storm" is a raw, brutal and hugely atmospheric.
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