Review: Something of an all-star collaboration here, as Me Me Me chief Man Power and former DFA Records stalwart Juan MacLean join forces as Juan Power. The headline attraction is arguably 'In Your Palm', where Mizbee's emotive vocals rise above a deliciously dirty, throbbing TB-303 bassline, sustained deep space chords, undulating acid lines and chugging house beats. It comes accompanied by a more stripped back, vocal-free 'No More Words' mix, plus two tidy bonus cuts: druggy slo-mo throb-job 'Communion' and the retro-futurist ambient soundscape 'Ascending To Florus', which features an impactful and thought-provoking (sampled) spoken word vocal.
Review: Spun Out is a London-based artist booking agency which has been run by Caroline Hayes for over 20 years, that looked after the life and times of the late great Andrew Weatherall alongside his partnership with Sean Johnston under their A Love From Outer Space moniker. More of that Frightful Oompty Boompty Music is a tribute to the 'Guv'nor' which showcases artists from the agency's roster. Timothy J.Fairplay serves up the chugging dark disco of "Reality Rules", Paranoid London deliver some strobed-out and proper old-school techno on "Spinning Out", go deep into the exotic on Mehmet Aslan's hazy "Shizowaves" and feel the neon-lit jack of Fantastic Twins's "Kali's Tongue Was A Weapon".
Review: Man Power follows last year's inaugural Bed Wetter album with another introspective work focused on ambient and drone-led compositions. There's a neo-classical tinge to the melancholic "Calm (The Routine Safety Of Patterns)", while on "Gratitude (Again For The "First Time)", sonorous synths ebb and flow majestically. There is a more serene feeling on "Patience (A Life In The Day)", thanks to its combination of understated horns and ambient washes. Despite following a slower pace, at times this is also a deeply unsettling work; the darker side of the human psyche is audible on the jarring "Confusion (Pulling At A Thread)", the psychologist's couch conversation samples of "Paranoia (Different)" and the chilling, layered "Depression (The Loop)". It's a difficult but compelling listen.
Review: Man Power (AKA long-serving DJ/producer Geoff Kirkwood) has gone to great lengths to play down the significance of this sophomore set, even going so far as to slap the words "This is not an album" on the front cover. However you want to describe it, "Now Now Now 1" is a quality collection of cuts. Beginning with the atmospheric, bleep sporting mid-tempo throb of "Ghost", Kirkwood serves up an analogue rich selection of club-ready cuts that cannily meld elements of Italo-disco, freestyle, acid jack, tribal workouts (see percussive standout "Murder Depot"), big room humdingers (the piano-sporting, acid-flecked brilliance of "Bullwinkle") and hazy European tech-house (the horror-fired hum of "Simplex").
Review: James 'Fucking' Friedman reckons that in the three years since Moon Rock Volume 1 came out on his New York City based Throne Of Blood imprint, interest and attention in ambient and cosmic music has broadened and deepened. Well, hey that's a fair call and with Moon Rock Volume 4, the label is once again rounding up a shitload of weird-ass kosmische sounds. According to the label, the compilation was conceived in sides; six distinct sets of music that move through a range of styles and sounds, from chill ambient excursions to darker droning noise. Danny Passarella's imaginary soundtrack "Carousel Rising"is guided by a clever use of arpeggio, Tel Aviv indie dance hero Moscoman impresses as always with more cosmic weirdness on The Edge Of The Earth" while Versatile Records legend Gilb'r presents "Arpeggio Island"which doesn't need much explanation. London duo Vactrol Park impress as always with another deep vintage synth exploration on "Islands Of The Delta".
Review: Having previously released Orange, Blue, Green and Pink "collections", Eskimo Recordings continues its' colour-coordinated theme with a Yellow compilation. As usual, the collection draws on material from both established names and lesser-known talents, and does a bang-up job joining the dots between hazy Balearic pop, nu-disco, indie-dance and colourful, soft-focus house. While it's all of a high standard, we're particularly enjoying the sparkling dub disco-goes-Balearic flex of Satin Jackets' dub of Du Tonc's "We Can Hold On", the trippy analogue bump of Man Power's "Fisky", the splendid rush of Luxury's baggy disco groover "Breathe", and the camp, Italo-disco thrust of "El Wild" by the brilliantly named Zombies In Miami.
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