Review: The second in Mr G's Unreleased series sees the veteran producer take the audience down a diverse but resolutely underground path. "Intro G" is underpinned by his usual solid, skipping beats, but the focus is on the sweeping piano keys and soulful vocal sample. Similarly, on "Rex One Saturday Morn", an uplifting vocal is woven around a woozy synth line, making for a heady groove. "Practice" is more pacy but its rippling bass and nagging percussion also provide the basis for evocative organ keys. On "Kick It", the UK producer shows a darker strain to his sound. While a vocal intones the track title, the bass is so malevolent and brooding, it will level any club where it is dropped.
Review: Colin McBean was way ahead of the curve when he was releasing EPs on his Phoenix G imprint back in the late 90s. Now some of those seminal tech-house records get a re-release and unsurprisingly, they still sound fresh. "Gladesmen" is a tough affair, led by niggling acid lines, but McBean really impresses on "Pepsi!" The distinctive, layered drums rumble in, there is a woozy synth line and the arrangement sounds even tripper thanks to a slurred vocal loop intoning the title. "The Day After B" is also impressive, with McBean dropping a filtered loop and those unmistakable, steely drums.
Review: UK techno legend Colin McBean returns on his always reliable Phoenix G imprint with A Good Place? A dozen servings of tough and steely house music that properly brings the funk as you'd expect from the man once behind such legendary and seminal acts like The Advent and G-Flame & Mr. G. There's also a few wonderful surprises too; such as the broken beat/nu jazz deepness of "One For The Headz" or the dusty disco loops of "Interluded (part 1)". But otherwise it really is business as usual, such as on the hi octane stormer "Nothin' (Cause We Are Strong)" with its "French Kiss" style melody, the deeply emotive "In The Sun... Finally!" or the raw and rusty dust covered jack of "G's Jazz" it's all killer no filler on here we assure you!
Review: Colin McBean is an unstoppable force at the moment isn't he! At the moment you say? Yeah too right; the guy never actually stopped his relentless pursuit of the perfect house and techno grooves since the '90s and this Conectionz EP is no exception. Starting things off in explosive fashion with the "You In Or You Out? (Sims Jacker edit)" with its relentless thud and crack of a 909 workout with funky bass and evil pads helped out by some generous reverb build ups; all you need really. The original version up next is more restrained deep house with that great vocal refrain repeating "live your life the way you wanna be free" the tracks aggression provided by those hissing rhythms. Finally "Bring It" is a soulful breakbeat number with soaring synth leads that is a great departure from McBean's normal style.
Review: As the man himself once famously stated, "Who's Askin'?" Colin McBean, the UK house and techno legend never fails to disappoint. Influential, well revered and always pushing forward, we're so glad that he's unleashed some secret weapons rescued from the vaults on this occasion. Highlights on here are the dusty warehouse stomp of "Weekend Off?" which is a surefire DJ tool, as is "B Day Jam" whose minimal arrangement and odd use of melody works well with those hypnotic strings and sampled diva vocals. Finally, the tough house of "Tommy's Groove" cheekily samples Lil' Louis' "Club Lonely" but done rather well indeed.
Review: Techno legend Colin McBean aka Mr G presents to us young Birmingham producer Jayson Wynters and what a debut this is! Starting out with the minimal and atmospheric dustiness of "Momentum" that's reminiscent of Fred P's finer moments, he gets stuck in with "Unfamiliar Territory" which explores the soulful techno sounds of early 90's Detroit; very nice indeed. On the flip he delves deeper with the bumpy yet emotive "Science" while "More" hammers the message home in even more emotional and bittersweet fashion, calling to mind the classic sound of Prescription Records. Tip!
Review: Colin McBean is back everyone, look out! It's the same quality you expect from the techno don, as he brings the funk, rawness and unadulterated groove on the Infrastructure EP. First up is "Guiness Punch (Xtra Ray Dub), a stripped and atmospheric joint with sweet female vox and a mesmerising keys melody plus bumpy bassline. But wait until those Mr. G trademark open hi hats and cracking claps come in. Next the acidic "Give Thanx!" ups the ante with its ultra sick bassline and hypnotic chime melody which will easily crossover into other techno sub genres impressively. Finally "Invert?" explores sonar techno aesthetics accompanied by sampled diva vocals on this truly sick pre peak time slow burner. Tip!
Review: Colin McBean originally rose to prominence as the B-boy member of The Advent, but as this compilation shows, his Mr G project is his most valuable work. The premise behind it is simple but deadly effective; create a rolling groove, bolster it with tough kicks and nagging percussion and throw in some vocal samples to give it an edge. On "Pepsi" and "Did You Know", he impresses with just these elements, with the latter's wailing soul vocal impressing most. On other occasions, he throws a squealing sax and churning chords ( "Jet Black") or acrid acid ("Zam Zam") into the mix, but the result is nearly always the same - peerless DJ tools with a killer punch.
Review: Colin McBean aka Mr G is back with another full length. We know what you're thinking; it's probably awesome? Well duh! Damn right it is, so here's more with the good news; several tracks of slamming tech funk that this man is renowned for and it's all killer. First track "Entrance" is the soundtrack to a techno aerobics class, take a listen! "Sub Level 3 (G's Freak Zone)" uses a nasty arpeggio untypical of his previous work but those strings that come in are just epic! "Interlude @ ?" keeps on with his typical sense of humour and in sound with its tough and dirty sense of funk that's so emotive at the same time. "Thrust" is proper peak time business that reminds you why he was once one half of The Advent; banging, doom laden hard groove.
Review: The UK's number one house pusher, Mr G, steps out of his own Phoenix G stable and lands on Holland's long-running Planet Rhythm, an imprint ran out of The Netherlands by Glenn Wilson. The music, however, is quality as per usual from our main man but the tracks are a little darker, a little edgier in texture. "M's Retrogade", for instance, is more broken compared to Mr G's usual sound, its metallic percussion stabbing away nicely at the rolling beats, while "Flexable" is deeper, dubbier and straighter. Over on the flip, "Binky's Groove" is a classic G joint, straight highs and ingenious vocal samples sliding like mad, and "Dis-tracted" is a swinging techno belter for peak time floor damage. Red hot!
Review: Colin McBean has been making tough, driving house for nearly 20 years, weathering probably as many fads. Irrespective of what the hype machine is focusing on, McBean continues to knock out killer grooves, as VFM shows. "Let Down (Badly)" is a dark, driving affair with wailing vocals, while "Getting There Detroit" features steely percussion and an ominous chord sequence. "Mango's In Season" sees McBean slow down the tempo for a chugging groove replete with a 'get up' vocal sample, but soon enough, he returns to the tough kicks and firing percussion he's known for on "Back Pain".
Review: Following two superb, floor-friendly EPs from Disco Nihilist and Neville Watson, Don't Be Afraid's occasional Special Editions series returns with a typically bombastic EP from British techno stalwart Colin "Mr. G" McBean. Predictably, McBean is in ruthless form, delivering a trio of sweaty, late night assaults in his distinctive no-nonsense style. "Tutonic" is particularly punchy, layering hazy after-party chords and occasional keys over a formidably restless groove (think five-note bass, thumping kicks, powerful handclaps and incessant cymbals). There's a dubbier, acid-flecked feel to the hypnotic "Last Chance Saloon (Mango Boy's Plantation Dub)", while the thrilling "Rum Trip Up" sounds like it was inspired by early bleep techno explorations by Juno, Ability 2, Ital Rockers and Xon.
Review: Over the last 14 years, UK techno-funk stalwart Colin McBean has released a vast amount of music under his Mr G alias, for a wide variety of labels; according to Discogs, he's dropped an astonishing 70 12" singles in that time. This two-disc collection of his favourite moments, simply titled Retrospective, is arguably much needed. For the newcomers it offers a neat summary of his particular brand of no-nonsense, sample-heavy techno, where cut-up jazz, disco and soul loops ride thunderous techno rhythms and robust, late night grooves. For the diehards, there's a smattering of new cuts, while occasional fans should revel in the opportunity to savour some of his most hard-to-get jams.
Review: Phoenix G surface in style in 2013 with the appropriately titled Frenetic EP from label boss Mr G that brandishes a rather potent remix from Ben Sims. There's an inherently old school tone to "Bounce" with the looping vocal hook imploring you to do as the title says over a stylish arrangement of firm, deep kick drums and lengthy, echo laden chords. In contrast "Red Line" locks onto a murked out techno groove that ripples with percussive intensity, which goes some way to preparing you for the onslaught of floor wrecking excellence that is Ben Sim's remix of "Bounce" with the UK techno veteran squeezing all the life out of those chords.
Review: As the title suggests, Colin McBean's main focus on this release are the heavy drums and system-levelling basslines that have become his trademark. "Bucket List" is a chugging, rolling groove swathed in layers of bristling, metallic percussion, while "It" is a stomping club track, its booming bass and jarring percussion lending it a dark, quasi-paranoid feeling. That's not to suggest that Stripped Back is all about tortured histrionics. "Bucket List " features an old school piano and a soulful vocal sample, as does "It", but as the cheese-wire percussion and raw beats of "It Dub" demonstrates, McBean's main skill revolves around creating irresistible DJ tools.
Review: Colin 'Mr G' McBean has faced and overcome a lot of personal upheaval - did his faith in God or house music help him to do so? On the evidence of Battle, it sounds like it was a combination of both. "Daily Prayer" has those unmistakably raw Mr G beats, scuffled somewhat by murky acid, but as always, he succeeds in combining them with unlikely elements. In this instance, housey piano keys and an uplifting vocal give thanks for being alive. "2000 & When" is more physical, less emotional; its central driving force are G's heavy, tribal beats. But again he remembers the soulful as well as the visceral and a neat 'down down down' vocal sample is fused with eerie strings to create another masterpiece from this house music survivor.
Review: It's borderline ridiculous to think that seminal UK producer Mr G aka Colin McBean is only releasing his debut LP in 2010. Since starting out as part of the KCC DJ trio in the 90s, G's discography has grown with releases on labels including Defected, Duty Free, The End and Skint, as well as remixes for the likes of Miss Kittin, Josh Wink, Xpress 2 and more. Nonetheless, his debut, released via Radio Slave's Rekids imprint, is worth the wait. Aptly titled Still Here (Get On Down), it takes the listener on a journey through McBean's wide range of influences, which touch on the fringes of acid house, funk, soul, rock, roots, blues and jazz. Album highlights include the tech house groove of opener "Blessed" to the locked in funk groove of "Space-Bassed".
