Review: Dutch techno and electro veteran, Orlando Voorn has been even more prolific than usual of late, delivering must-check EPs on Kompakt, Bombis and Bad Manners. Voorn's new outing on Burek, a Croatian label that's genuinely going places, is rather good too, though musically far more colourful, funky and house-influenced than we've come to expect. Check first sweet, summery and boogie-influenced opener 'Soul Society', before getting your ears around the heady piano-house stomp of 'Lovin' You (Shine)' - a superb slab of celebratory retro-futurism - and the warming haziness of twinkling deep house cut 'Waters Run Deep'. Elsewhere, 'Funk Isolation' adds undulating bass guitar, swirling chords and bleeping 8-bit melodies to a hot-steppin' house beat, while 'Waters Run Deep (Beatless)' reinvents that track as an ultra-deep drift through ambient space.
Review: Orlando Voorn has been putting out techno for almost 30 years, but the passage of time has not had an impact on the quality of his output. 2020 saw him release a slew of high-quality Eps and a great artist album; this year looks set to see a similar work rate, and Internal Destination opens his 2021 account in style. It starts with the woozy, deep tones and shuffling drums of "Stuck In My Ways", while on the title track, Voorn drops a melodic, wiry groove, an ode to the Detroit techno influence that looms large on his work. Changing tact again, the veteran producer drops the break beats and tripped out synths of "Ride The Wave".
Review: Dutch techno veteran Orlando Voorn is back on Soul Stage Records, which Voorn has taken over from the late Morgan Anson at the blessing of his family. Yet more lush house, disco and soul infusions that the label describes as "pushing boundaries to make something uncompromising that we can be proud of". From the infectious machine funk of "Never Knew" in its original format, followed by another deep and sensual vocal house remix by the man himself. More reworks come from the late label boss Anson with Blackpool's Luke Neptune, and Paul Donton (of Bombis Records) with a sensual and hypnotic afterhours mix which reaches near tribal moments.
Review: Orlando Voorn back in the house and it's sounding fresh! It brings only a second and rare release to the artist's own Voorn Kollektiv label, that until now was home to the sole Yes We Can single from 2008. Back then it was Obama in the headlines, now it's Corona, with Voorn doing what he can to help his industry prospering with a truly soulful, even tongue in cheek, house number that plays on sexiness as much as it does irony. Think something like Detroit Grand Pubahs sexed up alongside Theo Parrish's rhodes and Vorn's own glittering drum machines. Instrumental version for the heads, vocal mix for the party.
