Review: Dam Swindle may be amongst the most storied Dutch dance producers of their generation, but they know that they owe a lot to trailblazers such as Orlando Voorn, who's near three-decade career has included forays into electro, Detroit style techno futurism, deep house and much more besides. The veteran producer's first EP for the duo's Heist Recordings label is, somewhat predictably, packed with timeless-sounding treats. We're particularly excited by the bumpin', organ-heavy house bounce of 'Tenderness', which sounds like his take on mid-'90s U.S house, but others may prefer the driving, bass-heavy deep house drums, disco string samples and soulful vocal snippets of 'Be With You'. To round off a fine package, Voorn delivers a brilliantly spacey, intergalactic-sounding and subtly dub house-influenced Dub mix of 'Tenderness'.
Review: Although best known for his forays into futurist techno and body-popping electrofunk, Orlando Voorn is well capable of making seriously good deep house, as this four-track missive emphatically proves. The Dutchman is in prime form on 'Sometimes', a leisurely and loopy slab of tactile deep house warmth built around soft-touch instrumental samples and classic soul vocal snippets. Voorn then pushes up the tempo on jazzy, chunky sample-house loop jam 'The Same Girl', before combining squelchy electronics and hushed house beats with more vintage soul loops on 'In My Soul'. A rock-solid EP is drawn to a close by 'Reality', a much jazzier and bluesy chunk of head-nodding deep house perfection.
Review: City Noises' Deep Side compilation series hits number 15 with an impressive set of contributors. Representing the first wave of techno artists is Orlando Voorn with the murky house beats of the aptly named "The Tunnel" and Arne Weinberg, who drops the shimmering, chord-led techno of "Blossom". But Deep Side also does a great job of showcasing newer artists: Sa.Du's "Gon" is a fine tribal house track, based on a flowing groove, while on "Hinata", M.I.C.R.O. injects new life into that Berlin staple, dub techno, with a sleek, steely rhythm. It sounds like the city's deeper side is still in great health.
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".
