Review: Shinedoe and 2000 & One's label has been one of the most consistent Dutch techno imprints of the past decade, and they gear up for this year's ADE with an incendiary collection. First up is 2000 & One with the slamming rhythm and pile-driving claps of "Bonus Beats Thang", while Intacto's other co-owner delivers a droning, cavernous groove in the form of "Shadow Boxing" and the muscular minimalism and snappy percussion of "Rubber Band". From there on in, the compilation focuses on other artists: Hybrasil drops the loopy "Breasal", and Atoll delivers a more spacey variation on this sound with the winding bass of "Home" and "Mental Madness", where eerie bleeps are added to the arrangement.
Review: Shinedoe is based in Holland, but Samadhi feels closer to German house. Apart from the choice of label, the title track's tight, metallic drums and tightly wrapped bass sound like the product of many mornings spent in Panorama Bar. Listening to the surging acid line, you can almost feel the sun rays seeping through the club's half-opened shutters. "Pure Groove" is just as primal; the drums and snares rattle and swing nervously and the mixture of bleepy tones and churning chords is enough to recreate a feeling of unease and disorientation that one experiences after spending 12 hours in the P-Bar.
Review: It sounds like Dutch techno star Shinedoe has discovered her inner hippie. Apart from the release name, the title track chugs along against the backdrop of cosmic chords and the most effective use of sitars since the Beatles' voyage of discovery. The release takes a more functional turn on "Light", where upfront rolling beats and eerie pads provide the listener with a reminder of Shinedoe's ability to craft killer tech-house. But in the main, this is an EP about escaping from the travails of everyday life and getting back in touch with one's spiritual side - as the out there chants and feel-good groove of "Cosmic" so ably demonstrates.
Seek And You Will Find (original mix) - (7:35) 130 BPM
Different Faces (original) - (6:12) 130 BPM
Dillema (original) - (6:59) 134 BPM
Review: Dutch techno powerhouse Chinedum Nwosu aka Shinedoe presents a reissue of her debut album on 2000 & One's 100% Pure imprint in 2006. It's a pretty straight ahead affair on here from the Intacto Records boss, with some powerful dancefloor oriented techno cuts and a few pleasant surprises, actually. After the deep acid opener "Afrotronic" we are treated to the emotive hi-tech soul on "Enjoy The Moments" (and later the kind of Sueno Latino sounding "Seek And You Will Find", there are the functional stripped back DJ tools like "The Peacemaker" and "Face Your Fear", too. The powerful Detroit influenced closer "Dilemma" ends this impressive album in style, awash in shimmering arpeggios and an adrenalised yet funky groove. Elsewhere, the track "Feel Your Space" is so obviously a zeitgeist of the mid noughties bleepy minimal boom, but the rest of the tracks can still hold their weight and sound contemporary enough for playing on modern dancefloors. Stood the test of time indeed!
