Review: By now, we should all know what to expect from Toolroom's "Poolside Ibiza" compilation strand, namely groovy nu-disco, house and laidback Balearic beats inspired by afternoons spent lounging by the water in stonking White Isle heat. Naturally, there are plenty of gems to be found amongst the 40 unmixed tunes selected by chosen DJs Moullinex and Xinobi, from their own collaborative post-punk/dub number "X Marks The Spot", to the slick '80s synth-pop dreaminess of Tensnake's fine remix of Xinobi's "Far Away Place" and the drowsy, Morricone-influenced soundscape weirdness of Simple Symmetry's remix of Moscoman's "I Ran". Throw in some seriously good cuts from Felipe Gordon, Donald Dust, Pin Up Club and Meera (whose carnival-ready boogie jam "Fine Without You" stands out), and you have a fine collection of summery cuts.
Review: Sometime Roam Recordings and Nein artist Zakmina has been rather quiet of late, so this outing on Bristol's increasingly assured Futureboogie Recordings label is long overdue. Titke track 'Church of Madness' is pleasingly psychedelic and mind-altering, with the publicity-shy producer layering trippy acid lines, ghostly chords and wayward electronic motifs atop a chugging, Moroder style bassline and early '80s machine drums. On his accompanying 'Ezoteric Breakdance Remix', Hungarian producer Gnork re-imagines the track as a melancholic chunk of eccentric dancefloor electro. Elsewhere, 'D?j? vu' is a foreboding, strobe-lit acid chugger capable of inducing hallucinations, while 'Running Amore' is a hedonistic, timbales-sporting late-night throb-job.
Review: For the next installment on their Sulk Magic imprint, Bird Of Paradise and Force Majeure present ascendant producer Zakmina, who has previously impressed on like minded labels such as Roam Recordings and Nein. The Lithuanian artist seves up three retrofitted originals on the Introduction EP: from the infectious nu-disco energy of the title track, the neon-lit synthpop of "Introduction 2" and the gritty Italo/electro noir of "Till Death Do Us Part" (original mix) perfect for getting those brooding vibes happening late at night. There are some terrific remixes featured too, courtesy of label boss Bird Of Paradise on his Rogue Piano mix of the latter, and Mexico's Colossio going for a lo-slung and kosmische rendition on "Introduction".
Review: Amsterdam/Geneva based Nightnoise are back with Zakmina. The Cosmic Polo EP features two new tracks from the emerging Lithuanian producer, who has most recently been heard on Berlin's Nein Records. The title track is a sexy Italo disco influenced number, that gets an adrenalised injection via its soaring 303 acid leads. The second track, "Come Here Vladim" is a saucy/neon-lit nu-disco number. Additional remixes come from K-Effect and The Soviet Union, who both provide brooding EBM renditions of the respective tracks - both will surely bring out the inner goth in you!
Review: Nein is keeping tight-lipped about this EP, offering no information whatsoever about debutant producer (or producers) Zakmina. Musically, though, there's plenty to enjoy, from the ricocheting, manipulated vocal samples, druggy electronics and pitched-down EBM drums of "Drama", to the foreboding dancefloor throb of "Narnia", where buzz saw guitar riffs and paranoid synth riffs rise above a pulsating backing track. Swiss sorts In Flagranti re-imagine "Drama" as a lolloping chunk of punk-funk electro complete with live drums, while Man2.0 successfully pitches down "Narnia" whilst retaining the inherent paranoid creepiness of Zakmina's fantastic original version.
