Review: L.F.T. makes a bold statement with his latest six-track release on Pinkman, following a string of acclaimed releases on various labels like Mannequin and Return To Disorder. With Electric Vampire, L.F.T. crafts a sonic journey aimed squarely at the dancefloor, blending tough drums and raw basslines with spectral vocals and percussive quirks. The result is a fusion of Dutch electro heritage and horror-movie soundtracks, creating a synthetic super-highway where bright lights meet solid concrete underfoot. With heavy acid electro defining the sound of other numbers like "Cattle Beast", it's straight up Vampire techno in "Asche (Vox by Nils Fock)" with reflections of a Simian Mobile Disco sound in "Demonic Toys". Gritty but classy productions all round.
Review: Hold tight Bryan Gee and the family. Now rolling 30 years deep! Naturally they're releasing some absolutely exceptional music to celebrate. Next up in this epic three decade gully marathon are three utter tear-ups. Voltage goes old testament on the jungle slap-about 'Lion Of Judah', Krust and Need For Mirrors' Cloud Lord go ultra trippy and cosmic on 'Ghost Train' while Command Strange and L-Side get pure filthy on 'Angry Tune'. Many happy returns V!
Miracle (feat Leony - original mix) - (6:48) 125 BPM
Review: Boris Brejcha, sometimes known as the Joker, unveils his highly anticipated 10th album, a monumental release on his own Fckng Serious label. With 17 tracks and 3 extended versions, this collection promises a captivating journey through Brejcha's musical evolution. Singles like "Level One," "Space X (Edit)," and "Vienna (Edit)" offer a taste of the album's diversity, while collaborations with vocalists like Malena Narvay and Leony provide this work with a unique depth and richness. Each number on offer here reflects the artist's unmistakable style he's garnered over the decades while still paying homage to his past works that Joker fans love. "Level One" - the stand out track - and in its album form, stands as a pivotal milestone for both Brejcha and Fckng Serious, blending contemporary sounds with nostalgic elements, taking his music and style into a new and exciting future!
Review: "Emerge" is a phenomenal debut album that cements Berlin-based producer Red Rooms' position as a rising star in techno. The LP seamlessly blends driving energy with subtle experimentation, offering a well-rounded listening experience for techno purists and newcomers alike. Red Rooms' signature sound is on full display throughout the album. Clandestine sonic textures and short, infectious melodies intertwine with the powerful, locked-in grooves that propel each track forward. The album boasts several tracks primed to ignite dance floors. "No Turning Back" is a prime example, with its rave-ready stabs and relentless energy. "Transcendency" offers a more alien twist, merging driving techno with otherworldly drum patterns that will leave listeners mesmerized, while "Cypher" showcases Red Rooms' understanding of minimalism, channeling the spirit of Robert Hood with its stripped-down yet impactful groove. A must-listen.
Joy (Dubble D's Nostalgia Piano dub) - (6:32) 124 BPM
Review: 18 months on from his last outing on Exploited, 'Take Me Back', long-serving Mancunian drummer, DJ and producer Danny Ward returns to the popular German imprint with a double dose of dancefloor dubs. Opener 'Joy (Piano Dub)' more than lives up to the promise of its title, with Ward wrapping arms-aloft piano stabs and high-end electronic melodies around a chunky, mid-90s US house bassline and pleasingly weighty drums. He dons the alternative Dubble D alias on the accompanying 'Nostalgia Piano Dub', a hip-house breakbeat-driven re-interpretation that's every bit as rushing and excitable as the regular 'Piano Dub'.
Skatman - "Tribute To A Dancefloor" - (6:10) 125 BPM
Return Of The Luddites - "Scream Into The Darkness" - (4:52) 139 BPM
Squal G - "Waiting 4U" - (8:59) 130 BPM
Joaquim Plossu, Salem Focus & Phoebe Train - "Theory Of The Tides" - (5:23) 85 BPM
Yes Basketball - "Next" - (3:29) 60 BPM
Review: Laurent Garnier and Scan X's label does a great job in showcasing emerging and established talent, and this split release is no exception. The brilliantly named Return Of The Luddites deliver the raw electro-techno of "Scream Into The Darkness". In stark contrast, Detroit techno-inspired tracks also loom large, courtesy of Skatman's string-filled "Tribute To A Dancefloor" and Squal G's more ominous "Waiting 4U". Mirroring Garnier's own wide-ranging tastes, the release also features the call and response hip-hop/drum'n'bass crossover of Joaquim Plossu, Salem Focus and Phoebe Train's "Theory Of The Tide". Taking the tempo down, Yes Basketball's "Next" is a slowed down, bugged out beatsy track.
Review: The most prolific man in drum & bass, Conrad Subs returns to Ray Keith's Dubplate Dread for the first time since 2020 with a humungous wedge of wallopers. Seven cuts in total, each one of them tailored for those magic 3am moments, big moments range from the gruesome growls and grizzles of 'Octavirus' to the pure raucous shreds and slaps of the title track 'Real Dread', a cut which really does live up to its name. Oh boy, this could well be Conrad Subs' mightiest EP so far, which is really saying something. Real talk.
Review: As always, the Time Is Now banner is riding high with this top quality six track collection from Nitework providing all the energy a dancefloor needs. We open up with the old school vocal & chord combinations of 'Desire', before the choppy vocal melodic grooves of 'Be There' and colliding percussive underbellies of 'This Ain't Love' take the lead role. Next, a more stripped back outing as 'Lose Control' gives us a moogy drift of a bassline to play with, with the glittering synth work of 'All Night' then arriving for an additional punch of nostalgia. Finally, 'Falling' gives us a killer closer, rounding off this top quality collection with more vocal chopping magic.
Review: On her latest release, Kerrie unpicks one of the defining topics of this age - the relationship between humanity and machines. The title track represents a dystopian take on this issue, with waves of droning noise fused with a robotic, stepping rhythm. "Symbiosis" is similarly inclined. Focused on the dance floor, it sees Kerrie deliver a raw, pulsating groove shot through with repetitive, growling riffs. "Technopoly Dream" goes down a different route, as Kerrie drops a stripped back rhythm track peppered with hypnotic vocal loops. "Ode to the D" marks another shift in style - as its title suggests, it's a futuristic paean to the city where techno started.
Review: Dutch duo Fouk, comprised of Daniel Leseman and Hans Peeman, unveil their latest offering in the vibrant Mirage EP for Detroit Swindle's Heist Recordings! Picking up from their Blue Steel EP of 2021, these four originals take in a blend of funk and disco influences while presenting a dynamic exploration of the pair's musical palette, leaning towards a club-centric vibe. The EP not only highlights Fouk's distinctive sound but also features a powerful remix of the lead track by the talented Hardgroove artist Elisa Bee, adding an extra layer of energy to the record!
Review: A gent on the streets, a demon in the spreadsheets; Excel returns with another exceptional EP that's absolutely loaded with grot and slimy sonics. Following his 'Apocalypse' EP on Pick The Lock, he continues to hone a very particular strain of 'puking robot' bass that's evident in many of tracks, especially right here. Highlights include the coiled spring flexes and algae-covered bass on 'The Beginning' and the rusty robot scrapes and scratches of 'The Truth'. That's just half of it. Check it yourself... You might say it all adds up.
Start Barkiing (feat Madrush MC - Serial Killaz remix) - (5:42) 174 BPM
T>I & Kontakt - "Format" - (4:29) 175 BPM
Tremors (T>I remix) - (5:48) 177 BPM
Review: Just when the sound technician at the club thinks they've got an easy night ahead of them, along comes Kontakt with 'Redlines At Dawn'. Overdriving your mixer with every sharp kick and gnarly bass texture, the whole EP is an absolute steamroller of a session and includes a few familiar faces... Serial Killaz flip 'Start Barking' into a whole dog pound of ruffage while T>I appears on the final two cuts... 'Format' sees him joining Kontakt for a dark and stripped back cut in the form of 'Format' while the EP concludes with a T>I remix of Kontakt's 2022 Richter scale ruiner 'Tremors'. Shake it baby!
Review: Since making his debut way back in 2022, Franck Roger has served up a lot of exceptionally good deep, soulful and spiritual house. In its' original mix form (track six), 'Enchanted', featuring Shawn Chappelle, is another high-grade treat - a shuffling, soft-focus vocal house number rich in warming chords, Osunlade-esque spiritual house percussion, meandering guitar solos and chunky bass. The accompanying remix package is naturally very strong too. Fred Everything delivers two takes: a subtly jazz, boogie synth-sporting vocal revision built around bouncy Afro-house beats, and a deliciously dreamy, weightier and more bassline-driven 'Dub'. DJ Spinna dips the tempo slightly on his more relaxed and laidback deep house versions (vocal and instrumental takes are both included), while Demarkus Lewis opts for a more immersive, thickset vibe on his full vocal interpretation.
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