Review: After a run of really well received original releases, J Shadow returns again with another highly experimental journey into future tech on this explosive two track selection courtesy of Car Crash Set. We begin by taking a look at the robotic expanses of the highly intuitive 'Hypnagogia', which weaves electronic creations together with stuttered industrial drum styles and unpredictable percussive stutters. On the flip side we are gifted 'IOK-1', a more breaksy driven composition, bringing some additional flavour, combining bleeps and blips with grinding moogy sub work in a really expansive composition.
Review: Car Crash Set welcome Cos BV back to their catalogue this week, although the producer is only back on executive terms, while the spotlight is taken by an interesting set of remixers. His "Knife" tune is remixed and rewired by all sorts of capable bass junkies, including his and 214's excellent dub version, a bundle of bass and irate vibrations, Ezekiel's killer broken beat cut, and the warm house waves provided by the Love Bites reinterpretation. Not one to miss from both label and artist!
Review: GRRL returns to Car Crash Set with an extended EP of multi-faceted bass flavours that we're honestly quite into. The producer wastes no time in introductions or small talk and gets straight to the point with the machinegun percussion track that is "Warmup", followed by the comparatively housier 'Hands", and back then back to the violence again through "Do It". 'Whoa" is the killer in the mix, the tune bound for the rewind, and "Drop Ha" will satisfy fans of DJ Funk and the like. "Workouts itself" is loose but extremely effective at making you dance, and "Cooldown" feels like its natural continuation.
Review: Mysterious Japanese newcomer Doppio revs up to pole position with the militant, mechanical mastery of "Crash". All race-car traces, twisted engines and militant kicks, it should come with its own reinforced seatbelts. "Caxis" continues the rifle-like kicks with added industrial strength sheet-metal slaps. Finally "Carnival" takes elements of both (the kicks of "Crash" and metal clangs and bashes of "Caxis") and ties them together with ice-cold 22nd century bridges. Racy.
Review: It's just dawned on us that the Car Crash Set label has racked up a huge amount of releases by now, and they've gone from fledgling bass label, to a respectable powerhouse for new talents coming off the street! This time we have a newcomer, Duolo, who unleashes a three-headed attack on us; the first gun slinger is "White Dingo", a curbside banger made up of a gunshot percussion and raucous sonics, followed swiftly and aggressively by "Zeta Type A" and its jagged chords spewing out of broken beats. On the other hand, "Cryo" puts up a little jungle dance, and its bouncy stop-start riddim is filled with all sorts of breaks; last but not least, Cosby injects even more merciless gunshot trickery into his remix of "White Dingo".
Review: Having previously had "The Bells" remixed by Girl Unit among others, Welsh funky merchants CRST return with a lean, stripped down VIP of "The Bells" which absolutely smacks you round the face with raw, focused club energy. With pitch perfect snares and motorik chords they really keep the funk fresh on a tune that clearly going to get a lot of love in the next few months. "Saturday Tingz" is just as vital - sampling some huge female vocals and chopping them over a highly percussive beat which CRST skilfully reduce down to a minimal stomp for breakdowns. Highly recommended!
Review: A label on a roll following great releases from CRST, 214, Mistamen and Kingthing Car Crash Set continue with these two new tropical heaters from Cardopusher. "Tarradella Nights" keeps things bubbly thanks to some distant and trippy organ sounds as well as a Balearic-meets-bruk out beat that's so good that it's just left to simmer and build rather than be disrupted with gimmicky fills or drops. "All Bellaca Parties" starts with a set of high-pitched 606 drum hits, a la Ramadanman, and quickly winds in some excellent urgent synths - fantastic stuff.
Review: Subverted breakbeat/130 jungle business from Seoul/Sydney operators Victoria Kim... "Kiko Kicks" sees them teaming up with spitfire vocal waxer Divoli whose lyrical charges fit the breakbeat perfectly. Remix-wise super-hyped Air Max '97 maintains his do-no-wrong reputation with a subdued, steppier, heads-down blend. Finally we're treated to "It My Woman", a bashy banger loaded with coded chops and slams. Kick it!
Review: Australian producer Galtier debuts on Car Crash Set with an impressive pair of contemporary techno tracks with nods to the UK end of the bass spectrum and Detroit styles. "Ring Twice" is a no-nonsense slice of 4/4 with dry stabs, granite rhythms and simmering bass with the arid atmosphere of a Terrence Dixon production and recomposes it with a big-room sensibility. "Shaped" is a different beast, taking sparse, swung 133bpm drums, abstract whistles and subdued chords and wrapping them up into a package that is part ghetto house, part dub techno. Fans of Blawan, Bambounou and Tessela take note.
Review: Bristol's Actraiser drops a big, brash and bouncy set of deep funky riddims on this latest EP for Car Crash Set. Lead tune "Kong Riddim" is a dark, cavernous gem with an infectious set of UKF drums anchoring floating pads and subtle, echoed synth leads. "Adventure Island" on the other hand is heavier on the congas and the stacked snares, while "Bubblun" brings a joyous 2-step rhythm out to play and nestles it around spacey pads and female vocals shots. Quality modern funky to be ignored at your peril.
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