Review: Food Music continues to explore the archives of rave-era superstars N'Joi. They've already released a must-have 'best of', Collected, and here deliver the first of a series of EPs featuring previously unreleased recordings. Those around at the time may recognise some of the tracks because the popular duo frequently performed them in their live shows in the very early '90s. Their original live vocalist Luvian features on two tracks: the foreboding, bleep and early Orbital-influenced brilliance of opener 'Century Masters' and the sparkling, rushing, life-affirming piano house brilliance of 'Feel The Love (extended mix)'. Elsewhere, 'Acid Machine' is a breathlessly sleazy and psychedelic slab of post-bleep heaviness and 'Astoria' is a clanking bleep-and-breaks monster.
Review: A quarter of a century has passed since the surge in disco-fired funky house from France led to the dancefloor dominance of "French touch" records. This EP from the previously little-known Jac Solaire was clearly inspired by that sound, though there's enough 21st century musical tricks to think of it as an update to the style rather than a tribute. We get three different takes on lead cut 'Volaris': an original mix that blends fresh, saucer-eyed vocals and bright-and-breezy disco instrumentation with a typically thickset French touch groove; a classic, Cassisus style rework from Alex Virgo, and a more heavily cut-up, stab-happy take from No-e that reminded us of DJ Sneak. Bonus cut 'Into The Night', meanwhile, could well end up being this year's 'Music Sounds Better With You'.
Review: Food Music is back again to follow up last week's terrific Day & Night various artists EP, which featured the likes of No-e, M.A.S.C & Fast Eddie, with another batch of young guns on Night & Day (see what they did there?). Bournemouth's Harry Judda (Dirtybird/Simma Black/Of Unsound Mind) teams up with James Davison on the swingy and bass-driven UK garage influence of "Skittle", Nesky gives you a taste of the acid life on the jacking "Bass Trip", Italian duo M.F.S. Observatory tread a similar 303 driven path on the old school Midwest techno vibe of "Ainno" and another banger comes from Mac & Ward on the peak time warehouse stomp of "Jups".
Review: Acid house evangelists Posthuman rarely put a foot wrong, so it's no surprise to find that their latest EP is full to bursting with high quality. Interestingly, there's no sign of their trademark TB-303 acid lines on lead cut 'You're Mine'; instead, they've opted to pepper a sturdy drum pattern with retro-futurist organ stabs, glassy-eyed vocal samples and, as the track progresses, gargantuan sub-bass and sweaty breakbeats. The accompanying remix is package is strong too, with Luke Vibert predictably stealing the show with a tooled-up, rave-igniting take smothered in a variety of familiar old school vocal samples. We'd also suggest checking dense and chunky bonus cut '(Find Me) On The Edge of Town', a sweaty slab of future acid jack with oodles of energy.
Review: Ascendant Leeds-based duo Mac & Ward join Food Music, with two fresh tracks which have been championed by heavyweights such as Danny Howard, Alan Fitzpatrick, Huxley and Low Steppa. "Ebony" is a track we're sure you'll be hearing a lot of this year, with its tough, dubby bounce and soulful overtones that reach near tribal moments. Second offering "The Feeling" is equally as bass-driven and will appeal to Dirtybird fans, with its Motor City style chord progression which is utterly euphoric. Also includes a remix from label boss Shadow Child, which takes the track down a mental breakbeat rave route.
Review: London by way of Mt. Vesuvius duo M.F.S. Observatory return to Food Music for more quality house music on the De Bob EP, which follows up some great ones on Relief Records, Distortion and Daylight Robbery Records. From the intoxicating, afterhours minimal tech-house of "Neutra", to the boompty and funked-up banger that is the title track and "Acid Sprint" taking things down a much darker and sinister route in an early 2000s manner (similar to the first track) - it's clear that this hot Italian duo are on a roll at the moment and we're looking forward to what they have in store for 2020!
Review: Frenchman Christopher Kah is up next on London's Food Music, following up great ones by Xpansions, Dom Rimini and Mak & Pasteman lately. An alumnus of labels such as International Deejay Gigolo, Planet Rouge and Cr2, Kah certainly has the credentials and he's definitely in fine form on the Call Of Jack EP. From the dub techno infused funky house cut that is the title track, fuelled by that legendary "Can You Feel It" sample, plus the uplifting and euphoric funky house thriller "Sun State" soon follows, and, in addition to this you're treated to a remix of it by label co-chief Shadow Child's Cream Terrace extended remix taking into slinky and hypnotic tech house territory.
Review: New York veteran Junior Sanchez is back! Over the last few decades, he has built himself a solid reputation as a DJ and producer with releases on the likes of Nervous, Robsoul and his own Brobot Recordings. His latest release comes courtesy of Shadow Child and Kry Wolf's London based Food Music . Featuring the dirty late night swing of "Brain Game" (extended mix) , the tough rolling jack of "Nasty Gruve" (extended mix) (which also receives an energetic rework by Mak & Pasteman) and the main room peak time bounce of "Shine Through The Dark" (extended mix) which will appeal to all the Gruuv and Saved fans out there.
Review: Next up on British deep house imprint Food Music is Berlin scene stalwart David Keno with more quality grooves that you have come to expect from the man. Following on in the same style of grooves displayed for the likes of Mother, Katermukke and This Ain't Bristol, Keno throws down some bass heavy dancefloor weapons on his latest offering. From the swing-fuelled boompty house shenanigans of "Revolve" right through to the funked-up and tough rolling dancefloor assault of "Pick It Up" - these ones will rock any club from London to Berlin and beyond. On remix duties are rising Amsterdam duo ANOTR with an extended remix that ventures down deeper and more hypnotic territory.
Review: For the 51st Food Music outing, the prodigious BOT teams up with Dateless for a two-pronged tech attack that swings and bangs hard, much like the rest of this tidy little catalogue! The pair strike up an awesome collaboration in the studio, with both "The Bowdown" and "Solve It" providing some heavy-ass dance flows that make the Germans and Italians seem like debutants; the subtle layer of heavy UK bass on these two swelters adds more guts to a framework that if often plagued by indifference and compromising - but these killers will undoubtedly get your ass moving and onto the dancehall - wicked!
Review: The latest release on Shadow Child's label features the progeny of techno royalty: Dantiez is Kevin 'Reese' Saunderson's son and based on this release, it is clear that a talent for electronic music runs in the family. Teaming up with fellow US producer Mad Villains, he delivers a forward-thinking release. "Philosophy" resounds to tough house beats and repetitive vocal snippets - a continuation of his father's Tronikhouse project perhaps? - as well as searing electronic riffs. On "Insomnia" the pair's focus shifts to tough, bleepy techno, with tonal shifts inspired by LFO, while "More" sounds influenced as much by UK garage as US techno, as skipping beats underpin hypnotic chord builds.
Feel Real (Shadow Child extended remix) - (5:26) 124 BPM
Review: London based DJ Danny Howard has previously appeared on Toolroom Records and Spinnin' Deep, in addition to some killer remixes for the likes of legends like Erick Morillo - which received massive support from Pete Tong! His new hit "Feel Real" is real Brittania of the tech-house kind: tough and rolling with summer on The White Isle in mind. Fans of grooves on Knee Deep In Sound, Saved or Material will be all over this one! There is also an awesome remix up next by fellow Londoner Shadow Child - his extended rendition strips things back on this minimal and moody DJ tool for the early evening. The funky bump and shuffle of next offering "kid" features dusty swing fuelled rhythms, beneath diva vocals and police sirens and not forgetting that booming bassline and massive drop - this one's going to be destroying dancefloors well into 2018. Howard's one to watch!
Do It Right (Catchment extended remix) - (6:11) 124 BPM
Review: Deep talks from Horx; a man who's name flashes across the bass spectrum from time to time but vanishes just as quickly. With collaborations with Adam F and label boss Shadow Child over the years, he returns for his first solo outing on Food: "Do It Right" is pure funk hypnosis with a slink-sprung bassline, bouncing cloud-leaping melodies and hypnotising vocal sample. Remix-wise Catchment adds more of a tech-primed push while Code 23 (Shadow Child and S.P.Y of course) get busy on the jungle breaks. Do the right thing.
Review: With releases on Toolroom, Moon Harbour and Glasgow Underground in his catalogue, Kostoxenakis is no stranger in underground house circles. As his latest release for Food Music attests, this is due to his ability to deliver new, compelling interpretations on classic sounds. "Ubar" revolves around a tough, swinging rhythm and a repetitive vocal sample that has echoes of Chicago ghetto. However, the Greek producer's raw, gritty sound means that it boasts a contemporary flavour. On the title track, he drops a firing, percussive rhythm, once again featuring a looped vocal sample, but the arrangement is more stripped back and not as busy as "Ubar". Completing the release is "Breath", where Kostoxenakis drops filtered rave riffs over a jacking rhythm.
Review: After releases on Nurvous, Club Sweat and Green Velvet's esteemed Relief imprint, Aussie Craig Williams is back, but now for UK imprint Food Music and with a little help from new pal Andrea Fratangelo aka Bot. He heads up the Main Course label in addition to hot tracks on the likes of Night Bass and This 'Ain't Bristol. The bouncy and bass driven electro house of "Don't Fake It" is a sure party starter.. and just wait for that drop! Second offering "Hot For You" is the real winner on here though. This brooding and tunnelling acid house journey is geared for some properly strobed out moments on late night dancefloors, we'd count on it!
Review: Danny Howard has only put out a handful of EPs, but on Work That, he distills his energetic DJ sets into two killer cuts. The title track is an upbeat mixture of genres, with a driving techno rhythm supporting insistent vocal samples and rave stabs. Add in some cheeky electro house swagger and you've got an essential big room groove. "Holla" is cut from a similar cloth - while Howard slows down the tempo and makes the groove more swinging, the use of a lurching bass and dubbed out vocals reveals his garage/dubstep influences. This combination, aided along by rolling snares, proves to the irresistible.
Review: UK house veteran Shadow Child (aka Dave Spoon) heads up the Food Music label with Kry Wolf. Next up for their label is the debut from newcomers Kitchen Disco. Comprised of Andy Moore and Johnny Valentine, they formed Kitchen Disco after the initial success of DJing together. They then joined forces with Groovefinder in the studio and that's apparently when the project was born. Spoon then picked up the track (together with "On Off") for the label and after playing it on Rinse FM, he remixed it too!
Review: Bristol's favourite son Will Clarke; master of all things bouncy and bassy teams up with Bot for what could be one of 2017's favourite tunes "Techno (Not Techno)" is top pick that sits somewhere between Marc Houle's mid noughties minimal house (particularly with the druggy vocals), Curtis Jones' percolator jack and the notorious Dirtybird sound: expect to be hearing this one out a lot! Second offering "Lil' Mami" is more straight up, deep and dirty tech house that will appeal to fans of the Hot Creations sound and featuring some catchy rap vocals which will get some real hands in the air moments alongside all its other boompty elements.
Review: London's Harry Judda is sure on a roll right now! From his humble Bournemouth beginnings he's gone on to release on a who's who of labels in recent times such as Dirtybird, Food Music, Simma Black, This Aint Bristol and Of Unsound Mind. For London's Food Music he unleashes the Dying Of The Light EP where "Stone Cold" provides a dirty late night dancefloor remedy filled with wonky bass, dusty drums and druggy pitchshifted vocals. On "New Beginnings" he provides a sinister and thumping exercise in bass therapy that shows of his dubstep roots while "Drunky" hammers the message, home all guns blazing, with this bouncy, sexy lo-fi affair for the early hours.?
Review: All we really know about mysterious UK producer Ten Ven is that they have released previously on the likes of MTA Records or Noir and can really throw down some seriously wicked tech house grooves. He reappears this time for the always reliable Food Music with the Belo EP. Here they show off some wares aimed squarely at the dancefloor, such as on the druggy electro-house adrenaliser "Belo Horizonte" (which is drenched in reverb), the uplifting and soulful deep house of "Celebrate" (which has the most unbelievable breakdown you must hear) and finally "One Chance" which is probably the most DJ friendly and functional cut with subtle Afro house influences but clear comparisons to the futuristic sounds of Innervisions; and that's a great compliment!
Review: Italian electro-pop freaks Crookers are back! They make deep house these days and don't do too badly at it. "Beautiful" features a bossa-jazz flavour over its woozy esoteric beats. "Dub Side 3" is more direct like the name would suggest on this dark and low slung journey track that will appeal to Crosstown Rebels fans. Elsewhere there's a couple more remixes of "Beautiful" which are equally impressive but for our money it's all about Kry Wolf's druggy, party-starting tech house makeover which will get the adrenalin levels peaking with its tough beat, funky bassline and trippy elements all working in harmony.
Review: From Simma Black to Project Fallout, and now Food Music, Low Steppa is steadily making a name for himself in the bass game, and this new EP from the producer is testament to his skills as a fine beatsmith, and as a laterally-minded crafter of fine, sci-fi beats. "On the One" is a house tune with a distinctive UK edge in its low tones, and the same goes for "Rainy Days" and its old-school garage approach. "Gone Black" is a fine piece of soulful dance music that would make any Chicago producer proud, but it's "My Black T Shirt" that earns our deepest attention thanks to its tightly woven groove, and perfectly executed sonic hook. Crafty and recommended.
Review: Having recently impressed with the booming Low Frequencies EP on Domino Effect, publicity-shy producer Under_Score transfers to bass-house specialists Food Music. In its' original form, "Indigo" is a heady and intoxicating bassline roller, with woozy blues vocal samples and spooky deep house electronics riding a shuffling groove and thunderous sub-bass motif. Walker & Royce push the track further towards straight-up UK garage territory on their Vocal and Dub interpretations, with the latter's darker, tougher intent guaranteeing a stronger dancefloor response. The third and final rework comes from DJ E Clyps, who adds extra garage swing to the beats while introducing a few dreamier deep house elements.
Review: Shadow Child & Kry Wolf bring you Boxia, the next recruit presenting on Food Music. According to Boxia's bio, he has been around for about a year, "dealing in under the counter tracks to some of the DJ elite". Enough said! First up "Biology" is banging acid house with the most exquisite 303 squelch you'll hear ever, complete with chipmunk vocals and white noise build ups; all the good stuff! Next up, the dark tech house of "Crunch" is a more serious affair featuring a pitch shifted monologue and a sample of Inner City's "Pennies From Heaven" riding on top of a rolling, early morning groove for hedonists. Finally "Progress" pays homage to the original deep house sound of early nineties Chicago featuring warm swirling chords, a swing fuelled beat and cut up female vocals.
Review: Issued on Shadow Play's label, this release from Italian producer NT89 is very much of the time. The title track flirts with the spirit and sound of bleep techno, with subsonic tones woven around a rolling groove. In a similar vein is "Royal (with Whitesquare)"; although the artist opts for a deeper approach, the same type of hypnotic rhythm applies. Soon afterwards, the release slips into more esoteric sounds; "Love Game" revolves around a stripped back, metallic rhythm and shiny synths, while "Stripe" ends the release in a similar vein - although on this occasion, a stepping groove underpin's NT89's melancholic sound scapes.
Review: Opening track "Orbit" with its menacing breakbeat and dark atmosphere gets things off to a nice start and there's more of the same later with "Reinforced Texture". The uplifting and soulful vibes of "1.200" could appeal to Planet E or Innervisions fans alike. There's also "Odd Soulz" with its razor sharp bassline and soaring synth leads which give way to a killer drop; peak time tech house done well. "Technicality" gets back into the breakbeat swing of things with dub delay aesthetics and a crunchy, junglised amen for good measure. But "Swathe" is the real highlight here; groovy, snarling acid backed by latin percussion on this impressive house jam.
Review: Lewis Darvill and Bill Francis are Kry Wolf, a British duo who have made their pushed their name forwards thanks to an extensive number of EP's on labels such as Sounds Of Sumo, and even an appearance on Claude Von Stroke's Dirtybird. Their latest cuts come courtesy of Food Music, who have been on fire in recent months, and they're nuthin' but a load of house tinted bangers. "Pushing Me" is a peak time monster for summer dancefloors such as Cocorico and Cavo Paradiso, while "The Feels" is bumpier and a touch more stuttering when it comes to its bass, and "Cosmic Vibes" shuts things down with a deep, sweltering low-end and minimalistic percussion slamming.
Review: Food Music continues its fine form with a heavy-loaded remix release after bomb after bomb from the likes of Coldwater and Fake Blood. The boys get together to remix a collection of tracks from a mixed pool of artists, some new and some who have already featured on the label. This is all within the bass spectrum, of course (although we hate to use that term so loosely), with seven dance-ready cuts in total. If we were to pull the gold then we'd have to lean towards Applebottom's rework of Kry Wolf's own "No Trouble" - a deranged tech-house bruiser with nutty vocal samples - and Fake Blood's remix of Vhyce's "Be The Same", a jazzy and break-ridden house lick. Top.
Review: Theo Keating, who also makes music under The Wiseguys moniker, appears with his twisted brand of UK deep house under the Fake Blood alias on the excellent Food Music - the label itself being a regular home to some of the best up and coming talent from the Anglian corners. If you wanted house music with a distinct 'bass' edge to it then you've come to the right place, indeed, as tracks like "Music Box" flutter their 4/4 rhythm among amen breaks and right-edged basslines. "Hornets" itself is basically a Metalheadz tune circa 1997 that's been given a dosage of tranquiliser and taken down to house-techno levels.
Review: Here's something of a surprise: an EP of fluid but forceful deep house cuts from Matthew Harvey, previously best known as one half of New Zealand based D&B outfit Concord Dawn. While there are a few nods to his junglist past throughout - think heavy basslines and clear bass music influences - there's otherwise little to suggest this is his first foray into house. There's much to admire, from the bold pianos, dusty vocal cut-ups and shuffling rhythms of "Barrow" and pleasingly dirty "Farlington", to the woozy chords, low-end wobble and skippy percussion of opener "Dirty Organs".
Review: After revealing each exclusive track over the last month, Kry Wolf finally delivers his DNA collection. A way of showing his own roots and party passions while celebrating his peers and labelmates' finest studio creations, the mix is a great reflection of Wolf, his and Shadow Child's label and its talented roster. Highlights include Shadow Child and Friend Within's WOW-referencing "The Moon", Kry Wolf's percussion-pummelled twist on "Piano Weapon", Geoff K's floor-melting bass shaker "Dysturbed Trumpet" and NYTA's dangerously demonic vocal cut "The Call". Also included is Kry Wolf's mix that joins the dots between the many sonic shades. A great concept backed up by an immaculate collection; DNA is where it's at.
Review: Amsterdam-based Italian producer Nima "NT89" Tahmasebi has previously impressed with his in-your-face blends of electro and techno, with occasional forays into deeper, tech-tinged territory. Each of these sides of his personality are explored on this three-tracker for Food Music. "Purple Garden" itself is pleasingly fluid, lacing deep trance melodies and Visionquest atmospherics over a touchy-feely tech-house groove. "Subsquent", on the other hand, is bold and brassy, a pulsating, strobelit fusion of heavy analogue bass, incessant drum machine rhythms and warehouse-friendly sound effects. If that's not enough to get the tastebuds tingling, "Nowhere" takes us into deep garage territory, contrasting cut-up vocals and two-step rhythms with quick bursts of 4/4 groovery and wide-eyed deep house breakdowns.
Review: When an EP comes with a radio edit and this many remixes, it's fair to say that the label think it has the legs to crossover into the mainstream. Certainly, this latest missive from Dave Spoon under his Shadow Child alias has the potential to be big. Think epic builds, chiming melodies, sparkling house pianos and a big, heavy bassline. Oh, and a bold vocal about the joys of Fridays. Job done. Remix-wise, most attention will be focused on the MK Medicine Dub. Full of his trademark vocal cut-ups and gargantuan pianos, you'll be hearing it everywhere over the next few months. Elsewhere, there's a soaring D&B remix from The Prototypes, a murky, acid house influenced take from Maison Sky, and a couple of solid reworks from Spoon himself.
Review: Having previously impressed with a series of singles on their own Sound of Sumo label, Lewis Darvill and Bill Francis moved to Food Music earlier this year, releasing the Food EP to great acclaim. Here they follow it up with more shuffling, bottom-heavy house. With its pulsating sub-bass, classic US garage beats, choice samples and alien stabs, "Nightmode" is arguably the pick for peaktime plays. That said, the rush-inducing keys, cut-up vocals and cute melodies of "U Like" should also appeal to DJs who like their beats upfront and party-friendly. For those of a ravier persuasion, the Pedestrian remix of "Nightmode" should be an essential purchase.
Review: Despite residing in Adelaide, Australia, producer Motez Obaidi seems to have a firm grasp on what's rocking clubs this side of the world. His sound - bassy, in-your-face, cheeky and undeniably party-friendly - is steeped in UK garage, the bassy deep house of Huxley and the rubbery fluidity of hot-to-trot labels such as Hot Creations. "Ride Roof Back" - in its Club Edit form - is undeniably big, lacing pitched-down hip-hop vocal samples over a big synth bassline, skippy garage beats and gargantuan synth builds. The deeper "Take Off" isn't as instantly impressive, but makes up for that thanks to some killer drops and tasty UK Funky influences.
Review: Mysterious British trio Makes No Sense offer a glimpse into their wonky, bass-heavy world with a bumping EP on Food Music. "Sling" has a kind of Hypercolour feel to it, all thumping beats, garage hustle, booming bass, delay-laden vocal samples and dreamy, post-Balearic breakdowns. Munnibrotherz remix, building their version around powerful garage grooves, sub-bothering low-end wonk and decidedly quirky vocal manipulation. "Therapy" shows a different side to the trio, all nightmarish vocal samples, spooky breakdowns and saucer-eyed tech-house rhythms. "Group Therapy", on the other hand, blends chunky deep house beats with hip-wigglin' UK Funky attitude.
Review: Cymbal-heavy UK garage beats? Check! Sub-bothering bassline? Check! Dreamy, oddly pitched vocal sample? Check! Sweaty, wide-eyed late night vibe? Check! Result: "23" has all the right ingredients to impress bass music heads - and those into Hypercolour-ish deep house/bass music blends. It also comes backed with a couple of notable remixes, with bass veteran Zinc providing his own typically big VIP version. In truth, it's not that much different from the original, though Zinc's build-up extension, additional wobbly noises and bass EQ'ing work bring the most out of the near-anthemic original. Kry Wolf make the most of the original's dreamy samples and beef up the bottom-end wobble on their in-your-face remix.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.