Review: With releases on labels like Hotflush and Drumcode to their credit, Dense & Pika bring it back home with Amber: after all, Hypercolour was set up by Alex Jones, one half of the act. The title track focuses on dreamy hooks and blissed out vocal samples, before the pair's insistent, stepping beats kick in. It's atmospheric, but also tailor made for the dance floor. On "Hard Light", they opt for a somewhat different approach: here, the tempo is faster and the rhythm more percussive, but the pair leave enough room in the arrangement for cosmic laser stabs that sound like they were taken straight from a sci-fi thriller.
Review: Sweden's Sebastian Mullaert is now receiving his dues a after a long stint on the techno scene. From his days in minimal techno duo Minilogue (and let's not forget their previous forays into trance) to running the brilliant Wa Wu We imprint - it's fair to say he's a modern legend. Who'd have ever guessed that Mullaert would make an appearance on vibey London institution Hypercolour? "Windmaker" is typical Mullaert; moody and melodic, hypnotic and deep. Not many can record a live jam and capture results so epic. Ukrainian deep house hero Vakula is on the remix front, exploring another side of his recent pursuits in techno music; this one is seriously smoked out dub techno.
Review: What a collaboration this is! Two of the modern masters of hypnotic techno (and dynamic live acts alike) team up for some elaborate, melodic and truly entrancing auditory journeys for Hypercolour. Mathew Jonson should need no introduction: the Canadian producer bursting onto the scene in the mid noughties with releases on itiswhatitis and his own Wagon Repair imprint. Sebastian Mullaert also has a long history in electronic music; at one time part of duo Minilogue in addition to recording for Kontra Musik and m_nus more recently and running his great WaWuWe label. Strap yourself in for an epic journey across all its 12 minutes of glory on St "Pollen 4 Life (main mix)" where a medley of dreamy and gliding arpeggios dance away over subtle and minimal elements; a trademark of both respective producers. The dub version is much tougher and darker; aimed squarely at the dancefloor to get into some of those more tunnelling, vortex like moments.
Review: Having spent the best part of a decade producing and releasing music at a furious rate, Tom Demac took a step back in 2015. Two years on, he returned earlier this year with Sink Or Swim, a two-track missive on regular home Hypercolour. Six months later, he's decided to repeat the exercise with Bark Or Bite. The title track, a typically Germanic chunk of loose late night techno that layers a hushed and hypnotic groove with spacey synthesizer motifs and effects-laden vocal hits, is particularly strong. That said, we're particularly enjoying the bustling, intergalactic electro vibes of "205 GTI", where fizzing electronics and yearning synth lines cluster around punchy drum machine hits and an elastic analogue bassline.
Review: Demac has been releasing music on high-profile labels like Aus, Drumcode and Hypercolour for the past decade. As Sink or Swim shows, this is because the UK producer is adept at creating highly distinctive electronic music. The title track is a case in point; it features skipping drums, lithe percussion and frosty melodies, but underpinning these elements is a brutal, oppressive bass. It's the contrast between these two elements that makes "Sink.." so impressive. On "Mayfield Road", Demac moves in a radically different direction. Gone are the straight kicks, replaced by razor-sharp 808s, spacey pads and the kind of futuristic undercurrent that Detroit producers normally lay claim to.
Review: In celebration of Hypercolour's 100th release, the highly sought-after KiNK (Strahil Velchev) turned in a milestone For The People EP - delivering four genre-blending bangers. As part of a series of EP remixes, Perc and Bailey Ibbs step up for this edition with a rendition each of the EP's standout track: "Vacation". Perc unleashes a relentless storm of industrial techno like Ali Wells knows how, with Bailey Ibbs delivering a high-end, tech house, funk-infused banger for that perfect offset - and with more to come!
Review: Sarah Story, a multifaceted talent known for her role as a broadcaster, DJ, producer, and songwriter, takes center stage with her latest single on Hypercolour. Through her influential Radio 1 'Future Dance' show, Story has been a key advocate for emerging talent and increased visibility for female and non-binary artists in the dance music scene. With this release, she delivers a dynamic showcase of her own skills, presenting a pair of pulsating and hypnotic club anthems that bang with classic warehouse force - a powerful contribution to the longstanding legacy of the UK label Hypercolour.
Review: If you give Luke Vibert instructions to make an acid banger, chances are he'll come up with the goods. So it proves on Halloween, his second single for Cedric Maison's Hypercolour imprint. The title track is particularly intense, with in-your-face drums and ragged, abusive acid lines brushing shoulders with ghostly melodies, horror chords and dystopian vocal samples. The Cornishman provides a slight breather in the shape of "Jack U Whole", whose bubbling acid lines and murky vocal samples ride an 808 electro-influenced groove. Space Dimension Controller remixes the latter track, dropping a 1988 style acid jacker that sounds like a long lost Trax Records release.
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