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: Following his 'Telepathy' outing last year, Hypercolour boss Minder returns with another rave homage - 'Sanctuary'. Living up to its name in all possible connotations, across the set we're taken on a journey through hardcore, jungle, breaks, acid house and all the many beautiful mutations in between. Get loose to the classic 91 breakbeats on 'Service', keep your head down and swagger your life away to the twisted two-step of 'Pomeroy', skank your little jacksy off to the proto jungle licks and kicks of 'Simulated' and close your eyes and pretend you're at Virus or Renegade night circa 2001 to the pummelling kicks of 'Sharded'. These are just some of the lifestyle options and coping strategies Minder is providing on this remarkable body of work.
Review: Ukrainian DJ & producer Roman Kurhan aka Monotronique follows up impressive efforts on Livity Sound, Banoffee Pies and Opal Tapes with a debut on Hypercolour. There's four tracks by the Kharkiv-based artist on the Uh Oooh EP, serving up modern electro beats in the face of the devastating effects of war on his city and country. We particularly enjoyed the bouncy martian breaks of "I Want That", the deep computer funk of "Magic Bliss" and the bass-heavy the title track with its Detroit sci-fi vibes.
Review: Luke Vibert follows 2020's Rave Hop long player with another fine album. Ground in the sound of the 303 but characterised by a series of twists and turns throughout, GRIT. moves from the easy listening "Surrounded By Neighbours" and "Decay Hole" into the electro swagger of "Gas Logs" and the title track's wild, woozy techno. "Swingeing Cuts" shows that Vibert is not averse to Chicago jack - once it's delivered in his own playful way - and "Disco Derriere" is the UK veteran's own acid-fried vision of lush, string-filled French house. In true Vibert form, the album concludes with the bonkers 303-led "Screwfix Typeface".
Review: Ste Roberts is a key part of the Hypercolour operation. After a succession of records on his own Set imprint, he now makes a debut on the renowned UK label. The title track opens his account in mesmerising fashion, as frazzled tones unravel over a shuffling, swung rhythm. On "Victor's Mezcal", Roberts goes deeper, with a pulsating, throbbing groove and dense bass underpinning blips, tones and metallic groans. It sounds like a modern, slightly more menacing version of Eddie Richards' late 90s/early 00s vision for tech-house. Roberts then proceeds to bring the house down with the hoover sirens and rolling drums of "The Hiding Spot".
Review: A confirmed presence within the landscape of UK dance music for the best part of 15 years, Hypercolour has cultivated its own constellation of artists while becoming a port of call for those hitting their peak within pseudo-mainstream house music. It's Patterns compilation series has always offered rare cuts and remixes from its roster of artists and from the get go here a lesser known Zodiac impresses out of the blocks with a banging dub techno joint "GhostNet". Sebastian Mullaert & Boelja go hardcore Swedish bleeptronic in "Who Are You Really?" with FRAK also included with an old school and lo-fi 909 workout "Berga Magic". Roman Flugel hits a sweetspot as usual next to some lowly jackin tracks by London Modular Alliance, a vocal breakbeat number of classical drum and bass refrain by Mathew Herbert to some tongue cheek rave by Luke Vibert and much much more! Approved.
Review: Eliphino is a pseudonym for Tom Wrankmore, who has put put music under this guise on Secretsundaze and Meda Fury. He also released on Hypercolour back in 2013, and Maelstrom sees him make a timely re-appearance on the label. The title track is an unusual affair, with a swinging rhythm and glitchy percussion underpinning dreamy melodies. On "Bubbling Glass", the focus shifts to a more electro-based sound, with rolling 808s supporting fuzzy soundscapes, while on "Eddy", he raises the tempo to deliver a frenetic break beat track. Rounding off this distinctive release is the vocal-sampling broken beats of "One Day".
Review: It's been raining Luke Vibert in 2020 with the legendary producer teaming up with Hypercolour for a trilogy of LPs, bringing with it new and neo genres like Modern Rave, and now Rave Hop. restoring some credibility to the lost art of breakbeat and sample culture, Vibert's productions are on point here while exploring different eras of dance music history in the process. Crafted with unique, original and refreshed vintage samples, each track, depending on its element, will transport you across a classic timeline; be it straight up old school hip hop, 90s drum and bass and early chicago house, to soul, disco and jazz before that; all cut up and repackaged in a contemporary and referential approach to rave and its continued legacy.
Review: Spawning the 96 Back project with a surge of EPs for Central Processing Unit, Evan Majumdar-Swift's emerging talents make the leap to Hypercolour! Keeping hope alive with cuts like "Fe Symbolic" and "Party Animal" - going great lengths in perpetuating the legacy of Aphex Twin, Warp and other bleep-era sounds - the EP also touches on elements of deeper dubstep and minimalism in "Cosied By" to other melodic club tracks in "TBQFH". It sees the 96-name added to a fresh cast of labelmates including HVL, Gary Gritness, Asquith and Carlton Doom. Believe the Hypercolour!
Review: Gary Gritness returns to his regular haunt, Hypercolour, for this highly conceptual long player. In essence, The Legend is a soundtrack to a 'cyber-funk' tale of street hustling, and unsurprisingly, Gritness has found a way to respires this through the medium of electro funk on "Back with a Vengeance" and "Bent Cop Hustle". On "Big Marcus Knows the Score", he shows hitherto unimagined levels of depth with a mournful, synth-laden piece that's not radically dissimilar from Carl Craig around the time of Landcruising. "Laser-Sighted Smoke" reveals another string to his repertoire as he drops a subtle, Drexciyan workout, while the delectable "Fishnets and a Nine" sees him end up in an electro-tinged easy listening world.
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: Following up a couple of great releases for Matthew Herbert's Accidental Jnr, Sydney producer Cassius Select debuts on Hypercolour with a fresh batch of crooked beats and twisted rave experiments. From the jagged and angular dub of "They Shook", the moody knackered house jam "Loose Pursuit" or the brooding grey area groove of "Yut" which calls to mind the crossover experiments of London's Autonomic crew nearly a decade ago. This collection bass heavy and highly urbanised jams all feature a truly UK influence and make a welcome addition to the Hypercolour catalogue.
Review: Israeli tech house heroine Mor Elian continues on with her winning streak with another killer on Hypercolour, her second release for them since 2016's wicked Drum Vortex EP. The Fever A.M. co-head launches a terrific new missive in the form of Persona Non Grata: four servings of killer grooves for any occasion. From the dirty electro funk of the title track and "Xeric Zula" to the tunnelling acid express of "Dysmorphia" and the basic trance induction of "Feral Chime". These sonic weapons truly compliment the Los Angeles/Berlin based producer's great old-school influenced releases of late, on Radio Matrix and Delft.
Review: The legendary Peter Kremier returns with another distinct take on deep house. The Frankfurt native constantly reinvents his sound and can never be pinned down to one particular style - but he's always impressive. Although closely affiliated with local institution Playhouse, his long awaited fourth album (his first in nearly a decade) comes courtesy of British label Hypercolour. Island Time features a bunch of understated house grooves for discerning dancefloors and the afterhours alike. From the glitching minimal funk of "Boppin Lower", the lo-fi jazz of "Gold Tooth", the sunny and hypnotic deepness of "There We Were" that's reminiscent of sounds on his tremendous Another Picture imprint. There's also the moody late night mysteriousness of "Square Down Smoother" that's classic Kremier all the way. All killer no filler from one of the modern masters - you all need this!
Review: Stellar vocal cut here from Alphonse Rozel, who has had previous releases for Klasse Wrecks, Emotional Especial and Black Orpheus. Described by Hypercolour as 'spacey and dusty deepness' and that's pretty on point. Vocals are provided by one Rev Be, which Rozel utilises across these three versions. The deep bleep techno of "Better Weather" in its original version calls to mind the sounds of northern UK sounds from the early '90s, the trippy dub version - or Phazed version - is vaguely reminiscent of Derrick May's studio expriements around the same time with its funked up, flanged out and reversed elements galore. Finally is the more straight ahead and dancefloor friendly bounce of the Abyss version.
Review: Taraval aka Ryan Smith already has two releases to hie name onText, and in places on No Coast, you can hear why his work fits in so well on Four Tet's label. The most apparent example of this style is "Stan's Loon", where a busy percussive track plays host to a cacophony of electro-acoustic tones. It's off the wall, but still manages to maintain its sense of groove. A similar aesthetic is audible on "Kima Jima". Detuned tones and frequencies flit about over a swung rhythm. On other occasions however, the Californian artist goes down a tough techno route, evident on the creaking, noisy workout that is "Topaz's Way" and the droning, tunnelling title track.
Review: Within DJ culture, there's been plenty of discussion over the years about particularly tracks and EPs being more suitable for dancefloor spaces of different sizes. On this EP, Falty DL has decided to take the bull by the horns and serve up a trio of tracks tailor-made for different rooms. Thus, he begins with the throbbing, warehouse-friendly techno hum of "Big Room", where swirling, rave-era riffs ride a bombastic, kick-drum heavy techno beat, before dipping the tempo, breaking up the beats and reaching for the early hardcore samples on "Medium Room". Fittingly, he finishes with "Small Room", a dreamy, drowsy and more intimate affair rich in lilting flute-style melodies, eyes-closed vintage house vocal samples and gentle, dub-influenced hardcore-era breakbeats.
Review: Yaleesa Hall teams with Oscillat Music owner Malin for an EP that draws heavily on classic techno tropes. "Artin" is a dense, chugging groove that draws on the cavernous dub chords of Basic Channel and Fachwerk's tight rhythms to create a dark track. On "Cahen", the pair opt for a more reflective sound; although the rhythm track is percussive, the chords are sub-aquatic and deeper. The Zenker Brothers do a fine job turning "Artin" into a tough, lean roller, but as the pared back, tracky rhythm and outer space sounds of "Brown" so eloquently demonstrates, this release is all about Hall and Malin's combined skills.
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