Review: Although he's been busy on the remix front of late, we've not had much in the way of new material from Mano Le Tough in a while. In fact, according to our records, this return to Meave - his third appearance on the label he co-founded - is his first single in almost three years. Opener "Kind Of" is a drowsy, hypnotic and locked-in affair, with the Berlin-based Irishman peppering a hushed, cymbal-heavy groove with glitchy Isolee style motifs and the kind of unusual, pleasingly wayward percussive touches more often associated with Ricardo Villalobos. The wonky, off-kilter vibe continues on the arguably even more out-there and off-beat "Snakes On The Brain", whose oddball lead vocal suggests it was written while in an intoxicated state after a weekend-long bender.
Review: Together with Mano Le Tough and the Drifter, Mark 'Baikal' August runs the Maeve imprint. While it is most commonly associated with deep, melodic house, this release sees one of its owners veer down a more tripped out path. "Baby You" features flickering vocal samples unravelling over tight percussion and a rippling groove, with acid undercurrents bubbling to the surface. Taken together, they create a mysterious, slightly eerie mood. There's a similar approach on the title track; haunting human voices slide in and out of a chiming, rolling rhythm that transports the listener to a dark side of Maeve's psyche.
Review: Irish producer Brendan Gregoriy Karras aka Chymera is back after a two year hiatus from the studio, following up great releases on top imprints like Cocoon and Ovum. This new killer comes courtesy of Maeve, where his closeness to the label is poured into music. Story has it that Chymera actually brought fellow countrymen The Drifter and Mano Le Tough into contact with their future label co-head Baikal. His new offering "Noise Tool" is a brooding and hypnotic workout guaranteed to get dancer's into some serious tunnel vision under the strobe, while second offering "1990" is definitely a track with the Maeve sound - deep, melodic and evocative and with the right amount of impact for the dancefloor.
Review: Mano Le Tough and the rest of the Maeve crew have been friends with Kev Sheridan for many years, encouraging the fellow Berlin-based producer to deliver a debut EP. He's finally done that and, unsurprisingly, it's really rather good. Check first the title track, a sumptuous chunk of blissful dancefloor warmth in which melancholic organ and electric piano lines relax over the deepest slow house beat you're ever likely to find. Sheridan's impressive grasp of mood and melody can also be heard on the poignant mid-tempo shuffle of "Wash Over Me", while closer "Losing Someone Is Never Easy" ratchets up the melancholy via delay-laden drum hits, subdued analogue bass and heart-wrenching piano parts. As debut EPs go, Alone in Berlin is up there with the very best.
Illusions Of House (original mix) - (6:06) 126 BPM
Epsics Drop (original mix) - (6:08) 128 BPM
Review: Mano Le Tough's label isn't the most prolific, but 2017 has been a busy one for Maeve and Adam Marshall's Low Poly Nature is its fourth EP. Best known for his releases on his New Kanada label and Mike Shannon's Cynosure, the Canadian's debut for Maeve sees him go down a more melodic route than usual. "Core Dub", with its atmospheric keys and lithe rhythm and the mellow, melancholic "Illusions of House" are exactly the type of tracks that the Maeve owner would play out, while on "House Shipping (Jammed Mix)", Marshall delivers the kind of wiry, lean groove that one would normally associate with Isolee. Despite all of these surprises, "Espics Drop" is the most unconventional track in this release, as a mellow foghorn is fused with snappy breaks.
Review: Irish producer Mano Le Tough made his name with deep, melodic house, so "Big Words From The Small Mouth", from the latest release on his Maeve label, marks something of a change. It's stripped back and resounds to minimalist drum patterns, while a wiry, frazzled acid line that weaves its way through the arrangement. The presence of a wobbly, menacing bass throughout adds to the understated sense of menace. The title track is more mellow, featuring warm tonal squiggles cosying up to organic melodies over a fuzzy rhythm. However, like "Small Mouth", it too is somewhat abstract and far removed from the more accessible sounds that Mano Le Tough had been known for.
Review: Frankfurt innovator Rajko Muller returns as Isolee, working his magic this time for The Drifter's rather impressive Maeve imprint; which in recent times has brought us fantastic work by Ed Davenport, Baikal and Ripperton. "Pisco" is a slow burning groove with phased marimbas that cause a hypnotic dream state, while "L5 Syndrome" dives deeper: this smooth and introverted trip is definitely suited to the early night as it is for the afterhours and reminds us of his seminal, earlier works in the nineties for imprints like Playhouse. Finally, the title track is where Muller saves the best for last; this dubby, lo-slung groove is drenched in delayed and reverberated aesthetics. More great work by one of electronic music's true innovators.
Review: Ed Davenport sure is on a roll right now. The Berlin based Brit, besides co-running Infrastructure with Function, has had a consistent run of killer releases including this new one for The Drifter's Maeve. Davenport sure finds a fitting home; as the label specialises more in dark journey tracks and deep house, he can do that sound anyway. "Silver Walks" is tunnelling and melodic with its flattering arpeggio and intricate and restrained rhythm that will appeal to a wide cross-range of DJs. "Kuromaku" is yet another epic journey with a razor sharp melody and noisy, static percussion giving way to sonar bleeps and sure to cause many a headrush on the dance floor this Spring.
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.