Review: The title of Charlotte Bendiks' latest release relates to feeling safe after arriving home, while more broadly, it addresses questions that focus on 'belonging, becoming, and embodiment'. The title track is an offbeat affair, with Bendiks conjuring up rickety drums and woozy synths. On "Leaving Diego", she ups the pace to deliver a dense rhythmic workout, where a rubbery bass and mysterious, detuned guitar squalls prevail. These elements come together and gradually build to a heady crescendo. "Steykeh Sexual" sees Bendiks focus on club material. Centred on a plucked bass, chiming bells and dense tribal drums, it's tailor made for more discerning dance floors.
Review: Strapontin and Zillas On Acid enjoyed collaborating on their 2021 EP 'Acid Straps' so much, that they decided to keep recording music together - despite one living in Belgium and the other in Philedelphia. Their second joint missive for Optimo Digital Danceforce - a label they've also appeared on as solo artists - is every bit as alluring as their first, with opener 'Dial Up', a pleasingly psychedelic excursion rich in jacking drums, wayward TB-303 lines, doomy bass and sweat-soaked rap samples, setting the tone. They opt for a darker and even more mind-mangling tone on 'Reading Comments', where clandestine, effects-laden guitar licks and trippy electronics rise above a low-slung post-punk bassline, before getting hypnotic on the ghostly and sub-heavy 'Another Job'. Shroom-powered acid throb-job 'In Your Mind' completes a fine package.
Review: Following years spent showcasing his hallucinatory, tribal-tinged musical fusions on the likes of Multi-Culti, Lumiere Noire and Roam Recordings, Inigo Vontier makes his bow on Optimo Music's club-focused Digital Danceforce offshoot. He hits the ground running with title track 'Setsi', a thrillingly mind-mangling chugger rich in wonky electronic noises, foreboding pulses, stabbing bass and restless cowbells, before dousing Maurice Fulton's Syclops sound in premium Mezcal on 'Weirdo'. 'Oh Yeah' fixes hissing, seemingly-non-stop cymbals and more trippy electronics to a locked-in groove, while 'Mental Letal' is a shroom-powered throb-job where undulating electronics and odd, modular-sounding noises fizz across the sound space.
Review: Following some great releases by the likes of Niv Ast, Tom Sharkett and Man Power, Optimo Music Digital Danceforce is back this week with an offering by a dynamite duo. This one is comprised of Duro chief Theus Mago alongside Curses of Ombra International fame on "Antidoto" , a chugging and hypnotising dark disco journey incorporating atonal guitars and wacky vocals, as well the lo-slung indie dance workout "Dafne" and finally Despo" which like the EP's title track fuses elements of new beat, punk and dub into the mix.
Review: Man Power aka Geoff Kirkwood returns to Optimo with a fine two-track release. "UIUAWIO" is an irresistible, chugging affair, with Kirkwood introducing tripped out sensibilities such as niggling acid lines and breathy vocal samples. The tribal percussion that he layers over these elements only serves to add to the track's out there feeling. "Psychedelectricity" is supposedly inspired by Man Power's love of comic books, and as its title suggests, there is a psychedelic vibe throughout. Once again, he uses evocative vocals, and, combining them on this occasion with warbling 303s, delivers an understated but effective slice of modern acid house.
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.