Review: A warm welcome back to paradise Discs main man Picklejam, who returns with what appears to be his first solo EP for almost 18 months. The Leeds producer is on fine form throughout, with the three original productions all hitting the spot. Choose between the Bobby Orlando-goes-nu-disco synth shimmer of 'Moonlight Impulse', the Jan Hammer-does-Italo-disco bubbliness of 'Virtual Joyride', and the NYC freestyle/proto-house fusion of 'Tucker's Disco'. The accompanying remix package is reliably solid, too, with Keith Fortune's sparkling, synth-heavy take on 'Moonlight Impulse' being our pick of the bunch (though Stephen Richards' chunky, funk-fuelled revision of 'Virtual Joyride' is also ace).
Review: We're not quite sure who Wilson Knickit is, but we adore the re-editor, remixer and producer's tongue-in-cheek alias. Here he joins forces with pal Sir Funk for a first outing on the reliable Particle Zoo Recordings label. There's much to get the juices flowing throughout, from the driving nu-disco/funky house fusion of opener "Sunshine" and the tooled-up disco-funk flex of Indeep-sampling workout "In The Mix", to the glistening synthesizer lead lines, tactile grooves and wide-eyed wonder of Italo-influenced nu-disco gem "Fall For You". These original tracks are accompanied by a swathe of remixes, with our picks including Paper Street Soul's eyes-closed, guitar solo-laden re-imagining of "Sunshine" and Don Dayglow's tongue-in-cheek electro-disco flip of "In The Mix".
Review: An impressively varied four-track offering from Particle Zoo boss Don Dayglow here. 'Other Faces' itself is an unhurried number that places a disembodied, Middle Eastern-sounding female vocal atop an electro/Italo-tinged backdrop, accompanied by shakers, birdsong and other atmospherics. There's more of the latter on 'Help Somebody', a blissed-out, sunrise-friendly house jam, before 'Tidy Darts' takes a sharp left turn, opening with an angular synth riff that soon mutates into full-on, vintage-sounding acid squelch: mark our words, rumpshaking will ensue! 'Warm Front', replete with dreamy analogue synth sounds, then closes out the EP on a more upbeat note.
Review: Following a well regarded outing on Fingerman's rock solid Hot Digits imprint, Don Dayglow returns to Particle Zoo with his first EP of 2019. There's much to enjoy, too, with the red-headed DJ/producer brilliantly wrapping exotic string sounds and drowsy synthesizer chords around booming sub-bass and chunky house beats on title track "Majlis". He takes to the mic on "Kakrafoon", drenching his impassioned vocals in delay and placing them in the centre of a shuffling, post-electro nu-disco fusion of crunchy beats and winding synths. There's a touch of Balearic disco/Italian dream house fusion to be found on the sun-kissed and driving "Avian", while "Nightlight" is skewed, bass-heavy and really rather odd.
Review: 'Motor Cavalcade' is the second single from Aeon Musk, a new project that sees Particle Zoo boss Ewan Hoozami (AKA Adam Hignell) teaming up with his brother Daniel. Synth-pop, John Carpenter and sci-fi soundtracks would be the key references here, with epic, sweeping synth lines underpinned by throbbing bass on the title track as a nagging, one-finger riff plays over the top, while lower-tempo B-side 'Oh No! Starship Fighters' leans most heavily on the latter influences and recalls the gleaming, 80s-inspired synth-disco of the likes of Sare Havlicek. Their debut album is coming soon, so keep 'em peeled.
Algeria To Zimbabwe (original mix) - (6:19) 114 BPM
Secrets Of Wakanda (original mix) - (6:32) 120 BPM
Review: The clue's in the title with this one, as Particle Zoo serve up an EP dripping in African flavas. The title track, in its Original form, is a rolling Afro-disco groove with chanted vox and all manner of delicate percussion. Simon Mills declutters the top end and beefs up the kicks a little, but the obvious choice for club play would be the stripped-back and (deep) house-ified Don Dayglow Remix. Two more originals complete the EP: 'Algeria To Zimbabwe' sounds like Talking Heads trying their hand at African jazz while 'Secrets Of Wakanda' scatters a little magic disco dust.
Review: Aeon Musk has nothing to do with the Tesla founder, and is in fact a collaboration between brothers Adam and Daniel Hignell. The pair's aim is to make 'analogue synth space pop with a hint of WTF' and on Sunrise, it sounds like they have succeeded. The title track is a wonderfully low-slung electronic disco groove, supported by crashing drums and crisp claps. Even more impressive is "The Polyverse Is Revealed To Olaf". A truly cosmic, widescreen affair, it is led by epic synths, crashing guitar chords and a hint of Carpenter-esque sound track atmospherics. If left of centre electronic music is your thing, you should switch on to Aeon Musk.
Review: Having recently tickled our fancy with a fine chunk of synth-heavy dancefloor soul on ISM (the Andre Esput-sporting "Gimme Dat"), Don Dayglow brings his kaleidoscopic take on electronic music back to Particle Zoo after a five-month absence. By his standards, "Sassenach Music" is a pretty grandiose affair, with intertwining synthesizer lines, doom-ridden bass and sweaty vocal samples combining on a whole-hearted tribute to early '90s house and rave. There are four accompanying remixes to choose from. There's a sparkling, piano-laden revision with a spine-tingling breakdown courtesy of Sweetooth, a dreamy, mid-tempo nu-disco revision by Cuz Electric, a slightly trancey electro-disco tweak by Fabiolous Barker and a fine, pumped-up house take by Dayglow's old Bristol pal [Sic].
Review: More from prolific duo Cuz Electric (AKA producer Rich Hall and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Megan Jones), who have previously released material on Paper Disco, Alpaca Edits, Midnight Riot and Spincat Music. "Santa Cuz" (chuckle) marks their first release for Particle Zoo. There are two original cuts to choose from: the classic electrofunk/gentle piano house fusion of "Mother's Ruin", which features a particularly strong vocal from Jones, and the dreamier nu-disco flex of "Dea's Gone Dancing", where decidedly Balearic musical touches wrap themselves around a synth bass-propelled groove. The package also contains a trio of tasty remixes, of which Stephen Richards' rubbery and percussive dub disco take on "Dea's Gone Dancing" and Don Dayglow's dubbed-out, acid-flecked revision of "Mother's Ruin" - made in tribute to Boyd Jarvis - are our picks.
