Review: Drum and bass fans unite with the inception of Nowheretobefound on Pets Recordings who welcome the Arrival EP from Polish drum and bass producer turned dub techno, house and percussive progressionist, Nowheretobefound. Across five-tracks the producer delivers a pop, UKG and trance-like sound with deep arpeggio numbers shining like stars in "Existence" next to the dubby and minimal groove train that is "Arrival". Breathy '90s pop, UKG, soul and house elements are poured into the trance vocal number "Giving Up", with "Hard Times" installed as this EP's filtered down piano ballad next to the stripped back and ultimate B-side cut "Error". A new direction into the deep for an artist best known for his music on labels such as Lenzman's The North Quarter and Artificial Intelligence's Integral.
Review: When lockdown hit earlier in the year, Catz 'N' Dogz were still basking in the positive feedback that greeted the release of their fourth studio album, "Friendship". With all of their gigs cancelled, they chose to use the quarantine period to record a follow-up. "Moments" is an intriguing proposition, not least because it deftly displays their growing musical dexterity. It features only a handful of dreamy, drowsy, dancefloor-focused cuts (see bluesy shuffler "Memories", the soulful and jazzy deep house workout "Time", and tech-tinged soundscape house closer "Tomorrow"), with the rest of the album mixing up dusty, trip-hop style beats, bittersweet downtempo grooves, slo-mo Balearic house and jazzy, hard-to-pigeonhole inspirations. As a result, it's their most mature and quietly impressive set to date.
Review: 2019 was a massive year for Pets Recordings with an impressive late run of releases from artists like Truncate, Mathias Kaden and Psychemagik. Belgian producer Beton opens the Polish label's 2020 account with this Dockside single, some three years after his debut opus via Pets Recordings back in 2017. Launching his own label Trek U that same year, with a release on Twin Turbo in 2018, too, Beton resurfaces with the sound of breaks and nostalgic rave in "Dockside", with its raw kick drum and liquid bass a super combi alongside playful synths and melodies. "Transmodal" on the flip looks towards old school trance and breaks again with touches of acid and cathedral atmospheres in this snare-heavy trip through the abyss.
Review: Fresh from the release of a sought-after salvo on Poker Flat, Joyce Muniz pitches up on Pets Recordings for the very first time. The Vienna-based DJ/producer is in throbbing space disco mode on ear-catching opener "Glass Mistress", clothing a surging, Italo-disco style arpeggio bassline in snappy drum machine beats, trippy backwards vocal snippets, glacial chords and intergalactic electronic melodies. "Trapped" is a more low-slung, bass-heavy chunk of analogue house/electro-disco fusion blessed with some suitably sharp and foreboding rave stabs, while "Naughty Party" offers a jauntier and cheekier take on synthesizer-driven nu-disco rich in quirky drum machine percussion and robotic vocal snippets.
Review: Dalfie follows last year's Can't Think Right Now release on Pets with another dance floor-primed EP. "FJ" is sure to get a floor moving thanks to its combination of growing bass, acid spirals and what sounds like a sample of a dog barking. Powered by a series of irresistible builds, it's a subtle but hugely effective dance floor bomb. "R Rated" sees Dalfie opt for a somewhat different approach: the groove is straighter and pulsates to the sound of a buzz saw bass. Factor in some subtle drops that provide space for subtle vocal snippets and it's clear that Dalfie's tunes are as appealing as the EP's title suggests.
Review: Shockingly, 19 years have passed since Renato Cohen lighted up dancefloors with his Brazilian techno classic "Pontape". Little he has released since has enjoyed the same level of success as that colossal cut, but he continues to serve up some seriously good music. Here he makes his bow on Pets Recordings with a four-tracker that looks to Giorgio Moroder, Italo-disco and 80s electro-funk for inspiration. He hits the ground running with the rolling, arpeggio-fired Italo-disco funkiness of "Lone Ranger", before wrapping fizzing electronic motifs, Hi-NRG style synth stabs and a squelchy electro bassline around nu-disco drums on "Bismuth". Elsewhere, "Deocleciana" is a delicious blend of crunchy beats, cowbells and warehouse-ready riffs, while Jennifer Cardini's remix of "Bismuth" turns the track into a muscular, Patrick Cowley style slammer.
Review: Kevin Dennis Pierre aka Demuir out of Toronto is a legend of the scene with a discography that dates back 20 years. An OG house gangster, his music in recent times has hooked up with the likes of DJ Sneak and Cassy with other releases making their way to Yoruba, Robsoul, Desolat and most recently in 2019, Hot Creations. Now for Catz n Dogz' Pets Recordings in 2020 he drops the three-track Black Soul + Techno EP. Channelling a hardcore acid and Detroit styled techno edge comparable to the work of Blake Baxter, Demuir's "Something Inside Of Me" delivers a tunneling, bass heavy, grooving techno burner. With an extra dub version to boot, "Black Kids Love Techno" then looks towards trippy touches of bleeps and mind bending synths in a banging b-side alternative.
Review: Since bursting on to the scene in the mid 20-teens, Spanish producer Nicson has only put out a handful of releases. This expansive EP on Pets Recordings is not only his first solo single for two years, but also his most high profile to date. He begins by joining forces with Dixie Yure on the wonky, low-slung delight that is "I'm In Love" - all slack-tuned, live-sounding drums, heady bass, fizzing synth riffs and angular electronic motifs - before layering up samples on the dense and forthright house jam "Destiny Dancer". Elsewhere, "Sampled Soap" is a drowsy, locked-in deep house jam, "Warehousing" is a warm and blissful tribute to turn-of-the-90s Italian house and "No Way Dream" is a lusciously hazy and melodious number underpinned by jacking, Chicago style drums.
Review: Dark, sinuous grooves are the order of the day on this latest EP from Rostock, Germany native Rydim, which comes on Catz N Dogz's Pets Recordings label. 'Fomo' itself starts out with an extended drummy intro, then introduces the slinky, twisting bass synth riff that forms the track's main hook, wihch is joined by some acidic burblings and then mutates into a second, arpeggiated riff. It's a cut that'd work on house and techno floors alike whereas Johannes Albrecht's remix is a more straight-up acid houser, while there's more retro acid flava to be found on 'Fairlight', which comes complete with suitably spangly 80s synths.
Review: It's been another great year for Catz 'N' Dogz's Pets Recordings imprint. If you missed any of the Polish imprint's many essential releases, fear not, as help is at hand via this top-notch round up of their biggest cuts of 2019. There are naturally plenty of contributions from the label's popular head honchos, with highlights including Andhim's evocative, acid-sporting vocal remix of "Would You Believe", a suspenseful contemporary dream house rework of "There" by Terr and a deliciously retro-futurist house take on "New Love" by Gerd Janson. Elsewhere, top picks include the warehouse-ready throb of Truncate's "Pressure", the pitched-down darkroom chug of "Rattlesnake" by Psychemagik and the drowsy deep house/UK garage fusion of Black Loops' "Keep A Secret".
Review: Truncate debuts on Pets Recordings with a fine jacking release. "Pressure" sees the US producer divert somewhat from his chosen script, dropping a raw, analogue track. Built on a skeletal rhythm and pile-driving percussive, these elements support a pitch-bent vocal. The title track marks a return to the type of sound that Truncate is more commonly known for. However, in part, the aesthetic of "Pressure" remains, thanks to the use of insistent percussion and intense siren riffs unravelling over one of Truncate's typical rolling groove. DJ Haus is tasked with reworking "Pressure" and turns in an excellent version that focuses on fusing the vocal sample with a grinding bass.
Review: Cologne based musician and poet Bryan Kessler returns after some great music released on Get Physical, Numbers. and Sanfuentes recently. Four tracks of 'stone cold party denters', where like the title track says - "Party Like You're Not Alive". This rolling hip-house jam could easily raise the dead. It's backed by three more remarkable weapons, among them are "Trance Balance" with its moody bass-driven bounce and generous use of cowbells, followed by "Outsider's Dance Rhythms" which is a dark house epic featuring skeletal rhythms and a chunky bassline in the vein of early Chicago house classics.
Review: Toy Tonics regular Black Loops (real name Riccardo Paffetti) comes to Catz N' Dogz' label Pets Recordings with a four-tracker operating in that band of the musical spectrum where deep house and garage collide. The opening title cut is a sparse affair, essentially deep house in nature but with steppy, garage-y beats and vocal bites that sound suspiciously MC Neat-ish. 'Unity' is more heads-down with slamming, almost techno-style kicks and otherworldly synths, 'Keep A Secret' has the bumpin' feel of classic west coast deepness and finally 'Born In The 80s' is a pacier cut with more of those freaky-deeky synth sounds.
Review: It's a big week for Russian producer Tripmastaz, who has two big collaborations hitting Junodownload: another studio hook-up with old pal DJ Sneak and this rugged effort alongside sometime Crosstown Rebels, Cuttin' Headz, Desolat and Defected regular Guti. "R U Happy" is an energetic, mind-altering workout that wraps wonky, acid-influenced electronic motifs, looped vocal smippets and warehouse-ready synth stabs around a rhythm track that sits somewhere between tech-house hypnotism and old school Chicago jack. D'Julz superb accompanying remix adds heavy sub bass, chunkier and looser beats and some seriously trippy high-register electronic noises, while Guti and Tripmastaz's EP-closing instrumental mix is arguably even more trippy sounding than their brain-melting original take.
Review: It can be a tricky task keeping up with Pets Recordings jam-packed release schedule. That's why the imprint's "My Favourite Pets" compilation series, which gathers together brilliant bits from the catalogue you may have missed, is essential listening. Volume six is naturally full to bursting with tried-and-tested treats from Catz 'N' Dogz excellent imprint. Highlights are plentiful throughout, of course, but our favourites include Kassian's exclusive rework of recent Catz 'N' Dogs single "Wave" (a bumpin' chunk of peak-time brilliance), the exotic dancefloor hypnotism of Sei A's fine remix of "This Time" by Adam Port and Jennifer Touch, the low-slung sleaze of Jonathan Kaspar's "Cicatrice", the classic West Coast deep house bump of Beesmunt Soundsystem's "Searchin (Borrowed Identity Remix)" and the mid-tempo Balearic house beauty of Kamp's "Azure".
Review: Featuring the combined talents of guests Zensofly and Maxville, "Wave" was one of the undisputed highlights of Catz 'N' Dogz recent album "Friendship". Here it gets the single treatment, with the short and punchy original version (track four) being joined by the Polish pair's previously unheard "Club Mix". This is something of a sweaty beat, with sleazy vocals, percolating electronics and raw warehouse stabs leaping enthusiastically above a booming peak-time groove. Justin Martin delivers the headline-grabbing remix, wrapping a wonky and heavy bassline and mind-altering stabs around a swinging, garage-influenced groove, while Theus Mago cleverly re-imagines the cut as a throbbing slab of Italo-disco/hypnotic house fusion.
Review: Although primarily known for their dusty disco edits and crate digging DJ sets, Psychemagik's original productions are sometimes heavy, low slung and unfeasibly intoxicating. That's certainly the case with "Rattlesnake", a hypnotic chunk of dancefloor psychedelia rich in wonky electronics, trippy riffs, mind-altering bass and locked-in peak-time drums. The duo's pleasingly out-there original mix is made even weirder (and arguably more alluring, too) on Magda's accompanying "Blotter Traxion Remix", which sounds like the effect of dropping two tabs of acid while trying to mix electro, tech-house and techno records together. Vyvyan provides the other remix, wrapping doom-laden analogue electronics and fizzing TB-303 style acid lines around crunchier and crisper disco drums.
Review: Glasgow's Dalfie (Gruuv/Glasgow Underground) is back on Pets Recordings with his third release.The Can't Think Right Now EP is definitely optimised for employment on the dancefloor, with the dirty lowdown electro bounce of the title track being one you'll hear rocking dancefloors well into the summer. Not just content being groovy, the Scotsman then serves up the tough rolling tech house of "Revolver" which is aimed squarely at White Isle dancefloors this season, and finally it comes to a close with "Me Plus 1" - a fierce and barrelling techno banger which will mix in well with your Drumcode or Suara tracks.
Review: Friendship is the fourth artist album by Pets Recordings owners Catz'n'Dogz. Written and produced in the Spanish countryside, it sees the duo push the boundaries of modern electronic music. "There" combines robust, steely drums and spiky rhythms with James Yuill's dreamy vocals, making for a refreshing take on deep vocal house, while on "Mind", Rosalie's high-pitched tones are set to a mesmerising harpsichord and shuffling drums. The duo explore their own unique take on r&b-inflected pop with the playful "Yi Fang" -which features Taco Hemingway on vocals - while they showcase their underground credentials with the deep, pulsating techno on "One Plus You". All of these elements make for the most well-rounded Catz'N' Dogz album to date.
Review: Chief wranglers at PETS Recordings Wojciech and Grzegorz can certainly give each other a well deserved pat on the back for a seriously prolific 2018 - and this compilation is testament to the fact. Best Of 2018 features last year's greatest hits and near misses, with highlights not limited to: the pair themselves getting a moody and woozy rework of their track "Don't" by Live At Robert Johnson's Roman Flugel, the fabulous collaboration of heavyweights Matthew Dear, Joe Goddard & Eats Everything on "Love Games", through to Jesse Perez' edit of Mathias Kaden's "NoKick" which gets the Miami booty bass treatment, and the always reliable man from Madrid named Bawrut - who gets those classic house vibes in effect on "Your Job Is My Job".
Review: More than a few misty-eyed ravers will go weak at the knees when they hear "New Love", the fine new single from Catz 'N' Dogz. Propelled forwards by a skittish breakbeat house rhythm smothered in turn-of-the-'90s style piano riffs, the track is the kind of retro-futurist treat that could have been made at any point over the last three decades. The Polish production pair delivers their own chunky, Balearic-minded Club Mix in which sun-kissed guitar riffs ride a thickset old school bassline, before Gerd Janson channels the spirit of Chicago hip-house originator Mr Lee on a rolling, '89-style revision. If that lot's not enough to set the pulse racing, the wild TB-303 acid lines and glassy-eyed synth stabs of Andrea Oliva's fine revision should do the trick.
Review: Madrid based Italian Bawrut follows up a run of great tracks on top labels such as Midnight Themes, Ransom Note and Multi Culti with this absolutely kickin' new release for Berlin based PETS Recordings. Across the Jomo EP's four tracks, you get treated to a deep trip aboard the acid express on the woozy "Desert Island", hear the drummer get wicked on the dusty shenanigans of "Piano & Piano" and going deep into the late night on the psychedelic madness of "Your Job Is My Job".
Review: Earlier in the year, Polymod debuted in style via an eponymous EP on 17 Steps that included one of the most ebullient and life-affirming piano house tracks of recent years, "No Other", as well as a ragged trip into stripped-back acid house territory. This three-tracker for Pets Recordings further explores that side of their sound, with deliciously percussive, peak-time workout "Lost" - and beat-box drumming, insatiable rhythms and booming analogue bass - being swiftly followed by the wild TB-303 lines, wonky effects and jacking drums of "Found". "Searching", meanwhile, doffs a cap to both cuts while also introducing a few more creepy and wide-eyed melodic elements to set pulses racing on the dancefloor.
Review: A bold statement against insular club culture, closed minds and lack of innovation, "The Choice" continues Catz 'N Dogz positive broadcasts with the help of Miss Bunty and three great friends on remix duties. On the Miss Bunty vocal, the track's bouncy acid groove powers along boldly to support her empowering lyrics, while the BETON Tribute To The Classics mix gets deep down and dirty. Madrid's Bawrut lets the drummer get wicked and man of the moment Adriyano gets his dusty classic house stomp on with the Super Relaks remix.
