Review: The mighty Mr G rarely rests, it seems, with the last few years seeing a wealth of killer material from the UK techno/house legend on his own Phoenix G label. He's in prime "lose your mind on the dancefloor" mode on 'Make 'Em Dance', the opening track on his latest must-check EP. Featuring an alluring mix of mind-mangling stabs, spooky aural textures, bubbly electronic bass and spoken word snippets, it's a proper early morning workout that you'll want to lose yourself in. Regular collaborator Duncan Forbes provides the obligatory remix, offering up a tougher, darker and more spaced-out interpretation smothered in dub delays, while bonus cut 'Life's Tough' is a hypnotic slab of breathless tech-house minimalism.
Review: There's not much info available about this one, but it's a pretty no-nonsense offering, as Duncan Forbes, Kai Alce and Mr G himself (under the alternative Mango Boy alias) rework tracks from the veteran producer's catalogue. Forbes steps up first, re-imagining 'Next Up' as a subtly jazz-flecked slice of reverb-laden, early morning lo-fi house hypnotism that sounds incredible over beefy club soundsystems. There are two Mango Boy reworks of 'Full A Love' - a kind of deep ambient jazz 'On a Vibe' version and a dusty, Afro-house tinged deep house 'Refix' that's as atmospheric as it is floor-friendly. Arguably best of all though is Kai Alce's flip of 'U Feel Me', which delivers fluid, jazzy, sax-sporting deep house thrills aplenty.
Review: Colin McBean AKA Mr G is having a 'Curry Nite', and he's got company - sometime Spooky member Duncan Forbes, a long-time pal who last collaborated with the tech-house veteran back in 2019. The pair's original mix of the track is a driving, heads-down treat, with drowsy, echoing electric piano motifs, sampled spoken word vocals and spaced-out electronic sounds riding a stabbing analogue bassline and tough beats. It's naturally excellent (as you'd expect from two artists with decades of experience under their belts) but the accompanying 'Reflecting Dub' is even better. It's a notch tougher and more percussive, but also smoother and deeper with more extensive use of dreamy, atmospheric chords.
Review: These days, Colin McBean is so assured of his musical niche that he's happy to drop new EPs as Mr G with little fanfare, fuss or promotion. The Baby Steps EP, which marks the UK tech-house stalwart's first missive of 2022, arrived, unannounced, in such a manner. As usual, what's on offer is trippy and to the point. Following a brief trip into beat-free weirdness (the delightfully saucer-eyed 'Changes'), McBean hits the ground running via the deliciously jacking house drums, creepy electronics, spaced-out bleeps and squelchy acid bass of '3.45am?' 'Old Skool Rider' is a fine example of his tough, chunky, fuzzy and funk-fuelled old school tech-house sound, while 'Hard Fonk' sees McBean wrap skewed and druggy analogue synth sounds around a locked-in drum machine rhythm and foreboding bassline.
Review: With clubs finally open again worldwide, Colin McBean is doing his best to provide DJs with the kind of peak-time-ready fodder that will get the blood pumping out on the dancefloor. Under his familiar Mr G alias, McBean has a strong track record in this regard, and Inner Soul Talkin' is another impressive collection of cuts. Opener 'You Feel Mi' is a spine-tingling, warehouse-ready affair full of stabbing analogue bass, sweaty house drums and sustained organ chords, while 'Next' is a whirlwind of heavy, fuzz-soaked drums and single-note piano stabs. 'Please (v3)' is a slightly deeper and warmer slab of retro-futurist house haziness, while the EP's final track, 'Did You Know', is a swirling, immersive ambient tool full of overlapping electronics and spoken word snippets.
Review: PGDP1 brings together two house music legends. Mr G, is formerly of the Advent and has been a hugely respected house producer for over two decades. G's collaborator here is Duncan Forbes. formerly one-half of early 90s act Spooky. On the 'New Moon' mix of "G's Funk", Mr G's influence can be clearly heard, with rolling, robust drums and a throbbing bass prevailing. On the "D's New Leveller" version, Forbes uses wave upon wave of dubbed out textures, similar to the sound of his solo Animated project, to add a dubbed out element to this driving, rhythm-heavy house jam.
Review: Mr G goes full alien in 2020 with the Extraordinary Abilities EP; a six pack beaming down all the necessary rhythms and drums tracks you would want from the man. All roads lead to the thudding beats of "Late Nite @ Montecello" with its titillating vocal hooks and flexed basslines mirrored by a dubbed out version in "Gathering NYC". Warm basslines and familiar no-nonsense kick drums are the name of the game in "The Made" with stepping breaks and club basslines ruling the day in "Embassy". Jazzed up ambient house interludes in "SoundBath@The Loft" with more beatless cosmiq in the otherworldly "LDBPT3". Phone Home.
Review: Mr G's latest high quality outing was made in cahoots with fellow British techno veteran Duncan Forbes, a friend and former Spooky member (alongside Sasha's go-to engineer Charlie May). Forbes offers up two fresh reworks of Mr G Cuts: a rolling, drum-laden deep house take on "Hip-Shaker" rich in hand percussion, hazy female vocal samples and spacey electronic motifs, and a fuzzy, mid-tempo revision of "Flex D's" that peppers a druggy groove with spacey electro synths and eyebrow-raising French spoken word snippets. Best of all, though, is the duo's collaborative studio jam "D&G Throwdown", a deep but percussively pulverizing techno stomper that benefits greatly from hazy riffs, echoing percussion hits and mind-altering sub-bass thrusts.
Review: The second in Mr G's Unreleased series sees the veteran producer take the audience down a diverse but resolutely underground path. "Intro G" is underpinned by his usual solid, skipping beats, but the focus is on the sweeping piano keys and soulful vocal sample. Similarly, on "Rex One Saturday Morn", an uplifting vocal is woven around a woozy synth line, making for a heady groove. "Practice" is more pacy but its rippling bass and nagging percussion also provide the basis for evocative organ keys. On "Kick It", the UK producer shows a darker strain to his sound. While a vocal intones the track title, the bass is so malevolent and brooding, it will level any club where it is dropped.
Review: Colin McBean was way ahead of the curve when he was releasing EPs on his Phoenix G imprint back in the late 90s. Now some of those seminal tech-house records get a re-release and unsurprisingly, they still sound fresh. "Gladesmen" is a tough affair, led by niggling acid lines, but McBean really impresses on "Pepsi!" The distinctive, layered drums rumble in, there is a woozy synth line and the arrangement sounds even tripper thanks to a slurred vocal loop intoning the title. "The Day After B" is also impressive, with McBean dropping a filtered loop and those unmistakable, steely drums.
Review: UK techno legend Colin McBean returns on his always reliable Phoenix G imprint with A Good Place? A dozen servings of tough and steely house music that properly brings the funk as you'd expect from the man once behind such legendary and seminal acts like The Advent and G-Flame & Mr. G. There's also a few wonderful surprises too; such as the broken beat/nu jazz deepness of "One For The Headz" or the dusty disco loops of "Interluded (part 1)". But otherwise it really is business as usual, such as on the hi octane stormer "Nothin' (Cause We Are Strong)" with its "French Kiss" style melody, the deeply emotive "In The Sun... Finally!" or the raw and rusty dust covered jack of "G's Jazz" it's all killer no filler on here we assure you!
Review: Colin McBean is an unstoppable force at the moment isn't he! At the moment you say? Yeah too right; the guy never actually stopped his relentless pursuit of the perfect house and techno grooves since the '90s and this Conectionz EP is no exception. Starting things off in explosive fashion with the "You In Or You Out? (Sims Jacker edit)" with its relentless thud and crack of a 909 workout with funky bass and evil pads helped out by some generous reverb build ups; all you need really. The original version up next is more restrained deep house with that great vocal refrain repeating "live your life the way you wanna be free" the tracks aggression provided by those hissing rhythms. Finally "Bring It" is a soulful breakbeat number with soaring synth leads that is a great departure from McBean's normal style.
Review: Back in 2010, UK techno veteran Colin McBean AKA Mr G popped up on Rekids with an album by the name of Still Here. Six years on, he's, erm, still here, offering up a quartet of tracks from that album for the first time on digital download. That album was impressively varied in outlook, and it's the same for this sampler. So, while the loopy, jacking, and thrillingly bass-heavy "Get On Down" and low-slung "Space Bassed" or indicative of his familiar, funk-fuelled tech-house sound, "Plantonic Solids No. 5" sees him wandering further towards rolling, late night U.S house territory, whilst retaining his usual hypnotic, subtly changing approach. More surprising is "Blessed", a jazz-flecked, broken-house groover blessed with rich Rhodes stabs and seductive spoken word snippets.
Review: Colin McBean is the definitive house music machine. "Precious Cargo" gets a series of totally kick-ass reworks on Defected. First up the original is as tough and grayscale yet emotive as you'd expect of Mr G featuring some lovely diva vocals. The "Dark Broke Down Dub" Detroit hero Kai Alce steps up with "KZR's Dark mix" which has all the dust tinted blues and soul you would expect complete with rusty drums and smooth Rhodes keys.
Review: As the man himself once famously stated, "Who's Askin'?" Colin McBean, the UK house and techno legend never fails to disappoint. Influential, well revered and always pushing forward, we're so glad that he's unleashed some secret weapons rescued from the vaults on this occasion. Highlights on here are the dusty warehouse stomp of "Weekend Off?" which is a surefire DJ tool, as is "B Day Jam" whose minimal arrangement and odd use of melody works well with those hypnotic strings and sampled diva vocals. Finally, the tough house of "Tommy's Groove" cheekily samples Lil' Louis' "Club Lonely" but done rather well indeed.
Review: Techno legend Colin McBean aka Mr G presents to us young Birmingham producer Jayson Wynters and what a debut this is! Starting out with the minimal and atmospheric dustiness of "Momentum" that's reminiscent of Fred P's finer moments, he gets stuck in with "Unfamiliar Territory" which explores the soulful techno sounds of early 90's Detroit; very nice indeed. On the flip he delves deeper with the bumpy yet emotive "Science" while "More" hammers the message home in even more emotional and bittersweet fashion, calling to mind the classic sound of Prescription Records. Tip!
Review: Colin McBean is back everyone, look out! It's the same quality you expect from the techno don, as he brings the funk, rawness and unadulterated groove on the Infrastructure EP. First up is "Guiness Punch (Xtra Ray Dub), a stripped and atmospheric joint with sweet female vox and a mesmerising keys melody plus bumpy bassline. But wait until those Mr. G trademark open hi hats and cracking claps come in. Next the acidic "Give Thanx!" ups the ante with its ultra sick bassline and hypnotic chime melody which will easily crossover into other techno sub genres impressively. Finally "Invert?" explores sonar techno aesthetics accompanied by sampled diva vocals on this truly sick pre peak time slow burner. Tip!
Review: Colin McBean originally rose to prominence as the B-boy member of The Advent, but as this compilation shows, his Mr G project is his most valuable work. The premise behind it is simple but deadly effective; create a rolling groove, bolster it with tough kicks and nagging percussion and throw in some vocal samples to give it an edge. On "Pepsi" and "Did You Know", he impresses with just these elements, with the latter's wailing soul vocal impressing most. On other occasions, he throws a squealing sax and churning chords ( "Jet Black") or acrid acid ("Zam Zam") into the mix, but the result is nearly always the same - peerless DJ tools with a killer punch.
Review: Colin McBean aka Mr G is back with another full length. We know what you're thinking; it's probably awesome? Well duh! Damn right it is, so here's more with the good news; several tracks of slamming tech funk that this man is renowned for and it's all killer. First track "Entrance" is the soundtrack to a techno aerobics class, take a listen! "Sub Level 3 (G's Freak Zone)" uses a nasty arpeggio untypical of his previous work but those strings that come in are just epic! "Interlude @ ?" keeps on with his typical sense of humour and in sound with its tough and dirty sense of funk that's so emotive at the same time. "Thrust" is proper peak time business that reminds you why he was once one half of The Advent; banging, doom laden hard groove.
Review: Colin McBean has been making tough, driving house for nearly 20 years, weathering probably as many fads. Irrespective of what the hype machine is focusing on, McBean continues to knock out killer grooves, as VFM shows. "Let Down (Badly)" is a dark, driving affair with wailing vocals, while "Getting There Detroit" features steely percussion and an ominous chord sequence. "Mango's In Season" sees McBean slow down the tempo for a chugging groove replete with a 'get up' vocal sample, but soon enough, he returns to the tough kicks and firing percussion he's known for on "Back Pain".
Review: Phoenix G surface in style in 2013 with the appropriately titled Frenetic EP from label boss Mr G that brandishes a rather potent remix from Ben Sims. There's an inherently old school tone to "Bounce" with the looping vocal hook imploring you to do as the title says over a stylish arrangement of firm, deep kick drums and lengthy, echo laden chords. In contrast "Red Line" locks onto a murked out techno groove that ripples with percussive intensity, which goes some way to preparing you for the onslaught of floor wrecking excellence that is Ben Sim's remix of "Bounce" with the UK techno veteran squeezing all the life out of those chords.
Review: As the title suggests, Colin McBean's main focus on this release are the heavy drums and system-levelling basslines that have become his trademark. "Bucket List" is a chugging, rolling groove swathed in layers of bristling, metallic percussion, while "It" is a stomping club track, its booming bass and jarring percussion lending it a dark, quasi-paranoid feeling. That's not to suggest that Stripped Back is all about tortured histrionics. "Bucket List " features an old school piano and a soulful vocal sample, as does "It", but as the cheese-wire percussion and raw beats of "It Dub" demonstrates, McBean's main skill revolves around creating irresistible DJ tools.
Review: Colin 'Mr G' McBean has faced and overcome a lot of personal upheaval - did his faith in God or house music help him to do so? On the evidence of Battle, it sounds like it was a combination of both. "Daily Prayer" has those unmistakably raw Mr G beats, scuffled somewhat by murky acid, but as always, he succeeds in combining them with unlikely elements. In this instance, housey piano keys and an uplifting vocal give thanks for being alive. "2000 & When" is more physical, less emotional; its central driving force are G's heavy, tribal beats. But again he remembers the soulful as well as the visceral and a neat 'down down down' vocal sample is fused with eerie strings to create another masterpiece from this house music survivor.
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