Review: Spanish hi-tech soul maestro Eduardo De La Calle on the true home of it: Planet E - and it's about friggin' time if we do say so! Over the last several years, the Madrid native has respectfully borrowed from the traditions of first and second wave Motor City sounds, but he undeniably carved his own path via his respected Analog Solutions imprint. The Icosahedrite EP features three life affirming explorations in techno-soul. From the the galaxian Jupiter jazz, through to the classic funked up futurism that pays homage to greats like Transmat and Metroplex like on "Mr Dewey D". There is also the more powerful and straight ahead functionalism of "Rhythmic Soundscapes" which is just as heads down and DJ ergonomic as his aforementioned AS material. This follows up some great releases by him in 2017, on the likes of Anemone, Forbidden Colors and Monogram Systems.
Review: Over the last two decades, Niko Marks has been responsible for a wealth of evocative, musically rich deep house and techno, most of it released on ultra-limited CDs via his U2X Productions label. Here, he rejoins fellow Detroiter Carl Craig's Planet E imprint, some 14 years after releasing his sole EP for the imprint. Day of Knowing is typical of his work. Featuring his impeccable, jazz-fuelled keys work, the album's nine tracks smoothly fuse elements of deep house, Motor City techno, soul, and jazz-funk. As a result, it's a wonderfully warm and musically rich collection, jam-packed with the kind of material capable of moving the heart, feet and head.
