Review: Dave Angel had a huge impact on techno throughout the 1990s, and this reissue of his 1991 1st Voyage EP shows why he was so influential. Angel's main legacy will be his contribution to integrating deeper sounds with high-paced techno rhythms, and the origins of that approach are audible on the sweeping strings of "Mesmerize", which CJ Bolland co-produced. However, 1st Voyage also impresses due to the UK producer's ability to deliver knockout club tracks. "Poison" unfolds to menacing thunder claps and Beltram-esque dissonance, while "Planet Function" is a jittery, rave-infused roller. On "Velocity", the UK producer conjures up a visceral vision of what ultimately became his signature sound, as eerie chords are fused with a tight rhythm. It's testament to Angel's vision that 30 years later, 1st Voyage remains a fascinating journey.
Review: Manchester based producer Joe McBride has incorporated disparate influences across the spectrum of bass culture and electronica over recent years for respected imprints such as Apollo, Exit Records and his own Synkro Music. His latest outing, the Information EP, comes courtesy of the mighty R&S Records and features four tracks with a distinctly UK underground feel; the half-time grey area beats of the title track call to mind the Autonomic sound the late noughties, leading into the ominous atmosphere of the seething slow burner "Signal" and ending with the celestial, immersive ambient journey "Last Breath".
Review: Chizawa originally released Asia back in 2006 on R&S, and now the emergence of a new version of that track provides the impetus for the label to reissue this classic underground EP. Inspired by the melodic soul and high-tech funk of Detroit techno, "Asia 4" remains a stellar underground track. "Panther" is a similarly inclined piece, with Chizawa raising the tempo to deliver an atmospheric, string-led workout. The new version of "Asia" the 'Lost Q' remix, adds to the producer's Motor City-fuelled creds, with a bubbling groove underpinning the kind of synth-led soul one would normally associate with classic Transmat and Metroplex.
Review: Under the Blocks & Escher alias, Phillip Smith and Will Hansen have been one of the most reliable drum & bass duos of the last few years, with their 2018 debut album on Metalheadz, Something Blue, being a must listen. The pair's first outing on R&S is naturally still rooted in drum & bass but could have appeal way beyond genre purists thanks to its frequent nods to classic jungle and the more immersive and saucer-eyed end of the breakbeat spectrum. Our picks of a very strong bunch are 'Dance Girl', a sweaty, enveloping chunk of post-jungle featuring what sound like cut-up live drum-breaks, the punchy, Exit-esque experimental D&B creepiness of 'Abyss' and the hot-stepping, horror soundtrack moodiness of 'Shot in the Dark'.
Review: Mahjong Music boss makes his way to R&S under the PROGedia name, with this "We Are The Night" single of funky western rhodes preceding a forthcoming LP! With pitched vocals that sound as if they've been sipping some deep purple drank, this single expands on Conti's penchant for heartfelt arrangements, playing with beats and textures, with touches of acoustic folk elements alongside smooth, bluesy melody lines. Diving deep into UK electronic music folklore - Peacefrog legend Charles Webster is employed for two remixes with the original mix delivering a pre-eminent Disclosure / Mount Kimbie vibe next to an ambient mix that sounds all the more Bleep and Orbital inspired. Looking forward to the album, and a most intriguing release to say the least!
Review: Introducing Sam Chadburn aka Sam Interface, the artist formerly known as SNOW whose music, interestingly enough, shared a split release with Zed Bias to inaugurate his More Time Records in 2017, while in 2019 he appeared on a swift R&S various artist compilation. Fully emancipated under a new alias, Sam Interface's full solo debut arrives with the Pink Dolphins EP turning four heavily UK influenced club bangers. With next level bass going 3D in tracks like "Crud", there's skippier, and more percussion enlightened cuts in "Underground". An EP that's undeniably made for the club, find something heavy, full of phase, ghostly house vocals and a splash of melody in "Finally", while "Pink Dolphins" sends in a sidewinding bassline hit of low end frequencies, funky percussion and new drum and bass mechanics that even Special Request would be proud of. '90s 2.0.
Review: Tale Of Us did it, Blawan did it, Special Request too, and many others at the top of their game find their hype bonafide with a silver & green plated R&S debut. Joining that list alongside other contemporaries like Djrum, Ada Kaleh and Benjamin Damage is rhythm, UK bass and percussive techno specialist Forest Drive West. Channeling a harder, slightly darker tribalistic and UK style for the rave-minded R&S, each track here sees deeper Italian techno in breakbeat form meet with shady Bristol rave and dubstep atmospheres. Throw in the splash of jungle in "Curved Path" and you've got a EP that covers what any R&S / FDW fan needs. Rave 2.0
Review: We find ourselves returning to legendary R&S records for this one as they invite the spectacular combination of both Kettama and Lone inside for a three track thrill ride. We begin with the latin-infused drum work and glitchy synth shivers of 'The Way You Feel', which sets the tone for the project through its overall euphoric nature. Next up, 'Anniversary' arrives from Kettama on solo duty, deploying a vibrant display of percussive pushes and spacey pads, before Lone's 'Dragonrush' original combines lethal electric synth pulses with acidic filtration and high energy drum maneuvers to deliver a certified smash.
Review: Rightly so, Paul Woolford sees his Special Request project stamped and approved by R&S with this fully sick Spectral Frequency EP. Lifting the title-track from the Zero Fucks compilation Woolford released last year, this insane banger of experimental jungle comes backed by a sidewinding beatless version in "Inverse Frequency". The EP sees two new numbers in the bassline driven bliss of "No Other Way To Say It" and the uplifting arpeggios of "Family Doggo" that offers some respite in techno from the bonafide mad breaks of "Spectral Frequency". Undeniably good. Tip!
Review: Here's something to celebrate: a surprise collaboration between R&S regular Lone - a producer now best known for the colourful feel or his shimmering, retro-futurist workouts - and sometime Shall Not Fade and Unknown To The Unknown contributor Kettama (real name Evan Campbell). "The Way That You Feel" genuinely fuses the best of both producer's styles, with kaleidoscopic, neon-lit synth stabs and bubbly, eyes-closed electronic lead lines riding a busy bassline and 130 BPM techno drums that seem to fizz as much as they bang. The results are not only undeniably heavy, but also insatiably ear-pleasing.
Review: If you like things harsh and jungley, packed full of amen sounds and couched in the audio aesthetic of grimy warehouses and early morning smoking area haze, this is the release for you. Courtesy of Special Request via the label R&S, Spectral Frequency takes you on a journey up and down the spectrum of dancefloor frequencies. The destination? Jungle city, and it's a rough town that finds beauty in its disorder. This track climbs and climbs, distorted breaks forming the bedrock of its acceleration, before crashing onto the waves of amens which form its main body. It's perfect for the dancefloor and a seriously atmospheric method of transport.
Review: Hailing from different countries across Europe but united by label owner Renaat Vandepapeliere's love of percussive tracks, the contributors toVolume 5 deliver a fine dance floor compilation. It starts in introspective mode with the stepping rhythms of Tension's "Pure Black Skies" and Hala Bahma's "My: Emi", before moving into deep tripped out techno courtesy of Primal Code's brooding "Tridimensionale". On "Oracle", Optmst introduces a more accessible approach thanks to the use of dreamy vocal samples, while the human voice also makes an appearance on Hermetics "Escaping Samsara", with dreamy chants unravelling over an undulating tribal rhythm. It makes for a vivid climax to another volume of RV Trax.
Review: It's been a brief minute since we last took in a spicy new R&S release, but as always they have hit the spot perfectly as they unveil a fantastic new single from Future Beat Alliance. The track takes the title 'Never Forever' as plays the role of an industrial stomper, driven by pulsating, organic kick smashes and vibrant percussive lines chugging away in the background, combined with subtle yet eerie atmospheric synth pads. To add to the fun, we also hear a very interesting Afriqua rework of the track, focussing on much more colourful synthesizer lines and wavy tones. Lovely!
Review: While some of techno artists acts to emerge from former Soviet states favour a tough style, the same cannot be said about Yansima. On Tweede Cans this upcoming Ukrainian artist favours a radically different approach to many of his peers; the title track unravels to the sound of tight, skipping drums, vocodered vocals and deep-seated melodies. Similarly on "Hold Her" Yansima favours an introspective sound; resounding to tropical hooks, seductive squelches and slightly trippy effects, a heady combination that is supported by lithe break beats. Rounding off this sublime adventure in techno soul is the slightly more uptempo rhythm and guitar licks of "La Kappa".
Review: More Time and R&S linking up is always going to lead to something fantastic, and this latest four track selection is just that, as we firstly kick off the project with some incredibly vibrant drum work and percussive brilliance from Ahadadream on 'Melty'. Next, Bala Bala Boyz rise to the occasion with more high energy drum chops and vocal lines on 'Sieta' before Bryte brings the grooves with the irresistible switch ups of 'Ice Cream'. Finally, 'Bleep Test' lands from SNOW, putting a final touch of rhythmic bliss onto what we can safely say is an excellent body of work.
Review: Some six years ago we met Mr. 8040. It was 2357 A.D. and our hero was in the throes of hazardous journey back to his home planet. This premise was set up with Welcome To Mikrosector-50 LP in 2013, a debut Space Dimension Controller album for R&S. Love Beyond The Intersect, it is told, sees Mr 8040 again exploring "the unknown world in the hope of finding help." With Space Dimension Controller at the controls, this return represents a deeper touch to the story, with Moodymann levels of deep house depth reached in "Alone In An Unknown Sector" alongside the equally ambient and evoking sounds of "Sundown On Memory Point". A new level of maturity and minimalism shines through on the album with the power of subtleness is on display here. Cue ambient swells of cosmic atmospheres dusted up by the soft pitter-patter of luscious drums and sweet shining synths. Godspeed Mr. 8040!
