Review: Following his Did This release earlier this year, veteran producer Dino Lenny returns to R&S. Washington Street may not be typical for the label's sound, but at its heart is a lithe techno groove. Led by niggling hi hats, subtle snare rolls and a pulsating bass, it's all about the piano keys that flow and build in a celebratory fashion. Like a contemporary take on 90s Italian house, the title track is sure to have widespread appeal. In anticipation of its audience, the release also features a truncated radio edit - don't be surprised to hear this version on daytime radio.
Review: "20HZ" was one of the biggest house tracks of the 90s, with its distinctive tribal drums ensuring that it was played by DJs right across the board. To mark the 30th anniversary of its release, R&S has commissioned new remixes. Andert Tysma adds a whole new dimension to "20HZ", morphing it into a dreamy ambient track. There is so such divergence on Marco Lys' remix, which ups the tempo but keeps the focus on the same rolling, tribal drums. Vromm opts for a different approach, with robust breaks and a searing bass added to the arrangement. Carl Cox's version also stays in a similar field, with the seminal DJ upping the pace and dropping a grainy bassline.
Review: Originally released in 1991, Volume 2 has lost none of its impact. "My Sound" is a wild, rave-techno track where Beltram melds hardcore riffs with devilish vocal samples. Both "The Melody" and "Reflex" are more sombre in tone. Moody sub-bass unravels over rolling break beats on the former, while the latter resounds to acid tones and gently building snare rolls. On "The Sub-Bass Experience", Beltram brings the intensity levels back up. Driven by chattering claps and a malevolent low end, it also features moody textures and eerie synth lines. Like Energy Flash, which Beltram released around the same time, Volume 2 remains a timeless EP.
Review: One of 2023's positive developments is the re-appearance of Dave Angel. Following a long period when he didn't release much material, the iconic UK producer has returned in style. The most recent outing was an excellent new release for Rekids and next up is Stairway To Heaven. It's the latest digital reissue of Angel's classic 90s material on R&S and starts with the unforgettable squelchy bass and dramatic builds of "Bounce Back". The high-paced tribal drums of "Sighting" provides a glimpse of the frenetic techno that became Angel's staple. "Trip To Darkness" embraces the hardcore sound that prevailed at the time, while the rolling groove of "Jungle Love" also reverberates to early 90s bass-heavy menace.
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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Following Eps for R&S, Adam Longman Parker drops Colored, his debut Afriqua album, on the label. Inspired by artists like Quincy Jones and Roy Ayers but also rooted in modern electronic production, it features soulful vocal jams like "Dope" sitting alongside subtle house/techno steppers such as "Shout" and "Upstream". Meanwhile, the album also sees him indulge his experimental flights of fancy, audible on the warped chimes of "Birdlandia" and "Noir". Possessed by a rare ability to turn these seemingly conflicting narratives into a seamless whole, Parker's unique approach means that Colored is a bewildering but often quite brilliant work.
Review: R&S have a real history of bringing forward the weird and wonderful into the public eye, and it appears that this most recent link up with DJRUM is another perfect example of that brilliance as we sit tight for two stunning original creations. The high tempo drum shuffles and windy altitudes of the A-side 'Hard To Say' are something to behold, with pulsating chord clinks riding through the centre of the mix and crunchy transitions at every turn. On the flip side we take things down a bit more tropical road as we are greeted with rapid fire percussion and steel-drum like arpeggiator synths in 'Tournesol', providing a fantastic contrast across both the A & B sides.
Review: Inspired by Sun Ra and Philip K Dick, Lost Souls of Saturn is the vehicle for Seth Troxler and Phil Moffa's more esoteric dance floor musings. These tracks, taken from their debut album from earlier this year - and in some instances here in extended form - show just how far down the rabbit hole the duo go. "Divine Plane (M?ditation Des Enfants)" is a dreamy, wispy affair, with cosmic meandering unravelling over a tight rhythm, while on "Lunarvision", rain forest warbles accompany deeper sound scapes. While the extended take on "Lost Souls of Saturn" is a more grimy affair, led by gurgling acid, tripped out discordance and scuffled beats, the late night sax squalls of "Midnight Karma" shows that this is a proper out-there project.
Review: Romanian minimal maestro Ada Kaleh returns to esteemed imprint R&S for another presentation of intricate electronics, following up a spate of releases on his eponymous imprint. Based on an experience in the mountains with some companions, he had an epiphany - a cosmic call (which the title translates to) of sorts - and became the inspiration for the A side "Chemare Cosmica". Brooding and mysterious, much like his Palatul de Cleștar EP for the label last year, he now serves up the majestic dub techno exploration of the title track, swirling in intricate chords and laden with generous delay and reverberations. This is supported by the hypnotic "Valea Ancestrala" which is more reminiscent of his usual esoteric style.
Review: Fresh from the release of his low-key, self-released "Redemption of the Cryonauts" album, Jack Hamill once again dons the Space Dimension Controller alias for a first outing on R&S Records in nigh on two years. The headline attraction is undoubtedly opener "Beyond Pulso-IV", a suitably epic, stargazing affair that sees the Northern Irish producer layer his trademark colourful synthesizer lines and deep space electronics over a classy mid-tempo groove that sits somewhere between spacey deep house and '80s electrofunk. He ups the tempo to 128 BPM on the Motor City inspired futurist warmth of "First Contact With System Lobitso", before wrapping luxurious ambient electronics and lilting lead lines around a soft-touch drum machine groove on the deliciously loved-up "Valuts of Arcadia".
Review: Apoca is Lakker's fourth artist album and follows 2016's highly conceptual Struggle & Emerge work. In what marks a change for the duo's approach, it features them singing, with opening track "Shoulder to the Bat" and the droning, stepping "Dropped Shoulders" mixing up evocative human tones with dubbed out techno. On other occasions, like "100 Bar", "A Juggling of Numbers" and "Nest", their love of abstract comes to the fore, with knotted, glitchy rhythms providing the basis for atmospheric textures. The pair also delves deep into experimentation with the neo-classical stylings of "Clavier", while "A Whisper In Your Ear" is an irresistible piece of lumbering, ghostly techno. No matter what direction Lakker turn in, they never fail to impress.
Review: The RV Trax series make for the most personalised releases on R&S, with founder Renaat Vandepapeliere selecting tracks that he plays out. As "Archivolt" the contribution from B?rtaub demonstrates, he is clearly a fan of teased out, trippy minimal house in the style of Ricardo Villalobos. In stark contrast is Dawn Razor's "Acid Funk", a dense break beat number, with splurging acid lines insinuating itself into the funky beats. On Milesh's "Jedi Mind Design" Renaat covers territory similar to Dawn Razor, albeit with moody soundscapes and dramatic stabs unfolding over the funky rhythm. Finally, there's Izan Hesse's "Tinder Express", a searing, noisy stepper that could be a distant cousin of Neil Landstrumm's work around the time of Restaurant of Assassins.
Review: At its creative height, minimal house was all about championing the left of centre and the offbeat. In that regard, Shcaa aka Sacha Khalif? is the real progeny of artists like LoSoul and Akufen. Building on the momentum of last year's debut artist album, the title track on this EP sees him deploy bluesy guitar twangs, samples of creaking doors and understated, freeform lyrics over a shuffling rhythm. "Pacific Gold" sees the Paris-based producer get even weirder. The samples are cut to shreds, the groove ambles along in a stop-start manner and the end result is one of the quirkiest, most individu-alistic records you are likely to hear in 2019.
Review: UK producer Matt Cutler aka Lone delivers the final instalment in his Ambivert Tools series of EPs. Like previous editions, The London based producer borrows respectfully from classic house aesthetics while decorating them with a vibrant and contemporary edge - much like the tracks released on his acclaimed Magicwire imprint. The evocative and breakbeat driven "Pulsar" conjures up memories of the late '90s, sounding like an excerpt from Sasha & Digweed's seminal Northern Exposure series. "Oedo 808" goes down a solid electro bass route and the sensual latin house flair of "Blue Moon Tree" intoxicates you with its shimmering chord progressions and hypnotic bongo rhythms.
Review: Benjamin Damage became part of the R&S family last year, and this single offers a taster for his debut album, due for release soon on the storied label. The title track is an evocative affair, touching on early 90s intelligent techno's emotive, fragile melodies while keeping a focus on the dance floor thanks to the use of a stepping groove. On "Binary", Damage also conjures up a melodic aesthetic, only this time he expresses it through the use of surging chords and a skipping rhythm. Both tracks are understated but distinctive and bode well for the UK producer's imminent long player.
Review: Following his R&S debut last year, Berlin-based American Afriqua (aka Adam Longman Parker) presents Vice/Principle, which veers into psychedelic territory and is inspired by the cosmic departures of '70s krautrock and jazz. After several years developing a hefty catalog of releases, Parker has embraced his R&S signing as an opportunity to dive deeper into his signature, yet versatile sound. From the hypnotic and ethereal bounce of "Melamed", the broken beat hi-tech soul of "Noumenon" or the immaculate production of "Cerch" which showcases Parker's classically trained foundations, he serves up a cohesive effort here which further demonstrates his abilities as one of electronic music's most innovative sonic heroes.
Review: John Talabot and Axel Boman released their debut album as Talaboman last year, and now R&S are issuing remixes of tracks from The Night Land. First up is Superpitcher, who is tasked with reworking "Dins El Llit". The Kompakt star uses a stripped back, bleepy groove as a basis to conjure up blurry vocal samples and pulsing 303s, making for a subtle, tripped out affair. The same can be said about Samo DJ's take on "The Ghosts Hood". While it is more pacey than Superpitcher's rework, the break beats are understated and the acid line keeps niggling away. The final remix comes from Luke Slater under his LB Dub Corp guise; on his version of ""Brutal Chugga Chugga", the UK veteran delivers a superb, low-slung, jacking Chicago workout.
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