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Running Back
Various
Review: The fifth volume in Running Back's ongoing multi-artist EP series, 'One Swallow Doesn't Make a Summer', is certainly action-packed. It features five tracks from a mix of label regulars and talented newcomers. Michael Davidson dons the Moritz alias for the EP-opening neo Italo-disco shimmer of mid-tempo gem 'Flying Saucer', before debutant Amount peppers a druggy, tribal-tinged cosmic groove with weirdo chords and Jew's Harp sounds. Elsewhere, Storken and JStraaf join forces for the moody, percussively intricate minimal house haziness of 'Tunghugg', Archie Ward goes deep into sparse, post-electro territory on 'Pizza Girl' and Jonus Eric submerges us in a bath of loved-up pads, gentle acid-lines and ultra-deep house grooves on standout 'Fairlight'.
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RB 0855D
25 Nov 22
Deep House
25 Nov 22
Deep House
Played by: Juno Recommends Deep House
Review: Dec Lennon AKA Krystal Klear is once again coming to Gerd Janson and Thorsten Scheu's imprint Running Back. The EP deals in the sort of jubilant Italo-trance that namechecks the aesthetic sensibilities of old European uplifting dance, but also has a cleanliness to it that justifies its status as a new release. 'Essentia' is essential, with dramatic four-chord trance underpinning a mega-repetitive FM riff. 'Winnie's Karaoke', is airier, and replete with detuned sunset saws, making it a truly mighty release from the ever impressive Krystal Klear.
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RB 113D
11 Nov 22
Deep House
11 Nov 22
Deep House
Played by: Vincent Inc, DJ M4SH, FINGERMAN, Mark Broom, Juno Recommends Deep House, Juno Recommends Techno, Teen Daze, Dj Steaw, Andy Vann/Grass Green, Tooli (Local Talk / Omena / 18437)
Review: Those who were clubbing back in the late '90s may well remember Losoul's 'Open Door', an ever-building, 11-minute disco-sampling loop jam that was championed by both house and techno DJs. The track was hugely popular and ended up getting licensed and reissued, with fresh remixes, in the Netherlands and USA. This expanded reissue from Running Back boasts both tracks from the original 12" ('Open Door' and the epic minimal house workout '00000000'), previously unreleased jam 'D1' (a more sparse and laidback affair) and two of the best remixes of the title track from 'back in the day': Theo Parrish's mesmerising, deep and locked-in revision (still one of his most potent reworks) and a jazzy, warning and sub-heavy take from Dutch producer Gerd.
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RBDC 08D
28 Oct 22
Deep House
28 Oct 22
Deep House
Played by: Juno Recommends Experimental
Review: Chris Barratt aka Eagles & Butterflies makes his long overdue debut on Running Back, and it's quite a change in musical direction for the British artist. The project's original working title was simply called 'Italo' which says a lot. Made for 'big rooms, major moments, minor miracles and sophisticated car chase scenes alike', Retropolis Vol. 1. was made with a plethora of vintage synthesizers and will appease all fans of keyboard music. From the neon-lit euphoria of the title track, more new dance fantasy awaits you on the saucer-eyed retro chug of "Juno Ninja" and the seductive dark disco epic "CS-80".
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RB 112D
14 Oct 22
Coldwave/Synth
14 Oct 22
Coldwave/Synth
Review: Victor Shan has long been one of Germany's premier rave revivalists, with a trademark sound - best exemplified by his periodic outings on Running Back - that evokes mental images of turn-of-the-90s warehouse parties and smoke-filled basement bashes. His belated return to Gerd Janson's imprint once again pushes this sonic aesthetic to the fore, with the title referencing the Chicago venue of the same name that helped birth house music. It's full-throttle, hands-in-the-air music from the off, where stab-happy, breakbeat-powered stomper 'Abfahrt' is followed by the 'Apache'-sampling excitement of 'Strobe Light' and the surging, Italo-style arpeggiated bass of 'Volume Up'. The fun continues via the moody 'Textura', the lusciously loved-up 'R8000' and the classic Chicago house flex of 'Shifter'.
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RBSHAN 05D
23 Sep 22
Deep House
23 Sep 22
Deep House
Played by: Juno Recommends Deep House
Review: A warm welcome back to Phillip Lauer, who returns to Running Back with his most action-packed an expansive release since last year's synth-pop-tinged Answers 2 Trouble album on Permanent Vacation. The Frankfurt producer has long delighted in blurring boundaries between classic house, Italo-disco and power-pop, and it's this giddily retro-futurist trademark sound that courses through the seven tracks on show here. There's naturally plenty to get the blood pumping, from the hands-aloft rush of 'Somebody' (a cut featured in both vocal and instrumental variations) and the rave piano-sporting peak-time colour of 'Resonancer', to the glassy-eyed synth-pop cheer of 'Friends' (with vocalist Dena) and the Balearic house colour of 'Neway'. A genuinely joyous mini-album all told.
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RBLP 17D
02 Sep 22
Deep House
02 Sep 22
Deep House
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RBLP 17DS 1
12 Aug 22
Deep House
12 Aug 22
Deep House
Review: Some serious UK electro history here, as Running Back delivers the first full release of Equip's rare 1984 gem 'XXXO' - an un-deniably far-sighted concoction produced by Greg Wilson, Martin Jackson and Andy Connell that was originally intended to be included on the Streetsounds UK Electro set that the trio famously created (under a variety of aliases). Although technically electro, it's 4/4 beats and proto-acid sounds make it a contender for the elusive title of "first ever house record made in Britain" (though house as a genre had yet to be defined at that time, of course). To back it up, Gerd Janson has re-edited two previously unreleased electro beats recorded by the trio for a performance at the I.C.A, both of which sound like mutant, extra-percussive fusions of electro and post-punk.
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RBSSS 7D
29 Jul 22
Disco/Nu-Disco
29 Jul 22
Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Juno Recommends Deep House
Review: Following the pleasingly experimental, thoughtful, and left-of-centre vibes of his 2021 album Chameleon, Anthony Naples returns to peak-time dancefloors via a fine EP of tried-and-tested treats on Running Back. There's a bouncy-but-driving feel to opener 'Swerve', where raw sounds and relaxing piano motifs leap above a stabbing bassline and sweaty techno beats, while 'Here With You' is dark, heavy and intoxicated with razor-sharp TB-303 riffs. Over on side B, Napes opts for a pleasingly blissed-out sound on breakbeat shuffler 'Right As The Sun Goes' before switching to a more immersive, acid-flecked deep house sound on fine closing cut 'Be To'.
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RB 111D 3
22 Jul 22
Deep House
22 Jul 22
Deep House
Review: Watergate resident Biesemans hands in some terrific remixes here for some fellow Belgians on the sixth installment of Running Back's Super Sound Singles series. The Sound Of B features a neon-lit and totally electrifying rendition of Schmutz's "Love Games" (1986), as well as another rework of industrial pioneer Luc Van Acker's "Zanna" from 1984 featuring Anna Domino, plus a mesmerising dark disco perspective of new wave rock band Scooter's 1981 track "You".
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RBSSS 6D
01 Jul 22
Coldwave/Synth
01 Jul 22
Coldwave/Synth
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RB 111D 2
28 Jun 22
Deep House
28 Jun 22
Deep House
Various
Review: A while back Running back released a compilation of classic cuts that delighted the dancefloor at seminal Hamburg club Front during the early '90s. This scaled-down sequel/bonus EP contains five more gems selected by one of the club's key resident DJs, Boris Dlugosch. There's much to set the pulse racing throughout, from the timeless dancefloor deep house brilliance of Sensory Productions' 'Deep Introspection' - a Rob Mello and Zaki Dee production from 1995 - and the bumpin', sample-rich heaviness of DJ Disciple's sweat-soaked 'Hide-away', to the five-in-the-morning tactility of the Subtle Hauze Dub of U96's 'Come Together' (a largely overlooked rework co-produced by Dlugosch), to Dlugosch's own edit of VDT's bleep techno-influenced 1992 oddity 'Strangest Musik'.
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FRONTEP 1
24 Jun 22
Deep House
24 Jun 22
Deep House
Review: Following on from 2020's Ego Rave, Deetron returns to Running Back with an evocative, club-friendly release. The sense of euphoric energy is audible from the get-go, with "Mind Eclipse" (TranceHouzzTool)" resounding to swirling, shimmering synths and a spine-tingling breakdown. "HG" follows a similar path, with Deetron dropping tranced out melodies over rolling snares, doubled-up claps and a wiry rhythm. "Phoenix" is leaner and has a more contemporary sound, with tonal bleeps supported by a pulsating groove, while on "The Shore" Deetron channels the energy of the Dutch West Coast's electro sound, fusing cosmic melodies with a bubbly Italo Disco rhythm.
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RB 110D
17 Jun 22
Techno
17 Jun 22
Techno
Review: After a break of two long years, tech-house scene stalwart Sascha Funke has finally delivered a new EP of typically atmospheric, on-point music. It's his first outing for Running Back after years spent flitting between BPitch Control, Multi-Culti and Endless Flight. Interestingly, what's on offer is more retro-futurist in tone than much of his work, with audible nods to vintage electronic disco, early 2000s nu-disco (think Morgan Geist) and tactile '90s deep house. Our picks of a very strong bunch are rubbery, morse code-sporting nu-disco-goes-bleep house number 'QAM', moody analogue deep house treat 'SEZ', whose creepy chords and spacey sonics are undeniably alluring, and ultra-melodious, Italo-disco-influenced opener 'FEZ'.
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RB 109D
27 May 22
Deep House
27 May 22
Deep House
Played by: Johannes Albert, Alkalino, Juno Recommends Deep House, Juno Recommends Techno, Marco Giannini (Sticky Heat)
Review: Mask-sporting techno titan Redshape (real name Sebastian Kramer) can usually be relied upon to deliver the goods, particularly when it comes to the warmly nostalgic, timeless-sounding outings he delivers on Running Back. There's a definite "back-to-the-future" feel to 'Release Me (Base Mix)', a jacking slab of acid house/techno fusion piled high with psychedelic TB-303 lines, booming bass and creepy, held-note chords. He explores the track's vintage Chicago House influences further on the more stomping, acid-fired 'Windy Mix', before opting for a warmer and bouncier techno sound on 'Bonuz Me' (check the melodious, looped riffs and synth-strings). Closing cut 'Second Ten', meanwhile, sounds like vintage Mr Fingers updated for the Berlin techno generation.
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RB 108D
13 May 22
Deep House
13 May 22
Deep House
Review: During the first COVID-19 lockdown in the spring of 2020, Matt 'Radio Slave' Edwards set himself a challenge: to produce a track a day. There was another caveat, too: each of these "lockdown tracks" would be at the same tempo, 99 BPM. Now released as a mini-album under his rarely used alternative alias, Rekid, the results of this creative experiment are predictably impressive. Drawing on raw electronic melodies, bleeping melodies, lo-fi synth chords and the kind of wonky aural textures more associated with his Quiet Village collaboration with Joel Martin, the set's 11 tracks frequently blur the boundaries between IDM, instrumental hip-hop, electro, ambient, weirdo dub and, on 'Day 4' and 'Day 5', pitched down and radically mutilated bleep techno.
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RBINC 009D
22 Apr 22
Balearic/Downtempo
22 Apr 22
Balearic/Downtempo
Played by: Mirror People
Review: As Krystal Klear, Dec Lennon has always prioritised colourful synth sounds and sparkling, life-affirming electronics. Once upon a time, that was via boogie-influenced beats and 21st century electrofunk; these days, it's usually by serving up unashamedly positive, spine-tingling house cuts that are as rush-inducing as they come. That's the mode he's in on his latest Running Back outing, giddily bouncing between the immersive, Italo-influenced house bliss of 'Mega Chords (Long Version)', the kaleidoscopic synth builds and saucer-eyed breakdowns of 'Our Signal', the all-action, Italo-disco surge of 'Telephone (Long Version)' and the darker, New Wave-influenced house hum of 'Paris Metro'.
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RB 107D
15 Apr 22
Disco/Nu-Disco
15 Apr 22
Disco/Nu-Disco
Review: Nacho Marco and Garen Moreno have not released much music as Jet Hammer - just two singles in a decade, in fact - but what they have put out is genuinely superb. Their latest EP, an expansive collection of retro-futurist gems inspired by 12" mixes of the 1980s, is similarly inspired. For proof, check opener 'Last Night', which sounds like the missing link between Italo-disco and the Cure; the Bobby Orlando-era Pet Shop Boys meets New Order wonder of 'How It Started'; and 'On Your Side (Instrumental Version)', which adds an early UK acid house veneer to the shimmering, club-ready extended synth-pop jams of the late '80s. Throw in a clutch of instrumental mixes and a new wave/post-punk style '1981 Mix' of 'Last Night', and you have an indispensable package.
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RB 106D
18 Mar 22
Disco/Nu-Disco
18 Mar 22
Disco/Nu-Disco
Review: Gerd Janson's Running Back bring us the second long-player from Frankfurt's Chinaski, AKA S-F-X, AKA long-term Live At Robert Johnson rezzie Stefan Haag. With 10 tracks to choose from, there's obviously some stylistic variety on offer but generally speaking we're in early 80s territory here - though when we say 'early 80s', think Italo disco, synth-pop and coldwave rather than electrofunk and boogie. Bar a vocoder on 'More Fun', vocals are noticeable by their absence, but fans of such synth-y styles will enjoy this collection for sure - and besides, anyone who chooses to name themselves after Charles Bukowski's literary alter-ego is all right in our books!
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RBLP 16D
25 Feb 22
Disco/Nu-Disco
25 Feb 22
Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Juno Recommends Disco
Review: Nine months on from the release of his rather good Eating Darkness album, German veteran Roman Flugel returns to Running Back with a fresh EP of typically unusual, off-kilter cuts. The headline attraction is undoubtedly lead cut 'Mega', a surging, high-energy stomper in which 1980s style Fairlight stabs, mind-mangling acid lines and cheery, Bobby Orlando style lead lines dance atop a thrusting, arpeggio-driven bassline and cowbell-sporting, 140 BPM beats. He steps away from the dancefloor on the rest of the EP, offering up a range of weird and wonderful electronic soundscapes that sit somewhere between wayward cinematic soundtrack pieces, trippy IDM and oddly swung K-hole freak-outs.
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RB 105D
11 Feb 22
Disco/Nu-Disco
11 Feb 22
Disco/Nu-Disco
Review: Almost three years after Dusky released the first of two Life Signs EPs, Running Back has decided to release a swathe of new reworks of tracks from the series. The most high-profile revisions come from Cinthie, who brilliantly re-frames 'Static' as a dreamy and attractive fusion of high-quality synth-pop and driving deep house complete with wavy vocalisations, undulating lead lines, gorgeous chords and sturdy beats. Elsewhere, KiNK re-wires 'Fridge' as a driving, rave-igniting techno roller full of retro-futurist organ stabs and old school house vocal snippets, while Rumu's version of 'Lea Valley' peppers a sturdy electro-breaks rhythm with glassy-eyed vocal samples, bold synth-bass, sparkling electronics and immersive pads.
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RB 104D
28 Jan 22
Deep House
28 Jan 22
Deep House
Various
Review: Gerd Janson has looked beyond his usual roster of producers on the latest edition of Running Back's multi-artist EP series. The result is a five-track missive full of genuine gems and scintillating sonic surprises. Our picks of a very strong bunch are the rushing piano house revivalism of Delphi's extra-positive '7_11 House' and the full-throttle, acid-fired breakbeat house hedonism of Baldo's 'Human Connection', where bold chords and fizzing TB-303 lines catch the ear. Elsewhere, Yungrutz's 'Starlight' sounds a little like Tuff City Kids after a couple of drags on a jazz cigarette, 9th House's 'Ara' is a simmering, string-laden treat and Signal Mute's 'Reminiscence' is an exceptionally emotive chunk of tingling deep house beauty.
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RB 0854
12 Nov 21
Deep House
12 Nov 21
Deep House
Played by: Juno Recommends Downtempo
Review: Yo-yo-yo Manuel Tur back in the house with Rhythm Trainx Vol 3, another ghetto-blastin' compilation of bad-ass US style drum trax, rhythm sections and groove hopping beats. Handily organised by BPM, each number's given speed goes some distance it suggesting where each track is at; beit footworking vibes of "150.62 Bpm" to the heavier, slightly tribal and slower-mo disco-electro grooves of "115 Bpm", "100.5 Bpm" and "110 Bpm". Get your jungle associated house kicks and epic sample vamps outta "126 Bpm" next to some abstract dancefloor wares in "130 Bpm" and "124 Bpm", alongside old school Chicago jack in "125.5 Bpm" to heavy warehouse sessions in "123 Bpm". Everything you could want ranging from 100 to 150 Bpm!
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RBB 05
22 Oct 21
Balearic/Downtempo
22 Oct 21
Balearic/Downtempo
Review: Ah, mid-80s Germany... stonewashed jeans, Cold War paranoia, Nina Hagen, rent boys at the Bahnhof Zoo, the Sony Walkman, Alphaville and some truly horrendous multi-coloured shellsuits. That's the musical and cultural backdrop against which this five-track, eight-mix EP from Annegret Fiedler AKA Perel operates, by and large - though the DFA and Running Back regular does find room, too, for hints of Gaga-esque pop on 'Internal Monologue', as well as an excursion into electro territory on the sparse, bodypopper-friendly 'In The Box'. If spiky indie-dance with a coldwave twist is your bag, step right on in.
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RB 103D
18 Jun 21
Disco/Nu-Disco
18 Jun 21
Disco/Nu-Disco
Review: Back in 2018, Klasse Wrecks main man Luca Lozano made his bow on Running Back with Boss Moves, an album-length excursion full of sweaty, revivalist rave workouts. This belated follow-up is a little more nuanced and eclectic musically, but it remains full of audible references to the music of the Sheffield-raised, Berlin-based producer's youth. Along the way, you'll find deep and immersive, ambient techno-influenced breakbeat, hip-house/mid-90s US garage fusion, acid-fired dancefloor psychedelia, vibrant synth sounds and tons of Lozano's beloved Yorkshire bleeps. There's plenty of club-ready fodder across the set, of course, but there's enough melody, variation and atmosphere to make it an album (whether they're calling it that or not) that also sounds great at home.
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RB 102D
04 Jun 21
Deep House
04 Jun 21
Deep House
Played by: Pete Herbert, Juno Recommends Disco, Marco Giannini (Sticky Heat), Kenneth Bager // Musicfordreams, Alan Dixon, Citizens Of Vice, JAMES ROD, Problematic Disko
Review: By the sounds of his latest single for Running Back - his fifth in total - Krystal Klear has spent much of the last 12 months dreaming about DJing at Adriatic beach parties and open-air outdoor raves. 'Piano Banana' is as positive and rushing as they come, with the EP-leading 'Long Version' delivering an ear-catching, mood-enhancing mix of vibrant, Italo-style synthesizer motifs, arpeggio-driven bass, tough-but-groovy drums and the kind of hands-in-the-air piano riffs that were once a common feature of Italian house records. The alternative mixes are really rather good too, with two drum-focused DJ tools (the edit-heavy, sweat-soaked 'Bonus Bananas' and the pitched-down, sunset-ready 'Beach Beats') being joined by a relaxed, loved-up, dream house-influenced '1990s Mix' and a chiming, immersive, new age-inspired 'Banambient Mix'. Ace!
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RB 101D
21 May 21
Disco/Nu-Disco
21 May 21
Disco/Nu-Disco
Review: It's been a while since Roman Flugel last delivered an album, and that was the all-ambient Themes I-XIII in 2018. Eating Darkness, the German veteran's fifth solo full-length, is therefore well overdue. It's a quietly confident and undeniably entertaining affair, with the former Alter Ego man smartly sashaying between evocative IDM ('Magic Briefcase', 'The Best is Yet To Come', the Autechre-ish 'Eating Darkness'), druggy slo-mo fare ('Chemicals'), raw new wave throb-jobs ('Wow'), acid-flecked jack-tracks ('Jocks & Freaks'), hypnotic late night minimal techno ('Cluttered Homes'), drowsy downtempo cheeriness ('Locked'), beautiful ambient synth-scapes ('Charles') and revivalist Euro-disco pump ('D.I.S.C.O'). Throughout, Flugel reaches for vintage analogue and modular synthesizer sounds, giving the album a distinctively timeless feel.
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RBLP 15D
07 May 21
Minimal/Tech House
07 May 21
Minimal/Tech House
Review: Running Back's occasional One Swallow Doesn't Make a Summer EPs are always worth a listen, not least because there's no filler or fluff - just a string of tried-and-tested club workouts from a variety of artists. Volume three in the series begins in muscular, pumped-up fashion via some sweat-soaked Italo-disco-meets-Hi-NRG revivalism from Berlin twosome Cryk, before Snad takes over via the rubbery synth-bass, sparkling synths and jaunty breakbeat house grooves of 'The Most Euphoric Moment of My Life'. Voon's 'Brando' is a cheeky fusion of bubbly Euro-disco bass, unfussy machine beats and surging synthesizer melodies, while Lukas Lehman's 'Juno Cuts a Caper' expertly joins the dots between dreamy deep house and shimmering, life-affirming synthesizer soundscapes.
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RB 0853D
16 Apr 21
Disco/Nu-Disco
16 Apr 21
Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: ROTCIV, Dj Steef, Juno Recommends Disco, Juno Recommends Minimal Tech, Marco Giannini (Sticky Heat)
Review: Having previously joined forces with Running Back to launch his own label, Sister Midnight, it's no surprise to find Roman Flugel pitching up on Gerd Janson's popular imprint with a brand-new imprint. The Anima EP is a teaser for the veteran producer's forthcoming album, Eating Darkness, though all of the tracks are exclusive to this release. The headline attraction is undoubtedly 'D.I.S.C.O', a jaunty, life-affirming fusion of throbbing, sequenced synth bass, sparkling lead lines and progressive trance motifs that comes accompanied by a deeper and more trippy-sounding Dub mix. Elsewhere, 'Anima' is a wonky and minimalistic chunk of off-kilter micro-house, while 'Eating Darkness' is a fine slab of revivalist '90s IDM complete with dark and mind-bending modular sounds.
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RB 097D
19 Mar 21
Disco/Nu-Disco
19 Mar 21
Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Juno Recommends Deep House
Review: Bella Boo's debut album, 2019's Studio Barnhus-released Once Upon a Passion, was a gloriously off-kilter affair that neatly distilled her numerous dancefloor influences into one inspired package. Happily, we can confirm that this follow-up on Running Back is every bit as interesting and expansive, with the Stockholm-based producer darting between melodious electronica, hazy, sample-rich deep house, tantalising snippets of experimental deep D&B (see 'In Love'), melodious broken beat ('Together We Will Be Fine'), 8-bit dream-scapes (the hard-to-pigeonhole 'Free'), chunky two-step ('Don't Stop') and immersive, glassy-eyed ambient ('NT4 (Outro)'). In other words, it delivers further confirmation that Boo is one of the most exciting artists around right now.
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RB 096D
04 Dec 20
Deep House
04 Dec 20
Deep House
Review: Deetron follows last year's Body Electric release on Running Back with a fine dance floor-based EP inspired by his formidable DJing. "Ego Rave B" is a seductive, bubbling electronic groove that supports woozy, cosmic synths, while on "Ego Rave D" and its "D1" variant, he goes down a tracky route, with dense drums and snappy percussion providing the basis for old school techno bleeps. There are also remnants of the Swiss DJ's more peak time selections: "Ego Rave A", sees Deetron fuse tranced out hooks with gentle piano keys, while "Ego Rave C" is a wide-eyed, good time electro-techno track.
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RB 095D
20 Nov 20
Techno
20 Nov 20
Techno
Various
Played by: Bertrand Contador
Review: As the title suggests, this surprise compilation of exclusive material from Gerd Janson's Running Back label was put together in response to the killing of George Floyd, and in order to raise funds for the National Association for the NAACP's Legal Defence Fund. Given his connections, it's perhaps unsurprising that Janson has managed to tease out terrific tracks from the likes of KiNK (the sparkling, synth-laden goodness of 'Machine Funk'), Genius of Time (a fine dub of the dusty, ultra-deep late night hypnotism of 'Network Labyrinth'), Roman Flugel (the snappy analogue heaviness of 'Feel The Heat (String Mix)' and Tiger & Woods (rainbow-coloured deep Italo-disco jam 'Lonely Toad').
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RBNAACP 1D
02 Oct 20
Deep House
02 Oct 20
Deep House
Review: Riding a wave of Zdarlight since 2005, legendary contemporary electro act Digitalism make their way from the annals of French label Kitsune to Gerd Janson's equally influential Running Back! With Gerd himself remixing the duo's "Destination Breakdown" back in 2016, he invites Digitalism to his label for five of the freshest tracks we've heard from the project in years. Still harking back to the wonder years of that French electro sound, Digitalism returns with a new selection of melodic, inspired and colourful electro numbers: you pick the hit. Tracks like "Promises" bring back memories of Kavinsky's golden days (now commonly associated with the movie Drive) while there's dubby, colourful and techno beats in "Flash Forward". "Visuals" sees the pair dial up a vocal, piano-laced electro ballad, with good times to be had in "Reality 2". And for some refined EDM flavours without the overhaul look to "Trans Global Ltd".
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RB 094D
02 Oct 20
Deep House
02 Oct 20
Deep House
Review: Though barely a footnote in the documented history of Chicago house, Masterplan - a duo made up of vocalist Pepper Gomez and keyboardist Tom O'Callaghan - was responsible for a handful of killer early house cuts. Here two of their cult singles from 1986 are given the re-edit treatment for the very first time. Enzo Elia handles "Electric Baile", a killer combination of percussion-rich machine drums, Italo-disco style bass and addictive lead lines, first offering up a "Vocal Edit" before brilliantly cutting up and dubbing out the drums on his "Dub Edit" and "Bonus Beat" versions. Gerd Janson takes his scalpel to follow-up "Pushin' Too Hard", playing around with the synth-pop bass, sparkling synths and unfussy drums on "Megamix" and "Instrumix" versions. The latter contains some killer '80s dancefloor dub style effects and plenty of sweaty percussion fills.
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RBSSS5D
18 Sep 20
Disco/Nu-Disco
18 Sep 20
Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Kenneth Bager // Musicfordreams
Review: For the latest missive on their "non-dancefloor"-focussed "Incarnations" offshoot, Running Back has turned to returning artist Feater, AKA Daniel Meuzard. The Vienna-based producer has delivered a seven-track set that counts as his sophomore album, following the release of admired full-length debut "Socialo Blanco" in 2019. Musically, "Money" is impressively diverse, flitting between kwaito-inspired, synth-laden dancefloor warmth (the jaunty ttle track), spaced-out ambient oddness ("How Green Was My Wallet", "Curves"), heady post-punk pop revivalism (the near-Balearic "Blood Moon"), percussion-heavy synthesizer soundscapes ("Lost In Logic"), Clavinet-sporting, White Isle-friendly wonders (standout "Vento") and clanking, modular-made electronica ("Big Zero").
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RBINC0 07LPD
11 Sep 20
Disco/Nu-Disco
11 Sep 20
Disco/Nu-Disco
Review: With a considerable back catalogue of EPs on techno labels like Cocoon, Token and his own Exploration imprint, Johannes Volk is not the most obvious name to feature on Running Back. However, Extra Dimensions contains a number of surprises: the title track is a hypnotic, pulsating slice of electronic disco, more Moroder than Mills, while on "Reload Love", Volk draws on the influence of Kevin Saunderson's E-Dancer project to deliver an ominous bass that unfolds over skippy break beats and lithe percussion. "An Old Android On A Broken Piano" remains in the Detroit area, thanks to its euphoric keys and rolling groove. Meanwhile, "Hypno Hypno" sees the German producer continue to deliver the unexpected with a vocodered vocal sequence realised against chiming bells and breaks, while on "Rainbow Rockets" there's a melodic electro sound
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RB 093D
04 Sep 20
Techno
04 Sep 20
Techno
Played by: Owain Kimber (Owain K), Juno Recommends Deep House, Juno Recommends Techno, Zoo Look, G-Blaster (Memorie Cluster), Gilbert (Innate Records), Craig Walker, Dampé, Paper Recordings
Review: Originally released on Playhouse back in 1998, the passage of 22 years has done little to diminish the lustre of Acid Test. Re-released on running back, both tracks also serve as a reminder that Flugel has been a creative force to be reckoned with for over three decades. "Test 1" revolves around swaggering, steely drums and insistent percussion that provide the basis for bleak acid lines that gnaw at the synapses. On "Test 2", Flugel goes down a more abstract path; tweaked 303s splurge their way over a slowed down, low-slung groove and when the snares kick in, a wave of pent-up energy is released.
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RBDC 06
07 Aug 20
Techno
07 Aug 20
Techno
Played by: Dicky Trisco, DiskJokke, Alkalino, Juno Recommends Disco, Rayko, Kito Jempere, 80's Child, Rave Energy, Aleito, Mix & Fairbanks
Review: Running Back bring us four despatches from disco's more experimental fringes. The EP opens straightforwardly enough with Llewellyn's 'Synergy Bar', a lively, throbbing houser with hints of both disco and prog in equal measure, not to mention a distinctive fluttering topline. But Yogtze's pacy, EBM-ish 'Please Hold The Line' soon takes us into somewhat more leftfield territory, before John Noseda gives us 'Spiral Galaxy' - think John Carpenter trying his hand at Italo-disco. Lipelis X AC then close out the EP with 'Central Store', another Euro-inspired cut beamed straight in from around 1983 or so.
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RB 0852D
31 Jul 20
Disco/Nu-Disco
31 Jul 20
Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Juno Recommends Funky House, Marco Giannini (Sticky Heat), Zombies in Miami, Andy Buchan, Alioscia Mele
Review: Alan Dixon, who's resident DJ at Savage in London, returns to Gerd Janson's Running Back with an EP that's unsurprisingly long on keys action. 'Acid Drop' gets the ball rolling, opening with a squelchy, early 80s-sounding synth bassline before unleashing a deluge of hands-in-the-air rave/Italo-house pianos from around the two-minute mark. The accompanying Swimming Mix tones down the 80s bass and adds a shimmering synth top line, giving the track something of a Balearic prog feel, while elsewhere 'Poye Loco' is a druggy, hazy nu-disco chugger and 'Rudy's Selector' is a midtempo, contemplative piece, both also heavily laced with piano.
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RB 092D
24 Jul 20
Funky/Club House
24 Jul 20
Funky/Club House
Played by: OOFT!, Lexx, Juno Recommends Techno, Marco Giannini (Sticky Heat), Simonlebon (Luv Shack Records)
Review: Prins Thomas follows last year's Ambitions long player with a somewhat different proposition. Inspired by early 90s trance and wrapping this influence around a variety of tempos and grooves, Traens is an interesting departure. The foreboding bass of "Traens 2" and "Traens 3" are sure to appeal to those who want a big room take on sounds of a bygone era, while the pumping, acid-soaked "Traens 6" is a pure, old school track. This only tells half the story however, and on "Traens 4", Thomas draws on his love of sleek disco grooves to create a spaced out, cosmic affair. There are also traces of Balearic flair, and the deep, sensuous house of "Traens 5" shows that while Prins Thomas is caught in a trance moment, he remains rooted in disco.
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RBLP 14D
10 Jul 20
Techno
10 Jul 20
Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Disco
Review: If you know your dance music history, you'll no doubt already have recognised this EP's artwork... for those that haven't, it's a pastiche of the cover of Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love', and never has the phrase "wears its musical influences on its sleeve" been more apt! Inside you'll find four slices of hi-octane electronic disco in the classic Moroder/Cowley mode, with 'More Love!' itself blurring the lines between homage, re-edit and cover, 'Kicking In (Patrick Cowley)' continuing the theme and the surging, euphoric 'Warped Minds' sporting a gloriously cheesy vocodered vocal and coming accompanied by a FIERCE dub/beats pass from Johanz himself.
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RB 090D
03 Jul 20
Disco/Nu-Disco
03 Jul 20
Disco/Nu-Disco
