Review: Having previously appeared on Sprechen's 'Edgy Future Discotheque' compilation, newcomer Ed Mahon has been given the opportunity to return to the label for a first full EP. He's embraced the opportunity, too, first delivering a moody Depeche Mode-meets-acid-and-dark-disco workout (the excellent 'Lights Go Down'), before wrapping echoing piano motifs and reverb-heavy spoken word snippets around a metronomic electronic disco groove on 'Don't Be Serious'. Arguably best of all though is closing cut 'Say You Care', a gorgeous, sunset-ready combination of Italian dream house piano riffs, bustling bongos and wide-eyed female vocal snippets. It has already received plays at Ibiza institution Café Mambo, so we can safely say that it's definitely Balearic.
Review: ISO City is a new collaborative project from Sprechen main man Chris Massey and pal Elliot Lion, inspired by their joint love of Italo-disco, EBM, vintage synths and the soundtrack to sci-fi movie 'Tron'. On opener 'Light Cycles', those influences are expressed via bold, throbbing, pulsating, reverb-laden synthesizer lead lines, arpeggio-style sequenced bass, unfussy machine drums and star-fall melodies. On 'Master Control Programme', it's tactile synth-bass, fizzing electronic melodies, wide-eyed chords and more bubbly melodic motifs. The results are ear-catching, entertaining and enjoyable, suggesting that the ISO City project is only just getting going. More, please!
Review: What would you expect to hear when you stepped on an "edgy future discotheque"? That's the concept behind one of Sprechen's most popular series of multi-artist EPs, which here reaches its fifth instalment. Rising star Andy Buchan delivers a study start via the grandiose piano house/nu-disco/electro fusion of 'Body Heat', before Flash Atkins lays down a gorgeous fusion of stretched-pit piano solos, lolloping house beats and classy synth-pop sonics on 'Mistpoffer' (a cut that Daco later re-imagines as a throbbing, Patrick Cowley inspired electro-disco throb-job). Elsewhere, Mangetout's 'Body Vibrations' is a lolloping disco-funk shuffler, Jimmy Turnbull's 'Still I Rise' is funky, tech-tinged deep house workout, Ed Mahon's 'Seismic Guitar' is a weirdo electro number par excellence, and Tom2Trax's 'Heatwave Horizon (Lunar Mix)' is a big room house treat.
Review: What we have is the debut offering from a new project starring Sprechen boss Chris Massey. Atop a backdrop that's one-part Balearic to one-part early house to one-part Morricone-esque soundtrack vibes, guest singer-songwriter Bay Bryan lends his dulcet tones in the form of a heavily treated, pop-style chorus while Massey himself waxes poetic and philosophical in spoken word form. If the Pet Shop Boys ever made a comedown album, it might sound something like this... but if the vocals are a bit too much, you can still make good use of the accompanying instrumental.
Review: Sprechen main man Chris Massey is Mancunian through and through, hence using the title of his new two-tracker to offer some light-hearted advice to his city's new generation of techno producers. Lead cut 'Inside My Head' does offer a few nods to mind-mangling German techno and tech-house productions of old, with echoing electronic riffs, wavey acid lines and angular motifs riding a tidy drum machine rhythm and Teutonic bassline. He joins forces with Dan Wainwright on the brilliantly titled 'Gnome Terrace', opting for a more outwardly Balearic, sun-soaked sound rich in warming bass, early Chicago house beats, attractive synth sounds and sparkling piano flourishes.
Review: There's plenty of good quality cuts scattered across the latest edition of Sprechen's eclectic, multi-artist 'Edgy Future Discotheque', though perhaps a bit less edginess than the title suggests. That's not a criticism though, and the psychedelic, hallucinatory flex of Hunterbrau's 'Obelisk', a muscular neo Italo-disco throb-job smothered in tough TB-303 tweaks and paranoid chords, and TJ Lawton's frankly filthy, min-bending 'Erasure' certainly offers an interesting definition of future disco. Straight-up joy abounds elsewhere across the EP, from the nostalgic classic house-goes-nu-disco flex of Joe Roche's fittingly titled 'Joy' and the warming Balearic shuffle of Sun Sone's gorgeous 'Dolphin', to the funk-fuelled disco-house hedonism of S.N.U.S (the low-slung 'Work It Out') and Black Hawks of Panama's sparkling cover of Cherelle's '80s boogie classic 'Didn't Mean To Turn You On'.
Review: Ivan Fabra, a 30-year veteran of the Spanish scene, comes to Manchester-based Sprechen with three tracks of chunky, synth-heavy house that pack elements of both prog and disco, and as such should have quite wide-ranging appeal. The EP opens with the drifty, spangly and strongly Italo-flavoured 'No One Knows', before along comes a huge, squelchin' 303 bassline to power along the far more housified 'Kosmische', a 5.5-minute chugger built for small-hours floors. Completing the EP is 'Little Pigments', which is in a similar stylistic vein to its predecessor, but a tad lighter on its feet.
Review: Balearic veteran James Bright - formerly one-half of Lux alongside Steve 'Afterlife' Miller - flexes his electronic muscles on this three-tracker for Sprechen. 'These Machines' itself kicks things off, fusing elements of Italo and vintage acid into an angular concoction that's sure to inspire the thowing of a few shapes out on the floor. 'Vibration' then takes us into proper Balearic territory, being a piano-sprinkled head-nodder powered along by a pleasingly chunky bassline, while 'Hot Metropolis' offers up a more contemplative, late-night variation on the overall synth-y theme. Forward-thinking stuff as ever from the Manchester label.
Review: Based in Jakarta in Indonesia, where he works as a tattooist and graphic designer by day and DJs by night, Bayu Putra Pratama AKA Baypoet has just one previous release to his name that we know of, on the Metropolis label. Now he comes to Manchester's Sprechen with a two-tracker that blends house, disco, prog and Italo influences. It's probably the latter that gives 'Outer' most of its flavour - just check out those analogue synth throbs. It's the title cut that stands out for yours truly, though - mostly thanks to some old school hands-in-the-air pianos that render the mid-section a truly uplifting experience.
Review: Chris Massey's label outta the UK has been going strong in 2021 with a string of releases that's taken in jams from Elliott Lion and classy Leeds act PBR StreetGang - alongside debuting the sounds Psychederek. Keeping it bouncing is JIGGYJIGGYJIGGY with The Gyration E.P. that introduces a fresh new name to the Sprechen label via four rave-tainted, techy, disco and classic house bangers. With slamming claps, rhodesy keys and deft "Who's Afraid Of Detroit" references killing it in "Hot At The Time", "Kong" keeps it deep yet warm with its bassline and pads - and with trippy vocals to boot - find some straight up soulful and warm house numbers in "I Can't Describe". With some gnarly electro thrown in the mix thanks to "Venezuela", it's an EP super reminiscent of an emerging Azari & III - Hungry For The Power!
Review: Following on from May's 'Deep Space Radio Flash' EP, London lad Delahay returns to Stretford-based Sprechen with a two-track, four-mix homage to the sounds of Italo and cosmic disco. 'Good Gone Bad' is your archetypal synth-y Italo throbber. 'Sacred Life' is a more contemplative, cosmically inspired piece, while the remix from Elliott Lion puts a light Balearic twist on proceedings. If your disco tastes tend towards the leftfield end of the spectrum, this is one to check for sure.
Review: Three tracks, coming from three different artists and served up in a total of five mixes, make up this V/A offering from Manchester-based Balearic stable Sprechen. Lena C kicks us off in laidback, languid fashion with 'Pelago', which blends African and Indian influences as it chugs along at a druggy, almost raga-like pace. Reeta's 'Strangers To Lovers' is a poppier and sweetly female-sung affair - think Crazy P or Moloko - while Breakfast In Berlin's 'I Had A Dream About You Last Night' takes us into out-and-out contemporary (albeit 80s-inspired) pop territory, so it's fitting that these latter two come with matching Radio Edits.
Review: So far in his career, St Petersburg-based Nikita Kropachev AKA Diskette has done his thing almost entirely for Russian stable SOVIETT. Now though, following recent excursions on Rare Wiri and Silhouette Music, he comes to Manchester's Sprechen with a three-tracker from the dreamy, Balearic side. The title track is a hazy, synth-y affair built for slow groovin' in the afternoon sun, the slightly more upbeat 'That's Not True' throws together Italo synths, muted piano chords, a looped, reverb-heavy "love me, love me" female vocal and more, while 'Honey Melts' drops the tempo right down and is one for the morning after...
Review: Paper boss Ben Davis once more dons a cape and, as his Flash Atkins alter ego, comes to Paper-affiliated Sprechen with two tracks that are best summarised as "deep house and disco collide in the leftfield". 'Love You Again' tops rolling, Afro/tribal-inspired drums with a jaunty lil' synth riff and the merest hints of a treated reggae-style vocal, while 'Die Kiste' leans even more heavily towards the experimental side of the street with its complex, fractured rhythms and squelchy analogue synth-bass. The latter's one for the more leftfield floors only, but 'Love You Again' may have slightly broader appeal.
Review: Manchester's Indigo Jung returns to Sprechen, the leftfield house/disco/Balearic label headed up by Paper A&R Chris Massey. 'Mean World' takes a proper 60s/70s soul diva vocal and places it atop a backdrop that marries fluttery disco geetars and Balearic-style atmospherics to a bassline that's hefty and resonant to the point of being almost junglistic in feel, the end result being a surging, looping cut that'll keep bodies moving nicely. The accompanying 'Aldi' is a more traditional-style, string-drenched disco-houser that could have come out at any point in the past 25 years, but still packs plenty of dancefloor punch with its intricate slap bassline, chopped string stabs and layers of white noise.
Review: The Anglo-German duo who made a splash with the funky, percussive 'Rolling Jazz' earlier this year return with a two-tracker on the Manchester-based label Sprechen. 'One Two One' is another deep funker, centring around a hefty, lolloping bassline that's paired with brass fanfares, disco strings and a filtered female "let's get onto a one-to-one situation" vocal, while the accompanying 'Got To Have Your Dub' is a livelier affair with saxophone and trumpets much in evidence, a funk guitar squiggle that loops throughout and a "baby, got to have your love" male vocal snip. The latter nudges towards disco-house, but in pleasingly non-cheesy fashion.
Review: Disco from the far side is the order of the day here, as Italian producer Luca Vera looks to the cosmic/Italo era for inspiration. 'Red M' opens with chugging drums, then drops some big techno stabs to get your attention before settling down into a sparkling, Carpenter-esque synth groove that mutates constantly as the track progresses. The Space-like 'Trashtrem' is a more eyes-down affair that could work on nu-disco, progressive and even tech-house floors, and that gets more and more 'epic' as it goes, paving the way nicely for the more cinematic closer 'Race 83'.
Review: It was way back in 2016 when DJ Steevo made his first appearance on Manchester-based Sprechen. Here he returns to the imprint for the first time since with two tracks of house-friendly nu-disco science. First up is "Giagirat", a warm and groovy affair that smothers a toasty deep disco groove with spacey chords, jaunty Rhodes stabs, glassy-eyed piano riffs and intergalactic electronics. Steevo switches to synth-heavy mode on "Once In A Lifetime", where his lazy, sun-kissed guitar motifs and comorting chords offer a perfect accompaniment to mazy synth solos, echoing machine drums and a gently pulsing, Italo-disco style arpeggio line. By the time the dreamy breakdown homes into view you'll be having a glassy-eyed "moment" or two.
Review: Hailing from Manchester, Gina Breeze is a DJ and producer whose sound captures the creativity and innovative spirit of her home city - a true staple of the European electronic music scene. For local imprint Sprechen, she serves up her new one called "1am" which is an acid house era influenced jam with a charismatic vocal from Jakarta's Kallula of KimoKal. This is followed by the hypnotic tribal house groove of "Mantra" with its powerful polyrhythms hammering the message home. Fitting then that the final track is entitled "Hypnotic" which goes back to the late '80s with its jacking warehouse vibe of The Windy City.
Review: It's been nearly three years since lesser-celebrated Norwegian producer Kohib delivered the Itchy Kitchy People EP. Here he returns to the Manchester-based label with two more chunks of peak-time Scandolearic disco. As its title suggests, "Italovest" sees him pay tribute to the muscular throb of arpeggio-driven 1980s Italo-disco, though it's non-stop nature, foreboding feel and druggy intensity is arguably more in keeping with later Dutch interpretations of the sound (as well as the space disco works of Hans-Peter Lindstrom). He takes a slightly different approach on mid-tempo bonus cut "Parlais Vous Francais", peppering a mid-tempo electronic disco groove with ricocheting drum hits, glacial '80s synth-pop melodies and glassy-eyed chords.
Review: Sprechen's latest release is something of a doozy, all told. It comes from font-of-all-musical-knowledge and top notch DJ Bill Brewster, who shares four killer cuts from his personal stash of re-edits. It really is all killer, no filler, with "Love Hard" - a brilliant revision of a spacey, throbbing, tongue-in-cheek classic that dispenses with almost all of the most familiar bits and concentrates on the track's sleazy groove and intergalactic synths - hitting home particularly hard. Opener "Carpet Warehouse" offers more spacey synths, camp vocals and killer grooves, while "SOS" is a near perfect revision of a low-slung, post punk-era dub disco obscurity. Speaking of post-punk era goodness, we'd suggest checking out EP closer "Wide Awake Club", which could well be the strongest edit on a very strong collection of reworks.
Review: Sprechen is a Manchester based platform to showcase electronic music with a passion for melody, groove, soul and energy. There are no limitations of style and a diverse release policy. For their latest label compilation, the gang celebrates two years in the business - label boss Chris Massey teams up with Spain's James Rod on the funked up nu-disco of "Spanglish" featuring vocals by Danielle Moore, homegirl Gina Breeze serves up some bouncy late night tech house on "Make Me Feel" while Norway's Kohib delivers some true Italo style business on "Hot Pants And Dance Shoes" and Australia's Planet Jumper bring da funk on "Before The Diamond Turns To Dust". Sprechen was launched by former Electric Elephant booker and manager Massey as a side project, alongside his A&R role at Paper Recordings.
Review: Following EPs from a range of upcoming producers, the 13th Sprechen release sees its boss back at the reins. Massey starts off the release with the jittery, rhythm and searing acid of "Beatdrum", before he moves into more commercial territory with "Record Spins". Sampling a stuttering vocal loop, he drops a menacing but infectious bass line, making for an accessible tune. On "Beatdub", he retreats back underground, accompanied by the sound of chilling sirens, dubbed out beats and jittery percussion, while this approach continues on "Beatdrum (Homeboy Redrum)", where organic percussion and stabbing riffs prevail. However, the EP concludes with the positively upbeat, summery Rave Enka remix of "Record Spins."
Review: 'Funkabilla' is a hot, steamy hunk of a track, its low end is so strong and intoxicating with the shakers and that groovy guitar you'll be hard pushed not to get down. 'Momento Latino' is another cut which will get you moving, another set of funky guitar chords and rattling shakers are living up with the pounding beat which drops at the same point as the exciting vox, the low omnipresent sub is the star of the track. Verona Dub has huge a techno overtone to it, the bass is patterned as is essentially the entire track, while the snare and other echoing elements seem to dance eloquently on top. 'Symptomatic' is a brooding and forward moving 80's influenced beast with a dark undertone gently laced with euphoria.
Review: After a short hiatus, Sprechen is back with some quality music to soundtrack your Summer. Planet Jumper hosts the Manchester label's tenth release and they get things bubbling and chugging away with "And Here My Troubles Began", a bass heavy stomper with disco licks and kicks, alongside some twanging bass guitar action and stabby Rhode chords. "Beware The Beast In We" is cosmo-disco funk that will take you straight up into the stratosphere! Remixes come courtesy of James Rod; who turns "And Here My Troubles Began" into an epic 303 acid odyssey, while Audaz main man Alkalino takes the party into a lo-slung and very slo-mo deep house direction.
Review: For the latest EP on his fast-rising Sprechen imprint, Chris Massey has joined forces with Spanish producer James Rodriguez. As the title makes clear, the two original productions showcased here were inspired by the druggy, off-kilter world of early '80s mutant disco. They begin with "Take Me Higher", where effects-laden vocal samples and disco string stabs rise above a trippy, Italo-disco style arpeggio, before dipping the tempo on the spaced-out, proto-techno era electronic shuffle of "Spanglish". Gina Breeze provides a chunkier, heavier, dubbed-out interpretation of "Take Me Higher", before Rave-Enka turns "Spanglish" into a new beat-meets-early UK rave smasher.
Review: Sprechen's sixth release comes from Neon Amish, a collaborative project from Curley Sue and Lee Stevens that debuted on the latter's Luv Shack imprint earlier this year. In an attempt to capture the zeitgeist, both "Tranceptor" and "Interstate '95" pay tribute to the early days of psy-trance and acid techno, layering psychedelic electronics and ragged riffs on top of thunderous beats and throbbing arpeggio lines. The accompanying remixes boast similarly mind altering intent, with The Gameboyz going in particularly hard on their titanium-clad rework of "Tranceptor". Chris Massey joins forces with The Emperor Machine himself, Andy Meecham, to deliver a deliciously analogue-rich interpretation of "Interstate 95" that could well be the EP's standout moment.
Review: Spain's Gameboyz are a trio of electro-breakbeat enthusiasts, who are just about the only ones doing it right these days. Coming through for the young Sprechen label, they deliver the excellent "Off The Wall", the sort of tune that Plump DJs would have been playing back in the day, and one that even manages to deliver some fine waves of 303 acid; "Electric Boogaloo" feels like the slower, housier companion that offers something deeper and more cerebral. There's remixes of both: the former is versioned by Italy's Fabrizio Mammarella into a slick tech-house bomb with the same acid licks giving it extra power, whereas the latter sees Neon Amish transform the tune into a spacey piece of prog house. Check it!
Review: Tromso, Norway's Kohib is back following up the great "Talk To Me" on Paper Recordings earlier in the year with "Itchy Kitchy People" on Manchester's Sprechen Music, a classic house jam with a catchy bell melody and some crazy 808 claps going off rapid fire style. Oh and that bassline is seriously bumpin'. Second offering "Yakkatakk" has an Oriental aesthetic about it in terms of melody, but the bumpy bassline and rich pads could've made it equally at home on a label like Freerange; and that's a compliment, right!
Review: Manchester hero Chris Massey is back with the Pink Flamingo EP. He serves up some high octane disco on "You Are Devine" featuring none other than The Emperor Machine aka Andy Meecham of Chicken Lips fame. "Floor To the Four" is pretty jacking electro house for the peak time hour. Berlin's ROTCIV steps us to deliver an even more acidified take on things also with his killer remix.
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