Review: No strangers to working together, Shaun Reeves, co-head of Visionquest, is a Detroiter turned Berliner who has been at the forefront of the industry for over a decade. Likewise, Frenchman DJ W!LD is a time tested veteran of the game who runs two labels, the W label and DAILYCID. They team up for some killer jams on the Bag Of Bones EP, originally released last year on vinyl and now getting a worthy issue on digital format. From the lean and subtle afterhours hypnotism of "Taima",to the dusty and evocative mood music of "Chronicles Of Narnia" and ending with the contemplative microhouse of "Purple Urkle" - this is a terrific release that sees the pair return to their underground roots in true style.
Review: Visionquest going deeper and deeper by the week, welcoming Gianluca Pegoina to the house via The Fifth Room. This particular drop sees the label dive into headsy after-hours territory that should appeal to the cats out there. Percussion, phasers and vocals are off the hook in "The Room", which Hubble submerges in junk yard atmospheres, a hunk of booming bass and rattling percussion. Pegoina's alternative "The Key'' sizzles with acid-tipped reverb and a double downed groove, with the slightest tinges eastern themed motifs added for full effect.
Review: This is the first EP from label co-chief Ryan Crosson as Theoretical Speed, joined by the instrumentation of Brooklyn's John Camp (on keys) and St Paul-based producer/DJ/trumpeter Greg Paulus - the latter rising up on the scene in the early 2010's around the same time as the Visionquest crew as one half of No Regular Play. The result is '40 Grams Of Latency", a wonky and off-kilter expression in minimal house, reminiscent of early experiments by Quebecois legend Marc le Clair. Coincidentally, the man himself pops up next for a remix under his renowned Akufen alias, with a typically glitched-out and sensual dub house rework. Then All In Records head honcho Norbert Dunai aka Pola delivers a splintered and acid-washed perspective, that will have you tunnelling into the aether. Another fantastic release on the imprint now made available on digital after its much lauded release last year.
Review: Ibiza-based Antonio Thagma is now established as a staple of the Visionquest label, where he presented his second release for them in the form of the Sferikum EP, which broke a three year gap in production and which now gets a much deserved release on digital. The title track is a low slung and tripped-out minimal house groove, that's perfect for getting weird at the after hours, but the remix up next by the mighty Ricardo Villalobos takes it further into epic and leftfield territory over its 14 glorious minutes - like only this true master can. There is also a second original offering by Thagma in the form of "Everything I Ever Wanted" - venturing into hypnotic 'Rominimal' style vibes.
Review: The heads out there will know to check this release as it comes off the back of Jarua's debut record for the vinyl-only, DJ-centric and dancefloor-focused Pleasure Zone! With a second release for the One Records label since, the emerging Jarau finds himself in tune with Visionquest, turning in a quality four-track EP highlighting his pension for skittering percussion, juicy club drums and a sleekness for those after hour vibes where it's straight up sunny. All tracks here are rhythm focused with any melodies touched up by dub, like the flecks of synth in "Hypnotize" to micro-house after-effects in "Dubhe". Bottomed out drums and exotic vocals are cause for a trip in the spiralling "Le Voyage" with a straight up percussion mix in "Adrienne". Club's gotta open for this.
Review: Young Mexican producer Sakro (also sometimes known as SKR) comes to Detroit label Visionquest with an EP that packs four forward-thinking deep house groovers. 'Lusyd' is a percussive, minimal-leaning affair with a cheeky walking bassine and meandering pads, 'Jazz On Mars' marries a phat bottom-end to sci-fi synth bleeps, 'Voices' is another minimalist cut with twitchy, toppy drums, spoken vocal snips and New Jersey-ish organ chords, while finally 'Supersymmetry' is a deeper variant on a very similar theme. With all four cuts rolling along at 128bpm - positively pacey by current standards - 4am eyes-wide-shut dancefloor bliss awaits!
Review: With the frequency of records Visionquest are putting out in 2020 you could say the label is on a hot streak right now following an album from Triptease and maxis-releases from Ema Remedi and Preshka. Italian producer Rills is invited back to Visionquest with a stand out four-track EP that's directed at the more discerning selecter and DJ. An artist associated with labels like All Inn and 8bit, his sound is said to lift its inspirations from the house music of Ron Hardy and techno of Jeff Mills. This comes through strongest on tracks like "Stranger Freaks" however Rills' sound encapsulates something more of a minimal and tech house aesthetic that perhaps better associated now with something more Romanian. Dub techno atmospheres strafe tracks like "Zorlak", with deeper Chicago house shining through on "Paper Beatz". But for that undeniable club track and walking bassline it's all about "Yoda". May the force be with you.
Review: Argentinian tech house veteran Jorge Savoretti is back, taking time out from his beloved Savor label to present this impressive outing on Visionquest. The label is on fire at the moment after some impressive releases by the likes of Triptease and Ema Remedi - and you can certainly add this one to the list. The Soulvor EP features exactly the kid of rolling and hypnotic minimalism that you've come to expect from Savoretti: from the slinky and hypnotic mood music of "Hypsi", to the dubby and bass-driven groove expression of "Meoul" and the understated afterhours reflections of "Cape" - which is perfect for Sunday mornings chilling-out at Club Der Visionaere.
Review: Road-testing their expansive grooves at well-known Berlin clubs like Club der Visionaire and Hoppetosse, the four-person Triptease has become one of the most respected names in underground techno. Now they bring their sprawling, reduced sound to an album format with impressive results. "Drumses III" and "Tony Little Something" are great examples of their freeform approach, with vocal samples, jazzy nuances and abstract guitars all set to broken down rhythms and hollowed out drums. "Duodular" offers up a more linear approach, while ""Lo Siento" is a more jacking affair, but even on these two tracks, woozy bass and abstract percussion mean they sound unlike anyone else.
Review: Uruguayan DJ Ema Remedi has fast made a name for herself on the Berlin minimal house scene, with regular appearances at local institutions such as Club Der Visionaere, Hoppetosse and Golden Gate, in addition to impressive releases on respected labels such as Sketches and the recently born Loosen Up - which she co-runs. This EP will be her debut effort on Visionquest, the Outsiders EP featuring four deep and hypnotic grooves which are perfect for spinning in her new hometown's after hours scene. The lean and subtle groove dynamics on "Even Odds" could have been equally at home on a label like Meander, the disorienting late night boompty-boomp of "Why" calls to mind the work of early Herbert while the arcane hypnotism of "No Sun, No Problem" (feat Sol) would mix well with anything by Melchior Productions Ltd.
Review: Quality dubwise sentiments abound by Shaun Reeves on this EP for Visionquest following collaborative EPs with DJ Wild and Giuseppe Tuccillo. For this last solo outing of the year Reeves throws down four quality warehouse techno numbers that go deep and atmospheric all the while pinned down by solid 909 drums and hats. Touches of '90s rave influences subtly weave their way into "Man & His Symbols" alongside a spoken word sample of 'splendid achievement'. It's the stabs, slashes and punches of dub chords across the record though that really set the scene in a EP that will appeal to lovers of a Berlin-Detroit techno connection. Groovy bassline dub centralises itself in "Phantasm" with lighter and more melodic elements weaving their way through "Late Night In The Cut", with Reeves going large on "Louden". Word.
Review: Dewalta and Mike Shannon's collaborations stretch all the way back to 2011 with releases on Shannon's Cynosure. Now they debut on Visionquest with their distinctive brand of stripped back house. The title track starts the EP with an off-centre groove, hiccuping vocals and reverberating percussion. Meanwhile, "Courtside" sees the pair opt for a somewhat straighter but equally effective track, as eerie, filtered builds unravel over steely percussion and crisp drums. A similar approach is audible on "Playing Field", with the pair dropping mournful synths loops over an understated but robust groove. Rounding off this fine release is the deeper, pulsating "22.22.4.1", which sounds a bit like Pepe Braddock doing minimal.
Review: A meeting of two great minds from Greece for the latest release on Visionquest. Hailing from Athens, Bodj is an essential character in the ever burgeoning Greek house music scene, holding down a residency at the illustrious Six Dogs club in Athens and a co-founder/owner of the Audiorama record label and club night. Then there's Roksi: having been classically trained since he was a young man, he has since then mastered his craft studying audio engineering in Athens, London and Amsterdam - where he had access to some of the most renowned music studios. Features the dubby and liquid tech house groove of "Weird Science" which is as slinky as you like, this is followed by the funky and emotive Detroit influence of "Otis" while Tomadachi" goes deep into the afterhours on this minimal and hypnotic bass driven groove.
Keep On Dancing (Shaun Reeves remix) - (7:25) 125 BPM
Keep On Dancing (original) - (9:15) 110 BPM
VQ Infinity Dub - (5:31) 133 BPM
Review: Veteran Canadian producer Scott Monteith has been releasing critically acclaimed records since 2000 and has carefully sculpted an idiosyncratic dub-laden sound that is uniquely his own and instantly recognizable. He returns to Visionquest to follow up 2015's Jacks EP. It's another expression in Monteith's singular aesthetic, using a wide array of arsenal within his sonic repertoire here: from the hypnotic tribal trance of "Boom Jack", to more classic expressions in icy and cavernous atmospherics as heard on "Keep On Dancing" which receives a terrific rework by label co-head Shaun Reeves. Monteith then gets back to the program on the raw and mentalist psychedelics of "VQ Infnity Dub".
Review: "I Hope You Will' is Visionquest co-head Ryan Crosson"s first solo EP on the label since 2015's On The Rise, but has found time to release on No.19 Music and Monologue and collaborate with Mathew Jonson and Cesar Merveille. The I Hope You Will EP sums up where he's at and where we can potentially be: from the slinky minimal tech-house of "ITYC", the groovy afterhours hypnotism of "Tracey" or the seductive deepness of "Favogo" - it is clear Crosson sure has a lot more to give to the dancefloor.
Review: Floog aka George Gavanescu makes his debut on Visionquest with this tripped out dance floor EP. The title track is a pulsating house groove that is led by an electronic bass, rolling and grooving seductively as atmospheric elements are introduced. On "Staring at the Sun", the upcoming producer uses a similar approach: the rhythm rolls irresistibly and deep chords are effortlessly looped over the arrangement. "Premiza" is the only track to shift slightly from this approach; its frazzled bass and dense percussion presents a slightly less polished take on Floog's style, but it's just as effortlessly executed as the tracks that came before it.
Review: Visionquest founding member Shaun Reeves takes up the reins for his respected label's next release, reuniting with Tuccillo again (Inermu Wax/Lost In Time/Bondage Music) for 'another no-rules, boundary-blurring session'. From the slinky and hypnotic tech house of "Shade", some low slung and swing-fuelled deepness on "Cavernous" and some intoxicating minimal that's perfect for getting trippy at the afterhours party on "Tessera" - there's all you need to move the dancefloor right here.
Doctor High (Archie Hamilton remix) - (8:00) 123 BPM
Review: More Than Material is the new collaborative project between Parisian legend Jeda Soundorom and Circoloco and DC10 resident Gauthier DM. They launched their new alias earlier this year on Zingiber Audio. Their second outing for the ever reliable Visionquest label sees these two elder statesmen of the scene deliver some smooth and surefire tech house, whether it is tough enough for the late night, or ultra smoooth for the warm-up or afterhours alike. From the tough rolling bounce of "Intimate", to the trippy and adrnealised tunnel visdion of "Godsa" or the hypnotic and sensual deepenss of "Doctor High" - which gets an absolutely pumping remix by man of the moment Archie Hamilton (Fuse London/Moscow)
Review: Romanian power duo Claudiu-Eduard Balan and Andrei Predoi aka Vinyl Speed Adjust return to Visionquest for their third outing, after releases on top labels such as NG Trax, Jesus Loved You and of course their own VSA imprint. The Bucharest natives always deliver deeply hypnotic tech house of the most reliable calibre - that is a fact - and more of that quality awaits you on the Back & Forth EP. From the tough rolling funk of "On & Off" or "Noek" that's sure to rock the main room, while deeper tackle that is perfect for cruise control at the afterhour is catered for on the moody cuts "Blue Notes" and "Late Shuffle".
Review: Upon first glance you'd have fairly good idea of who this is and you're quite right: it is indeed Shaun Reeves, alongside Maher Daniel and Amir Javasoul being the creatures in question. The Visionquest head honcho taking up the reins with the Canadian duo for the label's next release - the former fresh off debuting the Shantu label with Tuccillo recently while the latter are fast picking up support by heavyweights like Ricardo Villalobos, Zip and Rhadoo. Starting off with the bumpy minimalistic shuffle funk of Mind Over Matters, the deep and trippy hypnotism of "Blinj" which is perfect for the afterhours as is "Out Of Orbit" which closes EP out in total 'let's get weird!' kind of style.
Review: Detroit based acid techno & house Producers Ataxia are up next on hometown heroes Visionquest. Eric Ricker and Ted Krisko follow up great releases on label co-head Seth Troxler's Play It Say It, Nervous and Culprit here, with two dynamic tech house cuts. First up is the emotive dub techno influence of "VHS" (original mix) which gets properly, deep, cavernous and glacial much in the same vein of revered Motor City acts like Deepchord and Luke Hess. "Kodak Moment" (original mix) on the other hand is more reminiscent of their usual work: this woozy and cerebral cut features some wobbly acid bass action over some steely yet restrained rhythm patterns. It then receives a nice rework by label head honcho's Shaun Reeves & Ryan Crosson, whose moody and introverted edit takes it deeper into the afterhours on an impressive cut that will no doubt receive a rinsing at The Electric Pickle and The Old Miami (on an ill-fated morning) this Summer.
Review: Unblock Music main man Tuccillo is back again on Visionquest with three servings of slinky and sexy deep house music on the Full Time EP. Starting out with the smooth and sultry low slung groove of "Keep It Down" he then gets stuck into the rolling yet subtle tech house tool "Take DB"; just wait 'til those emotive Larry Heard style pads come swirling in! He closes this great EP out with the title track which is emotive deep house at its funky and finest; this has the kind of bounce to it which earned him releases on I'm A House Gangster. So go figure!
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