Review: Will 2017 see the emergence of UK techno's 'golden age' as a key reference point? That seems to be the message from this debut release on Who's Susan. While William Caycedo's remix of Axefield's "SNY" is informed by the snappy drums of 90s deep house, both Raar and Axefield venture to the earlier part of that decade for inspiration. The original version of "SNY" is littered with martian bleeps and spacey chords as its languid groove unravels. Better still is Raar's "Santori"; the synths have a ghostly, haunted feeling and the brittle, acid soaked rhythm sounds redolent of artists like B12.
Review: Dutch conceptual label Who's Susan are back after a slew of awesome releases by scene favourite DJ Windows XP. This time they have recruited the services of London's Federico Lange (Axe On Wax Records) and Deejay Astral (Steel City Discs/Shall Not Fade - now based in Berlin) for some nifty lo-fi house shenanigans. Lange is up first with the moody late night jack of "Electric Relaxation" and gets things off to a great start, leading up to the tough and swing fuelled roller "Shut 'Em Down" which is covered in a nice sheen of dust: this will appeal to fans of Robsoul or I'm A House Gangster style stuff. Samuel 'Astral' Walker's contributions take a much more mature approach and flirt with the deeper end of the spectrum. The emotive and sombre introversion of "Duality" respectfully takes it cues from greats like Larry Heard or Theo Parrish, while "Metaphysical Therapy" is more upbeat take on classic US house from the early '90s.
Review: The Who's Susan team have delivered a real gem with this one as they welcome the wonderful sounds of Match Box across a fabulous three-track expanse. We begin with the shifting atmospheric pad textures and warbling sub-bass textures of 'Amethist', a worthy title track and a solid introduction to the Match Box sound. Following this we are introduced to a more dancefloor influenced blend of acidic moogs and tidy breaks by the name of 'DR From Space', inside which we are joined by Exo Moda for some slick additional production work. Finally 'Mutation Gamble' allows our outro to be doused in emotive melodic structure and drifty harmonies, layered inbetween classy breaks for a perfect sign off.
Review: Breakbeat, acid and electro vibes in the house from new school emerging act, Match Box. Delivering a third installment to the Who's Susan label, this six-track mini-LP ventures through deeper 303 basslines and Middle-Eastern tendencies in tracks like "Fluidum" and "Mutation Gamble" - which in particular holds down a new age feel that this EP fully represents. With breakbeat attitudes on show in numbers like "Amethist", trance inspirations also find their way through tremolo synth and vocal effects, with ambient and jungle tips to be found in a most lovely "Kafkaesque". "Rain Check", the title track here, delivers something as Clone West Coast series as it is '90s trance love. Old sounds, new heat.
Review: Next up on the ever-more experimental Who's Susan catalogue listing, a weight appearance from the one and only Bastian Benjamin, unloading a feisty display of metallic mastery. We begin with the octane drum designs and overall eerie atmospheric designs of 'Magnetism, which fuses a catchy vocal sample and bulbous bass designs with some of the most unique drum sampling we've heard in a long period of time. On the flip to this, we dive into another pumping masterclass of bubbling dungeon-ready drips, as 'Strange Matter' does what it says on the tin and provides us with a truly unique sonic experience. Another solid outing for the Who's Susan team on this one!
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