Review: Pre-pandemic, James Dyer was a rising star on the Bristol club scene, with a trademark sound that tended towards the cosmic, chugging and otherworldly. Here he makes his production bow as Chez de Milo on local label Futureboogie, beginning brilliantly with the throbbing, paranoid and wide-eyed 'Bushwa', where intense, undulating acid lines, bleeping melodies and seriously spooky pads bubble away atop a thrusting, bass-heavy groove. His love of bleeps and ambient techno era electronics is further explored on 'Mantella' and the more dubbed-out, sub-heavy trip that is 'Golden Ratio'. Also worth a listen is the Smagghe & Cross version of 'Bushwa', which features two long dark and driving sections of trippy dancefloor pleasure divided by a brilliantly bizarre ambient breakdown.
Review: Alexander Lay-Far is undoubtedly one of the most talented house producers of his generation: an artist whose love of expansive instrumentation is matched by a keen sense of what works on the dancefloor. His first outing on Marcel Vogel's Lumberjacks in Hell imprint is typically impressive, though the artist's liberal use of hip-house style breakbeats is a surprise. This being Lay-Far, they come laden with intricate musical details on both 'Good Thing' (think saucer-eyed female vocal snippets, deep sub-bass and poignant piano motifs) and 'Up We Go' (dusty jazz piano, funky jazz-funk bass and colourful chords). Elsewhere, 'Heavy' is a rave-ready fusion of broken beat and breaks rich in old school stabs, while closing cut 'My Reflection' adds US garage swing and UKG bass to jaunty jazz-house musicality.
Review: By his usually prolific standards, Ben Worrall AKA Crackazat has been rather quiet of late, with 2020 producing just one release of note - a rather good EP on Freerange. Here he strides into 2021 with another label debut, this time for Detroit Swindle's Heist Recordings. The headline attraction is undoubtedly 'Alfa', a chunky-but-breezy slab of jazzy piano house perfection that's later given a more classic-sounding deep house tweak from Detroit scene stalwart Rick Wade. Elsewhere, 'Class One' is a rushing, life-affirming dancefloor treat tailor-made for sun-soaked outdoor dancing, and 'Tiger's Eyes' sees Worrall add mind-altering TB-303 motifs, sustained organ chords, swirling synth-strings and rushing riffs to another energetic, peak-time ready house beat.
Review: Easily the most anticipated album of 2021 so far, legendary UK duo Bicep are lighting it up right now with a second full length album for Ninja Tune. It follows their self-titled debut from 2017 and it sees the pair filling the UK and its neighbouring Europe with hopes, dreams and premonitions of the day we get to go clubbing again. Weaving a new age sound of synths and trance through futuristic beats and drum sequences that take in everything from two-step and house to drum and bass, jungle and techno, Bicep bring the experimentations of eras past to the minds of a mainstream audience to deliver an album that will set fire to the underground as much as it will the dance charts of the new year. Our pick: Sundial.
Review: We've long thought that there must be some unreleased gold within Larry Heard's vast archives of unreleased productions. It seems that the man himself thinks so, too, because he's launched a brand-new series dedicated to showcasing unheard gems and hard-to-find tracks. The debut release in the series, Vault Sessions 1, begins with a genuinely historic gem, 'Chains', which boasts some mood-enhancing freestyle vocals from Ron Wilson and was originally recorded in 1987 during the sessions for Fingers Inc debut album Another World. Elsewhere, 'Electronic Debris' is an acid-fired deep house stomper from 2003; 'Seraspence' is a deep and off-kilter deep house excursion recorded in 2002; and 'Nyte Light' a deliciously stripped back and alien-sounding 2013 acid jam.
Review: As its' rather matter-or-fact title makes clear, this 15-track opus gathers together some of the finest remixes released on Dirt Crew Recordings to date. It's well worth a listen, featuring as it does an attractive mix of loopy, bass-heavy hedonism (Nachtbraker reworking The Revenge), sumptuous NYC deep house warmth (the legendary Kerri Chandler adding a chunky new spin to Dam Swindle's Mayer Hawthorne hook-up), analogue-rich hypnotism (Mark E re-imagining Chymera), rushing brilliance (Strip Steve flipping Lorenz Rhode), jazz-house-goes-hip-house (Fouk re-framing A Bunch of Guys) and much more besides. We're particularly fond of the remixes by Morning Factory, Art of Tones and Jesse Futerman, though the quality and variety is so good throughout that picking out highlights is genuinely difficult.
Review: Last autumn, Eli Escobar delivered a swathe of rather good single-track salvos. It's these that have been gathered together on Night Class, a five-track mini-album that showcases the increasing musical diversity of his dancefloor-focused sound. That much is proved by the first two tracks, where the bold, beautiful, vintage-sounding synths and throbbing bottom-end of 'Blue Magic' is followed by the glassy-eyed, nu disco-tinged piano house bliss of 'Give Love'. Escobar's increasing use of late 1970s and early '80s synth sounds continues on 'Night Class', while 'This Is Not Going To Be An Ambient Track' sits somewhere between revivalist Chicago jack and slow-burn deep house warmth. As for closing cut 'What You Said', it's pleasingly crunchy, foreboding and sweaty.
Review: 'Here (Now)' first appeared as the B-side of the 2020 Vision released 'Over You' single way back in 2003. The deep house stalwart decided to revisit it last year and here presents the results alongside the still delicious original - an ultra-deep, locked-in late-night affair full of drowsy chords, arpeggio-driven synth bass and spacey keys that still sounds as good as it did all those years ago. The Canadian's own '2020: A Space Disco Odyssey' revision undoubtedly takes it up a notch, focusing more on the arpeggio-driven bassline while adding starry electronic flourishes, melancholic strings and deep, intergalactic chords. Equally as impressive is Prins Thomas's epic 'Discomiks', a ten-minute workout that sees the Norwegian layer Fred Everything's keys, chords and samples atop his own live-sounding drums and dub disco bass.
Review: Ever wanted to know what a Luke Vibert bassline can really sound like? Look no further than the first few bars of "Batter Bits". It's one half of the tracks Vibert has given this EP split with London-based duo Posthuman of Balkan Vinyl. This second Unitary Covert Sonic Procedures release sees Vibert send in a futuristic slice of hip-house primed by that Kill Bill siren too, next to Posthuman's old school and rave worthy "2 Jack 4 U". Get that extra hardcore touch and Laurie Anderson feel through the gnarly and infected acid of "Hidden Blade. Seriously covert. Undeniably sonic.
Review: If it's emotive, melodious dance music you're after, All Day I Dream's twice-yearly 'sampler' compilations are hard to beat. 2021's edition of their Winter Sampler series is another cracker and offers an attractive mix of previously unheard treats from both established label regulars and relative newcomers. There's naturally plenty to set the pulse racing throughout, from the warming haziness and rising melodies of Somelee's 'Sansara' and the Isolee-influenced bubbliness of Mono Electric Orchestra's 'Antartica', to the glacial electronics, deep chords and shuffling grooves of 'Endora' by Slow Hearts. Additional highlights include the pitched-down chug of Qess's 'Sarraqa', the rushing bliss of Nopi's fittingly titled 'Unforgettable Dawn', and the twinkling lead lines and bass-heavy grooves of Paul Deep's 'Aeras'.
Review: Second time around for the Sunburst Band's 'He Is', a track that first featured on the revivalist disco, soul and jazz-funk outfit's 2004 album The End of Time. This time round the headline attraction is a fresh revision from Freerange co-founder Jimpster, who combines snippets of the band's rich, organic instrumentation with his own drowsy late-night chords, tough beats and booming bass to deliver a properly driving, ultra-deep club rocker. Those who like energy and dreaminess will love it. The EP also offers another chance to listen to band founder Dave Lee's 2005 'Club Mix', a rather fine fusion of bustling deep house and glassy-eyed jazz-funk flourishes that boasts some seriously soaring improvised vocals and synth solos to die for.
Review: Earlier in the year, the team behind the popular Outplay label decided to launch a new imprint, 24 Carrot, in order to release, "the bits that don't necessarily fit on a regular Outplay EP". To prove their point, the imprint's first EP from Foul and Junktion danced between cut-up disco-house pumpers and wild, wonky house. There's a similar to feel to this follow-up from the same artists. Fouk kicks things off with two scorching workouts: a quirky house number whose numerous attractive musical elements include Turkish psych-funk style organ motifs and tons of sweaty additional percussion ('Winter Warmer'), and a spacey, synth-laden deep house stomper ('Chicken Dinner'). Junktion continues the percussive theme on the tough-but-rubbery, disco-funk-meets-house number 'Mustard', and the slightly deep disco-house flex of 'Smokes'.
Review: Here's something to savour: a rare solo outing on All Day I Dream from label co-founder Lee Burridge. The former Craig Richards collaborator hits the ground running with opener 'Satelite Girl', where melancholic lead lines, ghostly chords and blissful electronic motifs rise and fall over a smooth beat that sits somewhere between deep house and tech-house. There's a more outer-space feel to the dreamy, drowsy and atmospheric cut that follows, the picturesque and pleasing 'Diving Bell', while 'A Hymn For Your Dreams' is a chunky, deep tech-house treat. Tim Green provides the obligatory remix, brilliantly re-imagining 'Satellite Girl' as a sparkling slab of ultra-melodic dancefloor positivity.
Review: UK house music love childs Kassian make their way to Shall Not Fade with the Crush EP. Securing each of the tracks here with the pair's undeniable skipping rhythms, grooves and hi-hats, a sumptuous kick drum in "All I Know" squeezes its woozy atmosphere that bit more - with a soulful vocal to boot! The title-track throws down a techy set drums next to a melodically influenced bassline and percolating set of synths. With freestyle cosmic jazz taking effect in "Nuances", breathy vocals snippets are furthermore thrown into into a warm mix of cascading chimes and doubled up kick drums perfect for that next sun-glazed and mecholic trip to the dancefloor.
Review: Still a relatively new project from Simon Neale, aka Dave Spoon, is Shadow Child, a project which first took off in 2016 with a release of Neal's own Food Music. A release with fellow BBC1 DJ Danny Howard (Nothing Else Matters) and Jerome Hill's Super Rhythm Tracks later and Shadow Child slides into the basement of Shall Not Fade club tracks series with this Bak 2 Skool EP. Going old school hardcore, rave and jungle on "Romford", get your undeniable house grooves from "FFFound" and a slightly techier "4U". Basslines, bleep and breakbeats go all the way in the referential "Have You Seen Mr G?" with a slight of trance capping of this fine release in "Crystl".
Review: Damian Lazarus' Crosstown Rebels imprint has been bringing some consistent quality over the last months, with releases by drum & bass legend DJ Krust and most recently Audiojack and Kevin Knapp's "These Days" which came with a killer remix by Pearson Sound. The label is now into the fourth edition in the SPIRITS compilation series, with highlights coming from Radio 1 legend Pete Tong teaming up with Italian tech house producer Alex Kennon on the slinky groove of "Apache", the ever reliable Francesca Lombardo with the mesmerising cosmic dancefloor journey "Freak On Sea" as well as Los Angelno pair Lubelski & Xkylar with the afterhours minimal shuffle of "Passion Fruits" and the Minus affiliated Matador with the lurking bass and moody atmospherics of "Vulture" - plus many more.
Review: Maya Bouldry-Morrison's first Octo Octa outing of 2021 is, as expected, rather good. Appearing on the T4T LUV NRG imprint she founded with life partner Eris Drew, the EP's three tracks wrap typically psychedelic and kaleidoscopic electronic sounds around tried-and-tested, club-ready grooves. While closing cut 'Spell For Nature' is a slow-build affair seemingly designed to begin sets - think long ambient intros, glassy-eyed distant piano sounds, whispered vocals and increasingly prominent beats - both 'Goddess Calling' and 'Find Your Way Home' are as tough as they are hallucinatory. Both see Bouldry-Morrison wrap drowsy pads and twisted electronic motifs around a mixture of crunchy house drums, sweaty breakbeats and - for a few heady moments - grooves seemingly inspired by early psy-trance.
Review: As the title suggests, this dazzling EP is a trans-Atlantic collaboration between two genuine rising stars of house music: Colombian Felipe Gordon, and London's Cody Currie. Musically, the overriding theme of the EP is loose-limbed jazziness and the warming colour of jazz-funk, with the pair setting the tone via the ultra-deep broken beat vibes of 'Better Days' and the sparkling deep house/jazz-funk fusion of Ally McMahon hook-up 'Cold Nights'. 'Late Nights' is a cheery piano-house number laden with spacey synthesizer flourishes, while 'Our Love' is smooth and soulful deep house at its very best. The EP also includes a solo track from each, with Gordon's languid vocal deep house number 'I'm On Fire' being followed by Currie's bumpin' and bass-heavy 'No Future'. In a word: essential.
Review: With multiple releases on Salted Music, Simma Red and Street King to his name, Soledrifter (real name Dimitry Mescheryakov) is well-established within the global house scene. Here the Canada-based Russian returns to Peppermint Jam with a second single for the long-running German imprint (his first appeared back in 2018). 'Need To Get Down' offers the perfect balance between rubbery disco and jazz-flecked deep house warmth, with rich chords, dewy-eyed female vocal snippets, jaunty synth riffs and short sax samples enveloping funky bass guitar and organic-sounding drums. 'That Chance' is deeper and more immersive in tone, with Mescheryakov tipping a wink to the spacey sounds of late '90s UK tech-house/deep house fusion.
Review: Introducing an artist that's been on the scene for some three-to-four years now - and picking up plaudits by the release - is Russian funk, disco and soulsmith ScruScru. He arrives on Omena - of course home to the music of HNNY, Seb Wildblood and Mella Dee among others - and does so with the suggestion of a return visit. But first and foremost, South Wind, Clear Sky Part 1 brings the sounds of ScruScru (real name Anton Bogomolov) to a whole new cosmic level - just take one listen to "Maneki-Neko". With the artist's blend of jazz-funk, seductive disco-powered house, topping percussion and warm rhodes, ScruScru's experimental beatmaking goes west!
Review: While some labels have scaled back their output during the ongoing global pandemic, Shall Not Fade has not let up. The Bristol-based label's latest must-check release is a typically jazzy deep house mini-album from experienced German producer Tilman. There's not enough room to detail every track on offer, but we'd suggest starting with energetic, techno-tempo opener 'Relax Yourself' (breezy jazz-funk-house on steroids), before moving on to the squelchy and tactile late-night hypnotism of 'Beauty In The Dark' (think Italian dream house with extra percussive drive) and the bumpin', sample-rich jazz-house goodness of 'Vice Versa', whose beats reminded us of some of Switch and Jesse Rose's work as Inducive. There are plenty more highlights scattered across the EP, making it a genuine must-check for deep house heads.
Review: Under the ALVA alias, Raphael Bureau-Mirat and Alexander Gueri previously impressed via releases on Chez Damier's Inner Balance imprint and Parisian label Pont Neuf. Here they return to the latter as Calmos & Berzingue, bringing with them a bolder and more forthright collection of cuts. They begin by peppering a bouncy beat with jaunty synth riffs and smile-inducing chords on 'Java', before opting for chunkier, heavier bass, psychedelic acid lines and a few exotic melodic flourishes on the rather good 'Pali Kao'. 'Piat' is a sunnier, warmer and slicker slab of tactile deep house gold, while 'Burnouf' is a wonderfully positive, retro-futurist house treat.
Review: After six long years, Bent's Naill Tolliday has decided to re-activate his lesser-known Smoke alias, a pseudonym he has previously used to showcase the more minimalistic, dub-fired and hypnotic end of his house and techno productions. As you'd expect, the tracks on EP3 fall into this loose category too. Check first 'DBSDUB2', a hypnotic and trippy dub house number wrapped in spacey, late '90s UK tech house synths, before admiring the more percussive but no less drowsy or immersive 'BAQDUB'. There's a sleazier late night feel to the similarly dub techno influenced throb of 'HOTARU', while 'BAUCH3' is the kind of gently loved-up and locked-in number that would sound superb ushering in daybreak at a remote outdoor free party.
Review: Mexican maestro Joseph Terruel enjoyed a relatively successful 2020, with his numerous releases on Deep Sense and Paraiso Musique all coming under the 'must check' category. His first outing of 2021 showcases a single track, 'Riding High', but it's another good one. Chunky, thickset and hypnotic, it sees him wrap swirling synths, filtered samples and well-chosen disco snippets around a rubbery bassline and bustling beats. It's basically a loopy disco-house box jam, but its expert construction - it just does what it needs to at exactly the right times - makes 'Riding High' a sure-fire dancefloor winner. To be honest, we'd expect nothing less from Terruel.
Review: Having spent 2020 bouncing between Tropical Disco, Suol and Ondule Recordings, Hurlee confidently strides into 2021 and the loving arms of Esuoh. Those who appreciate his chunky, energy-packed take on deep house will find much to enjoy throughout, from the bumpin' beats, warm bass, dreamy chords, smile-inducing organ stabs and hazy horns of 'Never Love', to the tough but spacey, kick-drum-driven deep house funk of closing cut 'Chicago'. Sandwiched in between you'll find the smooth and groovy late-night headiness of 'Crystallic Sunshine', and the rolling chunkiness of 'Sweet Keys', where glassy-eyed female vocal samples catch the ear. Tried-and-tested tastiness from a master craftsman.
Review: Since she last appeared on Wolf Music back in 2018, Gene Tellem has gone on to release a handful of ultra-limited, vinyl-only missives that disappeared from record stores in double-quick time. It's good to have her back on digital download, then, via an EP that consistently hits the spot. She begins by taking us into deep space on 'Ain't Got Everything' - all smooth but jazzy synth bass, intergalactic electronics, bongo-laden beats and echoing female vocal samples - before offering up the squelchy, smile-inducing dancefloor dreaminess of 'Mind Readers' and the acid-flecked deep house retro-futurism of '2nd Time Around'. Also impressive is Jennifa Mayanja's remix of 'Ain't Got Everything, which has a breezier feel and features the twin delights of raw analogue bass and some classic-sounding pianos.
Review: Izhevski (real name Dimitry Pushkarev) is a serial collaborator whose joint productions have so far appeared on Shanti Radio, All Day I Dream and Watergate Records. Here he adds another label to his CV - Ruvenzori - via a fine hook-up with another experienced producer, Tim Green. Opener 'Mongolian Warrior' is a refined, melodious and emotionally rich affair, with deep, starry synthesizer chords and a deep analogue bassline wrapping around a typically swinging beat that should appeal to both deep house and tech-house DJs. 'Beacon' employs a similar drum track, though this time Green and Izhevski have smothered it in looped piano stabs, twinkling background electronics and echoing, eyes-closed vocal samples. Blissful stuff all round.
Review: Following his recent trans-Atlantic collaboration with Felipe Gordon on Shall Not Fade, Cody Currie returns to Toy Tonics with a swathe of guest musicians and vocalists in tow. Perhaps the most notable number - and given the quality on show, that's saying something - is 'Moves', a deliciously deep and jazzy vocal broken beat number featuring Eliza Rose that Currie later re-imagines as a Latin-tinged chunk of jazz-house heat (track five). There's plenty to get the pulse racing elsewhere across the EP though, with highlights including 'LS Anthem', another musically rich bruk-up workout featuring Andy K and Ally McMahon, and the toasty deep house soul of 'When The Time Is Right'. Impeccable.
Review: Sometime Springbok and Chopshop regular Andy Bach has been impressively prolific in 2021, with this outing on long-established West Coast US deep house label Salted marking his fifth release of the year to date. He starts in confident mood with 'You Got My Love', a bold, filter-happy chunk of extra-heavy house music rich in old school female vocal snippets, undulating synthesizer motifs and sparkling disco samples. That disco influence comes to the fore on title track 'Body Heat', a thickset and energetic party rocker where Chic style guitar motifs and filter-smothered instrumentation rise above a bustling, bass-heavy beat, while closing cut 'Feel Alright' is the kind of cheery but chunky disco-house number that Ian Pooley used to knock out in his sleep.
Review: Although the Lost Miracle label has released music from a variety of artists, its' most prolific producer is - somewhat fittingly - founder Sebastien Leger. The sometime All Day I Dream regular has, rather predictably, hit the mark once more on his latest two-tracker. We're particularly enjoying opener 'Stevie', a pleasingly melodious and smile-inducing affair that sees reverb-laden choral vocals, bubbly synthesizer marimba melodies and atmospheric electronics ebb and flow atop a locked-in deep tech-house groove. In contrast, 'Firefly' is closer in tone to the more refined end of neo-trance, with mazy electronic lead lines, arpeggio-driven bass and tuneful electronic flourishes catching the ear.
Review: Bari-based Nico Lahs has proved to be something of a musical chameleon over the last 10 years, subtly shifting between various strains of house and techno whilst striving to develop his own trademark style. Got Me Coming Back, his Delusions of Grandeur debut, is equally as diverse, with the producer utilising the EP format to showcase the breadth and depth of his club-ready cuts. He begins with the warming chords, thickset grooves, spacey electronics and fluid jazz-funk bass of 'Got Me Coming Back', before adding sweet melodic flourishes to a bustling, cymbal-heavy house beat on 'Deep Down in My Soul'. Shirts-off peak-time pump is provided by via the retro-futurist deep house throb of 'Your Sweet Lovin', while 'How's Life' is a jazzier and sunnier slab of sample-house goodness.
Review: We were very impressed by Saidera's debut double A-side release on Let's Play House, so hopes are naturally high for the trio's speedy sequel, Saidera Bloco Party. This time round they're in an unashamedly celebratory mood, joyously skipping between the 100 BPM carnival hypno-funk of 'Sarara', the stomping, solo-laden dancefloor exuberance of 'Sofrendo E Sorrindo' (a cheery and angling, horn-heavy fusion of samba, disco and house), the more low-slung, '60s style Latin funk-rock of 'Ei Xara' and the crunchy brilliance of 'Rima Brasilliera', which sees them give their interpretation of Earth, Wind and Fire classic 'Brazilian Rhyme' with predictably impressive results.
Review: This rather fine EP delivers more multi-artist excitement from De La Groove, a label whose compilation-style EPs have become 'must check' affairs of late. It boasts impressive contributions from some genuine scene stars, including Italian deep house legend Don Carlos - see the wonderfully loved-up, retro-futurist colour of 'Kissin' (Club Mix) - and Art of Tones, whose 'Freaky Music' is a trippy, bumpin' and disco-tinged peak-time treat. The fun doesn't stop there though, with further must-check gems being provided by Good Vibrations Music chief Sean McCabe (the deep house/jazz-funk fusion of 'Take It On Up'), Reelsoul (the sumptuous, solo-heavy wonder that is 'Sunset') and XXXY (the deep disco-house shuffle of 'Eroma').
Review: Blue Chords is French keyboardist Steve Faets - you might have seen his YouTube piano cover of 'The Bells', as shared by Jeff Mills himself - and here he comes to Neo Apparatus with a superb three-tracker that'll delight lovers of deep house and classic US garage. 'U Rock' centres around looping funk guitar, organ chords and a sampled female (Ruby Turner?) vocal, 'Requiem Song' itself brings the organ parps well and truly to the fore, marrying them to a spoken, male French vocal, while 'Hey Man' takes us into jazzier, St Germain-esque territory with more fine organ work, another diva vocal and brushed snares a-gogo.
Review: Russian producer Muteng comes to Ukraine's Manuscript with a varied three-tracker. First up is 'DMMF', which is a housed-up re-edit of The Headhunters' classic 'God Made Me Funky' from back in 1973, and which would slot neatly into deep house and funk/disco sets alike. The EP's other original cut, '4 Gladys', operates in quite different musical territory, topping an ominous synth-bass throb redolent of new beat/EBM (albeit at a house tempo) with what appears to be the acapella version of Gladys Knight's 'Neither One Of Us' from 1972. The package is then completed by a chugging, midtempo remix of 'DMMF' from label boss Vincent Inc - think ALFOS or Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve.
Review: Next up from the Shall Not Fade team, we see them link up with Ruf Dug for a sumptuous new dancefloor-ready creation from Ruf Dug, who unveils his fabulous new 'Manc Sunset' project. We begin with the charming, sunshine laden arrangements and sweeping melodic structures of 'Addicted', which features a terrific original vocal from Danielle Moore. This also comes complete with a high energy rethink from the one and only Shanti Celeste, who adds an extra touch of disco-ready spice to the recipe. Next, 'Manc Sunset' itself explores colourful harmonic structure and unpredictable rhythms, before 'Lo-fi Roller' does exactly what it says on the tin, with some interesting vocal manipulation to match.
Review: Jozef K doesn't perhaps get the props he deserves, despite a lengthy career and an extensive discography that includes killer cuts on such labels as Chiwax, Let's Play House and Skint. He's in prime form on this two-tracker, which not only marks his first release of 2021, but also his debut on Tensnake's True Romance label. Title track 'Ichika' is simply brilliant, with the frequent Winter Son collaborator wrapping an energetic, sub-heavy groove in effortlessly dreamy chords and the kind of wonderfully emotive, undulating synthesizer lead lines that sound particularly potent when the sun is rising above, or sinking below, the horizon. In contrast, 'Play' is a touch quicker and more intergalactic in tone, with delay-laden drum fills and spacey chords catching the ear.
Review: Between 1990 and '92, Nottingham's Mark Gamble and Leroy Crawford released a series of Bleep-influenced cuts that have since become classics. This expansive EP gathers together some of their most potent cuts, throwing in a few lesser-known tracks for good measure. The key cut is 'Take Me Back', an excitable mixture of Unique 3 style raw bleeps, rumbling sub-bass, shuffling drums and rave-igniting synth stabs. Gamble's 2020 update is tastefully done and arguably even more potent than the original mix, while the 1990 'Bass-Head' mix and sub-heavy Rob Gordon Edit are both essential. Elsewhere, 'Frequency' joins the dots between bleep and dreamy Italian house; 'Wind Me Up' is simultaneously sleazy and rush-inducing; 'Night People' is deliciously low-slung; and 'Splat' a successful exercise in deep, melodious Bleep & Bass.
