Review: Deep in the Jungle continue their onwards march with this, the seventh edition in their widely acclaimed Anthems series, a compilation that always finds the ideal mix of current and future talent to showcase. In the case of the former, well-travelled producers Epicentre and Kumarachi roll things out and tear them down on 'Light Em Up', which features a gnarly array of interlinked bass nodes and torn low frequency sonics, al underpinned by a percussion section that's the perfect blend of rusty and sharp. New talent emerges in the form of Trobe and Mirage, who have their first label release with '89', although you wouldn't have guessed it based off this tune's razor clean percussive edge and expert use of space, a hard thing to get right and one this pair blow out the water here. Rave samples, expansive basslines and a synth arrangement you won't be able to shake - unmissable. 34 tracks later and Deep in the Jungle have nailed every single one of them - big ups.
Deep In My Heart (Alternate version) - (7:03) 123 BPM
Review: For all the hype that often surrounds young, up-and-coming producers, it's often the case that it's the more established heads that deliver more consistently. We'd argue that's the case with Shur-I-Kan, AKA long-time Freerange and Lazy Days producer Tom Szirtes. He barely puts a foot wrong throughout this latest four-track outing, matching his usual ear for mood and melody with rock-solid grooves and a few decidedly old school touches (see the cut-up soulful house vocals on bouncy opener "Deep In My Heart", or the sweeping strings and darting synth-bass that dominate the Alternate Version of the same track). In the 'best track' stakes, it's a toss up between the rubbery, boogie-tinged warmth of "Withdrawal Method", and the sparkling, piano-heavy retro-futurism of "Track Two".
