Review: Ganbatte's latest affair may be all-star affair, but Fabiolous Barker rightly takes top billing thanks to delivering two takes on his latest track, "The Expert". He opens the EP with a hybrid electro/disco flavoured "Old Skool Re-Master" full of whispered vocals, crunchy guitars, throbbing synth-bass and tight horn blasts, before returning at the end with a "Funka-Masta-House" version that underpins the music with a head-nodding house style beat. In between you'll find the bouncy, Hi-NRG era Latin disco-house insanity of Dim Zach's "La Habernaro", the dreamy harmony vocals and ear-pleasing nu-disco grooves of Carlos Gatto's "Call It Love" and the alien funk masterclass that is Don Dayglow's "Gotta Say Yes", a suitably throbbing revision of an old Yello favourite.
Review: Subwoofah are rolling things out nicely here with a joint four-tracker from Grimesy and Speaker Louis, who manage to combine riotous jungle with more considered tones to great effect. 'It Was' lands more on the side of the former except it smashes out the jump up stabs over a staggered, junglist undercarriage which injects a whole new dynamic of broken, torn energy to create a proper choon. 'What You Do' is a bit more stripped back, a bit more focused on the drum side of things and it works really well, sub-bass stabs abound in the gaps and its all just very sick. Top work you two.
Review: Ever turn up to a slightly strange but inviting house party to find a DJ playing a list of your favourite tracks - although you have no idea where they're from? It's label like Minimatic that keep the party going for another decade. Where electro-swing goes for sped up ballroom and big band jazz, Minimatic's approach to genre reformation takes the likes of UK pop (Oasis and "Owner of A Lonely Heart"), US hip hop ,(Eminem, Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga) to slices of R&B via Ed Sheeran and dresses them up latin rhythms of baile and urban funk, adding touches of turntablism, jazzy horns and keys to lowriding grooves.
Waiting For The Sun To Rise Again - (5:56) 116 BPM
Anno 1123 - (4:40) 87 BPM
That's My Tribe - (5:26) 128 BPM
Testing LF OSC - (6:08) 129 BPM
Metallic Synthesis - (5:34) 128 BPM
The Social Mark - (5:58) 126 BPM
Destructive Place - (3:42) 121 BPM
Review: With releases notched up on Subosc and Circular Limited, Cavum now debuts on Rhod. Thrones is an expansive affair, moving from the emotive synths of "Waiting For The Sun To Rise Again" into the wobbling bass and whiplash percussion crackle of "Anno 1123". On "That's My Tribe", Cavum heads down a rolling techno wormhole, while on "Testing LF OSC" and "Metallic Synthesis", he opts for different approach to the dance floor; layering filtered chords and eerie synths over a rolling groove, both tracks pack a powerful punch. Meanwhile, "The Social Mark" sees him change tact once again with its stripped back rhythm and throbbing bass designed for maximum impact.
Review: Previously best known for offering up a handful of tasty singles on Sleazy Deep, Skeleton Keys pops up on Bandolier with a first solo single in almost 12 months. First up is "Barrio Fever", a wonderfully dubbed-out, bass-heavy and dancefloor-friendly revision of a much-loved disco-era chunk of Latin funk headiness. Skeleton keys has wisely retained many of the key original elements - think glistening guitar riffs, layered percussion and ear-catching horn motifs - while beefing up the bass and adding plenty of delay effects. "Not Whom You Seem" gives a similar sonic treatment to what sounds like an early 80s synth pop/AOR disco workout. It's good, though we still prefer "Barrio Fever".
Review: Not many people pump out music at the rate of knots managed by a certain Mr Conrad Subs, a highly prolific producer whose styles ranges widely all over the scene, from stuttering jungle strikes to flowing liquid lusciousness. Here he's firmly sitting down in the heavy chair, wiggling his bum and getting comfortable, as he lays out across four-tracks on Ten Ton Beats in spectacular fashion. 'Fatman' is an especially potent slice, as sharp wooden drum hits permeate throughout its wobbling, swelling bassline that packs a shedload of attitude. He also teams up with Damageman on 'Finally', a powerful weapon that makes tidy use of a cool little sample to give that extra bit of oomph to an already big drop.
Theory Of Revolution (feat Georges Perin) - (3:54) 84 BPM
Realistic (feat Georges Perin) - (4:23) 94 BPM
Restart (feat Jammaroots) - (4:52) 96 BPM
Liberty Is Our Destiny (feat Gobey) - (4:55) 105 BPM
Economic Boom (feat The Mage - album version) - (4:06) 110 BPM
Tropicaliente (feat Georges Perin) - (5:14) 94 BPM
I'll Be Ok (feat Georges Perin) - (3:30) 102 BPM
Smoke Miash (Santuri version) - (4:27) 96 BPM
Dubwarp - (5:31) 94 BPM
Tweaky - (5:15) 98 BPM
Dub In Disco (feat Tasos Fotiou) - (5:01) 100 BPM
Reggae On Dope - (5:18) 110 BPM
Blessed - (5:15) 111 BPM
Soulfiction (2019 mix) - (3:45) 100 BPM
Bullshit (2018 version) - (4:39) 105 BPM
Discogirls (Discofunk version) - (5:24) 60 BPM
Afrofunk (feat Emma - remaster) - (5:22) 116 BPM
Yuil Disco Breaks (Soundsystem version - remaster) - (5:44) 112 BPM
Not Bad Disco - (5:37) 55 BPM
Review: Album number four here from Angelos Stoumpos and friends. It comes hot on the heels of trailer single Realistic, but the latter's languid doo-wop soul vibes, however excellent, aren't really indicative of the album as a whole, which packs a lot more reggae and dub than it does soul and funk. Standouts include the dubbed-out 'Tweaky' and the skankin' 'Liberty Is Our Destiny', which sports an old school-sounding scratch break in the midsection and a dancehall vocal courtesy of Gobey, while funk and disco lovers are catered for with cuts like 'Discogirls', 'Afrofunk' and fine, jazz-tinged closer 'Not Bad Disco'.
Review: After a great first release from NonniMal, Icelandic label Lahar is back with a new drop from Den Nard Husher, who was also recently spotted on US label Strobelight Network. The project is a collaboration between Octal Industries and Vector, and finds the pair conjuring up a limber strain of techno with industrial tones and textures but a more springy execution that makes it sound undeniably fresh. "Vector" is especially strong in this regard, while "Februar" juggles a smart array of wriggling rhythmic elements to create a highly technical club track with sound design and FX to get synapses firing all over the joint.
Hotmood - "Only Your Mom Calls Me Daddy" - (5:44) 120 BPM
The Owl - "Shake" - (5:39) 113 BPM
Frank Virgilio - "Out Here" - (5:01) 105 BPM
Labour Of Love - "Good Feelin'" - (9:52) 123 BPM
NFC & Key Sokur - "City Affair" - (5:52) 106 BPM
Woodhead - "Pleasure Departure" - (6:30) 104 BPM
Review: Gather round: Editorial is revealing the contents of the mythical "Disco Scrolls", a sacred document for all those who kneel at the altar of the Church of Nu-Disco. It contains eight audio commandments, all of which should be listened to intently. Salvation comes first via the fluid nu-disco positivity of Bica's "Endless Rhodes" and the disco-house grooves of the soulful and musically expansive "Because I'm Black" by Old Chap. Elsewhere, you'll find righteous testimony from Hotmood (via the deep disco-funk of "Only Your Mom Calls Me Daddy"), The Owl (the boisterous horns and filter tricks of "Shake"), Frank Virgilio (the lolloping party disco-funk of "Out Here"), Labour Of Love (the bassline-driven percussion-fest that is "Good Feelin") and NFC and Key Sokur (the rubbery and down-low disco fun of "City Affair").
Review: With "Rhythm & Waves", Russian producer Sunner Soul seems to be daydreaming of sunnier and warmer times. There's certainly something suitably sun-kissed about the title track, which gently beefs up and re-arranges a bouncy, Clavinet-heavy chunk of groovy disco-funk that comes smothered in atmospheric party sounds. The tighter, slap bass-sporting "Universal Disco" explores similar sonic territory, while "Red Hot Disco" sees him layer up the percussion and filter sweeps on a joyful, mid-set workout. Elsewhere, "Let's Somebody Love" is a soaring slice up tooled-up disco-soul and "Get ready With Me" is a fine slab of string-laden boogie brilliance that sounds like it was beamed down from a distant disco planet.
Review: Sacred Spaces is John Ov3rblast aka Ioannis Vlastaris' follow up to his 2017 long player, Sounds Of The Universe. Issued on his own Spaceal Orbeats imprint, it sees him deliver a master class in left of centre electronic music. It ranges in style from the Sandwell District-esque hypnotic steeliness of "Aldebaran" into dubbed out pieces like "The Outsider" and "Compuphonic" as well as the atmospheric space techno of "Guiding Missions" and the dramatic "Autonomous Orbit", the latter being somewhat reminiscent of Vapourspace. Clearly, Vlastaris is at home making a wide variety of underground electronic music - the common bond is his ability to focus on the deeper end of the spectrum.
Review: Thunder Jam's latest EP comes from a producer yet to make his (or her) mark in music, the capital letter loving REZ. The artist has another EP due out on Hatched soon; if this debut EP is anything to go by, that will be well worth a listen. We're particularly enjoying the chugging, slow-motion disco-rock head-nod that is opener "Too Cool To Be Careless", a revision of a well-known 1980s AM radio hit that will have your dancefloors singing along when the chorus eventually drops. Elsewhere, "Believe In Magicians" re-imagines a quirky and bluesy swing number into a locked-in chunk of hip-house, while "It Was All A Dream" successfully rearranges a slap-bass sporting chunk of "juicy", 80s-inspired 1990s hip-hop/R&B.
Review: As ever with JohnnyPluse, we are in for a treat as he lands yet again onto BulaBeats for a phenomenal display in breakbeat brilliance across twenty incredibly well produced originals. There is something on this project for everyone, from the colourful landscaping and bouncing drums of 'You Are Home' to the more tribal percussive smacks of 'Eat Your Government' and junglist inspired arrangements of 'The Wiggle'. There are a couple of clear stand-outs across this twenty track bonanza, including the euphoric drum breaks of 'Fantastic' and the smooth harmonies of the disco edition of 'Liquid Gold'.
Review: When we heard the news that Cimm had an album on the way, we could barely contain our excitement. When we then learnt it was to be featured on Sentry, our expectations tripled, and boy does Cimm deliver! The project takes the name 'Unknown Caller!!' and is a perfect embodiment of what today's deep dubstep scene represents, from the irresistible sub pressures of 'The Corner' alongside Rider Shafique to eastern-dub hybrids of 'Blue Sapphire' and lower tempo bass quakes of 'I Am Jack Travis'. The collaborations are fruitful on this one, as Cimm also invites Youngsta, Mr K, SGT Pokes, Riko Dan and Animai to take part in what is undoubtedly one of the strongest dubstep projects of the year.
