Review: We dip nicely into the futuristic realms of bass music on this one as The Darrow Chem Syndicate join forces with the rapidly rising sounds of Nipponeer Japan, a label who seem to keep impressing at every turn. We begin on Philly Blunt's nostalgic rework of 'Get Loose', packed with hard hitting drum breaks and clever sampling, followed by the more hardcore bass tones and rolling drum work of Kuplay's remix of 'Like That!'. Following this, we finish up the project with Pray For Bass getting busy on an overhaul of 'The Salami Project'. Exciting material from start to finish on this one.
Review: It's a masterclass in modern house music as Fink and remixer Guido Schneider offer two different perspectives. The title track boasts lush, atmospheric chords, a seductive vocal and some loose chatter meandering in the background. It's reminiscent of 90s UK deep house and has that naive charm that so many producers strive for but fail to achive. By contrast, Guido Schneider's 'Break that Brain' remix is as contemporary as it gets; based on woodblock beats and dubby basslines, its filtered, jazzy keys are utterly tantalizing. Fink's own drum-heavy "Loose Powder" completes the package.
Review: It's become something of a cliche to point out Rayko's restless productivity, but it's nevertheless true that the Spanish producer does release rather a lot of material. To be fair to the Madrid man, this four-tracker for Midnight Riot is one of his stronger efforts. He begins with the life-affirming pianos and gospel vocals of "Hallelujah", before providing a sun-kissed re-dub of Fleetwood Mac's Balearic classic "Big Love" (here re-titled "Alone"). "That Sound" delivers an attractive blend of wiggly boogie synths, sharp riffs and fuzzy rock guitars, while "Get Loose" is a mostly instrumental re-recording of the Aleems' breakdance era electrofunk classic of the same name.
Review: Valique is currently neck and neck with Rayko in a furious battle for the title of disco's most prolific re-editor. Here he nudges in front by a nose thanks to another six-track selection of dancefloor-ready reworks. As usual, he adds his magic touch to a range of well loved and lesser-known cuts, kicking off with an undulating, party-hearty extension of David Bowie's "Fame". Stylistically, he keeps things eclectic, variously touching on hazy disco-funk ("Turn That Boogie Loose"), camp disco (the string-drenched, arms-aloft "Going Up"), white boy reggae-pop (a cheery, stretched out rendition of 10CC's "Dreadlock Holiday"), and heavily percussive disco-rock (the subtly house-friendly, filter-rich "You Gave Me Love").
Review: When a sound or style has been around for over two decades, there are two things a young producer can do with it: they can add their own twist, taking the sound in new directions, or they can stick faithfully to the original blueprint, proving they have the chops to compete with their first-generation forebears. This collection from Strictly House And Garage features 13 brand new speed garage and two-step cuts from as many artists, pretty much all of whom have chosen the latter route - it's been 20 years since this writer held down a UK garage residency, but when I heard this album it felt like five minutes ago! Excellent work all round.
Review: Comprising Italian duo Ennio Colaci and Fabio Corcos, Minimono are back with their second album - a funky masterclass stretched out over 13 essential tracks. While opener "My Sun" is a jamboree of samples merged together over a teasing beat, tracks like "New City" and "That Time" are house heaven, the latter especially showing off some heavy disco vibes, while the pair aren't afraid to slow things down for dreamy hip-hop Ableton jams like "Downtown". If you only check out one tune, try the slow, jacking jazz-house of "Regret" - a hazy, dusted-disco gem.
Review: Moodmusic's ever expanding soundscape delves even deeper with some of the finest underground productions from the likes of Audiofly, Geddes, Gavin Herlihy and Sasse. A tight ship, the label has produced another fresh sounding release ? testament to both the label's pool of artists and management.
Review: Consisting of producer Oliver Belz, keyboard player Andre Neundorf, and singer and multi-instrumentalist Kojo Ebenezer Samuels, Kojato here deliver their fantastic debut album All About Jazz. Heavily influenced by 60s soul and 70s funk as well as the sounds of Afrobeat as much as it is by jazz, the album goes from the 20s swing of "Lika A Gypsy" through the frantic pace and African rhythms of "Oudo Makasan" to the laid back dub of "That Kind of Feeling". The undoubted star of the album however is vocalist Kojo, who combines the smooth delivery of Fela Kuti with the gruff charm of Gil Scott-Heron, to create an album that is light years ahead of most contemporary jazz offerings.
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