Review: Two techno giants come together as DJ Rush makes his debut appearance with Adam Beyer on Drumcode. The title track features the Chicago native's ponderous vocals set to an insistent, pumping rhythm, scatter gun percussion and a booming bass. "Control" is a more visceral affair: inspired by Rush's exploration of Schranz, its drums are gritty and the use of dramatic, chiming bells and a darker vocal lend it a real sense of urgency. "Take Me There" has an ominous edge, with pounding drums and a dramatic filter sweeping through the arrangement, while Rush's remix of the title track resounds to relentless kicks and a menacing low end.
Review: Following on from a busy 2021 that featured a slew of releases on Drumcode and his own collaboration with DJ Rush, Adam Beyer now drops a killer solo release on his label. The title track is a peak time affair, with Beyer's signature drums underpinning waves of noisy filters, rave stabs and a looped vocal. It makes for a distinctive but effective piece of club techno. "Code Is The Code" is deeper, with Beyer creating a hypnotic, tranced out synth pattern, fusing it with a repetitive vocal narrative and setting it to a pulsating groove. On "Dub Embassy", he remains in a similar territory, but on this occasion, the dramatic melodies are combined with a throbbing bass and ethereal strings.
Review: This collaboration, originally released last year on Adam Beyer's label, now gets two different but equally effective remixes. First up is the Pleasurekraft pair with a peak time version. Underpinning the original track's vocals with a visceral bass, heads-down drums and murky riffs, it strikes a flawless balance between being functional and Pleasurekraft's idiosyncratic sound. John Monkman, who has released on Kompakt and Crosstown Rebels, has also supplied a remix. At first, his take sounds understated thanks to its low-slung rhythm and a more subtle use of the vocals, but a series of drum rolls quickly propel it towards the big room.
Review: Label boss Adam Beyer teams up with DJ Rush for the Chicago legend's debut on Drumcode. The duo know each other from the 90s European techno circuit, and you can hear flashes from that period on the title track, with Rush's rumbling vocals underpinned by a hypnotic drum track. "Control" is more grainy, as the revered duo deliver a pulsating bass that unfolds over heavy kicks, and again Rush's ominous vocal tones play out over the arrangement. "Take Me There" is typical of the Drumcode big room sound, with a sawtooth riff and surging chords set to a pounding groove, while Rush's own bass heavy take on the title track completing this heavyweight package.
Review: Drumcode head honcho Adam Beyer and Chicagoan legend Curtis Jones (aka Green Velvet) had discussed writing music together for a long time. Also, Beyer's protege Layton Giordani had admired the mohawked Jones' work for as long as he could remember. When he got to DJ alongside him at Belfast's Shine - the spark and subsequent friendship was immediate. The outcome of this respected trio's musical journey comes in the form of "Space Date" which will be familiar to many who've followed their sets over recent months. Featuring a relentless main room stomp with steely hats and droney synth leads, all accompanied by Green Velvet's trademark vocal delivery. The thunderous peak time energy of "Rome Future" is likewise guaranteed to rock the house - that killer Reese bassline particularly is sure to blow the doors off!
Review: "Teach Me" was originally released on Drumcode back in 2014 - and now label boss Adam Beyer hands the creative reigns over to Amelie Lens to provide two storming remixes. Unless you have been hiding up a gum tree for the past few years, it will have been impossible to have avoided her rise to stardom. Releases on Second State, Elevate and Arts, as well as unmissable gigs have raised her profile faster than her peers - and these reworks provide an insight into Lens' popularity. The main mix is a bruising, grungy workout that drops and builds to the sound of vocal samples, rolling break beats and a visceral bass. Meanwhile, the acid version will sear its way into your consciousness with a 303 line that stings as badly as a dying wasp.
Review: As CLR approach their tenth anniversary, Sweden's Adam Beyer delivers a track to help Chris Liebing's revered label celebrate. "Antisitus", which will appear on the imprint's tenth anniversary compilation, explodes into some loop heavy techno. Sure to destroy the big clubs and festivals this summer, this is a true monster in Beyer's immutable style. Brian Sanhaji's offer for the compilation, "Higgs", digs much deeper but keeps the driving sentiment the same. Warbling sub bass shakes the foundations here.
Review: CircoLoco Records is a new record label forged in partnership with the iconic video game creators Rockstar Games. After four editions of colour coded releases, we now have the entire collection of 20 tracks compiled here in one package. From the Black edition there's the tunneling techno of Adam Beyer's powerful "Break It Up", from the Violet edition you have Margaret Dygas' majestic broken beat journey "Wishing Well", TINI with the neon-lit disco of "What If, Then What?" featuring Amiture (Green) and Sama Abdulhadi with the steely and hypnotic techno of "Reverie" taken from the Blue series - plus many more.
Review: A big congratulations to Adam Beyer and his esteemed Drumcode imprint celebrating 20 years in the business. His techno powerhouse has continuously and effortlessly remained relevant, championing the work of fellow Swedish legends Cari Lekebusch, Joel Mull and Christian Smith, to late noughties heroes like Paul Ritch, Kyle Geiger and Pig & Dan to present day stars like Nicole Moudaber, Joseph Capriati and Luigi Madonna. There's a lot of serious peak time artillery on here, rest assured. But for us, the highlights weren't limited to Alan Fitzpatrick's uplifting and downright epic "Terra Firma" with its massive drop, head honcho Beyer and Mark Reeve's "Nine Of You" with its darkly fierce and tunnelling groove plus Truncate's killer remix of Dustin Zahn's "Miss You". Honourable mention to newcomer Boxia; he's surely one to watch if the banging "Revolution" is anything to go by!
Review: The sister label of legendary Ibiza club CircoLoco drops its latest split release. Representing a range of moods and flavours, Dreamin' moves from the soulful, deep house sounds of Lost Souls Of Saturn & TOKiMONSTA's "Revision of the Past", to more tracky iterations of house music, as Adam Beyer serves up the sparse "Break It Up", while on "Up In Flames", Bedouin drops a teased out, vocal-heavy piece of hypnotic house, replete with soulful, enticing vocals. Meanwhile, Tale of Us' "Nova Two" is a more dramatic affair, with tranced out hooks unfolding over a rolling groove that breaks and builds dramatically - effortlessly capturing a peak-time vibe.
