Review: Possibly the hardest-working producer in drum & bass right now, Actraiser returns to Focuz with a double track EP stashed with retro goodies and fresh ideas. "You Don't Know" is a fast-paced roller crammed with vocal snippets, percussive samples and big synth pads. Working out the madness is half the fun. Following up is "Planetary Systems", a cosmic tinged offering packing huge old school flavours swooning high over the wobble of a deep subby bassline. Gorgeous stuff here, each release from this guy just gets better.
Review: UK-based producer Actraiser blends his frenetic, complex style to beautiful liquid backdrops in this stunning EP for Fokuz. Luckily, he's perfectly adept at blending both his high-energy beat-chopping and glorious, otherworldly harmonies, so the result throughout each track is pretty amazing. Sparkling with fresh, spritzy production and underpinned by deep rumbles of soft, velvety bass, there's textures upon textures upon textures, all waiting for listeners to diver right in.
Review: Celsius mainstay Actraiser gets busy with four more prime examples of liquid perfection. "Inner Beauty" comes complete with outer beauty too, all cascading keys and Logistics style sub pressure, it's rich, warm and full bodied. "Get It On" oozes more of a classic Good Looking feel with mild ice pads, deep space laced around each drum element and a honeyed vocal sample. Dig deeper again and you'll find a cinematic quality in the choral textures of "Road To Enlightenment" and fine balance of star-gazing and roof raising on the spine-melting "Cosmic Shift". Beautiful...
Review: Greek label Kraak brings us another collection of lower-paced electronic grooves. As it's the fifth volume, fans of the label will have a pretty good idea what to expect already, but for anyone who's new to the series, contained herein you'll find plenty for ammunition for your Balearic and post-club sets - think muted, ponderous beats, dusty old jazz samples, hazy synths, fluttering Spanish guitars, birdsong and ocean sounds. Things do pick up a little tempo-wise towards the end of the album, though, to the extent that DJ Mas Corazon's 'A Better Day' could even find its way onto soulful house floors.
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