Review: In an industry where the term 'veteran' is bandied about far too freely, Colin Curtis is the real deal! His DJing career goes all the way back to legendary Northern Soul club The Golden Torch in the late 60s. In the 70s, he was a resident at Blackpool Mecca alongside Ian Levine, where he became one of the first DJs to introduce the more modern sound of jazz-funk to the scene. By the mid-80s he'd become an early UK champion of house, too, but these days it's on the jazz-dance scene that he's most revered - and here he serves up a 26-track connoisseur's collection that shows why. Ranging from straight-up jazz and soul to soulful house and leaning heavily towards the Afro- and Latin-flavoured, some of these cuts are recent offerings, some date back as far as the 70s, but on jazz-dance floors, all will go down a treat.
Review: Kieran Hebden, better known by his moniker Four Tet, has graced us with his first full-length album in nearly three years. "Three," released on his own Text Records imprint, is a meticulously crafted exploration of sound, weaving together elements of electronica, downtempo, and folktronica influences. The album strikes a balance between organic and electronic textures. Tracks like "Loved" showcase Hebden's signature ability to manipulate found sounds and samples, creating a shimmering sonic tapestry. "Gliding Through Everything" leans more towards the downtempo side, with its gentle piano chords and woozy atmosphere. However, Four Tet doesn't shy away from exploring the electronic realm. Tracks like "Daydream Repeat" feature driving uptempo rhythms intertwined with ethereal piano melodies, showcasing his talent for building tension and release. "Storm Crystals" injects a dose of ambient energy, while "Skater" leans into playful, almost chiptune-like melodies. The closing track, "Three Drums" (another pre-release single), brings back the energy with its pulsating bassline and infectious groove. Not to miss!
Review: Midnight Riot do their bit to address the much-discussed gender imbalance in dance music with a 25-track collection featuring an almost entirely female line-up (though a few possessors of Y-chromosomes do sneak in as collaborators). With big names like Kathy Brown, DJ Paulette, Rowetta, Caron Wheeler, Sulene Fleming and Natasha Kitty Katt nestling up alongside a host of more up-and-coming artists, the quality standard is high throughout, with the musical emphasis largely on good-time, Saturday night house and disco vibes, though there a few more gently paced moments - notably in the form of covers of Bobby Caldwell's 'What You Won't Do For Love' and Sade's 'Sweetest Taboo' - while Paulette & Massey serve up a pleasing dose of acid on 'Sheroes'.
Review: In keeping with the approach of its predecessors, the fourth annual Boogie Angst compilation brings together "cool cuts" from the past year and a smattering of exclusives and previously unreleased gems. As you'd expect from a label helmed by Kraak & Smaak, it's a genuinely joyous and celebratory affair, packed to the rafters with party-starting workouts. For proof, check the revivalist disco-boogie cheeriness of Titeknots' 'Feels Good 2 Me', the future soul shuffle of 'Treat U Good' by Moods, Noah Slee, Lyriya & Meron, the summery electrofunk sunshine that is Art of Tones' kaleidoscopic rework of LUXXURY's 'Just Like It Was Before', the Rhodes-laden warmth of Kraak & Smaak's nostalgic 'All I Need' and the spiritually-enriching Latin deep house shuffle of Osunlade's Yoruba Soul rework of his Casbah 73 collaboration, 'Let's Invade The Amazon'.
Review: Shall Not Fade has reached the ripe old age of eight, a cause for celebration in these troubled times for artists and labels. To mark the occasion, the Bristol-based imprint has offered up this vast, 34-track compilation featuring new and unheard cuts from its ever-expanding family of artists. Naturally, it not only reflects Shall Not Fade's output, but also that of its various offshoots and series. So, there's plenty of high-grade deep house and immersive, breakbeat-driven deepness, but also surging, high-tempo rave-era nostalgia (see the tracks by TESTPRESS and Sheffield sorts Adelphi Music Factory), bassline (ABSOLUTE & HRSN), futurist techno (Marc Brauner), deep electro (Halo), hip-hop revivalism (Lydia Eisenbatter), progressive house and trance-influenced loveliness (MNL), and much more besides.
Review: It's been slowly drip-fed to us over a 10-month period but now here at last is the full album. On 'Something Like That', Jalapeno bosses Skeewiff celebrate 25 years in the game by paying tribute to some of the music that's inspired them, delivering generally very faithful but also very accomplished reworks of classic tracks by artists ranging from The Winstons and Jimmy Smith to Dick Dale and Herb Alpert. New additions to the roster on this final version include Nancy Sinatra's 'These Boots Are Made For Walking', Muppets 'Mah Na Mah Na', Mel Tormé's Mod club standard 'Coming Home Baby' and, just to prove they're not taking themselves TOO seriously, Boots Randolph's 'Yakety Sax' - better known to most as the 'Benny Hill' theme.
Review: They've yet to make as much of an impact in the northern hemisphere but Melbourne-based outfit Mildlife are big news Down Under - their last (second) album 'Automatic' went Top 10 nationally in 2020, and won the ARIA award for Best Jazz Album to boot. Now they're back with long player #3, 'Closer', and it showcases a sound that's hard to pin down, with the album as a whole fusing elements of jazz-funk/jazz-fusion, Balearica, cosmic disco, psychedelic pop and modern indie, and even straying close to ambient territory on the title track. With the tempo seldom rising above walking pace ('Musica' being the only exception), there are no obvious dancefloor moments here - instead, it's an album that's best served whole, when in a mellower frame of mind...
Doctor Jeep & Tamarak - "Destroyer" - (5:22) 85 BPM
Review: Longtime friend of Worst Behavior, Doctor Jeep, drops the electrifying "Deep Red" EP, showcasing his signature versatility and collaborative spirit. This NYC-based producer, known for his dancefloor-igniting beats and genre-bending explorations, delivers a diverse sonic journey across four tracks. "Deep Red" kicks things off with the infectious title track, a collaboration with UK artist Grove. Grove's punk-infused energy and appreciation for soundsystem culture merge seamlessly with Doctor Jeep's production prowess, resulting in a head-turning banger. Further collaborations unfold with Australian producer Hedchef, known for his off-kilter club constructions. "I'm Rushing" blends breakbeat rave energy with a futuristic twist, guaranteed to keep bodies moving with its rolling grooves and wonky basslines. In "Hammerhead," Doctor Jeep pays homage to his Brazilian heritage by weaving Brazilian vocals with electro elements and a sparse, heavy beat reminiscent of club and grime influences. Next, Doctor Jeep delves into halftime territory with "Destroyer," a collaboration with Canadian producer Tamarak. The track builds slowly and deliberately, layering intricate techy breaks and percussion over a minimal soundscape. To close this EP, "Deep Red," receives a dubstep makeover courtesy of J:Kenzo. This high-energy remix transforms the original into a driving jungle and drum & bass beast. A genre-bending cracker here!
Review: Although it might still be too soon to call Texan producer DJ Poolboi a legend, his music is certainly starting to lean the way of legendary, with lo-fi house the artist's trademark. It's the boi's third album in four years across three labels and first on Shall Not Fade in which he's become something of a figure head, and Into The Blue Light signals potential for AOTY (Album of the Year). Filled with deep and impactful emotion, melancholy and warmth, it's a long player that pulls at the heart-strings while firing up the dancefloor with chords, keys and melodies that hit those sweet spots, while booming in kick, bass and drums. Highlights include opener, "Won't Let You Ruin My Mood", the pop-aqua rave of "For The Last Time" and some piano-driven Moby inspirations in "The Joy You Once Felt".
Review: This 2024 reissue of an all time and much love classic Raumgleiter by Der Dritte Raum presents an exceptional concept trance album that remains ahead of its time, defying the stigma once and sometimes attached to the genre. Highlighting tracks like "Hale Bopp" and "Polarstern," which made waves in big rooms at the time, the real gem lies in "Lava," transitioning seamlessly from acid builds to progressive trance, which then leads perfectly into "Hale Bopp." Der Dritte Raum's hypnotic beats and catchy melodies went far to transport listeners to other dimensions back in the day, and a fresh 2024 re-up does the same thing- groundbreaking stuff for trance enthusiasts.
Review: Murder He Wrote straight out of Manchester brings a second version to his self titled 'Murder He Wrote' collection of tracks and bangers. Where the first compilation took in some production highlights that dated back to 2016, part two brims with two brand spanking new originals in "Tweet" and "Frozen", while the six others have all been lifted from the guy's massive Roska Kicks & Snares back cat. It provides a step back from the vocal heavy tunes from the producer of late, with the MHW returning to his roots in sub-bass, drums and percussion fully designed for the club.
Je Veux Mourir Avec Toi (Polo & Pan remix) - (3:05) 87 BPM
Review: Ekleroshock regular Antonin makes music that combines his own evocative French vocals with sounds drawn from Latin (tango in particular), neo-folk, dream pop and Balearica. His is, though, open to others interpreting his work in different ways - hence this remixed version of his 2023 compilation album 'El Silence'. There's much to admire throughout, from the reggaeton and tropical disco-influenced bounce of Polo & Pan's rework of 'Je Veux Mourrir Avec Toi', and Yuksek's deliciously jaunty and percussive Latin nu-disco take on 'Antonio', to the shoegaze-goes-Balearic flex of 'Caresse 1 (Dorion Remix)', and Kraak & Smaak's joyously colourful and club-ready Latin dub disco interpretation of 'Antonio'.
Review: Since their label inception back in 2018, the team over at Wisdom Teeth have done a great job at both cultivating and innovative forward thinking electronic music, with their roster featuring a number of true veterans of the game. This latest compilation takes the title 'Club Moss' and sees them assemble 14 fiery original creations, featuring the likes of Facta, K-Lone, Maya Q, LUXE, Purelink and more, all of whomst deliver naught but quality in their chosen creations. For us, despite this being a longer project, there are two clear standout recordings, the first of which is of course Cousin's atmospheric drifter in 'Tooth 4 Tooth' which gives us a spacious, exploratory feel. Alongside this, the moogy sub bounces of Tammo Hesselink's 'Cupboard Cylinder Salon' original also tops the list for us, showcasing the variation of styles that sits within the Wisdom Teeth camp.
Review: It was around 2022 that we last heard from dBridge with the M|E album and collaborative EP with Madison Willing called Made In Silence, before last year's mini LP with Homesick. Keeping it at the edge of what's definable and what drum and bass experimentalism once more - the EP kicks off with a percussive and melody-tinged "Teenage Echo", with its chord elements passing over into something more elongated in "My Resolve". With oriental themes somewhat abound, alongside some zaps familiar to the Raster-Noton trained ear, "Meridian" continues the vibe until we reach a 80s-esque pop balled in "I'm Damned". Bringing it back to square one, though, is EP closer "Antwerp Skies" - a dBridge sleeper classic for the ages.
Michal Jablonski - "Myszek On Mars" - (4:55) 89 BPM
Review: KR celebrates its fifth birthday with this diverse techno compilation. KR050 gets off to a frenetic start with Clotur's "M33, a peak-time track that resonates to building acid and a firing, angular rhythm. Similar energy levels also fuel the grainy techno of Joton's "Cyber Machinery" and Roll Dann's contribution - the chord-heavy banger that is "Suga Nit White". But it's not all peak-time tracks. Benales looks to Detroit for inspiration to deliver the raw minimalism of "Undo", while a more contemporary take on stripped back dance music prevails on the murky "Lost In The Loop" by KUSS. And Metapattern's "25 Min" is a distinctive, ebm-inspired jam.
Review: Casino Classix is one of several aliases for legendary minimal man Baby Ford. Here it is also the name of a four-track EP that finds the long time UK underground operative working alongside fellow British techno luminary Mark Broom on a quartet of devastating cuts. 'Ringer' opens up with some dark and nimble baselines darting about beneath a dense layer of percussion and FX. 'Hoppa' is then a more precise and minimalist cut with wonky bass snaking down low beneath the icy hi-hats and jumbled toms. There is a warm dub depth to 'Hot Pot' and 'Beach Club' shuts down with a restless mix of synth daubs and deft percussion over an ice cold groove.
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