Review: Long live team Alpha Pup, an excellently organised project that have moved onto the third edition of their epic '20/20' compilation series, exploring the most lethal reaches of underground bass music. Featuring hard hitting originals from the likes of Ivy Lab, Dismantle, Rocks FOE, Bakey and more, it's clear that the team have gone all out on this collection, with sounds ranging as wide as the hardcore inspired mysticism of 'Naananaana' from Rohaan, to the industrial techno-flavours of Ila Brugal's 'Cynical'. The whole project packs a punch, but our highlights would have to include both the intense metallic madness of Deft's 'OKURTHEEXPERT', alongside Manni Dee's monstrous 'Wet Slide' creation. Top work all around!
Review: Honorio first made his name as a drum'n'bass producer, but as Endless Love demonstrates, he is also adept at making dance floor techno. The title track features Theo Nasa's ominous vocals unfolding over robust tribal drums and dynamic percussive twists, making for a moody techno track. "Gunz Blazin" is a house-influenced affair. Led by filtered samples and a rolling groove, it reveals a lighter side to Honorio's sound. On "Stabbed In The Heart", he opts for a deeper approach - focused on tribal drums and spaced-out synths, it's an expertly measured homage to Octave One. The release also features a sleek, steely take of the title track by label owner Len Faki under his Hardspace alias.
Review: The Southpoint train continues to drive forward, welcoming some of the best and most exciting new garage and breaks talents in their already well established hall of greats, this time seeing ODF arrive for a fiery debut drop. We open up with 'Riddim & Flow', a powerhouse speedy g slapper, diving perfectly between high energy drum shakes, square-wave bass notation and tight rhythmic designs. On the flip to this, a major switch up as 'B-Side Bubbler' delivers a much more old school feeling, combining broken-beat drum work with moody subs and a clean finish, giving us a near perfect switch up from A to B.
Review: The legendary Jeremy Sylvester is back in fine form with this fiery display, unloading four dancefloor-ready rollers with some real throwback feelings, courtesy of course of Time Is Now. We open up with the nostalgic chord progressions and heavily reverberated soundscapes of '90's Man', which sets the tone perfectly, followed by 'Flashback', a sleeklike roller doused in electronic energy. From here 'In The Morning' arrives to unleash a more subtle bubbling feeling, focussing on moogy basslines and refreshing pad arrangements, before the heavily sampled vocal chops and icey synth sweeps of 'Wickedest Sound' close off the EP with a bang
Review: Chinese producer Mr Ho impresses muchly with this release on his own Klasse Wrecks label. '000 Baby' in its Original form is a delightfully diverse concoction that blends ethereal synths, a haunting, lilting female vocal, drums that nod to early 90s street soul, Rastaman shouts, a big fat bassline and, as we get into the second half, lots of pleasing acid squelch. As if that wasn't enough Bristol boy Jim Coles, better known as Om Unit, then gives the track a deep drum & bass makeover that's enough to get the hairs on the back of your neck standing up and no mistake, guv'nor. Top drawer bizniss for sure.
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: Zed Bias's superb recent single with Shumba Youth is a modern fusion of dancehall and ragga that is perfect for loud deployment on top sound systems. Here though it comes in four different versions, all of which tap into different aspects of the UK hardcore continuum. The 4x4 Garage mix is just that and perfect for grotty warehouses, the 4x4 VIP Refix has a more prominent baseline feel and the Jeftuz UKG remix is a broken beat killer with wub-wub goodness. Last of all is the restless and kinetic 2-step mix to close out a high grade remix EP.
Review: Monty Luke's Nightdubbing project on Rekids was designed to showcase the Black Catalogue boss's deep love of dub-infused house and techno. This 13-track album combines previously unheard cuts with nine tracks previously showcased across a pair of EPs of the same name. It's a fantastic set all told, with highlights including the smacked-out electro-dub headiness of opener '40 Acres and a Terrabyte', the extra-percussive deep dub-house hypnotism of 'Bob Molly', the after-hours friendly minimalism of 'Star Storms', the Detroit-goes-dub techno pulse of 'New World/Old Future', the classic dub techno warmth of 'Dark Paradise', and the dub-wise deep house dreaminess of 'Avantgarde Dancehall'. Throw in a handful of tidy ambient and digital dub tracks, and you have a genuinely superb long-player.
Review: SHDW's label marks its twentieth release with this weighty compilation. Drawing on some of the most respected names in techno, volume three is full of peak-time bangers. There's the lean, rolling techno of Chlar's "Inside Us", while Dax J showers the listener with waves of acid tones on the steely, peak-time "Celestial Dub". The Advent's "Randomized" is a bruising and quite brilliant industrial techno workout. While Blawan's hyperactive "Don't You Dare Squawk At Me" hovers just below the 160 bpm mark, not all of the compilation is as intense. Vocals are mixed with chiming chords on Gary Beck's "Fold" and Z.I.P.P.O's "Broken Game" is a deep Detroit techno track.
Review: The Exhibit series aims to showcase emerging artists who operate at the raw end of the techno spectrum. While not a new act, label owners Slam get the ball rolling with their own "Exhibit 3", which revisits the raw, jacking sound of their Snapshots release. EJA's "Detachment Theory" represents a more contemporary take on underground techno. Led by a pumping, heads-down groove and relentless, doubled-up claps, it also features mysterious synth builds. Similarly atmospheric sounds inhabit Skjöld's "Stearic Acid" - but on this occasion, they are woven into a stripped back, percussive groove. Favouring a more abrasive direction, ANNĒ's "Keinlicht" revolves around a visceral rhythm and ominous synth lines, echoing vintage Steve Bicknell.
Review: Ed Upton has long been one of British dance music's most prolific producers, with his latest album on Hypercolour - the typically vibrant Spiral Dance - marking his 24th full-length excursion as DMX Krew since 1996. Its' 13 tracks are typically vivid, inventive and entertaining, with the Bedford-born producer rushing between intergalactic electro ('Always Hats'), sub-heavy UK techno futurism (the bleep-influenced 'Bathtime Bobby'), house-tempo dancefloor IDM ('Spiral Dance'), Spacetime Continuum style ambient techno (the chill-out room friendly 'Back To '92'), synth-laden analogue cheeriness ('Is This Normal'), heady beat-free soundscapes ('Hammer Slowly Forming'), early Autechre style electronica ('Ankle Grinder') and sweaty acid house ('FM Assembly').
Review: The Dirty Rave Kitchen crew have pulled together a very tasty box of treats with this latest compilation drop as the second edition of their 'UNIVERSAL BREAKS' series sees them unleash naught but havoc. Featuring fifteen fiery originals and the likes of ALT SHIFT, SKIN TEETH, WeZ WhaTevR, Afghan Headspin and more, this is definitely a collection we would recommend taking in across a long form listening format. However, if we were to unleash our highlights, the pure ferocity of Paul Bassrock & WoTeR's 'In A World Where Music Had No Future', the abstract melodic pulses of 'OnDaMike's 'The Hills' and the glitching synthetic befuddlement of Tommy Lee Bones's 'Stalker Blocker' would be our primary jump outs.
Review: As is the case with previous EPs, the latest collaboration between Pfirter and Oliver Rosemann is named after a letter in the Greek alphabet. "Epsilon 1" is a dense track, with looped tones and relentless percussion unfolding over a jacking rhythm. The second "Epsilon" is more intense, as ominous waves build and build over resonating kicks. The release also features two stellar remixes. Lakej's take on "Epsilon 1" resounds to high-pitched percussive slivers and a hammering metallic rhythm. Meanwhile, seminal producer Sleeparchive turns "Epsilon 2" into a relentless Millsian workout, led by nickel plated kicks and foreboding, filtered drops.
Review: Wehbba is launching HIFN, a new 'platform' to connect music and literature. The first release from the artist himself was recorded while he was on tour. The title track is built on Wehbba's trademark tribal beats, with its pumping electronic rhythm and rolling snares providing the backdrop for rave stabs and buzzsaw riffs. It makes for a visceral, exhilarating affair. On "Frozen", the Brazilian producer opts for a more dystopian sound, with a synapse searing riff combined with a driving rhythm. And in keeping with the overall approach for HIFN, the release also features "Nitro Wordscape", where eerie textures and a mysterious vocal narrative prevails.
Review: NYC combo 79.5 are, like Midnight Magic and Escort before them, a live outfit whose trademark sound and output is shaped by the rich musical history of the city they call home. That superb sound was outlined on last year's eponymous debut album, tracks from which appear in remixed form on this must-check EP. There are two takes on previous single 'Feel Like Dancin': an extended deep house take by Malik Hendricks with added Afro-house percussion, and an impressive low-tempo chugger titled the 'Generalisation Dub'. 'B.D.F.Q' also comes in two contrasting variations: the spacey electro-meets-ghetto-house flex of the Jubilee Remix, and an extended version of FSQ's Midnight Magic style neo-disco interpretation. A percussive and joyous J Kriv house revision of 'Our Hearts Didn't Go That Way' completes a fine package.
Review: Dustin Zahn returns to Blueprint to deliver a four-tracker that resounds to understated force. "Rotator" is an atmospheric, rolling track. Led by dense, tribal drums and featuring mysterious synth lines, it's a subtle but impactful track. "Conduit of Chaos" is based on a similar premise - although on this occasion, the rhythm is more stripped back and is powered by impactful claps. The pulsating, clanging bass at the heart of "Catharsis" lends it the requisite punch for its flowing groove. The title track is the most up-tempo track on the release - and it sees Zahn deliver a gradually building, vocal-sampling percussive sucker punch.
Review: Amsterdam's Human Space Machine, a co-founder of the esteemed De Lichting collective, presents a versatile arsenal of techno gems perfect for both the scorching mid-day festival vibes and the enigmatic depths of the night. With tracks like the pulsating ''Mopo'' and the mesmerizing ''Arp'', Human Space Machine navigates through crystallised basslines and squishy chord stabs, delivering a hypnotic journey that transcends time. From the high-speed pursuit sensation of ''Lyf'' to the bubbling groove of ''Newendam'', this record offers a captivating blend of darkness and euphoria, making it a must-have for any techno aficionado's collection.
Review: Following their collaboration on his 2022 album, Patanjali, Berlin-based techno producer Amotik teams up again with Tina Ramamurthy. "Chauhattar" resounds to robust tribal drums and a clanging bass, with mysterious vocal samples woven into the arrangement. On "Pachattar", the approach is deeper, with more understated kicks providing the basis for repetitive, tripped out loops. While the Amotik series is typically focused on dance floor techno, this fourteenth instalment also sees the duo explore a more esoteric sound with "Chihattar". Based on a gentle, undulating groove and dreamy, soft-focus textures, it also features stream of consciousness vocals throughout the effortless arrangement.
Review: The latest split release on Analogue isn't designed for the faint-hearted. Dax J's "Ares" gets the EP off to an intense start. Powered by the hardest drums this side of Synewave, there is some relief in the form of the moody house organ that is woven through the arrangement. On "Kal", Kaiser dispenses with musical elements in favour of a relentless tribal rhythm - like a high-paced take on vintage Octave One. Meanwhile, ANFS' "Amete" is centred on a brooding, ebm-style bass and cavernous sound design. Maintaining the same energy but utilising a different approach is Jerm's "Kaki", a pounding rhythm track.
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