Review: Three years on from their last full-length excursion - the fine Borough 2 Borough on Delusions of Grandeur - Craig Smith and The Revenge return with their third 6th Borough Project album. Predictably, it's a fine set, with the duo tweaking their now familiar blueprint - think sample heavy, Balearic-minded deep house built around killer grooves and impeccable production - to guarantee a slightly more eclectic listening experience. So, while there are moments of locked-in dancefloor hypnotism - see "The Weight" and acid-gospel thump of "Tainted Dub" - they're accompanied by trips into wide-eyed, loved-up two-step territory (brilliant closer "Back Where It All Began"), seductive, synth-heavy dreaminess (Paul Joseph hook-up "Find Your Rhythm"), intoxicating downtempo chuggers ("Someday"), and much more besides.
Review: Nthng has put out a handful of records, mainly for Lobster Theremin, and now follows these with an expansive, varied debut album. There's the lean but deep Detroit techno of "Galaxy", the title track's spacious claps and dramatic synth washes as well as "Soms" and "Abyss", where he lays down the kind of billowing but immersive dance floor tracks that have echoes of classic Sterac and Ross 154. There are hints of Lobster Theremin's more typically abrasive approach on the tonal blips of "Unity", but in the main this is a reflective affair, as evidence by the sensuous ambience of "Touches" and "In My Dreams".
Review: Haslam is one of the more prolific techno artists, with four albums - three under his own name and one as Romans with Tin Man - to his credit in the past four years. As Scale demonstrates though, a high volume of releases has not had a detrimental impact on the quality of his work. The title track on his latest outing for Bunker shows why he is such a talented artist. Despite easily passing the 130bpm mark, its combination of bleeding acid and whiplash percussion is imbued with an innate sense of funk, in the same manner as early Cristian Vogel or vintage Communique releases. There's also a real treat for Bunker fans with Mike Servito and Justin Cudmore team up to turn "Scale" into a throbbing underground groove.
Review: Chicago's Tony Rainwater delivers a great full length after impressive appearances on Hamburg's Lehult last year. The Rockberry Jam EP is actually his solo debut for the label and is a 'thick, crunchy concoction of sweet and sample-heavy grooves'. Each track was recorded live, according to the American artist, who claims that his production methods involved realtime sampling of his music collection via iTunes, alongside additional loops ripped from vinyl; also employing a spontaneous methodology. "The record is really like my record collection randomly coming together above a kick drum."
Review: Ashley Burchett has been releasing on Token since its inception a decade ago, so the direction on Metropolitan comes as a surprise. The title track is more direct than is Burchett's usual appraoch, with a fizzling din riding an up-tempo, linear rhythm, heavy drums and cheese-wire sharp percussion. It sounds like SP-X going head to head with Robert Hood. On "The Absent Mind", there is another unexpected move; the UK producer delivers a metallic, clanging rhythm that fuses Chain Reaction's dubby repetition with the locked on, linear approach of the aforementioned Mr Hood. Only on "Fallen Columns" does O stay close to the stepping sound that he made his name with - but even there, the approach is understated and ghostly.
Review: For those that are in the unknown, TQD is made up of Royal T, bassline queen Flava D and the iconic DJ Q. For reference, that ain't Qu from NYC; this dude is from Scotland, he's been a legend since the 90s, and has been a monumental pillar of the house scene ever since. UKG is the duo's latest LP for the entrepreneurial Butterz label, and it's an honest, direct vision of the enlarged UK bass movement from their point of view. This sublime selection of killers spans the full circle and makes absolutely no excuses for itself; the gear is tough, floor-minded and charged by a hefty load of bass. Grime, garage and house are mashed up good and propah. Like they should be. Dopeness...
Review: Jelly Bean Farm is a new label intent on delivering all kinds of bass and techno goodness to the world. They don't mess about either, beginning life with big, hefty compilations. This, one, Jelly Bean Farm - Exit, is no different: presenting 12 of the most forward-facing cuts around. Highlights include the moody synthwork and machine gun percussion of "Locate & Destroy" by Phrixus, the spacey tech meets drum frenzy of "Dat Dat" by Loss, the deep, minimal beats of "Turbine" by Henry Greenleaf and the alt-ghetto grooves of "Facile" by Kinsman. Dope sounds!
Review: Fresh from a little gully foolery on Stanton Warriors' Punks, Midnight Phulin steps over to Saucy with another out-and-out club thumper. Chunky kicks and bellowing bass complete with mic damage from Tyler Clacey, there's a real grimy momentum throughout. Remix-wise Barely Royal & Bunnie flip the switch as they ride from soothing wavey intro to a gritty two-step and back again, Revaux provides the essential 170 switch up while Tall Order supersize the chunk with a real cheek-slapping house twist. One killer original, three ace diversions - Saucy continue to smash it.
Review: We're not sure where Amit found Shrlok but thankfully he has, because this really is a remarkable piece of work. Launching with a full album, no serious detective work is needed to understand where he's at musically, what he's capable of and why we should all be paying attention. From the cinematically rich and trippily textured opener Therianthropy to very last delicate wave of the finale "Song With No Name" by way of cosmic synth soul ("Space Walk") or the finger-clicking hymnal funk of "Told You", Shrlok's set up a unique store from the off. Checking this is simply elementary...
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