Review: French finesse with German fusion... Willis Anne makes his Shall Not Fade debut with this killer 'Movement' EP. As with previous missives on his LAN imprint, the beats roam and romp freely between footwork, jungle and ghetto-tek with strong twangs of Detroit bringing it all together. Highlights include the wonderful layers of organs and vibrant chords of 'Direct Effect' and the fully-swung breakbeats and bellowing sub of 'Unison'. Get moving.
Review: The ever-impossible to pin down Shall Not Fade label welcomes back Baltra for a first EP since his last full outing in 2019. The NYC artist's Dreaming Of A Disco EP manages to be both fuzzy, lo-fi and nostalgic but also forward looking and fresh. He opens with hazy disco loops and shimmering 80s chords underpinned by a funky bassline that cannot fail to hook you in. There's a more pumping and sweaty house groove on 'Imaginary Laughter', blissed out Balearic vibes on 'Private Paradise' and gorgeously airy and organic jazz-funk stylings layered over a nice raw four-four beat on closer 'Sunset Jam.'
Review: How-it's-done deep garage house and more from Berlin's Marc Brauner, who rejoins the Shall Not Fade posse for a bustling new four-tracker. The city's resident DJ's fourth record for the UK label, Brauner here trains his hand on melodic major synth toplines and smartly timed dotted rhythms, producing a vibe of the utmost slickness and finesse. The leitmotif is obviously street smarts, as indicated by the loiterer on the front cover, and 'Sketchy Sidewalks' before 'Ghetto Birds' both give this off as much, through their faint hip-hop sampleage and rubbery sound-sprays. 'So Hot' and 'Breakthrough' shunt things up a few modes, into relatively minor-keyed crystalline waters on the former, and soul-feeding breaks choppage on the latter.
Review: Shall Not Fade has proven over the last five plus years that whatever sounds it turns its hand to it does with style. Mostly that is deep house and garage but here we have some warehouse-ready techno from Dasco. 'Powerful Woman' has mid-tempo drums that are run through with a supple and subtle acid line and repeated vocal phrasings that lock you into the trip. 'Acid Queen' jacks a bit more, with raw analogue drums and vintage cow bell sounds before the 303 takes over, then Johannes Volk really bangs the box with his hardcore house remix, full of splintered kicks and dusty hi hats. Chicago Skyway brings plenty of Windy City texture to his version.
Review: If new talent is your thing, Shall Not Fade has long been a label to watch. While the Bristol-based imprint does sign material from established artists, it consistently promotes music from new or early career producers too. Daughters of Frank, a pair of sisters from London, are the latest rising stars to make their bow on the label. Their debut EP is genuinely impressive, too, delivering a mix of hallucinatory, spaced-out liquid drum and bass ('A Club Serenade'), stripped-back and fiendishly sub-heavy workouts seemingly informed by the skeletal construction and dub-wise weight of bleep techno (EP highlight 'Tracksuit'), giddily saucer-eyed, early morning anthems-in-waiting (the sunrise special that is 'Velvet'), and deep, spaced-out two-step garage (the heady and intoxicating 'Lust 2 Luv').
Review: Given that he's already released music on Numbers, Diynamic, Bosconi Music and Peggy Gou's Gudu imprint, it would be safe to say that Dukwa (real name Marco D'Aquino) is an established and successful producer. It's little surprise, then, to find him popping up on Bristol's wildly popular Shall Not Fade label. He begins in confident mood with 'Searching For a Match', where exotic female vocal samples and cybernetic synth sounds ride a bouncy and energetic house groove, before opting for loved-up chords, squelchy bass and loose-limbed beats on the ultra-positive 'For You'. The Italian's love of bold piano riffs and life-affirming moments comes to the fore on 'Talk To Me', a chunky and bass-heavy slab of peak-time excellence, while 'Chameleon' sits somewhere between vintage Isolee releases and revivalist Italo-house.
Review: It has always been hard to define the exact sounds of Shall Not Fade behind 'just good tunes'. The Bristol label is one of the UK's finest at this point and Felipe Gordon is exactly the sort of artists who fits their vibe. His new EP The Lichtenberg Effect is a timeless one that draws on jazz for its vibrant house kicks. The drums are raw and punchy on 'Happy Sunday' while the keys are off grid and wonky. 'I'll Find A Way' brings a little swing to get those hips moving while clipped vocals add some soul. The title cut is a blend of off-dance jazz chords and feathery hi hats with leggy drums and 'You Can Do It On Your Own' closes with some downbeat introspection.
Review: Felipe Gordon has long been a familiar presence on Shall Not Fade and now the cultured producer unveils his seventh release with the independent Bristol mainstays. His latest effort is My Legs Are Numb EP, a superb outing that very much embodies Felipe's signature style. His captivating house sounds is laid bare from the off with the Moodymann-channeling deep house intensity of 'My Legs Are Numb' and the more laid-back melodic vibes of 'Sander's Journey'. There is extra drive to the drums of 'Do You Ever Miss Me?' and a fine sultry sax that melts the soul and 'A Perfectly Calmed Felipe' is a nice jazzy vibe to end on.
Review: It's worth noting this is a pretty impressive 125th EP from the Bristol label Shall Not Fade. The shine has not come off this always eclectic label in that time and next up to move things on is the dream team pairing of Lawrence J and J Peacock. 'Too Far To Come Back' opens up with some celebratory Daft Punk-style, hands-in-the-air and festival-sized house. 'Everything I've Got' keeps it a little deeper but filter synths still take centre stage with a balmy twist and 'Brother John' slows to heavy beatdown house with rapturous chords and vocals all swirling around to great and uplifting effect.
Review: French tech house mainstay Janeret is generally found hanging around labels attached to his home turf like Rutilance, Tartouffe and Yoyaku, but here he links up with Shall Not Fade for an outstanding excursion into prog, electro and silken tech house that proves his worth as a scene-leading producer. 'D Tool' is a deep and throbbing workout with a seductive, dubby edge, while 'Passion' switches stance for a skittering slice of hi-tech soul. 'Lush' lives up to its name with achingly beautiful chord tones blooming out over a sleek, shuffled beat and a sumptuous b-line, and 'Mind' completes the picture with a melodious trip into acid-speckled electro from the soulful end of the spectrum.
Kolter & Leo Pol - "Please Come To My Show" (5:52)
Up In The Sky (5:53)
Up In The Sky (Cinthie remix) (5:59)
Review: Kolter has been busy, as always, and has a couple of fine outings dropping at similar times. This one on Bristol's always-wealthy Shall Not Fade is on nice orange vinyl. It opens with the feel-good synth chords of 'DX7 Together' which also has something of an early Chicago house feel to the cowbells, but plenty of future-facing tech vibes too. The pace picks up for the warm and breezy 'Please Come To My Show' (feat Leo Pol) then it's more chord-laced joy that comes to the fore on 'Up In The Sky'. Berlin fav Cynthia makes those chords have a distinctly old-school feel with her remix.
Review: Radio Cargo's Like You Move EP pulses with energy, fusing groovy breaks and deep, warming basslines. Each track effortlessly merges rhythmic complexity with atmospheric synths, drawing listeners into a sound that's as nostalgic as it is innovative. There's a playful balance between old-school dance vibes and fresh, forward-thinking production, capturing the essence of French house while pushing the genre's boundaries. It's a release that will resonate with fans of classic dancefloor sounds, while still feeling entirely contemporary in its execution.
Review: Tel Aviv twosome Red Axes can always be relied upon to deliver trippy, mind-altering and left-of-centre music, regardless of what stylistic or rhythmic framework they're operating in at any given time. That assessment rings as true as ever on the duo's first Shall Not Fade outing. Opener 'The Electric', for example, mixes druggy and hallucinogenic electronic motifs with a throbbing, retro-futurist house groove, sci-fi synths and the creepiest of lead lines, while 'Next One Is Bill' is a twisted, brain-melting jack-track propelled forwards by a filthy TB-303 bassline. Turn to the B-side for 'The Bee', a buzzing, foreboding chunk of punk funk/dub-disco/dark house fusion, and the intoxicating mixture of music box melodies, restless Chicago house drums and clandestine sounds that is 'Axes in the Sky'.
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