CRIHAN Vinyl & CDs

Review: An enviously sick, fidget-dub-minimal-tech blastoff from Into The Woods, the London imprint whose efforts to push the genre, in a city where it may indeed need more force behind it, are admirable. The first V/A of a new series, ITW have hand-picked an impressing array of artists here; choose your fighter: Crihan, Jay Tripwire & Miller, Vlad Arapasu, and the fast-rising T.Na all feature. First up, it's Vlad, with 'Hidden In The Chaos', whose title invites us to decipher the message coiled about the technical scytale: the track's so-said "chaos" betrays its mad method, its impish persona portrayed through random-modded bass pitch bobs set against a fizzing backbeat. Tripwire and Miller add much texture to the proceedings, sweeping our ears unto a journey into what sounds like frayed cabling and clairaudient voices; then T.Na seriously impresses with truly, properly balanced beat and bass elements, with evil demonic gurgling and laughter aplenty, on 'Nicky'; and finally, Crihan rounds things off on a note of gruff, grit-laid wizardry with 'Hocus Pocus'.

Review: Following releases on Windmuhle, Playedby and HAZE, Romanian producer and DJ Alin Crihan returns with his latest EP which comes out via Alsi's Elements imprint. There's three quality tracks on the Recurring Figures EP; the majestic and fantastical production of "Periodic Arrangement" will have you in awe by way of its mesmerising soundscape underpinned by elaborate polythyrhms. Over on the flip, go deep into the Transylvanian woods on the brooding twilight deep of "Regular Intervals" and finally something strictly for the afterhours dancefloor on the arcane trance induction of "Again & Again".