John Shima

Review: Ferox brings you four of the UK and Ireland's finest on this 4 tracker.

Review: The revered Halal Prepared series on boe extends to its fourth volume with four new acts fresh to the label. Hotly tipped duo, Invisible Menders, made up of outstanding DJ Jane Fitz and thus far underrated producer Dom Ahtuam contribute a stunning Balearic bass-heavy house cut "Fifth Time Lucky". Fresh from his solo EP, John Shima slots in a deep techno workout "Thought Wave". Toby Tobias of Rekids fame pumps out some raw basement lofi vibes with his jacker "Sword Art Arcade" and rounding off the EP on a delicate note is Tim Smith's soft and melodic 707 jam "Graphene".

Review: Given that this compilation style EP from Emotions Electric features music from noted contemporary futurists John Shima, Reedale Rise and Derek Carr, we'd expect the resultant material to be rather special. It is, of course, with Reedale Rise's "Larial" - an evocative, fluid education in the possibilities of deep and melodious electro - brilliantly setting the scene. Zuelta's "Where" sits somewhere between delay-laden proto-house, early Chicago deep house and blissful deep techno, while Carr's "Outer Rim Project" sounds like a long lost relic of the first wave of Detroit techno. As for John Shima's "Programmed Reality", it's one of the most intensely beautiful and emotion-rich hybrid electro/techno tunes we've heard in a very long time.