Leon Vynehall

Review: Leon Vynehall has made himself into one of electronic music's most intriguing artists. From club bangers to soul jams, working with choirs to intricately stitched together DJ mixes, he can seemingly do it all. Now he's back with a new single that is "directed squarely at soundsystems". "I Cavallo" offers up something dark and intense that explores a "dissonant and psychedelic corner" of Vynehall's sound alongside a "ClubFront" mix of the track on the flip. Whichever version you pick, it will draw you right in for the duration.

Review: Leon Vynehall's stunningly picturesque "Midnight On Rainbow Road" was one of the undoubted highlights of Gerd Jansen's second Musik For Autobahns compilation, which was released in the autumn of 2015 by Rush Hour. Here, it gets a deserved single release, with the original - a hypnotic, driving-inspired blend of fluid electronic melodies, a wispy percussion and Jonny Nash style glistening guitar lines - being complimented by a brand new "Beat Edit". This adds a slowly unfurling, head-nodding rhythm that takes the track further towards Detroit Beatdown territory. In essence, though, it sounds like an early '90s ambient house jam. That's no bad thing, given that Vynehall seems to have emphasised the sun-kissed beauty of the original in the process.

Review: Having contributed a stellar track to Gerd Janson's Musik For Autobahns 2 compilation, it's little surprise to see Leon Vynehall pop up on Running Back. Rojus (Designed To Dance) is an expansive affair, with eight tracks stretched across two slabs of wax. It's also predictably varied; contrast, for example, the drowsy ambient chords and twinkling electronics of opener "Beyond This", and the deep-jack-goes-rave sweatiness of "Beau Sovereign". Vynehall also finds space for the Balearic jazz-house swing of "Paradisea", the wall-of-sound Detroit deep house of "Blush", and the African influenced drum workout "...There Is You". In other words, it's a versatile cracker.

Review: Martyn's 3024 label presents last years double pack of productions from UK house man Leon Vynehall on CD. Having debuted on 3024 with last year's Open platter, Vynehall is back with Music For The Uninvited, a seven-track collection of tracks supposedly inspired by rides to school in his mother's car as a child in which he would listen to "mixed hip-hop, funk & electro tapes, Janet Jackson albums, Style Council and Stiff Little Fingers". Whilst there is plenty of the individual house sound Vynehall has developed on offer here ("It's Just (House Of Dupree)" is a certified jam) there are also more tranquil moments to bask in such as "Inside The Deku Tree" and "St Sinclair" which bookend this excellent release.

Review: On his contribution to the long-running "DJ Kicks" series, Leon Vynehall has decided to take a widescreen approach, offering up a blend that showcases the depth and variety of his music collection rather than his club-rocking skills. The first half of the mix ebbs and flows with the laidback drowsiness of his selections, which flit between post trip-hop beats, ambient, IDM, electronica and crunchy post-punk pop. Midway through he begins to crank things up a notch or two via RAC's UK garage-influenced 1997 cut "Fushigi", the chunky peak-time warmth of Crinan's "Kilimanjaro" and the bass-heavy pump of Ploy's "Pressure", before unleashing some seriously intense experimental dancefloor workouts from the likes of Etch, Aphex Twin and Peach. It makes for a hugely enjoyable and at times breathtakingly brilliant musical journey.