LIQUID EARTH Vinyl & CDs

Review: A keystone label in the minimal and tech house world, Butter Side Up are yet to disappoint, adding another dazzling release to their collection, welcoming back Liquid Earth for 'Deputy Dog' - his second EP on the label. Exploring a sublime and spaced-out club sound, the LA-based artist is a new school mainstay, having previously appeared on the likes of renowned label Kalahari Oyster Cult and his own label project, Liquid Earth Physical. Tight punchy drums and swirling, interplanetary pads veer into view with the opening track '2 Tha Dance Floor'. Next up, the title track 'Deputy Dog' arrives as a wonky counterpart with bleeping and squeaking modulated beats dancing over a full-bodied bassline. On the flip side, 'Rim City' touches on a West Coast house sound with funk-infused chords and energetic, driving drums. Closing things up, 'Feels So Good (As It Should)' loosens things up, flowing between shimmering cymbals and a delicate, vapour-like synth melody, punctuating the track at points and then swerving out of view at other moments. A wonderfully varied release from a do-no-wrong label and an up-and-coming producer to get excited about.

Review: Liquid Earth is an alias of new school underground house hero Urulu and he's dropped fine beats on Kalahari Oyster Cult, Butter Side up and Small Hours. He has also recently started his own self-titled label which is where he arrives now with four more fresh and well-infused cuts of spaced-out breaks, electro, house and minimal. This one starts with 'The Breakdown' (Charms Of Gaia mix) which has fast-paced trance-techno overtones. The Trips & Skips mix of the same tune is more dark and on the flip are the whacked-out acid-laced breakbeats of 'The Closer' and 'Cobblestone Stomper,' a white knuckle tech house thriller.

Review: Liquid Earth is another alias for the cult underground house beat maker Urulu and here he lands on Kalahari Oyster Cult with another fine bit of futurist house. 'Scope Zone' is a great meeting point between cosmic synth work, spaced out breaks and retro house action. It's got a fat bassline that powers it onwards and some mice subtle prog melody. On the reverse is a Youandewan remix from the Berlin based Brit who is in superb form right now. He smooths things out, keeps the bounce and heads for the stars. A tidy two tracker for sure.

Review: The brand new Hyperdrive label kicks off with a mix of the old and the new - some tracks made recently, some that date back to the 90s, all of them top quality. Liquid Earth opens up with the spaced-out synths and electronic house sounds of '1_HP_D' then Art Of The State gets a little more tranced out and cosmic on '2_HP_D'. Dan Piu's '3_HP_D' is a tech house exploration with wispy sci-fi leads and a playful rhythm then Luis Malon & Seb G combine for the turbo-charged tech of '4_HP_D.' The legendary Freddy Fresh closes down with a high-speed sound on '5_HP_D.' Says the label, "Hyperdrive is dedicated to preserving the rich history of electronic music," and on this evidence, it will do so expertly.

Review: Small Hours from the Berlin-based Brit Youandewan is a young and already cult label that does things well, if not fast. Yet here we get a second EP in quick succession with the sixth outing again offering up four vital names from the house and tech underground. Velvet Velour opens up with squelchy, funky bass on 'Show You The Door' before Liquid Earth melts the mind with impossibly bendy synths and stiff drums on 'Gummo Hardrive.' Flip this 12" over and you'll find some cosmic tech in the form of The Honda Boys's 'Funghi Pie' and gurgling, gritty, metallic deep space house from Dreaming Mind who offers up 'Mid-Bozz.' Top tackle for sure.