MODAL Vinyl & CDs

Review: Repertoire presents Modal's debut vinyl release on the label. A four-track barrage of hardened metallic artillery fire, this staccato collection includes fitting collabs with various Metalheadz alumni as well as a fresh London scene faces, bringing a traditionally informed yet equally fresh flummoxing to the fore. 'Thieves' and 'Heads Or Tails' complement each other in an unlikely fashion, the former sounding like the many grappling hooks and rifles extensible from the armour plated chassis of an urban Evangelion gone rogue; the latter contrasts this with serene, inner-city-downbeaten femme vocals over soft air raid sirens and breaks-embedding Reeses. Collaborative onslaughts emerge on the B, with Jaise backing up killer sound design on 'Strangers' and Double O gobsmacking with some classic rufige.

Review: Last year Woody McBride's Minnesota label Sounds. reissued the Lovers EP, a 12" he originally released back in 1996 under his Modal alias. Now the remixes gets reissued to follow up, leading in with some Mariana trench depth charge gear from Roy Davis and DJ Skull. The Terry Mullan mix is a springy, 909 techno workout, while the Boom Box mix takes a lighter, drum machine jazz approach. There are so many old-school heroes involved here - Hyperactive, DJ Slip, Mystic Bill - but then what else would you expect from someone as invested in the scene and community as Woody McBride?