R Vinyl & CDs

Review: Joy Orbison and Will Bankhead's collaborative Hinge Finger label returns to action after a two-year hiatus. Fittingly, this comeback 12" was produced by Orbison and Meandyou co-founder Herron, under the previously unseen CO/R pseudonym. Musically, it's typically dark, woozy and clandestine, with the duo melding off-kilter, broken techno rhythm patterns, murky sonic textures, metallic melodies and pulverizing bass. Opener "Bells, Walking" is arguably the highlight, featuring as it does some evocative, stretched-out synthesizer strings amongst the rubbery percussion, though the decidedly fuzzy "Gudrun" and sludgy, pitched-down industrial funk of "Dripback" are almost as good.

Review: Having impressed with last year's Let That Shit Breathe E.P, Billy Werner once again dons the M/R guise for another forthright and intoxicating outing on L.I.E.S. There's been plenty of chatter about this E.P's lead cut, "Dread Nox", and it's not hard to see why. Built around dusty, pitched-down jungle breaks, disconnected vocal samples, metallic electronics and curious ambient textures, it's a little reminiscent of some of Future Sound of London's more claustrophobic efforts. "Portals" sees Werner successfully fuse bouncy, broken techno rhythms - built around restless drum machine handclaps and rubbery kick drums - with a whisper of acid and some seriously creepy textures, while "Tea & Origins" sounds like a stripped-back Autechre roller.

Review: Those with their heads wedged deep in the underground will recognise M//R from his superb debut 12", Gathering Response Data, issued through Phillitronics outpost Great Circles last year. Standing for Magnetic Resonance, M//R is the current production focus of Philly resident Billy Werner and close ally to the LIES cause and his four-track debut for Ron Morelli's label is a further statement of intent. To put it mildly, M//R can craft some mean dancefloor cuts and doesn't approach the art from just the one angle. First up "Let That Shit Breathe" rips a groove like Population One in a nasty, nasty mood, whilst "Just Say No" sees Werner slow it down and space things out for some deviant electronics. "Slinky Kids" dips into redlining brukked-up territory, whilst "Coconut Jar" has a similar evil streak to some of Beau Wanzer's more techno-focused work.

Review: The second of two final Great Circles transmissions for 2014 may present an artist less familiar than Dan Trevitt and Westov Temple, the two featured on the first, but this M//R 12" is no less potent! Standing for Magnetic Resonance, M//R is a project from Philly artist Billy Werner and the Gathering Response Data 12" has found a perfect home in Great Circles with all four tracks very much in line with the cerebral brand of techno-focused Phillitronics they specialise in. Lead cut "Adjacent Possible" is totally the sort of nightmarish techno you want to hear overwhelm you deep into a night, whilst a ghostly figure seems trapped beneath the crushed lysergic bounce of "Texas Acid" with intermittent groans documenting his sonic purgatory. "Honey Circle" is dub techno shot through a vacuum with huge whooshing passages giving the production a sense of massive scale whilst, another spectral presence features in the drawn out skipping, slowed down techno fragmentation of "Panthers 1", a lazy "Here I am" drawing out as Werner toys playfully with an acid synth.

Review: Blueprint return to one of their most popular remix packages of the Ruskin and Regis mind melter "Post Traumatic Son" from last year with a standard black vinyl reissue of the Rob Hood and DVS 1 revisions that originally appeared on limited clear vinyl. Typically, the Detroit legend rattling industrial version still does not disappoint some 18 months on, the jagged rhythmic textures and schizophrenic machine funk flourishes underpinned by welterweight drum punches that group into off kilter sections intermittently. The overwhelming sensation is disorientating, while the final bass drum throb proves to be quite menacing. Equally the two varying takes from US producer DVS1 still stand up today; the Pessimist mix is characterised by dream-like textures that form the backdrop to an undulating dub techno groove that ripples with metallic intent. Naturally, the Optimist mix offers a contrastingly upbeat, if somewhat glacial throbber of a version.

Review: After treating us to no less than three varying but equally brilliant remixes of "Post Traumatic Son" from Ben The Vest Klock, Blueprint further flex their impressive contacts credentials by enlisting Robert Hood to tackle the Ruskin and Regis mind melter. Typically, the Detroit legend does not disappoint with a rattling industrial version that's all jagged rhythmic textures and schizophrenic machine funk flourishes underpinned by welterweight drum punches that group into off kilter sections intermittently. The overwhelming sensation is disorientating, whilst the final bass drum throb proves to be quite menacing. On the flip US producer DVS1 offers two varying takes on the track; the Pessimist mix is characterised by dream-like textures that form the backdrop to an undulating dub techno groove that ripples with metallic intent. Naturally, the Optimist mix offers a contrastingly upbeat, if somewhat glacial throbber of a version.

Review: O/V/R's "Post Traumatic Son" was one of the tracks of last year if you like your techno dusty and rusty, and Ruskin and Regis flexed their big name credentials here by enlisting Ben Klock to add his own perspective to the track. Just for the 'kraic', the vested one has decided to produce three remixes, all of which are naturally covered in essentialness! Klock's Techno mix stretches across the A Side, a merciless locked groove of stomping, menacing syncopated textures with no concessions for anything as throwaway as a breakdown. This is rattling, heads down industrial darkness at its finest. The flipside offers Klock the opportunity to experiment, with the Wave Mix, stripping back the track to a skeletal electro twitch, gradually accruing a haunting gloss via the ascending, foreboding synths. In contrast to this, the final Vibe mix drenches "Post Traumatic Son" in an all consuming psychedelic lustre, with the originals synths laid atop gently jacking beats and a delightful array of bleeps and beeps with the resultant effect truly hypnotic.

Review: When Blueprint announced they had some special releases lined up to celebrate their 20th anniversary, hardcore fans of the British techno label will surely have hoped this would include some new O/V/R material from Ruskin and Regis. Such dreams have been granted as the pair deliver this three-track salvo of focused, tunnelling and pummelling techno. "Easy Prey" finds Regis and Ruskin on top of their game, slowly crafting a cacophony of looped techno that will sound deadly on the right system. Complementing this, "Everyday Impulse" squares down some mind-bending loops over a more restrained rhythmic patter with "Except In Dreams" offering an alternate take.

Review: Some strictly limited edition white label heat here, as James Ruskin and Karl O'Connor deliver two sides of recordings from a recent London live show. The A-Side, featuring James Ruskin's "Live Rhythm Separate" is a combination Ruskin's classic track 'Work' alongside the blunted rhythms of Kalon's 'Man Is The Superior Animal', offering all enveloping bass and metallic machine persussion. The B-Side features a live version of Karl O'Connor's "Live Tonal Separate", an ambient track whose moody pads and bubbling samples make an excellent beatless intro/outro tool, as well as an immersive listening experience. And if there's any worry about the quality of the tracks being compromised given these are live recordings, then don't; the tracks are as crisp as any of their studio work.

Review: O/V/R is the side project of Regis and James Ruskin...need we say more? The two UK techno heavyweights combine for their second EP on Ruskin's Blueprint label, with title track "Post-Traumatic Son" carrying a menacing techno throb throughout, with eerie hi-hats creeping in from all directions. Flip over for the grumbling sub bass of "Descending The Left Corner" and the truly unsettling sonic exploration that is "Crippled Nurse (& Water)". This is an absolute must for fans of the Sandwell District, Equalized and Horizontal Ground school of techno.

Review: DJ Soopasoul's last mash-up was an inspired affair that saw him perfectly fuse tracks by Philadelphia Soul legends MFSB and the Beastie Boys. Here he takes a similar approach, placing the rap vocals from the 1995 hip hop classic "How High" atop a suitably funky, lolloping beat crafted from Clavinet-heavy sections from Stevie party-starting floor-heater "Superstitioun". It works remarkably well on the A-side vocal mix, and those who'd not heard either track would be convinced that there was no mash-up antics going on. Over on side B you'll find an instrumental mix that showcases Soopasoul's editing skills; minus the Hip Hop vocals, is a fine re-edit of the Wonderful jam.