SKUDGE Vinyl & CDs

Review: Elias Landberg continues to press ahead with the instantly identifiable Skudge sound, where the best of contemporary techno locks in for tight but funky grooves of the highest calibre. It's not often we see the project break away from the self-titled label, but here it's gracing Syncrophone with some of the finest uptempo, deep-diving gear you'll hear all year. 'Wander' has a snappy strut to the beat and lead riff alike, with the drums coming on like uptempo house as much as techno. 'Hidden Location' locks in harder thanks to the enduring creep of the background pads, while 'The Wind' takes on the dubbiest duties as it stretches out across the B-side.

Review: Convolution (Levon Vincent Versions) is a remix 12' of the Skudge classic that blends techno and house with a dubby touch. Levon Vincent, a New York City native and master of underwater funk, delivers two versions that showcase his signature style and pay homage to the original. The Scream Version perfectly fuses the original's greyscale aesthetic with Vincent's distinct Novel Sound, while the CS-101 Version preserves the atmospheric mood of this timeless track, with the added touch of a euphoric melody. Essential tackle for fans of both of these respected underground artists.

Review: Dekmantel's 5th Anniversary Series has so far been as finely curated and presented as you'd expect from the Dutch label, and this penultimate entry is no different with Skudge and San Proper introducing some dark techno business to proceedings. Swedish duo Skudge are on fine form with "Silent Running" delivering one of their subtly melodic productions that revolves grainily around one repeated and tweaked refrain. Given San Proper's dedication to the label (he sports a Dekmantel tattoo after all) it's little surprise the hirsute Amsterdam icon was asked to contribute and "Rattle (Station 2 Station)" is one of the best tracks on the series so far. A grinding, industrial beat mixes with dense vocals, synths, speech samples and plenty more. The end result is a perfect example of the kind of steamy, sweaty haze of late night damage that Mr Proper has made his own.