VLAD ARAPASU Vinyl & CDs

Review: An enviously sick, fidget-dub-minimal-tech blastoff from Into The Woods, the London imprint whose efforts to push the genre, in a city where it may indeed need more force behind it, are admirable. The first V/A of a new series, ITW have hand-picked an impressing array of artists here; choose your fighter: Crihan, Jay Tripwire & Miller, Vlad Arapasu, and the fast-rising T.Na all feature. First up, it's Vlad, with 'Hidden In The Chaos', whose title invites us to decipher the message coiled about the technical scytale: the track's so-said "chaos" betrays its mad method, its impish persona portrayed through random-modded bass pitch bobs set against a fizzing backbeat. Tripwire and Miller add much texture to the proceedings, sweeping our ears unto a journey into what sounds like frayed cabling and clairaudient voices; then T.Na seriously impresses with truly, properly balanced beat and bass elements, with evil demonic gurgling and laughter aplenty, on 'Nicky'; and finally, Crihan rounds things off on a note of gruff, grit-laid wizardry with 'Hocus Pocus'.

Review: Yecad Music launch their mission into the minimal world with a strong first showing from a varied cast of operators that mark this label out as one to watch. Sepp leads the way with the jazz-inflected, intricate patterns of 'Cabot Cave', while Vlad Arapaho has a knottier, techy offering by way of 'Compostella'. Swoy has a more melodic, organic-sounding approach on 'After' and Ted Amber taps into that hypnotic Arpiar style for the deep-diving 'Erutun', rounding off a sophisticated EP for those who like their grooves stripped back and undulating.