Review: Beatrice M's amusingly entitled Bait label has in fact become exactly that - very desirable to those who know. Its latest is a four tracker that serves as a taster of a forthcoming digital album by Trois-Quarts Taxi System. Behind the moniker is Eloi Petillon, a versatile producer, DJ and live act who has a knack for blurring genre lines. On this one, they mix up elements of dubstep, techno and d&b into soundscapes that are cerebral, hypnotic and psychedelic. Each one is made from futuristic sound design, field recordings and intricate polyrhythms: 'Metamorphism' warped, linear, deft and brilliant deep techno. 'Coma' is more busy, 'Fraction' has wispy synths and a sparse soundscape and 'Spectre' is a fizzy, skeletal sound that tickles the brain.
Review: Sub Basics is back on his own fledgling label Temple of Sound - but under a new alias. As Tommy Basics he leads into a fresh house sound but still serves it up with plenty of his textbook bass-heavy low ends. 'Latitude' is a bubbly groover with dusty drums and fleshy basslines that get you moving and warmed up. 'Longitude' is even deeper, with smeared dub chords and woody percussive hits peppering the laid-back and inviting groove. Two stylish sounds from this versatile producer.
Review: Garage powerhouse Zed Bias is back with more old school garage brilliance with the new single 'Shell Them Again' featuring the vocals of Yung Saber and Brakeman. The original has plenty of retro signifiers from the low-end wobble to the withering synth effects, plus crisp hits and jostling drums. After the dub mix comes a remix from Zed himself alongside Safire which is much more dirty and raw. The beats are broken up so the track takes on a dubstep quality as the low-end oscillations bring the weight and drums hit with more force. Finally, the acappella closes out this fresh 12" on IFG.
Southern Coastline (Jack Lever Northern mix) (4:05)
Southern Coastline (Inhmost Coastal mix) (6:27)
Southern Coastline (Synkro remix) (5:39)
Review: Inspired by "slow and quiet life on the southern coasts of England", the debut from CVOIA - a new collaboration between producers and Captured Visions label founders Adam O'Hara and Tom Parker - offers gorgeously lolloping, lazy beats and expansive, cinematic orchestration. There's the brittle, slow motion breakbeats and woozy instrumentation of the duo's original, then remixes from four of their favourite acts: Awakened Souls, Inhmost, Jack Lever and Synkro. All the tracks are about as strenuous as an afternoon on the beach, and equally nourishing, with Synkro's rich, synth-soaked near-ambient mix a dramatic, undisputed highlight. Jack Lever's Northern Mix, meanwhile, wouldn't sound out of place nestled somewhere in Mo'Wax's first dozen or so releases. High praise indeed, but much deserved.
Review: It can be hard work keeping up with the myriad of different labels that Burnski aka Constant Sound aka Instinct heads up. This one leans more into UK garage and welcomes Main Phase for another succulent selection here. 'Gotta Maintain' kicks off with a nice dusty garage sound that will get your lip curled, and then Buckley brings broken beat rework with dubbed-out low ends. 'Soul Mirror' is a clean, bouncy sound with a cool synth breeze and 'Breather' brings some olds school references - the raga vocals, the bleeping synths and the monstrous bass. Brilliantly filthy.
Review: Given the hype that surrounded the release of the first Moderat set back in 2009, we can surely expect more of the same for this second outing from Apparat and Modeselektor. Those familiar with the first album's woozy blend of IDM, Thom Yorke indebted vocal dreaminess, porchlight techno and post-dubstep rhythms will immediately feel right at home. Online reviews have focused largely on II's atmospheric warmth, and the way in which the Berlin-based trio seems to have refined their sound. Both are valid critiques; certainly, there's a maturity and musical complexity to the album that betters much of their previous works. It's not much of a dancefloor set, but that's entirely the point; this is locked-in headphone listening for the wide-eyed generation.
Review: Nazar, the nom-de-guerre of an anonymous Manchester-based producer, presents their sophomore album Demilitarize, following his acclaimed 2020 debut Guerrilla, released amid the pandemic. Nazar's first album securely firmed the artist's name within and beyond the Hyperdub diaspora, thanks to its unique melding of Angolan kuduro music with rough textures, field recordings, and media clips, retelling the story of his family's exile from the Angolan Civil War. Nazar is the son of Jonas Savimbi, a former general of the Angolan independence movement; after Angola's emancipation from Portuguese colonial rule, Nazar relocated to suburban Brussels. More recently, he fell seriously ill with tuberculosis contracted in Angola; battling mortality, the new album reflects a mix of introspection and blossoming love, which contrasts the warring rawness of his debut. Demilitarize is dreamier, with Nazar's submerged, mantra-like vocals at the forefront, evoking artists far-removed from the crumby, unedifyingly rough kuduro that characterised his first EP 'Enclave'. Nazar explains, "I wanted to create something almost metaphysical, inspired by the cyberpunk anime Ghost In The Shell." The sound is delicate, with relatively sculpted rhythms enveloping his own recorded voice throughout.
Review: Burial's first full-length EP since 2012's 'Rival Dealer' hears the South London enigma plunge the depths of his newest dark ambient sound, wrenching the emo essences of rave from their breakbeats to produce a purely ambient affair. Spanning every emotion from depression to triumph, 'Antidawn' opens with a cough, in a seeming nod to the COVID lockdowns of recent years. Meanwhile, disparate sections buzz and weave in and out of one another on 'Shadow Paradise' and 'Strange Neighbourhood', never quite landing on their feet before being whisked away again. One of Burial's most defining world-building works.
Review: Brussels' Sagat is making ever more of a name for himself with his bass-heavy sounds and wonky perspective on rhythm. This time out he blends great harmony, trippy designs and innovative groove patterns on an EP for the fledgling Private Stress. '8 Legs' is a roaming percussive rattler, 'Floor Structure' taps into classic bass and dub and 'Yeah Tomorrow' brings more light and airy melody over a skiing and broken beat low end that makes you want to rise to your toes. 'DN2' shuts down with a menacing atmosphere and eerie pads.
Review: Adam Curtain makes a fantastic debut here on the Alien Communications label as he collides come classic bleep-laden and highly danceable electron grooves with plenty of hefty basslines. 'Slipped Disc' quacks off with some ice cold atmospheres and electro-inspired rhythms, 'Whistling Wizard' is another ice-cold blend of crisp rhythms and tiny hits with sci-fi motifs and whirring machine details. 'DRM' then brings a winky and hiccuping rhythm with some superbly stark hits and 'I Want, Want' is a stripped back rhythm with dry synths and rasping sounds that are abstract yet infectious.
Review: Onetime halftime exclusivist Fixate has set his sights on new temporal horizons. 'Conundrum' is one such dance musical venture, clocking in at a rough 130ish BPM while also securing enough of an atmospheric likeness to earlier releases so as to remain Fixated on the same vibe. A six-track mini-album debuting on the artist's resident Exit Records, 'Conundrum' flaunts a formerly undisclosed affection for house, electro and techno; in the artist's own words, "I made these tracks to fit into my own DJ sets, bridging the gap between tempos when playing out." Functional intentions do often still lead to excessively wicked results and the tracks here all provide a serious underfoot scalding, their 808 snares and underhand grimey melodies sure to make you hoo, hah, suck teeth and dance.
Review: Yaleesa Hall wastes no time setting the tone on this Timedance release, delivering a weighty fusion of UKG, electro and sub-heavy pressure. Opener 'Halfway Gone' lurches forward with a heady mix of swung percussion and cavernous bass, its tension building like a slow-motion collision. 'Light Headed' dials up the energy, its restless breakbeat patterns and distorted low-end hitting with unrelenting force. On the flip, 'Voices' leans into dubbed-out textures, letting ghostly vocal snippets drift through the haze as tightly coiled rhythms keep the pulse locked. Closer 'Still Here' brings the release full circle, with fractured beats and rumbling sub-bass weaving together in a hypnotic finale. It's a bold statement from Yaleesa Hallione that feels tailor-made for dancefloors that thrive on weight and space in equal measure.
Review: Make Your Own Meaning continues to convey its unique techno message with a new statement of intent from label head Lurka. The artist has been busy of late and continues to be on a roll with another fascinating four tracker that genuinely serves up some original sounds and rhythms. 'Trip' gets things underway with organic percussive patterns stacked up over drilling bass to make for a prickly groove. 'Airlock' is similar but darker and heavier and 'Sick Flips' keeps the nimble feel going with dancing perc, rigid synths and scratchy sound effects all coalescing over broken drum patterns. Last of all is another dense, busy and multi-layered melange of tiny percussive sounds, synths and clipped rhythms that will make any floor move.
Review: After the massive impact of Vex'd in the breakthrough years of dubstep, it was big news when Jamie Teasdale chose to swerve in his own direction and emerge as Kuedo. Released in 2011, Severant was a bold statement of intent which didn't wholly shirk what had come before, but placed emphasis on the kind of romantic synthesis you'd readily associate with Vangelis and saw trap and other influences sneaking into the mix. In hindsight, Severant is typical of the times we live in, drawing on a glut of influences and presenting its own idiosyncratic vision, but above all that the emotion and intent of Teasdale's ideas make it an enduring, captivating listen.
Review: Repress alert! Wednesday: Hyperdub announce a new three track release from enigmatic producer Burial - his first solo work in four years. Thursday: Said records arrive on Juno doorstep. How's that for service (and secrecy)! The news came just a matter of days after the producer's collaboration with Radiohead front man Thom Yorke and Four Tet arrived on record shelves across the UK and promptly sold out amidst a frenzy of hype. There are three new tracks on offer here, namely "Street Halo", "NYC" and "Stolen Dog". First up "Street Halo" showcases the classic Burial sound; subterranean bass gurgles, trademark clicking beats and barely-there vocal snatches. A sweet childlike vocal pervades the sonic mist on "NYC" while "Stolen Dog" closes out with ethereal vocal harmonies buried deep beneath vinyl crackle. Stunning.
Review: 'Raven' is the name of the largest species of crow in the corvid family of birds. It's also the name of the second upcoming studio album by Kelela, which comes a whopping six years after her debut Take Me Apart - making this a hotly-awaited LP to say the least. Describing the album as an expression of loneliness as a black femme working in the dance music industry, she's made sure to bring along plenty of company, making this a largely collaborative affair. You've got Kaytranada, LSDXOXO, AceMo and Fauzia on there, all working in ultra-glossy, emotive future takes on dancehall, breakbeat and ballad.
Review: Seven years have passed since Burial first stopped us dead in our tracks with this universally acclaimed second album.. Sounding so different, so removed and far away from anything else, it changed the game entirely - and created a whole school of imitators in its wake. Now repressed by Hyperdub, this is a rare opportunity to grab it on fresh wax. Even if you have this on other formats in your collection, the dusty weight and chasmic crackles sound so much better on vinyl.
Review: Breaka returns with Aeoui, a highly anticipated second album that will again establish his reputation as a bass music innovator. Charlie Baker continues to evolve here with his mix of footwork, techno and dancehall influences and jazz drumming background all coming together into fresh club rhythms. The album's unique vibe emerged from a burst of jet-lagged inspiration in late 2023 and led to tracks like 'Squashy Track' and 'YOLO Bass Rewind' which both off-set a mix of organic and synthetic elements, Afro-Cuban rhythms, 'amapiano' and psychedelic influences. Breaka's sound remains unlike anything else.
Review: Dominick Martin AKA Calibre has made many fine albums in his time, but even by his standards Feeling Normal - his 17th solo set - is something special. While naturally rooted in the soulful, emotive style of drum & bass that he's become renowned for, the album's 13 tracks also incorporate rhythmic and musical elements drawn from two-step garage, the sub-heavy end of UK techno, ultra-deep house, dub techno and dubstep. As a result, the vast majority of the cuts on show neatly sidestep convention, delivering hybrids that gleefully celebrate the impact of soundsystem culture on the UK bass continuum while also offering something new, fresh, melodious, hugely listenable and exceptionally entertaining.
Review: MIDI is one of the many labels out of Romania to operate in the bottomless world of minimal techno. The first five releases have done well to establish it and this sixth is another doozy. It comes from the main man Arapu and features just two tunes, one on each side of this 12". The first is 'Explorers,' a waif, floaty light groove that evolves slowly and subtly over the course of its 12 and a half minute length. A minute longer than that on the flip is 'Noir-Jam,' a more dark and winky tune with slippery synthetic sounds, melancholic chords and rubbery drums and bass.
Review: Well Street continue to offer up some of the most inventive gear on techno's multi-faceted outer limits, this time welcoming South London's Kincaid to the table. There's certainly a vaguely defined style around the label now, and Kincaid fits right in with a dexterous line in rhythmic programming and hi-def sound design, but like all the other artists he's got plenty of individual personality as well. 'OOO' quivers and surges with a braindance demeanour, while 'Nothing Is' deals in a swampy, dislocated kind of soundsystem music. This is dense, brilliantly rendered club music for those who require the freshest of the fresh ideas.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged, denting and creasing to the outer sleeve particuarly towards the corners, record in excellent condition
Purpurea
Woody Wood
High Line
So Good For Me
Realite Augmentee
Wind Up
Anyday
Erotica
When We Were Young
All Right
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged, denting and creasing to the outer sleeve particuarly towards the corners, record in excellent condition***
Parisian sound conjurers Turnsteak step up with their debut album Digitale Pourpre. With a sterling reputation for smelting genres and smashing established ideas, their sound is one that resonates with all forms of broken beats, tech and bass music. As a result, the whole album switches and flickers between flavours; the rapid eastern take on new wave with "So Good For Me" the Hudmo-meets-AWE beat frenzy and synth splashes of "Woody Wood" and the sadboi moans and cries of "Wind Up" are just three examples of the duo's dexterity, creativity and, ultimately, musicianship. A very accomplished debut album.
Review: Jacques Greene records are as interesting as they are innovative and for this latest essential long player he joins forces with Joel Ford, Satomimagae (RVNG) and Leanna Macomber. It finds the Montreal produce conjuring up floaty breakbeats and lashing of loose, free flowing synths to maker for an idealised club sounds that will be impossible for dancers to ignore. There is fresh spirit in these tunes as well as sedate shoegaze sounds, shimmering pads and super sweet grooves to make any party that bit more special.
Review: Following up releases by the likes of Mark Seven, Florist and Cygnus, Ari Goldman's Washington D.C-based World Building returns with this awesome varioust artist compilation. Neighborhood Watch Volume One features a wide selection of moods and grooves: NativeSun vs JamesBangura get stuck into some dark dubstep on 'Demon Mode' much like The Khan does later on the deeply meditative 'Part Of Me (Ode To DC), while Sami gets their swing on with the classic house of 'Marty & Jack', Juana's tunneling 'It's Low' gives you a dose of heroin house and over on the flip Max D gets deep down and dirty on 'No Snare'.
Review: Two proper peaches from the melodic end of the house/techno spectrum from Samantha Poulter aka Logic1000. 'Perfume' sees the Sydney-born, Berlin-based DJ and producer adding several layers of bittersweet vocals to a chunky and lightly-embellished-breaks house groove. Flip track 'Blossom' comes up equally smelling of roses with a more progressive-slanted instrumental vibe that's equally playable. The sweet smell - and sound - of success.
Review: Here's some fresh techno from Intercepts, a new project dropping three slabs of hi-def, immersive club material from three different un-named artists for adventurous souls. 'Track 1' moves at a slower tempo and deals in fractured rhythms, all the better to carry the huge swathes of atmospheric sound design. 'Track 2' rolls with a deceptive discoid funk which contrasts neatly with the looped up Berlin techno-friendly elements. 'Track 3' takes things even further out into experimental - but still rhythmical - territory, marking Intercepts out as a label with a strong sense of adventure and their own distinctive way of merging influences into something which may well tickle your ear drums.
Review: Besides a very limited edition version at the time, Flore's beguiling second album finally sees a full vinyl outing almost 18 months after its release. Forever weaving between the dots, French visionary Flore has always had a knack of mapping out whole musical universes ever since she emerged in the leftfield fringes of the breaks scene 20 years ago and Rituals is the best example of her widescreen vision so far. Eight tracks, eight explorations into the exciting hinterland between lofi, techno, beats and experimentalism, at points we're down in the gutter, slinking along to filthy distorted basslines ('Evidence'), the next we're spiralling away into the cosmos on a rocket fuelled by Weatherall ('You Were Here'), the next we're being slamdunked by rough, wonky techno ('Numen'), the next we're reloading and playing the whole darned thing again. And again. And again. Ritually.
Review: Munich based producer Bryan Mueller aka Skee Mask presents his latest album titled Pool, via local imprint Ilian Tape which follows up his LP Compro which came out three years ago. There's an extensive collection of sonic experiments on offer on this one, such as opening cut 'Nvivo' which goes down an IDM route, to the glassy eyed rave euphoria of 'LFO', the intelligent drum and bass reductions of 'Rio Dub' and UK influenced steppers like 'Crossection'.
Review: Ilian Tape staple Andrea returns to the imprint, marking a big one for the Munich-based operation with a massive album by Skee Mask also this week. As always, UK and rave influences are abundant throughout the talented producer's work and this one is no exception. This EP is called Sktch and features the cavernous, glacial and downright knackered dub techno of 'Sarec', followed by the sinister subterranean breaks of Auxl and the meditative deep dubstep frequencies of 'Kjones' which sees him delve deeper into off kilter territory.
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