Minimal / Tech House Recommendations February 2012

Review: Leeds-based duo PBR Streetgang have put in quite a performance in 2012, having been released on both 20:20 Vision and Hot Creations - this latest slice of tech-funk promises to be killer! The title track is a chugging beast accompanied by lazy, summery vocals and some very effective percussion work from the pair. The Hot Creations crew have put in a little surprise by giving Deetron the remix duties for the original, and the man adds in some seriously luscious synth chords to the equation. Even "Vibos" is further proof of the funk these guys are capable of - that FX-filtered percussion is just downright brilliant!

Review: Having digitally debuted on the Flapjack imprint with The Head Nod EP late last year, That Peruvian Boy returns to the label and gets rewarded with his first release on vinyl in the shape of the I Came To Jam EP. Further revealing the talent first shown on that three track debut, the Edinburgh based producer seems perfectly at home on the long running Chicago emporium with a swinging percussive style complemented by deft vocal sampling, infectious melodies and warm bass lines. The opening track "Don't You Know" and "Gangsta Slam" are particularly effective in this regard - the latter has a certain devilish charm thanks to the guttural filtering throughout.

Review: If you'd had US producer Brendon Moeller down as a dub techno artist, then you're in for a surprise! The title track does feature Moeller's robust beats and heavy rhythms, but it's the melancholic synth musings and tearing bass that remove it from the echo chamber cliches. "In A Trance In France" also pushes Moeller into a different direction; there, rolling drums and muffled vocals combine with swirling, ethereal melodies to create a deep techno/house hybrid. Moeller has more surprises: on "Hootin & Tootin", he combines jazzy sax squalls with waves of moody synths, while "Comet" sees him effortlessly fuse clipped beats with sensuous strings. Another quality drop from the under-appreciated Throne Of Blood!

Review: The suitably mysterious Anonym returns to D'Julz's esteemed Bass Culture imprint with the excellent Changing Cities EP which swiftly lays down the gauntlet via opening track "If Everyday Was A Sunny Day". A much more refined vision of the somewhat simplistic "preacher house" endeavours of Oliver $, Anonym deftly uses some sampled sermonolgy amidst a relentlessly driving house refrain that pays his dues to Detroit. David Duriez's self proclaimed Going Rogue dub is naturally darker in tone, introducing a nicely subaqueous thrust to proceedings. On the flip, the title track conveys a nice sense of bubbling, dubby calm with emotive chords gradually pulling at your heart strings over the nicely placed rhythms, which contrasts nicely with the slightly unhinged and spectrally charged "West Side Jack".