Juno Recommends Breakbeat: February 2022

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Pilot comes correct with a third new release in quick succession. We were big fans of the first two and this one is another muscular, action packed slab of wax from North Phase. Once again he draws on many different genres to cook up his floor filling beats. 'Electronic Funk' is a bit of a throw back to when the Plump DJs were good, while 'D1000' then gets more down and dirty on scuzzy bass and electro pops. 'Escape & Evasion' is the most heady of the lot with its sparse atmosphere and old school breaks and 'Halo' closes on a cosmic borne beat wig out.

Review: After MOY's 'Orbital Resonance' EP started the label in spectacular fashion, the second release on Damo B's EMOTEC comes from Ritual Poison co-founder BufoBufo. Following a run of releases on Furthur Electronix, Tone Dropout, Partout and Kouncil Cuts, BufoBufo's 'Perceptual Channels' EP merges acid, electro, breakbeats and the emotive melodies that have become a signature of his music. 'In The Reeds' sets burbling 303s and sci-fi synths against shredded drum loops; 'Silver Disk' nods to a love of classic hip-hop and hardcore, with a monstrous electro bassline; 'Scrying Mirror' has lush house chords, addictive bass and dark interludes; and 'Remote Viewing' is a more reflective downtempo piece with a blissed-out top line and influences from ambient and IDM.

Review: The second release on the fascinating Mooziken Analog Room label comes not from Detroit-based Iranian Salar Ansari, who delivered the imprint's debut release, but rather British acid house, techno and drum & bass pioneer A Guy Called Gerald. The Mancunian channels the raw, analogue-rich heaviness of his early work throughout the EP, which sees him skip between twisted, cunningly swung, acid-fired heaviness ('Old Skool'), pleasingly metallic blends of electro, clonk and house ('Sugoi'), trippy and hypnotic early morning mysticism (the Berlin-friendly haziness of 'Flash Fight') and chunky, funk-tinged tech-house (the 'is it heavyweight house or light-touch techno' of 'False Religion', where Gerald makes a rare appearance on the mic).

Review: Make A Dance is a London-based project for 'the love of the dance and always having the dance in mind'. Their inaugural release in their new edits series is one of a well known local Afro-Caribbean jazz outfit that's injected with a 2-step beat called 'Mad Queen'. Limited one-sided vinyl release that is seriously hyped at present and for good reason, so don't sleep on this one - tip!