Juno Recommends Breakbeat:June 2022

Review: Breakbeats have been back in fashion for a hot minute now. They are reliable vehicles for many things - all out high energy raving or piano laced uplifting joy. We get a bit of all of that more on this new selection of remixes of Andonicus's 'Make You Whole' tune. Dusky go first with a feel good and euphoric sound that is old school in mood but new school in execution. Coco Bryce then deploys some of his masterful jungle breaks for a high energy trip and after a remaster of the big and bouncy original version comes a Smokin Jo dub that is pure fire.

Review: Here's some no-nonsense breakbeat powered party tackle from a shadowy crew simply called Fellas With An Attitude. This is one of those flips which will have you roaring with approval on the dancefloor, as an iconic vogue-centric rap gets framed by a rolling break, nagging cuts and jagged samples. It's not as rough as you might think though, and there's a plush pad to smooth everything over and help this party rocker go down easy. On the flip, another version channels a slow proto-hardcore vibe from the era when Blapps Posse et al were working out what to do with breakbeats, electro drum machine beats and hip hop sampling. This one will do some damage.

Review: The latest from Burnski's Vivid label is a three way split, six track affair with Oldboy, Xander and Longeez each dispatching a pair of tunes in the label's trademark roughneck breakbeat style. - Oldboy kicks off proceedings with the speedy junglisms of 'Blackbird' before the chunkier, funkier and a little more traditionally paced breaks heft of 'Walrus Party'. Xander's 'If I Tell EM' and 'Get To The Point' both plays off two step rhythmic twists and menacing bass against dreamy synths and more breakbeaty flourishes, before Longeez closes proceedings with the slightly sparser 'Evermore' - super sharp hi hats and echoing rasta dialogue - and the appropriately spinback-peppered 'Wheel Up'.

Review: You can't fault the recent run of form that Partout have put together. This latest one finds them welcome back BufoBufo for another floor-facing collection of muscular mixes of minimal, breaks, electro, techno and acid. 'Temple Guardian' opens in blistering fashion, with stark hits and reverberating drums underpinned by busted bass and cut up with mad acid. 'Stalactites' is a more heady high, with meandering, softer acid lines and warm bass undercurrents. There is a cosmic electro vibe to 'Substrate' which gets your head amongst the stars and then its a 90s tech workout to finish with 'Last In The Box.'

Review: Ritual Poison's Batrachian sublabel has been slipping out the odd 12" here and there with a more melodic flip to the ravey intentions of their main operation. Following Bufobufo and MOY comes Wiles, who offers up a warm and inviting strain of breakbeat with emotional impact at the forefront of the creative mission. 'Too Real Eyez' keeps the drums steady and rolling and folds acid lines into the mix, but the pads swoon with orchestral poise. 'Bientam' gets a little cheekier without losing that plaintive quality in the harmonic composition, while 'Slowrush' diverts towards outright electronica with a haunting quality. Wiles finishes this record up with a remix of MOY's 'Echolab', which turns into a fractured and submerged trip that doesn't shirk its commitment to languid acid and diced up breakbeat.

Review: For the third release on Cartulis Music's new sub-label ALT Records, they have tapped French house veteran Chris Carrier. With a career spanning over over two decades, Carrier has released an abundance of terrific material under aliases such as The Logic Box or Monsieur Georget, and now under his newest moniker FSK24. Who Stopped The Clock features some ominous electro as heard on 'Green City', as well as depth charged acid breakbeat like on 'Smurf Dance' and the title track's Detroit style techno funk.

Review: Following on from the excellent Cloudsteppers 12" featuring Ciel and Dan Only, X-Kalay are back to it with this sure shot from Melbourne-based Escape Artist. Having previously snuck out on Couch Acid, Salt Mines, Phonica and Kalahari Oyster Cult, you should already have a good idea of the sphere this cat is cruising in. Sleek, techy productions with a tendency towards electro and breakbeat and plenty of trancey elements on top, doubled down to perfection on Roza Terenzi's 'Bassbin Mix' of 'Wanna Dance?' There are some trackier moments such as 'Levitator', but by and large this is trippy club gear for the modern house movers and shakers.

Review: British producer, party set designer and DJ Angel D'Lite is known for her sickly sweet and high energy mixes and solo work. An avid vinyl collector and happy hardcore indulger, '303 Dalmations' feels like biting into a sour sweet and the headrush from the sugar high thereafter. 'Just Trippin' and '7am' are evocative of the 90s records that D'Lite digs for in her local shops and collection and are bubbly dance tracks with classic breakbeats (Producers will recognise the opening amen break vocal sample on 'Liquid Skies' very well). The feel of the EP is a classic club experience, and you can't help but dance along and smile - as D'Lite says herself "Happy Hardcore is good for the soul".

Review: Utopia Cloak's Tears & Heartbreak Beats is the coming together for the first time of two EPs the artist made around the same time. That said both channel very different vibes. The first, Tears, is a moody and introspective with that was penned while the artists was going through some hard times and personal tragedy. Heartbreak Beats has been put put previously as 'Raw breakbeat tracks 2019 -2020') and was catharsis for the artists. They were written quickly and have a focussed energy that really connects.