Review: By now, most dedicated househeads should known 2Fox and Laville's debut single, 'Elevation' - an effortlessly soulful chunk of lightly gospel-influenced deep house brilliance that has been bubbling away since the summer of 2024. The regular, full vocal versions were recently released on wax and now we get the alternative dubs. Masters at Work man and all-round NYC legend Louie Vega steps up first with a swirling, deep, hypnotic and extra-percussive take that makes good use of selected lead and backing vocal snippets, before label bosses Soul Clap slap down a deep, groovy, tech-tinged dub straight from the top drawer. Over on the reverse, we get a vocal-free 'Dub-strumental' of Vega's EP-leading take, as well as a more vocal heavy, gospel house style 'Zero Hour' dub by New York veteran Tommy Musto.
Review: Antwerp's Marius Acke resurfaces via Happiness Therapy with a sharp reissue of four deep cuts from his late 90s Crucial Traxx series-once slept on, now rightly championed by a new wave of selectors. 'Tell Me' opens with dusty MPC swing and warm Rhodes chords, full of space and analogue looseness. 'I Feel So Good' brings a rawer edge, driven by clipped vocal chops and bumping low-end. 'Dance To The Beat' leans into funky organ riffs and tight snares, while 'Everyday Life' closes with hazy pads and a laid-back, hip-hop-adjacent tempo. Carefully remastered, the set captures the soulful, groove-led essence of 90s Belgian house-funky, unfussy, and made for dancers, not algorithms. A reminder that true deep house rarely dates.
Review: While Tony Williams AKA Addison Groove is best known for his sub-bass heavy, rave-igniting workouts, he grew up in Bristol on a diet of funk, soul, hip-hop, electro, disco and early house. That's what his semi hush-hush Groove label is all about: a space for him to rework personal favourites and killer cuts in a re-edit style, rather than a warehouse-friendly rave-igniting one. On this second instalment he focuses on reshaping African dancefloor burners from the 1970s, first successfully dubbing out, extending and rearranging Manu Dibango classic 'Soul Makossa' (as 'Changa'). 'Maruno' is a heavy, percussion-rich take on Afro-disco number smothered in trippy dub-wise effects and smart drum edits, while 'Shango' is a low-down, spaced-out Afro-stomper guaranteed to get feet moving and heads spinning.
The Advent - "Passive Aggressive" (Truncate remix) (4:21)
The Advent - "Remote Viewing" (5:01)
G Flame - "Ignacio" (7:09)
Review: Long-time hard techno champion The Advent is back with more of his mind-melting work on Truncate's self-titled label. Title cut 'Passive Aggressive' opens with a loopy mental workout that is underpinned by nice dubby low ends. Truncate remixes and layers in some icy, fizzy pads and pressured drum grooves, then 'Remote Viewing' brings some uneasy peak time anxiousness with its wonky lines and prickly synths. Also included is a bonus by G Flame, which brings a direct and delicious Detroit house vibe that goes deeper.
Review: Montevideo mainstay Alejo steps up for his debut on System Error's Flow series with the '1984' EP , a sharp, floor-feeling statement from an artist who both stands out in and defines the Uruguayan figure-ground. As co-founder and resident of the long-running Emile Club, Alejo's instincts run deep, and here they come sluiced though a new channel: four tracks, from '4to En Discordia' to 'Rkr1', offering snarling low-end pressure opening out to estuaries of wiry electro wades. Raw, punchy and tightly engineered, it's music that speaks with the verve of someone who's lived the scene from inside and out the booth.
Review: Following the success of his 'City Smile' EP, Aleqs Notal is back with more ear-piquing goodness in the form of this latest boundary-pushing vision. The EP is said to be unified by a central theme of self-acceptance and covers plenty of ground, from the deep and meditative essence of Chicago-inspired 'Pain Of Truth' to the more loose 'Talk' Em Down' with its snaking bass and eerie chords. 'Crushin'' sits somewhere between the two, with analogue textures and a firmly rooted groove forming the foundation for percussive and synth layering. 'Instant' has brilliantly pinging 909s and humid chords. This is Aleqs Notal at his most expressive.
Review: Ron Ampoule is now based in Berlin but has spent time soaking up the scenes in London and Frankfurt so he brings a widescreen approach to his intricately crafted sounds. 'PRoller' is a fun one for the lumpy, bulbous rhythm that rides beneath similarly swollen synths. 'Friday Night Shite' has a much stiffer and more punchy low end with textured percussive details and groaning pads. 'Siltie' is a killer breakbeat workout with an old school energy in the snappy drums but an eye on the future with its sound design. 'Tridget' closes with a fat and gritty baseline and sinewy synth rawness for those more supercharged moments.
Review: GT Flips is proving to be a superb home for the music of Detroit mainstay and former Slum Village man DJ Dez aka Andres. He is turning out plenty of it, all of it quality, and all of it steeped in his signature blend of deep house, hip hop and the Cuban rhythms of his personal family heritage. Opener 'Take Your Time' is blissed out beat perfection with mid-tempo drums and heady pads next to gorgeous vocal hooks. 'Saturday' brings the party with a classic vocal sample made famous after being used in a Levis ad, and 'The Candle' closes with jazzy horns and flutes over more dusty drum breaks.
Review: Motor City legend Andres is back with another superb run of 12"s on the GT Flips label. The latest edition is another smoking hot three-tracker that opens up with 'She Spoke To Me', a laid-back blend of live drums and dusty snares with neat little sax motifs and a soothing vocal coo. 'Head Over Heels' finds Andres looking to a classic 80s sound for the main vocal hook and reworks it over what sounds like live MPC beats. 'Spoof' is the third and final gem here, this time with some erotic vocal pleasures and sensuous pads.
Review: Whenever DJ Dez Andres drops new heat, you have to tune in. The man is a beat-making machine, extraordinary DJ and avid record collector who distils all that house and hip-hop knowledge into his always stylish cuts. 'No 1' opens up this latest jam on GT Flips and has a boogie-fried lead synth line, deep drums and chopped vocals that amp up the party but also have plenty of heart to them. 'Doobie' is the flipside offering and it finds Andres sampling another 80s soul classic and reworking it over some of his textbook and textured drums that perfectly straddle the house and hip-hop divide.
Review: Less a genre label than a freeform hub, LA's StrataSonic quiver between house, polyrhythmic perc jams, and beatless ambient music, never forcing cohesion where it's not needed. Exemplifying said one-size-fits-no-one approach is their latest from label mainstay Animl, whose debut EP 'Star Walk' gets a massive triplet of remixes from Seth Troxler, Matthew Jonson and Galcher Lustwerk here: truly a debut artist's dream to be remixed by such sage minimal techno servicemen. We've got to love Lustwerk's version of 'Bruv', as the track builds on the original's titular accost, with shakedown breath samples and an organ press turned heart monitor beep sprinkled into the progressing ambient moves on top.
Review: While French label Frappe has released some cracking artist EPs, their bread and butter has always been compilation style 12" singles showcasing the work of imprint mainstays and invited guests. They're in that mode again on Roller Coaster, and as usual all five tracks hit the mark. Big hitter Art of Tones gets things off to an energetic and on-point start via the funk-sampling disco-house hedonism of 'Cameo Maceo', before newcomer Georges wraps eyes-closed jazz guitar solos and dreamy chords around a languid, synth bass-sporting deep house groove on 'Downed'. Over on the reverse you'll find three perfectly playable excursions: the disco-flecked deep house pleasure of 'The Realm' by Robby and Stupid Flash, the piano solo-laden, funk-fuelled summer house sizzle of Basil de Suresnes' 'Jazz After Sex' and the 21st century jazz-house heat of 'StereoJazz' by Ten Fingerz.
The Jak & Nico Babylon - "This Nasty Possession" (9:30)
Review: The Jak and Nico Babylon have been busy and have two split EPs dropping on the Dirty Blends label this month, and both are grimy house workouts. Dirty Blends presents a loose early house 12" with two standout tracks. First up is new associate Nico Babylon with a hypnotic, conceptual production built around vintage synths and syncopated rhythms that push jakbeat to the next level with meticulous craftsmanship. On the flip, 'This Nasty Possession' is a collaboration between The Jak and Nico, rooted firmly in the mid-80s Chicago underground sound, inspired by the Gherkin and Gene Hunt era. Every element was handcrafted with no samples used, thereby preserving the authentic, old-school vibe to perfection.
The Jak meets Niko Babylon - "An Announcement Of A Miracle" (12:14)
The Jak vs Niko Babylon - "Roman Romance 4 The Drum Kidz" (10:20)
Review: The Jak and Nico Babylon pay deep tribute to the roots of Chicago's underground with this analogue heavy brace of two tumultuous and long-form minimal cuts. 'An Announcement of a Miracle' strips back the tools and forgoes the legendary 303 in favour of vintage electronics and rugged drum programming. It's a spiritual, street-level sermon wrapped in kinetic rhythm and a reflection on the everyday miracles of human existence delivered with righteous energy. 'Roman Romance 4 The Drum Kidz' follows as a hand-built homage to rocking house legend Fred Brown. Dark, melancholic and uncompromising, it's a deep cut forged in steel.
Machine Noise For A Quiet Daydream (feat Seamus) (2:29)
Like It's Part Of The Dance (4:29)
Childhood (3:47)
Marriage (2:59)
Wandering Mt Moon (2:51)
Review: Edinburgh's Barry Can't Swim wattles organic textural elements around progressive house and techno emotes, inviting comparisons to Fred Again's pyjama-wearing, electronic cousin. Bursting on to the scene in the early 20s with bedroomy, Bandcamp self-starters like 'Different' and 'I Don't Want To Be Here', the common thread in Barry's oeuvre has become known as one of introspection, isolation and regression to childhood. Loner now hears him delve ever deeper into his establishing unthought known, one of solitary but deep-feeling inner world-building, matching the tremulous intensity of his fluid, jam sesh live shows.
Machine Noise For A Quiet Daydream (feat Seamus) (2:31)
Like It's Part Of The Dance (4:29)
Childhood (3:49)
Marriage (2:58)
Wandering Mt Moon (2:52)
Review: Barry Can't Swim, the Edinburgh-born electronic artist, shares his highly anticipated new album Loner on Ninja Tune, attesting the excitement factor of a new artist whose star power has reached boiling point. Proceeding the electrifying single drop 'Different' - a fan favourite and fixture of his enigmatic live performances - Loner carries on from the last Ninja LP When Will We Land?, as Barry continues to reflect on his personal journey, by way of toyshop melodies and ahead-of-the-curve dance textures. Barry explains, "If my first album was a collage of all the music I loved growing up, this album is my truest expression of myself and the past year of my life."
Review: Edinburgh-born Barry Can't Swim made a solitary splash with Loner, now reissued some months after its initial release on CD. The album dived deep into the producer's personal landscape, shaped by a year of self-reflection and a global total live show wipeout, finding romance in the contrasts between adolescent aloneness and global superstardom: in the 21st century, we find it a relief to believe they're hardly incompatible. Lead single 'Different' has in the time since set itself apart on dancefloors the world over, its euphoria meeting a patchwork of influences, while always seeming to conjure some wonder and speculation as to the man behind the beats: always navigating identity, (dis)connection and change.
Review: Glasgow-born veteran and techno heavyweight Gary Beck drops the much-requested ID 'Hopper' on SHDW's Mutual Rytm sub-label, Spectra. He's already well-known for underground anthems like 'Upside Criminal' and 'Fold' but now unveils this long-awaited club cut, which was born from a spontaneous studio session. Featuring a syncopated disco bassline, nods to funk and with an irresistible groove, 'Hopper' lingers long after the dancefloor empties and showcases Beck's production nous in more ways than one. Remix duties go to Bulgarian hardware wizard KiNK, who first delivers a warm, house-leaning version, then flips the script with a high-octane blend of techno and UKG.
Review: Amsterdam's Beraber draws from Chicago's classic keys and machine rhythms on this return to action on United Identities, which was produced entirely in his Amsterdam studio. Across the six cuts, he weaves atmospheric textures into a personal collection that also features his first use of vocals alongside Barcelona's Ivy Barkakati, whose lyrics echo the journey's introspection. Highlights include the serene opener 'Between Us,' the dubbed-out 'Distant Language,' and the soulful 'Lost in Loops'. The package closes with an upbeat 'Good Company' and a deep remix by Brazilian artist Zopelar.
Review: Since debuting in 2022, Manchester-raised (but Berlin-based) musician Black Eyes (real name Matthew Jesus) has defined a trademark style of his own: 'hydro-trip', a personal variation of trippy house and techno "inspired by his love of water". Here the rising star brings his unique musical vision to Rawax's Motor City Edition series for the first time. He sets the tone with 'Scuba Republic', where futurist Detroit deep house chords and textures rise above a locked-in beat and hypnotic bassline, before opting for a jazzier, warmer and more rhythmically fluid house sound on 'Intercity Fish Vibes'. Flip-side opener 'Something Sweeter N Deeper' is gentle, bass-heavy and melody-rich, offering a blissful and immersive dancefloor excursion, while the admirable Abacus rounds things off with a fine, Motor City techno inspired rework of 'Scuba Republic'.
Review: Magic House Mover is deep house gem from the Parisian producer Art Bleek aka Arthur Pochon, who brings his signature sultry and soulful style to grooves built to move hearts as much as hips. His shimmering, sun-drenched sounds douse you in warming vibes while Lola Delon's vocals float above with sensual allure. It's the sound of sunrise on a rooftop, somewhere between the Med and a lucid dream. Then Osunlade steps in, flipping the track into a spiritual ride with organic, hypnotic drums and earthy percussion, and Art Bleek reworks the original with a steadier club pulse.
Review: Berlin-based producer Jan Blomqvist brings his melancholic, vocal-driven electronica into sharper, more introspective focus on this third full-length. Across 16 tracks-including collaborations with Rodriguez Jr., Natascha Polke and Felix Raphael-he explores emotional dislocation and quiet resilience through softly pulsing rhythms and featherlight melodies. 'Underwater' and 'Muted Mind' deliver restrained club energy with lyrical vulnerability, while 'Destination Lost' and 'Midnight Sun' stretch into extended, slow-burning euphoria. 'The Robot Test' flickers with unease, contrasting ambient sketches like 'Left Unsaid' or 'Stranded', which offer breathers between the more structured moments. Blomqvist's trademark fusion of indie songwriting and minimal house aesthetics remains intact, but here it's paired with a more reflective edge-less a soundtrack for escapism than a subtle invitation to reconnect. Thoughtful, refined and emotionally attuned, it's a reminder that the most affecting dance music often speaks in a whisper.
Review: A debut that feels carefully sculpted yet emotionally loose, like they've been quietly perfecting this for years. The 'Brotherhood' EP doesn't rush to impress, but it does. Instead of sticking to one lane, the duo blend shades of deep house, electro and touches of Italo with a real sense of control and curiosity. The title track has a moody undercurrent with a catchy bassline, while icy percussion and layered vocals bring just enough tension. It's equal parts shadowy and hypnotic, like stepping into a neon-lit alleyway at midnight. 'Human Experience' loosens up the mood with a bit more groove and warmth. There's something retro-futurist about it, with its synthetic voice fragments and subtle melodic twists while it drifts and pulses like a memory coming back to life. 'Eivissa' has a confident strut. The breakbeats hit hard, but the melodies float above it all with a soft glow. Then 'Post Operation' closes things off with a slow exhale. There's a gentle rise and fall to it, almost ambient, yet still grounded by a steady pulse. It feels like the moment the lights come on but you're not quite ready to leave. A debut that leaves a mark.
Boddhi Satva & Zaki Ibrahim - "Vibrate High" (4:17)
Boddhi Satva & Jorge Bezerra - "Xango" (5:56)
Boddhi Satva & Freddy Da Stupid - "Kotto River" (5:31)
Review: Manifest Everything is a powerful double album from Boddhi Satva that surveys his groundbreaking work in ancestral-inspired Afro-electronic music. This edition compiles tracks from Manifestation, which was a Grammy contender for Best Alternative Music Album, and In Spite of Everything, and together they give a great insight into his creative power and emotional range. This one is dedicated to his late mother and braids personal reflections with singular rhythms and soulful club anthems. Boddhi's cultural impact has been endorsed by a resolution from both the New York State Senate and U.S. Congress, and this gatefold format includes liner notes and Basquiat-inspired visuals.
Review: Boston duo Soul Clap make a routine yearly stopover in Detroit with House Of Efunk, a DJs' slamdown paying collective tribute to the dance musical legacy of Motor City. Detroit's influence on the House of Efunk is undeniable, and this 25th release in the conjoining V/A series of EPs hears Soul Clap join Axel Boman, Juliet Mendoza, Ataxia, and Mathew Jonson for a serious-unserious serum of dance delirium. Best among them 0s the lo-fi astral projections of Boman's 'Ev'ry Body Wants To Be A Star' (hint: you already are) and Ataxia's future-lectro acid finesse-tration, 'Soul Clap'.
The twelfth studio album by the legendary electronic duo marks the latest evolution of the unmistakable sound of the two innovators Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeie
Notes: The twelfth studio album by the legendary electronic duo marks the latest evolution of the unmistakable sound of the two innovators Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier. Booka Shade have been leading the electronic scene for over 25 years, their career spanning from groundbreaking club anthems to GRAMMY-nominated productions. With their innovative approach and renowned live performances, Booka Shade continues to shape the melodic house and techno landscape.
Review: Bristol's Boulderhead has been making some serious moves on the likes of Sex Tapes From Mars, Worm and Rhythm Section and now shows yet another subtly different side to his sound on the cultured Mindhelmet. 'Feelin' OK' has a phased and fragment vocal that marbles the fat-assed dub tech groove as abstract synth daubs add the colour. 'I Gotta Work' (feat Overnite Oats) is another synthetic sound with whispered vocals and a future tech groove while 'Red Purple Pink' (feat Overnite Oats) rides on a fleshy, subby low end with gooey synths hanging in the air above. A trio of mind melting tech outings on the flip including the bubbly 'Late Nite Bopper' make this a must-cop for late night sessions with discerning heads.
Review: Romanian producer BRYZ returns with three immersive cuts for Yecad, a label that's steadily positioning itself among minimal's most reliable. A fixture in Bucharest's underground, BRYZ has released on Tzinah, Esente and Storytellers, and here he leans into his signature hypnotic detail. 'Arcane' sets the tone on the A-side: tight, swung drums guide a stream of hazy pads, fragmented voices, and dubby trails. 'Calida' flips the mood slightly-more tactile and groove-led, it centres on a burbling synth motif and deft guitar flicks, making space for a subtly rising arrangement. Closing track 'Iridian' deepens things once again, layering panned percussion and flickering synth work over a sleek bassline. It's heady, club-ready minimalism, but with a welcome softness-a producer dialled into his zone.
Review: Bullet Tooth taps into the energy of old school pirate radio days with not only the title of his new 'Private Caller' EP but also the sounds inside it. The title cut is a pure bad man gem with bad man vocals and bad man low-end oscillations next to crispy 2-step drums. 'Wanted' then ducks and dives with dark moody bass and wobbly synths, menacing percussion and pitched-up vocals. But the best of the lot is saved until last when 'George's Groove' is a deceptively simple but effective garage pumper with speedy drums, playful sax lines and a naughty undercurrent.
What You Want (feat Byron Stingily - Extanded version) (6:42)
What You Want (feat Byron Stingily - dub) (5:49)
Take You Back (6:13)
Review: New York house stalwarts Victor Calderone and Mykol team up for a heavyweight double-header on Nervous Records, drawing on decades of club heritage with two cuts that balance toughness with soul. On 'What You Want', the unmistakable Byron Stingily delivers a spoken-word vocal full of presence and tension, riding a thick groove of driving drums and brooding synth stabs. The dub strips things back into a leaner, club-focused roller, layering sharp FX over its pulsing low-end. Flip to 'Take You Back' and the tone shifts-gliding synths and sultry female vocals swirl through the mix, giving the track a hazy, after-hours sensuality. It's a slick contrast to the A-side's weight, showcasing the duo's versatility and deep roots in New York's late-night lineage.
Review: Glasgow's Domenic Cappello solicits universal applause with 'Galactic Praise', drawing deep from Detroit techno's heritage and a synthy Berlin schooled erudition. A longtime resident and booker at Sub Club alongside Harri, Cappello has refined a style balancing punchy rhythms, emotive melodies and rich atmospheres shaped by years in one of techno's most respected venues. 'Dat Thing' and 'Niamh's Song' contrast through whistling highs and spick electro-acid lows respectively; the title track, meanwhile, recalls space-decolonial maximalism of later Apollo releases, as if to portray the infinitude of a terraformed, cosmo-dromal house party.
Review: North West-based techno head Tom Carruthers throws it back to the deep and dusty analogue thrills of the late 80s with this retro house pouting for the Netherlands' peerless Clone Jack For Daze. Opener 'Technique' is a steamy and lo-fi jaunt with mysterious lead. 'Beyond Time' has a classic old school bassline beneath curious, drifting melodies and tidy drums. 'Junction 12' has a little more punch and brings to mind the melancholy of Dream 2 Science and '3AM' layers in some hope and optimism in its brighter melodies, though a gurgling baseline still nags away down low.
Review: Sweden's Vincent Casanova and his countryman Ajaks combine their creative forces for this tasteful new outing on the burgeoning Sono Unica label. As the title suggests, they have widescreen synth melodies up top that will have you gazing on in awe while capturing the mood of outdoor summer gatherings. After the title track with its celestial charm and rubbery bass, 'Home Alone' has a deeper, dubber, more driving vibe with tumbling melodies hinting at nocturnal mischief and 'Trans AM' then has warm, rolling basslines and vivid melodies that float effortlessly to bring the charm of dancing in open-air spaces. Ajaks complements the release with a moodier reinterpretation, steering the sound into late-night territory with a refined, shadowy touch.
Maintaining My Peace (feat Novelist & Stephanie Cooke) (2:59)
Tears (feat Saucy Lady) (2:55)
Brain Gymnasium (3:28)
Wanna Tell Somebody (feat Josh Milan) (5:53)
Otaki (feat Finn Rees) (5:26)
Love Language (feat Nathan Haines) (4:35)
A Deeper Life (feat Isaac Aesili) (8:00)
More Time (feat Lee Pearson Jr Collective) (3:56)
Tongariro Crossing (feat Nathan Haines) (5:17)
Barefoot On The Tarmac (4:11)
Marlboro Sounds (6:03)
The Eternal Checkout (feat Cenk Esen) (5:36)
Review: Given that even their most dancefloor-focused tunes are remarkably deep, immersive and sonically detailed, you'd think that Chaos In The CBD's music would suit the album format - it's just that until now, they've not recorded a full-length. A Deeper Life, then, marks a big step forward in the Helliker-Hales brothers' career. Predictably, it's borderline brilliant. Made with the assistance of a cast of collaborators and guest performers (flautist Nathan Haines, boogie revivalist Saucy Lady and original NJ garage-house hero Josh Milan included), it sees the Kiwi duo sashay their way through enveloping, musically expansive cuts - many downtempo and home-listening focused - that variously mix and match elements of deep house, nu-jazz, dub, 80s soul, hip-hop, trip-hop, Latin soul and much more besides. A genuine triumph, even by their high standards.
Review: 'Create the Life' is the debut EP from Detroit's Char aka Charnell Williams, who is a dancer, educator and artist with a sound that moves in sync with the soul. Drawing inspiration from her father's role in shaping the Motown Sound, Char brings oodles of rhythm, warmth and intention to each track and blends broken beat, soulful house and glowing vocal energy. From the ethereal 'Fall On Me' to the radiant 'Surrender' and uplifting 'Go In Graceee', these long-awaited tracks now shine on Maybee Hill Music, having long been featured in Julion De'Angelo's sets.
Review: Cardiff man Chesus makes raw, no-nonsense, highly effective club tracks that are well-sampled and subtly 90s-leaning. He might be best known for doing them under his Earl Jeffers alias but this one is one of his standouts, and it was originally made back in 2008-ish before being left on a hard drive then rediscovered and put out in 2013 on Local Talk. Here, the evergreen jam resurfaces via the MELANGE Archives series. 'Special' is indeed just that - it brims with feel-good energy thanks no doubt to the swooning strings which bring great life to swinging drums, chopped-up soul vocals and expressive synth lines. It's a pure party starter that is ageing to perfection.
Review: Four tracks on the debut release from this emerging French label, and four tracks that leave their mark on the electro landscape at the get go. Ciron's 'Villain' is a moody, prowling cut that sounds like a neon-lit detective theme, then Sasha Zlykh's 'Ketamine Chic' follows, psychedelic and a bit cheeky with off kilter melodies and trance-tinged textures injecting fun energy. Flip it over and Local 23's 'Electrofornication' brings a nice sense of space and movement, as if cruising through a digital city at night, before Ciron's 'Data Transparency' ends proceedings with its vintage sounding 80s synths. Helping to take that VHS graphic aesthetic and vapourwave style into the electro genre, Plazeg's debut is impressive enough to make it a label to look out for in the future.
Review: Body & Soul NYC resident Joaquin 'Joe' Clausell has launched a new series, 'Iboga' - an extension of his 'unofficial edits and overdubs' project focused on "psychedelic takes" on "African classics". He begins EP number two with 'Abuja Rough', a rolling, lightly housed-up take on a lesser-known mid-80s Afro-synth-pop number, before ratcheting up the tempo, intensity and percussive pressure on 'Summer Africa'. He successfully straightens out and beefs up an organ-rich Afronbeat workoput on 'People', while standout 'Afrikan Basement' is a lightly dubbed-out chunk of densely percussive Afro-house topped off with effects-laden vocals and sax solos.
Review: For the latest offshoot of his ongoing 'unofficial edits and overdubs' rework project, New York house/disco mainstay Joaquin 'Joe' Clausell has decided to turn his hand to "African classics', delivering what he describes as "psychedelic takes". On this EP, the first of two, the Body & Soul NYC resident offers up extended revisions of a quartet of cuts. He begins with 'New Africa', wrapping a gorgeous sand gently soulful vocal workout in spacey synths and layers of spiritual house percussion, before upping the tempo on the breathless and brilliant 'Griot Ba'. His love of deep, dubby basslines, restless percussion and delay-laden vocal snippets comes to the fore on EP highlight 'The Ya Yo People', whjle 'Drum Sore' - a version of what sounds like an early to mid 1980s number - very much lives up to its name.
Review: Brooklyn record distributor Atypical-dopeness offer the next edition in Joaquin Joe Claussell's Unofficial Edits & Overdubs series. Following a four-tracker of largely unnamed tracks released in 2020, Iboga continues the series, this time with an iterative avatar to top up Claussell's ever-moving house continuum. Claussell's output has lately taken on an ancestral turn, influenced by the hallucinations caused by chewing the roots of an iboga plant, a chemico-spiritual fixture of initiation ceremonies found across Central Africa (whether Claussell actually did take ibogaine isn't clear). What we do know is that, in dialogue with his heritage, Claussell found himself inspired by these initiatory rituals and so set about producing this eleven-track heart-rouser, fusing the overdubbed recorded sounds of Gabon, Cameroon and Congo with his own summative, spiritual, salubrious house sound.
Review: The latest 7" from New York producer and long-time spiritual house innovator Joaquin Joe Claussell leans into his cosmic jazz side, offering two fully analogue recordings of 'Dark Rebel'. It's a brand new release, recorded live with no computersijust raw musicianship and hands-on energy. The A-side version stretches into smoky Rhodes licks and rolling percussion, while the B-side strips things down to a tighter, dubbier frame. Released on Sacred Rhythm and Cosmic, this is one for collectors of Claussell's deeper, more improvisational output.
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