Various – Cosmic Club Volume 10 review

Skylax Records impresario Hardrock Striker unveils the tenth release on his Cosmic Club offshoot with perhaps the most impressive contributions to date, presenting a neat slant on styles that fully represents the sonic ethos of the affiliated club night in Paris overseen by Monsieur Striker.

It’s always a pleasure to see a new original production from Walter Jones – mostly because he’s so frustratingly sparse with his output – and his contribution here proves to be the New Orleans based producer at his best. Staying true to its title, “Seven Minutes Of Disco” is a glorious excursion through the finer points of contemporary disco production, all glistening synth lines, heavy usage of cowbell, a thick groove of expertly layered drums and low bass all topped off with infectious organ noodlings. The latest offering from Italian duo The Love Supreme which follows proves to be just as impressive, though inherently much more unhinged rhythmically. “Barbatrick” is characterised by shuffling live drums and a disjointed groove concocted of ascendant synth nudges, delightfully dirty smudged bass and typically schizophrenic arpeggiated stabs.

On the flip, “Lost In Space” sees veteran Danish producer Peter Visti deliver a slice of shuffling modern uptempo Balearica that bristles with undercurrents of outer galactic sonics worthy of its title. Slick production runs throughout – take for example the smooth descent into the flamenco guitar midway through and the equally slick way the track latches back onto a bumping beat. It is however somewhat overshadowed by the final track here from the Ukraine’s biggest Legowelt fan, Renkas. “Where Is The Ocean” is a hauntingly oddball melding of the vintage Dutch electro pioneered by the likes of the aforementioned Danny Wolfers, and the rough synth dramatics of mainland European Cold Wave.

Tony Poland