100% Silk US

Review: With more albums than singles to his name, there can be little argument that Michael Morrison is a prolific individual, not least when you consider the first Octo Octa release was in 2011. This latest LP for 100% Silk is a wondrous brew of machine soul, spanning techno, deep house and new wave in that curious blend that the label is known for. There are romantic turns as on "Bad Blood", rowdy breakbeat moments such as "His Kiss", industrial pneumatics like "Work Me", and a wealth of ideas in between. It's a strong and energetic body of work that displays both diversity and confidence at every turn, and makes for a great album of electronic music in the process.

Review: The first of two 100% Silk platters to arrive this week sees the label reach down under to hand a debut to Melbourne based producer Roland Tings with Milky Way, a four track 12" that maintains the Los Angeles operation's relentless assault on retro-futurist underground sounds. As you might expect from his name, Roland Tings relies heavily on squeezing out vintage synth heavy house, and the playful oscillating textures and bouncy rhythms on the opening title track make comparisons with Mr Fingers easy to form. Even better is "Loose Jaw" whose arid but loose beginnings fold in on themselves as a delightful piano hook appears and the track explodes with colourful texture. Flipside opener "Polo Sport" sounds like aliens landed in Chicago sometime in the late 80s, liked what they heard, bought a shed load of analogue gear and made their own Martian brand, while "Roland's Beat" is all about that slippery percussion and subaqueous synth flourishes.