Bug Edits Vinyl & CDs

Review: Chicago-based editor Cratebug has been building serious momentum on imprints such as Persnickety and Grimy. Here we find him in full flavour on his very own imprint. Three edits in total, two of which pay homage to the chop-slapping Chi-town sound best associated with King Boompty Derrick Carter. It's "Yes I Am" that flips the biggest switch: a percussion heavy revision of the Spencer Davis Group it's an all-out rocker that guarantees incredible dancefloor reactions. Caught the bug yet?

Review: Chicago's Cratebug has supposedly been on the scene since 1983 but only started releasing in the last six years. About time and the results are great. Recently releasing his cheeky edits on Tugboat or KAT, he's now taken to releasing them himself on his own Bug Records. On this release, Chicago Edits, he does some dirty acid house on the A side with "Acid Train", an epic tour de force with synths snarling and squealing all about the place but just wait until that epic horn sound comes in. On the flip is an absolutely killer re edit of Sparks 1979 hit "Beat The Clock", which works those furious steel drums that come rushing in halfway through the original version. Tip!

Review: Proper Chicago business: David Macias (AKA Cratebug) delivers two more unique jams that come on strong, belying any simple edit categorisation. "Mainline" is all jack and no trousers as it hammers the groove home in such a hard way it could make Derrick Carter blush. "Pipeline" is a more subversive piece of work as the Bugster dices up a conga and rebuilds it with a sprinkle of Chi-Town magic. Proper.

Review: A limited edition, green vinyl edition follows in the Midas footsteps of Chicago DJ and producer Cratebug, whose recent Bandcamp movements have seen a fresh frothing-forth of free digital downloads. Two of said most recent USB-rhythm-stick fillers are heard selected for choice molten PVC compressing here. 'BOSTICH PT1' trails aureate rushes of voice and industrious percussion behind it, with both title and soundscape alluding to the stapler-heavy delights of micro-label mail order business operations. Meanwhile, 'Optimo', on the B, reissues an earlier edit by the Chicago fortunate of fellow techno titans Optimo's 'Liquid Liquid', empurpling the mix with crowded, busty percs and a manic hustler's rap on top.