Cead Vinyl & CDs

Review: After kicking things off with the killer "Mariachi Guadalajara" by Lewski, Or:la's Cead label returns with another emergent talent, Blu Terra. The Warsaw based producer comes on strong for this breakthrough release with the heavy slapping, sound design-enhanced electro of "Person Sans". Even if the opening track felt detailed, it's superseded by the barrage of information spilling out of crafty, distinctive acid monster "20,000". "Western/Eastern" spreads across the B-side in a nervous twitch of rave energy geared towards big dark spaces, perfect for that spine-tingling part of the night when the real world feels very far away indeed.

Review: From Patron and Wolfskuil to this first drop on Or:la's new label Cead, Utrecht producer Lewski is fast establishing himself in the buzzing space that exists between techno, electro and more experimental fare. "Guadala" has an uptempo bite, but there's plenty of dubby immersion to be felt in the bubbling synth drops and splashy reverb trails. "Jara" has its own kind of crooked intent, pockmarked with acid swerves and interlocking rhythms to get synapses firing. "Mariachi" takes things back to the peppier end of the tempo spectrum, clearly aiming for the peak time without making any cliched moves - no mean feat - and then "Descacorde" switches things up with a stomping electro house workout that brings a wholly different flavour to this excellent EP.

Review: Primrose does that most difficult of things on this new EP for the Cead label's last single-digit release: hits a perfect sweet spot between dancefloor damage and nuanced home listening. The punchy and driving 'Los Angeles Wingspan' kicks off and is backlit by a heavenly synth glow that softens the punchy, tightly coiled kicks and sprinkles of fluttering metallic percussion. '1980 Dream' is a more refracted piece where melodic phrases dart about the mix, synths scurrying up the scales, paddy drums unfurl in broken patterns and the whole thing keeps you nice and loose. An Or:la remix of '1980 Dream' rounds out a classy EP.