Cold Blow Vinyl & CDs

Review: Halvtrak is hardly prolific - this EP is just his fourth solo vinyl outing in a decade - but what he does release is invariably excellent. The Finnish producer's trademark sound is rooted in the past, referencing British breakbeats, ambient techno, bleep, Motor City futurism and Chicago house, but always sounds fresh, pleasingly melodic and analogue rich. Opener 'X-Pressed' is probably the most peak-time ready of the strong bunch of tracks on show, with glassy-eyed chords and spacey melodies riding a thrusting bassline and sweaty breakbeats, though the house-tempo melodic techno strut of 'Rhythm Overture' pushes it close. Elsewhere, 'Phase Distorshun' is a more angular, deeper and lo-fi techno excursion, while 'Doubt' sounds like a cross between deep bleep minimalism and hypnotic, mid-90s Detroit techno.

Review: .Stepping into spring with true style and just the right amount of nostalgic sass, unpredictable Finnish artist Otto Taimela follows a string of techno dispatches with this sublime four track jungle narrative that's perfect the sunnier seasons. With its lively, unkempt edits and jumps, 'Sunflower' has a powerful warmth of a timeless jungle dancefloor tune while carrying a certain amount of nostalgic IDM haze. It's a vibe which is maintained throughout the EP; 'Sunwarmed Window' has a dreamier edge that wouldn't have gone amiss on Warp at any point during the early to mid-90s, 'Sunshine Reloading' rides a much busier drums palette while 'Imagined U' brings us back down to earth with a gentle beatless ambient kiss. Stunning.

Review: This release features four club tracks from the recent Cold Blow fifth anniversary CD compilation. It includes contributions from Matti Turunen of the renowned electro group Morphology who does a good job of serving up his signature while the EP also highlights a funky electro collaboration between Qwerty and Ed DMX. Additionally, there's a true minimal techno banger from the legendary Mono Junk and last but not least is the introduction of an enigmatic new producer named Sleep Mathew. He adds an intriguing touch to this diverse collection that marks five years of Cold Blow in style.