Cold Blow Vinyl & CDs

Review: The legendary DMX Krew is as accomplished as they come when talking about electro innovators. Each time he steps out he proves that and this new one proves it, quite knowingly so given the title. The title track 'Still Got It' is a stomping electro sizzler with lashing of disco goodness and a catchy vocal hook. The dub fleshes out the low end while 'Paranoia' picks up the pace on the flip. It's a high speed cut with dazzling melodic sequences riding up and down the scale. Cold then shuts down with boogie energy and more lush Casino keys.

Review: Cold Blow has a strong track record when it comes to reissues and retrospectives, though previously they've tended to focus on obscure electro, techno and IDM. Here the London-based label flips the script, offering up a new edition of Andy Romano's 2010 single 'Everytime I Feel Alright', which was inspired by the producer's love of vintage Italo-disco. The title track is pleasingly authentic-sounding, with Romano's effects-laden vocals and bleeping synthesiser lead lines and Harold Faltermeyer-esque stabs dancing atop a Bobby Orlando style bassline and unfussy machine drums. An instrumental mix is included, alongside two original B-sides: the Fairlight stab-sporting deep electro/Italo-disco fusion of 'L'Amour Robotique' and the vocoder-sporting KOTO tribute, 'Sayonara Robot'.

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.