DNA Edits Vinyl & CDs

Review: Aussie mash-up maestro and re-editor DJ Agent '86 first made his mark two decades ago and has periodically delivered killer cuts ever since. Of those, the most celebrated is undoubtedly 'All About The Money' - a cannily constructed party jam that first dropped digitally at the tail end of the noughties. Here it finally makes it to wax. It's a simple idea, expertly executed, with the Australian producer peppering a jaunty reggae-disco groove (built mostly from a late 70s disco cover of Pink Floyd's 'Money') with a variety of cash-money related rap samples. Over on the B-side he works his magic on Blondie classic 'Rapture', adding in subtle elements from other cuts early on before building energy via the familiar groove and well-used effects.

Review: DJ DSK kicks off another series of Edits Instrumentals volumes here with another pair of his vital cut up and reworked classics. The key to it is the source material - he always knows how to find just the right sort of disco tune or 80s classic to tease apart and rebuild in more robust and dance floor friendly fashion, all with a modern edge. 'Love Thang' is a sultry, low slung disco tune with big strings and funky riffs, while on the reverse, 'Just An Illusion' offers a more squelchy and late night groove for dancing to under a setting sun, maybe.

Review: The relentless edit surgeon that is DJ DSK must have spent the whole of lockdown digging for beats, then taking them to his operating table and setting to work, boucle he has a glut of new Eps out in close proximity. He kicks off here with a huge disco classic in 'Bad Girls' and strips out the vocals, turns up the fun and allows the beats to roll on uninterrupted. On the flip he takes the classic, jittery, 80s INXS gem 'Need You Tonight' and strips out the vocals, makes the beats that bit more crisp and sharp and adds some reverb for extra weight.

Review: A-grade edit specialists DJ DSK is having a hugely prolific year. He has already put put a wealth of 7"s this year and now comes on strong with yet another. DNA Edits Instrumentals Vol 3 finds him hunt down some killer source material and cut it and rework it with his surgeons sonic scalpel. 'That's The Way Love Goes' has a hard hitting boom-bap break with a bouncy bassline bringing some air. A neat and funk guitar riff acts as the main hook with synth strings bring expansive feels. On the back side is 'The Thrill Is Gone', a more laid back but still funky break for those earlier or even later night hours.

Review: Crunchy R&B re-edits come once again from DJ DSK, flipping big 90s tune 'Creep' and an unnamed 'Bhangra banger' on the the other side. All sounds on this double A-sided 7"are filtered through raunchy bitcrush and distortion, lending the reworks a deathly feel that renders them suitable for the dancefloor - and the dancefloor only.

Review: DNA Records presents two fresh cuts from the minds of O.Love and Didjelirium, both produced by the UK's very own DJ DSK, now based in China. 'Refuse' is an original cut made with O.Love, a renowned turntablist and vocalist and notable subject of DJ City's popular 'Turntablism Meets Soul Music' documentary. 'Refuse' is lent a well-rounded and nigh perfected, yet lax sheen, with DSK's unagitated add-prod lending a laboured swing to O.Love's brilliant beltings. On the flip comes a curveball dub reggae collab, of utmost quality, with Didjelirium, an early pusher of the style in China and a founding member of the incipient Chinese reggae collective Uprooted Sunshine.