Distant Worlds Vinyl & CDs

Review: Distant Worlds is a label going from strength to strength as it carries the work of underground deep techno producers celebrating that hopelessly romantic strain of UK machine music that emanated out of labels like B12 and Pure Plastic. Mihail P makes a return to the label after last year's "Multiverse EP", channeling all the right moves for a blissful trip into imagined sci-fi vistas fuelled by the box jam funk of electro and the synapse-tickling soundscapes of Tangerine Dream et al. From the dreamy delights of "Kessel Run" to the downtempo groove of "Sons Of October", this is beautifully executed music that champions electronic music with real heart and soul.

Review: Mihail P first came to light on respected label Seventh Sign before popping up just recently on Verdant Recordings alongside ESB, and now he's back once again with the Multiverse EP on Distant Worlds. His influences are clear, from the elegant melancholy and attention to detail of early UK techno to the snappy electro rhythms of Drexciya, and he exercises those influences brilliantly on each of these four tracks. There are abundant tender synth lines criss-crossing intricately programmed drum machines in a true celebration of machine soul, all shot through with a heavy-lidded ambience that makes for some of the most captivating techno out there at the moment.

Review: Following marvelous turns from the likes of Perseus Traxx and Stephen Lopkin, Distant Worlds returns with this heavy slice of emotional synthwave from a strong cast of characters. Tagwell Woods heads up the pack with some lingering, poignant leads and tasteful 303 wriggles, before Castel drops some seriously wiggy trance-out sounds into the mix (all still very much on the sensitive tip, of course). Mihail P returns to Distant Worlds to open up the B-side with a slow, break fuelled funk and soul-stirring melancholy, before the always-excellent HOLOVR completes the set with a distinctive and delicate romp through finely sculpted electronica.