Kalahari Oyster Cult Vinyl & CDs

Review: Over the last few years, Andrea Mancini has released many fine records as Cleveland, most of which offer a trademark take on techno and tech-house laden with interesting sounds, tribal percussion, and notable nods to British bass music. It's a hugely attractive formula all told, and one he further explores on Golem, the Luxembourg-born producer's second EP for Kalahari Oyster Cult. Each of the three original tracks on show has its own unique flavour, from the out-there, intergalactic post dubstep techno of 'Trullo', and the sunrise-ready futurist techno voodoo of 'Forest', to the Livity Sound-in-space brilliance of 'Golem'. Label-mate Junes does a great job remixing the latter track, with his impressive version thrillingly joining the dots between hypnotic tech-house, broken techno and creepy breakbeat.

Review: Kalahari Oyster Cult heads down under for a new EP from Furious Frank. The Australian 303-connoisseur serves up a trio of subtle and supple joints designed to pump any floor. The first is a melancholic but hopeful trip with purposeful drums and more pensive pads, while 'Artificial Simulation' gets more raw and ragged with its corrugated bass and prickly acid sounds. 'Trip 2 Fantasy' is a blunt tool with heavy reverb, stomping drum funk and more molten acid and rounding out the EP is Ludwig AF with a Worldwide Dancefloor Destruction mix that is deep, pulsing, and hypnotic.

Review: While much of Volodymyr Gnatenko's album was produced during the worst points of the ongoing global pandemic, it sounds scarily contemporary - not least because the Ukranian producer's love of poignant chords, melancholic melodies and heart-aching aural textures are as emotionally resonant as the horrors currently unfolding in his homeland. Rainalice, his debut album, is undoubtedly a triumph: a thrillingly retro-futurist collection of IDM, electro and ambient techno excursions completed in his Kyiv studio (where he now shelters during air raids), that inadvertently offer a reminder of the vibrancy of the pre-war electronic music scene in Ukraine whilst sonically transporting listeners to some distant plant or galaxy.

Review: Kalahari Oyster Cult is not only one of our favourite label names but also a damn good outlet for innovative deep house. This one comes from Helium, who has a sound that is well versed in the old school but always with its own added sense of freshness. 'Try Me' is gloriously positive and upbeat with a nice female vocal and lush melodic bassline. 'Clouds' (Captain mix) is then an interlude of suspensory pads that will keep you afloat above the dance floor and 'Out There' (Jody mix) closes down with an impossibly smooth and catchy house groove, spaced-out synth smears and future vibes.

Review: Following a couple of low-key - but quietly impressive - EPs on Dote, Gladoors founder Neil McDermott brings his June project to Kalahari Oyster Cult for the very first time. In keeping with much of his previous output, the four tracks on offer tend towards the intergalactic end of the techno spectrum, with numerous nods to the authentically spacey early UK tech-house sound of the late 1990s. This is particularly evident on opener 'Witching Hour' - all creepy, chiming lead lines, glacial pads, bubbly bass and skittish drums - but can also be heard on bleeping rollers 'Vessel' and 'Shifting Sands' (the latter of which also boasts some lusciously warming chords). Central's remix of the latter track, a kind of deep house/futurist techno hybrid, is also hugely enjoyable.

Review: Next up on Amsterdam's Kalahari Oyster Cult is Brent Lewis, an percussionist and drummer that has collaborated with many famous artists throughout his career. His music takes ancestral rhythms from all over the world and combines them for a unique world beat. His track '1739' which is taken from 1987's Drumsex LP receives a modern reshape by Francis Inferno Orchestra that accentuates all the entrancing qualities of the original. On the other side, fellow Aussie Fantastic Man gets onboard for another psychedelic rework which takes the track into balearic house territory.

Review: Liquid Earth is another alias for the cult underground house beat maker Urulu and here he lands on Kalahari Oyster Cult with another fine bit of futurist house. 'Scope Zone' is a great meeting point between cosmic synth work, spaced out breaks and retro house action. It's got a fat bassline that powers it onwards and some mice subtle prog melody. On the reverse is a Youandewan remix from the Berlin based Brit who is in superb form right now. He smooths things out, keeps the bounce and heads for the stars. A tidy two tracker for sure.

Review: Canadian artist Maara takes us on a hedonistic club trip with this new outing. It carries on his usual way with trance-inducing dance sounds that mesmerise and titillate in equal measure. 'Can't Slo Down' comes on fats with thick bass and synths intertwining to mind-melting effect while eerie pads detail the space up top. The hyper-speed 'Highrollerz' is like riding on a laser through space, until that is some jungle breaks arrive to switch things up. 'Princess Express' is cyborg techno funk that is fast but full of depth and warmth and 'Rude, Crude & Out Of Control' cuts loose on a flurry of drums and warped synth lines.

Review: French producer Nathan Melja has amassed a spotless discography on the likes of Mister Saturday Night, Antinote and Opal Tapes, and now debuts on Kalahari Oyster Cult with another terrific offering. "Synesthesia" is futuristic sci-fi techno with shiny synth lines and a hurried kick pattern that gets you on your toes while the bassline burrows deep. TTT affiliate and Incienso co-founder Anthony Naples steps up with the first remix. His version is more dreamy thanks to the array of background pads, then closing things out is Pariah with a punch groove that leaves the original's prying lead intact. Essential stuff.

Review: Next up on Kalahari Oyster Cult is Aarhus scene stalwart and Regelbau chief Natal Zaks (aka Central) under the Picture alias, with some soulful techno expressions on the Metric EP. The hypnotic chords on opening cut "Rul" are underpinned by slamming peak time beats, while the following track "Silke" takes its cues from Detroit's style of hi-tech soul for this emotive journey. Over on the flip, Zaks goes deep on the late night mood music of "Forskudt", followed by the lo-slung groove of "Targil".

Review: If deep, atmospheric and off-kilter techno is your thing, we'd recommend checking out this Kalahari Oyster Cult outing from Hypnus Records' regulars Primal Code. The Italy-based duo's work has long been hard to pigeonhole and the four tracks on show here typically blur the boundaries between sounds and styles. Opener 'AI Calculator', for example, peppers a minimalistic, sub-heavy polyrhythmic techno groove with turn-of-the-90s bleeps and creepy aural textures, while 'Autopilot' adds subtly evolving TB-303 acid lines and psychedelic electronics to a sparse, stripped-back rhythm track. The pair cannily combines elements of Villalobos style minimalism with IDM and "brain-dance" on 'Mainframe', while Priori's rework of 'AI Calculator' is foreboding, hypnotic and intoxicating in equal measure.

Review: Following a recent headline-grabbing appearance on Eversines' 'Plooi EP' and the release of his debut 12", 'RDS Theme', on De Lichting, RDS delivers his first 12-inch for Kalahari Oyster Cult. It's a typically trippy, mind-altering affair, with the Amsterdam-based artist first channelling the spirit of 1993 progressive house on the acid-laden, otherworldly stomp of '2312', before joining the dots between jazzy deep house, breakbeat hardcore and mid-90s D&B on 'BB Suite'. On 'Silky', he layers intergalactic-sounding synth refrains and dreamy chords over an uber-deep, Rob Gordon style bassline and rolling deep house beats, while 'Autechrein' sees RDS doff a cap towards head-nodding, hip-hop influenced mid-90s IDM.

Review: Reptant rears its head again with more slithering and slimy electro bangers here on the cult Kalahari Oyster Cult label. This punchy 12" kick off with 'Lizard Eyes', a twisted and kinetic cut with squelchy lines and super wet synths, vocoder vocals that bring the future freakiness and restless energy that cannot fail to get a floor writhing and sweaty. 'Polygrams' then gets more twisted with unrelenting drum pressure and spangled synths darting in and out of the drums while sine waves, acid droplets and whirring machines all flesh out the extra details.

Review: It would be fair to say that Roza Terenzi (real name Katie Campbell) is a producer on the rise. She hit all the right notes on her 2017 debut EP for Good Company Records and this follow-up for Colin Volvert's Kalahari Oyster Cult label is, if anything better. She starts by effortlessly joining the dots between creamy Italian dream house and bustling, bleep-era UK breakbeat house on "Mwah", before allowing those bass-heavy UK influences to bubble up to the surface on the spacey goodness of "Gigi". Head to "Rare High" for heavy sub-bass, head-in-the-clouds deep house flourishes and leisurely breakbeats - a wavy, sunrise-friendly treat - before admiring the electro-breaks hustle and sleepy, saucer-eyed shimmer of closer "Soft".

Review: SUED co-pilot SW offers up a six track MyDefinition of techno on Kalahari Oyster Cult that is utterly fresh. He starts with dubbed out rhythms and percolating percussion before getting tripped out and break-y on 'Moonnewso On', with its alien effects and squelchy bass. 'Goiossee' is another slow motion braindance the 'Massless' recalls the early work of Two Loneswordsmen. There are hectic rhythms and wild detuned chords tumbling all over the place on 'J JustMUST4y' before closing salvo 'VFXpeaksTWIN' is an ambient piece pairing church chords with breaking waves. Weird and wonderful.

Review: Kalahari Oyster Cult serve up a three-way split here, but all of the different alases are the same artists. That man is Dominic Glynn aka Syzygy (a duo with Justin McKay) who is also Fluid and Luke Warmwater. He has been hiding in the shadows for a few years until now but makes a welcome return with two unreleased tracks and another two enhanced re-edits. Each one shows his knack for hi speed, glistening techno that is riddled with acid lines, bright chords and a sense of machine soul normally associated with the Motor City.

Review: DJ soFa continues his Elsewhere compilation series on Kalahari Oyster Cult with a superb sixth instalment that showcases a load of exciting and hybrid electronic styles. These are tunes that are ripe for club play but are rooted in odd-pop, synth-punk, DIY and post-kraut styles. The artists hail from all over the globe and include the twisted funk of Seytan Tuyu's 'Anita,' hall of melodic mirrors that is Cilin's 'An Abhainn Mhor' and Mytron & A Von F's soot-black and gritty motorik thriller 'Confiture.' This series has been going since 2017 and this proves, it is still as strong as ever.