Perlon Germany Vinyl & CDs

Review: Since debuting in 2016 Gaetano Caruan has only put out a handful of releases. While these EPs showed promise, there was always a feeling that the producer may be capable of hitting higher heights musically. Diaframma, Caruan's first outing on the mighty Perlon label, delivers on that early promise, offering up rhythmically interesting, off-kilter workouts that blend minimal techno chops with oddball electronics and plenty of smoky jazz influences. For proof, check 'Steps to Klapa', where wonky but weighty bass, fuzzy electronic stabs and chanted vocal snippets ride a killer rhythm, and the smooth, intergalactic micro-house hustle of 'Spalladium'. Elsewhere, 'Horns' is a sumptuous chunk of heady, morning-fresh electronic jazz and 'We Got The Swing' is an oddball, bass-heavy club workout full of hazy samples, bossa-influenced beats and creepy keys.

Review: Under the Melchior Productions name, German producer Thomas Melchior has committed some of his finest material to wax in the name of Zip and Markus Nikolai's seminal Perlon imprint. After an absence of some three years, Melchior's name is back on one of those distinctive Perlon 12"s with the first of two planned records under the Meditations banner. Don't get confused by the name though, the three "Meditations" are in no way meditative! Instead this is a record that finds Melchior fully channelling that classic Perlon vibe with the rowdy "Meditation 2" the pick of the bunch.

Review: And so the Perlon Meditations continue... Late last year German producer Thomas Melchior made his first appearance on Perlon in some three years with the exquisite Meditations 1-3, which naturally channelled the iconic label's vibe perfectly. The first Perlon release of 2015 presents a further three Melchior produced Meditations, 4-6, with the opening track something of an understated epic. At 12 minutes long, "Meditation 4" demonstrates Melchior's craft for slowly building a groove, adding elements in a fashion that sounds subtle on headphones and deadly on a soundsystem. Face down, the 5th Meditation is an infectious little house groover, with hi hats and vocal samples jousting playfully whilst the closing track is a sub heavy number rich in vocal abstraction.

Review: Here comes something new on the ever-essential Perlon. There's no exact information about who is behind Ottlix, although some scant information online points to the names Felix HK and Ottber, whoever they might be. Either way, mystery is always a part of the Perlon vibe and so it goes on this superlative trip into micro house territory, with lead track 'Tamarindo' pivoting around a relaxed broken beat formation and elegant slithers of deep techno synthesis. The snaking rhythmic style keeps up on 'Time Issues', which comes on like a Stasis joint with its fluttering, psychedelic machine soul tones. 'For' has a more pointed shift towards the dancefloor with a steady house beat, but it's still plenty weird as a good Perlon record should be.