Permanent Vacation Germany Vinyl & CDs

Review: Ed Upton's DMX Krew output as always been heavily rooted in electro, but he's not averse to turning his hand to vintage-sounding synth-funk and electropop when the mood takes him. It's that mode the Bedford-born producer is in on Party Life, his second album for long-serving Munich stable Permanent Vacation. Featuring his own spoken and sung vocals, pleasingly authentic '80s-sounding synths and bubbly basslines throughout, Party Life very much lives up to its title, delivering a swathe of catchy, ear-pleasing cuts that are more fun than, well, something extremely fun. Highlights include bubbly P-funk pop number 'Show Me', revivalist new jack swing number 'Anything' and wonderfully electrofunk jam 'Party Life', which is also presented in a deliciously delay-laden 'Dub' mix mode at the end of side two.

Review: Dublin's David Kitt had been producing indie music since the turn of the millenium both solo and in various bands. He debuted under the New Jackson alias back in 2011, when he released The Night Mail EP on the now defunct Pogo Recordings, effectively launching his new career as an electronic music producer. It's since been reissued on fellow Irishman The Drifter's Maeve imprint and now Munich's Permanent Vacation have stepped in to fill the demand. It features all four originals: the deep, woozy title track, in addition to the low-slung disco of "Hussle Free" and the First Choice sampling "It's Not Over".

Review: Miguel "Pional" Barras returns for the first time since the release of his excellent debut album, When Love Hurts, on Counter Records back in 2016. Miracle also marks the Madrid-based producer's first appearance on Munich stable Permanent Vacation for almost four years. Opener "Miracle" is far dirtier and sleazier than mucj of When Love Hurts, with ultra-soulful vocals and piercing acid lines wrapping themselves around a sturdy, peak-time tech-house groove. Speaking of tech-house, there's a brilliantly bouncy bonus version in the shape of the Open Up Mix, while flipside "Tempest" combines the spiraling, synthesizer-driven riffs of big room techno with the foreboding bottom-end of early morning heads-down house.

Review: Gerd Janson and Phillip Lauer's Tuff City Kids moniker has given us nothing but sweet joy since its first appearance for the Berghain-affiliated Unterton, back in 2012. The two artists respectively know their shit when it comes to Djing and record collecting, but they've also turned out to be pretty killer producers, too. Here they appear on the mighty Permanent Vacation label alongside singer Annie, with two cuts of "Labyrinth". The first, the club mix, is an 80's-leaning house monster with a subtle electro feel that makes it instantly hummable, whereas the TCK mix offers a slightly dubbier, darker and more contained version. There's a genial Morgan Geist remix on the flipside, with the oddball producer naturally transforming the tune into something altogether different but nonetheless party-ready, and the more mysterious DJ Oyster delivers his "Drum&Bass dub', which doesn't contain any breaks at its core but is packed with enough drums to create some serious damage in the clubs. Dope.

Review: Back in 2006, Benjamin Frohlich and Tom Bioly decided to launch their Permanent Vacation label with a compilation named in honour of their new imprint. 12 years on, the series is still going strong, with this fifth volume offering up 12 tasty, previously unheard cuts. As usual, there's plenty of variety on show, from the breezy Balearic bliss of Beesmunt Soundsystem's "Yayang" and the dub disco sleaziness of Sascha Funke's "Kaleidoskop", to the throbbing, head-in-the-clouds electro-disco of Julian Stetter's "Pearl" and the saucer-eyed Italo-disco revivalism of "Angelika" by Perel. And that's just tracks one to four. Elsewhere, highlights include the Balearic techno/house fusion of Personal Message, the cinematic grooves of Maajo and Chinaski's hypnotizing mid-tempo chug and spiraling synthesziers.