Trelik Vinyl & CDs

Review: In classic Baby Ford style the A-side opens with "Mystery Falls" a deep melodic housey workout with shuffling percussion and sublime top line strings.
Meanwhile on the B-side, shaker hustlin' "Spooked" conjures up a more stripped down moody grooving chordal affair.
Both tracks cut at 45rpm for maximum quality and effect on the floor.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Baby Ford is back being reissued again and we couldn't be happier about it. Few have ever matched the matter levels he achieved when it comes to deep minimal and tech house fusions. This latest on his own Trelik takes the form of three classic cuts from two much sought-after EPs - Built In and All That Nothing. The title cut is a shimmering and sublime fusion of rubbing low ends and icy hi-hats. 'All That Nothing' then picks up the pace with more dub influences and swaying drums and 'Plaza' has a tech house edge that makes for more driving grooves.

Review: Baby Ford and Zip need little introduction and debut on Trelik as "BFZ" featuring co-conspiritor Thomas Melchior. The trio originally appeared on the 1999 "Perlondon" 12" for Perlon with Ford and Zip re-uniting for the "Glidin' Along The Riverbed" release then 2010's "Clean Hands" on PAL SL. Thomas Melchior recently appearing on [a:rpia:r] and his own Aspect Music kicks off the 12" with a floor friendly up-beat 9 minute "Melchior Productions LTD" edit remix of "Uff". An "Uffapella" closes the A-side featuring abstract sound design and textured vocals. Side-B's "So They Say" creates a feeling of space and unhurried rhythmatics whilst the title track "Uff" combines deep instrumentals, chord and haunting vox with subtle bass and modulating kick. Recorded in London and Berlin. Mastered at D & M.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: Consistent in his output since 2006, London-based Alex Celler has carved a reputation recording on highly esteemed imprints such as Tuning Spork, Contexterrior, Broquade and All Inn to name a few. Now he turns up the heat for an impressive two-track debut on Trelik.

The A-Side "Haz" kicks off with tight, dry drums moving emotively with warm bubbling bass, subtle house stabs and soothing, mysterious vocals. Drops and licks of percussion build and fall over the 9:19 duration with the aid of cleverly scattered piano keys this forward thinking arrangement stands-out perfectly.

"Pacificon" on the B-side strips things back to the bare-essentials, a highly playable cut that takes on a more techno-orientated approach featuring persistent bass and metallic vocals creating a deadly effective backdrop of space and tension.
Consistent in his output since 2006, London-based Alex Celler has carved a reputation recording on highly esteemed imprints such as Tuning Spork, Contexterrior, Broquade and All Inn to name a few. Now he turns up the heat for an impressive two-track debut on Trelik.

The A-Side "Haz" kicks off with tight, dry drums moving emotively with warm bubbling bass, subtle house stabs and soothing, mysterious vocals. Drops and licks of percussion build and fall over the 9:19 duration with the aid of cleverly scattered piano keys this forward thinking arrangement stands-out perfectly.

"Pacificon" on the B-side strips things back to the bare-essentials, a highly playable cut that takes on a more techno-orientated approach featuring persistent bass and metallic vocals creating a deadly effective backdrop of space and tension.

Review: Three distinctly outer space-themed cuts from Greece's Alex Celler, each with a linear minimal/tech skeleton that has other, interloping musical influences draped elegantly and classily across it. 'Ancient Astronuats' has the weird, wired mystical stirrings of early Black Dog about it, complete with melting, bendy electro notations that coax it along and add a psychedelic dimension. 'Stargate To Cosmos' has a playful, Drexciyan feel to it, with crunchy, organic drum beats flirting alongside the more rigid electrics. 'Object In The Sky' is the most minimal of the pack, sleek and stalker-like, but still contains enough action - mainly floating around up there in the ether - to hold and build attention.

Review: Mystical dreamweaver Edward has previously brought out some of his classiest club-tooled gear for Trelik, with 2018's Rumours EP being a particular highlight in his glittering career in minimal. Breaking a protracted silence for Baby Ford's label, this new three-tracker once more takes us into the unique atmospheric zone Edward occupies with his productions. 'The Giver' has an unnerving, desolate quality but it's also rock-solid in the rhythm department, with subtle threads of warmth to balance out the eeriness. 'Memory Motions' is a spicier cut with a pronounced house jack to propel a tense set of sonic motifs, with a special mention to the wobbly organ-like chord line. 'Tuned' is the most upfront of all the tracks, using some processed piano hooks and a full compliment of nagging, funkified ingredients to make a certified, if left-of-centre, party starter.

Review: Edward's graceful take on modern house and techno is a perfect fit for Trelik, and the German producer sounds comfortable as he unfurls swooning threads of otherworldly music for the tripped out dancefloor. The "Ogermania Mx" of "Mikko" is a hazy, string soaked affair pitched somewhere warm and dreamlike, but there's plenty of energy churning away in the lower register. "Lottery" is a more twitchy affair for darker times, all moody bass bounce and looming drones around a shuffling set of percussion. "Groaning Ghosts" is the techiest of the bunch, and there's a whole lot of freaked out sound design swirling around in the mix as well. This is simply stunning, highly advanced dance music from a modern day maestro.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Few labels do minimal as well as Trelik and in terms of artists, Edward is also as good as they come right now. This perfect pairing opens up with the deeply alluring 'Time' with its woozy pads and smeared chords over warm and rubbery drums. It's a hypnagogic affair then 'Vacuum Tube' has a more menacing air thanks to the wispy and unsettling synth details and clunky hooks. 'Watch Out' brings a more spangled and rubbery rhythm that has colourful details peeling off the beats and last of all, 'Stream' ups the ante with some thudding deep house and widescreen ambient synth work.

Review: More commonly found lurking around on Ornate and People Are Looking At You, Jonno & Tommo make the leap to Baby Ford's legendary Trelik label with a diverse range of club tracks that highlight their flexibility in the dance. "Love Songs" may be packing a punchy rhythm section, but the dusty vocal sample injects a haunting soul into the framework of the track. "Bloc via Bow" meanwhile keeps things sprightly and notably tech-minded with its catchy lead chord stabs, before "Running Hammock" heads down into a mysterious, jazz-tinted abstraction of deep house, neatly rounding out a strong EP.

Review: Following on from releases for Pomelo and PAL SL, LD Nero makes a welcome return to Trelik, the label that unveiled the project back in 2011. Detroit house flavours lace "Als Ik Kan", as a bleepy synth loudly sounds on the off beat over short stabby chords and shuffling drums. A summery, Rhode uplifting house track awaits in "The Feel" while a loose "I'm Burning" almost sounds like LD Nero has each of the tracks elements placed on a separate turntable; making sure to keep them beat matched and aligned.

Review: The somewhat mysterious LD Nero debuts with a release on Peter Ford's venerable Trelik imprint. The Nights Out EP is dipped in the kind of glossy production sheen that one expects to hear from a seasoned producer, with opening jam "Nite Out (Dusk dub)" nailing that early 90s, stripped back house sound with effortless aplomb. The deep and hypnotic drum programming undulates next to neat organ stabs forming for a truly rhythmic dancefloor jacker. Flip over for the Dawn dub of the same track, with both name and sound suggesting this one's aimed squarely at those still standing and/or dancing come sunrise. This time a more ethereal atmosphere permeates, with a refreshing live and un-sequenced feel to the production.

Review: Doing things properly and building up a DIY phenomenon from their base in Zurich, the Les Points crew have brought a fresh, daring originality to the house and techno scene with their gritty outboard approach and a wide range of stylistic tendencies. Taking a break from releasing on their own label, Audino, Barbir, Louh and Nicola Kazimir have been invited to the evergreen Trelik to broach their music to a wider audience. From the blissful space techno groove of "Anubis" to the tightly wound beats of "Housepacer" and on to the cranky acid funk of "Ripstyle", this is yet another distinctive transmission from the plucky Swiss crew.

Review: As one of the more distinctive minimal house operators in these times, Ion Ludwig makes for a snug fit over at Trelik towers, and with this three tracker it's not hard to see why his records are so highly prized these days. "46 LJ + Felix Ballad" is a refined groover with a fine balance between gritty low end chunk and gossamer top-end, working subtle hits of bass and illustrious string sweeps into the mix to great effect. "EM Carpet" meanwhile darts out into more obscure territory, keeping the beats to a minimum and focusing on warm and fuzzy synth tones cycling

Review: Ion Ludwig is a leading light in contemporary minimal house, able to elicit fresh approaches from a well-worn club music template. He lands back on Baby Ford's Trelik label with a chunky double pack of beautifully crafted rollers for the stripped down dance, leading in with the subliminal murmurs of "Fall Answers" and following it up with the incredibly groovy, bass-led "Modern Missing Mood". "Le Imagen" gets into a more wriggling, crafty configuration, while "Felt Like Klariny Space" lets trippy daubs of melody take centre stage. "Sparse Hypnotimes" does what it says on the tin, simmering down to a mellow, dubby haze of blue-hued keys and a slither of a beat.

Review: Dutch export Ion Ludwig's first offering for London's Trelik imprint is a lesson in stripped back, mechanical groove-funk. Title track "As The Reaction Followed I Knew My Feelings Were Right" is a rolling groover with nods to the KDJ and Theo school of deep house, with oven warm harmonies and vintage key sequences and lucid pads pushing the track along for its eight minute duration. Flip over for "L'sable", which takes things in a more hypnotic direction with insistent stabs, a funky bubbling bassline and one of those vocals that you'll be happily humming for days. Forget what people are saying about "old-skool" and "nu-skool" deep house; this is simply house music at its very best.

Review: Baby Ford's Trelik label is as revered as they come in underground circles. Ion Ludwig is not far behind when it comes to his productions and so the two are a perfect match who reunite once more here. This fresh 12" kicks off with the brain cleansing minimalism of 'A Beladen Date 4 Ever', a silky groove doused in harmonic chords, with swirling pads and rubbery bass all tightly intertwining. 'Transport Fighter' is a more punchy cut with thudding kicks and heftier bass, but still a nebulous eco-system of pads and melodies swirling around up top. Two killer cuts. no doubt.

Review: Minimal Man is the legendary studio partnership between Eon (aka Ian Loveday) and Baby Ford. They cooked up some of minimal's most essential tunes some 20-odd years ago and they have become expensive and highly sought after since. This EP is one of them and it features three killer cuts that will move a dancefloor as much today as ever. 'Make A Move' has a pent-up energy and forward drive that sweeps you up and keeps you locked amongst soft hi-hats and vamping chords. Part 2 is a little darker and more mysterious, with the drum loops a little edgier and the mood that bit more mischievous. 'Stay On' closes down with bubbling drum funk and swirling abstract synth world from deep inside some distant nebula in the sky.

Review: Och has been a regular fixture on Baby Ford's Trelik label in recent years, and he returns with the late night delights of the Love Unconditional EP sounding stronger than ever. "Sunday Love" is a warm and cosy bumper, keeping the keys bright and breezy while the beat skips away dutifully before the more heads down thrust of "More Journeys Into Swing". The real star of the show though is "Love Unconditional", a particularly gripping track that unfurls seductive synth licks and vocal licks across the whole B side on a one-way trip to nocturnal body jam perfection.

Review: Trelik reach into their recent archives with a much needed repress of Whalesong, the label's 2011 debut from UK producer OCH. With a compulsive passion for the dying art of crate-digging combined with a love for modern synthesis techniques the now Sweden based OCH manages to put together a 12" that could easily be described as psychedelic Chicago. "Whalesong" is a pulsating floor work-out which references the US greats whilst building an emotive sub-aqua soundscape. "Blind is The Wind" follows with a sneaky chord driven spoken interlude which creates an air of tension before climaxing into "Last Chance Saloon".

Review: Soul Capsule aka Thomas Melchior and Baby Ford follow up from last year's "Seekers" with two deeply infectious trade mark cuts. Recorded at Thomas' "Deepsoundtherapy" studio "Deep Dawn" features what will be one of the most unmistakeable basslines of the summer season. The A side track is a peak-time floor filler. On the B-Side "New Day Dawn" is a deeper work out which has an equally distinct bass combined with loose shuffling 808 drum patterns and a spookier take on the vocals. Mastered by Rashad Becker at D&M.

Review: As Soul Capsule, Baby Ford and Thomas Melchior made some of minimal techno's most accomplished records. It has been many years since they stopped turning out new material - sadly - but their archive tracks are still in hot demand and undeniably relevant. While 1999's 'Lady Science' might be their most famous offering, this EP from 2001 on Aspect Music is no less vital and it will currently cost you well over L250 on second-hand markets. It is Ford's Trelik label who reissues it here in all its glory: the entirety of the a-side is taken up with 'Law Of Grace,' a delightfully deep and breezy minimal dub house roller with pensive chords draped over the frictionless drums. 'Meltdown' has a more experimental feel with brushed metal drums beneath a wordless vocal musing. The cult 'Lady Science' (Tek Mix) is also inched with the whole package being remastered by D&M to make this one utterly essential.

Review: Repress alert! Last year's Ricky Villalobos remix of Soul Capsule (aka Baby Ford, Tomas Melchior & Tim Hutton) gets a welcome repress on Baby Ford's revitalised Trelik imprint. The shaggy haired Chilean don turns "Seekers" into a sprawling, cerebral epic, stripping away the original's vocal elements in favour of some shimmering late night keys - typical Villalobos tackle and all the better for it. Flip over for the sweat drenched original version which ain't half bad either, as the competing vocal elements and sparse instrumentation lend the track a decidedly trippy vibe.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Trelik returns with a repackaged edition of one of the catalogue's most treasured releases. "Overcome" and "Lady Science (NYC Sunrise)" need little introduction, and now come sporting the new TR11:11 matrix number. Written and produced by Thomas Melchior and Baby Ford aka Soul Capsule, these tracks came from one of the many sessions recorded at the West London Ifach Studio in 1999. On the A Side "Overcome" is stripped back and energetic, driven by rolling and shuffling garage style beats, tight bubbling bass and atmospheric synth pads. The intermittent vocal samples and the release's signature organ set you up for the flip, "Lady Science (NYC Sunrise)". Possibly one of house music's most emotive pieces, the track builds slowly with the introduction of each part building a story of soulful optimism based around a sparse palette of deep synths, uplifting keys and warm analogue bass. The understated beauty of the main vocal riff never seems to grow old or tired with the track lending itself perfectly to either main room, peak-time play or after-hours sessions alike. Remastered by Rashad at D & M.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: The first Soul Capsule release gets a timely reissue - certainly if the silly prices it's reached of late on the second hand market - as well as a getting a loving remastering courtesy of D&M. All three parts are swampy, sweaty tech workouts that bump along with an almost indecent willingness to tempt you onto the floor and a groove with way more sexy swing than the minimal genre usually has contact with. Part two is traditionally the most celebrated of the three if internet chatter is to be believed, but some wonderfully subtle go-go percussion makes part three the most immediate of the bunch, with part one's distinctly darkside atmospherics and snippet of female gospel voice clearly wield an air of the classic.

Review: It's reissue time for one of the most in demand records from the Trelik catalogue, featuring Baby Ford and Thomas Melchior under their Sunpeople alias. The flip side's opening track 'Check Your Buddah' is probably the best known of the four tracks here, with its spacious echoes, mantra-like voices and heads down beats, but there's plenty to be said for the other three. 'Lovers Eyes' is an equally dubby techno affair, but pinned down by sturdy, infectious beats, 'Sungods Wedding' is blessed with churning, warm bass action and just a smidge of cowbell and 'Make It Right' is properly hypnotic 3am gear that's a dream to mix and draws in the listener with its imperceptible builds and three note bleep magic. Worship the Sun!

Review: "Check Your Buddha", originally released in 1998 as part of TR09 "Sunpeople EP", was produced by Baby Ford and Thomas Melchior.