Trident Vinyl & CDs

Review: Derek Carr's brand of Detroit-influenced electronic futurism has always oozed class, with the Irish producer prioritising mood, melody and ear-pleasing synth sounds above all else. It's this blend - both club-ready and perfect for home listening - that makes his releases worth checking. We'd highly recommend Electro Statik Part One, the first in a series of vinyl excursions that as usual blur the boundaries between styles. He begins with the immersive chords, jumpy lead lines and smooth house beats of 'In Transit', before diving headlong into deep electro-meets-IDM waters on the impeccable 'Mimas'. Turn to side B for the skittish, far-sighted and picturesque electro-not-electro number 'A Star Dies', as well as the warming, pitched-down electronic melancholia of 'Dione'.

Review: Derek Carr has been doing his thing for a long time, but it's definitely the last five years or so that have seen him gain wider recognition for his dedication to a vintage sort of deep techno. Making no bones about his influences from Detroit and the Artificial Intelligence era, he's cultivated a swooning strain of machine soul which is now regularly appearing on his own Trident label. This second part of Elektro Static features another four lush excursions through luscious pads, bubbling arpeggios and crisp drum machine beats. Across the whole record, it's a well-established sound executed to perfection by a true lifer.