Wonder Stories Vinyl & CDs

Review: Italian duo Concret are the latest signings to Wonder Stories, following up previous releases for Toy Tonics and others to make their debut appearance on vinyl. The crisply produced, modern originals sit somewhere in between disco-infused house music and bombastic electronica in the Moderat vein, while the remixes throw a few more stylistic twists into the mix. Rodion brings a bold, bleepy analogue vibe to his version of "Ritorno", while Timothy Heretic Clerkin gets a little acidic in his revision of "Andata", rounding out a strong EP of maximal dance music for the modern age.

Review: US label Wonder Stories follow up strong turns from Macaulay, Joe Morris and Jac The Disco with this hemisphere-spanning collaboration between Aussie producer Dawn Again and UK stalwart Rothmans. The mood on the record is squarely aimed at psychedelic strains of house music for adventurous, smooth grooving souls, whether it's the originals or the remixes you came for. "Timeless Odyssey" matches fuzzy bass with swirling pads and peppy rhythms, which Timothy J Fairplay dutifully jacks up with a wavey sensibility and plenty of dancefloor heft. "Rainbow Perch" is a synth-rich party ballad loaded with heart to match its infectious grooves. Emile Strunz delivers a remix that builds on the original's yearning qualities with a journeying spirit that would make for some great outdoors listening / partying.

Review: Ricardo Medina has popped up intermittently through the years as a wielder of hefty deep house, and so it goes on this new 12" for Wonder Stories. Take snappily titled "Mcoolaid", where the synths ping out bright and bold while the acidic bass and slamming drums keep the pressure at a constant peak, or the dark and nasty throb of "Fuego". Medina means business, and he's unabashed in his aim towards the big room peak time tech house crowd. "Techmoreno" keeps up the intensity, which gives Alejandro Paz the necessary ingredients for an equally smoking remix for the crafty jackers out there on the floor.

Review: Clandestino head Joe Morris is next up on Wonder Stories, imparting the kind of sun-kissed discoid meditation the label and its listeners lap up. Morris is sounding confident and cool on "Cloud Nine," using vintage drum machine patterns and fuzzy synth lines to impart a sweet-natured groove that reaches skywards. Contrasting the blissed out original, Max Essa brings a little more bite to the table with his shimmering electro-disco version, while Coyote preaches his Balearic vision on the B1 remix. Label boss Aimes keeps things smooth and steady with a deep house version of "Cloud Nine" for all dancefloor dreamers to get lost in.