New releases last eight weeks: Minimal/Tech House

Review: Astonishingly, 18 years has now passed since Gilles Aiken - probably more celebrated these days for his work under the alternate Desert Sky alias - first offered up off-kilter tech-house tracks as Edward. Last year, he impressed with a wonderfully deep and unctuous EP on deep house imprint Smallville; here, he makes his bow on another must-check label, Kalahari Oyster Cult. In keeping with the imprint's love of all things trippy and otherworldly, opener 'Tentacle' sees him wrap chiming lead lines, psychedelic synth motifs, weird noises and layers of percussion to a chunky, locked-in house groove. Aiken then goes off piste via a skewed, druggy and at times dreamy tech-house remix of Trybet's 'Moodsetter'. Arguably best of all though is impossible-to-pigeonhole flip-side 'Dr Octo', which is immersive, unsettling, tactile and eccentric in equal measure.

Review: Juaan's debut on Kalahari Oyster Cult channels the Argentinian producer's ability to merge gritty, hypnotic house and electro with an unmistakable dark edge. With these four cuts, he expertly navigates a sonic landscape where urgency and allure coexist in perfect harmony. 'O Bianco O Negro' opens with a deep, rolling bassline, leading into acidic bursts and sharp percussive hits. It's a track that demands the dancefloor's attention, moody and relentless. 'Ladron' takes a slightly more sinister turn, with rumbling synths and a touch of tension, while still maintaining Juaan's fluid, dancefloor-driven momentum. Over on the B-side, 'Puntual' drops into an intricate mesh of stuttering rhythms and hypnotic arpeggios, perfect for those late-night sessions. Closing with 'Apego,' he draws the EP to a close with a darkly seductive groove, laced with eerie atmospheres and an unyielding forward motion. Informed by 90s influences but firmly grounded in the present, the EP delivers the kind of atmospheric, high-octane dancefloor heat that's made Juaan a standout talent in the underground scene. It's dark, sleek and perfectly calibrated for the dancefloorian intoxicating blend of funked-out futurism and dystopian allure.

Review: Danish prodder S.A.M. shucks out a meaty new one through Kalahari Oyster Cult, urging 90s Eurodance down a spiritual path. Having already led several labels to fruition, S.A.M. now moves as a solo artist between bold anthemic highs and intimate, meditative lacunae. 'Right To Disobey' evidences his desire to wrench the best frequent and amplitudinal possibilities affordable to the modern day producer, with hugely scooped vocal hooks and widescreen pannings bringing a next generative mood. It's only up from there, with 'Mastermind' maintaining a mindful but still detail-hungry stasis, and 'Crush' ending on moody minor second chords and raw, tweaker-jank percussions.