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Review: Greyscale unveils its latest endeavour, the Spectrum Series, as a way to continue to evolve its offerings and this time it is with something that makes a vibrant departure from its traditional black-and-white aesthetic. The inaugural release features the iconic Lithuanian dub track 'Kasdienybes Sventykla' by grad_u & Eazystyle MC as a way of commemorating its 15th anniversary. It came as a double CD in 2011 but now gets a first vinyl pressing on a nice 10" slab of wax. The track itself taps into the earliest roots of dub in the 70s and traces a line through the 80s with its heavyweight drums and endlessly echoing bass topped by great mic work. A pared-back instrumental features on the flip of this latest crucial drop from the dub dons at Greyscale

Review: The Det 313 label is kicking off the new year with a bang and dropping a pair of brilliant new EPs on the same day in late January. This one is a reissue of the esteemed Gary Martin's 'Pimping People In High Places' on 10". It's the Woodword Ave alternative mix that kicks off and is a rough and ready percussive techno looper with hefty basslines underlapping and propping up the floor. 'The Medusa Touch' is a more wily and synth laced-late night jaunt with mystic energy and acid details that make it a deep and dramatic cut with real dynamism.

Review: Daniel Avery's heartfelt tribute to the late, great Andrew Weatherall, the melancholic masterpiece that is 'Lone Swordsmen', was one of the standout tracks on his most recent album, the critically acclaimed Ultra Truth. Here the track returns in remixed form, with Throbbing Gristle's Chris Carter putting his spin on Avery's bittersweet, late-90s style IDM gem. Carter's version is a touch warmer and more percussively up-beat, with Avery's lilting lead lines, poignant melodies and glistening electronic motifs rising above a slipped breakbeat and moody bass. It's an excellent remix all told, and a fine example of how to rework on already excellent track to enhance its key features.

Review: Element is a Kyoto-based producer who explores the experimental side of dub music. On his latest release, 'Particular Angle', he delivers two tracks that showcase his diverse influences and skills. On the title track, he blends new roots, grime and dub techno into a mesmerising soundscape that is both heavy and hypnotic. On the B-side cut 'Blurring Off Into Its Opposite' he creates an atmospheric ambient journey that draws inspiration from Gil Melle's soundtrack for The Andromeda Strain. All-in-all it is a stunning example of his original and captivating style.

Review: We'd be hard pushed to think of any labels out there right now that are doing a better job of serving up deliciously deep and detailed dub techno than Echo LTD. For this one, the in house crew takes care of a pair of sublime new sounds that take you to the ocean floor and keep you there. 'Echo From The Outer World' opens with gently echoing chords pacing about the mix over a rolling and rubbery low end with shards of light beaming down from above as if the sun has just shone through some clouds. 'Minimalism In Dub' takes things back even further with more liquid rhythms and smooth drum rotations. So good.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight surface marks ***


Vade Mecum welcomes Soft Traffic for a debut release here and it is one that suggests the producer has a soft spot for the warm, deep and heady end of the dubbed out techno spectrum. Those are certainly all the words you would use to describe the quiet brilliance of opener 'Find Ya' (feat Prince Morella) which is icy cool and hypnotic. On the flipside, 'Night Drive' is another sublimely soft focus and supple techno roller with infinite horizons and milky pads that dissolve your soul. A superb debut.