Brooklyn’s Octo Octa pushes all the right buttons on his 2nd solo EP for 100% Silk. A-side stars the Aaliyah-sampling winner ‘Deep Hurt’, economically putting an over-used sample to fresh use in a percolating House context beside the Jersey swing of ‘Oh Hurt’. Flipside, the lights are dimmed for the warm chords, choice vocal samples and woozy subs of ‘Night Out’, and ‘I Can Feel You (Dub)’ rides that heat-hazy, sticky House vibe all the way to the middle of the floor.
LA Vampires aka Not Not Fun & 100% Silk matriarch Amanda Brown returns alongside Octo Octa, on a sterling clutch of sensual, elegant House trax backed with a Malvoeaux remix. She suits the dreamy vocalist role beautifully contributions to ‘His Love’, and the raving request ‘Whereever, Boy’, and works best sailing high above the sweetly off-key ‘Freedom 2K’.
For Greece’s Echovolt Records sixth outing Entro Senestre offers four slamming neo-underground dance tracks. This promising newcomer weaves his own thread of melodic techno, Chicago and deep house tailoring a fine sophomore release.
This Release contains outakes and demos of some of the early works of Tevo Howard. Tevo rounds up five alternate versions and unreleased tracks for ‘Catching Up’. The Chicago maestro blesses us with the never-before-heard ace ‘Meet Me Half-The Way’ beside a demo of his sublime ‘Everyday House Music (Original Demo Mix)’ and the gritty yet elegant jack of ‘Passion Sound (Inner Beauty) (original Demo Mix)’, and the exotic-minded synth cascades of ‘Cosa Sucia’.
New 12″ by Detroit’s own Howard Thomas, aka H-Fusion. Howard has previously released on Sound Signature, and this is his first 12″ for FIT Sound. The A side “Wicked Bitch Witch” features contributions from Marcellus Pittman. Twisted, psychedelic dance music that defies genres!
Having slowly plugged away at the underground scene for many years now, Rio Padice seems to be settling into his own sound now, and it’s right at home on Rawax. There’s a brittle quality to the pumping drums that Padice programmes, as if they might shatter at any given moment. Meanwhile the vibes that surround these skeletal rhythms range from the mellow keys of “Track 1” through to the red-lined acid squelch of “Track 2”. With everything lovingly fed through an aging process to give it a grainy quality, you can’t deny that the man has worked hard to make his tracks raw.
Comeme has resurfaced sporting a new artistic look and brandishing the same devilish approach to causing dancefloor chaos. The label’s latest EP comes from Isaac Johan, described in fanciful fashion as the “first genuine ghost” to join the pan continental Comeme fold. Believe what you want but lead track “Everytime I See Your Face” does sound like there’s a spirit careening around the inner workings of some Roland drum gear. Despite his apparent spectral state, the following triplet of tracks finds Isaac Johan to be a perfect addition to the Comeme fold.
Next raw and dubby monster cuts by Savas Pascalidis on his own imprint Sweatshop. Including a Skudge remix.
Falko Brocksieper on Sub Static label. Embracing the classic values of techno, the title track “Excellent Upload” immediatly unfolds its ear-splitting character, induced by a slamming drumbeat and memories of early european techno. Conforce, takes his remix to an even darker place, using a bubbly bassline, lightfooted fast beats and an enigmatic string arrangement to reinforce his current standing as the dutch mastermind of detroit-flavoured, atmospheric techno. Finally “Epic Share” takes minimal techno back to a time when awkward sequencing on top on a stiff, dry beat was the right way to do it.
Traut Muzik presents the first release by Santiago Naura aka Bleak called The Jupiter Theft EP , including a remix by Skudge. Bleak is kicking the board this year with his high quality productions which they have a very own style and sound.
Roberto on Affin. The title track deals with straight beats but integrates warm chords, what a great mixture of techno & house. On with a gorgeous dubby and sub bass-branded Unbalance “First Principles” remix. “Silvertown” represents a Roberto typical high-class chordish techno track while “Going Fast Nowhere” is working on a drum sequences combined with pitched vocals.
The second release by Staffan Linzatti on his own Searchlights label. Hypnotic stripped sci-fi techno tracks proving there is unknown life to be seen through the looking glass. Sci-fi techno tracks that tell a story. The ”Through The Looking Glass” inspiration for the artist is the concept of the examination of the relationship between the observer and the tools used for the observation.
DJ 3000 presents 10 Years of Motech (The Remixes) Part 2 EP ahead of the full length remix CD. Mark Broom adds a killer interpretation for an impressive opener. Next up is Kiko who doesn’t disappoint with his driving new rendition of DJ 3000s Defiant (MT-015), toughening up the original but still maintaining its funk-fuelled roots. The rest of the EP features a remix a track taken from Franki Juncas 2011 album Invisible Moods. Firstly, Ill Be Around gets the remix treatment from Detroits Luke Hess, delivers a moodier take on things, with deep pads and a grooving beat.
Straight up raw and heavy Techno Tracks from Jena City. Detroit minimal techno early days vibes on this hand stamped white label bizz. No further artist info, but these tracks deliver a proper work out for the dancefloor.
Kenneth Christiansen & Dennis Bøg presents Pattern Repeat part 6. This time Pattern Repeat gets a little more harder and darker. The A side is a moody dark track with deep hypnotic almost nightmare kind of groove, with a old school kind of atmosphere. The B side gets hard straight from the beginning of the track with a pounding almost industrial kick drum, that builds from a minimal groove that really will kill the PA system in the club.
New release and new debut on Vae Victis, this time from the italian duo Die Roh. Three original tracks plus an additional remix from Uk rising star Tessela. An ep with emotional, warm, percussive but spacey Detroit inspired tracks, where drums and pads are fused together in a one take madness arrangement. Ranging from Dupstep inspired to the rawer side of techno. All pure analogue tracks recorded without a computer to give them a lively edge.
The Hipodrome Of Music 