acid house

TX Connect – Trixxter EP [DABJ1213]

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Gavin Guthrie returns on Dixon Avenue Basement Jams with a full record as TX Connect. There’s a strobe-friendly feel throughout this final DABJammer of 2014, as the producer joins the dots between acid house and fluorescent techno, with a few hints of early ’90s rave thrown in. This is most obvious on the title track, which expertly fuses a wobbly acid line, ricocheting drum machine hits and a nagging, early ’90s riff. “Intramountains” comes swaddled in stormy sound effects, cloaking its hissing rhythms with foreboding techno stabs and backwards samples. As for “Xanadu”, it’s a deliciously rough-and-ready chunk of late night acid jack.

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TX Connect – Trixxter EP [DABJ1213]

VA – The House That Jackmaster Hater Built [STILLMDCD012]

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Jerome Derradji is gaining something of a reputation as one of Chicago’s premier house archivists, having previously released compilations celebrating some of the Windy City’s most influential – but previously overlooked – labels. Here he’s teamed up with KStarke Records boss Kevin Starke to deliver a two-track set largely made up of material found on tapes that were once traded between Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy and other legendary Chicago DJs. Confusingly much of the material credited to Jackmaster Hater is of unknown origin, while there plenty of other unearthed gems with little or no information. Thankfully, the material – largely mid-to-late ’80s jack and early acid, with a sprinkling of deep house and Italo-influenced fare – is uniformly excellent, making it a “must buy” for anyone with a passion for early house music.

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VA – The House That Jackmaster Hater Built [STILLMDCD012]

Chicago Jim – Chicago Jim LP [LT008]

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The Lobster Theremin label is finally ready to make the move to the full-length format. Interestingly, this first LP – a double album, no less – comes from a largely unheralded source, former Vancouver resident Chicago Jim (AKA Space Jim). Chicago Jim replicates the contents of his self-released 2012 cassette of the same name, bringing his blend of Larry Heard-inspired analogue deep house and stargazing ambience to vinyl for the first time. With nods to Heard’s recently reissued Alien LP, early Transmat and Virgo Four style acid house, it’s an analogue-only set – recorded mostly using vintage kit – that ebbs and flows with great emotional intent.

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Chicago Jim – Chicago Jim LP [LT008]

Aria Rostami – Czarat [ST002]

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Rostami is a San Francisco-based musician whose roots extend off into theoretical dimensions far beyond conventional dancefloor fodder. For Czarat, however, he’s honed his approach to produce an unusual dancefloor anthem. Melding influences from around the world, the song arrives at something that sounds like acid house and techno as interpreted through an internet-enabled, information rich dialog of the present moment.

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Aria Rostami – Czarat [ST002]

VA – Terry Farley Presents Acid Thunder: More Definitive Acid & Deep House 1985-1991 [HURTXCD129]

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Given the expansive nature of Terry Farley’s first celebration of early and classic house, 2013’s five-disc Acid Rain, you’d think he’d be running out of choices for this second, similarly epic selection. In fact, Acid Thunder is, if anything, a more pleasingly deep and in-depth collection. Whereas that first installment was heavy on relatively well-known classics, this follow-up digs deeper for inspiration. As a result, it’s packed with tracks that many house DJs simply won’t know, or have struggled to get hold of; not just stone cold classics such as Bobby Konders’ “Nervous Acid” or Hexx Complex’s “I Want You”, but genuinely overlooked material from the likes of Risque III, Peter Black and Jack James Rabbit. It’s something of a welcome history lesson, even for those with a good grasp of house music’s formative years.

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VA – Terry Farley Presents Acid Thunder: More Definitive Acid & Deep House 1985-1991 [HURTXCD129]

MD III – Acid Chaser EP [MAMSW009]

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Three previously unreleased Mike Dunn recordings taken from sessions recorded between 1989-91, recorded under his MD III alias. Drum machines, 303s and a few crusty synths is, by the sounds of it, what created Mike Dunn’s Acid Chaser EP for Sheffield label MoreaboutMusic. It’s the Chicago legend’s first release as MDIII since 1993 and, production-wise, not much seems to have changed in those 21 years. Acid. Drums. Grit. It’s all here, beginning with the clap-heavy and bouncing squelch-line of “No Chaser”. The B-side provides two tracks with the beat down drums of “Acid Feet” sounding as big a Maurice Fulton production, while the 303 bleep of “Club Music World” will draw whoops and cheers from dancers and DJs alike.

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MD III – Acid Chaser EP [MAMSW009]

Anopolis – Anopolis [LP005]

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Anopolis are a collective of four Thessaloniki based producers (Dimitris Evagelopoulos aka DimDJ, Drum Machinee, Lowjac, Oldman Talkin’) coming together for their first release on Lower Parts. The EP starts with Anopolis 2, a long, disco flavored track, built up gradually with phasing pads , lead melodies and an arpeggiated square bass line. The hypnotic feeling of Anopolis 5 is up next taking things deeper and textural while Anopolis 11 stands strong with it’s relentless acid loop juxtaposed with sharp drums washed in reverb. The final track of the EP arrives in the form of a remix of Anopolis 2 by Elec Pt.1 creating a mysterious and sinister atmosphere.

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Anopolis – Anopolis [LP005]

MGUN – Wideye [FIT011]

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Manuel Gonzales aka MGUN, steps up to the plate for Fit Sound with an EP that is equal parts diverse, epic and raw. From the basement techno of “Wide Eye”, to the scuffling acidic “Debit, and finally onto the melodic/ melancholic sound of “M.S.C.”, Essential music from the underground for the underground.

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MGUN – Wideye [FIT011]

VA – Tetramer EP [RI004]

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Rebel Intelligence was never the most prolific of labels, with its’ first three releases – a trio of excellent analogue workouts from Matt Whitehead – coming out over a two-year period. This fourth 12″ – the imprints first since 2011 – sees a new wave of artists bringing their synthesizers and drum machines to the party. JTC’s “Habit” opens proceedings, sounding not unlike a cross between classic EBM, sparse analogue deep house and pitched-down early Detroit techno. Automatic Tasty impresses with “Winters Evening”, a deliciously melodic chunk of Claro Intelecto style electro, before Elec Pt1 charges off on an intoxicating 303 acid tip (“Daytime Acid”). Finally, Abraham Cowley flies off into space with “Shifting Seasons”, a wonderfully evocative fusion of constantly building analogue beats, melancholic chords and eyes-wide-shut melodies.

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VA – Tetramer EP [RI004]

Sir Joe – Max’ Garage [LOD003]

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Sir. Joe born in 1987 in America Latina, as teenager he moved with his family to London, during his studies (thanks to his crazy schoolmates) he felt in love with the illegal rave party and with the new school of electronic UK’s music. A quick step that turned him into a music producer. Sir. Joe shaped his sound mixing european and american styles. Old school chicanos’ groove and samples were restyled in the direction of the English and Dutch style. LOD is glad to present Sir. Joe’s debut… again five tracks of pure energy and soul mixed with few drops of acid.

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Sir Joe – Max’ Garage [LOD003]

VA – In The Dark Again 01 [DARK001]

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Dark and trippy sounds on a label straight from Berlin. In The Dark Again brings out music between Acid, New Wave/ Minimal Wave and psychedelic Techno and Dub. The first release comes with tracks by Dirtybox Jams, KSTS and Emil Seidel.

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VA – In The Dark Again 01 [DARK001]