VA – Introduction [AC001]

MITCHELL, Chris/AMIR ALEXANDER/JOEY ANDERSON - Introduction

Anunnaki Cartel is the newly launched sub label of Amir Alexander’s Vanguard Sound operation and this first release sets the bar high; Alexander himself features alongside cuts from Joey Anderson and Chris Mitchell. The latter producer leads the way with “Illuminescent Invasion” a relentlessly rewarding concoction of fierce snares, deviant saw tooth synths and almost criminal abuse of the 303. Amir Alexander is growing into a personal favourite of the Juno review team and “Ostinato” demonstrates why in abundance. It’s a direct and druggy assault on your sensibilities based around discordant square synths and a undeniably funk heavy groove. Things get even weirder on the flip as Joey Anderson drops the kind of off-kilter, off the grid house production where all the elements appear to be pulling in separate directions but somehow combine for a unique cohesive groove. Mitchell and Alexander join forces to close this excellent 12″ with the cosmic techno of “Dark Memories” which has got the best snare sound since “Set It Off”.

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VA – Introduction [AC001]

Gilga – Gilga 1 [HHG001/6]

Hidden Hawaii presents Gilga a new project from Danny Wolfers. All the familiar Legowelt elements are in place, from the haunting warbles on “Deputy’s First Hood Patrol” to the nutty strings and samples of “Dimensions Of An Ancient Bird Race”, but there’s never a sense of repetition between the tracks. Each one stands comfortably on its own, from the summery lilt of “Brookhaven” to the lysergic science-fiction of “Atlantic Acid”.

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Gilga – Gilga 1 [HHG001/6]

Neville Watson – One Four Green [TNG004]

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Neville Watson’s original ‘One Four Green’ is the obvious highlight, a wiggly bottomed but robust jacker with hands-on drum machine tweaks and lovely melodic developments working just the right side of proggy. Remixing, Deep Space Orchestra beam it into more ecstatic cosmic house zones and Perseus Traxx has his tracky way.

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Neville Watson – One Four Green [TNG004]

Hieroglyphic Being – Imaginary Soundscapes #9 [MATHPLUS09CD]

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Long awaited album, “Imaginary Soundscapes”, from Jamal Moss brings nine breathtaking compositions of raw electronic goodness that only he can concoct. From soft atmospheric sound environments to banging warehouse beat tracks, this is pure sonic bliss.

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Hieroglyphic Being – Imaginary Soundscapes #9 [MATHPLUS09CD]

N.A.D. – Dawn Of A New Age [RHRSS007]

Sometimes, through a combination of misfortune and bad timing, a fine record will go largely unnoticed on its original release. If it’s good enough, though, it will be rediscovered and reappraised through the hard work of record collectors. N.A.D’s The Dawn of a New Age, an unheralded British deep house classic, is one such example. Originally released by Tony Thorpe’s short-lived house label BPM Records in 1990, The Dawn of a New Age was on sale for little more than a week before it vanished from record store shelves, the victim of Rough Trade Distribution’s demise. BPM folded shortly after, consigning N.A.D’s first and only album to the annals of history as a little known and little-heard obscurity. The misfortune that beset the project arguably denied listeners more material from its hitherto unheralded creator, an English producer called Mustafa Ali. Before recording The Dawn of a New Age, he had created an early UK house classic, 1988’s “Close Jack Encounter”, as L.E Bass. Unlike much similar material of the period, The Dawn of a New Age still sounds fresh, futuristic and far-sighted. listen
N.A.D. – Dawn Of A New Age [RHRSS007]

JTC – Park Days EP [HOYA004]

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Hoya:Hoya welcomes the multi-talented Tadd Mullinix with his JTC alias. This time round, on ‘Park Days’, he flexes a house side that’s not been seen too often in his career of 13 years. Whether the driving groove of South Brooks, the late night drum machine jam of Argo, Creal’s ever evolving scatter, or the delicate Gallup, ‘Park Days’ is one of those records where everyone has a different favourite.

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JTC – Park Days EP [HOYA004]

The Exaltics / Elec Pt 1 – The Exaltics Meets Elec Pt. 1 [SOM022]

Elect Pt1 becomes the latest collaborator in The Exaltics Meets series following prior introductions to Morphology and Gosub. German speakers will be able to decipher Elect Pt1’s “Drei Chinesen Mit Dem Acidbass”, a potential retrospective nod to Bunker’s “acid planet” squat parties. A flabby kick, crushed hats and white noise sounding more like a baby robot tantrum than synthesis opens “The Party”, before unexpected doo-doo-doo vocals become the tracks centrepiece. The Exaltics opens his side of the 12″ with throbbing drums and hardedge acid in “The Midnight Connexion”, which later gives way to uplifting chords. Acid and breakneck drum loops make up “Nichts Aber Auch Nichts” which also receives some euphoric synth treatment.

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The Exaltics / Elec Pt 1 – The Exaltics Meets Elec Pt. 1 [SOM022]

Tevo Howard – What Is Sound? [PERMVAC099-1]

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Munich’s excellent Permanent Vacations nudge towards a century of releases with a typically warm EP of huggable electronic grooves from the unpredictable Tevo Howard. Epic opener “Pump & Bounce” is the stand out cut. Built around a heady, intoxicating fusion of melancholic chords, tactile synths, stargazing melodies and seemingly cheap electronic sounds, it rises and falls for an impressive nine minutes. “You Have A Way With Words” spits and jumps with fuzzy machine rhythms and low-slung synths, while the hypnotic rhythms and crystalline arpeggios of “What Is Sound” are stunning in their emotion-rich simplicity.

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Tevo Howard – What Is Sound? [PERMVAC099-1]

Dust – Past Future [LLI003]

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Hot release from this New York Low Life Inc label. Dust drops two killer Italo disco tracks named Past Future and Dark Pleasure. As bonus a cover version of Phuture’s Your Only Friend. ‘Past Future’, a dark tale of esoteric disco disquietude starring the cosmic diva Angela Chambers on Side A and Seoul/Brooklyn based Greem Jellyfish with a cover of Phuture’s ‘Your Only Friend’ on the flip!

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Dust – Past Future [LLI003]

G-String – Burial Grounds EP [EVR008]

Echovolt notch up their 8th release with a fine offering by R-A-G and Crystal Maze member, G-String. G-String delivers two delicately rough dance music delights, effortlessly marrying tripped out emotive ambience to the essence of jack. The 12” is topped off with a wonderfully blurred out remix of ‘Ghoul’ by D’Marc Cantu!

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G-String – Burial Grounds EP [EVR008]

Ike Release – Chasing Quasars EP [MDREAMS010]

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The no. 10 materializing as an Ike Release 12″ called Chasing Quasars EP on Machining Dreams. The five track project goes backward while looking forward as Ike presents a classic sound using contemporary principles. The sound of this vinyl is quite unique as it maintains its hard edginess yet very emotive and analog. Hakim Murphy comes with the remixe.

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Ike Release – Chasing Quasars EP [MDREAMS010]