Spain’s A Harmless Deed label announce the release of its first artist album. DJ and producer DJ F, who up to now has also produced a sleek brand of airy dub techno and house on labels like Frigio and Semantica, drawing on everything from lo-fi Detroit techno to vintage electro.
The A side got fixed by the legendary chaps of Duplex. They’ve been coming along since the first waves of house and techno and gave proof of this with their contribution ‘Population Density’. On the flip we find Tuff Sherm’s 10 min excursion holding beastly percussion and melomanic fatness.
Paul du Lac & Cassy remixes of two Laura Jones trax. Great versatile EP with nice different vibes that go well together. Well balanced release with 4 solid tracks.
A rolling and bubbling analogue house and techno release from the newly-minted Vienna-based Wild Open Space imprint. Featuring Phil Madeiski, Felix T and Max Mulder channeling the spirit of Chicago and Detroit with a European production edge.
Uzuri 020 comes from Jitterbug. Apparently the title is a nod in support of the global proletariat, but it could equally refer to the floor-worthy nature of the tracks themselves. Truly an EP; you get six tracks of out and out bangers – from straight drum tracks to smoother Summer jams and disco-licked house – each track bringing a fresh flavour.
Next up on Creme Organization is Gavin Guthrie Aka TX Connect with a searing double album of analogue tracks aimed at the dancefloor. Up first is ‘Soundtrack 909’, a deep and melodically rich house affair that sooths your soul before ‘00707’ gets rough, jagged and angst with its off time cowbells, brooding hi hats and ever more frantic acid. ‘Palm Sunday’ then explores more cosmic beat territory in playful, colourful style and ‘Metroplex Jaxx’ is a rugged, dystopian and foreboding acid jam with plenty of occult melody work buried deep within. ‘Aqua Finess’ is a wholly malfunctioning acid machine very much doing its own weird thing and on the last side of this double vinyl pack, ‘Desmond’s Obsession’ plays with whacked out electro aesthetics and ‘Haddonfield, IL’ leaves you on a dour and downbeat note thanks to its crawling synths and lumpy hooks. Overall, this is an expansive and expressive double pack from TX Connect that has more than been the wait.
Banging around to devastating effect – L.A. Club Resource are ready to drop this heavy debut release by Los Angeles based producer DELIVERY aka Greg Shin.
Groove Line Records continue with another Patrick Adams & Greg Carmichael produced classic, Lady Bug, by Bumblebee Unlimited, the second in our series of 12 audiophile reissues from the Disco underground. Side A is the Disco Mix by John Morales and Frank Trimarco. A solid kick opens the track before Morales’s trademark percussion is introduced. Then the slick bass, guitar and piano groove play alongside the innovative synth lines and drive the rhythm forward, before the addition of that simple but engaging single note piano groove… the core element of the track, and the synthesized vocal between the Lady Bug in question and the bee who’s chasing her. Side B features the Disco Remix by the legendary Larry Levan. Starting with the full drums and percussion Levan adds each element at an earlier stage than the Disco Mix, so the full track, including the vocal, hits you at just over a minute and doesn’t let go until the fade, giving a more intense dance floor experience.
Tee Mango rides some seriously wig flipping synth lines over an irresistible tropical groove that just builds beautifully into a bona fide ‘moment’ on the floor. Treating us with two solid gold Soulful extensions: Allenby Chilton takes on a little known Etta jam, amplifies the Funk elements and transforms the song into an altogether more heavyweight workout. Finally Fence take on a rare late 70’s psychedelic Soul tune, again adding some 21st century wide-screen sonics and dancefloor dynamic.
Voyage Direct label turns to a man who needs little introduction: Dutch legend and man of many pseudonyms Danny Wolfers aka Legowelt. For this first outing on Voyage Direct, Wolfers resurrects the House of Jezebel alias and delivers two tracks of synth-laden analogue house goodness. “Back In Dogtown USA” sets the tone, as Wolfers layers rising chords, darting electronics and wide-eyed synthesizer melodies over a clattering analogue house groove. Wolfers’ ups the tempo dramatically on “I Took A Train In 1979”, transplanting us to the far reaches of our galaxy via jackin’ techno drums, picturesque organ melodies, drifting chords and intoxicating pads. There are echoes of classic Detroit techno, surging Rotterdam electro and vintage cosmic disco, yet it doesn’t really sound like any of these things.
New White Music release from Cleveland titled ‘Travelguide’. Deep techno and house experiments for the dancefloor and your mind.
Right on cue, Rene Pawlowitz drops another set of Head High bangers just in time for summer. While previous releases from his Power House imprint have been short but sweet affairs, the brilliantly named Megatrap offers a full nine tracks of what Hard Wax have referred to quite concisely as “uplifting Breakbeat Techno in golden 1990s leaning style”. Those who have heard the previous Head High material will know exactly what to expect, but there’s still much excitement to be had in getting stuck into such a sizeable portion of throwback techno, the likes of which are likely to liven up any party. There was never any doubt, but Pawlowitz has done it again.
Word to the weirdos. Morgan Buckley’s vinyl debut with so many ideas and so much energy it’s almost hard to take it all on board in one listen. The sound of a man soaking it up and pouring it out.12″ comes with insert and a touch of ★magic☆.
A lush 90s vibe haunts this first offering by new Parisian talent Voiron, but not one of simple nostalgia – one of real class. Including a reshape of the EP’s main theme by American producer Fred P to digress towards soulful deep house territory.
Nick Lapien has been sharpening his music sound a number of monikers; Metropolis, Nepal and his own name. On labels like Other Heights and Sequencias the Dutch man has moulded smoke stained Chicago, textured Techno and drifting Ambient. For Photic Fields this homegrown talent brings together two of his nom de plums under the banner of Marchland. Basslines bulge, pressing against dampened claps for “Ballad of a Man.” Banks of harmony drift off an analogue ocean, arcs of string dawning into a rich radiance. Submerged notes bend and blur with “Bobby Konders”, streams of synth flowing past columns of carved percussion. Rolling chords see Lapien don his Metropolis mask for “Black Motor Boogie.” Acid vultures circle with beady eyed intent, claws writhe and flex amidst a flurry of beat and pad. The shimmering keys of “The Gatekeeper” takes the listener throw a winding pass. Curving 303 contortions fold and reform under pressurised bursts of tom, cymbal and snare to end this journey into Marchland.
The Hipodrome Of Music 