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VA – Village Elders 001 [GV005]

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Green Village presents Village Elders 001, a compilation EP featuring new material from artists who have already flown the flag for GV. The A-side is held down by the Plan B duo of DJ Spider and Dakini9, purveyors of the Metro Area’s dirtiest and deepest house sounds. Spider gets toxic a second time, following his 2013 Instruction drop with ‘Toxic Trace 2’, a thickly layered deep house cut whose seedy percussion underbelly contrasts vividly with the more traditional deep house pads that accompany it. Dakini9’s ‘Lost Paradise’ is dark and mysterious like its title, the hats, trumpets, and vocals emerging in tangled webs of dub effects, a strong follow-up to her dope EP for the label. Disaroen, a duo from Toronto, half of which previously appeared on GV, turns in the most barren of the four tracks, ‘Serious Doorman’, heads-down techno that crackles to life halfway in and an auspicious debut for a promising new group. Last is Nicuri, a rising star whose ‘Ripples of Time’ closes the EP in his signature searching, melodic style.

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VA – Village Elders 001 [GV005]

Joey Anderson / Nicuri – Spectrum EP [STH001]

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Sound Theory is a brand new label from Exchange Place DJ/producer Nicuri. Here, he handles B-side duties, with pal Joey Anderson stretching out on the A. Given the standard of his debut LP, it’s little surprise to see Anderson impressing here, with the deep acid of “My Cassetts” providing a pungent blend of undulating 303 lines, sparse pads, occasional starburst electronics and cymbal-driven percussion. Nicuri toughens things up on the flip, dropping a pair of tracks that revolve around heavily compressed drums, hustling rhythms and vintage techno electronics.

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Joey Anderson / Nicuri – Spectrum EP [STH001]

Nicuri – A Lucid Dream / Moments [MORAMUSIC002]

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The second instalment of Mora Music’s vinyl output finally arrives with two exquisite cuts from the emerging New Jersey talent Nicuri. The A-side’s Lucid Dreams offers refreshing take on some early progressive house vibes with deliciously warm pads that float delicately around a hypnotic and heavily dubbed bass line and thumping kick drum, chugging along as ideal warm up fodder. Moments, on the flip side is the EP’s battle weapon, exploding with a thunderous bass drum that pulsates underneath a plethora of scuttling tambourines, epic synth-pads and crisp claps; held together by a ravey hook that maintains the tension throughout. Both tracks are beautiful in their simplicity, yet wholly deserve the side each to themselves they’ve been given.

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Nicuri – A Lucid Dream / Moments [MORAMUSIC002]

VA – Alphabet Soul [INMR004]

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Anderson is doffing his curatorial cap with the latest release on his own Inimeg Recordings label entitled Exchange Place presents Alphabet Soul. Productions from Anderson bookend the record and in between DJ QU and Nicuri offer some strong representation for the esteemed Strength Music camp. Lead track “She Is Afraid” finds Anderson working once more with Ebony Ugo, whose treated vocals complement the bugged out house backing perfectly. “Alphabet Soul” from DJ QU could almost be a Pangaea production whilst “Navigation 8th Density” finds Nicuri combining taut techno rhythmics with an underlying cosmic sense of light. If you enjoyed Anderson’s late 2013 Dekmantel dalliance you will most certainly dig final track “Linguistic Command”.

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VA – Alphabet Soul [INMR004]

VA – Semesters III [SMR013]

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Four years on from the previous instalment, DJ QU’s Strength Music returns with a third edition of their Semesters series, with contributions from Pixel Music, Nicuri and QU himself this time around. Leading the way is “M- Theory” from Pixel Music, a lesser spotted alias of Italian producer Massimiliano ‘Hazylujah’ Vianello which selfishly grips the entire A Side and quite rightly so as it’s a potent production filled with mind bending potential. Having recently flirted with Joey Anderson’s Inimeg operation, Nicuri returns to the Strength cause on the B Side offering the pensive deepness of “Thoughts Of You” whilst DJ QU signs off the 12″ with the bugged out beat down of “Undescribed (Believer)” which is what Parliament would be making if they were to surface in today’s sonic climate.

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VA – Semesters III [SMR013]