COMPILATIONSQUICKIES 7.0
Various Leftroom Presents Laura Jones Leftroom The right room?
Launching from the Leftroom lily-pad with ‘Love In Me’ last summer, with releases since on Visionquest and Crosstown Rebels and a diary wall-to-wall with dates at the world’s coolest clubs, Laura Jones’ ascent to underground recognition is already the stuff of dance music folklore. But, arguably, it wouldn’t have been made possible were it not for the ruthless A&Ring of Leftroom boss Matt Tolfrey who, having adopted her as a leading figure of the roster, has taken another leap of faith entrusting her with the responsibility of the first instalment of the ‘Leftroom Presents’ series. So is it up to scratch? Yes and no. If you fancy a steady, carefully conceived wade through murky-but- melodic house and techno more hypnotic than hyper, it’s for you. If something to get you on your feet praising the house gods above is what you are after, leave it well alone. Lisa Loveday
Big, bad and bashy
Recent Fabric Live mixes have erred on the more serious side, but uninterested in lofty aspirations, No.63 in the series heads straight for the carnival. The impact might not be subtle but it is hugely endearing: Shy FX, Breakage and B. Traits just want to make you move. Serving up hit after hit, whether deranged in-house monsters like Dismantle’s ‘Warp’ or evergreen tech houser Booka Shade’s ‘Body Language’ — which sounds positively eclectic in this context of underground bangers — if it’s not already a certified crowd-pleaser, Digital Soundboy make it seem like it should be. Spanning grime, dubstep, garage and d&b, if there’s a common thread here, it’s one that ignores the current trends of London club music for a set that spotlights its big, bad and bashy sensibilities. A triple threat soundclash that comes out swinging, Digital Soundboy’s edition is a near-genius mash of everything good about modern dance
music.Sunil Chauhan
8.0
Digital Soundboy Soundystem Fabric live 63 Fabric
Various Richard Sen presents THIS AIN’T CHICAGO Strut 7.0
Let’s go back... way back
Richard Sen, of Padded Cell and Bronx Dogs fame, compiles the UK’s response to the first wave of Chicago house. From the bubbling acid soul of ‘Dream 17’ by Annette, aka A Guy Called Gerald, to the hazy, early morning breakbeats of Playtime Toon’s ‘Shaker Song’, it’ll make you misty-eyed, even if you were never there. Joe Roberts
Various Treibgut Sonder Kompilation Yipee 6.5
Trip down memory lane
‘Treibgut Sonder Kompilation’ marks the memory of the Treibgut events held in Hannover since 2006, an unmixed collection of sexy deep house and techno cuts from artists who’ve featured over the years. As functional as these tracks might be, it’s a largely unremarkable release for anyone not in attendance. Angus Paterson
Modeselektor Modeselektion Vol.2 Monkeytown 7.0
Dark tings
The aggressive simian on the cover was clearly used intentionally by Modeselektor to represent the harsher, more experimental tone of the Monkeytown stock. The duo’s wild sense of ‘the party’ is intact, with tracks from Monolake, Martyn and more, though an actual mix would undoubtedly have offered more cohesion. Angus Paterson
Various Moon Harbour InHouse Vol.4 Moon Harbour 7.0
Keeping things InHouse
8.0
Nick Höppner Panorama Bar 04 Ostgut Ton Widescreen
Berlin’s Panorama Bar resident Nick Höppner is a DJ to be relied upon, and for this — the fourth in a so-far strong mix series — he effortlessly shows that ability he’s got to work a dancefloor into a state of pumping rapture. It’s a set of slick and supple house, tracks pulled together into a taut whole, rolling with a rock-hard steadfastness that makes the whole thing sound like it could keep beating on into infinity. His control is masterful, the selections always interesting, and there can be no finer way to wrap up a mix than with the blissful strings of Andres’ ‘New For U’. Nick Höppner is one of those people whose place in life is behind the decks in the DJ booth, and of all his releases, this mix is arguably the most true to what he does best. Tamara el Essawi
Slam Collecting Data Soma Records Slam dunk
Two decades into their career and Slam’s influence on the techno world can still not be overstated. As well as their own productions and residencies (variously in Barcelona and Glasgow), the duo’s Soma label continues to forge its own path as staunchly as ever before as evidenced by this, a collection of tracks that shines a light on the original productions and remixes Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle have released since 2007. Along the first disc’s journey you will encounter everything from peak-time techno to long, drawn-out and late-night grooves via wonky and unhinged after- party gems, making it something of a DJ’s delight. What’s more, there is similar variation in the originals that make up disc two, with defined and dynamic production underpinning the whole selection from the white-knuckle ride of ‘Hot Knives’ to the more subtle menace of ‘Chasing Shadows’. Kristan J Caryl
8.0
Fourth compilation outing from the Leipzig house label. Full of deep, dark — and mostly delicious — house, with highlights being Boris Werner’s quirked-up techy stomper, ‘In The Streets’, and the choppy carousel groove of Ekkohaus’ ‘Entering’. And there’s a decent retro-funk mash-up from Reboot. Tristan Parker
Digitalism DJ Kicks !K7 5.0
Digital kicks
There’s no surprises here, which is a good or a bad thing depending on how taken you are with German duo Digitalism and their thumping electro to begin with. They’ve got a knack for keeping energy up to the max whatever the beat they’re playing with, making this an infectious listen for the fans. Tamara el Essawi
Tom Findlay
Music For Pleasure Late Night Tales 5.0
The Steve Wright stuff
Groove Armada’s Tom Findlay picks a selection of soft rock from the likes of Todd Rundgren, 10CC and Average White Band. It’s alright, if a bit Radio 2, but sounds more like a ‘Drivetime Anthems’ CD you’d find in a motorway service station than something you’d expect to find on the Late Night Tales series. Paul Clarke
rePeATTHE LPS WE CAN’T LEAVE ALONE...
Various The Retrospective All- Stars Vol.1 Retrospective 8.0
Fresh and distinguished cuts from Ruben & Ra’s 18-month-old disco label.
www.djmag.com
Levon Vincent Fabric 63 Fabric 9.5
A dark, hypnotic techno hole conjured by the NY master.
Andrew Weatherall Masterpiece Ministry 9.0
Three CDs of distinctly Weatherall sounds, a must for avid followers of the maverick legend.
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