THE cuTTIng-EdgE RElEASES yOu nEEd In yOuR lIfE
Blackhall & Bookless‘Josies EP’ Vitalik
wearevitalik.com
UK duo Blackhall & Bookless opt for lush, twilight-hour deepness for their debut release on Vitalik. ‘Touch’ draws upon the loose analogue styles borrowed from our Detroit forefathers but perfected by the likes of Pepe Bradock, Tony Lionni and Move D over recent years. Crisp 909 beats meet chord airs that swirl and rise over a bumbling bass
groove on ‘Touch’, while there is enough tear-jerking pathos to make Carl Craig blubber on ‘ESOJ’. Quality remix support comes from Soulade and Hatikvah, but the originals take the trophy here.
Mak & Pasteman‘Give It Up EP’ Anabatic
soundcloud.com/mak_and_pasteman
MAK & PASTEMAN have been fiyah whenever they’ve got together, so their arrival on the equally on-form Anabatic is a no-brainer. The title cut is where our money is, creeping in with smooth chords, a 4/4 and understated breakbeat. So far, so tasteful, until the drop erupts into bulbous 808 bass with a flurry of hi-hats riding them like a sonic spacehopper and a familiar
vocal lending weight to its potential as an anthem in waiting. ‘Strings Of Love’ starts more straightforwardly, with retro piano and strings before the bass drops again, this time lower in the mix, but it still builds to an epic break of steppin’ hardcore drums and strobed vocals.
Breach‘You Won’t Find Love Again’ Naked Naked
benwestbeech.com
THE multitalented — all singing, all producing — Ben Westbeech is launching his new Naked Naked imprint with this solitary slice of dancefloor goodness. With its echoed diva vocal wrapped around a metallic 4/4, swarming bulbous sub-bass and pitched- up chords, ‘You Won’t Find Love Again’ is a simple formula that stands strong enough alone. Synthetic strings, jazzy keys and a
Paulo Rocco‘That I Am’ Real Tone
soundcloud.com/real-tone-records
A slew of supreme releases from Franck Roger’s sublime label has culminated in this harmonic slice of house joy. ‘That I Am’ does everything required to maintain a chunky dancefloor groove, only to break out into a chiming, hip-house workout like no other. A dulcet xylophone melody, a West Coast skit snippet and some distressed mutant vocals midway through make this freak of
nature a thing of true beauty. Point G’s remix takes things back to the dusty archives of the ‘90s while ‘Fly High’ strips it back with some juicy soul-inflected deep house. An absurdly well-rounded package.
bassline build that rises into a cacophony of major chords give this a lights-up, end-of-night vibe that’s one part brooding, two parts melodic. Epic.
Crooked Man‘Preset/Scum’ Crooked House n/a
ORIGINALLY released in a limited run of 300 vinyl, the first slab of musical brilliance from new label Crooked Man — a venture from the combined minds of Sheffield stallion DJ Parrot and Raf Rundell of 2 Bears — is a very exciting, otherworldly thing. Due to the likes of Luke Solomon, Soul Clap and Jimpster slavering all over it like rabid dogs, it’s about to be released digitally too.
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Trevino‘Discovery EP’ Revolver
soundcloud.com/marcusintalex
MARCUS INTALEX is mostly known as one of the UK’s most steadfast drum & bass advocates, pushing a true school vision of the genre since he first made power moves back in 1999 alongside producer ST Files as MIST with ‘How You Make Me Feel’. But his influences and tastes have always been far broader. If several tracks on his recent debut album ‘21’ hinted at electrofunk and
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dubstep, this EP under new moniker Trevino goes the whole hog. ‘Discovery’ and ‘Lag’ are bass-injected dark house beasts, crisp of beat and fresh of synth, with more than a gust of the Windy City buffeting their every kick. ‘Shorty’ is ill, indefinable madness, the meeting point of grime and Detroit electro, while ‘Tweakonomics’, is an acid-damaged, deep burnt futuristic weird thing.
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Crooked Man serve up ‘Preset’ as an entrée, a trippy, echo- laden descent to full fathom five, a watery, hypnotic slab of house wonderment mixed with a powerful female vocal call and response, while ‘Scum (Always Rises To The Top)’ is a bubbling, crisp acid house thunk with a touch of the garage wiggles that proceeds to get very wonky indeed. Superb 21st century house.
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