COMPILATIONSQUICKIES 8.0


Various Ouroboros Presented By Low Limit Innovative Leisure To infinity and beyond!


The Ouroboros is a symbol that depicts a serpent or dragon swallowing its own tail, thus forming a circle as its beginning and end yields to infinity. Highly appropriate, then, that Low Limit (one half of Lazer Sword) has chosen this mark of timelessness to title his compilation of consistently exceptional North American producers who buck the transience saturating their continent’s dance music. Highlights include Braille’s glacial house, Ghosts On Tape’s woozy funk, Anenon’s slowly unraveling tunings, and Obey City’s tasteful dalliance with the wobble. Soulful, sensual, and brooding themes tie this collection of various genres and BPMs together in a way that nicely celebrates the oft-overlooked diamonds in the rough whilst reminding us that there’s still a healthy scene flourishing in the shadow of the EDM behemoth. Zara Wladawsky


7.0


Plastician Dubstep Allstars Vol 10 Tempa Back on track


Kicking off in 2004, Tempa’s ‘Dubstep Allstars’ mixes were some of the first ‘official’ documents of the then-nascent dubstep sound, and were key in both defining and popularising the fledgling genre. Sadly, this once-revered series has since fallen into disrepair, with the two most recent volumes — from Silkie & Quest and Distance — suffering from, respectively, middling meh-ness and headachey monotony. Dubstep pioneer Plastician, then, has been drafted in to reinvigorate the brand — and, for the most part, he succeeds. While he may be serving up the kind of crushing, lurching halfstep that many of his peers have abandoned in favour of 4/4 semi-techno, every track here oozes funk and energy, without ever drifting into dreaded brostep territory. And opting to climax the mix with a brace of melodic tracks — rather than a barrage of mega-drops — was a smart, unexpected move. Joe Madden


Various Hot High Lights Hot Creations 7.0


Best of...


Heard of Jamie Jones and really love “deep house”? Often find yourself humming that chorus from that catchy song by Hot Natured but haven’t got the foggiest where to find it? This is the collection for you. All the biggest palm tree hits from the Hot Creations stock all in one place, just in case (somehow) you missed ‘em... Lisa Loveday


Various San City High All Stars: Mixed By Kissy Sell-Out San City High 3.0


Sick tracks, bro


At a Miami pool party, surrounded by bronzed bros and bikini babes, this would probably sound incredible — all squealing stabs, totez-amaze drops and frenzied cocaine energy. On a wet and wintry evening in South London, however, it’s as unlikeable as a six-hour Michael Gove speech set to abattoir samples. Joe Madden


Art Department Social Experiment 003 No.19 6.5


Easel posse


No.19 label bosses Jonny White & Kenny Glasgow (Toronto house vets known for Crosstown Rebels cut ‘Without You’) paint their own canvas of small hours, shadowy dance after Soul Clap’s excellent previous mix. Full of exclusives from Jamie Jones, Tale Of Us and My Favorite Robot, it’s dreary to start but soon kicks into gear. No masterpiece, but worth a gander.Ben Murphy


Various Electronic Petz Vol. 5 Electronic Petz 7.5


No cyber dog 6.0


Various Percussion Lab Presents Cambio Percussion Lab Lab of love


A compilation designed to help raise funds for Percussion Lab, a New York-based hub for the city’s electronic musicians, ‘Cambio’ shows few signs of the post- Burial weakness for sadness disappearing anytime soon. Shigeto’s plodding ‘Friends And Lovers’ positions itself between quiet storm R&B and ambient, XI’s ‘Villain’ floats along a bed of meditative 808s, and Calmer’s ‘Spirograph’ and Ezekiel Honig’s ‘Plastic Rumblings’ recall Flying Lotus in jazz mode, marrying smoky Joe Henry-style piano to skeletal pulses. Though the obsession with gloominess does occasionally wear thin, it’s not all muted, mannered melancholy — Daedelus’ swelling ‘RanD’ dovetails live organs and gospel ambience into genuine house uplift while Machinedrum’s twitchily playful, Hyperdub-styled ‘Demvibez’ is the niftiest thing here. Both prove veteran Percussion Lab associates will be around for a while yet, even if the younger producers are nipping at their heels. Sunil Chauhan


6.0


Various Digital Roots: Volume II Get Digital Let’s get digital!


Berlin’s Get Physical Music started in 2002; a time when founders M.A.N.D.Y., DJ T and Booka Shade were operating within the, ahem, physical realms of a vinyl and CD-based music market. By 2008 it was apparent that there was a new medium for DJs taking hold via the internet and the Get Digital label was conceived to expand the number of releases and artists well beyond its parent label’s. This compilation is the second in the label’s annual Digital Roots series that highlights the biggest tracks of the year. There’s a lot of party tracks that no doubt devastate dancefloors at clubs worldwide, but thinking back to the origins of Get Physical and the releases from its founders and top artists, in comparison — whilst there’s nothing particularly wrong with ‘Digital Roots: Volume II’ — many of the tracks on it fall slightly flat. Zara Wladawsky


Alessandro Russo’s Slok moniker has furnished the house scene for over a decade now, but it’s his Electronic Petz imprint that’s really varnished his reputation for solid, energetic and intricately produced house music. Showcasing excellent cuts from the likes of Javier Carballo and Modewarp, ‘Vol. 5’ needs you as its owner. Adam Saville


Matthias Tanzmann Matthias Tanzmann Remixes 2002-2012 Mood Harbour 7.0


Eight track selection


Track-y is often a word used to describe the sets of Circoloco resident Matthias Tanzmann. Mainly due to these: his own bespoke remixes that slot tidily into a tapestry of angular drum patterns. Here are eight DJ tools (remixes of Booka Shade, Luna City Express, Michael Melchner) picked from a decades worth of work. Lisa Loveday


Various Cream Anthems 20th Anniversary New State Music 7.0


Cream teaser


A celebratory three-disc roller-coaster through 20 years of anthems, starting with new talent (Deadmau5, Axwell), going nostalgic (Kenny Dope, Basement Jaxx) and smashing some classics for the finale (Felix, Josh Wink). Totally enjoyable selection with several nice curveballs (Fake Blood, Slam). Happy 20th! Tristan Parker


REPEATTHE LPS WE CAN’T LEAVE ALONE...


Phonique Time For House 2


Ladies And Gentlemen 9.0


Flowery-but-funky ride into Phonique’s polished party pockets.


Wankelmut Wankelmoods Vol.1


Get Physical/Poesie Musik 9.0


Wank by name but not by nature, ‘Wanklemoods Vol.1’ is a wonderful way to gratify our ears.


Force Of Nature Expansions


Endless Flight 9.0


Judging by the lush sunset vibes on this comp, Japan’s KZA and DJ Kent are more Miami Vice than Mount Fuji.


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