Electric President return for a second term after their well-received debut on Morr. The duo (comprised of Ben Cooper and Alex Kane) represent the closest thing to the shimmering, upbeat indie rock sound the label has flirted with elsewhere on its roster, and after a cursory listen you could easily think you were listening to some Death Cab For Cutie offshoot project, and certainly the first Electric President album accumulated plenty of Postal Service comparisons, partly due to those Gibbard-esque vocals, and partly because few other bands wrote electronic pop songs in that vein so … Read more

German soundtrack composer Gert Wilden, will forever be remembered as a man who scored dubious '70s erotica, most notoriously the Schulmadschen Report (as in Schoolgirl Report) series that was successful in Germany throughout the decade. Masquerading as something vaguely connected to sex education, the film salaciously concerns itself with the romantic exploits ('exploits' being the key word, presumably) of various young ladies. As dubious as all that sounds, Gert makes it all sound like a right laugh, serving up some great funked-up beat music as a companion score to al… Read more

Compiling the remixes from Crippled Dick Hot Wax's Revisited Series, this release pits contemporary producers against vintage material. First off, Matthew Herbert tackles 'Meaning Of Love' by Norwegian Jazz singer Karin Krog, yielding predictably fruitful results. If there's any house producer out there who can capitalise on some dusty old jazz record, it's surely Herbert. Next up comes Volker Meitz, remixing Missus Beastly's 'Geisha', which boasts some fairly excessive synth soloing, only for Sonar Kollektiv types Slope to come up with some classy orchestral loun… Read more

Over the past few years, Stewart Walker and Geoff White have both established themselves as two of the leading forces behind North America's burgeoning click-micro-techno scene. On 'Dischord' the artists share four tracks each, Geoff on the more chilled out 4/4 textures tip, clicks, hushed warm vibrations. Stewart kicking it a bit larger but still on a micro tip. Music of this ilk is kinda played out these days but in the hands of two producers this good it still has the power to amaze. Recommended.

Hooked into the same aesthetic as the micro-deep beat structures of the Cologne scene and, in particular, the Trapez label, Canada has emerged as the most fertile hotbed for restructuring the beat in an experimental and entirely dancefloor friendly way. We've harped on at you endlessly about the genius of Akufen, but what's truly breathtaking about this collection of new Canadian music is the shere number of new artists who are forming this inspired scene and the level to which their sound has developed. The aforementioned boy-wonder Akufen opens the Compilation with anothe… Read more

Two extra heavy 2 step rollers outta Bucharest Romania from new producer TRG, for fresh Leeds imprint Hessle Audio. A-side cut 'Put you down' is notable for bucking the dubstep trend/fetish for halfstep patterns with a return to the original dubstep template based around swung 2-step garage rhythms, think vintage El-B or Steve Gurley's Groove Chronicles project, slinky yet propulsive riddims riding turbulent sub lines and a killer vocal motif. 'Broken Heart' on the other side is no less brilliant, keeping it simple with the right combination of keys, r'n'b flavoured vocals and sound… Read more

Bare-bones dubstep of the finest kind is the order of the day on this latest Hessle twelve, with "Coiled" displaying the same kind of metallic sound design and crisp production beloved of the Tectonic label and, in particular, Cyrus. Perfectly balanced between the pads at the lower registers and the squashed snares at the top, its the kind of thing that gets better the louder you play it - without a cheesy sample in sight. "Deviant" on the flip is even better, layered strings building the foundation for a bottom-heavy beast of a track dominated by rolling percussion straddling the more creative end of minimal techno. Brilliant stuff - essential purchase.

Fresh from remixing Pole and emerging as one of the most impressive bass operators around at the moment, Rooted don Peverelist returns with his most impressive transmission to date - the mighty "Roll With The Punches". The trick here (as with so much of the more interesting Dubstep doing the rounds right now) is that Peverelist is a producer with enough confidence to hold back on any obvious conceits. Everything is measured and spacious, almost minimal in execution, with bombastic trademarks cast aside in favour of an impressive attention to detail and understanding of… Read more

Bristol comes correct in innovative fashion this week with an absolute winner from the man Peveralist. Notable for holding down down the excellent Rooted records dubstep specialist shop in Bristol and curating the inreasingly on point Punch Drunk records, Tom Peveralist drops his debut 12" with precision timing. Operating at the crux of the dubstep/techno crossover 'erstwhile rhythm' succinctly bridges the gap between the hypnotic minimal techno patterns of Ricardo Villalobos and the heavyweight polyrhthmic machinations of dubstep magician Mala. Running at a 140bpm pulse the… Read more

After the killer ep from James Kumo last month Ann Aimee seem to be on a bit of a roll now, edging well away from the electronica of previous years their new predilection for deep and killer techno seems to be coming to the fore, with Delta Funktionen providing two excellent extended techno trippers. 'Nebula' is the best cut here, a primed and ready deep techno cut in a similar vein to Radioslave's deeper moments or Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmans recent album, in fact I could very well imagine this slotting perfectly into a Dettman set at Berghain, with it's perfe… Read more

Stomping synthline driven techno from James Kumo is the order of the day on this new release from the long dormant Ann Aimee imprint. "Fluid" is designed for maximum impact on big techno floors, teasing a ripping synth over percolating techno percussion, always threatening to boil up but keeping the levels ticking just below. "Koma" on the flip repeats the same trick but this time at a sweltering 100bpm, compressing the excess into a restrained but killer slo mo JACK. Class.

One for all the neo-Detroit fiends, D5 bring the lush rhythm ingenuity and warm pads in classic Delsin fashion. Title cut 'Future sense' rolls on a pure Larry Heard vibe, occasionally pausing for another toke before resuming play with with some more space jackin moods. 'Lab work' increases the melodic input with fine jazzin textures and vibes reminiscent of Jamal Moss' less screwed moments.

Review to follow shortly…

After much delay, Tel-Aviv's Yoav B finally drops his new twelve for Delsin, headed up by 'Steam Drill' - a kinda weird, early eighties styled disco house track complete with funky slap bass and messed-up organs in a New York meets Chicago vibe. B side starts with 'Organ Satta', much like a spaced out remix of Derrick May's 'Nude Photo' slowed down to a fine, slouchy pace. Finally, the title track takes things all spiritual, over a five minute plus loose hand jam.....Nicely done DJ.

An interesting little proposition here, Delsin artist Djinxx winds up a floor slaying neo-Detroit groove with a seriously doped-up synthline on "Revolver" which is guaranteed to be a staple on many of the more glamorous techno floors this year. The flipside takes a late night time slot with a slightly more subdued yet driving effect to keep you going once the buzz has started to wane...Ace.

After the widely praised 'Strike' album (under the 154 moniker), and releases on UKs Peacefrog and New Religion, this is the fourth single on Amsterdams Delsin Imprint from the ever-excellent New World Aquarium. Five deep, synthy, freaked-out tracks are the order fo the day, with the A side bringing to mind Carl Craig’s Just Another Day EP - beautiful, deep techno soundscapes and a timeless production quality. “Twenty” on the flip, meanwhile, is a pure energy block by contrast, sounding like Techno infused with the spirit of Giorgio Moroder. Excellent twelve.

Classy deep techno from longtime Delsin head Colin Lindo aka Nubian Mindz. 'Afrika man' is a typical neo-Detroit Delsin cut, following a morphing lead synth Mr Lindo does what he does best and carves out a sick polyrhthmic house groove from a rich pallette of Afro tinged percussion, eventually turning into a serious track to get well lost in.

After his track on the 'Planet Delsin' compilation, Colin Lindo delivers here his debut EP for Amsterdam's Delsin label. 'Typewriter' is a freaked out dark funky techno track, excellent for the floor as it builds and builds. The flipside delivers three slices of deep techno-soul, with a spoken word track 'Aqua Mindstate' and two beatless soundscapes. Ace.

After being released as one sided limited release last month, ‘Americana' is now finally set for a full release, complete with a previously unheard B-side track ‘New Era' f - a full summer breeze with it's funky guitar and hypnotizing dreamy synthesizer lines. Classic delsin twelve - check!!

Much needed newness from Delsin's Quince, opening up with "Expanding" on the a-side - a well crafted slice of new school Techno layered with moody John Carpenter-esque strings and a squelchy loop sequence that gives it a subdued/discoid vibe with an effect not unlike recent remix work from the mighty Carl Craig. "Contracting" on the flip is more weighty, a rugged kickdrum setting the template for stretched synths and nicely arpegiated keys. Good stuff...

Quinn is a new producer from The Netherlands who drops his first EP for Delsin, kicking off with ‘The Freak' - a deep warm, shuffling club track in the fine tradition of John Tejada, Red Planet and Fabrice Lig. 'Stomper', meanwhile, is a spaced out heavyweight house track, kinda Common Factor / Paperclip People stylee, while 'No More Drama' is in the best Delsin / Detroit tradition, bringing to mind classics like Carl Craig's 'At Les' or Derrick May's 'Icon'.. Very good indeed.

This is Taho's first release on Delsin but according to the sales notes he is a producer who's been in the business since before the label even came to life over a decade ago, releasing material on Laurent Garnier's F-Comm label all the way back in 1994. The set kicks off with "Energy of Fields" - one of those rare tracks that propels itself forward without any percussion or bassline - a beatless construction that just builds and builds in one continuous crescendo that only really seems to let up the pace as it comes to an end. "Detroit" is up next - and it's a total game-changer. The p… Read more

Vince Watson and Delsin join forces again to deliver two tracks in his own freaked out, jazzy, funky, energetic techno style. The A-side features two cuts that were destined for Derrick May’s legendary Transmat label, but since the label stopped trading they’ve luckily found a new home at Amsterdam’s finest techno label. Classic Motor-city soul!

Gatekeeper was last seen manning a side of a split twelve with Shackleton for Skull Disco, with this being his debut for Bristol's much loved Punch Drunk imprint. "Let Go" on the A-side borrows heavily from Alicia Keys' "Falling" for an atmospheric number dominated by evocative strings and a cinematic edge that works a treat. "Tense Past" on the flip, meanwhile, is just immense - dominated by midnight dub stabs and complex percussion, it's the kind of track that takes a few sessions to fully absorb, not unlike Shackleton's best, but rewards with an ample supply of freshness and indiv… Read more

Rooted's Punch Drunk imprint is emerging as one of the most interesting and stylistically ambitious labels operating in dubstep right now, spearheaded by label owner Peverelist's seemingly effortless ability to avoid the path well travelled by so many of his contemporaries. In line with this generic dexterity comes this brilliant new twelve from Forsaken, once again finding the label on a slightly maladjusted trajectory that has as much in common with the acoustic plunderphonics of nu-folk as it does with the bass scrubs you'll no doubt be expecting. "Boat Noodles" is just sublime, making u… Read more

Yet another new dubstep imprint jumps into the fray, Denmark's Kraken label showcasing their scene's hottest two talents, Obeah and Wolfman coming correct with enough bass to challenge any of the UK's best. Obeah heads up with the Danish dubstep anthem 'Copenhagen Massive', riding a turbulent jumpup styled bassline to wicked effect, while Wolfman lays on the darkside vibes with a thick and moody halfstep roller. Big with Skream, Vex'd and Plastician.

Denmark's Kraken crew return with their second twelve, this time from Ruf and Scandalous Unltd. If the idea of Timbaland's finest production for Justin Timberlake being swallowed up and plundered before being sput out again as a BASS frenzied dubstep/grime mashup appeals to you - look no further as Ruf's aptly named "Raw Love" will give you everything you're looking for, and probably more. Scandalous cut "The Solution" on the flip is more determined to do its own thing, a squashed rave siren doing its thing dominating the crushed percussion and rugged Bass that works a treat.

Dubstep seems to be fast creating its own subset of genres, with this debut release from Even falling firmly into the kind of melodic, ethereal productions that seem to be ever more popular with more musically-minded bass scientists out there. "Order" is just lush, a piano riff lifted straight out of some soundtrack or another (answers on a postcard please...) doing its thing beautifully while those drops keep the universe balanced with a determined bass ferocity that works a treat. Over on the flipside Obeah takes over with a reverberating steppa that rumbles and glides in all the right places, another memorable riff lodging it firmly in your mind for days to come

Crazy Danish dubstep on Kraken recordings from 2000F and Ruf. Longtime fixtures on the danish dubstep scene, Kraken recordings and their associated Ohoi crew rule the roost on their particular Scandinavian peninsula, enlisting the talents of 2000F to remix Natasja's 'Idlebrand I byen' into a floor smashing brew of electro rave lines and pummelling subs. Ruf on the flip chucks up that most dangerous of suggestions 'Want some crack?', and gives up an addled stench of orthodox dubstep for the Danish dubstep rave crew man dem.

Third single from Bristol's Punch Drunk imprint, following on from the awesome Peverelist set a few weeks back. Heading away from the 4/4 crossover of "Erstwhile Rhythm", RSD comes to us from Bristol luminary Rob Smith (Smith & Mighty) here operating under the suitably abridged RSD moniker. The Rootsy vibe has been retained, with A-Side cut "Corner Dub" shuffling into a steppas vibe with traditional stabs and echo-chamber vocals, although the bass and snare have definately been borrowed from the dubstep template circa 2007. "Pretty Bright Light" on the flip is muc… Read more