Aures Serva EP – Southsoniks Bullitt (FR)
Truly masterful, Detroit influenced tech house/ techno EP from Southsoniks and my friends at Bullit Records in France. “Dreminiscence” starts things off with lush pads, soulful percussion and a ton of old school flavor. “Merge Marcy” is up next and absolutely kills it. With subtle, yet driving percussion, sexy keys and a ton of trippy flavor, this track will destroy your dancefloor in the most systematic and subtle way possible. The B-side features the real gem here, “The Rave.” Sounding like an old warehouse rave track from WAY BACK, this track slowly rises and flows as it engulfs everything in its path. Unreal EP.*****(5 of 5)
Constant Process – Joel Mull Inside (SE)
Label headman, Joel Mull is back with another pair of funky, straight for the jugular techno slayers. Side A features “Proceed”, an absolutely smoking, tripped out techno drum track with tons of edits, frequency drops and a ton of smooth, rhythmic flavor. “Fiction Pt 1 & 2” take up the B-side and works and works as it develops over time. You need to let it ride for the entire track to really take advantage of what it has to offer. Slow building percussion, frequency drops and stabs that will twist up your mind and take you (and your dancefloor) on a mind-bending journey.****(4 of 5)
Dope Me Remixes – Da Fresh Zebra 3 (FR)
Taking the best track from his last EP, Da Fresh hands over “Dope Me” to some of the techno world’s brightest stars with fantastic results. Tomaz and Redhead get their hands on the goods first and provide a forward moving, tribal influenced smoker of a track that is very reminiscent of Tomaz and Filterheads smash “Sunshine.” Heavy basslines and driving percussion do the duty here, but it is the flip where things really take off. Valentino Kanzyani takes things to that tripped out, filtered place where he is so comfortable and comes up trumps with an absolute destroyer. Big rooms beware, this track will do major damage. ****(4 of 5)
Evasive Maneuvers Pt. 1 – Jel Ford & Oscar Charlie Platform (UK)
Jericho front man, Jel Ford teams up with Oscar Charlie on this massive release for London based Platform. “Spike” kicks things off driving rhythms and a gloomy, evil bassline that grabs your attention and simply won’t let go. Ripping, big room smash. “Ablaze” is the flip side cut and is the stand out here. Scorching beats, lashing percussion and a bassline that will DESTROY anything in its path. Unreal track and fantastic EP.****(4 of 5)
Forbidden Stuff EP – W. Jorg Henze Default Recordings (CA)
This time the Default crew brings in W Jorge Henze to do his hard tripped out techno thing. The set opens up with “Ignoble”, a murky, driving techno jaunt, complete with trippy stabs, moving bassline and big room inspired breakdowns. “Swingers Hotline” is up next with its hypnotic vocals and clever edits and drops, while “Swallow It” brings up the rear with a no holds barred, manic drum fest that combines fierce percussion, lush keys and a bassline from hell. Bangin’ to say the least.***(3 of 5)
Golden Angel EP – Jeff Bennett Zebra 3 (FR)
One of the most brilliant producers on the tech house scene, Jeff Bennett is back with another stellar two-track EP for Zebra 3. “Power Surge” kicks things off with its deep, slow building keys and rising tension; an ideal way to set the mood for harder, darker things to come. The B-side features “Visual Contact”, a lush Detroit influenced track with bubbling keys and epic strings throughout. Solid as usual.****(4 of 5)
La Sala Loca EP – Valentino Kanzyani Recycled Loops (UK)
Fantastic two track EP from label boss and all around fierce producer, Valtino Kanzyani. “La Sala Loca” is the A-Side entry and absolutely rocks. Driving percussion, funky vocal stabs and a dark-as-hell bassline reminiscent of Murder Was The Bass by DK8. The flip features “Sala Global”, a tribal influenced, techno drum track with synth stabs, hot bassline and a long, tension-building break down. Simple destroyer.***(3 of 5)
Last Rites – Generation Gap Rotation (UK)
Centered around two different vocal samples from Pulp Fiction, this EP brings together groovy basslines, forward moving percussion and ton of smooth, bubbling flavor. Already getting support from many top players in the dance music world, this is a release worthy of your attention.**(2 of 5)
Latin Bonitas EP – DJ Electro One Rhythm Convert (BE)
DJ Electro One drops three exciting, Latin influenced techno bombs. “Panama” and “Federitiva” are both funky drum tracks with hot Salsa influenced vocals, driving percussion and a ton of crossover appeal. The flip, “Meddellin” is a straightforward, hard techno drum track with dark bassline, moving beats relentless energy. Fantastic second release for the Rhythm Convert crew.
****(4 of 5)
