The original “Proteccion de Testigos EP” was in my bag for many months and got spins at gigs all over. The combination of funky drum tracks, big room basslines and a ton of groovy flavor made them each favorites with different crowds and for different reasons. Here the remixing reigns are handed over to two of the hottest names on the scene, with stunning result. Soutshift (aka Southsoniks) take the laid back original “Sin Salida” and transform it into a smooth, satisfying tech house jam that will funk up your deepest sets. The flip features Oxia’s take on “No Es Otra Cosa”, one of my favorite tracks of the year. Adding his signature driving percussion to the original bassline and groovy keys, Oxia takes this track into a whole other stratosphere. *****(5 of 5)
Quadromania EP – Tony Thomas Zebra 3 (FR)
Releasing killer tracks for more than a decade, Tony Thomas has been hot over the last 24 months. With releases on Soma, Tango, Hooj, Serious and Subliminal (to name a few), he runs the gamut from deep, jazzy grooves to funky house and bangin’ tribal. On this release, he takes things into smooth, funky tech house land and simply rocks it. “Spirit Force” is slow building with sexy female vocal samples and tension building energy, while “Deep Inside” is a strong progressive number with huge rolling bass and tripped out keys. Add two more notches the Mr. Thomas’ belt and two more hot tracks to your repertoire. ****(4 of 5)
The Most Beautiful Curse EP – Adam Jay Consigned (CA)
Absolutely remarkable release from the ever venerable Mr. Jay. Taking things deeper than his usual spot, Adam kicks things off with “The Most Beautiful Curse” and simply blew me away. Lush keys, growing synths, sexy bass and a ton of flavor make this a subtle destroyer of the first degree. The B-side begins with another amazing slice of deep, sexy techno, “Sick With Obsession.” Starting off with lush, lovely pads, driving beats and a deep bassline, this track glides along effortlessly. The EP concludes with “Washed Up 10 Miles Away”, another truly beautiful techno track. Alexander Kowalski and Paul Mac fans take notice; this is right up your alley and a truly essential purchase.*****(5 of 5)
Untitled – Alex Bau CLAU (DE)
From Chris Liebing’s consistently excellent CL-R stable, comes this slab of slammin’ warehouse techno. With dark beats, evil basslines, stutter edits and frequency drops throughout, the currently untitled A-side builds and rises and rumbles it way onward and upwards. The B-side cut is a deeper, grittier affair that will not only move your dancefloor, but also scare the dickens out of them at the same time. Quality release.***(3 of 5)
Zeitsprung EP – Brian Sanhaji Enable Recordings (DE)
Dark, evil and straight for your dome, this EP features 3 cuts of blazing techno madness. The title cut kicks things off, with evil, tripped out, off-key synths, hard percussion and rough, rugged energy. Drop the needle and close your eyes and you can picture this track being played at an outlaw party in some dark, abandoned building in East Berlin. The B-side features “Expansion” an absolute enormous straight techno demolisher and “Paradoxon”, a trippy, frequency-killing machine of a jam. ***(3 of 5)
