A Bunch Of Five

Title: Distance Against Time
Artist: Patrice Scott
Label: Sistrum
Cat Number: SIS011
Genre: Deep House

A1: Eclipse
A2: Eclipse Beats
B: Distance Against Time

If there's anyone out there making more emotive, fragile, psychedelic, deep house than Patrice Scott at the moment, then I've yet to hear him/her (OK, maybe Keith Worthy). I can't praise this EP highly enough. Everything falls into place at just the right moment. These tracks are an object lesson in less is more. Deep as you like but with their constituent elements carefully chosen, as space-age and modern as can be, but with a simultaneous feeling of nostalgia guaranteed to provoke unrequited longing, it's all here. We are often accused of falling on our knees and venerating Detroit just for what it is, but when it effortlessly turns out artists of this calibre it's easy to see why. A wonderfully evocative piece of distilled electronic bliss.



Title: Hispanic Causin' Panic
Artist: Hector
Label: 8-Bit
Cat Number: 8Bit030
Genre: Tech-House

A: La Buena Onda
B1: Suavecito (Nick Curly remix)
B2: Suavecito

Clocking in at around ten minutes, 'La Buena Onda' has everything I like about a tribal tech house track. Galloping rhythm, earnest vocal snippets, and an energy that has you visualising yourself dancing like a wild animal on some messy, drug washed dancefloor. It's no-holds barred tuneage of the highest order and should only be indulged in when completely off it or if not afraid to be seen gurning. 8-Bit is often generic, but this is one of its strengths, because when it gets it right it's on the money. And who should pop up on 'Suavecito' remix duties, but label boss Nick Curly; he does a good job too, but fails to match 'La Buena Onda' for hands-in-the-air abandon. The original of the aforementioned track brings to mind that Joeski track on Maya that I can't quite remember the name of (it's around here somewhere, just give me a few days . . .), and as the two artists share a latin-American heritage it's hardly surprising that they should share influences. Best track on 8-Bit for a long time.



Title: Ruckus EP
Artist: Jamie Jones
Label: Hot Creations
Cat Number: HC001
Genre: House

A1: Ruckus
A2: Ruckus (Discoid Dub) [Vinyl Only]
B1: Say What?
B2: Masterplans

Hot Creations extends itself like a plant stem captured by time lapse photography to become the publishing vehicle for Hot Natured, aka Jamie Jones and Lee Foss. Jones has long had two sides to his character, that of deep tech-house don, as well as that of bass-led, funk/disco evangelist. Meeting Foss seems to have been a match made in heaven, as their mutual tastes seem to be so similar that hitting it off musically seems inevitable for a while to come yet. With the "Ruckus" EP they step things up pace-wise a little from what I've heard of their Hot Natured-themed sets to deliver four-tracks of slightly varying tempo, each of which is characterised by a funk and bass so simply effective it's difficult to describe without descending into pretentious platitudes. Squelchy disco breaks characterise the title track and dub, while an acid sensibility and laser-sharp stabs get the point across elsewhere. Music to dance to or you're dead. It's that simple.



Title: Untitled
Artist: VA
Label: Enypnion
Cat Number: env2
Genre: Techno

A1: Entra - Furthr
A2: Elevation - Irratio
A3: Away - Furthr
B1: This Music - Pegaz (2)
B2: High Above - Session View

"Faceless techno (minus the "bollocks")" is still on fine form, and it's represented here on a release from, if my memory serves me well, Poland. God, the chords, sounds, etc on Furthr's 'Entra' are so familiar and derivative, but in a good way. (Please excuse this more impressionistic of reviews.) Five tracks on a single piece of vinyl, snatches of machine moods that belong to a place always just that little bit out of reach. Like a collection of out takes considered to short to mix, this is a fine release of ambient, dubby technoid snapshots that have just the right amount of oomphf to stop them descending too far into the nether regions of dub techno. 'Away' is pitchblend-perfect narcoleptic Basic Channel with a lingering, bittersweet melody, and leads nicely into the slightly more uptempo B side where 'This Music' and 'High Above' invite you to a place that's bathed in analogue warmth and hearkens back to a time when the music was all that mattered. I like to listen to music like this with a glass of brandy and a fat one. How about you?



Title: Yes We Are EP
Artist: IFM
Label: Drumpoet Community
Cat Number: DPC028
Genre: Deep House

A1: Yes We Are
A2: Promise Land
B1: Yes We Are (Det-Riot mix)
B2: Yes We Are (Bonus Deep mix)

If you're going to sample Martin Luther King, try and find something that hasn't been said before. IFM, aka Marcello Napoletano & Franchesco Schito, unfortunately don't do this on 'Promise Land', thankfully the quality of the grooves carries one away from any notion of hackneyism. Napoletano has been a busy boy of late, with recent releases on Uzuri, (again as IFM) Mathematics and Quintessentials. He's obviously talented but I do occasionally have misgivings about his choices of spoken word, that on 'September 11' being another to forget. Not to worry, they are but a minor detail on this EP and don't in any way detract from its overall quality. All three versions of 'Yes We Are' offer something a little bit different. This release thrusts a bit more than his others . . .which is nice.