Track Of The Day: H-Foundation - Passage Of Time (Soma)

 

Went to see A Certain Ratio at Dingwall’s last Friday, and I’m off to see Cabaret Voltaire’s last ever gig in Sheffield in a couple of weekends time. So the temptation to start going through all of those two acts tracks that I haven’t yet posted is texting. And I will get through them, but it will by by osmosis. Meanwhile, in a world removed from those parallel pleasure spheres, here is a track from H Foundation who, I do believe, are on the cusp of a moment. Their sound is definitely coming around once more and, having already posted ‘Hear ‘dis Sound’ and ‘Future’ (not strictly H-Foundation, but Halo), here’s an underrated gem form them. One for the warm up or a bridge into something bigger. Great track with more than one string to its bow; this is an underrated tune from Hipp-e & Halo with a groove as great as any of their other stand out tracks and one that reveals something new on every listen. Obviously best appreciated on a big system. Big room tribal tech innit.

Track Of The Day: Norma G - Son Of Norma (Urban Sound Of Amsterdam)

 

I know this track because it’s the second one on ‘Psychotrance 2’ which is mixed by Darren Emerson. And it’s by Steve Rachmad, who may have put a foot wrong, but I’m not aware of when.  There are great comments on its YouTube page, which namecheck Colin Dale for playing it. One of his faves apparently. It’s just a great tune though. When techno was bursting ut of its rave shell, cross-pollinated by influences and bathed oil analogue warmth. One from when the machines were a ,little bit more than digital interfaces, and you can tell.

Shawescape Renegade 09.10.2026

 

Praslea @ SUPER DOMMUNE - 22.09.2026

Eric Cloutier - Super Dommune 01.06.2026

 

Eric Cloutier || Palinoia · Eric Cloutier - Super Dommune 01.06.2026

Dr. Dunks feat. Zopelar - Plateau Alone (Quiet Village)

 

Title: Plateau Alone EP

Artist: Dr. Dunks feat. Zopelar

Label: Quiet Village

Cat Number: QV005

Genre: Is It Balearic?

1: Plateau Alone

2: Slow One Eleven

3: 88 Lights

Well is it? I would say yes without any qualification. ‘Plateau Alone’ feels like it’s caught between at least three different points of reference. The bass, the various analogue synth embellishments and the kick. Beyond all that it runs free in the sonic savannah. ‘Slow One Eleven’ is pure chug business, and one which I could have heard at Covenanza last Friday night. I do like to remain in the moment while simultaneously taking notes. And I’m probably too old to change so don’t judge me. That’s my nerdy side coming out I guess. Anyway, without the geeks as gatekeepers what would we do? Great track though, making use again of similar flourishes to ‘Plateau Alone’, which I’m guessing are the work of Zopelar? ’88 Lights’ takes us by the hand to guide us through a soporific landscape and when the vocals come in it sounds like we’re in late sixties psychedelic California on mogadons listening to The Mamas & Papas. I’d like to say this is a truly wonderful release with something for everyone, and it is. Turn on, tune in and drop out tho.

Signal Type - Breakthrough (Cultivated Electronics)

 

Title: Breakthrough

Artist: Signal Type

Label: Cultivated Electronics

Cat Number: CE050

Genre: Electro

A1: Breakthrough

A2: Breakthrough (Radioactive Man Remix)

B1: Breakthrough (Silicon Scally Remix)

B2: Breakthrough (Morphology Remix)

Signal Type, for those not in the know, is “the collaborative project of label head Sync 24 and Matt Whitehead”. And this is Cultivated Electronic’s 50th release, so it had better be good. Thankfully, first impressions are very positive indeed. The original mix is an energetic nod to the birth of electro. It’s a boogie down Pandora’s box of energetic machine funk tropes elegantly welded into one cohesive whole. And if that sounds painful you’d better get the KY jelly out for Radioactive Man’s squelchy low rider of a version. It’s a dense piece of cerulean syncopation that purposely flies under the radar in its guise as a heavy duty example of rogue machine funk. The Silicon Scally mix is equally emphatic, but focuses on the high end, polishing the sonic stalactites and stalagmites that overhang a more open and empty panorama. And the dots are joined by Morphology, whose take is probably the most similar to the original, but reserves the right to the dramatic interlude with sweeping, symphonic synth stabs before reverting back to a dive back into the electro funk wormhole. 

Track Of The Day: Grant Dell & Gareth Oxby Pres. Tribalation - I Don't Care (Big Chief)

 

Big Chief were a pretty good label back in the day, and this from Tribulation is a great example of the tech, dubby line they trod. It’s a deceptively heavy track that relies on bongoes to get its point across. Within the percussion vocals flash in and out, but they’re just window dressing. It’s the low end which is the star. There’s such a great momentum and swing to this track. And even though there’s an apparent lack of variation, you’re hooked from the very first bar. This is the essence of linear, dubby house. Enough variety to keep things interesting, but purposefully working minimally with small sonic swings, some so small they go unnoticed for years.

Track Of The Day: Chopin - Fantaisie Impromptu

Do you really have to like classical music to appreciate a piece of music as delicate and emotional as this? Music like this is built for the finely-tuned which, it turns out, can be anybody. It just has to grab you first and you give in to it. And there’s something about an early autumn afternoon, when the sun is still shining, but the temperature has dropped enough to make a jacket necessary, that enhances the experience.

NUDECAST 014 - XDB

NUDE · NUDECAST 014 - XDB

Eli Verveine @ The Lot Radio 10-03-2026

The Lot Radio · Eli Verveine @ The Lot Radio 10-03-2026

Coyote - Weekend summit mix

 

isitbalearic..? · Coyote - Weekend summit mix

Track Of The Day: A Certain Ratio - I'd Like To See You Again (Factory)

 

Off to see A Certain Ratio at Dingwall’s tomorrow night after a 40 or so year break. Very much looking forward to it, so this feels appropriate. If only I’d known at the time that they were fusing Weather Report with Miami Vice. I’m not sure if they did tbh, but here we are. What is equally interesting nis how we all loved them, even though it was that little bit more different than what we were listening to. Everything moved in circles back then though. Funk was what kept things simple. We went to clubs in the early to mid eighties and no matter what night of the week, there would be something to latch on to. The eclecticism of those days isn’t coming back, at least not in quite the same way. Gatekeeping wasn’t a thing, thankfully.

Track Of The Day: That Petrol Emotion - Abandon (Boys Own Mix) (Virgin)

Named after the feeling that one gets when chucking a bottle full of burning fuel at some colonial authority figures, that Petrol Emotion never quite took over from Stiff Little Fingers as the political rock arbiters of Northern Ireland. They remain an interesting curio though. And this remix from A. Weatherall and Terry Farley is very much in keeping with the prevalent vibe of the day. This has the counter culture of its ties inscribed all over it. Indie dance with a very specific swagger.

Flash Mitra | 148

Viscera · Flash Mitra | 148

Vectorized Object Mixx

naks · Vectorized Object Mixx

Ransom Note w/ Matt Cowell & Ally Tropical - 30.09.26

 

EHFM · Ransom Note w/ Matt Cowell & Ally Tropical - 30.09.26

Titonton Duvanté (Residual Recordings) @TheLotRadio 10-04-2026

 

Carlos Souffront @ MAKING TIME ♾️ 2026

 

Unai Trotti @ MAKING TIME ♾️ 2026

Phil Kieran @ convenanzafestival 2026

 

philkieran · Phil Kieran @ convenanzafestival 2026

Track Of The Day: Richer - Echoes From The Jungle ll (Voiceless)

 

A new name for me, and a new track too. I came across it the other day courtesy of a Jane Fitz & Carl H film on Instagram and I was feeling it immediately. Is it trance, techno, deep house? Who knows. Really good though. It doesn’t get ahead of itself so it retains a lot of atmosphere and mystique. If you’ve got a copy you want to sell, get in touch.

Tia Cousins | EBM & House DJ Set | SECTION. x Byredo | October 2026

 

Track Of The Day: Sterac - Hydroxy (100% Pure)

This track stands out because it’s the only bit of electro on which is one of the al time classic techno albums. Sterac’s ‘The Secret Life Of Machines’ got a complete airing yesterday while I was prepping a barbecue and it’s safe to say that it’s aged very well. Nothing sounds dated. On the contrary, it holds up with the best of them. Mills, Hood and UR. How anyone could say anything negative about it is beyond me and, although electro is not what I would be listening to this album for, this is a well-executed track that fits with the albums aesthetic and is, therefore of its type, sonically unique.

Omana Festival 2026 – Z@p

 

Groove Magazin · Omana Festival 2026 – Z@p

Track Of The Day: Can - Halleluhwah (United Artists)

 

I know next to nothing about Can, which is a shame and something I need to resolve. Where they influenced by Beefheart? Listening to this I’m reminded of some of the Captain’s proclivities. A tendency to go off on a tangent while religiously riding the groove. The sonic similarities are obvious to me even if the lyricism lacks whimsy. Brilliant though. Nuts to think that this was broadcast twenty six years after WWll. Twenty six years ago it was the beginning of a new century and I wonder to myself how far, if at all, music has progressed since then. The speed at which it did post-war Wass remarkable. Kids were listening to Bill haley less than twenty years previously. And calling that revolutionary. This is where, amongst other p-laces, it really took a quantum leap though. 

Track Of The Day: DJ Agitated - Let It Ride (Dolly)

 

 

This is from the ‘Dolly 15’ compilation, which came out last year, and is featured here because I picked it out of the digital pile, to mix into a piece of dub techno, the name of which escapes me. This isn’t dub techno but definitely works with it as it does have some sonic similarities. The echoes and shards of sound that fall like glacial curtains. It can give the impression of being a bit techno by numbers, but the production is excellent and very subtle. It’s got as many layers as an onion and more soul than your average looper, which it definitely isn’t. A very accomplished piece of work by DJ Agitated, who really shouldn’t be.

Track Of Yesterday: Donato Dozzy - Astro (Tresor)

‘Astro’ is the title track of Donato Dozzy’s new LP on Tresor and as soon as I heard it I thought that it would sound great coming in before UR’s ‘The Final Frontier which, along with ‘Acid Eiffel’ is a strong contender for best track featuring the 303. As ever, for me at least, the acid has to be omnipresent but not overwhelming, and this does the trick. Pounding drums, supremely judged, amongst which the 3030 is penned. Around it there are subtle lifts and other embellishments which, while not overwhelming, make their presence felt. This is profound big room music with momentum.

Voyage de Lux-X w/ Alex Downey & Headroom DJs Cal & Acid Jesse - 30.09.26

 

1BTN · Voyage de Lux-X w/ Alex Downey & Headroom DJs Cal & Acid Jesse - 30.09.26

Track Of The Day: The Sandals - A Profound Gas (Open Toe/Acid Jazz)

I never owned this record, much to my regret. A friend of mine, Colin, who I haven’t seen for a long time, used to have it. I think hue was still living in Fort St. at the time. Fort St. was a place that I lived in for a year in the mid eighties, along with sundry other misfits. It had a reputation as a party house, and I wold often come downstairs in the middle of the night to find the living room occupied by total strangers who had found their way back there from the Chelsea Reach, or some other nNew Brighton hot spot. Anyway, I had left long before this record came out, but through Colin, and others before him, a connection remained. I remember playing tis a lot around the time it came out. I was living in Brighton at the time, my last year at university having just returned from a year at Rutgers in New Jersey. This is the instrumental. All of the mixes are great and I’ll post them soon. Produced by Leftfield.

The Quadrasphere 040 - Lonerist

Quadrant Soundscape · The Quadrasphere 040 - Lonerist

EPM.204 - Federsen

EPM Music · EPM.204 - Federsen

Vladimir Ivkovic b2b Intergalactic Gary @Inter-City-26.09.26

 

Intergalactic Gary · Vladimir Ivkovic b2b Intergalactic Gary @Inter-City-26.09.26

Track Of The Day- Infiniti Feat. Juan Atkins - Martians at Work (Remastered) (Tresor)

‘Martians At Work’ has that rare quality of being of nothing else but Detroit, but also whimsical and onomatopoeic. If you’ve got an imagination that dabbles in such things, then use it to visualise a 1950s realisation of those weird space aliens engaging in gardening, or some other sort of manual labour. Juan Atkins? A funster? I don’t believe it!

RA Live - Tia Cousins - Horst Festival 2026

 

Resident Advisor · RA Live - Tia Cousins - Horst Festival 2026

Track Of The Day: Talking Heads - Houses In Motion (Sire)

 

I have no idea why ‘Houses In Motion’ has taken up residence in my head over the past few days. If I’d heard a chug edit of it at Convenanza then there’s where the blame would lie. But I didn’t (next year maybe?), so there. Anyway, what a song, and here it is in all its unfettered, spontaneous live glory. I never saw them live, and they’re right at the top of my wish list. It obviously won’t happen but I’d splurge for the chance. Whenever I post a track by them I always think of being in Berlin in December 1984. The two releases that were postered all over town were '1984' by The Eurythmics, and 'Stop Making Sense', probably the best film of a concert  ever. There have been others, but none featuring just one band that had the power to engage so grippingly over the course of the whole transmission. Out on their own.

Track Of The Day: Gary Martin - Interview With An Alien (Delano Smith Remix) (DET313)

 

Back from Carcassone, which was great as per. And here’s Delano Smith’s superior interpretation of Gary Martin’s ‘Interview With An Alien’. I say superior because I think that this is better than the original. So why? Well maybe it’s because I’m getting older (although we all are innit), but this laid back groove-laden version knocks the socks off the more urgent and slightly more fidgety original. Gary Martin was/is one off the most idiosyncratic producers to come out of Detroit. Here though Basic Channel/Mood ll Swing inspired minimal house wins out over the burlesque. One of the moments at Carcassone on Saturday night was hearing Basic Channel being played within the walls of the chateau. Which very much goes to show that less is more. When a groove is being carried it better hadn’t be dropped. Maintaining the energy with tracks like this is a real skill. There’s nowhere to hide. Play this one loud and let its dynamics ooze out.

Track Of Yesterday: The Future Sound Of London - Papua New Guinea (Andrew Weatherall Mix) (Jumping' & Pumpin')

 

Off to Convenanza tomorrow so any remix from AW is appropriate and, although I don’t think this is one of his best, it would sound great within the confines of the chateau in Carcassone. It takes a different route to the original in that while the sound is less dense and less evocative of the landscape it sonically describes, it’s more danceable due to being infused with break beats. Not just your normal linear beaks either. There’s a pitch change shortly after the eponymous spoken word. Breaks have been subtly dominating a lot of modern electronic music recently so I guess what sets this apart are its early nineties analogue production values. It feels a lot more raw than a lot of today’s efforts. The tribal chanting that rise up in the second half of the tracks feel a little odd by today’s standards. However, they also feel very much on the spirit of the cut up. The only bit I really don’t like that much are the symphonic episodes, which feel a little over-produced by comparison. That doesn’t mean to say I won’t have my hands in the air as soon as I hear them though.

Track Of The Day: Liquid, Liquid - Cavern (99 Records)

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Track Of Yesterday: A Certain Ratio - Shack Up (Factory Benelux)

 

Probably A Certain Ratio’s break out track. This cover of Banbarra’s release of about six years earlier came after ‘All Night Party’ and the amazing ‘Flight’. It’s this though that ultimately did the most damage. Thanks, no doubt as much to the deadpan vocals of Simon Topping as to the full-bodied, and at times brittle funk of the band itself. This is another slant of the sound of the smoke-filled bedrooms of my youth. And in those days we could find somewhere to dance to it that didn’t mean travelling to a boutique event in some far-flung corner of the country. I must have seen ACR five or six times n the early eighties, and I’m off to see them again in a week or two in London. Should be ace.

Helena Hauff b2b DJ MELL G | themuddshow x JUICY GANG RECORDS

 

Track Of The Day: Prince Jammy- War In The Asteroid Belt (Greensleeves)

 

Plucked from the fabulously named ‘Prince Jammy Destroys The Invaders’ I suppose albums like this, and that of Scientist ‘Scientist Meets The Space Invaders’ documented changing trends as well as new social norms. Back then it was arcade games, now I guess it would be a slant on social media. Whatever. The fact that what passes for something new nowadays hasn’t been immortalised in dub is very telling. Prince Jammy is 78 now and I guess could still possibly tour, just like Scientist is early next year. Anyway it’s Sunday, September and the sun is still shining. Play this loud and then get to grips with the rest of the album.

Track Of The Day: The Orb - Perpetual Dawn Ultrabass 2 (AW Remix) (Big Life)

 

This is another of those tracks that revels in its cross-pollination and takes you back to a time when you had the feeling that things were a little bit more under control. They weren’t really, it was just an impression. And it’s another that could only have come out of The UK. We’ve always been good at making music focussed on dancing, hedging the boundaries cheese in some cases. I don’t think that this is one of AW’s best. It really feels like he’s thrown a lot of stuff in to the mixer and not given a damn to a certain extent. That type of approach can often go wrong. What saves this is the bass and other low end fidgeting. 

Track Of The Day: Les Rita Mitsouko - C'est Comme Ca (Virgin)

Uncatergorizable, but very French. So that’s a type of oxymoron innit. Energetic and with a riff to die for. It gets more and more intense. This is very much of its time, but if it were to be released now it would be at the vanguard of pop. There’s o doubt that this is one of the grooviest pieces of pop ever recorded. Amazing voice which slid off its mortal coil earlier this week. So this is a belated recognition of its greatness. 

Barac - Shamandrum Session 003

Barac · Barac - Shamandrum Session 003

Vera b2b Eli Verveine at Trädgården

 

eli verveine · Vera b2b Eli Verveine at Trädgården

subglow/Live 13: Darwin @ memòri Festival 2026

 

subglow · subglow/Live 13: Darwin @ memòri Festival 2026

Track Of The Day: Decius - X-Ray Shocks (Decius Trax)

 

A tricky piece of techno with a spring in its step that one could imagine slipping into the set of Sean Johnson or Jeff Mills. Decius played Convenanza in 2022, the comeback! This was the first one I went to and they were brilliant. A lot of that was down to their front man Lias Saoudi also of Fat White Family. The other members were a lot more static but are responsible for a sound that comes correct when blending acid house, techno and the outer limits of electronic disco. They take no prisoners innit.

Track Of The Day: Jah Wobble - Blow Out (Lago Records)

 

Great piece of serious eighties pop from Jah Wobble. That is to say it seems to extract many sonic traits of the decade in order to come up with something of its time which also transcends it. I’m not listening to this in 2026 thinking it’s cheesy. The production sound crisp and from Nassau. Like so much music from that decade I feel it could have soundtracked an episode of ‘Miami Vice’ and I may not have liked it if it did, even though I had a secret respect for Crockett and Tubbs. The vocals have a gravitas to them that ounce come straight from the dominant larynxes of that era. That is to say a resurgent ‘Let’s Dance’ David Bowie and, of course, some of his pop offspring. Dave Gahan and Frank Tovey. Even Howard Devoto. The vocalist is Bob Shipton who, according to Discogs, didn’t duo much else.It feels like a quantum leap to have been playing bass on ‘Public Image’ a few years before. Not for a polymath like Wobble though. Great chug potential. Somebody make an edit?

Jane Fitz b2b Luisa secret Sunday party at Gaffe Aug 2026

 

Jane Fitz · Jane Fitz b2b Luisa secret Sunday party at Gaffe Aug 2026

Track Of The Day: Robotman - Do Da Doo (Plastikman's Acid House Remix) (Definitive Recordings)

Another one of those “I thought I’d already posted this.” And why not? What a track. There was no one working the 3030 better than Richie haw tin back in the early n reties and this, along with his remix of System 7’s ‘Alpha Wave’ defined houses deep acid. If that makes any sense. Playing this now brings on a nostalgic rush of energy, or should I’d that be an energetic rush of nostalgia. If ever a tune defined “party starter” then it’s this one. The percussion just shuffles, and then you’ve got the angelic voices at the end. I feel like I’m rushing just listening to this again. No extra help needed.

Andrew James Gustav @ The Lot Radio 09-06-2026

 

The Lot Radio · Andrew James Gustav @ The Lot Radio 09-06-2026

Track Of The Day: Amevicious - Wood People (Undo Remix) (Amevicious)

 

Great piece of dark chug this. Suffused with the spirit of new beat and off-kilter acid, this is a decadent piece of kit. One for the heads down crew. Off to Convenanza at the end of next week so I hope to hear some similar stuff while I’m there. And I’d like to write more, but after a very long run this afternoon, I’m cream crackered.