Lots of great electro coming out at the moment, and this release on the always interesting Kalahari Oyster Cult from Nicola Cruz from the ‘Telemagenta’ EP is something that gets it just right. It’s a nice, smooth glide through the intergalactic pathways of funk with enough going on around the beats to give it an extra dimension. Beat metamorphosis through a variety of tempos and environmental factors feels effortless. There’s also good use of a disembodied spoken word, the gist of which I’m yet to understand. But that’s what it’s all about isn't it? Fragments of futuristic consciousness coalescing at an undefined velocity.
Thursday, September 03, 2026
Wednesday, September 02, 2026
Track Of The Day: The Dominican - Equator Fever (Forensic)
Like many others I first heard this track on Terry Francis’ immortal Essential Mix back in 1998. And it really is a corker. Trance trace elements blend with wild pitch to create a piece of house that is both functional and show stopping. It probably has more in common with what was coming out on the likes of Tribal and Twisted than most other labels of the time. Terry Francis, Nathan Coles and Eddie Richards all had a preternatural ability to seek out the best of the best. It didn’t matter what the labels was or whether it was techno or house. And it was inevitable that the terminology would be bastardised to describe the most overproduced and soulless stuff imaginable when all that it described was the best of multiple genres that could be mixed together and induce systematic shape throwing. Forensic put out some good stuff. Amongst which were three releases by DKMA, aka Dana Kelley, aka Callisto. All worth seeking out.
Tuesday, September 01, 2026
Track Of The Day: Joshua - Let The Spirit (Prescription)
This track comes from ‘The Foot Therapy’ EP, which was the first Prescription release I bought, as well as the first time I heard Joshua on record. He became one of my go to producers for a while. There was something unique about the way he fused dub and house. This track isn’t like that at all though. Instead it blends disco cut ups with house and an overarching symphonic feel. It’s probably my favourite tune from this release, which is no mean feat when Abacus, Ron Trent and Chez Damoier are the other artists who contribute. There’s something very full-bodied and soulful about this track that is unsurpassable. Of course there are many as good, but none better. One from the burring heart of house music.
Monday, August 31, 2026
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Thursday, August 27, 2026
Track Of Yesterday: Maurizio - Mø6b (Maurizio)
Off the top of my head I’m going to say that this track, and its flip side, represent a slight turn in the road forth M series, in which the beats veered more towards Rhythm & Sound. There is still an undeniable techno underlay, but the edges are softened and muffled. The trajectory slightly stifled by a more organic approach. Only slightly though. It’s no surprise that this, like all of Maurizio’s M Series, and Basic Channel, never sounds the same twice. There are always new things to discover, new angles to explore and new dreams to imagine. This is the music that plays in the background as the River Styx flows in sharp relief to what is going on around it.
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Track of The Day: Sublee - Their Mind (Baumbaum)
Sublee is Stefan Nicu and this is from his second eponymously titled album. And it’s shockingly good, inasmuch a long, drawn-out dubby mood setter can be. Tracks like this just take you down a wormhole. It’s built around a polyrhythmic approach where various elements bind around and cling to each other in some sort of desperate sonic embrace. If anything falls off then it is death by disassociation. The other parts won’t welcome it back in, unless it can find a way back itself. No help is given here, it’s survival of the fittest. A tranced out chug of gargantuan proportions. The type of track that forms the backbone to Barac’s sets. This, and tracks like it, redefine depth, spirituality and the importance of handclaps. Meditative and momentous at the same time, one to get lost in.
Track Of Yesterday: Alden Tyrrell - Other Worlds Robots (Clone)
This came out 21 years ago and it still sounds fresh. Having said that, it could be down to the music not having moved on enough. Where can it go anyway and should we worry about it? I do love a rhetorical question, because I can’t answer it. It doesn’t bother me anyway, and I do love a track that puts robots front and centre. This could have come out from the early eighties onwards and no one would be any the wiser. We do tend to fetishise older stuff don’t we. It’s true though that loads of great stuff is being made as we speak, but not getting as much exposure as it should. I blame social media. The one thing that should be opening doors to more diverse artistic approaches is guilty of superficialising. This is a great track, which should be longer and more sinister, but that’s just my opinion.
Monday, August 24, 2026
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Track Of The Day: D5 - Sides Of Space (Delsin)
The title track form an album that I finally got hold of today. ‘Sides Of Space’ came out just over ten years ago I think, and is from D5, a ;producer that went under my radar at the time, but who I am now discovering.This album is quite laid-back and feels like ambient with a kick. Obviously influenced by Detroit, but with a strong IDM feel as well. D5 also released another album on Delsin, along with some singles at ht turn of the millennium. He’s also put stuff out within the last few years. On the basis of this, I’d like to hear a lot more.
Saturday, August 22, 2026
Track Of The Day: Leonid - Urania 2 (Soul Print Recordings)
One that I’d forgotten about, but am pleased to reacquaint myself with. This comes from a split release on Serbia’s Soul Print Recordings. The A side has two versions of ‘Urania’. I prefer this one because it flows better. The other is very good as well though and both make great use of the 303 and keep the acid deep. Which is all I want from the 303. I’m not a fan of when it’s in your face, but ‘Acperience’ and the Hardfloor ‘Yekeyeke’ remix are exceptions. Leonid, who seems to have gone awol in the last few years, was always a producer I kept tabs on. Pity he seems to have stopped releasing. The B side of this release features two tracks by Laak, who are still recording and put out their latest a couple of months ago. Their contribution is of a similar high standard. Pity I can only put one up, so keep a look out for the others.
Friday, August 21, 2026
Track Of The Day: Anthony Rother - Redlight District (Psi49net)
It’s just after 9 o’clock on a Friday night. The dark nights are already drawing in and, despite the last heatwave only ending last weekend, the weather is already starting to feel autumnal. It’s raining again! That’s three ties in the last week, and three times in the last 2 months. In the park directly outside my house, the local council have organised their annual free concerts for the townsfolk, and there’s a Queen covers band belting out ‘Someone To Love’. Queen’s popularity always puzzled me. Anyway, what better time than to listen to something else. So track of the day today comes at an opportune time. ‘Red Light District’ is another one of those tracks that I can’t believe I haven’t already posted, such is its overarching majesty and funkiness. The lyrics are just a repeat of a few lines with the advantage of being voiced through a vocoder, or something similar. And they fit the vibe incredibly well. The bass throbs, and the background is awash with symphonic overtones. It’s electro dystopia transplanted to your mind.
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Track Of The Day: Shuang Hua - Palindrome (Dub) (Shuang Hua)
Minimal it is, but it came out a lot more recently than the bulk of that genre. This is the dub version of the A side. It’s n to as heavy, eschewing a low end that goes all out weird and folky, dominating the track to an unhealthy degree. Records like this can highlight a set without any embellishment as long as the sound system is good, and the DJ has already managed to inject a healthy sense of imbalance. Because that’s just preparation for the wonkiness to come, and one of the positives of records like this is that the wonkiness operates under restraint. It’s surprising that there isn’t a spoken word sample somewhere in the mix, but production is polished and there is a good degree of separation between the various elements. As left field as house gets while still being a mover and groover.
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