Baffa Neoser
Mental Nature

This June, Sweely serves up Closer Energy, his much anticipated debut album on Butter Side Up with original artwork by Sophie Douala. It marks the label's first full length and is a fittingly standout musical statement from the cult French producer.Sweely aka William Montana is a low key figure with a highly regarded sound. Since 2019, he has been turning out well crafted EPs on this label as well as the likes of Gene on Earth's Limousine Dream and Brawther's Negentropy. With every release he mines new ground, whether crafting silky deep house, speedy breakbeats or spaced out techno. As a scintillating live act, he has proven himself to be as creative and adaptable in the club as he is in the studio.Closer Energy finds the artist elevate his craft once more. It's a vibrant and colourful record full of painterly chords and wiggling basslines. Smart found sounds and vocal snippets give each tune a character of its own. Flashes of 80s disco dazzle and perfect pop hooks make it fizz with an irresistibly playful charm from front to back.It opens with melted neon synths and shimmering jazz hi hats, sci-fi effects and daubs of melody that immediately bend space and time. From there, 'Hello Goodbye' gets super playful, with busy melodies and electronic house funk. There is a Detroit feel to the cosmic house of 'Not Part Of It' and 'Keep On Rock'n' is a deep but crisp electro workout. 'Call Me Tonight' brings a real sense of fun to clipped house beats, 'Techy(la) Sunrise' is a lush update to a classic tech house sound, and 'When You're in Love' showcases Sweely's superbly tight drum programming with far-sighted chords that have you gazing off into the distance.'MiniLook' is all squelchy bass and tripped out synths, 'Security (Get The Fuck Out)' ups the ante with a brightly coloured and sleazy electro vibe while 'Energy Bars' is run through with a subtle rush of euphoria that sweeps you off your feet. The feel-good vibes continue on the stylish glider that is 'Closer Energy', an electro tune so sublime and seductive it'll melt your soul, then 'Outro' brings you back to earth with some jazzy cosmic ambience.In signature Sweely fashion, Closer Energy is an album that manages to be high functioning but and hugely fun, with party jumpers next to heady gems and plenty in between.

THE LIGHTS, THE HEAT, THE STROBE, THE SWEAT! Just in time for the club season, Sneaker hands in two ten-minute trips containing the darkest secrets of dance music. And for the working DJ, there are 4 stripped-down tools on top. The Flow is the sound of tomorrow! The Flow is the sound of the 90s. But elevated to the next level. Yeah, progressive! The Flow is the sound of our heroes. The Flow is the sound of NY and Boccaccio wrought into DEEP BEAT. The Flow is the mellow of LB and the trip of Andrew. May they rest in heaven's glory on the wings of eternity! The Flow is the endless vibe of Josh's groove and the elegant abyss of Murk ensouled with celestial angels. The Flow switches paradigm into the extravaganza synthesis of Dazzle Ships. Ain't nuthin but a 909, an Emulator and a Studer. Cream of the crop. Plus the immersive soul of Yvonne drawing from half a century of light, heat, strobe and sweat. And the vision of a continental producer, whose perspective is timeless, deep, and loving. The Flow is a utopia, where clubs exist. - And flourish!

It’s time to rave again! Welcome to Simon Lovejoy in the unreality world. Simon began professionally playing ‘rave’ and club venues and releasing records from 1989 ‘The Rave Age 'album is a supreme mix of techno, house and downtempo, includes unreleased tracks from his rave age.

Orphic Apparition is a new label born out of a transatlantic meeting of minds. Facilitated by a long, hedonistic party in one of present-day London’s ‘meanwhile use’ venues Grow Tottenham, Canadian producer Raf Reza and British acid house luminary Paul Chivers spent a precious day in the studio to record a 3 hour straight to DAT session before Reza's return to Canada. The result of this spontaneous yet intuitive collaboration blurs the lines between Chiver’s long-standing Ramjac Corporation alias and Reza’s genre-spanning approach to dub, breaks and house styles. Part of the early 90s rave scene and an important member of the blueprint-setting Irdial label, Ramjac locks heads with the self-professed ‘lazy music guy from Toronto’ to adapt their studio session into five separate mixdowns.‘In The Grow’ begins with a bouncy, cut-up sounding Errorsmith-esque rhythm, the recurring fright night melody that distinguishes the record coming in all quick and powerful. The A2 ‘Rotten Mix’ offers a more traditional house approach in its composition, with dub FX and a nice DJ friendly outro. On the final uptempo choice the pair opt for a head-scrambling electro take. Choose your fighter! The ‘Swampy Dub’ on the flip really dismantles everything we’ve heard prior, slo-mo drums allowing a much different DJ experience and altering the freaky synthetic propulsion into an almost modern classical sound. A little like Paul Dresher’s eternal ‘Channels Passing’ (tip). Combined with the other edits this version almost becomes a totally different track. The final ‘Rootless Dub’ gives its clues in the title, removing all the tough drum sounds and allowing for an ambient decompression.Orphic Apparition will return soon.

Here we go again! Obergman is back with another stunning Electro 12". No words necessary, just go with the electric floooow...

The First Second Label family return for 2021 with Housebreaker, the highly anticipated return of ELLLL following her much loved Febreeze EP from 2019. Comes with an ace Slo’ Motion refix from Parris!Haunted, scattered breaks loom over the title track, a modern apocalyptic Hardcore journey where rave sirens puncture the feverous rinse-out tension throughout. The Alantis Dub flips the script, doubling down on the atmosphere while upping the tempo to screw-face the chaos within its experimental D’n’B fever dream. Both tracks showcase ELLLL’s exceptional production chops with its nuanced textural trickery & immersive sound design skills. London’s Parris then rewires the OG, simmering the tempo down low to 110bpm for a sinister nocturnal skank for the night fiends who thrive when entering into first light.