Various Artists
Los Totes 1

CH415 with 4 strong Electro & Detroit tracks, limited hand stamped copies, TIP!

Expanding on the blueprint of previous releases, Trieste-born, London-based producer Sohrab is the Kalahari clan’s latest inductee. OYSTER43 is a distillation of the Italian producer’s stylistic scope in its purest form; impeccably crafted dance music with a healthy dose of prog.Running deep with this one. Smartly refined constructions primed for meditative club use, the first four tracks are rendered in pristine detail. From the widescreen and tunnelling to straight-up utopian, there’s a life-affirming vitality like only the most quintessential '90s prog-house can achieve.The record begins to veer into realms of dilated abstraction on the second plate. Where ‘Fleeting Thoughts’ unfurls like a slice of hi-tech IDM undergoing an ayahuasca ceremony, ‘Sunseeker’ and ‘Deconstruct’ keep the ritual going at a lysergic, slo-mo chug. ‘Crystal Clear’, on the other hand, evokes the ‘70s with a bucolic, avant-garde synth lullaby.

The first release of the Apolo records label marks the grand debut of the Scienza X duo composed by Portuguese talents Nuno Carneiro and Rowan. First word of advice: don’t be fooled by the debut stamp, Rowan is a celebrated producer and Nuno has been doing the rounds behind the wheels of steel from Europe to Latin America for a long, long time, and this is clear from the outset. Both “Evil Laugh” and “17” have their distinct identities. The first track harnesses an energy not far from the sounds of Uruguay made popular by artists like Z@P, Nicholas Lutz and DJ Koolt. As for 17, it’s certainly no filler, either a reflective opener or a closer to entwine the audience (this is a dance record!) on their way out of an early morning in Café Barges or Ibiza. The mixes are a blessing overall for the record, each adding layers and use cases that make this a something of a buy-on-sight tool. From Dan Ghenacia’s full on dancefloor-driven interpretation of 17 to Snad’s thumping version of Evil Laugh to Wareika’s… well… how do you describe his sound? If you know, you know. This debut on the label named after his first son was conceived with a lot of work, lets just hope that if he’s going to father any more projects in the future, they sound this good.

Expansion is the 7th EP on Belgium based Nightflight Records. On several levels it is a deft alignment of the label’s emotional techno aesthetic with Mihail Petrovski’s ability to deliver exquisitely poised music that drives deep into the mind and soul. The EP is a fine addition to his discography presented by the likes of Ferox, Common Dreams, Verdant Recordings & Distant Worlds over the last half decade. Petrovski possesses an incredible appreciation of the history of deep techno and evidently distils that into his own craft, whilst adeptly melding a sound that is undoubtably his own. This 4 tracker, all original compositions, manifests an uncluttered platform to fully appreciate those talents. Elegantly programmed percussion is balanced with sumptuous basslines and pads but leave wide open spaces for heart warming melodies on each of these tracks. Tsuris is arguably the most urgent on the record with a warm pressing kick. Omec switches around a superb elastic bassline. Dream Thief brings the tempo down but its innocent celestial melodies linger in the mind. Closing out with Circadian Rhythms, its broken percussion becomes the focus with a sophisticated nod to the finest of mid 90’s UK deep techno.

Egyptian producer/Dj Ramez lands on his hometown label with a fantastic debut. A 4 track ep made during lockdown that goes from the quirky shades of house to darker ones!

Next up on the firmly consistent EYA Records sublabel, Lonewolf, Jos continues to deliver a seemingly endless supply of cutting-edge club electronics, with another four-track heater from a mysterious up-and-coming artist. This time in the form of Japanese talent, Riku Sugimoto, brings a refreshing and pinpoint perspective on retro-futuristic sounds.With an EP full of video-game synthesis, flawless syncopated bleeps, and bouncy bass details permeated with rave energy. It is slick and pacey progressive records across both sides.Starting with the soaring electro melodies on ‘Carefree Wonder’, and the angular 90’s house stabs of ‘Limestone Plateau’ crossed with ultra-modern acid sounds, make it guaranteed to deliver dancefloor reactions.Another laser precise club record from the EYA stable of producers that continue to go from strength to strength in 2022 and beyond.