Various Artists
Src005

Minube and friends join the Purple Print roster with a wide range of minimal goodness

Chicago? Absolutely! Detroit? Definitely! For many, however, a significant chapter in the coming-of-age story of House music was also written in The Netherlands.This 8-track compilation is the result of a nationwide search for lost Digital Audio Tapes (DAT’s), dusty home-studio recordings, and other relics from those early days. The distinctive "House" sound eventually evolved into a rainbow of local styles and grooves. Back then, DJ’s played their heart out and didn’t limit themselves to any particular musical genre. Following that spirit, this compilation contains everything that makes the Dutch sound so special, from energetic Breaks to atmospheric Deep House.These are not your usual suspects, not even the most revered diggers have this collection at their fingertips. It's raw, pure material from the time when house parties were fresh and dirty at the same time. Back when the only dress code was a wide smile from ear to ear. Four sides with two tracks each, ensuring maximum DJ enjoyment. Now get out there and spread the Dutch 90's House vibes!

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.

Mary Yuzovzskaya's 'The More Your Know' EP is released via her vinyl-only label Monday Off in spring and is her first solo EP since 2022. The Berlin-based artist returns to her imprint following her tracks taking root on labels like Kvalia, Mnestic, and Semantica.Up first on the record, 'Ittiologia' wriggles up in intensity with unbent drums and mysterious pads, building up to an unexplored alien soundscape marked by distant, otherworldly sonar pings. 'Micologia' follows, squelchy synths prattle amongst each other as rich bursts of low-end and splashes of 303 envelop the mind.On the flip, 'Astrometria' reaches for the starry sky in full modular glory. Sequences bounce up and down as filtered synths woosh in the background before 'Oceanologia' dives into the abyss as the ideal closer. Its hypnotic bassline is accompanied by the foreboding sounds of the deep, rounding off yet another exemplary showcase of excellent sound design from Mary Yuzovskaya and her Monday Off label.

Youcef Debbihi continues to impress and surprise after already his 3rd volume as Sea of Disillusions. This 4 tracker extends what was already started and established in the previous volumes, expanding his studio excellence into more break beat oriented directions, either at high speed in the form of almost Drum'n'Bass with "K2" or slowed down as a more trip-hop tempo with "Break Whale". B-side slows down to upper 90BPM range of driving rhythm under atmospheric dubby hints of humidity "5deF", and, finalizing with a beatless Ambient mix of "Loon River" which sounds like the slow motion intro to an epic trance anthem that never fully takes off, setting the stage for something heavy to be mixed in. Essential for any reasonable DJ record bag.

In November 2021, right before the second lockdown, Guillaume and Louis were invited by the nacht crew in Leuven to play their first dj-set together since the start of the pandemic. At the time, the nacht crew had just received the first physical release on their brand new imprint, and the team was eager to get the record out into the world. For the second release, however, everything was possible. Before the show, somewhere between the obligatory nasal swab and the third drink, the idea of an unusual collaboration sprouted.Since Louis recently moved to Athens and Guillaume lived in Lyon, the duo found less time and opportunities to work on their shared project. However, wouldn’t STELPLAATS be the ideal venue for a temporary studio in which the two of them could create music?For all the frustration the new lockdown on clubs brought with it, one upside to it was that not that long after the birth of this idea, Louis and Guillaume found their way back to each-other and to Leuven. The duo found their workspace in the dark club that is STELPLAATS’ staple. For the occasion, the room was equipped with studio monitors, a sofa, and instruments lended by Leuven based musicians.Leuven Works compiles five tracks that flowed out of the sessions in STELPLAATS and is a testament to the week that Louis and Guillaume had under the STELPLAATS roof. During their stay, the blood brothers got looked after with love by the nacht team, who provided homemade pizzas and a well-stocked fridge full of Duvels, allowing The Pilotwings to truly root into the Leuven soil and enrich the local landscape with their colourful presence.