Marco Bellini
Hi-Tech Funk / Space Christ

The latest drop from Low End Activist finds him teaming up with East London’s Razor for a blistering, mutant grime throwdown. Razor has been coming up for some time now, and the clue is in his name. Staggering, swaggering, diamond-sharp lines bending and flexing over LEA’s 10-tonne beat. Stepping on from past work with the likes of Filthy Gears and Trooh Hippi, this is as clear a statement of Razor’s skills as you need to hear. His versatility reaches beyond purist grime to become something more malleable – the perfect fit for the grey area of bassbin pressure LEA occupies.

How do you get 'in the box'? Gal Tsadok-Hai knows. After some experiments with hardware, the Amsterdam-based electronic producer recently went back to his first love: computer composing. Thus keeping open all the options. Footsteps is his first EP for SoHaSo, filled with four tracks of adventurous, left-field explorations in rhythm and melody. cl_forwardspeed 5 is dominated by sub low baslines and razor blade rhythms, while mp_footsteps 1 nods more towards early Aphex Twin and the IDM trickery from last century. Flip the record for max_smokepuffs 999, on which Gal Tsadok- Hai proves he can also bring a straight four-four to great heights. It is both spacious and tense, which makes for a great combination. On closer sv_gravity 0 it's back to the days when melody was still the default in most techno and electro. If you like the abstract machine funk from Dopplereffekt, this might just be right up your alley.

Papa Nugs joins the Space Dust cohort with the 5 tracker “ It Came From The West” transcending various styles and shades of sound. With a more tripped out take on a traditional jacking pallette, the title track kicks off proceedings with a propulsive drumbeat and rumbling bassline providing the perfect bedrock for the acidic squelches above. “Brooklyn Duck” continues the US-indebted styles adding an earworm vocal to the mix.On the flip a barrage of drums and glassy oscillations form “Be Anew” with the relentless programming carrying through “Knobbly Knees” taking us firmly into electro territory with robotic vocals and a mechanic drum pattern that shows no sign of waning . Closer “Groove Nxt” sees out the EP in energetic fashion with well tuned snares trading blows with crystalline synth work.

Loek Frey's Add Interaction is an exercise in damp, eerie atmospherics and intricate drum patterns. Released through Omen Wapta, the Dutch producer gets experimental through drum and bass, IDM and breakbeat deconstructed with unexpected tempo shifts and effects. Produced during the pandemic, the EP conjures loneliness, solitude and unfamiliarity. Expect tunneling, meditative, low-end structures fit for a journey through the earth's layers down to its core. And expansive, pearlescent vocals evoking spiritual bodies. Soundscape-leaning IDM weave into polyrhythms and muted breakbeats. Frey's release positions him as a teacher of brooding textures. The unpredictability can draw you deep into the sonic abyss -- if you let it.

Inner Space PT2 (DMF002) is the follow up release to the sell-out debut on Kerrie’s Dark Machine Funk imprint. In her signature DMF style, Inner Space PT 2 delivers 4 club ready, raw techno tracks with metallic textures, subtle tweaks and raspy percussion groove for mind, soul and body. Notable influences, as with PT 1, span from the sounds of Detroit, UK & Berlin techno to the more abstract sounds of industry and sci fi which are heavily incorporated into Kerrie’s sound design. With PT1 selling out on pre-sale and gaining coverage from Inverted Audio, four four & Resident Advisor, the anticipated PT2 looks to follow sharply in its footsteps. 2021 has already proved to be a creatively abundant year for the Irish producer with 2 sell out releases on Sync 24's mighty Cultivated Electronics, a forthcoming track on Ben Sim’s 'Synchronicity Part 2' compilation and a solid release schedule planned for 2022 including multiple DMF releases...

After four retrospective Delsin/Eevo Lute releases, Delsin proudly continues the collab with Eevo Lute co-founder Stefan Robbers. The legendary Dutch producer here uses his original Terrace moniker and presents four new tracks touching the brilliance of original Detroit Techno. Stefan Robbers was one of the very first in Europe to produce and connect with the Detroit oriented techno scene, with his debut release "916 Buena Avenue" on the legendary Djax-Up-Beats label as early as 1990. His Isolation EP brings four brand new trademark Terrace tracks. 'Sonomatic' has the original emotive Technosoul, reminding of early Model 500 works. 'Sunset Route' touches the European synth/Kraftwerk lines where 'Magic Potion' is a bright uplifting dancefloor mover. Closing track 'Voices From The Moon' finishes the pack with a more introvert and much darker approach.