Here’s our round-up of some of the very best electronic music from May 2020.
VØIDIST – Spirit
LABEL: Soma
Killer techno EP from mystery Glasgow-based producer VØIDIST on Soma. Lead track ‘Spirit’ is a seething banger, setting the tone for the rest of the release which also takes no prisoners. Hints of atonal industrial noises, pile-driver kick drums and relentless arrangements make for a quality dance floor-focused four-tracker.
Jay Lumen – Robots
LABEL: FOOTWORK
Tasty two-tracker released on his own Footwork imprint, Lumen’s ‘Robots’ marries an acid b-line with a driving drum track and spoken word sample. Flip track ‘Mindlock’ is a dark hypnotic slice of warehouse techno.
Cinthie – Bassline
LABLE: AUS MUSIC
A resolutely old-school flavoured production from Berlin-based DJ, producer and record shop boss Cinthie. ‘Bassline’, her third release for Aus Music, is a house tune with a big piano line at its heart, punctuated by sharp 909 snares and a repeating ear-worm vocal sample.
Ido Plumes – Away From The Reign
LABEL: LIVERTY SOUND
Splendid EP of genre-straddling tracks from Bristol’s Ido Plumes on Liverty Sound. Featuring a healthy dose of UK bass and dub influences rubbing up against twitchy electronics and beats that range from clean and crisp to raw and heavy.
Session Victim – Needledrop – Lawrence Guy Remix
LABEL: NIGHT TIME STORIES
Huge remix of the title track from Session Victim’s ‘Needledrop’ album from UK producer Laurence Guy. Guy takes the original, which was a gorgeous, meandering and nearly beatless collection of samples, ups the tempo and delivers a classy disco-loop jam not dissimilar in style and execution to ‘Final Credits’.
Asquith – Rave Till Dawn
LABEL: ASQUITH
‘Rave Till Dawn’ is the lead track on a new four-tracker from James Asquith on his own label featuring a 4/4 kick, frantic breakbeat and a hardcore stab straight from 1991. The other three tracks take things at a similar speedy pace, from the metallic stripped-down ‘Crunch’, the overdriven hats and percussion of ‘Raw’ and dreamy rave finisher ‘LCD Steppin’.
Peshay & Vsy – Universalis
LABEL: Peshay Music
House records made by drum & bass artists often have a genuine freshness to them and this little beauty from Peshay and Vsy is no exception. ‘Universalis’ has a grinding dub-step-esque b-line and a crisp 4/4 beat topped off with creamy pads, keys and an insistent synth arpeggio.
Man Power – Statements 1 – 4 Collected
LABEL: Me Me Me
Excellent collection of sixteen moody, club-ready tracks that meander between house and techno, ranging from the shimmering layered synths of ‘The Ancient of Days’ to the bubbling clank of ‘IPCRESS’. All profits from this EP are going to frontline NHS charities.
Bushwacka! – Listen Up! Vol 1
LABEL: Above Board Projects
Superb compilation from Bushwacka‘s Plank Recordings archive, featuring a bunch of rare productions and remixes. Ranging from peak-time classic tech house rollers and intricate tech-breaks collaborations, this is a snapshot of a particularly fertile and exciting period in Bushwacka’s production career.
UMEK – Predator EP
LABEL: 1605
The latest offering from UMEK’s 1605 label is a double-header from UMEK himself, the ‘Predator’ EP. A2 track ‘Whiff Punishing’ matches a rubbery stab with some raw percussion and spooky pads but it’s the lead track ‘Predator’ that’s the big tune here. It’s dark, clean and incessant techno, with just a hint of trance in the breakdown too.
Chicken Lips – Golden Lips
LABEL: Phantasy
Andy Meecham and Dean Meredith’s Chicken Lips project is back with a superb slice of acid-flavoured Balearica. ‘Golden Lips’ has an obese squelcher of a bassline and rolls along at a languid pace before some slightly off-kilter pads wash over you. Killer summertime jam.
Swarm Intelligence – 47026
LABEL: 47
Four tracks of seriously dark sound design and raw, heaving metal-techno from Swarm Intelligence on Berlin’s 47 label. ‘Murmer’ and ‘Plight’ are heads-down slammers while ‘Passive’ and ‘Irate’ move into more broken territory.
Disclosure – Energy
LABEL: Island Records
Strong release from Disclosure, this would be jamming up dance floors if there were any dance floors open at the moment. Layers of rattling percussion, a spoken word sample and a characteristically sharp pair of Disclosure chords combine for a brash, funky track that then drops a floaty, drifty breakdown in for good measure. Big.