Collection: New Releases

XY0815 is as electro as it gets, and that's been proven plenty on the string of releases for brokntoys reaching back to 2018. As is common with the prolific label, this is electro to sit up and pay attention to, taking the blueprint of machine funk and giving it a fresh twist which stands out from the glut of soundalikes. Gates Need Inputs arrived in its first iteration last year and we're swiftly treated to this follow-up volume of eight new tracks which edge towards braindance territory in the plaintive synths which shape out the atmosphere of each track. There's analogue warmth and sonic detail edged in everywhere, but equally nothing feels cluttered or necessary. Very classy gear from a trusted stable in the modern electro scene.

“The minute your expectations harden or crystallize, you jinx it… nothing was ever abandoned” the third 12” on Laen Disc from Farren Laen. hand stamped & numbered in NYC. 150 copies.

Scottish DJ Sally C's sound and her rapidly growing label continue to captivate audiences, showing no signs of slowing down. The previous release, "Big Saldo's Chunkers 002", created a sensation, with the track 'Downtown' becoming a beloved favorite. The label's third volume maintains the same uncompromising intensity, delivering a powerful sonic experience. The EP begins with "All Love," an electrifying and textured house anthem that pulsates with infectious beats and exudes a euphoric piano-driven energy that cascades throughout the track. Following suit is 'Hit It,' a true embodiment of the Chunker style. Informed by hip-house influences, this jam packs tight drums, stabs, sirens, and one of Sally's signature monster Chunker basslines. "Control" emerges as a forceful banger, featuring eerie hooks and skillfully manipulated vocal samples. Finally, "Get Up" concludes the release with a breakneck pace, offering the fastest grooves of the collection.

It was the Sprungkartellwachs label that first put this out and soon after it became something of a cult classic that has since become much sought after. Mat Carter's own Varial label now has the rights to a proper re-release that will once again have dance floras twisted inside out and back to front. There is a freaky future menace to the paranoid synth and bumping drums of 'Raspmutal' before 'Down Turn' spins out into the cosmos on icy electro rhythms. Slowing things down for some stoned inward reflection is the gorgeous downtempo cut 'Fullow Street' before 80s synths bring retro charm to the cinematic electro of 'Process.'

Moar is an alias from French DJ and producer Jerome Potin, who has been gifting us groove-laden edit gear and his own original productions for decades now. His commitment to funk can never be in doubt, and so it goes on this drop for his 45 Loves label. It's a more recent venture which has carried a vast array of edits from the man's archives, championing less obvious grooves from hidden corners of Afrobeat, high life and elsewhere. The A-side offering on here is a slickly looped up strutter with a little filter house flair, while the B-side is a smoky, submerged affair for those subtler moments in a party.

Like many artists on the Napoli electronic music scene, Parbleu make music that tiptoes a fine line between multicoloured dancefloor nostalgia and forward-thinking musical fusion. Elios, their second album, expands on the Afro-cosmic and Mediterranean disco vibe of its predecessor, 2020's Danse Cett Zik, by reaching for a further range of kaleidoscopic and tactile music influences, most notably Balearica, mid-80s Mediterranean pop, zouk, dubbed-out synth-boogie and the kind of electronic dancefloor mutations that emerged from South Africa at the tail end of the 1980s. It's fantastic stuff all told, with the album sitting somewhere between fellow Italian outfits Channel Operators and Nu Genea.

The French pop scene is vast and full of treasures but Claude Francois is one of its more mysterious and mythical characters. He was active on the scene from the 60s until he was taken away too soon in a sad domestic accident in 1978 having been a trained percussionist and something of a teenage sensation. He sure did know how to write some killer grooves, though, and in fact co-wrote and sang the original version of what would become 'My Way,' no less. This one, 'Alexandrie Alexandra' was recorded in October 1977 and now gets some special reruns from the one and only Dimitri From Paris who brings the joyous disco goodness.

Asha Puthli's 'Space Talk' is one of those quintessential diggers delights, hardly a secret weapon any more but widely recognised as a magical slice of misfit cosmic disco from the genre's golden era, fronted by Puthli's ethereal vocal. Now the track gets a remix package courtesy of Naya Beat, and the versions aren't to be trifled with. First up comes the mighty Dimitri From Paris, who ladles the funk on thick, trips out the atmosphere and sends the track even further away from terra firma. Flip the record over for Dimitri's even trippier dub when you really want to juice the dance up. There's also a neat and tidy 2023 mix of the track and the original extended mix, making this an essential purchase for those craving the beauty of the OG version as well as those hungry for a classy-as-hell new twist on a dead cert classic.

For the second release of his own Steamy Pizza Box imprint, Italian producer Valerio Vaudano shows us his Italo-house side under the Steamy Pizza Box alias. The “Vibey” EP is a 5-track release that takes you back to the early days of house music, perfectly blending both atmospheres from the past and elements of modern electronic music. The A-side kicks off with “Are U Feelin’ It?”, a brilliant 90s flavoured track where groove and dream-house pads coexist flawlessly. From there it continues with ‘Amnesia’, a peaktime house tune in full UMM style. “Oshibori” opens the B-side with its dreamy but catchy atmospheres characterised by oniric pads and a romantic brass breakdown. “Vhs” continues the B-side with a cheerful old school riff, topped with a Lately bass and rolling drums. “Murder” closes the release with its minimal but significant dress: 909, a Juno bass line and a pad borrowed from the Chicago pioneers.

Edit & Dub

Edit & Dub