Collection: [Kalahari Oyster Cult]

Berlin scene figurehead Gilles Aiken, AKA Edward, coming through with a massive Kalahari debut (and it’s safe to say he understood the assignment). Booting off on a massive remix tip as the veteran producer reinterprets Mike Parker & Aric Rist’s Trybet project, but trust him to allow for a moment of dancefloor introspection. It’s prime early morning gear in a rousing juxtaposition of beatific string harmony and tough-as-nails deepness. Triumphant ‘window shutters open in the club at 5 AM’-type shit. The other two are quintessential Edward: impressionistic, widescreen odysseys across lysergic terrain, but groove-forward where it counts. A pair of head-spinning explorations intended for the dancefloor, flush with shadowy flex, insectoid detail and tripped-out flourishes while keeping it funked-out in the tradition of Detroit. The ‘Deep Sea Villain EP’ plumbs the depths of smudged abstraction, and as we’ve come to expect from Edward, it’s big on hallucinatory detail. It all oozes the multi-layered surrealism that typifies his best work. Proper transcendent biz.

intriguingly named Kalahari Oyster Cult deals in music that is just as interesting and this new album from OK EG is no exception to that. Rivulets manages to be both perfectly designed for an indelible impact in the club, but is also nuanced and detailed enough to work in headphones in a range of other settings. It's minimal in design but never cold and abstract - the synths are warm, the drums rubbery, the rhythms lovely and compelling. 'Circular Arc' for example is bumpy and bouncy with a killer bassline, 'Matched Grip' is melon-twisting halftime brilliance and 'Endless River' is a super deep and silky jungle workout drenched in soulful vocal swirls.