BASIC SOUL UNIT 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Toronto's Basic Soul Unit is usually known for his soulful Detroit inspired techno and house, so it's interesting to see him step out on tough techno institution Skudge for a change. Keeping in line with the Swedish label's aesthetic, he smashes out some gritty and furious peak time stompers that feature all the hiss and grind of analogue machines that you'd expect by now. On the A side, "Ruckup" is the kind of track you could have almost mistaken for Skudge themselves with its loopy melody and industrial clang and clutter. The grinding and seething "Heatseeer" is really impressive with its restrained broken beat suited for those cool down moments, before it finally unleashes itself in 4/4 glory. On the flip, "Church Pews" features a haunting horror movie style melody and a grinding perc sound over a 8/4 beat while "Moonlit" hammers the message home impressively on this cavernous, immersive and downright evil peak time weapon.

Review: Stuart Li, better known as Basic Soul Unit, set up the Lab.our Music label last year as a low-key outlet for vinyl only transmissions from himself and others. Having introduced local Toronto talent Maxwell Church last time round, Li is back behind the buttons for Lab.our 003 which seems to retain the techno orientated slant of much of Basic Soul Unit's work in 2013. Lead track "Head Long" grips control of the A Side, rolling out one long groove of heads down techno, with the sort of windy textures and rolling toms that tend to get Ben UFO all excited. Face down, "Nowhere To Be Found" opts for a more broken feel, with the ghost of hardcore buried deep in it's DNA and the kind of stunted drums that can cause ankle fractures, and "Spiralling Down" will appeal to STL fans.

Review: Motional Response marks the excellent (and long overdue) debut album from Canadian producer Basic Soul Unit which finds a welcome home on the Still Music imprint. In the works for some two years, the album follows an eminently impressive array of releases for the likes of Mathematics, Creme Organization, Dolly, Mule and most recently Nonplus and sees the Toronto based artist otherwise known as Stuart Li craft ten tracks of elaborate techno. Anyone with a firm grasp of the Basic Soul Unit style will know not to expect straight up 4/4 and this truth manifests itself in the opening track "Across The Room" which pairs delicate fluttering melodies with bass heavy broken rhythms and remains pleasantly surprising on the ear throughout.

Review: Toronto based Stuart Li, better known as Basic Soul Unit, returns to the Creme Organisation with a new four track EP of dirty, acid house. His releases over the last year, including his remix of Arnold Jarvis' classic house track, "Take Some Time Out" have proven his ability as a producer. This rep is only going to be further enhanced by the raw edged, Detroit influenced techno of "Tuff Luv".

Review: Basic Soul Unit follow up their Tuff Luv EP with a stellar package of "Jak D Freq" from Dave Huismans, aka A Made Up Sound. The Dutchman, best known for his productions offerings under his 2562 moniker, kicks off with the Puur Natuur mix, which strips the jacking original into a mechanical, dubbed out affair. His acid rework creates a smorgasbord of crunchy beats, squelchy basslines and general motorik goodness.

Review: Dynamic hypnotic deep techno from Paris. A Killer EP!

Review: After a top-flight 12" back in 2018, the mysterious Jamn Ensemble. entity returns with the plush, deep and melodic techno strains of 'The Snows Of Yesteryear', which get a damn fine shuffle up from Basic Soul Unit. 'Nord' piles on heady deep house of the highest order, and 'Envol' swerves into a knotty rhythm and celestial pad drops to keep your mind locked in and travelling far. If you're after some fresh yet classically rooted contemporary techno, this comes highly recommended.