BICEP 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Belfast pair Bicep are smart operators. Having previously doffed a cap to both Italian house and classic New Jersey garage, recent releases have seen them play around with a variety of rhythmic patterns and more advanced musical elements. They're at it again here on their latest outing for Aus. Opener "Just" is pleasingly cheery, with simple but addictive electronic melodies and sweeping chords nestling above a head-nodding, hip-hop influenced groove. "Celeste" is undeniably Balearic, with sun-kissed pianos, dreamy pads and drifting vocal samples stretching out over delay-laden, African-influenced percussion. Finally, they return to their rush-inducing best on "Back 2 U (Tranz Dub)", a loving fusion of vintage progressive house builds, winding melodies and mid '90s beats.

Review: Belfast lads done very good Bicep return with the Stash EP, their first full release of the year and it represents a triumphant return to Will Saul's Aus label with the. It's fair to say Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar ruled 2012, helping to pioneer a trend in backwards glancing house music across their various releases for Aus, Love Fever and their own Feel My Bicep label. So it makes for pleasant listening that Stash sees the duo expanding on their sound with four tracks more reflective of their personal tastes. The title track is full on peak time bliss which dovetails nicely with the glistening deepness of "Courtside Drama" and the chunk "Rise" which demonstrates a new found passion for infectious lead synth hooks. "The Game" offers a downtempo curveball, working in samples from HBO drama The Wire amidst a generally melancholic tone that owes more to Aphex Twin than Kerri Chandler.

Review: By now, we should all know what to expect from Belfast boys Bicep, namely formidable dancefloor fare variously influenced by bumpin' US garage and vintage Italian house. This two-tracker for Aus is, though, a little different. For starters, lead cut "Circles" bites classic Detroit techno, adding woozy, picturesque electronic melodies to a typically in-your-face techno groove (check the relentless scymbals for proof of the track's Motor City credentials). "Track 2" is a deeper proposition, but no less fluid. Like its predecessor, it's more musically rich and enveloping than many of their tough, stripped-back productions. It's an intriguing new direction, and proves once and for all they're no "one trick" ponies.

Review: Bicep's second album is shaped by the experience of touring their debut long player for something like three years, a period during which they honed and perfected their instinct for tracks that would stand the test of time and repeated listening. What develops is a distinctive style typified by a combination of ethereal sonics and cheeky, memorable instrumental hooks, only set to a variety of beats that reference and indeed fuse the plethora of different dance genres that have sprung up since the acid house revolution if the mid-80s. So we get everything from the electro-tainted 'X' to 'Rever', where an African choir floats over a subtle deep house shuffle and 'Saku', where UKG bass pressure and skippy beats provide a hypnotic background for Clara La San's sweet but ghostly voice.

Review: Belfast boys Bicep have been surprisingly quiet of late, with this single-sided salvo marking their first new music since 2018. Apparently inspired by their globe-trotting DJ experiences of the past couple of years, the track is as vibrant, colourful and emotive as you'd expect, with the Northern Irish duo layering glistening, ear-catching synthesizer lead lines, drifting vocal samples, sunrise-ready pads and tweaked electronics atop a loose-limbed, breakbeat-influenced rhythm and rumbling bass. It's perhaps not as in-your-face as some of their releases, but it certainly boasts great dancefloor weight, as well as a blend of musical elements that tends towards the loved-up and glassy-eyed.

Review: Of all DJ duos currently operating in British dance music, Belfast boys Bicep might be the hardest to pin down (Optimo aside, of course). Certainly, this debut album is not easy to pigeonhole, though it is an enjoyably cohesive listen. This is largely down to two factors; the frequent use of deliciously colorful and loved-up synthesizer parts, and the duo's innate ability to utilize beats tailor-made for dancefloor devastation. So while keen dancefloor historians may notice sly (and not so subtle) nods to '89 rave, U.S house and garage, Italo-disco, late '90s progressive house, jungle and early British hardcore, the album never sounds anything less than a fine set of Bicep tracks. Expect it to be one of the biggest albums of the year.

Review: Since announcing their debut album on UK institution Ninja Tune earlier this year, Irish duo Bicep present the first single from the album in the form of title track "Aura". Said to have been created via a series of accidents while experimenting with a new studio setup, the track finally came together through trial and error and here is the wonderful result. A dark and sexy serving of dancefloor drama featuring 'hands in the air' style vintage synth melodies, life affirming strings and immaculate drum programming. It is sure to be one of 'those' tracks you're going to be hearing a lot of in the latter part of 2017 and beyond.

Review: Northern Irish duo Bicep has built their production career on blending, repackaging and reimagining classic house influences. It's little surprise, then, to find that this latest 12" does the same. Hammer collaboration "Dahlia" sets the tone, combining the bold pianos of vintage Italian house with the kind of dreamy pads and snappy drum machine rhythms that recall the Halcyon days of late '80s/early '80s Balearic house. There's more of a sweaty warehouse feel about "Rays" - all yelping female vocal cuts, booming garage bass and skipping beats - while "Seagulls" sits somewhere between the two tracks, offering both bottom-end bump and eyes-closed sweetness.