MARTYN 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: It would be fair to say that Martyn's previous albums were characterized by a claustrophobic feel, with his instinctive blends of techno, house and dubstep shrouded in dense, often murky textures. It's interesting, then, that The Air Between Words - his third full length, and first for Ninja Tune - is a much breezier, more accessible affair. The trademark hard-to-define eclecticism is still present, but there's newfound maturity to the musical flourishes and bold grooves. The result is an album that pleasingly refuses to settle on one groove, tempo or style, variously touching on jazz-influenced percussive techno ("Drone"), symphonic ambience, folksy electro-pop (Inga Copeland collaboration "Love of Pleasure"), woozy, rave-influenced dancefloor electronica ("Forgiveness Step 2") and saucer-eyed Balearica (the thrilling closing track, "Fashion Skater").

Review: Great Lengths, the first album by singular Dutch producer Martyn made big waves last year. Yet another talent to drift from drum and bass into 2-Step/dubstep/wobble territory, he put his own unique stamp on the genre and was shown a lot of love around the world as a result. This revisit to Great Lengths sees two very spooky gentlemen, Zomby and Redshape, take on two of its tracks.

Zomby's output has been fairly prolific of late and he's established a fanatical fanbase who follow him hawkishly. Anyone who's heard his Rave homage "Where Were U In '92?" will know how extreme he can get, but on his mix of "Hear Me" he plays it relatively safe. He keeps things nicely sparse, keeping the "Can you hear me" line from the original while adding some nice arpeggiated synths and a funky Soca beat over the top. Needless to say, his fans won't be disappointed as it's bound to blow up big time with DJs over the next few weeks.

Berlin-based Redshape is an enigma, a man whose identity is unknown and who wears a mask to hide his face at all times. He also does an awesome line in Detroit techno, which is thankfully fully visible on his mix of "Seventy Four". A wicked whispering vocal keeps the tune driving along nicely over gliding synth pads to create a mix that's as woozy as it is pumping. Both of these mixes come very highly recommended.

Review: The infamous Air Texture imprint steps up with this new collaborative effort from some key producers across the house and techno reign. Berlin tech-house queen Steffi opens with the subtly pounding forces of "Between Form & Matter", leading the way for all sorts of sci-fi house rolling from the likes of Tracing Xircles, As One, Afik Naim and Late Night Approach. Crucially, you get some sick new tunes from a number of contemporary legends like Basic Soul Unit, Martyn and Answer Code Request. All of this goodness in two discs!