MARTYNE 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Offenbach-based Traffic has been one of the most interesting tech-house labels around for a while now, largely through serving up material that conforms to the sub-genre's original ethos (I.E futurist Motor City techno sounds and house rhythms). Further confirmation of this approach can be found on side A of this hook-up between Traffic founder Martyne and label regular Jacob. Titled "Qauesiquini", the track is rich in spacey synthesizer chords, bustling "bleep and bass" style electronic melodies and beats reminiscent of early British tech-house classics. Turn to the flip for the wiggly analogue electro jam "Quasi" and "Grosse Pause", a creepy, sub-bass heavy fusion of electro and Yorkshire bleep.

Review: Offenbach's Martyne (Sensual/La Pena) and Jacob run the vinyl-only label and collective; Frankfurt's Traffic Records and team up for the Benza EP. Opening track "Frischfrisch" is a rolling, bumping and jacking minimal house groove thats reminiscent of local sounds from Hardworksoftdrink or Spain's Birdsmakingmachine, as is the title track; a real highlight actually! For something different there's some reductionist cyclicality for the after-hours on "Oh, Mein Rustipani" and some electro crossover that's the real trend for minimal at present on "Who's Snorki" which will appeal to fans of Binh or TC80.

Review: Rather than flooding social media with constant updates, release information and other arguably futile material, France's Rue De Plaisance imprint have been doing their thing since 2011 without bothering anyone. In case you've misunderstood, we love that, and we wish there were more labels that went about their work in the same way; sadly, there are simply too many talkers these days. Previous names include Varoslav, Nico Lahs, Norm Talley and Gary Romalis, among others, but this time it's Martyne and Jacob Chenaux who burst through the ranks with three twisted house deviations. "Reawer" is a deep, hollow technoid bullet that stares into the great unknown thanks to a bottomless pit of airy electronics, while "Morning" ups the percussion levels with a swinging injection of drums, leaving "Adlib" to provide the broken beats and lo-fi house excursions.

Review: Frankfurt's Traffic Records is going string and holding their corner with mighty fury. This is because they've managed to build a little crew, showcased here by tunes from all of the label's members. Martyne and Jacob offer "Transit Transit", a old-school electro monster with a subtle nod to NYC, Bodin & Jacob's "Geddo" is an icy electro stormer that leaves a more metallic taste, and "Infinitum" by Patrick Klein rolls out the breakbeats over a spacey, liquid-like groove. The surprise comes from an appearance by Giegling casual Edward, who drops a more abstract, minimal-like stepper named "Elipsis". Imagine Villalobos doing broken beat and you're somewhere there.

Review: Assemble Music's first multi-artist EP, Assembling, became something of a must-have in minimal circles following its release back in 2015. Hopes are naturally high, then, for this belated follow-up. Seuil's opener, "Jam 151015", sets the pulse racing thanks to a combination of minimal aesthetics, spacey deep house chords and the jaunty rhythmic swing of ghetto-tech, while Robin Ordell's "Mobsiw" is a woozy and melodious chunk of skewed deep house eccentricity. On the flip, Barbir goes for the jugular via the grandiose, swirling chords, full-throttle drums and meandering acid lines of "How To Calculate", before Martyne and Jacob fuse bustling electro beats and jazzy techno electronics on the quietly impressive "ElectroNetto".