Electro House Recommendations August 2010

Review: Ahead of Mr Oizo's film Rubber which of course depicts the homicidal rampage of a tyre blessed with psychokinetic powers, Ed Banger drop this classily demented taste of the soundtrack composed by Oizo with some help from Justice's Gaspard Auge. The title track is familiar Oizo territory, a snatch of spaghetti western atmospherics looped up before the drop into scratched and looped bleeptronics and ADD vocal repetition. The track finds its legs when the Justice style bass patterns take centre stage. Flying Lotus might seem like an obscure choice to remix the track but the Brainfeeder don does a superlative job, dropping in mutant synth lines and spaced out textures to give the track a totally different direction. On the flip "Tricycle Express" is the sort of escalading synth monster that always appear on an Ed Banger b side whilst "Polocaust" is a study in baroque melody which no doubt soundtracks a grisly scene involving chickens.

Review: This release marks the advent of a collaborative endeavour between Dutch imprint Underground Liberation and iconic techno figure Orlando Voorn, focusing on the latter's overlooked but incredible work under the Nighttripper alias. First up is "Machine City", a thumping slice of future electro tech from 1992 which sounds just as relevant on today's floors. A relentless bass drum rhythm is the backdrop to an increasing cacophony of bleeps and squeaks, wrapped in a brutal harmony of evil bass drops and thumping kicks. Underground Liberation boss Ritzi Lee retains the sensation of unflinching momentum on his remix, adding depth to the bass and slowly eeking out an ever mutating synth line before dropping into the inevitable gush of all conquering percussion. The Advent takes over the flip with a breakneck speed take on "Machine City" which tones down the industrial undertones in favour of a deeper, subtle rolling sound. Top 12".

Review: Typically amazing tropical sounds on Tigersushi from newcomers Maestro, who have delivered an EP that is a perfect fit for both club and home situations. Lead track "A War Zone" is a kaleidoscopic affair, a contemporary Liquid Liquid even, starting off with punk funk basslines atop a shuffling African rhythm with steel drums for good measure, before the sounds pile up leading towards the mid section drop into glorious sing-a-long harmonies. Tigersushi boss Joakim lends a hand on the club edit of "A War Zone", cranking up the steel drum aspect exponentially to good effect. Baobab Music boss Raoul K delivers the EP highlight, a shimmering eight minute techno masterpiece that dips the vocals in sunshine and has the best bass drum sound heard this year. Killer acid breakdown at the end too - this has end of the night written all over it. The jagged industrial darkness of "Devils" sounds like a psychedelic Throbbing Gristle for our age.