(Emotional) Especial 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: The always adventurous Especial label is back on its world travels once more for another cultured EP, this time from Jonne Lyden aka 53X. This is a widescreen bass exploration with trance-tinged steppas looking firmly to the future from the Finnish-born artist. He has a background in punk bands but a trip to Berlin turned his ear and now he makes experimental fusions that draw on everything from industrial to Berghain to Detroit for inspiration. His tunes are mostly started out as live jams and then edited into what we have here - club-ready sounds, rich atmospherics, acid, breaks and hypnotic rhythms.

Review: Especial is a label always on a mission to unearth left-of-centre perspectives on club music. This new EP, Be Honest, is just that from long-time friends Lipelis and Arsenii, who are based in Belgrade and New York but seek inspiration in the New York sounds of the 80s and hook up with Gayana for some woozy and lovelorn vocal additions. 'Be Honest' is a dubbed out and swaggering deep disco groove that comes as long, dub and cappella versions on the A-side. The 12" dance mix brings some superb house drums into the picture and the Dubplate VIP is a fresh jungle rhythm. This is an EP with something for all.

Review: Berlin's Giraffi Dog and (Emotional) Especial have joined forces for a special two part EP series that brings their live set to wax. It came after so many live tours were cancelled during the pandemic and proves to be a great success. The Giraffi Dog sound comes from Max Webber who debuted it with his L'Existence Du Reve album back in 2016 and further drops on the likes of Aiwo Recs and the WARNING label series. Poker Flat and Dessous associate Max Heesen was then brought on board to take the show on the road and thrill crowds with elements of their punk and hip-hop background colouring their breakbeat driven club cuts. These have been recorded live in the studio using drum machines, synths and vocoders and really do capture their pair's live energy.

Review: (Emotional) Especial and Giraffi Dog join forces once more to offer up the second installment of their concept EP series. It is focussed on live and studio collaborations and this one comes in two halves: the first half kicks off with '6th Chakra' (feat DJ Deflektorschild) - a fully live deep house and hi-tek soul exploration with mind-expanding synths and Detroit drum sounds. 'King OTN' is a jack dup acid cut ripped with cosmic synth details and 'DX Metero' has sheet metal synths lashing about next to ethereal synths and busted drum breaks. 'Starfather' is a star-facing closer with elegant piano notes dancing over serene grooves. A vital showcase of this essential live artist.

Review: DJ/producer Philip Lauer from Frankfurt has teamed up with Berlin vocalist Dena to create a modern take on Julie Stapleton's soulful house classic, containing multiple versions. Lauer's Hotel Lauer EP on Especial in 2016 cemented his position in the scene, with albums for Permanent Vacation and Running Back. Dena, born in Bulgaria and raised in Berlin, has released electronic dance-pop stylings on Kitsune Music and K7. The EP features a Club Mix, a Demo Mix, a deep tech remix by DJ Slyngshot, and a drifting Balearic version for late summer nights and dawn.