Amphia Romania 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Since returning to action in 2016 after a seven-year break, 1990s techno survivor Lee Renacre AKA 100 Hz has released some of the best music of his career. This fine four-tracker marks the long-serving Londoner's first outing on Romanian imprint Amphia, who are best known for serving up sparse, minimalistic tech-house. As you'd expect, there's a slightly fuller sound here, though sonically it's as pleasingly druggy and mind-mangling as much of the imprint's output. Renacre brilliantly flits between trippy, arpeggio-driven, house-tempo techno (the otherworldly 'Machines of May'), dubstep-influenced UK bass/techno fusion ('Gadget', which echoes the ethos of his early 100 Hz releases with James Chapman), intergalactic tech-house ('Dark as Night'), and frankly filthy low-end wobblers ('Swiss').

Review: When the Bucharest based power duo of Cristi Cons and Vlad Caia (SIT) team up with acclaimed local pianist Mischa Blanos - you get Amorf. The impressive trio was one of 2017's undisputed highlights with their awe-inspiring Blending Light LP on local imprint Understand. This long awaited sophomore effort comes courtesy of their own Amphia imprint, which brings Cons and Caia's idiosyncratic production style to new, intelligent and experimental levels once again - and to rather stunning effect. Featured on the Dimensions EP are "Reflections" which retains the loose and live feel of their acclaimed live performances, with influences of jazz and classical for an epic introspective cut. On the flip, "Manifold Surface" is more straight up, injected with some dancefloor dynamics which makes for a groove filled and hypnotic journey.

Review: When Cristi Cons and Vlad Caia launched the Amphia label way back in 2011, they talked about creating "a world with no boundaries" and "an infinite ocean of musical shapes and ideas". It's the sort of wide-ranging, open-ended remit that seems tailor made for Amorf, an "experimental live techno" trio whose fluid and otherworldly tracks are deliciously hard to pigeonhole. For proof, check "Recall", the A-side to their second Amphia outing. Built on loose and languid tech-house drums and a similarly undulating bassline, the cut bobs and weaves through waves of restless piano motifs, deep space chords and out-there electronics. Further evidence of the threesome's hybrid style arrives via "Momentum", where poignant electric piano motifs and melancholic deep house chords envelop a crunchy, minimalist rhythm track.

Review: Friends of Amphia since their 'Dimensions' EP, Romanian live production outfit return to the label for their third release in as many years. As always with Amorf, the settings are freeform and the direction can go anywhere. 'Glass' is as shiny and clean as its name suggests with touches of Dubnobasswithmyheadman-era Underworld and a lovely jazzy touch. 'Shattered' is a much heartier style of jazz; big swinging breaks and florid synth blasts that's aren't dissimilar to 'Bug In A Bass Bin'. Hot tip.

Review: Staggeringly, this tidy tech-house EP from Dan Andrei is not only the Romanian's first release of any sort for four years, but also his first vinyl single since 2011. He begins in confident mood with "SOS", a gentle, undulating affair where pulsing electronics, drowsy chords and fizzing audio glitches clamber atop of a warm, mind-altering bassline and unfussy machine drums. "In The Bass" is a darker and wonkier workout for clubs that like it dark and clandestine, while "Still Unclear" adds warming deep house chords and dusty melodies to a futuristic tech-house groove. To round things off, Andrei offers up a spot of alien tech-house chug where swirling, deep space chords and another ear-catching bassline dominate the sound space.

Review: It's been a little while since a fresh injection of refined minimal techno was issued from Vlad Caia, but now the Romanian stalwart is back with a fresh pair of subtle gems for Amphibia, with whom he dropped the Projections EP back in 2012. "Voluspa" is a cyclical workhorse powered by undulating bass synths and swirling pads with a decidedly cosmic flavour to them, working just enough dubby flourishes into the mix to keep things fluid and warm. "Behind The Black Meadow" by contrast takes a slender funk to task with the finest slithers of percussion and a yearning line in melodics as expressed through heavy doses of filtering for a truly subconscious slice of micro house.

Review: It's been all SIT on Amphia of late with founders Cristi Cons and Vlad Caia appeasing fans by doing the right thing and reissuing their 2015 3LP Sideways over a trio of 12"s. The focus returns to freshness once more as the Amphia catalogue reaches double digits and welcomes the refined talents of Lazar Cezar into the fold. Cezar is hardly the most prolific of producers so it's nice to see Cons and Caia have coaxed some new cuts out of the Bucharest-based boss of the Understand label and The Balancing Act 12" is a neat fit for Amphia. The Latin American influences embedded in "Choice Of Ancillaries" contrast delightfully with the darker approach taken on "Grounds And Shields", with a more acoustic signature sewn graciously around the incisive bassline.

Review: Minimal house from Romania here! Now that we've got your attention; yes, it's pretty awesome stuff from Colorhadoo, aka Rhadoo under a new alias, and he certainly delivers the goods, also yet again making a transition in his studio prowess. "J Strawberry" is just beyond categorisation really and it's easily one of the most paranoid and sinister soundscapes we've heard of late and we love that kind of stuff! The Christi Cons remix is a welcome dancefloor friendly revision; all deep and hypnotic as you'd expect with an uneasy atmosphere and trademark creepy vocals murmuring in the background.

Review: Following his "Residual" couplet on Indigo Raw with Mike Shannon, David Koch makes his debut on Amphibia with in style with four dusty deep grooves across two heavyweight 12s. If you know Koch's style, you'll already be all over this; three parts heavy, two parts mystic, one part unpredictable, a million parts groove - his allure is in full effect right here. Highlights include the lilting chords and Point G-style dubby shuffle to "Gravitation" and the Iz & Diz-flavoured finger clicking widescreen jack of "Causality".

Review: Vlad Caia and Cristi Con's Amphia label has hit our shelves with some new heat, and don't expect these to hang around for long! The Romanian minimal house connection is back, and they've recruited newcomer Dubtil to join their collective; a like-minded group of Romanian producers who have taken the minimal game to new and exciting frontiers. "Indoieala", for instance, is undoubtedly a classic minimal space cake, but the bass is dubby, full of movement and it's sounds are almost scientific in their construction. "Alta Schema" is livelier and more chaotic in its choice of sonics, while "Repet Slap Repet" is glitchy and deconstructed, leaving "Contrar" to provide a little house lift at the end. Go!

Review: Amsterdam's VBX gang member, DJ and producer Ferro makes his 2021 production bow with this intricate new EP on Romania's Amphia. It is an intimate sound on opener 'I Said' that is so delicate and deft it will utterly pass you by if you don't give it your full attention. Do so, though, and it is hugely rewarding. 'Post Apocalyptic Morning' is another world of twisted sine waves, skeletal beats and barely-there FX that dark you deep into a warren of rhythm. The title track bulges with bass stabs, off-grid synths and a wonky groove and last of all, 'The Contrary' has a more curious and melodic vibe, with crispy minimal beats a la Villalobos.

Review: Self-styled "multi-disciplinary artist" Christopher Ledger was last seen joining the dots between techno, house and breakbeat via the Meander-released "Dark Moon EP". For his first release on Romanian label Amphia he's decided to explore a slightly wider palette of influences. Opener "Afterglow" sees him expertly join the dots between deep, melancholic electro and more forthright acid flavours, while "Not Formally" is an intergalactic trip into trance-inducing early morning techno territory. Over on side B you'll find him peppering a dirty, bass-heavy breakbeat with trippy electronic sounds on "Deceptive", before reaching for two-step influences beats and end-of-days sounds on late night workout "See Through".

Review: Following the increasing trend in Romanian minimal techno for slickly broken rhythms, scene veteran Petre Inspirescu serves up a deadly slice of sharp beats and weighty bass reverberations on this new EP for Amphibia. "La Doi Pasi" is a snappy little number, letting the crystalline breakbeat move at an athletic pace while the bass gleefully wobbles around at rhythmical odds with the rest of the track. Keeping things equally stripped down but more techy on the B side, "Basso Ostinato" lets more of that oddball sampling into the mix for a hypnotic work out that will appeal to all lovers of Inspirescu's existing back catalogue.

Review: Very few labels within Romania's storied techno scene can match the wonderful curation of Vlad Caia & Cristi Cons' Amphia Records. The Bucharest-based imprint now presents a full length by NYC-based sonic sorcerer Kamran Sadeghi - considered by many to have one of the most singular takes on the minimal techno sound at present. His most bold and stylistic expressions await you on Ritual Signal and highlights are aplenty: from the ethereal alien transmissions of "More Than Tomorrow", exotic creatures of the deep ("Today"), afterhours reductionism ("Who New") to more leftfield groove expressions, best exemplified by the majestic micro-funk of "May Day" and the splintered/echo-laden hypnotism of EP closer "Decay".

Review: SIT returns to Amphia with a new release; 'Urban Chronicles' is comprised of four tracks, each with its own distinctive sound reminiscent of early techno and house, especially their dreamier sides. The A launches in full swing with 'Synth City', a colorful, groovy tune, where in which vocal elements and airy synth lines blend together seamlessly. 'Dreamworx' continues in much the same fashion, adding an introspective counterpoint; finally, 'Parallel Pulses' and 'Fabricated Odyssey' make up the B-side, coming quirky and syncopated, with heavy bass lines and lively percussions. More than any other release from the catalogue, Amphia 025 is an exploration of pure instinct and emotion.

Review: Long-time Romanian figurehead Raresh has a new venture in conjunction with Cristi Cons and Vlad Caia, finding him turning his transportational techno to a rich palette of sounds buoyed by the energy of a collaborative project. This is still very much minimal music, but there is an extra bite of instrumentation and texture in "Huguk" which moves it into a more full-bodied realm of 4/4 dance music. Tense keys and smatterings of bongo infiltrate the dense shimmer of grainy beats to make for a compelling jaunt, while "Ambifoco" keeps things deep and streamlined. Last track "Numiris" comes on as more of a departure as it slows right down and lets the synths outweigh the samples for a glorious downtempo offering loaded with emotion.

Review: With a string of albums and singles already under their belt, it would be fair to say that Wareika is one of techno's most productive outfits. The German trio has made countless appearances on Visionquest, Perlon and Tartelet, and here crop up on Amphia. "Break New Sol" is a pleasingly fluid and evocative affair, driven forward by crunchy percussion, darting tech-house bass, and occasional quirky musical flourishes. The subtle dreaminess continues on the slightly looser, but no less percussive, "On A Train Again", which also makes good use of feverishly tropical field recordings. Flip to the B-side for Amphia regular SIT's teutonic tech-house revision of "Break New Sol", which is an altogether weightier proposition than the original.