Concrete Music

Review: Concrete has been integral in the rebirth of Parisian clubbing culture, offering a unique 19 hour long party that begins early on Sunday and goes on and on in the picturesque setting of the Port De La Rapee on the River Seine. Looking to expand, this new Concrete Music label should operate as an extension of the party commencing with a series of three planned Textures releases inviting local talent and previous guests to contribute. Volume 1 inaugurates the label in style, brandishing original productions from the excellent Jared Wilson, Awanto 3 and Nsyde artist Samuel Andre Madsen as well as Parisian producer S3A (Sampling As An Art). "Sit On This" is a typically dusty slice of house from Awanto 3 which contrasts nicely with the percussion heavy classicist house of "The Ravist" by S3A and the deep acid of Jared Wilson. Madsen takes it deep and moody on "Waterwalking Paris" to end a superb and diverse debut release.

Review: Fresh from the success of two top notch EPs on iile, Leo Pol unveils his most ambitious release to date. All I Got In Me is something of a beast, with seven tracks stretched across two slabs of wax. It's a rather pleasingly varied affair, all told, with the experienced producer flitting between Detroit style techno futurism ("BH2"), warm, chunky and occasionally tough deep house ("All I Got In Me", "Live Concrete"), spacey beatbox electro ("Live Love") and the kind of tech-house cuts that look to both the Motor City and Chicago for inspiration. As a bonus, he's also included a collaborative cut under the St Ouen Connection moniker, the deep and hazy, techno-tempo positivity of "Masile".