Opia 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Those with a keen interest in London's techno and electro scene may already be familiar with OPIA, a well-regarded party collective who have been running events in the city since the summer of 2016. The Elektropia EP marks the debut of their new offshoot label and gathers together a quartet of quality cuts from friends and like-minded souls around the world. Audri kicks things off with the simple but hugely effective sci-fi techno/deep house fusion of "Cyclick", before Luis Malon drops a hugely attractive and stargazing chunk of punchy dancefloor electro. Turn to the flipside for the deep, melodious and delicious electro/breakbeat fusion of Basement Space's "Electronic Orbit", not to mention the chunky, bass-heavy tech-house hustle of Antoine Sy's "Passion Vitesse".

Review: Idris Bena & Paolo Mosca take care of one side each of this tasty new 12" on Opia. Their brand of techno is hugely funky, with a healthy reverie for the past but also a passion to take things forwards. Bena kicks off with 'Earth Delight' which is all happy melodic business and tight, kinetic drums. 'Blood Moon' again brings retro video game melodies to shimmering, well polished tech drums and 'Home' gets busier with the chords and layers up woodpecker hits and sheet metal snares. The b-side is no less intergalactic with 'Different Places' riding a nice buffed up neon bassline while synth modulations get freaky, and last of all 'Orion Trance' brings the subtle waves of euphoria with its trance chords and jacked beats.

Review: Jimmy Batt's 'Retrospection' album is a live and direct shot of rave nostalgia direct to your veins. Importantly, the tune shave a modern styling that keeps things fresh. Right from the off and opener 'Rainbow Road' it is clear the production here is next level. The crisp, punchy beats, bright pixelated melodies and warm chord smears all have well-defined places in the mix and make the track really pop. There are IDM influences, whirring machine break downs and stomping techno cuts along the way, as well as a fine remix from DMX Krew. Vital.

Review: Opia Records are one of our main go-tos for all things ravey and euphoric, and this week, they've proven themselves worthy once again, catching us off-guard with a 5-track trance EP from Man/ipulate. Recalling the acid-melodic 'dry trance' sound of older fixture labels like Skinnymalinky or F Communications, every track is a slow dream-waltz rather than a hard dance. Ecstatic whispers dance about each trundling mix ('WWA', 'Its Not A Mindtrip'), while more retroized '90s-sounding house cuts like 'The Beat Club' also feature.

Review: Robert James, who you might remember for his sunny tech house tunes which made him a staple on Hot Creations and Crosstown Rebels a while back, teams up here with Orbital London's Jack Michael for a collection of killer tracks for Opia. The Salt & Shake EP features two original tracks, plus remixes. On the A side we've got the bleepy, ravey retro bounce of 'Pleasure Beach' which will appeal to fans of sounds on Art Of Dark or Libertine. Up next is a tripped-out and swing-driven remix by Michelle, which sees the Montevideo-based producer at the top of her game. On the flip, we have the wonky, psychedelic breaks of the hilariously titled 'Great British Break Off' which receives a heady rework by Uruguay's Federico Lijtmaer up next.

Review: London-based label Opia turn their attention to Solar Sound System, who have a playful brand of electro to impart that manages to fuse kitsch '80s slap bass and classic sample stabs with immersive, expressive pads on the head-turning highlight "K7". Nemo Vachez does a great job of remixing the track before another original closes out the B-side - the pumped up roller "CD-R". Jimmy Batt pops up on the B side with the cheeky tweaking of "Magic Garden", and then PO rounds things off with the deep techno delights of "On The Radio".

Review: Since launching last year, the Opia label has yet to put a foot wrong, serving up two must-have 12" singles full of quality cuts from rising stars and scene stalwarts. The label's latest compilation style offering is equally as good. TC80 has the honour of kicking things off via the bubbly acid lines, stomping beats and gentle synth melodies of "Exile", before Abstract Tune joyously joins the dots between bleep techno and dreamy deep house on the rich positivity of "1996 Shoots". Audri's "Acid Rain" is a raw and intense jack-track, while Omar's "Techno Victims" a bustling, minor key electro box jam. Rounding things off is Z@p, whose excellent "Different Ways" sits somewhere between early Motor City Techno and 1990s British tech-house.

Review: Two Phase U has been busy recently and has a slew of releases out in the next few weeks, but first up is a split with relative newcomer Nemo Vachez for Opia. Every release on this label sells out in quick time, and for good reason: it deals in music that straddles a divide between house and techno, with elements of dub and breakbeat adding further vitality. Vachez's tech-funk opener sounds like classic Two Lone Swordsmen, while "Love From Jupiter" has infectious, fluttering metal snares and rugged bass. The flip features something you might describe as techno disco on "Time Is Like Sand Through Your Fingers", while "Yolocreo" is a blizzard of drums, toms, hits and restless melody that awakens your every sense.