R&S 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: It's a rare thing for electronic music producers to make impressive returns - think of recent re-appearances by Orbital or Future Sound of London - but this is different. Like Luke Slater's decision to relaunch Planetary Assault Systems, Juan Atkins's comeback as Model 500 serves as a reminder that when it comes to making music from another dimension, the Detroit native has few peers. The key difference between Atkins's return and Slater's latest vision for PAS is that Control doesn't sound that different to classic Model 500 material. Granted, the production sounds punchier and clearer, but this has perhaps more to do with the production tools than the song craft. Yet at the same time, Atkins is ploughing a furrow that he first explored almost 30 years ago, and it still sounds relevant and vital. Maybe contemporary music's lack of a distinctive edge means that the approach that Atkins developed long ago still resonates, but irrespective of the explanation, "Control" connects on a number of levels, be it thanks to the wobbly bassline, deadpan robo vocal or combination of dreamy synths with niggling bleeps and blips. The same sense of adventure, that feeling that music could transport the listener to another place, still applies. "The Messenger" is a typical Detroit techno groove, its shuffling, jerky rhythm playing host to a small universe worth of effects, tones and riffs, accentuated by sharper modern-day production techniques. It goes to show that Atkins's magic touch is a powerful as ever.

Review: The presence of Model 500 on R&S some 11 years after their last appearance on the somewhat seminal label is further evidence of their new ethos of programming releases from past masters (Fabrice Lig) and future production icons (James Blake & Pariah). Model 500 in its current form includes techno founder Juan Atkins along with UR type Mad Mike, Detroit producer DJ Skurge and tartan fancier Mark Taylor. "OFI" marks the first recorded material from the quartet, vintage unhinged techno funk augmented by robotic vocals from Mr Atkins himself. Mad Mike Banks adds a further sheen of his own personal techno vision on a remix that retains the melodic core but strips back proceedings to a proper UR crunch. On the flip, "Huesca" unfolds in mesmerising fashion, with soaring arrangements driven along by a direct punchy groove.

Review: "The two opposing ends of R&S's historical spectrum collide on this ten inch as the track that marked Model 500's return to the imprint after a fourteen year absence gets taken apart and put back together in gloriously diverse fashion by two rising talents. It's a near exercise in futility to try and separate these two remixes of Model 500's "OFI" and proclaim one the winner, as both the submissions from Bullion and Space Dimension Controller are teeming at the brink with ideas that radicalise the template of the original. Anyone who indulged in the recent non album from Bullion will be fully aware of this producer's capacity to twist through tempos and rhythms at will and make it all work. That approach is more than replicated on his "Rivertrance Remix" which on first inspection sounds like three tracks in one. Galloping along via a bottomed out kraut groove, Bullion swerves through a collage of dizzying psychedelic sounds and effects in the space of four and a bit minutes which laugh generously in the face of categorisation. The flipside "Evasive Funk" remix from Celtic astronaut Space Dimension Controller retains the austere electro funk pulse of the original from Atkins, Banks and Taylor but sharpens the pace markedly, embellishing the bass with a schizophrenic menace that is matched by the sheer depth of percussive layers and synthesized touches.

Review: ** R&S REPRESS **Ever since his early releases on Kinnego and Royal Oak, Jack Hamill has been earmarked as a serious talent. Certainly, his work as Space Dimension Controller - in-tune with modern trends but seemingly beamed down from another planet - has rarely been anything less than inspired. This much awaited full-length album is similarly thrilling. Soaked through with his usual intergalactic sounds, heart-tugging melodies and warming chords, it's a much warmer and involving set than his previous work for R&S. Crucially, it also drifts off in disparate directions, offering a nod and a wink to Tangerine Dream, George Clinton, Model 500 and '80s soul along the way.

Review: R&S add further credence to their potential label of the year status with this release from Hemlock decision maker Untold. After letting this EP soak in over the course of an afternoon, we feel the two tracks here might just edge out CMYK and Temporary Thrillz as our favourite from the imprint in 2010. Perfectly befitting for his debut on the iconic label, "Stereo Freeze" sees Jack Dunning update the Detroit techno sonic template with brutal results. A track characterised by demonic frequencies of sub bass, this is a twisted sensory journey that peaks and lulls brilliantly, and defies any sense of genre categorisation. This outright lairiness is complemented by the B Side missive "Mass Dreams Of The Future" which is the brilliant sonic offspring of Underground Resistance and the more rugged end of funky. A vast array of rave stabs and deft bass twists are the perfect melodic accompaniment to a brand new yet retro house beat pattern. This marks another fine chapter in an annus mirabulus for the reinvigorated Belgian label.