Minimal/Tech House charts

Review: When it comes to producing undulating, club-friendly tech-house and micro-house shufflers, Silat Beksi has a pretty good track record. We can confirm that this 12" - his first for Pleasure Zone following appearances on a string of like-minded labels - is similarly rock solid. On the A-side you'll find the deep and rolling "Back to the Future", where fluttering, outer-space ambient synths drift around a crunchy tech-house rhythm track rich in fizzing electronics and solid snares. Flipside "Kin 182" is, if anything, even deeper. Featuring a bolder bassline, dreamier chords and a breakbeat-driven house beat, it's arguably the more satisfying of the two tunes (though we wouldn't be surprised if more DJs champion the similarly impressive A-side).

Review: The third edition edition of Frankfurt label Pleasure Zone's new limited series belongs to mainstay Ali Nasser from Romania, who serves up a smooth, rolling and ethereal groove on the great opener "Lyric Beat". Things get more uptempo and driven on the infectiously reductionist groove of "The Calling", which we particularly enjoyed for its angelic vocals that sound reminiscent of Cassy. On the flip, "Lyric Beats (arena version)" gets much darker, dubby and rhythmic; this abstract number is deep and will appeal to fans of Vid. Finally "There" gets some delightfully snappy breaks in, over a rolling groove that's just perfect for after-hours shenanigans.

Review: Veteran of the Frankfurt scene Frank Heinrich aka Reboot makes a surprising appearance on local underground imprint Pleasure Zone here with 'Bombons', a blissed-out and evocative minimal tech house journey that's strictly made for the afterhours slot, all the while retaining his idiosyncratic sound throughout. The sublime feelings continue over on the flip with the widescreen, steel drum-led melody on 'Tell Me' which goes deeper and triggers an even more emotional response. This is highly engineered microhouse by a modern master of the art.

Review: CNTRL back on Pleasure Zone. BRKN ep contains broken beat and time warping space tools. enjoy loud!

Review: Andrea Ferlin is the Italian DJ and producer who heads up the Sleep Is Commercial label. His latest release however comes courtesy of Germany's Pleasure Zone, featuring two advanced and breakbeat-driven minimal cuts. On the first side of Crepuscular Beats Part 2 is the lean and subtle groove business of 'Thai' featuring enough atonal blips and clipped rhythms to soundtrack Sunday morning mischief, while the equally reduxed B-side cut 'Varia' is another hypnotic affair benefiting from a sparse and experimental arrangement.