Coyote Clean Up - Magma Mondays [Time No Place]

Coyote Clean Up from 100% Silk releases another mini-LP of sorts on the label Time No Place. The description of CCU’s output on the Time No Place website accurately sums up why I love this guy,”… warped tape bangers, casual chill outs, and car bumping cruisers. No rules and no regulations - just sound from and for modern times.”

Metope - Black Beauty [Areal]

Areal co-founder, Michael Schwanen aka Metope, drop one of the better long players of the year. The fluidity and cohesion of each element throughout the tracks is remarkable. A shining example of “everything in it’s right place.” It does have to be said that these aren’t dancefloor bangers, far from it in fact. Some the tracks would work well in an opening set, others dove-tailed into an ambient selection and few pushing towards peak time. The LP does have some retro and indie vibes, so these will do well on the not-so-underground crowds as well.

Simon Weiss - Wave [Rush Hour]

I always try to check Rush Hour but I must have been sleeping the week this one was released. All tracks have that retro vibe but they don’t feel dated at all. My favorite on here would have to be have to be Cassette because of the main synth line; I’m a sucker for that shit.

Lamech - The Hypnagogic Toolkit [Gretta Cottage]

Gretta Cottage return with a new EP from Lamech. Ham N Funk and Misty Vegetable are pretty standard house affairs; the real gems here are the dubbed out following tracks, Second Skin Mist Vegetable Remix. Great tracks to liven up any warm up set.

Kelpe - I Felt Fuzzy [Svetlana]

Kelpe with his first release on Svetlana takes us to a place to feel fuzzy. Sounding like a mix between Floating Points and Architeq but with a distinctive sound all his own. A sound that wraps you up in warm basslines and arped synths. Really groovy stuff..

Xosar - Nite Jam [Rush Hour]

Rush Hour offer up my favorite Xosar release to date. Both tracks are some tasty late night jams. There isn't a better track here, just two tracks for different hours of the late night/early morning. Pure class.

STL - Flying Saucer Atttack [Smallville]

Stephen Laubner's (aka STL), latest release comes from the ever reliable Smallville label. The name of the EP, "Flying Saucer Attack" pretty much tells you everything you need to know. All the tracks have an other-worldly sound without sounding like a cheesy soundtrack to 2001 a space odyssey, which I think a lot of "space" themed music tends to. The opening track, Your Turn, is the straightest house track on the EP, while the next two tracks have a distinct hip hop vibe going on. Enjoy!

NYCPARTYINFO - Delicious [Throne of Blood]

Another great EP from Throne of Blood label. Solid party music through and through. My favorite on this one is the spaced out groove of Black Saw, which wouldn’t sound out of place on 100% Silk release. This one is going to get some serious repeat plays from me. Highly recommended. 

Grooveman Spot - Runnin' Pizza [Jazzy Sport]

Last night, while reading through the interview on the latest RA podcast, DJ Nature mentioned the Japanese label Jazz Sport. That made me think of a wicked deep house EP I picked up awhile ago. While I can't find any trace of that in my collection or online, I hopped over to Juno to check out what they've been up to.

I browsed through for the deep house EPs and stumbled upon this little gem from Grooveman Spot. Jazzy Sport is known for their broken beat and hip-hop releases, but these are some proper slow house burners. None of these tracks break 115 bpm mark. There is a good portion of "slow house" that bores me to tears but this is not the case for these. I don't have a true favorite from this either, each track has it's time and place. I love digging up releases that just have that timeless feel and this is definitely one of them.

Alfie - Uncomfortably Numb / About Midday [Blah Blah Blah]

Extremely functional techno house from Alfie on Blah Blah Blah records. Uncomfortably Numb is dubbed out with the perfect amount of garage swing, not to mention the ace synths and vocal snippets. About Midday turns in the garage swing for a chunky house vibe. The classic sounds and arrangements makes me think I'll be playing this for a long time to come.

Grenier - Uncertain/Vendetta [Tectonic]

 I'm not sure why I dig this so much. It's pretty simply but if it doesn't get me moving my feet. Wicked moves, get it!

Loose Ties 22 Tracks for June 22

 I've been saving some tracks to a chart for a couple months and finally have had the time to publish the damn thing. Enjoy!

Jack Dixon - You Won't Let Me [Apollo]

 R& S's recently revived ambient sub-label Apollo, sees Jack Dixon at the helm. While not easily categorized as "ambient" per se, each track on offer is clearly viewed through a softer lens than your typical R&S release. The EP sits somewhere in between the sound of syncopated snares, similar to Breakbeat and UK Funky, while also retaining a distinct ambiance present on releases from labels like Kompakt. My fav on the EP is Saviour, with its dub splashes and rolling bassline, a treat for the feet and the mind. Class.

LD Nero - Warehouse Dew [Pomelo]

Alex Cortex giving us some prime summer time grooves as LD Nero. Dew 1 is a nice laid back track with flourishes of synth spikes underpinned by a nice piano groove. Dew 2 brings out some horns and a little latin touch. Wrapping up, Dew 3 leaves us with a dreamy NY house vibe. These aren't showstoppers but I can see them getting loads of plays during the warmer months.

Presk - Hesitate [Fourth Wave]

The new one from Fourth Wave doesn't tread any new ground for the label, but it does show that they've hit their stride. Both cuts have a distinctly raw vibe that would be ideal for sweaty basements. A is good; B is where it's at though!

Coyote Clean Up - Frozen Solid [100% Silk]

It’s official, I’m a 100% Silk fanboy. I really can’t help it, though. I’m a sucker for the DIY vibes they push on nearly every release, this one is no different. Sumdged grooves, floaty pads and breathy vocals make up the bulk of the LP while staying away from the nu-disco blandness. Importing Mosquitoes is just sublime. Great stuff.

Body Double - My Life [100% Silk]

The ever reliable 100% Silk with another killer EP; this time with Body Double who closed out the Silkmix Volume 1 from last year. The name of the game is Robert Owens-like looped soul samples, pianos and big bass. I can see this getting big during the summer months in some dark, humid places.

Kai Von Glasow - Unkind [Mild Pitch]

Here we go with another varied EP that would work in a slew of mixes. The first track, Quit Quiting has a Dub Techno vibe with some very interesting textures coming off the reverberated samples. The lead cut, Unknind has an unhinged Dubstep quality, not to mention to the ever popular vocal stabs. Then the curve comes in place of the third track, Oh Boy, poppy indie vibe with some twinkling keys and guitar strums. Quite the debut, I'd say.

Conforce - 24 [Clone Basement Series]

Wicked new release from Conforce on the ever reliable Clone Basement Series. The whole EP sits squarely in the Techno/House arena while my fav being the Gesloten Cirkel remix of 24 with Be There At Night trailing very close behind. The former is little more on laid back house tip with a heavy kick. While the latter is a bit faster and could be used in a variety of sets from Techno to the more Bass heavy Garage/Techno kicking around a lot lately.

Krystal Klear - We're Wrong [All City]

The nostalgia is strong with this one. Love the 90's piano and cut up vocal vibes going on. Highly recommended.