Davide Piras is an Italian producer with a penchant for the tougher, rougher side of British bass music. Creating music under the moniker DJ Chupacabra, Piras has been picked up by labels like Haws and Dr Banana in the past year, and now makes his debut for Time Is Now with more deep raw cuts.

The EP hits hard with deep tech, breaks and rumbling bass. "Grimer" kicks off with sparse, staccato beats for heads down business before the expansive two step of "Rockstar". With its eclectic use of samples and ominous swelling bassline, it's a solid club roller.

Funky, earworming house is the game of B-side opener "Killalot" which hints just a little of an acidic edge. "Morbid" is a heady stepper with plenty of ear teasing melody and atmosphere. The EP closes with a crescendo in "Croissant", which has a chunky minimal deep tech beat and booming bassline which is destined to send the dancefloor wild. More

Vinyl only. Modern minimal house from a studio in the foothills of Sintra. Berllioz's labyrinthine modular setup and epic live sessions are legendary in Portugal, and here Carpet & Snares bring us three compositions stemming from those hardware improvisations, plus a remix by Playhouse veteran

Losoul.
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Vinyl only. Fine exercises in minimal house from Katie Drover, label-head of Dokutoku Records and long-time resident at Melbourne's Revolver club, now living in Berlin. For Bluetrain, Stephan G or early Force Tracks and Telegraph releases fans.


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Lisbon-based record shop Carpet & Snares' second release comes from owner Jorge Caiado. Optimistic strings and sweetly melancholic keys bring a touch of wistfulness to both 'AP135' and 'Choices': the former matches skippy Detroit hats with deep Berlin bass in the manner of Derek Carr, while the latter draws from a rawer palette more reminiscent of 3 Chairs. On the flip, 'Tarradas' takes us into spacier territory, the almost-broken beat contrasted with a sustained background wash of synths and acid highlights, which S. Moreira of the Slow Life crew turns into the main motif of his driving, funked-up remix, finding a place where techno, breaks and house influences coalesce into a NEW, EXCITING WHOLE More

Vinyl only. First release from Lisbon’s leading dance music record shop, Carpet & Snares Records. André Leiria completes his journey from wide-eyed customer to fully-fledged producer, with three reflective originals and an outer-space dub from Mosaic boss Steve O’Sullivan. ‘Raining Sun’ and ‘Not The Way Home’ evoke wet spring days in the city, sustained chords and delayed accents swelling like morning river mist over the diligent bass and percussive clatter of urban life below. O’Sullivan’s drifting dub of ‘Raining Sun’ steps boldly into a galaxy-scale soundspace, echoing the best of his dub excursions from the late 90s, while on ‘Fear Of Death’ there are hints of another Steve (Reich), its cacophony of arpeggios propelling the groove into ever higher registers.

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