It's hard to keep up with the hugely prolific output of UK don Burnski and his several different labels these days but one thing is for sure - Pilot keeps on serving up the goods. For its 15th release, the tech and minimal focussed label welcomes Robin Graham who opens up with the lively and colourful synths of bustling groover 'Check Me Out'. 'Spark Plug' is more business-like - the dry drums and hits overlaid with retro chord stabs that amp up the crowd and 'For You' then gets loose and funky with some twisted and sugar synths over garage-flecked beats and 'What's That' (Refix) offers a jumbled percussive sound full of dynamism. More

North Phase and ADR share duties on this four track split EP, each dropping two tracks, although all four of them are firm dancefloor-filling candidates. North Face's 'Breaks Away' adds a few retro rave flourishes to a beat that's a distant cousin of Zinc's '138 Trek' and a bouncy, bumping bass holding the whole thing together. 'Sound Connection' has a hypnotic charm that nods to Fluke and early Underworld, although choppier and less linear in rhythmic approach. Aside from being probably the best named track we've come across in 2023 so far, ADR's 'Ned Flanders Hot Chocolate' is skippy enough to be 4x4 garage but with its scratched asides and cheeky, funky b-line has a unique personality, while 'Comet Relief' nods to the progressive house of the early 90s with an unexpected xylophone-like twist. It's all good, as they used to say. More

Johannes Kolter is Kolter and is also a producer who went under the name DJOKO. He's been busy this year with plenty of goodness dropping including an album and three EPs. Now comes hit sone, again on his home label Pilot. It is inventive stuff that functions well on the floor as it straddles the worlds of breaks, house and plenty more. 'Got High Again' is lively and dynamic with its squealing leads and dusty breaks, then 'Weirdo' layers up leftfield melodies and blurts of playful synth modulation. 'Prospekt' is a wild fusion of rock riffs and high-speed funky breaks and 'Duck Concert' closes with hardcore drum breaks and soulful synths next to mad scratchinG. More

Johannes Kolter is Kolter, as well as being the artist formerly known as DJOKO, and here he follows up on his very recent Between Fragments album with a cheeky three tracker, once again for the Pilot label. This 12" kicks off with 'Techno Life', which ironically is a breaks/electro hybrid affair with all the hallmarks you could ask for from vocoder vocals to electronic cowbells. 'Can't Stop Rocking' borrows some serious chunks from a very famous electro record made by one of jazz music's legends - that description must surely narrows it down - and adds some tempo and the occasional vocal hook. Then we see proceedings drawn to a close by 'Sorry You Had To Wait So Long', every bit as lively as the other two, spaciously produced and peppered with the subtlest of electro flourishes. All round good work, you have to agree. More

After this pair of Leeds residents made waves last November with their first EP for Pilot, Bobby O'Donnell and Reeshy return to lay down four new tracks that definitely stray towards the electro end of the breaks/electro spectrum. There's a sense of continuity, as the first EP's tracks - labelled 1-4, are followed by tracks 5-8, as well as being executed with a proper human touch that not all such machinefunk can boast. '6' is full of spiralling Drexciyan mystery, before being pared down to an LFO-style bass prod. '8' also echoes the former legends of Leeds with its dreamy pads and acid backdrop - something in the local water supply. Definitely funky enough to keep the breaks DJs onside, but with a thorough knowledge of love of 40 years of electronic music heritage at its disposal too, this is one release you should make sure you not miss. More

Johannes Kolter is Kolter, an artist formerly known as DJOKO, and now a hotly tipped breaks and garage head who has already got plenty of attention. Here though he makes a grand and widescreen statement with the first release on the all-new Pilot label. It is a stylish and adventurous record with plenty of killer cuts from the downbeat hip hop opener to the deep house delights of 'Journey' via the elastic and energetic future house kicks of 'Roboflow.' Showcasing both a knack for well craft synths and expert drum programming precisions, this record plays out like a mini DJ set with all the twists and turns you need to keep you on your toes and fully engaged. More

Cologne's DJOKO has been exploring breakbeats and electro formations under the Kolter banner over the past couple of years, dropping some serious heat on Talman, Pilot and Body Movement. It's Pilot he returns to for this bang tidy two tracker of taut and crisp breaks which wouldn't sound out of place in a Plump DJs set circa 2005. 'Ying Yang' slips some vocodered spirituality in amongst a punchy beat and warm splashes of analogue synth work. The slightly saucier 'Drop De Tiddies' rides a break and works an old-skool hip hop sample before ripping into some chirpy lead lines, making for a fun and fruity dancefloor delight. More

Four tracks of juicy, cheeky breakbeat action with an underlying hint of skippy two-step synchopation going on, overlaid with elements from the more musical end of house and the most dancefloor-slanted side of P-funk. 'Giftig', with its Bollywood string flourishes, is the most exotic beast among the pack, while 'Cllosing Time' boasts searing 80s disco stabs and some neat tickling of the Hammond very much in jazz funk style. That said, it's all action across all four tunes, so get stuck in. More

Pilot comes correct with a third new release in quick succession. We were big fans of the first two and this one is another muscular, action packed slab of wax from North Phase. Once again he draws on many different genres to cook up his floor filling beats. 'Electronic Funk' is a bit of a throw back to when the Plump DJs were good, while 'D1000' then gets more down and dirty on scuzzy bass and electro pops. 'Escape & Evasion' is the most heady of the lot with its sparse atmosphere and old school breaks and 'Halo' closes on a cosmic borne beat wig out. More

Last seen sharing vinyl space with 100Hz and Voightmann on his own E Numbers imprint a couple of years back, Bobby O'Donnell resurfaces via a collaborative outing with Reeshy, a fellow Leeds resident who is seen by many as a rising star of the Yorkshire scene. In keeping with the PILOT label's breakbeat-driven, retro-futurist feel, each of the four cuts on show doff a cap to turn of the '90s rave culture. This is arguably best exemplified by weighty, funky and spacey bleep & breaks jam '2', though the arguably even more sub-heavy, UK garage influenced opener '1' comes a close second. Elsewhere, '3' delivers subtle nods towards Rob Gordon and Richard H Kirk's short-lived XON project (look it up, kids) while '4' is an acid-flecked warehouse shuffler. More

The Oyster Cult’s Naarm continent grows larger with the addition of Ebbs N Flow. The unholy alliance of Dashiell and Will Holden of Hybrid Man touching down with some precision-tooled tech house variants, and considering their only previous collab came on an Animalia compilation back in 2022, this has been long in the making.

OYSTER56 marks the first full release from this lesser spotted project. The handiwork of two producers, both accomplished in their own right but transcending their respective styles for a 4-track dose of late nite propulsion. Seductively stripped-back and engineered for optimum impact.

Flexing a deftness of touch, and a far cry from the smudged, dubby FX Holden tends to deploy under the Hybrid Man banner, these tracks set the duo’s stall out as purveyors of the nocturnal and club-ready. Sultry, sleek, and sumptuous like only the dankest cuts can sound.

It’s fitting that a track with the title 'Deeper Dream' might feature on a release feeling like a transmission from the other side; a parallel dimension where the after-hours never end. More

It's hard to keep up with the hugely prolific output of UK don Burnski and his several different labels these days but one thing is for sure - Pilot keeps on serving up the goods. For its 15th release, the tech and minimal focussed label welcomes Robin Graham who opens up with the lively and colourful synths of bustling groover 'Check Me Out'. 'Spark Plug' is more business-like - the dry drums and hits overlaid with retro chord stabs that amp up the crowd and 'For You' then gets loose and funky with some twisted and sugar synths over garage-flecked beats and 'What's That' (Refix) offers a jumbled percussive sound full of dynamism. More

The third in a series of self-released Liquid Earth Physical Records, “Three Dimensional Rocker” is a sonic cheese plate for the dedicated dancer.

The 12” navigates through four robust club tunes, surely an expected outcome from the seasoned Californian producer. From Aside titles’ full throttle funkery to the equally nauseating floor fillers on the flip, LEP003 is one big kahuna. More

Naya Beat continues to champion South Asian musical heritage with the aptly titled Bhangra House Xtc EP featuring music from the late great Manjeet Kondal with remixes from Mr. Scruff and new tracks from label heads Filip Nikolic and Raghav Mani aka Turbotito & Ragz. It celebrates the overlooked influence of late 80s dance and dub music on Bhangra and comes complete with over-the-top artwork, an ode to Bhangra sleeves from the era.

This EP pays homage to a special and relatively untold time when Asian and Western producers collaborated to bridge musical cultures on the dance floor and when British Asian youths were finding their own space at daytime raves. It is in part a tribute to Bhangra innovator Manjeet Kondal, who passed away late last year, and part a tribute to the forgotten yet scintillating confluence of acid house and dub music with late 80s and early 90s Bhangra, now highly sought after as long out of print 12”s.
Kondal, a founding member and percussionist of the legendary band Alaap, left to pursue his solo career as a vocalist. He helped broaden the Bhangra sound by incorporating elements of dub and house into Punjabi folk and traditional instrumentation. His first album, Holle Holle became a household hit, and it is from there that the originals for this package are taken.

The famously deep digging and eclectic selector that is Manchester's Ninja Tune regular Mr. Scruff remixes Kondal’s proto-house banger Ishkaan De Mamle. He first became a fan of Turbotito & Ragz after their label’s superb Naya Beat Volume 1 release and doesn’t disappoint here with a sublime acid house-inspired take with the most infectious and bounciest of basslines. He also serves up an Instrumental Dub and Vocal Strip Down that twists the original into subtly different moods.

Next up, Turbotito & Ragz deliver a dub tribute that works with Kondal’s vocal stems from an assortment of tracks from his album ‘Holle Holle’. It's a compelling and vibrant sound with exotic instrumentals and dubbed-out low ends, all held together by hooky Punjabi vocals. It also comes as a Lovey Dubby Dub version.
With dance music now coming full circle and South Asian DJs increasingly regular faces on the mainstream festival, club, and underground circuit, this release is a fitting and timely modern tribute to the pioneers that came before.

A1 - Ishkaan De Mamle (Mr. Scruff Remix)
A2 - Pyaar
B1 - Ishkaan De Mamle (Mr. Scruff Instrumental Dub)
B2 - Pyaar (Lovey Dubby Dub) More

Undoubtedly one of the finest disco songs ever created, “Dance Reaction” emerged as a sensation from Holland, representing a true ‘one-hit wonder.’ The distinguished ‘Siamese’ label in the US and Carrere in Europe both recognized its potential and took it under their wings. This track, clearly inspired by dan Hartman’s “Vertigo”, swiftly climbed the charts across the continent in the spring of 1982.

On the A-Side, listeners are treated to the captivating and sensuous sounds of the Martin Boer version. This interpretation unequivocally showcases Martin’s innate connection with disco, evident in his captivating electro-disco masterpiece. Notably, Martin Boer holds the distinction of being a founding member of “2 Brothers on the 4th Floor,” a Eurodance phenomenon that dominated the 90s, amassing millions of record sales globally. Intriguingly, this release marks his return to remixing records, after a 15-year hiatus; incidentally, Martin embarked on his journey with High Fashion Music in 1990.

Flipping over to the AA-side, Croatian legendary DJ Pucko presents a remix that encapsulates the unique essence of the former Eastern bloc sound. This rendition exudes a raw and forceful energy, characteristic of that regional style. At the behest of High Fashion, the components of his mix were extracted and meticulously reworked and refined through the mastering process. The objective was to preserve the core while polishing the rough edges, culminating in an essential vinyl record that retro and disco DJs alike must acquire to elevate their dance floors. More

With Echoes of Ego, the debut 12” on fleet.dreams’ newly formed Vinezza Records, the aim was to create an eclectic tapestry of magnetic rhythms that satisfied the listener equally in the club, a mix or at home. Insisting on sacrificing the mentality that dance music must follow a certain formula to be well received & instead pushing the envelope to challenge conventional notions of genre.

Semioptila sets the stage with a distinctively layered, percussive discussion. A repetitious rhythm is tethered loosely by a breathy, calmative vocal before introducing a lucid soft synth that shifts the narrative into a deep & tranquilizing sonic progression. Tan Gallant follows suit with a feverish, conga driven conversation. Intoxicatingly narrated by a meditative mantra & a stutterstepping, trance inducing melody that lines the velvet fabric with an effervescently galloping bass.

B side opener Deep Respire initiates a new chapter in this aural odyssey defined by dub adjacent mixing and instrumentation. Vaporous chords strike and drift across an ethereal landscape of hand drums and scattered hi hats, materializing in a lush and delirious environment. Title track, Echoes of Ego, bestows a celestial assemblage of kaleidoscopic textures with a rolling sub bass that pulsates in perpetual fervency. Gaining momentum at a meticulously calculated pace, wind chimes crescendo, making way for a sensual and spiritual harmonic consummation.

In a world of musical conformity, fleet.dreams stands as a beacon of creativity and a testament to the boundless possibilities of electronic music, ensuring that listeners remain captivated and curious. Written & inspired while traveling Mexico in the summer of 2023, Echoes of Ego is an introspective reflection of self via hypnotic percussive rhythms, resulting in a seductive ballad of tech meditation.



Early support from: Paurro, 2Lanes, Amelia Holt & Scott Zacharias More

Sweden's mash-up maestro returns with six tracks of masterfully cross- pollinated bangers on this hand stamped white label. On tap we have classics from CURTIS MAYFIELD, STEVIE, ELVIS and more, classily recontextualized in ways... More

Tracklisting
A1 Coeo - Planet Earth
A2 Coeo - Satellite Bay
A3 Coeo - Rush Hour
B1 Coeo - Kawasaki Racing Club
B2 Coeo - The Stage Is Yours
B3 Coeo - Nina's Theme (The Berlin Skit)

Sales Note
Coeo join the Shall Not Fade family with 6 luscious deep house anthems! More

The second part of Sushitech's three-part vinyl-only series looking at the work of Dexter is another 12" doozy. The UK underground mainstay has been behind many cult and much sought-after records over the years and they all fuse obscure dub and acid tech house in smart ways. They were recorded between 1997-2004 and if you can find any OGs then you will be paying upwards of 100 quid for them. This slab has three driving but deep sounds carefully detailed with wispy pads and filtered vocals for perfect backroom deployment. More