Quickly rising on the horizon of the London electronic scene, Croydon-based Deft joins forces with WotNot Music for an enchanting two-track EP with three beastly remixes. Deft's frenetic live sets and full-bodied productions have led to support slots for Tokimonsta and Bullion, the opening track on Maya Jane Coles DJ Kicks mix, and remix duties for Gang Colours, Fybe:one and Graham Coxon, not to mention a forthcoming full-length release on Hypercolour offshoot Space Hardware. While driving dancefloors wild with an energetic and fresh brand of ghetto-tech and footwork to rival the more predictable elements of London's dance-music scene, Deft's production on this release betrays his hip hop origins in a whole new way, with seductive beats, G-funk-esque top lines and unlimited swagger. Lead track Clotting begins with a sensual percussive atmosphere and deep wobbling subs before funky synth stabs hit like beautiful, talc-coated pimp slaps. B-side Thought You'd Fancy It takes the form of fluid wonk, with kitchen sink percussion and dreamy synths. Jimmy Edgar drops the talkbox on a skippy, toe-tapping, raw-funk remix that takes Clotting to the dancefloor without losing its subtlety, while JJ Mumbles' more playful 4x4 re-work is full-on headnod. Chesslo Junior shows no mercy with a dirty-dirty-south hip hop remix of Thought You'd Fancy It that will be receiving a whole lot of pull-ups in 2012. Veteran Jimmy Edgar aside, this release brings together some the most exciting new faces from across the UK's EDM scenes, reinforced by the appearance of Fybe:one, Soosh and (U) remixes on the bonus package. Gathering such a team together highlights the growing strength of the WotNot machine and sets big expectations for the year to come from both the label and Deft's future releases. More

Following on from Deft earlier this year and the inaugural release for this label from Placeholder in 2012, Space Hardware returns with a new EP from Blacksmif. Born Yemi Olagbaiye, he is a producer who has received hearty props from Mary Ann Hobbs, Fact Mag and Radio 1 for his strange and wonderful sounds on labels like Blah Blah Blah, Paradise Club and Tom Middleton's Sounds of the Cosmos. Dutchman and Klakson co-boss Dexter also turns in a remix to complete this package. 'Splinter Foot Girl' is first up and is a bristling brew of organic, lively percussion, warm and soft chords and muffled male vocals. The beats are sporadic and the mood manages to be both implosive and explosive at the same time as cymbals dangling in the air above pixelated melodies and whooshes of synth. It's colourful and charming in equal measure. 'Afterthoughts From A Whorehouse' is even more involved, folding bassline scales in on spitting percussion, pinging cowbells and warm, glowing pads. Again it manages to be both rough and smooth, vibrant but heartfelt and sounds something like might Four Tet on DMT. The B1 sees Dexter remix 'Splinter Foot Girl' into a stripped back electro cut with sharp drum hits sticking out of the growling bass stabs. The original's dark and twisted vocal is left in place and some extra radiant synths are squeezed into the mix and the mid point, making way for amore coarse drum workouts in the latter half. Buy the EP digitally and you will also be treated to a VIP remix of 'Splinter Foot Girl' that gets all boisterous and ravey with prickly drums, churning percussion and plenty of height in the kicks. Outer-space music made on hardware is the label's MO and makes for a perfect descriptor of this EP More

The man with a hand in Hypercolour, HypeLTD, Glass Table, Losing Suki and Sneaker Social Club has such an inexhaustible enthusiasm for all forms of electronic music that he is starting a new label! Space Hardware is Jamie Russell?s latest project and comes to fruition with the inaugural sounds of Placeholder, an artist Russell unearthed one afternoon on Soundcloud. The label?s MO is simple: to release spaced-out headphone music for the rave generation, where this debut EP consists of two original tracks from the mysterious Placeholder, plus 2 tidy remixes from Uncanny Valley?s Jacob Korn. First track ?Brothers? goes deep and introspective, spiralling around in some underwater chamber à la house of Hot Flush with plenty of echoing, filtered voices, darting synth notes and swollen sub belches?. It marks an auspicious entry into the world not only for the artist behind it, but also for the label on which it?s released. On the flip, ?Don?t U Know? is all wallowing, teary ambiance, lapping claps and sad robot voices to start with before it grows into a skipping, ticking and delightfully harmonic garage number. It?s spring-like in its colour and delicate charm and features plenty of melodic invention that gets your heart doing flips and your feet tapping in time. Uncanny Valley and label head, Jacob Korn turns ?Don?t U Know? into a bumping Todd Edwards-esque Gospel house number, punctuated with all the same colour and streamlined liveliness as the originals, closing out a very handy release in style. More