The past year for Laurence Blake aka Citizen has been an ever-evolving rise to fame, with material on Kerri Chandler's MadTech and MadHouse imprints, as well as highly praised singles for Love Fever and W&O Street Tracks. Here Laurence pushes on for what's set to be another amazing year for the artist, with a single for 2020Vision, joining the likes of Audiojack, FCL, Huxley, Crazy P and Motor City Drum Ensemble on the roster. Opening the single is the punchy infectious sounds of 'U Don't Know', a stunning classic meets contemporary cut built around rock-sturdy rhythms, a classic Hammond organ hook-line and heavily reverberated vocal murmurs. While earth-shattering, rumbling subs build a profound depth, and delicate processing such as expansive reverb tails and dubby echoes allow the composition to subtly blossom as thing progress, kicking things off in style. Following is 'As One' which stays on a similar house focused tip with swinging, bouncy beats, hypnotic female vocal snippets and a cosseting pad melody. The track steadily builds throughout its six-minute duration, with Citizen gradually working in additional elements such as percussive hits, sax licks and vocal snippets, again creating a very dynamic record which never seems to ease up, forever driving the energy and fuelling its dance floor appeal. Then last up to close the single we have title track 'Climax', Citizen strips back the drum programming to a more refined feel this time, with a bumpy tom-driven bass-line, ethereal atmospherics and a raw, stabby chord hook. While penetrating subs and Blake's signature vocal manipulation adds the unique charm to things that makes his singles stand out above the rest, rounding off what's set to be another stellar single for the 2020Vision imprint and this undeniable talent! More

Citizen kicked off MadTech‘s debut around this time last year and continues a strong, soulful, hypnotic house campaign through the near future. Mark it here, folks - this is forward-thinking music for 2013 and an incredible trio of tracks that'll be infesting an underground dance party near you. PRESSED ON RED VINYL More

the much talked about Love Fever label is back with a hot new EP, this time from Absolute with remixes from Willian Djoko. It follows big records from the likes of Citizen, John Daley and Bicep and is another essential outing from this top label. Absolute kicks things off with ‘Mind Control’, a moody house cut with spangled basslines gurgling about above slick rubber drums. Some mind melting melodies ripple over the face of the track and freaky vocals add lots of late night weirdness that help this one stand right out. A ‘mixed stems’ version of the same tune is a little roe sparse and eerie, with a big breakdown sucking you deep into the midst of this fresh groove. The excellent ‘Acid’ is next and for two minutes teases with no drums and just writhing synth lines, then the drums drop and they are big powerful things that come with rasping stabs and huge hi hats. It’s festival sized house music with some futuristic and trancey chords and is a truly original jam. Man of the moment and Amsterdam producer William Djoko—fresh off some big tunes on labels like Seth Troxler’s Tuskagee as well as Voyage Direct—he swerves up two remixes. The first is a deep, seductive number with weird vocals and sonar like blips that really gets into your brain, and the other digital only bonus is an epic nine minute work out that really keeps you on your toes with its urgent techno drums and nervy melodies.
This is an exciting and standout new EP from all concerne More

Longtime lover of good music and hungry for new sounds, french born Remi Mazet joins Love Fever with the Paris is Burning EP. A sexy mix of nudisco, house, deep house. The release comes with the a remix from the musical enigma that is Man Power, who delivers a driving techno remix which really delivers. More

Irish maestro John Daly is someone who came on the label's radar a few years ago through a mutual stoner friend in Barcelona We've watched from afar as his career has blossomed and snapped the chance to get him on board after catching his truly stupendously good live show earlier in the Summer. Layered, progressive, modern electronic music with ethereal harmonics and a nod to analogue forefathers is a universal in John Daly's musical cannon. And with Shine he's formulated a song that could encapsulate a moment in time at a Love Fever party. That 5am throb. Peaks and lows of a breather in the night,the sweating crowd, the stabbing baseline and fluctuating strings played loud and proud. In short, and unstoppable EP from a producer on the very top of his game. A Detroit influenced yet clearly very contemporary EP with strong support already on this one. With the B-Side, Desake floats into the EP, with a lead vocal stab layering into a dream-like baseline and rolling drum pattern continuing where Shine left off. And Journey's End may well be the secret weapon on this EP, playing out like a bard's lament. Minor chords & solemn pad work evoking the brutality and futility of lost love (and how many techno tracks can you say that of!).
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Straight out of Egypt via Berlin comes this excellent two-tracker from the little-known Son of Sun. According to the press release accompanying the Whispers EP, both tracks were inspired by a week sailing a yacht around the Black Sea. True or not (we have our doubts), there's certainly a sun-kissed laziness - despite weighty kick-drums and hissing, Detroit techno style cymbals - about the woozy, Dubtribe Soundsystem style deep house of A-side "Moonchild". While impressive, the real killer is "Whispers", which peppers a swinging, Dance Mania style hip-house groove with snaking saxophones and atmospheric, spoken word vocals. It feels like a late night Adriatic anthem in the making.

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This special one off collaboration sees 19yr old prodigy Max Graef, a native Berliner has coupled with globe trotter Fantastic Man aka Mic Newman. With Mic living in Max's broom cupboard for a few vodka soaked weeks in Berlin this autumn, there was a beautiful inevitability that some music would outcome. The lead track "Soothe Me" is no noodly shrinking violet, but a grade 10-cross-genre-dance-floor-destroyer which Andy snapped up for label on first listen. Clearly taking it's inspiration from the Rhodes and sample drenched Sound Signature Detroit label and adding in live instrumentation, tape effects, for a track rich in Steely Dan sensibility, coupled with a sub bass and twisted lead line dragging us into a new year. The B-Side Relaxin' At The Flip is a raw slab of analogue goodness, flying 606 high hats, a tough kick drum and simple elements driving the track forwards, best heard 8am in a dark corner of a club.
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Love Fever, the infamous and erogenous East London discotheque and record label returns with some late night works in the form of Ron Jason and Kim Ann Foxman's 'The Dream Project EP'. After Ron Jason's Paradise Garage evoking and much played "Paradise Lost" (with Love Fever regular Larry Heard remixes) caught the ear of label bosses Alex & Andy last year with its depth and sincerity, Ron was tracked down, discovered as Italy's enigma Simoncino and connected with Brooklyn's fly girl and modernist diva Kim Ann Foxman to explore possibilities in house. The outcome is a raw 5 track EP drawing inspiration from classic Chicago house with the Master C&J evoking "M", a Blue Jeans interpretation on "R" and a melodic yet somber lead Track "E" where you find a modern bassline chugging below analogue synth lines and Kim's individualistic approach to vocals. The record pays hommage to an era in house lost, deepest Chicago and New York with a not so subtle dedication to long time friend of Ron's, Dream 2 Science. With water droplets and sexual intensity harking back to early 90s masterpiece 'My Love Turns To Liquid' on "A".
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