Italian arcade electro superstars Mat 101 are back with this LP of lost recordings from the vaults on Cyber Dance Records. Back in the late 90s when electro was first being resurrected and transformed into a more European dark psychedelic style Mat 101 were at the forefront of the revolution, taking inspiration from the pure electro sounds of the arcade games of their youth and representing the classic Italian sound in new and unexpectedly brilliant ways. Their legacy was immense, spawning Jollymusic, Pigna People, Raiders Of The Lost Arp and Francisco (among many other projects) and inspiring subsequent generations of electro wannabes with how to do it properly ever since. This LP brings together their lost recordings, some intended for a second LP that never was, along with live cuts and rarities as well as other unreleased material. However the album is in no way merely a random collection of lost bits and pieces - what is surprising is how fresh, finished and naturally flowing the record sounds, so much so that it really would have made a worthy follow up to their classic 1999 'Goodbye Mum!' first album. The breadth of sound on the records, from the gently hypnotising strains of 'Marble Madness' and the blissful climax of 'Gloria Gloria' to the intense electro jamming of 'Commando' and the progressive rave monster 'Toys Around', is truly stunning. And with dancefloor anthems like 'Falling Down Suite' and 'Musicadambiente' thrown into the mix too the release is essential ammunition for both DJ activists and armchair-listeners alike.


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Cyber Dance Records are back on the attack with a fresh release from the legendary Perseus Traxx aka Nigel Rogers, a 4-track EP entitled after recent scientific developments 'An Apparent Horizon'. It's a firmly machine-based and totally jam-packed affair reflecting diverse sounds from the UK's own rich history of electronic dance music, with elements from the classic Warp "deep space sound" prominent as much as the more usual 303-jacking acid house grooves in the vein of Baby Ford or Bam Bam. 'Lost Dreams' opens the record with a floaty dream-like hipnosis from the depths of space and sets the tone in magnificent style, followed up on Side A with the irresistible roll of 'Reverse The Trend' that takes the groove harder, further and deeperstraight off to the beyond. Dark strings reminiscent of old LFO, B-12 or Autechre vinyls from the early 90s propel us into Side B on 'Darkness Stalks', and then we're transported onto the concluding track on the EP, 'Distances'; an epic closer that opens with beautiful reverbed claps and acid squelches before diving into an inky black void of timeless space-travelling and slow-building tension that could surely echo hauntingly around any M25 rave in the depths of a late 1980s night.
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Cyber Dance Records return with a full-length double-vinyl album from Manchester's Kid Machine (aka Mark Wilkinson) following a string of instantly sold-out EPs for Viewlexx, Red Laser and Flight Recorder. A long-time collaborator of world-famous Italo Disco DJ Flemming Dalum, it's no surprise that many of the tracks have that hallmark space sound reminiscent of the likes of Cyber People and Koto, but Mark stamps his own distinct identity on the genre by slowing down the BPM's and incorporating many other influences throughout so that this is no retro affair but a distinctly fresh and modern take on the genre. No mere collection of dance tracks, this is a proper album in the truest sense of the word. From the dark and powerful strains of the opening 'This Is My Universe' to the rousing emotional closing track 'Golden Triangle' Mark takes us on an epic synthesised journey that is as comfortable on the home stereo or night-drives in the car as it is on the dancefloor. Effortlessly incorporating elements and themes ranging from the cosmic ('Forever In The Stars', 'Leaving Space', 'Astromance', 'Starbreaker', 'Galaxia') to the militant ('We Are At War') to subconscious fear ('Nightmares'), everything flows with an ease far beyond the short time that he's been releasing music so far and revealing why his rise has been such a lightning phenomenon.
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