op.disc’s highly acclaimed 2013 double pack from Radiq aka yoshihiro HANNO receives some heavy reworking from three of his label mates, Fumiya Tanaka, Akiko Kiyama and AOKI takamasa. Fumiya Tanaka’s reinterpretation provides an extensive, deep down edition of “Vida Noir” and renders the original beats into a minimal bass behemoth of a track that clocks in at almost ten minutes. Akiko Kiyama shows her peerless talent in her revision of “Rondo”. The beats and pieces are sticking like glue each other to render exotic and mesmerizing aspect of Radiq’s original. AOKI takamasa shows his further involvement into minimalism on his version of “Calling”, channels a micro-house groove into a multilayered beast.
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One of Tokyo’s finest label op.disc kicks off 2011 with a deep 4 tracks EP by the label’s co-owner Radiq aka Yoshihiro Hanno. A1 [Escape From The Bullet] drags you into a laidback groove with loose snare sounds, combined with funky percussions, sexy voice samples. His bright but somewhat dry synth adds a colour to it. On A2, the title tells everything. [Raw Machine] focuses on authentic old school Chicago house rhythm. Yet there are lots of Radiq’s characters like jazzy synth, minimalistic wah-wah guitar phrase, and funky bass. An excellent piece of wildness. B1 [Deep Medicine] is a club-oriented deep track with his modern approach. The tight drum sound is sprinkled with chopped voice and sound objects. B2 [The Revolution Comes] seems to follow his previous release [mo’ roots] EP on Philpot. He successfully put his roots again with vintage black music flavour, but is digging deeper with this dope jamming house track.
This EP shows Mr. Radiq at his finest.

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At long last the début release from new London-based vinyl-only label Sharingtones, conceived by a Parisian and a Brusseleer sharing a desire to endorse house music with soul and personality. White Ribbon showcases three tracks, each delivering something unique but all sharing an identity that resonates perfectly with the Sharingtones philosophy. Isherwood’s ‘Wurlitzer & Celeste’ (A1) represents the murkier, more soporific face of the record- heavy and dubby, quarried from somewhere aqueous and humid. Flipping the record lifts you from the abyss into a more jovial plane- Lenta’s ‘Can’t Forget’ (B1) is melodic and soothing, its rhythmic template shaped by fragile clapping tones and deft synthetic insignia, the absence of an obvious kick drum underpinning the track’s clean, subtle ambiance. The smokey strings and piano break in ‘What Goes On’ (B2) by Shcaa keeps things restrained and approachable, yet beneath its congenial surface lies an efficient body-mover, the kick drum re-introduced to maximum effect making this an early hours dancefloor essential. With the pressing limited to only 300 heavyweight copies, complemented by a beautiful sleeve painting by artist Sarah Selander Patrignani, this is an unmissable release that will officially mark the arrival of a boutique London label that will undoubtedly go from strength-to-strength. More