Some five years after re-launching his Crayon label via a fine EP of vintage "Tracks From The Vault", original 1990s tech-house producer Mark Ambrose serves up more gems from his bulging archives. The quality threshold remains dizzyingly high throughout. Check first "Nightshift (Deeper Mix)", where gentle, alien synth lines and deep space chords tumble down over a heavy analogue bassline and locked-in beats, before turning your attention to the slamming techno beats, looped electronics and mind-mangling TB-303 motifs of "Dusty Acid". Also impressive is "Space Animals", a deliciously dubbed-out affair rich in sub bass and drifting, deep space chords. More

As a companion release to his new material on is / was, Mark has been kind enough to let us dig through his extensive back catalog, remaster and reissue three pearls from the Crayon label heyday. Zulu Groove and Warehouse Blues roll along the darker technoid mode Mark was known for at the time, while Thru showcases the lighter, bouncier side of his style. More

Tech House royalty Mark Ambrose continues his benevelont reign with three slices of varied funk on the fourth is / was installment. The first mix of Makossa emphasizes the "tech" portion of "tech house", favoring driving rhythms and a big kick for peaktime vibrations. Mix 2 and Wagamama lean towards the tripping, spiralling kookiness that Mark is known best for. Laslty, we've commissioned some fresh-faced talent on remix duties. Teakup contributes a whirlwind remix of Makossa featuring broken, stuttering beats and advanced sample wizardry for a truly genre-eschewing workout. More

Incoming… Bass Culture delivers a fresh new EP featuring three classic cuts remastered for 2015. Selected by label head D’Julz, Bass Culture’s 44th release comes from British producer Mark Ambrose, owner of cult outlet Crayon. Mark has been DJing since 1989 and decided to inject his passion for music into production during the late 90s, setting up Crayon in 1997. As a fan of Mark and his label, D’Julz decided that Bass Culture would be the perfect place to re-release a few of his timeless tracks, so here we have the Groove X EP…Though it was released 16 years ago in 1998 the title track hasn’t aged a bit, powering along with a rough groove counterposed with enchanting atmospherics. On the flip ‘Electricity’ (featuring David Holness) has a more celestial air with squelchy effects and jaunty vibe throughout, combined with David’s velvety vocals. ‘Ozone’ completes this trio of classics and ends things on a high with hypnotic bleeps cascading down from the high end, a large slice of bass and that ‘I can’t quite understand’ vocal samples to really set things off.

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Mark's classic 'Shooting Stars' was originally released on the late great 'Offshoot' label in 1998 and became an underground hit, seeing support from a variety of DJ's including Derrick May, Cajmere and of course, Ben Sims. Fast forward 15 years and this uncompromising tough edged disco workout still gets dropped and is highly sought after on the second hand vinyl market, so we thought it was time for a respectful remix package. First up is a brand new firing makeover from the man himself that jacks in all the right places while staying true to original groove, then label head honcho Ben Sims who drops an intense Lil Louis inspired reworking. Uk hero Aubrey gets Dark on us with an intricate and menacing remix while newly formed Fokus Group (aka Paul Mac & Ben Sims) pull no punches with a relentless and harsh interpretation (Vinyl Only).
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Murge Recordings gives way to its 16th release, Transmutation, by label debutant Rico Casazza along with 2 accompanying remixes by techno kingpins, Kirk Degiorgio and Aubrey. All 3 pieces of music offering up something different to the next, from tracks full of textures and groove to straight up peak time techno. More