Moderator - Street Bangerz Volume 10 (Cold Busted)

Cold Busted's famed Street Bangerz series has reached its tenth installment, continuing to, in the words of the label, "define the street sound of today." Indoctrinating global beatmakers into Cold Busted's extended family, the series promises nimble sample archeology and breakbeats both funky and soulful, combining flavors from the new and old schools. The Athens, Greece, producer Moderator has been tasked with number ten, and he delivers in a champion fashion. Last year's The World Within album for Cult Classic Records gave a tantalizing taste of what to expect from Moderator as Street Bangerz Volume 10 now rolls onto the scene. Fifteen tracks of bouncing beat-head hotness are introduced by the crucial soul-breaks of "Ain't Nobody Change My Mind" … and it won't take much further than "Trouble"'s Jamaican-style skank in the following track to realize the variety of sounds presented here. "Underground Dopiness" and "Keep On", a couple of classic-themed hip hop tracks featuring Los Angeles rhyme crew Revolutionary Rhythm, and appearances by female emcee Maicee and soulful vocalist Heeni also display Moderator's impressive sonic breadth. But the cohesive thread throughout is Moderator's keen production acumen and solid beats, keeping this edition of Street Bangerz on track for repeated listens and dance floor plays.

Kid Loco - "Top Class. All tracks are ace. He ain't no 'moderator', this guy is the liquidator. Best beats around for a while."
Nightmares On Wax - "Some solid stuff on here … will support through the summer."
Opolopo - "Good stuff!"
All Good Funk Alliance - "Dope beats and tough soul edits."
Fort Knox Five - "Super variety of funky goodness."
The Reflex (G.A.M.M. / Basic Fingers) - "Tastefully done!"
Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s) - "There's lots to get excited about on here."
Ben Mono (Undertones Gang / Plant Music) - "Dope stuff."
Monk-One (Names You Can Trust / Wax Poetics) - "Nice boom bap."
SimonG (Deep South Audio, New Zealand) - "Some scorchin' beats … Cold Busted draw on their army of producers to deliver more funk filled sexiness."
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) - "This is what it's all about … stone solid beats!"
Jamie Topham (CDPool) - "Love this Street Bangerz series and boy are there some on this from Moderator … all killers, no fillers."

Available now from Bandcamp, Beatport, iTunes, and Spotify.

Danced Til Midnight - More Of Love / No Way Back (Thylacine Sounds)

Fresh out of the UK, London's Danced Til Midnight made their debut last year on the Thylacine Sounds imprint. The Sun Bleach EP 12" netted support from purveyors of disco like Tensnake, Miguel Campbell, and Severino, and received a solid 5-out-of-5 from noted dance music authority The Ransom Note. Now this funky project is back on the scene with a follow-up, "More of Love", backed with the equally wonderful "No Way Back".

Producer and DJ Andy Anderson, who cut his teeth around Southend's growing alternative music scene, met Wigan-born vocalist and The Dunes' front woman Carmelle on East London's soul club circuit. Inspired by a mutual love of all things funky, the duo embarked on a musical partnership to create something truly unique; electronic sun-drenched grooves with clear undertones of eras gone past. Collaborating with a range of artists including brass collective The Killer Horns (from Bonobo's touring band) and Boiler Room regular Tall Black Guy, their uplifting yet emotional blend of old and new school funk and disco continues to attract all the right attention.

"More of Love" is a sensually charged slice of 'nu soul' that aims to get the floor bumping and grinding, no matter the hour. Its slinky live rhythm track – featuring a filtered bass line to make Bootsy proud – quickly sets the tone, and the cool guitar riffs, synth melodies, and Carmelle's exquisite vocal performance combine into a potential modern funk classic. "No Way Back" offers an addictive sax hook from The Killer Horns and a driving bass groove accompanied by Hendrix-style floating guitar from Andy Anderson and jazz aficionado Daniel Parker. Again, Carmelle is on point with a vocal harking back to the best moments of British soul.

The first remix comes from the notorious disco doyens Faze Action who turn "More of Love" into a supercharged dance floor bomb. These groovy brothers showcase their renowned production acumen with a sonically abundant treatment that doesn't sacrifice the winning elements of the original one bit. Meanwhile, Glasgow's heady beat champion The Revenge takes "No Way Out" and creates a pulsating builder that owns the deeper shades of Balearic beach house. The vocals float elegantly above the remix's mesmerizing rhythm construction and when those horns come in … bam!

This is one release that transports you effortlessly to the poolside, the musical embodiment of the longest, hottest, and most mischievous summer.

Quentin Harris - "The Revenge mix for me."
Ursula 1000 - "Hot."
Fort Knox Five - "Digging the late night classic soul-funk of the original but the Faze Action remix is also a super funky disco tune!"
Rainer Trueby - "The Revenge remix is damn cool."
Johnwaynes (Cécille Records / Compost) - "Excellent. It's good to know soul, funk, and disco type stuff is still healthy with these proper releases."
Nick Holder - "I'm digging all these mixes."
Tensnake - "That Revenge remix is nice."
Sleazy McQueen - "Perfect remix compliments!"
Larry Tee - "Tasty!"
Hard Ton (Toy Tonics / Luv Shack) - "I soooo love this. The remixes are dope, and the originals are very cool, too."
Abicah Soul - "Nice!"
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "Yes … this is great!"
Al Mackenzie (Great Outdoors / Brassneck) - "Ace. Both remixes are excellent."
Rayko (Rare Wiri / Eskimo) - "Nice release. I've loving the Faze Action remix."
Alkalino - "I really like the vibe of The Revenge's mix."

Available now from Juno Download and Traxsource.

Jay Tripwire - Cascadia Represent! (Viva Recordings)

Jay Tripwire returns to Viva Recordings with his Cascadia Represent! EP, the long-awaited follow-up to his last contribution to the label, 2012's Pacific Northwest Soundscapes EP. One of the sonic masters working in the 'between deep house and techno' genre of tech house, Jay Tripwire has amassed a hefty discography – at least 300 production credits on vinyl alone – and an unassailable reputation for tough, spacey, forward-thinking nightclub sounds. The Cascadia Represent! EP continues the journey with three fantastic tracks that fit squarely within the audio ethos of the extended Viva family.

The dark drive of "W R Consumers" opens the affair, featuring warm stabs, chiming arpeggiations, and spooky phased-out dialogue. The cut confidently builds, becoming fuller and bassy-er over its ten minutes, presenting the listener with plenty to groove on. "Made For Doc" is introduced with a more percussive tribal-ish rhythm as a jaunty bass line and dubbed out vocals enter the spectrum. There's a sprig of outer space funk that'll send the dance floor into galactic permutations. The EP closes nicely with "She Ain't Talkin'", which finds a long, extra-deep intro preceding layers of string-like pads, bright sequences, and a dramatic breakdown that lead to a mid-point acid excursion. Let it loose on the proper underground.

Laurent Garnier - "Love 'She Ain't Talkin''!"
Nick Warren (Hope Recordings) - "A wonderful release from Jay Tripwire."
Phonique (Dessous Recordings) - "Bomb!"
Terry Francis (Wiggle / Fabric) - "'She Ain't Talkin' for me."
Chris Fortier (Fade) - "Jay Tripwire is a beast … always creates great vibes."
Giom (Supremus Records / Large Music) - "Great work!"
Ingo Sänger (Farside Recs / Westpark Unit) - "A very nice three tracker. The percussion-driven 'Made For Doc; is my favorite."
Murray Richardson (Electrica Salsa / Rebel Waltz) - "Brilliant stuff as usual from Jay Tripwire ... 'WR Consumers' is moody as f&%k."
Shane Johnson (Fish Go Deep) - "The deeper groove of 'Made for Doc' is my thing here. Warm, swirling pads and a nice loose vibe."
Hippie Torrales - "Loving the deep groove. Bass thumping."
Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart / DCSTrax) - "Yet more stunning dance floor action from one of my favorite producers … great work. I love all three. Fantastic."
Tyler Stadius (Deepsite / Dialtone Records) - "Super slick! These will be tripping people out for certain."
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "Jay Tripwire's work is always first class and he nails it again … stunningly dark vibes. Ace."

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, iTunes, and Spotify.

Gina Breeze - Crystal Black EP (Get Up Recordings)

The next release on Get Up Recordings comes from Manchester’s Gina Breeze. The Crystal Black EP is her sophomore effort for the label and the DJ / producer is giving it her all straight from the underground with no signs of slowing down. The EP contains two original tracks and two remixes, one from NYC’s Michael Magnan and the other from label co-owner W. Jeremy.

Early in her career, Gina Breeze held a DJ residency at the legendary SpeedQueen night club in Manchester. Her love of house music blossomed and Gina gained great support culminating in an invitation to play on the G-Stage at the world-famous Glastonbury Festival, as well as invitations to play at the ever-growing Parklife Festival and the Mixmag Residents arena at Creamfields. In 2013, Gina won the Parklife Festival Producer Competition with a track called “Don’t Stop”. The track was chosen by three heavy hitters of house music – Heidi, Eats Everything, and Jackmaster – which added confidence to this new music producer. The track was snapped up by Layers, an Italian record label who are focusing on infectious house beats. “Don’t Stop” received support from Him_Self_Her & Kerri Chandler. In 2015, still producing under “MissB”, Gina had her first EP released with NYC’s Get Up Recordings. This saw a remix from label boss Christy Love and a dark techno rework from Dr. Sleep. After recently playing her debut at Manchester’s finest HomoElectric at Antwerp Mansion, Gina is now proud to be part of the HomoElectric team.

The Crystal Black EP jumps off with techy-rhythmic future stealth “Crystal Black”, with a remix courtesy of Michael Magnan. If you live in New York City and dwell amongst the downtown music / fashion scene, chances are you’ve heard of Michael Magnan. The DJ / producer / artist has been turning out parties for what seems like ages and infusing hit songs with his signature brand of musical swag. Magnan fuses art, music, and fashion together on his popular blog Wickephobica and with his involvement in the collective House of Ladosha. He is also one-half of the DJ / production duo Fatherhood along with Physical Therapy. His take on “Crystal Black” features his signature runway sub-bass driven beats.

The second track on the EP, called “Disco Hoe”, is a heavy drum and kick techno jam with the remix from W. Jeremy. This NYC-based DJ / producer is co-owner of Get Up Recordings with such artists on the roster as Honey Dijon, Tedd Patterson, Kim Ann Foxman, Quentin Harris, Discodromo, Brodanse, and Vin Sol. He has produced under the moniker House of Stank with label partner Christy Love as well as independently as W. Jeremy with releases on Trax, Good For You, Kid Recordings, and Rebel Eye. His translation of “Disco Hoe” comes way of a house groove and keeps true to the unique changing structure of the original.

Chris Fortier (Fade) - "This sounds good."
Larry Tee - "Hot ones!"
Onionz (Electrik Soul) - "Bangin'."
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "Awesome … the Michael Magnan remix is ENERGY."
Nico De Ceglia (Hyena Stomp / CODEX) - "Nice tracks and remixes."
Moodymanc (20/20 Vision) - "Strong stuff all round! Michael Magnan's remix sounding particularly good here."
Lee Guthrie (Click Therapy / Wiggle) - "'Crystal Black' is my pick here."
Chris Udoh (Tigerhook) - "Just plain hot."
Esette (Substation Recordings / Girls on Decks) - "Rough and tough, this is going to blow some lids off. A super strong release."
Leri Ahel (Mutant Disco Radio Show) - "Brilliant … love for them all."
DJ Zach (Subtronic End Radio Show) - "Wicked. 'Disco Hoe' is the heat."
DJ Firefly (Couch Dancing Radio Show) - "Dark and driving … nice!"
Tariq Ziyad (Nu Urban ERA) - "Awesome release. I love both tracks and both remixes."

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, iTunes, and Spotify.