Electronic EP Roundup: Various Artists – review
CD/LP/DL
Out: Various

Record sleeves scattered around the room, vinyl stacked next to the turntable, the bass bin vibrating like an accessory from Anne Summers and the windows shaking in their frames. That’s what the best electronic music should feel like. A punch to the chest and a throb in the groin, sexy loud and fresh. The antithesis of a chart compilation CD  This stuff makes you move.

I have five EPs, and they are making me smile as I move to the beats. The first EP is from BMB on Liberation Technologies, better known as British Murder Boys. ‘Dead Sun’ has a tribal almost industrial feel, it’s sound is dark and fuzzy with a strange warmth drawing you in. ‘In Another Country’ is more straight ahead sounding, still warm but with a more opened out sound. It has a great helicopter echoing electronic sound across the track.

Their Facebook is HERE and their Twitter HERE

WATCH: BMB Trailer

Next is Diditaline and the ‘Wanna’ EP, out on Cityfox records. ‘Wanna’ has fuzzy beats and a warm and bubbly feel. It finds a groove with a little keyboard hook and it repeats it over and over, a high hat keeping the time. The ‘Wanna’ remix by John Tejada has a more distinct beat and echo, the high hat has more of a hiss and it moves smoothly straight out into the middle of the dance floor, sexy and intriguing. ‘Stuck Off The Realness’ has a latin tinged carnival feel, it will make you wiggle and smile.

Their Facebook is HERE and their Soundcloud is HERE

Jets are a collaboration between Jimmy Edgar and Machinedrum, aka Travis Stewart. It’s been four years in the making and is released on Leisure System records. ‘In Her City’ has muffled percussion as if the drums are covered in cotton wool. On top of this are warm minimal keyboard notes and a looped vocal, all covered over with a vinyl crackle. ‘Sin Love With You’ has more of a broken jarring feel to the rhythm with a stuttering vocal. ‘Meu’ is very muffled and loops around a vocal sample and keyboard sounds, it has a dark sensual feel. ‘Lock Lock Key Key’ builds up with high hats and a broken vocal sample into a slow irritatingly happy catchy track.

Their Facebook is HERE and their Soundcloud is HERE

The fourth release is by U, released on MamMakeMusic records.  ‘Eah’ has dark muffled beats with odd deep electronic noises over the top. It’s out of synch in places and takes you deep into the sound. ‘Evil Spirits’ is almost an ambient track, the beats are broken and stuttering under the deep electronic layer that drives this track along. It’s very understated. ‘Haunted’ has a beautiful soul vocal over straightforward bass drum led beats with squeaks and samples scattered over the top. ‘Heaven’ has another soul vocal over a jazz rhythm with more jarring sounds over the top and the sound of a warped record underlying the track.

WATCH: MMakeU01

The last EP is a The First Shift with two tracks each from Basic Soul Unit and Eddie Niguel. It’s released on Midnight Records. Basic Soul Unit lead off with ‘Late Night Shift’ a dance floor shaker that feels like midnight in a club losing yourself deep in the music, very smooth and very sexy. ‘Black Ice’ has a childlike tune with deep dark percussion, the sound seems to throb and has a warm wide open feel. Eddie Niguel’s first track ‘Paths’ is an understated house burner which you feel is about to explode but never does. ‘Absolute’ has a wiggle inside it. Classic drums and keyboards to make you move around and dance.

Their Facebook is HERE

So the sleeves are now stacked carefully beside the turntable, each record safely in its paper holder, the room is quiet and the lights are back on. An excellent range of electronic sounds across five EP’s that altogether made me move and smile while the tracks burrowed into my head.

All words by Adrian Bloxham. Read more by Adrian HERE.