under cover for many years, this affie yusuf two tracker finally sees the light of day on the acclaimed mindyourhead imprint. comes on a generally deep green, mixed colour marbled 12’’ vinyl. affie yusuf paved the way uk acid house scene and so much more, releasing techno and acid throughout his career. mindyourhead records recognises that sometimes you need to look a little bit into the past to move ahead and has re-launched the label with this vinyl only release. ‘parrot soup’ is a fine example of just how a track title can have absolutely no relevance to the music whatsoever. this is a lovingly constructed example of how to convey images with sound, this music renders images brimming with joy and loss, icy cold chills and the warmth of the first rays of sun on a spring morning. tight, punchy drums with crisp 808 snares and driving toms lovingly complimented with dream-like pad sequences, soul searching strings and lush bassline form a quality crossover track that will appeal to lovers of many styles of techno and house. ‘something special’ is on a different tip, more driving and direct in style with the ‘everybody…’/ ‘something special’ vocal samples put to great use (need to be heard in context!) and that essential marching ‘affie acid’ bassline. the lead follows a similar pattern to the acid but pulls your head in a slightly different direction leaving the listener suitably twisted!! this proper ‘party acid’ has just the right level of balls to destroy a dancefloor without scaring off the faint of heart. lovely work affie!!

borai returns to them with a four-track ep consisting of two 140 bpm jungle workouts, a moody breakbeat dubstep track and a haunting acid-techno warehouse stomper. ruffneck club music for 2018.

lab personnel is a very intriguing collaboration between a number of producers hailing from croatia. members include zarkoff (member of sumerian fleet), neon lies, ikonal many more (total eight members). the tracks were recorded during synth lab 4 improvisational sessions in pisak in 2017. the album is a dense and stormy affair overall with mesmerizing and dark synths. the styles presented drift between genres including acid techno, electro, ebm, and other hybrids. all instrumental, the lp is a brooding journey into diverse techno soundscapes with eight strong tracks that will not disappoint.