kindisch is now eighteen releases old, and its mission - to uncover new talent, and to provide a platform for producers to evolve and experiment - is more passionate than ever. this time, the reins are handed to sascha braemer, aka hirtenfellner, and philip bader, who build on the promise of their releases on sup dub and get physical. >mamba drums< is, as its name suggests, a percussive, latin-tinged affair, with sweeping builds and heavy drops, layer upon layer of locomotive percussion and a skeletal four-note vamp designed to whip the listener into a state of frenzy (and sure to be successful in this aim!). a male vocal sample pervades on >thrill<, this time more gruff, more laconic, and edited so that the words become another percussive element rather than carriers of meaning. deep whirlpools of delay open up below a surface drift of jazz-tinged chords, from a minimalist sound palette bader and braemer paint a vastly evocative, effusive picture that will transport the listener, or dancefloor, to a strange and addictive place. >put your arms around me<, implores the soul-infused vocal sample on b >around<, over a yawning vista of synth chords bridged with sibiliant snares and subtle but earth-moving edits that leave no doubt as to braemer and baders mastery of dancefloor dynamics.

minimal phreak out strong release by this swedish dream team of clicks n cuts.. after the fantastic gez varley and geoff white releases in the past few months, persistencebit returns strong once more with the swedish minimal techno artists johan skugge and mikael stavöstrand, who work their collaborative gear into a feverish lather on a new trio of high-octane cuts. immaculately constructed and executed with precision, the duos material isnt as skeletal as one might expect-ample noise and commotion appear alongside the tunesgrooves-and, in its acidy moments, pink phantom sometimes sounds like audion, albeit in a slightly less raucous frame of mind

off-key limited is a new subsidiary label of off-key industries whose aim is to give exposure to new artists alongside established producers and to bring a wider range of genres with less of a focus on the dancefloor. each release will be strictly limited and will not be repressed. we start by raiding the off-key vaults to unleash a series of releases entitled >the dust off<, featuring material written in the off-key studio over the years by matt o brien and various collaborators and associates. matt kicks off the ep with >a new page turns<, a bangin dubby detroit techhouse cut driven by a low slung rhythm and analog stabs dripping in reverb, overlayed with a melodica riff which calls to mind the smokey refrains of augustus pablo. next up is >untitled< by newcomer mat gates, a beatless slice of electronica whose understated melodies conjure up thoughts of late summer evenings of times gone by. on the flip, o brien and gates combine under the artist name kimble to bring you >epiphany<, led by a shimmering melody underpinned with haunting strings which combine to form an electro track of rare beauty. this diverse ep is completed with mat gates second contribution, >in a hole<, a drum n bass track with a disjointed, skeletal rhythm, sub bass drops and fragile, melancholy melody.

deep, dramatic, abstracted d&b from exits most esoteric operator, consequence. test dream is an advanced follow-up to the burial-esque scapes of his 2009 debut, live for never, scanning sci-fi inspired minimal d&b topographies with a filigree attention to detail. ultimately, its not the kind of d&b thatll have you firing shots in the ceiling: its strengths lie in the vivid evocation of dystopian futures and plugged-in, cyber-surreal dream states, conducted with the ability to suspend disbelief and submerge the willing participant in a whole other headspace. that said, there are dancefloor-ready moments like the sinuous, sub-heavy soul sees spirit, but the best moments occur when the dancefloor seems to be receding beneath your feet / sofa, as with the whirring autechre-ian dynamics of magda trench and the majestic loveshell, or the flickering, skeletal remains of marlo.