stylishly darker d&b steppers off the linden & blocks lorry. highlights have to be the hardstepper -lights over io- and the dramatic tech-step agility of -queen of my empire-.

the darkside of hardcore is back, even more heavy, even more experimental! this time the curse is casted by meccano twins and the subtitle confirm it: the wrath of god! dont expect cheap melodies or mainstream tracks, the sound is fat, extreme, harder than ever. many unreleased tracks from top producers like tommyknocker, tieum, meccano twins, promo, armageddon project, nosferatu, angel of darkness and many others. darkside: hardcore to his exteme level!

you can forgive a band who set out to create something even just a little bit different and get it horrendously wrong, but its tough to have sympathy for a band who shy away from the challenge altogether. such was the case with autokratz on their first album, animal, which, apart from a passable opening track, consisted of a series of bland electronic pastiches Ð dance music that conversely made the listener want to sit and wait it out. that didnt stop the hype building around the duo, though, thanks in no small part to the fact that the album was released through in-vogue french label kitsunŽ music. the confusing positivity surrounding the lp suggesting, perhaps, that style overcomes substance once a record company has received the hipster seal of approval.this time around, however, kitsune has stepped aside, with autokratz releasing the follow-up on their own label, bad life. but has the sense of responsibility that surely comes with this step made them re-evaluate their direction? has it inspired them to inject a much-needed shot of creativity into their work? not a hope. if anything, autokratz descend even further into mediocrity on self help for beginners. once again, their best tunes are loaded towards the front of the album, starting with the lead single, -opposite of love. its far from outstanding, helped in no small part by the terribly contrived lyrics, but does possess a catchy synth melody Ð enough to earn it a place on club playlists, at least. its a similar story with -becoming the wraith, which has peter hook on hand to deliver an overtly new order-esque bassline. beyond that, however, the quality dips dramatically. tracks like -the seventh seal and -r.i.s.e. are typical of the selection on offer, underwhelmingly vapid, derivative tunes which show up a disappointing, but not totally unexpected, scarcity of guile on the part of their creators.where autokratz do excel is as producers Ð a quality evident not only in their own work, but also in their remixes for other artists. unfortunately, this only serves to exacerbate their deficiencies on the other side of the control room desk. ultimately it may mean that, having failed to address the shortcomings of their debut, autokratz will be fated to be filed under -also rans in the annals of music history. thats assuming, of course, that someone out there will actually remember them at all.

heidis-run jackathon parties have been hitting cities internationally since late 2009, now with residencies in london, berlin, paris, miami, manchester and amsterdam Ð jackd house is truly taking a fair slice of the scene. the compilation isnt an add on, a supplement to the nights: its deep grounded sound and thoughtfully crafted line-up backs up the global club-motion that is emerging within heidis control.mix favourites step up as the deep and bassy foundings of deetrons the juggler, funk-told incoming bitch by soul clap and move-strong whiff it yawl from jamie jones. although the first mix this year to really engage in houses history, its freedom status Ð it escapes cliche, avoiding big cheez for serious deep, electronics: heidi keeps the listing real. the especially-recorded vocal drops of house-legend derrick carter also make the record what it is, his infamous chicago-born vox gives residence to what heidis trying to do: resurrect the old school.dancefloor destruction is on pause, the club is still a playground, still moving hard theres just more room to play now, as steve bugs last track titles: jacks back.

since his first two personal album releases on kilk records, serafim tsotsonis has been developing into a talented musician. with the release of his brand new album. beautiful people, the greek artist takes a step further, presenting even more facets of his diverse talent with a work of exceptional polyphonic delights.in the albums opening track red, green, blue, a unique postmodern lullaby, the serene atmosphere of a childs room, is pierced with the sounds of an urban environment. an imposing performance by zach soars together with a chorus comprised by mikael delta, kid moxie, kiki, antoneta kotsi, fay depasta and serafim himself. at the same time, dimitri vassilakis, one of the foremost recognized greek wind musicians, adds further brushstrokes of sensitivity with his saxophone. with relaxed beats, unequivocal references to 80s melancholic electronica and the vocals of kiki and kid moxie, my own sea invites the listener to dive into the waters of his own dream world. in a way, it constitutes a continuation of serafims past creations, as heard in his earlier works, a fact that is sure to satisfy the most loyal of the artists fans. the dubstep references in the intro of so good, are intertwined with the modern electronic sound of berlin and the saxophone of dimitri vassilakis comes in at the end, marking a shift that leads to an exploration of new sound structures, in which european metronomy meets neo-jazz. the most radio-friendly track of the album comes with far away, a mutated balearic rhythm interpreted unpredictably by the rock-tinged voice of norwegian sverre olav r¿dseth. catch the cloud is where the album really takes off. a deep tech anthem for clubbers around the world, one can imagine it featured on the soundtracks of films such as berlin calling, had it been released sooner

rinse 14 mixed by youngsta

boundary-pushing, thrilling, unique: psychedelic horseshit blaze with a vitality reminiscent of fatcat alumni animal collective and black dice in those bands early, wildly creative incipience. laced marks a forward stylistic shift for the band, delivering a coherent set of bustling, hookladen, melted outsider pop songs. keeping a step ahead of the lo-fi scene they christened -shitgaze-, theyve drawn on a broad range of influences instead of the xeroxed anorexia of many of their peers, have ruffled feathers by critically speaking out, and carved out caustic, humorous social commentary.

heres the network, 15 tracks produced by marc mac, one-half of the award winning production oufit 4hero. the album has been hailed as the return of real undiluted hip hopand is getting great support through many eclectic hip hop online radio stations worldwide.

fantastic music collection incl. shawn lee, slackwax, radio citizen, roger sanchez, miguel migs, samantha james

the hits of 2010!

hercules and love affair Ð the name itself combines images of strength and vulnerability, masculinity and femininity, as well as a classic disco troupe. their music on their self-titled album debut followed suit. strident beats but sweetness at the core. music with a plan of attack but an identity as fluid as that of its creators. a gloriously burnished fusion of three decades of dance, from disco to house, acid to synth-pop, derrick may to giorgio moroder (and lets not forget yazoo), but sounding like no other dance record before Ð or since. and now theyve gone and done it again. the troupes second album blue songs represents the best that dance music can get Ð still bursting with freshness while in touch with its roots. as mainman andy butler says, >its a softer record in some ways, and at other moments a more aggressive record too.< the album also reveals more about his world and his songwriting, resulting in a more honest, and yet more universal, record

seefeels fusion aus psychedelischem shoegazer-postrock & vertrackter elektronik war mitte der 1990er dermassen mutig & stilbildend, dass warp die band als ersten act mit gitarre auf dem damals noch reinen dance & electronic-label signte. nach einem phŠnomenalen liveauftritt auf dem warp20 event in paris ende 2009 folgte dann der dringende appell des warp-mitbegrŸnders steve beckett an die neuformatierte band, diese kunst auch auf tontrŠger zu pressen. das ergebnis liegt nun in form des gleichnamigen, neuen albums vor. laut britischer times verweilen seefeel dabei nicht in vertrŠumter shoegazer-laune, sondern lassen gutgelaunt horrorfilm-noises & floorzerstšrende beats mit einer intensitŠt aufeinderprallen, die ihresgleichen sucht!

deluxe limited edition reissue! neon golden + bonus dvd! on/off the record - a documentary featuring the notwist by joerg adolph!

84 tracks - 2 cd compilation! hier finden sich die derzeit besten und angesagtesten dance-hits, die diesen sommer auf allen wichtigen europaeischen dancefloors rauf und runter gespielt werden.

digging duo kon & amir occupy a select corner of the dj world, with radio, mix-cds, live sets and compilations on their radar. theirs is a slowly-but-steadily growing catlogue crammed with timeless releases: six volumes of their widely celebrated on track mixtape series, a highly regarded compilation

originally created in 1994, christian smiths tronic label holds a special place in techno circles. with the momentum of his recent successes behind him and the strength of fresh inspiration driving his ambition forward, 2010 promises to be a vintage year for the new, super-charged christian smith. having recently made his second appearance on bbc radio 1s essential mix, spring 2010 will see christian embark on a world tour to accompany his soon to be released debut solo album >directors cut<.

the highly anticipated collaboration between horace andy and alpha is finally released after years in the making matching horaces highly distinctive vocal style to corin dingleys signature production. 8 and a half minutes of rumbling basslines and skittering rhythms not dissimilar to some of the early rhythm & sound 10 inch dubplates.

the new cloud9 compilation

incl. aquasky, buckfunk 3000 and bassbin twins