ruff daft returns, and after a various artist ep for number 7, number 8 on the label goes back to the founder, with three new tracks from cottam washed out kicks things off, at the cross roads between mood hut & basic channel where dub techno sensibilities meet dreamy chords for a delectable deep house track. horns harks back to cottam s earliest releases, with an afro-ish horn loop teased out over four minutes until the full loop and bass kick in to devastating effect. a ruff draft sees cottam look back towards his techno roots, with a killer kick drum and raw acid lending an abrasive edge to a well rounded ep of varied styles.

for 07 ruff draft enlists twins who turns in a dark, dystopian, club sound scape that hits all the right spots. hayworth is another alias of a well known producer to us ruff drafters, here he creates a track with an intro that teases and teases you before the beat drops and things get all sweaty. cottam digs out some acid from the hard drive, an old forgotten about track that finally gets a release.

paul cottams ruff draft label enjoyed a great first year in 2014, delivering white-hot material from the man himself, lk and romansoff, amongst others. for the imprints first missive of 2015, cottam has recruited cardiff-based rising star chesus, who previously impressed via releases on local talk, 4 lux and catapult. theres naturally much to admire, from the acid-era electronics, delicate synth strings and shimmering chords of opener orbicular, to the dj gregory-ish stabs, wonky electronics and dense, organic-sounding percussion of wyw. bristol-based producer owain k - best known for his hook-ups with jamie anderson on dessous - lends a hand on let it happen, a rather fine slice of warm, immersive, balearic deep house goodness seemingly inspired by the vangelis classic of the same nam

romansoff is the man behind raw tools, a guy who loves to dj and arrange parties in and around bucharest, he is starting to stretch his wings further afield. with a release on machine records inc being his first for another label, romansoff delivered 3 tracks of dancefloor goodness to the ruff draft inbox that made me jiggle in my chair. it was when i got up and started to dance like my dad, and my son started to laugh and point, that i knew it was a winner. i contacted romansoff who suggested we should have a game of stone, paper, scissors to decide the track order

the man behind the end of level boss label, cyclonix, delivers 2 club tracks just the way we like them. already tried and tested in the clubs by our man cottam, who fell in love with the tracks on first listen. they demand to be played in the early hours of the morning in dark basements from nottingham to leyland and beyond. label boss cottam takes over the b side with a leisurely walk back from the supermarket taking the scenic route for no apparent reason.

number 3 on ruff draft comes from louis guilliaume. having met louis back in 2009 and followed his music since way before then, it was an exciting day when we received these tracks from him. known more for his harder edge techno productions on labels such as soundtravels, bio rhythm holland, teng, sd holland and a remix on skudge, here he edges slightly away from that harder sound. the tracks vary from deep, groovy and meandering house to a beatless soundscape reminiscent of early larkin and pullen to a powerful kick drum driven sermon.

played by sames (godzilla kebab), jacques renault, paul thornton (itch / dig deep), superbreak, martin haberland, cottam, sleazy beats recordings, adryiano

cottam is proud to present the first release on his new label, ruff draft. paul cottam came to wider attention with a series of limited edition blank-label 12s released from 2009 onwards, showcasing his production talents by re-working afro-beat, neo-soul, funk & hip-hop into deep house burners, but ruff draft is all about original tracks, and the first release sees three tracks from the man himself.