Thursday 26 March 2015

Ben Boe - Leagues To Light Years - Boe Recordings




For those that know, Boe Recordings has been one of the tidiest labels on the modern house underground for more than eight years already. Inspired by Chicago and Detroit, owner Ben Boe (aka Ben Parkinson) runs a tight ship and has cherry-picked now-rated artists either early doors or even ahead of the game, respected talent such as KiNK, Kris Wadsworth, Leif and Perseus Traxx. 

His own productions have until now, however, been restricted to much-accomplished appearances on V/A releases on his own label, due in part to the man’s determination to get things just so. By his own admission, Parkinson is a bit of a perfectionist. But at long last he has reached the point at which he is comfortable in making what is, it must be said, an assured solo debut on the very excellent Leagues To Light Years EP.

It’s three tracks of superior-grade spaced-out deepness. Opening track Ganymede is a raw and bold journey that trips along with real purpose, burbling cosmic chords and swathes of shimmering intergalactic synths holding their own against the chunky kick and heavy vibe. 

DEEeep-r does, perhaps not unexpectedly, exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a journey of a slightly more gentle kind, the heavy bass cushioned to perfection, the sub-aqueous layers mesmerising and the chopped-up vocal incantation to “go deeper, stay longer” pushing home the message. It is a truly absorbing and classy track and one of the best heard round these parts so far this year.

Rounding off proceedings is Atomic Fuzz. Breakbeat in style and with a more intense and heavy feel than the rest of the EP, it rather neatly underlines Parkinson’s undoubted range and ability, as well as portend very well indeed for future output from the Yorkshire-born producer.

Check out:
Leagues To Light Years @ Juno

Wednesday 4 March 2015

FD - Two Timer (No Aass He Losin Edit) - Yore




Yore’s Andy Vaz doesn’t come across as someone to rest on his laurels. Onwards and upwards seems to be his mantra. Having kept the Cologne-based label purring like a finely-tuned sports car over the years with releases from the likes of Alton Miller, Kez YM, Rick Wade and, lest we forget, his good self too and in a variety of formats, flavours and varieties, Vaz marches on with another first for the imprint.

This time a single-sided twelve from hitherto little-known producer Flavio Diners. Two Timer (No Aass He Losin edit) began life a few years back as a strictly-limited stamped red vinyl white label. Now it’s back with the Yore gloss sprinkled all over it.

Still super limited, this time to 200 pieces on white vinyl, Two Timer is a certifiable one-sided super slo-mo funkified nu-disco bomb. Stretched over nearly nine glittering minutes, the track struts gamely and fabulously like a baby mammoth in a spandex bodysuit and afro wig. The seventies-style deep soul samples are bang-on, in keeping with the retro vibe and ambience of the piece, working splendidly alongside the gloriously flabby and rough-hewn kick. Oozing funk with a big F and with no small amount of soul injected either, Two Timer is something of a must-have if slowed-down nu-disco funk is your thang.

Check out:
Yore Records online
Two Timer @ Juno