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| Showing Reviews From 1 to 10 of 144 |
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Back Room Vol 1 |
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Back Room Vol 1
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Various
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Kinky Sweet
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Darran Nugent
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26 May 2006
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na |
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| Reviewed
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Darran Nugent |
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Nevermind the bollox that passes for a dance compilation these days and get yourself a copy of Kinky Sweet's 'Back Room Vol.1'. All the dad housers and anyone else for that matter who can appreciate quality house music will find something to get their ear lobes twitching here. House regulars like Chris Brann, H Foundation, King Britt, Rhythm Slaves, The Rurals, Crazy P & Weekender are all in top form as well as others that might not be instantly recognisable to the occasional back room dabbler. There's some seriously cool shit on the speakers in this back room and some of my favourites include King Britt's sexy mix of H Foundation's 'Tonight' - it's even called his sexy mix too :). There's a Dub of 'The Light you will see' by the Rhythm Slaves by flavour of the moment Trentmöller as well as the Prince-tastically inspired Swag remix of Sean Dimitri's 'So Hot'. There's 22 tracks sprawled over two CD's and the mixing is excellently unobtrusive at all times thanks to Nic Conef of Mettle Music fame. No super star DJ tom foolery here thankfully - just great music!
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Jazz Vibes: Lounge Selection |
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Jazz Vibes: Lounge Selection
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Various
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Mettle Music
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Darran Nugent
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25 May 2006
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na |
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| Reviewed
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Darran Nugent |
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With the summer looming around the corner it's time to track down the soundtrack to accompany those lazy days on the beach or as fate would have it - for driving to and from work while we dreaming of the beech. Either way music is always a good way to get the summer vibe going and here Mettle Music do just that with some lazy, blissed-out anthems for you to melt away with. Featuring tracks by Nigel Hayes, Jersey Street, Square One, The Halftones and the Mettle Music Collective among others the chill factor has been turned up to the max. If you like chilled jazzy riffs, mellow chords & sweet, laid-back vocals then look no further. Highlights include Jersey Street's uplifting 'Nightingale', the super-smooth deep house on 'When Lights are Low' by Square One and the irresistible ghetto-swagger of The Halftones's oddly titled 'Cut My Throat'. All-in-all this is a very solid, proper music package that deserves your attention right now, even if the sun's not shining!
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Sampler 1 |
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Sampler 1
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V/A
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PE! Music
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Darran Nugent
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10 Jan 2006
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Darran Nugent |
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Del Costa & Pedro Goya kick off proceedings with a sweet, minimal old school romp, packed with just the right amount of funky bleeps and beats and spoken word samples. Jacob's 'Green Flash' is more than slightly reminiscent of that Green Velvet track from years back, while Vernon & DaCosta's 'Uptown Girls' takes a smoother approach with an instant appeal that should get your head nodding right off the bat. Last but not least is Natasza & Oscarsix with a funky, bumpy number called 'From The Oldschool' and as the title suggests this is in a good-old-days house style and all the better for it. All in all a very sweet package with something for everyone. |
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Latin Vibes 'Vinyl Selection: Part One' |
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Latin Vibes 'Vinyl Selection: Part One'
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Various
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Mettle Music
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Darran Nugent
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05 May 2005
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na |
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| Reviewed
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Darran Nugent |
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Catalogue: MM005
Release Date: May 2005
Mettle Music's fifth release sees the label taking the plunge into the compilation market with a new series of 12's to get the Latin spirit really cooking. Rio Orchestra take us on a serious Latin trip on the first two tracks, the first of which is remixed by the Mettle Music boys (Nic Conef & Mark Wadsworth). Deep, sumptuous chords, gentle shuffling rhythms, congas, soothing piano and flutes all come together to create a sultry soundtrack to the Summer. The Club Mix' of 'Salsa del Rios' keeps the vibe intact but turns up the heat a little with more uptempo beats and infectious horns. Canadian producer Shawn Ward drops in on track three with 'Coconut Lounge' - a true Miami beach party tune if there ever was one. Super smooth beats, stylish flute solos and the essential Latin flavour are all present. Marcus Travia's 'Hombres' rounds off the package with it's slow, strutting beats and downright 70's feel. Trippy guitars and a healthy helping of muted horns and gentle Rhodes-style melodies make this a slow-burning treat. |
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Poker Flat Vol. 4 |
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Poker Flat Vol. 4
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V/A
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Poker Flat
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Darran Nugent
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15 Apr 2005
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na |
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Darran Nugent |
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You've gotta love this label. Poker Flat have always stuck to their guns, releasing some of the best minimal, funky house around, while at the same time ignoring trends and developing artists they believe in. If you've followed the label this far you'll already be familiar with names like Steve Bug, Martin Landsky, Phonique and Detroit Grand Pubahs. If not then this is as good a place to start as any and get educated. Kicking off with the John Carpenter styled 'FM Safari' by Martin Landsky there are plenty of highlights on the first CD to choose from including 'Big Onion', which comes off sounding like Prince on a drugged-up house trip, as well as the ten-tone pressure of 'She's Heavy Metal' by the Martini Bros. The second CD is mixed by Jeff Samuel and features even more quirky, minimal delights. Check out 'Bug In Your Brain' by Steve Bug or Phonique & The Usual Suspects (Phil Weeks & David Duriez) on 'Altered Rock' for some dirty house fun. The CD also comes packed with exclusives from Dublin producer Donnacha Costello, Vincenzo & Alexi Delano among others. Check it out, you definitely won't be disappointed.
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Photoshot/Wishpole |
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Photoshot/Wishpole
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Flash Atkins Vs. Monsieur Manton
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3 am Recordings
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Darran Nugent
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15 Apr 2005
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na |
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Darran Nugent |
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3am are back after a burst of excellent EP's with another whopper. 'Photoshot' kicks off nicely with a chunky rhythm section before an old school acid bass line rips in, backed up with a tough and dark vocal sample. The track has a distinctly back-in-the-day vibe about it with it's warped synth stabs and manic drum fills. 'Wishpole' is a little subtler in it's approach but has the same feel-good head-nodding attitude. Here the acid bass lines are replaced with a warm bubbling bass and sultry chord stabs but it's got some serious bumpy beats keeping the groove upbeat and extremely danceable, and that's what it's all about right? Proper house music. |
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Moodswings Vol. 4 |
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Moodswings Vol. 4
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Mettle Music
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Mettle Music
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Darran Nugent
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15 Apr 2005
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na |
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| Reviewed
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Darran Nugent |
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Mettle Music's second album 'Moodswings' showcased the duo's knack for crafting classy music, be it house or whatever. Here the vinyl addicts get to taste the tracks in glorious 12-inch plastic. First up is 'On The Bounce', which has all their trademark ingredients - swirling synths and fx, super smooth kick drums and percussion, live guitars, horns and funky bass lines. 'Honeytrap' is a lush downtempo number that could easily be mistaken for a Marvin Gaye backing track - it's that deep and laid back. 'Scary Things' is anything but scary. Instead it's one of the highlights here with tight, groove-inducing congas, 70's TV-styled strings and more funk than two white guys from Manchester should legally be able to come up with. 'Back Again' drops some broken beats into the mix with more in your face bass grooves and spot on musical arrangement. This is timeless music that's yours to enjoy right now. Don't miss it.
Check out www.mettlemusic.co.uk for more info.
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The Quest |
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The Quest
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Mod X
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Ice & Spice
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Darran Nugent
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10 Feb 2005
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na |
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| Reviewed
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Darran Nugent |
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To describe 'The Quest' is not an easy task really due to the amount of styles literally jammed into the main mix. Take a heavy dose of house, hip hop, soul and afro and mix it up with hectic tribal rhythms, jumpy beats and a touch of ragga and you're only halfway there. One thing is for sure there won't be a record all year that'll sound like it and that has to be a good thing. House heads will feel more at home with the Paul Murphy (Afro Art) remix on the flip side. A head-nodding 4/4 beat gets the tempo moving nicely while Paul builds an interesting palette of sounds to match the original's complexity. For more on Ice & Spice check out:
http://www.iceandspicerecords.com
Check out the video @
http://www.adlzco.com/modx/index.html
Paste the link into your browser. |
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'Deutscherwerkbund' [Cynic 03] |
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'Deutscherwerkbund' [Cynic 03]
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Das Etwas
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Cynic
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Darran Nugent
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10 Feb 2005
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na |
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| Reviewed
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Darran Nugent |
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The latest release on cynic is top quality affair. Opening with the bass heavy title track, which is deep, dark and dirty in all the right places. But what really makes this track is the slow brooding fx-laden guitars that weave in and out of the mix in between the weird sounds and murky but fun space-age squeaks. Arbeitsratfurkunst on the flip side is a low-slung groover with more than a nod to the good old days of acid abandon and warbling basslines. Weissenhofsiedlung rounds off the package with another groovy number that fits easily in between the likes of Moodymann, Derek Carter and Tiefschwartz. Quality! |
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'Real/Where Did it Go' [Cynic 02] |
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'Real/Where Did it Go' [Cynic 02]
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L.H.A.S.Inc.
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Cynic
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Darran Nugent
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10 Feb 2005
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na |
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Darran Nugent |
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The second release on Cynic carries on from their very fine first release with even more cool, dirty deepness. 'Real' finds a minimal eighties-styled bass line kicking the groove into gear while a dreamy synth oozes smoothly over the top. Here it's really a case of less is more as the bass line morphs slowly to form the backbone of the track. 'Where did it go' comes off sounding like something Larry Heard used to produce back in the day - seriously deep and melodic. 'One, Two, Three' is clearly influenced by the deeper shade of Detroit and sounds like it could easily have come from either Stacey Pullen or one of his cohorts. 'Spring Track' finishes of the EP and keeps the warm Detroit feeling intact to the end. Fans of quality music be it house or techno will lap this up.
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