Bakked
Punto Critico EP

Those lockdown silver linings continue to reveal themselves when we least expect it… As proved, once again, by the inimitable Amsterdam techno HQ Deeptrax as they present this stunning analog exploration from scene stalwart Mark Peeters AKA Caim. Inspired, created and sculpted during those strange times when none of us could rave, Caim simply describes the moment by saying the “clubs were closed, but creativity kept on floating”… Now that floatation is bequeathed to us through these warm, rolling and wide-armed frequencies. Tapping into a spirit that goes right back to Detroit and Chicago, there’s an understated groovemanship at play as Calm jams out on the same instruments house and techno forefathers used to sculpt this culture. Music to get lost inside of, music to take away the stresses of the day, music that’s a joy to mix, weave and tell stories with… Caim has created another timeless collection of grooves that could resonate with or relate to any period in the last 35 years of dance music culture. From the warm, opening rumbles of ‘Nepi’ to closing rippling dubwise echoes of ‘Kapura’, very few stones are left unturned as Caim tells a tale of the ages that we can all float to. Here’s to silver linings.

Space Metaphysics is what Artesano Titer and B22 are giving us, a transcendental sci-fi experience. The sound of the new wave of Uruguayan producers is here to stay.Welcome to the acid of the future, hop on the vessel and enjoy the ride.

Childhood Intelligence’s 18th release by ADSR aka. Todd Nickolas & Dominic Paterson from Toronto, Canada. The 2x12” album presents mostly tracks written and produced by Todd, with A1/D1 being in collaboration with Paterson. "Give a teenager in a rural Canadian setting an analog synthesizer, a drum machine and a four-track cassette recorder and feed him a steady diet of 80s EBM, Post-Punk, Synthpop, Electro, Dub, Acid, Hip Hop and House, and you’ll get the kind of genre melding electronic-based music that Todd Nickolas has been known for since his early days of writing and producing." The end result is a versatile one, with “Passive Articulation” presenting abstract Techno - House - Electro visions, and fusing all the elements of vintage Intelligent Dance Music that we cherish so much: warm basslines, beautiful chord progressions, diverse and surprising arrangements infused with haunting melodies, hypnotic cyber sounds, detached vocal cuts and dubbed percussion.…Overall fresh & timeless classiness for the present, past & future.Recorded various locations New Hamburg, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa, Toronto, San Francisco and Los Angeles. ADSR greatly thanks those who were there from the start, those who joined along the journey and those here now.

The first Soul Capsule release gets a timely reissue - certainly if the silly prices it's reached of late on the second hand market - as well as a getting a loving remastering courtesy of D&M. All three parts are swampy, sweaty tech workouts that bump along with an almost indecent willingness to tempt you onto the floor and a groove with way more sexy swing than the minimal genre usually has contact with. Part two is traditionally the most celebrated of the three if internet chatter is to be believed, but some wonderfully subtle go-go percussion makes part three the most immediate of the bunch, with part one's distinctly darkside atmospherics and snippet of female gospel voice clearly wield an air of the classic.

Enter rebellious sonic wonders. Natural Goofy's Planka Records label is finally here.

RED is a project by Francis Latreille aka Priori. It showcases a darker, more chaotic, and rugged sound. Whereas a lot of Piori's work investigates the delicate and elegant aspects of nature and technology, this album delves into the eeriness of it all, the loneliness of rural living, and the appeal of mysticism. Strange sounds and textures are arranged in unpredictable but sometimes surprisingly dancey moments.