Lovable Rogues
Look Into Your Eyes

Over the course of the year, the label has assembled four different compositions reflecting each artist's devotion and fascination for synthesizers and drum machines. Melancholic arpeggiators, funk-driven techno grooves, and sharp-filtered vocoded sequences written by Edward Norton. Joyful minor-key bass lines carved into electro-wave atmospheres over Roland Tr-606, 808

The 18th segment of Haŵs’ sonic anthology comes from a hot piece of artistic talent you will know as Anderson. The US-born producer featured on the labels Viral Syndicate digital compilation series back in 2020, and they’ve had him in the crosshairs for a full release ever since. Unsurprisingly, Anseron’s output has been prolific in the last two years, breeding fire for labels such as the force-majeure ‘Wex’, as well as Day By Day and Tresydos.The A1, ‘Sunbeam’, is a new mix of the track originally released in 2020. It has been revisited and refined but the core remains the brilliant same; dynamic prog littered with acid squelches, iconic jungle samples and beautifully arpeggiated keys perforating the backdrop as the new sun rises. ‘It’s Time’ is your reminder to attend the party. Classic intoxicating house with crunchy breaks and doofing kicks. A vocal that never gets old, and is also a mantric verbal formula. Dance, chant and live by the words of the 90s.Protoza kicks off the B-side, a trippin’ acid lowrider with a wonderfully body-wobbling percussive touch. Swampy synths, some rave-classic chords with a balearic feel, what more could your afters desire? Finally we have your Electrified Encounter. Unequivocally trancey elements have been painstakingly rebuilt and embedded into a magnetic creature at the top end of the chug-ometer. Throw in pulsing acid for good measure and the power is unparalleled. Use wisely to avoid a voltaic overload.

It’s been a long wait, pressings difficulties have got in the way, but here finally, slightly out of sequence, is the next release on SuperRhythm Trax.Luca Lozano’s returns for his third EP on the label and turns in something truly special. Packed full of bleeps, bass and breaks, with heavy nods here and there to Sheffield, plus the extra treat of ‘Summer Of Love’ with its dubwise swing and bonus DJ Steve remix for the real Break heads.

OPIA sister label Euphoric State steps up this autumn with more unearthed gems from the 90s, this time at the controls is Skat aka Andy Panayi & Alec Stone, Skat being their name before they took on what became their acclaimed A2 moniker in 94. The “Skat Mode” EP spans across innovative strains of house and electro, packed with energy and charming emotions.
On the A side you can find two slabs of reissued heat from the versatile duo, packing more of a punch than ever. Cruising on an irresistible house groove is “Is Dis Love”, tight drum work and elastic bass lines teased by the nostalgic vocal. “Dinowarp” is a pure example of a hazy deep house chugger for the early hours of the morning, taking you on a trip of blissful synths and melt in your mind textures.
Taking up the B side are two unreleased diamonds from the vast archives of the UK duo, “Jamaica” and “Jump Around”. The first being a playful and animated outing, classy house dynamics driving the dance floor up a notch. “Jump Around” maintains the depth and emotion but at the heart lays a pulsating sub heavy bass to keep you on the move, conversing with the pacey and crisp drum patterns within.
Euphoric State continues to propel dusted off beats for the dance floors of modern day!

If there were a parallel universe, Silverlining would surely inhabit it as a devoted silviculturalist (one who cares and cultivates forest trees; a forester), empowered with superpowers to converse with the plants. But in this realm, the South Londoner can only daydream about a life in the woods from the warmth of his log cabin-inspired studio in the depths of the urban sprawl, accented with the aromas of forest air freshener. His latest Forest Dreams EP channels his pining for pine onto yet another slice of black PVA for your listening and dancing enjoyment. “The Lumberjack’s Call” laments the woodcutter’s cry for “timber” (or is it saying “deeper”?), stripping a disco-tinged house groove through a metaphysical sawmill, punctuated by Motor City-inspired synths. “Tepozteco”, named after the neotropical national park and mountaintop pyramid outside Mexico City, draws inspiration equally from US house grooves of Mood II Swing as it does the ethereal synthetics of early Warp Records. The release closes off with the title track “Forest Dreams” where the latter earthly tones are swept aside to meet the demands of dayglow techno sprites that haunt the electrics of Silverlining’s studio.

Damian Schwartz makes a welcome return to Pulp for his third full-length album, La Sal De Tu Especie. The 11 track record was written over the last three years as a way of coping with some tough experiences and features remixesfrom K15 and Gifted & Blessed. It once again finds the Madrid producer serving up the sort of richly musical house that has always stood him apart.Schwartz has been away for a while but emerged in the early 2000s with an artful take on house music. As a student of jazz, composition and bass, his intricate grooves have always been embellished with real melodic craftsmanship. In the past, they have come on this label, Esperanza and A Harmless Deed which he co-runs with Jose Cabrera. He has put out two albums before now and also works under the Epiphany alias as a producer and live act. He is a real master of his analog machinery and someone who never fails to bring fresh ideas. This superbly adventurous and widescreen new album proves that once again and shows off diverse influences such as 90s broken beat by acts like Hanna and 4 Hero, the early IDM of LFO and Aphex Twin and the Detroit house and electro styles of greats such as Juan Atkins, Teknotika, Marcellus Pittman and Kyle Hall.It kicks off with Renacido which is a cinematic synth opener that places you into orbit. La Elipa is expansive and jazzy house with cosmic chord work over the tight, punchy kicks and Lopp then gets physical with broken beat drums and funky bass dancing around each other to uplifting effect. The superb Zwei Danke is another masterclass in off-grid beat programming and soulful machine sounds that captures the essence of early Detroit house.It is remixed by K15, a vital London beatmaker with credits on labels like Eglo and Wild Oats. His version showcases rugged, lo-fi and dusty drums softened by heart-melting chords and angelic vocal coos.Schwartz's 'Morro Da Urca' is a suspensory ambient interlude that makes way for the crisp electro-funk and starry-eyed pads of 'Rufo,' then 'Meco' cuts loosewith boogie bass and glistening drums and perc that voyage through a whole eco-system of bright, nebulous synths. 'Mika' is another out of this world house composition with majestic leads and pixelated pads that bring warmth and future soul. There is real electricity in the freeform keys and corrugated drums of Coney Island that will ensure any dance floor takes off.Final remixer Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker aka GB (Gifted & Blessed) is a composer and sound artist whose music is a constant exploration of the bridge between the technological and the ancestral. He flips 'Loop' into an Afro-future jazz dance with infectious percussion and expressive chords that never rest.La Sal De Tu Especie is a timeless fusion of jazz freedom and house grooves that takes you into a magical new dimension.