Plej Electronic Music From the Swedish Leftcoast

Built on its bedrock of solid basslines, Plej (pronounced “play”) builds jazz-house skyscrapers that hover playfully over the hard techno that has defined Sweden for a decade or so. Part of the Gothenburg (“Gonkyburg”) scene, Arvid and Erik Niklasson perfectly complement the likes of Hollow Recordings, Swell Session and Dot label refugee Jonas Quant. In fact, it is Quant’s quirky influence that makes for especially strong cuts like “Jabo’s Night Out,” where electro archetypes lunge forward. At times Plej flits a bit too close to the vocal-house sun, but otherwise successfully reaches the right heights. “

kathy Diamond Sunshine

On her debut release on the Idjut Boys’ homegrown imprint Cottage, Kathy Diamond brings a gorgeous slow-burner produced by Dr. Scratch, otherwise known as Maurice Fulton. Our favorite maverick blends ethereal pads, jagged beats and bubbling bass into a sweet, subtle funk. Sung in sugary tones, Diamond’s ode to love, “sunshine and rainbows” may seem a strange sentiment for a bonny Northern lass, but it’ll surely put a smile on the face of the Haight-Ashbury contingent.

Sao Benitez Elemental EP Two: Air and Water

While his Mr. Hermano project pays tribute to all things Latin, Ben Mitchell’s Sao Benitez moniker salutes Brazil with a style that runs the gamut from batucada to bossa. Culled from the Elemental album, the EP features classic dancefloor reworks of Los Amigos Fandango, Gil Felix, Paula Lima and Ive Mendes, all showcasing Mitchell’s trademark percussive style. Sao Benitez may be a white dude from West London, but he sure knows how to kick the flavor out of the favelas!

Jersey Street All Stars Burnin

Dirty, dirty, dirty beatz and rude, rude, rude riddims! But what else should one expect from the Rainy City’s premier party dons the Unabombers. Taken from their recent mix album, “Burnin” gets the treatment from Raw Deal, who funks things up in classic ’80s style. For the flip, turn off the lights and jack your bod to the rump-bumpin’ basement mix from the Electric Chair boyz, who’ve clearly beaten the present Chicago team at their own game.

Nikkie & Nykie Making & Breaking

Following up their punchy yet conventional hit “My Time to Shine,” able rhymers Nikkie & Nyke successfully revisit Timba’s post-jiggy tabla ‘n’ bass approach with some poingy keyboard bits. They bring the verses raw like Shut Up and Dance, and even toss some rock ‘n’ roll “yeah-yeah-yeah”s into the chorus. Will the Flip Mode Squad be busting this style by next summer? Hold tight.

Stabalizer feat. Figure Of Speech Low Slung

British funky breaks maestro Stabilizer offers up a surprisingly downtempo taste from his new album Canine for remix action. “Low Slung” sees Stabe throw down an almost heavy rock ‘n’ roll bassline under London MC Figure of Speech’s freaked future-funk lyrics. He then offers a hands-in-the-air uptempo version, as well as an electro-tinged attack courtesy label head Sam Vandal. Get low.

Disciple Grin Complicate the Sequence(Transformer Man RMXS)

Bless manages to cater to both the full-on nu-skool heads and the funky breaks posse, as this release shows. This one’s got my good friend Edd “Transformer Man” Budzynski remixing both the title track and the flipside’s “Odditease,” and he definitely delivers. With his tight, punchy beats and always astounding bassline sounds, these mixes show why Transformer Man is going all the way to the top. “

U.N.K.L.E In A State (Meat Katie & Elite Force RMX)

When Mark and sHack get together, you know you’re gonna hear some serious shit! Their remix of this little gem is very Meat Katie (which is a good thing), driven by a rather nice live crunchy bass guitar line, and with Elite Force’s tripped-out soundscapes, the groove just works so well! A proper dancefloor destroyer.

McMillan & Tab Above The Clouds (Evil 9 RMX)

Right, then. This is a great 12 to start my guest reviews with because I’ve been starting my last few DJ sets with this tune as well. Although the original works rather well on the floor, it’s the Evil 9 remix that really tickles my fancy. With a tight, solid beat that just drives from start to finish and some wicked little percussive moments, this is an all ’round tasty track.

Emotional Joystick Bellicose Pacific

Bellicose Pacific, the first full-length from Emotional Joystick (a.k.a. Thomas Wincek), toes a strange line between melodic and chaotic. While tracks such as Eight” employ Wincek’s signature 8-bit sounds for a structured, almost pretty effect, others abrade the senses with spattered breakcore histrionics a la Venetian Snares or Squarepusher. (There’s even a jackhammer-on-the-blackboard track entitled “Rotterdam”). Bellicose Pacific is more thoughtful than a mere drill & bass exercise-most tracks meander between the two extremes, with lush strings and moody melodies advancing and retreating unexpectedly from the complicated drum patterns.

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