The Manic Brothers six track EP begins with ‘Praying Mantis’; a deep techno offering using a swelling bass line that rumbles under the track whilst the distinctive synth phrase shifts the groove of the track. ‘Voices’ huge hypnotic stabs generate a late night dub that uses sparse percussion and interesting delay effects to mesmerise the crowd. ‘Life After Life’ is a more euphoric and delicate take on techno and uses subtle percussion and melodies to create an ethereal felt track. Using a more industrial style of techno, ‘Hidden History’ includes lots of snare rolls and a stab that is infectious whilst rolling over a heavy kick drum. ‘Introduction’ is a long player and takes it time to slowly build synth melodies and stabs that morph into an unbelievable record. ‘Morning Mass’ rounds off the EP using an unusual rhythmic instrument and beautiful synth pads to create a record that leaves you wanting more.

DC118 - Manic Brothers - Introduction - Drumcode

Kaiserdisco start the three-track single with ‘El Tiburon’ that has a pulsating bass line, which isn’t for the feint hearted. This peak time stomper uses a melodic synth and unusual synth effects to create the building atmosphere before it kicks back into the throbbing beat. The ascending bass line on the second track ‘La Caballa’, is supported by white noise and a rising synth that will make any dancefloor erupt into a heated flow of energy. The third and final track ‘La Morena’, is a bit more on the funky side of techno, using rhythmic percussion to create a cool, peak-time vibe.

DC121 - Kaiserdisco - El Tiburon - Drumcode

Adam Beyer & Alexi Delano - Sleep Horn

Hypnotic

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Simon Sim's - Hypnotic

Right Now (Long Play)

Red Richards - Right Now (Long Play)

Contained within this eleven-track compilation is a collection of tracks submitted to Drumcode as demos but which didn’t have other tracks to be partnered with to make up a classical Drumcode EP. Such was the quality and quantity of these stunning one-off tracks that the idea of making them into a compilation was born primarily for practical reasons. As the project grew the idea became a theme and the theme evolved into a finished project – A-Sides - which tells both the story of Drumcode’s recent past with familiarly high-octane tracks from Adam Beyer, Alan Fitzpatrick, Joseph Capriati, Gary Beck, Gregor Tresher and Dustin Zahn & Rachel Palmer but also gives a glance into what is to come as the likes of Patrick Siech, Luigi Madonna, Roberto Capuano, Dhillon and Manic Brothers get their chance to contribute to the shaping Drumcode’s future.

DC97 10 Luigi Madonna - Savana - clip

Patrik Skoog - Jack is Back - Drumcode 39

The EP starts with ‘The Road to Transformation’ - a groovy, well-structured track that will keep people rooted to the dance floor. The track exudes energy that will win any club over as it tirelessly engrains into the minds of clubbers with hypnotizing drums and a haunting vocal, this is a track that perfectly fits the Drumcode sound and ethos. On the flip side, ‘Sonic Language’ offers something a little different. Its fluid sound and effortless groove give this track a unique and interesting take on techno. The chord stabs give it a distinctive impression that helps to add funk to a bass loaded groove. 

02 - DC103 - Nicole Moudaber - The Road To Transformation - Drumcode

DCCD02 - 2 - Alan Fitzpatrick - Mouthwash - Drumcode clip

The EP starts with Mikael Jonasson’s, ‘Benefit of the Doubt’ which uses dark, melodic bleeps to create tension before the epic chord stabs kick in that resonate over the throbbing bass line. Adam Beyer steps up with the second track ‘Never Really Left Home’ that uses a rhythmic synth-line to create a dark and moody piece of music. Ida Engberg then delivers her unique style of techno using old rave sounds and a huge hoover style synth to create a driving techno track that will keep any dancefloor moving. The Manic Brother’s supply another big track named ‘Different Directions’ using reverberated stabs to create an atmospheric, but still functional track with lots of rhythmic percussion thrown in. Patrick Siech then steps up with the next track, ‘Kill Room’ that also uses atmospheric percussion and stabs to build into a funky drum groove. Joel Mull presents the sixth track on the compilation; ‘Rimson’ that uses hypnotic drums to captures the listener’s attention to lead into a floaty synth and vocal line before the track introduces a pulsating bass line. ‘Second Coming’ is the next offering with Petter B using recurrent percussion to full effect to create a purposeful, heavy hitting techno track. The final track by Cari Lekebusch called ‘Xylopeggiator’, conveys a dark, pounding 5 AM rhythm that uses vocal samples and a melodic synth to create a hypnotic drum pattern.

07 - DC107 - Manic Brothers - Different Directions - Drumcode

06 - DC107 - Petter B - Second Coming - Drumcode

Independent record label owned by Adam Beyer.