BEATPORT

Ivan De La Rouch - Acid Time (Original Mix)

Twenty Year Weekend (Two Decades of Darkroom Dubs) is the twenty-anniversary label compilation compiled and curated by Glasgow's Silicone Soul. Rather than take the retrospective route, they mark twenty years since they launched one of the UK's most revered underground house music labels with a new collection of music from a fresh global roll call who like it deep, dark and a little twisted.

Also marking a quarter century since Craig Morrison and Graeme Reedie released their first Silicone Soul 12-inch on Slam's esteemed Soma imprint, the compilation gets underway with the duo's own Fahrenheit 625 featuring Bitch Traxx originator Franklin Fuentes on a scene-setting killer groove declaring presciently, "I’ll take you there."

Thirteen further early-hours throbbers ignite with Italian future disco duo Phunkadelica unleashing malevolent chugger Phunkarama lashed with robotic vocals, metallic swells and early 90s bleeps and hoover tones. Mexican DJ/ producer Theus Mago, co-founder of the Duro label in 2015 with Moisees, then uncannily plugs into the metaphysical Darkroom Dubs current with Intensify, garnishing its groin-thwacking turbo groove with cascading melodic synth interplay.

Lucky Luciano uncorks another top-notch percussive workout from Glaswegian Darkroom Dubs favourite Am$trad Billionaire, its dense, percussive groove mosaic slashed with ghostly sample shards. Hot on its heels are Berlin-based, Greek-German tour-de-force Brax Moody and Vamparela – aka Local Suicide - who duet with Wiener Planquadrat for some sexy rogue electro on Flashdance, splattered with lacerating Moroder-esque sequencer savagery.

Next is the Factory City head-honcho Undo, fresh from his recent sublime house missiles on Darkroom Dubs, like Acid Summer and Aliens Go Home, who unleashes his ominous bass-driven acid monster, Vencejos. Before Nayan Soukie - aka Amount - rides the shimmering skyline surfer Figure Skating, packing the Darkroom Dubs trademark subterranean bass to the hilt. Then, the mysterious Subcisco conjures the ultimate funk party behemoth with Boiling Point evoking blaxploitation soundtracks in its aquatic stew of mangled strings and brass spectres hot-wired by contagious elastic bass.

Parisian DJ/ producer Id!r, whose Darkroom Dubs missives include 2016's bass bin shredding Two Days In Hell, pulls off a typically dark, simmering groove beast on Haowie, topped with a gargling robo-vocal hook. Madrid-based Rotten City Records owner Alvaro Cabana then detonates 90s-style peak mayhem with Arde, casting its wailing power rhythm with crashing snare action. “Born in the 80s, raised by the 90s, lost in the 00s”, exclaims maverick techno-punk Pvlomo, immediately standing out with the sci-fi robot-gargling and Godzilla-like bass on My Little Vampire, his strength lying in lethally audacious twists and turns executed as the track powers mercilessly on into the darkness.

Oslo-based duo Of Norway are the only act to feature on both anniversary compilations (bridged by 2015’s towering Black Desert Disco Cult 12-inch). Mixing glacial electro with spaced-out strings and eastern-tinged melodies, Always Almost is suitably auspicious. Istanbul’s Gunce Aci follows with Fallen Leaves, built on a juddering mutant electro lurch lathered with devilish voices, climaxing in the snarling acid disco thunder of Lead Boys, cultivated in Bogota’s Kaputt Club by enigmatic duo Nuclear Digital Transistor. Dense and pulsing with disembodied goth-like vocals, the track makes a suitably idiosyncratic finale for a compilation tangibly driven to breathe new life into Silicone Soul's manifesto to celebrate, nurture and push the music they love to play, make and support.

Proper underground house music has always been about fearless electronic innovation with a human soul. An ethos crystallised in this spellbinding collection. - Kris Needs

https://darkroomdubs.bandcamp.com/album/twenty-year-weekend-two-decades-of-darkroom-dubs

Twenty Year Weekend - Two Decades of Darkroom Dubs

PREMIERE: Amount - Figure Skating [Darkroom Dubs]

Tainted In The Sun

Buy / Stream

Niv Ast - Don't Belong (Radio Edit) (Exploited Club)

Mwedy

Leaving The Dream (Bawrut Remix)

ILHA - Leaving The Dream (Bawrut Remix)

Pleasure Seeker is Derek from the Italian duo Derek & DJLo (SXDNS047). Envisioning to explore his most inner influences, he decided to fly solo and now brings to life his very first EP: A fine darkness-meets-groovy single, filled with Italo Disco references and remixed with love by Alberto Melloni, Astore, Monao80, Moran, and Mystery Kid (SXDNS398).

The single is coming soon as part of the celebrations of the second anniversary of his own Nubians Of Plutonia Records, a rising & shining Milan-based label devoted to expanding the universe of beloved genres such as Proto House, Italo Body Music, EBM, and Indie Dance.  

The mastermind behind the remix we selected to review/premiere needs no introduction amid the retro-infused side of the electronic music scene. With acclaimed appearances on Mélopée, Raibano, Bordello A Parigi, Paradiso, Ulla, and Italo Moderni, just to mention a few, Alberto Melloni had his name carved in stone and became one of the most prominent artists of his generation.

For his debut on Nubians, maestro Melloni made the original live up to its name and turned it into a true singularity by bringing the theme to outer space and soaking it with Cosmic Disco elements such as deep leads and psychedelic synth layers resulting in a zero-gravity experience for dance floors.

You can find (and buy) this and other music pearls on the Bandcamp page of the label: https://nubiansofplutoniarecords.bandcamp.com/

Follow @pleasureseekermusic, @albertomelloni and @nubiansofplutoniarecords, peeps!

PREMIERE699 // Pleasure Seeker - Singularity (Alberto Melloni Remix)

Shir Khan Presents Welt Am Draht - a collection of Exploited dancefloor gold from 2024! 'Sex!' by duo Modular Project rolls out a neat and classy groove as the sturdy bones of a Disco beat thump under a snake-hip bass, serrated acid line and bold, unfiltered piano chords. Bearing flecks of Krautrock, Indie, Electronica and Funk, Made In TLV's 'Super Cool' is an anthem that traverses vast sonic territory. Diar Storm, Lost Boy 1984, Play Paul present a modern form of Dark Wave Electro that is, equal parts stroppy and sexy. 'Everything So' emits cathartic steam as vibrant synths burst with bittersweet chords and jagged staccato tones. 'Tainted In The Sun' by Niv Ast kicks off with a Manchester chorus beaming out over stroppy power chords. Gary Numan’s cross-continental hit 'Cars' from 1979 has been covered, sampled and reworked from vastly different pockets of the industry. Now - Laroz presents a rejuvenation of ’Cars’. 'Infinity' by Budakid is a journey in the truest sense of the word. Through an effervescent bass sequence, clever filter control and kinetic drum work, Budakid generates consistent motion from start to finish. 'Falling For You' by Komilev dials in that Panorama vibe packed with effervescent drama, soul and sass. 'Rompe Disco’ by Alex Medina bumps like House and glistens like an Italo whilst also exuding the moxie of Reggaeton.  'Foreign Affairs' by Micropacer follows with more early 80s flair.  Pole Position of Brunch In The Park Barcelona fame channel their complementary energies into 'Diamonds'; a recording inspired by Electro House that deftly straddles 80s New Wave, Prog and Indie. Moodymanc's 'Joy' twists Philadelphia soul sounds into a peak time house monster. Now re-edited for modern times in a special Breakbeat version.  São Paulo based Renato Cohen fires up his arsenal of analogue gear and adds a bright and burly Italo cut with ’Lemon Key’. Zeynep Erbay’s ’Neon Palm’ sits comfortably alongside modern Indie Dance, Italo Disco and House alike.  Slump Recordings boss Baby Rollén’s ’Feeling Mumbled’ Remix is an ultimately playable DJ tool; one that renders an after hours sunrise as chords bounce of the tracks surface like rays of light while tight, nifty shuffles interlock with a bouncing bass line.  Austin Ato fleshes out some deliciously hallucinogenic Italo synths in his Remix version of ’Super Cool’ by Made In TLV. ’Acid Infatuation’ by Levantine is a sound that occupies a sweet spot between Eurodance and Italo.  Black Hawks of Panama steps in with ’Wrapped’.The ingredients are simple: a slapping disco kit, Alpha Juno, zesty guitar licks and an anthemic vocal. The result is a contagious Italo march that burrows deep under the skin; put simply - a slice of pure rapture. 'Good Times' by Renato Cohen sparks things up with bright, muscular drums that pave the way for a rasping bass line - a killer DJ tool. Raw energy is spat out while snares clash and vocals march along with an intensity that doesn't let up.  Captain Mustache’s ’Diavola’ flexes low-mid tones warble in lock step with strapping drums and an earworm synth line. ’Heart Life' by NEAT adds a further facet to the compilation with an allaying Italo-tinged groove.  In ’Neonim’ by Laroz, a gently jagged bass line bubbles away, creating a buoyant bed for expertly crafted drums which pop out with expressive alacrity. Dulcet piano tones form a bond with amber-tinged synths as warming soundscape is developed. James Curd throws a dart straight to the dance floor with the jazz-tinged House jam ’Feeling Mumbled’ built from a classy palette of samples.  Sandhog closes the album with the highly memorable recording 'Berlin' that speaks to the power of simplicity. 
 Artist: Various Artists
 Release: Shir Khan Presents Welt Am Draht 2024
 Label: Exploited  
LC: 15799 
Cat: EXPDIGITAL260
 Publishing: Exploited Ghetto Music Publishing/Sony ATV 
Beatport Pre-order: 17.01.25 
Release Date Streaming/Global Download: 31.01.25

Shir Khan Presents Welt Am Draht 2024

Niv Ast - Tainted In The Sun (Radio Edit) (Exploited Club)

Disco Deep House (#8) Vol.5 - GoolZan

Maruma

Buy on bandcamp

Daveed's & Kazamayé - Maruma

What it is to Miss Somebody

ClapCrate.net

NOZZ - Lost Memories II (Sebastien Tex Remix)

@Ivory_Tower - Steam Machine

Label - @microcastle

Release Date - 11/12/20

♫ Info + Buy ♫ : https://www.sinchi-collective.com/ivory-steam-machine-microcastle/

♫ Info + Buy ♫

PREMIERE - Ivory - Steam Machine (microcastle)

Shir Khan started Exploited in 2007. Exploited Rec now plays host to some wide-ranging and innovative electronic talent - including Adana Twins, Claptone, Budakid, Joyce Muniz, James Curd, Shir Khan (to name a few) - and its artists have been receiving numerous supportive spins from the likes of Solomun, Pete Tong, Soul Clap, Wolf&Lamb, Azari&III, Jesse Rose, Axel Boman and A-Trak.
This is serious dance music at it's most cutting edge with all the juice to really get you going. It's totally contemporary, innovative and has a chunky dirty feel. "Exploited" take you on an invigorating roller coaster ride back to your youth when you first listened to dance music with all the thrills and spills you so enjoyed about clubbing. It's heavy, exciting and special.
'"Exploited Records" is a seamless melting pot of varied styles that simply can't fail to please even the most discerning ears. Highlights here are plentyful. Not to be missed at any cost.' (Clash)
'Musical hybrids are truly the flavour of today, but few have managed to capture the atmosphere of an unpredictable microcosm of a night out on a recordlabel - until now. Shir Khan's label "Exploited" bottles the zeitgeist's giddy thrills with plenty of style and substance. This is dance music hybridism in all its most glorious forms, and Shir Khan is an expert at making square pegs fit round holes.' (DJ-Mag)
'"Exploited Records" boss Shir Khan has been gaining a lot of acclaim recently, and deservedly so - as he has shown us the high quality, diversity and forward-thinking nature of his label. Engaging, riveting and diverse.' (Data Transmission)