Chilled

Bodyjack
Feel Real Good
HYPEDIGI031

1. Feel Real Good
2. The Widowmaker

Another bullet from the Hypercolour stable, Bodyjack debut on the label with this two tracker, the anthemic ‘Feel Real Good’ and the darker strains of ‘The Widowmaker’

Bodyjack, AKA Chris Finke, has been producing some well polished techno and house grooves for a few years now, for labels like Trapez, Luke Slater’s Mote-Evolver, and his very own Flux Recordings.  ‘Feel Real Good’ finds him in a housier mood, albeit one that pumps up the jams to 11, and carves out a bona fide club killer.  With its solid, skippy beats and classic bassline groove, the vocal clips ring out in true rave fashion, whilst the b-line ramps up, coming across like a vintage Guy Called Gerald or 808 State joint, with some subtle warehouse stabs keeping the cut nicely bouncing.

On ‘The Widowmaker’, Bodyjack flexes his techno leanings, throwing down a muscular and urgent groove, Reese style bass washes and a classic vox sample from the 80s.  Another winner from Bodyjack, and a superb offering for Hypercolour.

Out on Hypercolour Digital on 9th September 2013


Bodyjack - The Widowmaker (clip)

Alex Jones feat. My Favourite Robot – Wholegrain EP 
(w/ Maya Jane Coles Remix)
HYPEDIGI032

1. Wholegrain (Original Mix)
2. Wholegrain (Maya Jane Coles Remix)
3. Turquoise (Original Mix)

Release date: 30/09/13
Barcode 5055803502652

Hypercolour’s Alex Jones teams up with My Favourite Robot for the lead track on the ‘Wholegrain’ EP, ably backed with a Maya Jane Coles remix.  Three times the pressure!

My Favourite Robot are the Canadian trio Jared Simms, James Teej & Voytek Korab, who have been plying their brand of electronic dance on labels such as Crosstown Rebels, Visionquest and Sasha’s Last Night On Earth.  Contributing the vocal element and additional production to ‘Wholegrain’, MFR inject some trippy melancholia to the track, built around a heavy bass synth riff and Jones’ brooding  beats.

Maya Jane Coles returns to Hypercolour for a remix of ‘Wholegrain’, weighing in with a more uplifting vibe, with floating keys and a hypnotic shuffle underpinning the vocal parts.  A great remix by Ms. Coles on this one.

Bringing up the rear is Turquoise, a solo effort from Jones, and keeps the EP’s theme of chugging, early hours house music, wrapped up in left field vocal lines and whirling keys.

The Wholegrain EP is available from 30th September 2013 on digital download, on Hypercolour Digital.


Alex Jones ft. My Favourite Robot - Wholegrain (Maya Jane Coles Remix) (clip)

James Welsh – S EP 
HYPEDIGI033

1. Sky
2. Sent
3. Steak
4. Strong

Release date: 14/10/13

The multi-talented James Welsh rocks up to Hypercolour with this heavyweight four track EP.  As one half of Ocelot Mthrfckers (signed to Wall Of Sound at the tender age of 17) and engineer for the last Reverend & The Makers long player, Welsh has been spreading his musical wings further with recent releases on Join The Dots, Wolf Music, Futureboogie and Hypercolour’s own Losing Suki offshoot.

‘Sky’ is legit late night house action, with somber pianos and dubbed out vocals, whilst  ‘Sent’ presents another choice vocal over a tight and skippy production.  ‘Steak’ ramps up the energy levels, choppy vox and relentless rides, real peak time tackle here, and wrapping up the package is another vocal cut ‘Strong’, a crunchy and distorted house cut, Welsh getting busy on the analogue keys whilst the excellent vocal floats over the solid production.

A varied and consistent from James Welsh on the ‘S’ EP, see what we did there?


James Welsh - Sent (clip)

James Welsh - Steak (clip)

Last Magpie – AdLibitum EP 
HYPEDIGI034

1. AdLibitum (Original Mix)
2. Empire (Original Mix)
3. Leavin’ Me (Original Mix)
4. Still Walking

Release date: 28/10/13

Fast becoming a main feature on the Hypercolour and Losing Suki labels, Craig McNamara AKA Last Magpie delivers his another polished EP for the label.

Title track ‘AdLibitum’ is a brooding, slow chugger, it’s dense and minimal beat coming alive with reverberating vox and melancholic chords.  ‘Empire’ ramps up the BPMs, but keeps the dusty production and stripped back drums, a spacious and on point house jam right here.

‘Leavin’ Me’ is a bassier affair, a tom led b-line and some bright and shuffling hats lays the bed for Last Magpie to get playful with an old acapella, whilst the EP closes on the devastating ‘Still Walking’, perhaps the most club-centric of the tracks on this release, it’s bouncing garage vibe and vocal chops should win this Leeds based producer plenty of fans.


Last Magpie - Leavin Me (clip)

Last Magpie - Still Walking (clip)

Trikk – Midnight Sequence EP
HYPELTD013

A1. Midnight Sequence
A2. Back To Back
B1. Labour 91
B2. Prime Time


Hypercolour offshoot, HypeLTD, return for more stellar underground house business with a super 4 track release from Trikk.

The Portuguese DJ and producer has been bubbling away for the last 24 months, releasing some solid records on labels like Terrain Ahead, Container and Man Make Music.  His HypeLTD debut sees him plunder the roots of underground house with fresh impetus.

‘Midnight Sequence’ is a dark, driving, tour de force, no doubt influenced by fellow Portuguese legends Underground Sound Of Lisbon, with it’s deep bass, air horns and white noise over a deadly drum arrangement.

‘Back To Back’ plunders a similar dark path, shades of London Jungle-ism in this one, whilst ‘Labour 91’ is an altogether more upbeat track, classic Todd Terry-esque rolling drums and Chi-town house cut ups keeps the energy flow.  

Wrapping up the EP is ‘Prime Time’, more on point house business here from Trikk, again with influences clearly in the Windy City variety of house music.

All outstanding productions here from Trikk, with a nice variety of tracks for all persuasions. 


Trikk - Prime Time (clip)

Trikk – Midnight Sequence EP
HYPELTD013
(HypeLTD)

A1. Midnight Sequence
A2. Back To Back
B1. Labour 91
B2. Prime Time

12” release date: 12” – 28/10/13
Digital – 11/11/13 (Beatport 2 week exclusive)

Hypercolour offshoot, HypeLTD, return for more stellar underground house business with a super 4 track release from Trikk.

The Portuguese DJ and producer has been bubbling away for the last 24 months, releasing some solid records on labels like Terrain Ahead, Container and Man Make Music.  His HypeLTD debut sees him plunder the roots of underground house with fresh impetus.

‘Midnight Sequence’ is a dark, driving, tour de force, no doubt influenced by fellow Portuguese legends Underground Sound Of Lisbon, with it’s deep bass, air horns and white noise over a deadly drum arrangement.

‘Back To Back’ plunders a similar dark path, shades of London Jungle-ism in this one, whilst ‘Labour 91’ is an altogether more upbeat track, classic Todd Terry-esque rolling drums and Chi-town house cut ups keeps the energy flow.  

Wrapping up the EP is ‘Prime Time’, more on point house business here from Trikk, again with influences clearly in the Windy City variety of house music.

All outstanding productions here from Trikk, with a nice variety of tracks for all persuasions. 

[Selected DJ reactions]
Eats Everything (Dirtybird) – Great release, love it!
Citizen – so good!
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) – Great release, ‘Labour 91’ is killer!
Maxxi Soundsystem (Futureboogie) – Damn fine EP, I’ll be dropping Midnight Sequence for sure
Guy Andrews (Hotflush) – Sweet, nice release
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – I like Trikk’s stuff a lot, this is great
Tensnake (Defected) – nice to see Trikk on Hypercolour, massive release
Joris Voorn (Rejected) – love the dark atmosphere on these tracks
Ben Westbeech (Breach) – Back To Back to dope, great stuff
Redlight – nice vibes, raw!
Jesse Rose – it’s fuckin’ tuff!
Roman Fluegel – Back To Back is the one for me
Matt Tolfrey (Leftroom) – great EP, exciting talent
Waifs & Strays – the whole EP is bomb!
Deetron – Midnight Sequence is a killer, love the bassline and Labour 91 is a great tool as well


Trikk - Midnight Sequence EP (HYPELTD013) [clips]

March sees the formidable Hypercolour deliver its most surprising output yet, an EP from none other than Groove Armada.

Tom Findlay and Andy Cato need little introduction as Groove Armada. Chart smashes, huge live tours and being part of the worldwide electronic music history aside, the duo have never lost touch with their acid house roots and have continued to be devoted to record buying, DJing and the much maligned promo trawl.

Tom and Andy have been avid followers of the label it seemed, since it's inception. It was through label head Jamie, meeting the guys back in 2010 at Space in Ibiza, and then continued communication via Hypercolour promos, that led to an out-of-the-blue email requesting an informal hook up in East London and, within just a few days, a release was scheduled.

That release is the 'No Knock EP', four tracks that range from 808 fuelled old school cuts to low slung, Moog-bass'd electronic funk. Each sound is lovingly crafted but there's an analog rawness throughout and every track has the sort of tweaked, off-kilter and occasionally awkward vibe that Hypercolour do so well.

It just takes a bit of imagination to guess what a GA release on Hypercolour should sound but failing that, just check the release out as it won't disappoint. 

GROOVE ARMADA - NO KNOCK EP

Last Magpie - (Who Knows) Where Love Goes E.P

As well as kicking it with the big dogs like Groove Armada, Hypercolour is known for bringing through the next generation of talent. As such, it is with great pleasure they announce a debut EP on Hypercolour from BareSkin. Of course, age is of no concern when it comes to music - it’s the sounds that matter - but when you hear the unique palette of BareSkin you might be blown away by the fact that he only just turned 18. Get Physical certainly were and have recently signed the youngster’s other project, a band called Wire People, as soon as they heard its offerings. 

The EP opens with ‘Eyes’, the most extroverted dancefloor moment of all, with with a dirty acid bassline fighting for breath between more dexterous analogue trickery above. The choppy, garage-lite vocal is what defines it though, and will likely become an anthem as a result! 

Next, ‘Framework’ favours a more complex rhythmical pattern that goes deep into space as Josh’s pitched down shadowy voice rides along up top. It hiccups along as intricate sonic details make up a patchwork arrangement somewhere between Four Tet and Villalobos. So too is it reminiscent (co- incidentally, of course, as BareSkin was but a child at the time) of the 3/4 Kompakt sound Superpitcher, Mayer and Voigt have all championed in the past. 

Following on, ‘30 Mirrors’ again makes use of a clipped vocal hook (which you may or may not recognise in places), though this one if veiled in euphoria rather than paranoia. It lays over a pumping but grubby bassline as synth soundscapes twist and turn in the background. Simple but effective, it’s characterised by mature restraint and great sense of space. 
￼￼￼￼ 
Finally, ‘Night Squad’, which was co-produced by and features the voice of BareSkin’s best friend and the singer in Wire People, Jake Wiltshire, is a glistening fusion of fuzzy analogue lines and lazy house skip. Dense with acid prickles, glistening percussion and raw drums yet somehow not over cluttered, it’s a devilishly emotional track for someone so young. 

Tough to define singularly as house, bass or techno, this is a diverse EP tied together by genuine rawness and a clear love of hardware aesthetics. Introducing BareSkin... 


BareSkin - Eyes EP

Flume - Sleepless (HyperColour Remix)

Great Stuff Grooves returns to bring some electronic warmth into your winter, with a dozen hot tracks from producers across the world, both established and upcoming.

David Penn kicks off with a fusion of filtered fun and chunky techno intent on I get High. From there, Spanish trio David Amo, Julio Navas &amp; Marc Maya whip up a sizeable tribal groove on La Policia, passing the baton on to Filthy Rich and his nu skool speed garage romp Rave In A Cave. Ridney keeps it on a UK tip with the euphoric pianos and arpeggios of 13:37, before Boris&#8217; druggy Funky Bells shows that this compilation offers up deeper shades of techno too.

Need more funk? Mike Newman &amp; Hoxton Whores&#8217; Every Sound has it by the bucketload, as does Tom Wax&#8217;s rolling, refreshingly different acid-bassed Let&#8217;s Groove On. Roy Rosenfeld&#8217;s Knock Knock is just bugged-out as hell, resplendent of quirky grooves and messed-up vocals, leading us towards the measured big room pumping of Paul Strive&#8217;s The Chance. Raul Mezcolanza&#8217;s A Reality treads a similarly bubbly path, before Townston &amp; Delgado take a more playful approach with the deft stabs of Groovesolution. It&#8217;s left to Alec Chizhik &amp; Markus Mehta to give the compilation a more demure finale, with the subtle machinations of Monolith.

As ever, it&#8217;s a no-nonsense selection that&#8217;s aimed squarely at the dancefloor. It&#8217;s the sound of winter; only a little hotter&#8230;

Roy RosenfelD - Knock Knock (Original Mix)

Next to be snapped up by the Hypercolour crew is long time Hot Flush associate and Aus Music
alumni, George FitzGerald. Having emerged last year with an intricate, melodically meticulous
and bass heavy sound, FitzGerald has continued to spread his wings and for this debut EP on
Hypercolour delves deeper into a garage house fusion sound than ever before.

‘Needs You’ builds in progressive steps, the rounded, bouncy bass, the polished melodies and
tight woven percussive patterns all coalesce into something that thumps hard yet retains an air
of breezy cool thanks to the male voice that lurks in the breakdowns.
Next up is ‘Every Inch’, with its smeared harmonies swooping and swooning in every direction.
Set against coarse claps which race through the centre of the track, subtle filtering allows the
track's melodies to open wide and close tight before your very ears as a restrained garage skip
undulates below.

The b2 sees another debut, this time from legendary Swiss producer Deetron. His remix
of ‘Every Inch’ is a heady, driving brew of crystalline melodic twinkles and rolling kicks that
washes over you at the same time as a tormented and tortured bassline sweeps you up from
below with a knowing acid fuzz never far away throughout.
Clean and crisp, these are two more precisely cut weapons from the Man Make Music boss that
explode to devastating effect.

George Fitzgerald - Needs You EP

The next EP on Hypercolour marks a solo return for one of the label’s early family members.
Since debuting on the imprint in 2006, Chris Sperro aka Glimpse has gone on to become
a revered master of his machinery, releasing EPs and full lengths on imprints like Cocoon,
Cadenza, Crosstown, as well as his recent collaboration with the late Martin Dawson, Fat
Controller EP, on this very label.

The release kicks off with an old Glimpse classic, ‘Caught on Train’, which is a rattling, moody
techno cut that rolls and reverberates for 8 odd minutes. Awash with the man’s usual analogue
trickery, it still sounds as good now as it did upon first release back in 2007 on his own label.
With it come three more, brand new techno missives: ‘Oafish’ is a brutish stomp with fizzing
textures, rusty synths and heavily filtered vox cutting across each other like a Cosmin TRG cut
remixed by Blawan. ‘Hubris’ on the flip has a gorgeously pinging kick drum journeying through
more watery surfaces, aqueous droplets and echoing deep space chambers. It’s amped and
ravey and sounds like little else, including previous Glimpse productions.

Finally, ‘Labbit’ goes deep and more striped back, a nagging synth line drawing you into expertly
wet claps and muted cowbell dollops. The rhythms are loose yet punchy to make perfectly
formed, seriously heavyweight body music for darkened basements everywhere. We’re clearly
biased, but honestly believe it to be some of the man’s finest work to date.

Glimpse - Oafish EP

DJ Magazine’s Label Of The Year, Hypercolour, continues its ongoing success story apace with a release befitting the high accolade the label has just received.

It sees a high-profile collaboration between the aforementioned publication’s DJ Of The Year, Eats Everything, and the natural heir to Claude VonStroke’s Dirtybird crown, Justin Martin. Easily two of the most prominent electronic music success stories of the past 12 months, the duo put their heads together during a week-long Bristol studio session in November before a much lauded back-to-back performance at Motion nightclub. The result is this two track EP of contrasting styles and conception-challenging sounds.

The opening offering on the EP, ‘Feather Fight’, sets the tone with more of a jacking house rhythm. The track progresses to its mid-point with a continually rising, paranoid note hinting at something sinister before it breaks into a mélange of warbling synths and soft bassy undertones that are rich in variation. It’s an instantly addictive and subtly infectious track that sees both producers exercising restraint to create a production with that ‘get in your head’ quality.

The second track, ‘Harpy’, is similar to the first in that lures you into a false sense of the security. Its opening lines are all ambient harps and soft string textures with the vocal telling you it’s “time to let go”, before melting away in dramatic fashion with a fog-horn blast. The rest ofthe track is an ode to these rich contrasts, with the harp continuing to play its part as well as the broad, depthy bass weight.

Two of the most effervescent characters in house music have penned an EP consistent with their brilliantly colourful personalities, and in the process Hypercolour continue to confound expectations with something far removed from previous offerings. 

Justin Martin & Eats Everything - Feather Fight EP‏

Little Things (Original Mix) [Hypercolour]

Our now internationally acclaimed homeboy Huxley returns to the Hypercolour bosom with a fine two track EP that proves he isn’t resting on his laurels, despite a stunning 2012, and crafts floor slaying tracks with big personalities like few others out there. In 2012 the Big Thing From Tring headlined festivals and clubs all over the world and turned in EPs and remixes for the likes of Tsuba and 2020, but might have saved his best for us. 

The A side is taken up with ‘Bellywedge’ which fuses together all Huxley’s influences to date and reimagines them as something fresh. The result is a peak time track weighed down by a rich bassline that writhes about of its own accord. A filtered and almost indecipherable vocal adds euphoric elements, but broody congas keep things ultimately deep. 

On the flip, ‘Little Things’ starts with an infectious, tinny two step skip before the kick lands proper and another bona-fide Huxley bomb beings to take shape. It’s meaty and pumping, with nimble basslines, arresting percussive hooks and a great sense of balance. 

Whilst you enjoy this latest Huxley bomb, also be contended with the news that he starts his own monthly Rinse.FM show on February 18th where the man will delve deep into his collection and pull out gems old and new from across the stylistic board.

Huxley - Bellywedge EP

It’s time for a cheeky one track outing on Hypercolour that brings together two of the labels fast rising talents with boss man Alex Jones. The first is Bareskin who previously appeared with his NightSquad EP, and the second is his close friend and vocalist J. Wiltshire – the combination of all three makes for a fresh house anthem perfectly befitting of the label. 

‘Just Happening’ is a sea of lovelorn synths washing over a heavy house kick and some oversized metallic claps at first, with the muted and muffled tones of Wiltshire initially obscured. Following the breakdown at the mid point they grow more prominent, as does the force of the groove, and rise and fall in sympathy with the elements all around. 

Perfect for beach or boat parties, set closers or peak time drops, ‘Just Happening’ is all set to be a huge summer hit.

Alex Jones & Bareskin feat J.Wiltshire - Just Happening

After anthemic outings on the main label, Hypercolour co-boss Alex Jones returns to the much loved HypeLTD off shoot with a new EP, Haggerston, that sees him explore quite different sonic territory from his freaky house norm. 

First up is Voltage, which starts fully formed with rinsing, dusty jungle breaks jostling up and down with plenty of fizz. As the track develops, ravey hi hats and snatched vocal cries recalling the early nineties with effortless ease. Bustling for over eight minutes, things grow increasingly unhinged with paranoid synths and ever-scratchier percussion wrapping round each other in kinetic style. 

Next track Dummy Kick out drops into a much more reserved, slow techno stomp. Occult and shadowy voices drift in and out of focus as a muted acid wiggle gurgles in the background. At the mid-point those classic breaks arrive again as skewed and twisted synths spray for maximum carnage. 

Finally, SMP could be a Mike Dehnert cut. Dubby kicks surge forwards and lean into grainy synth stabs, triggering the release of oversized bell sounds, abstract machine made gurgles and a repetitive vocal. The results are heady and intense, the sort of thing that will disorientate ravers in those early morning hours on the dancefloor. 

Undeniably referencing a certain ravey and hardcore tradition, importantly, Jones also imbues this EP with plenty of innovation… fans of 4am freak outs will be in heaven with this one.

Chilled

scroob