Alexander SKANCKE
Jungle Japes

Brian Harden is one of the many talented Chicago house producers out there who sit just below the top talent in terms of global reputation. But he shouldn't - his sound is as musical and timeless as any from the Windy City. He's been grafting since the 90s and now taps into that long career with a new collection of rare cuts and unreleased gems on this Instinctive Meditation album for French label D3 Elements. There is textbook heavy drum work and spaced-out synths on 'Zion' before warmer, deeper basement cuts like 'Nomadic Jazz'. 'Yeah' is a party starter with clattering percussion softened by more jazzy chord work and 'Motionless' allows you a moment to catch your breath on some cosmic ambiance. The rest of the record takes in deeper techno, samba-tinged deep house shufflers and star-gazing beauties for 4AM. Proof if you needed it that Harden is a boss.

The Perfect Timing label is an eclectic one but even by their standards, this five tracker from San Diego really does take in a wide range of tuneage. Side one kicks off with 'My Life Is A Walk In The Park', a perky house/disco beaming like the sun does on a hot day, before the ruffneck Amens of track two, 'You Can Only See Me After Dark', slam us into completely different territory, with the Bukem-esque Rhodes piano proving a nice counterpoint to the rugged beats. 'I Go There To Look At The Spurce' takes us off on another tangent, a broken beat with sped up hip-hop credentials, a double bass and some echoey dub effects filling up the sound spectrum. 'But My Name Is Not Bruce' takes a speedy, trip hoppy groove into hypnotic, loopy, spaces, while 'I Am The Scariest Man At The Park' proves not only that our man is a dab hand at an original title, he also has a keen sense of drama, closing the EP with some nicely haunted house piano and general eeriness.

Stuttgart's David Lohlein has been involved in electronic music for a number of years and launched the Vision Ekstase event in his hometown of Stuttgart together with his friends before providing the inaugural release on the same titled label which picked up support from the likes of Ben Sims, Luke Slater, Efdemin and many more established names within the techno world. David now invites remixes from Mote-Evolver artist Rene Wise, Hayes producer VIL and Vision Ekstase residents Rove Ranger and Fabian Wegmeth.

After his superlative and rather unexpected foray into Afro and Latin fusion with his Sol Set project, John Beltran returns to more familiar territory with a rendition of his classic mid-90s album 'Ten Days of Blue' recorded at this year's Dekmantel in Amsterdam. We get a real feel for the whole gig experience, from the sound of murmured anticipation and intro tape to the resolution at the outro and the main meat of the music itself - lively, optimistic, groovy but understated and chilled at the same time - sits somewhere between his ambient and harder techno work. Among Beltran's very finest output.

Late Night Superglue present the third edition of their Biscuit series with a collection of hard-hitting, transcontinental jams from the minds of Buraye, Yard Customer, Tonnovelle, JJ Fortune and Louis Frederic.The EP brings together artists from across the globe - Colombia, Ireland, Tehran and London - connected by a taste for a particular haunting sound. A long time in the making, the label has been working to gather music from this group of artists for a number of years, a journey which for some included time on the front line together at dancefloors in Barcelona and London along the way.The A-side kicks off with Buraye’s ‘Wireless Dialogue’. A brooding piece of techno from Colombia, characterised by its punchy kicks, haunting synths and subtle acid twists, which perfectly set the tone for the rest of the EP. The A2, ‘Contraflow’, is brought to you by Yard Customer. Hip-hop samples and shuffling drums lead a track which has an overarching air of menace - big tip!Tonnovelle’s ‘Bliss’ opens the flip with a bang. A rip-roaring affair utilising vintage percussion juxtaposed with futuristic stabs to continue Biscuit Three’s muscular motif. ‘Fern’ by JJ Fortune & Louis Frederic wraps up the 4-tracker with more peak time spooky grooves...