Yen SUNG/PHOTONZ
A Temperanca

Lisbon's Paraiso is back with its 14th release 'Crossroads' by local legend-in-the-making Salbany and remixes from portuguese dance music pioneer Cisco Ferreira a.k.a. The Advent and Detroit's own AMX otherwise known as The AM. The record opens with 'My Life', a warm yet propulsive detroit-referencing techno cut with pad washes, shuffling hi hats, an introspective vocal sample, cascading organ solos and arpeggios to a blissful effect. A2 'Crossroads' brings us a raw, bouncy, jam-like rhythmic section with syncopated toms and snares offset by a piano stab motif and emotive strings. 'Next Morning' closes side A, a hypnotic, curveball roller featuring a warm, rolling bass, offbeat drum hits glued together by immersive pads and UR-esque strings. Side B opener 'Mito' delves into trippier territories with admirable skill - not losing an inch in dancefloor potential - fusing bleeps and bells, beautiful chord progressions and hyper groovy drum machine programming. Techno icon Cisco Ferreira steps in with his 'Lisbon Dub' remix, transforming 'Crossroads' into a sparser, delay-infused slow-burner held together by a dope bass line. AMX brings the lead synth of 'Mito' to a lower octave, mutating it into a swingy midwestern experimental cut that inspires urgency and life force. A restless mantra emerges via the digital bonus track, an alternate 'Elevated' remix of 'Crossroads' that superbly merges original detroitian leanings and industrial textures in a no-frills peaktime banger. This is one of those records that lovingly reminds us techno is about emotion, swing, energy. As in life, nothing here sits still: movement, physical and metaphysical, is the messenger of progress.

Lisbon continues to thrive musically and Violet is one of the city's most active artists. Paraíso is her natural habitat - she contributed to the first-ever record on the label and has remained in its inner circle.'New Visions' is Violet's testament of a love for ever-evolving sonic languages while doing a notable job in encapsulating her myriad influences. From the acid-tinged, moodier palette of the One Eyed Jacks days to the jungle-influenced sounds expressed in her latest works to the very early influence of 90s portuguese dance music, this EP embraces it all - and then some.The title track seems to speak of hope and resistance, layering oneiric arpeggiated bleeps with deconstructed breaks and a heavy sub that morphs into a drone wave, washing emotions anew. Kaos V, admittedly a homage to the sound of the iconic label Kaos that pioneered a local, stripped down dance sound in Lisbon, sounds like a mysterious prophecy, equal parts ancient and futuristic.Junqueira is a left-of-centre roller that resorts to metallic synths, raw drums and even a digi cello to manifest a sense of club unity. The record closes with the slower-paced syncopated groove of High In Forest Hill: a dancehall-referencing bass sits under acid modulations, eerie vocal synths and a snare drum that just won't stand still.

Hard at work for over a decade now, EDND is one of those artists whose influence on her local scene rolls deep and yet feels subtle - she's been silently honing her craft surrounded by a healthy mix of VSTs, classic drum machines and second-hand synthesisers of all kinds in her home town of Portimão. She's also never stopped playing a part as an important cultural agitator in the south of Portugal and Lisbon alike, taking part in jam sessions or community-led parties in all sorts of DIY venues, as well as gracing established clubs and festivals with hers and her duo's Roundhouse Kick mesmerising live acts.For her first solo EP 'Rupture of Plane', EDND finds a fitting home at Paraíso, where she explores the border between inventive experimentation and dancefloor effectiveness. The opener 'Quartz Composer' layers a bouncy bassline with mystery-drenched melodies and carefully sound designed percussive elements while the sparse vocal inspires a state of loving ecstasy. The infectious rawness of 'Field Effects' follows; its visceral, playful kickdrum pacing a dizzyingly trippy synth and an enticing suggestion of the rougher side of acid. 'While Sleeping Watch' ensues, bringing an even moodier, industrial-leaning piece of top-form EBM and techno. Paraíso regular Photonz steps in for a powerful rework of Quartz Composer, infusing it with a tough, whole new broken electro groove and an addictive synth re-design.

Lisbon's Paraíso is back. For the second release on the label, again some of the most essential underground producers of Portuguese origin were recruited to contribute towards a solid VA 12".First up is Silvestre, the Lisbon-born, London-based producer and DJ who has been releasing super inventive dance tracks on Diskotopia and his own excellent Padre Himalaya. His track 'Todos Juntos' is a tough yet playful take on piano house, accented by a gritty kick drum and a youthful vocal sample. DJ Ze MigL follows with his 'No Space' - the Lisbon veteran, who is a true techno pioneer and has released on Chi Wax and Djax Up Beats in the mid 90s, delivers a sonic techno belter, trippy and energetic in equal measures, fit for frenetic peaktime action in any rave deserving of such title.On the flipside, Algarve duo Roundhouse Kick of One Eyed Jacks fame serve up 'Acid Life', right on their flawless brand of romantic, evocative house music, complete with heavenly melodies and a fat bassline. Aveiro's Mind Safari (1980, Subsubtropics) rounds up the record in cosmic fashion with 'Enter Sandman', an arpeggiated journey through space and time, meant for dancing with our eyes closed and our heart open.The result is a dynamic, strong, colourful sonic palette that perfectly depicts the best of today's landscape in the much talked-about Portuguese music scene. Dive in - and feel the fresh waters of Paraíso for yourself.

Lisbon's Paraíso is back, bringing us their first artist EP - and it couldn't come from a realer luminary of the Portuguese underground. DJ Senior Vasquez, mostly known as Photonz has been doing the rounds for over a decade, continually championing the early sound of Lisbon rave while helping craft some heavily innovative dancefloor ammunition.This new alias, under which he has been playing locally, is a play on Junior Vasquez and stems from a desire to pay tribute to what could be loosely defined as the Sound Factory sonic palette, covering New York Garage; deep, evocative house and even some grittier tribal-tinged cuts.EP opener No More Drama is a firey dancefloor exercise that feels both familiar and new, driven by a fat bassline, melodic stabs and dreamy pads. Herbalife is a moodier cut, carrying weight and depth in equal measures to create a perfect peak-time moment.The B side opens with Air, a sonically intriguing deep house workout that manages to suggest mystery and bliss simultaneously. Don't Touch The Ground closes the record with a beautiful sense of intensity, all tribal percussions and tense piano hits over an intricate yet super-effective drum workout.

A bass rumble seems to rearrange your organs like a spiritual doctor, fast techno kicks and a funky as hell percussion line emerge - it's the lucky 13th release on Lisbon's Paraiso, this time by local mainstays Shcuro and Vil - the first, label co-founder, the second a longtime friend and impeccable DJ with a range that runs from dubstep to the hardest strains of techno and beyond. The opener track 'Rumble The Funk' evolves with infectious stabs and cut-up vocal and our legs can't seem to stand still. The groove continues on with the A2 'Recoil', a soulful, dubby, relentless ode to techno that feels authentic and purposeful. Emotional tones find their way in via a mysterious, melodic string, introduced in the breakdown. Dubbed out motifs, delay + feedback strokes make a welcome return on the appropriately titled 'Chime Dub' that opens the B side of the record: skippy rhythmic layers and a warm bassline complete the picture, string flourishes give us glimpses of radiant dancefloor revelations. On the B2 the duo's opener track gets the remix treatment by another exciting duo: Blasha & Allatt, who are the women behind the iconic queer techno raves Meat Free. They flip the original's melody into a rapid, dreamy affair, conveying an optimism that perfectly wraps up this solid record by continuing the celebration of collaborative work.