Various
CDFT002

A genuine treasure trove of unreleased material from Mark Nicholas O., presented across two discs that together stand for his singular and compelling vision.The offbeat, buoyant grooves of his original Ringrose releases are present and correct, falling somewhere between beatdown house ('Konig Jeremy' and 'Iam The People), tuff UKG ('Luv It' and a new remaster of 'Calico Vibe') and a subtly reduced techno sound that can be surprisingly tough ('Peeonies Heed' and 'Hod Cours'). This is distinctive dance music that will make you feel as much as it makes you move.

Saramago debuts on Lisbon’s Carpet & Snares with four slices of deep and groove-laden house. This is an EP of contrasts, the light skip of the A side shadowed by the more driving pulse of the B. Opening with the dubby, weightless house of ‘The Red Room’, Saramago then treats us to a wiggly banger in “Unicorn”, sure to melt today’s dancefloors. ‘Sakaboto’ takes things into darker territory with a focussed acid groove that opens up halfway through with twinkling pads. ‘Happy Endings’ rounds things off with funk and flair, another sure-fire peak-time bumper.credits

Dublin producer Lukey has his finger firmly on the pulse of the sounds emanating from Berlin and London’s newly awakening dancefloors, as proven by this stellar debut for Carpet &Snares’ LAB series. Contemporary club music is all about opening up the space between genres and filling it with something at once referential and new, and this EP is no exception.Other Worlds Vol. 1 effortlessly blends house, techno, electro and breaks into a mature sound world that’s both tight and expansive, funky and tough, contemplative and right down to business. Get moving with Vol. 1, and watch out for Vol. 2 coming soon!

Luhk returns to Carpet & Snares after his 2020 EP ‘Em Casa’. Now the Portuguese producer is seeking ‘Novos Horizontes’ (new horizons) via these five fiery club tracks. Each of the first four cuts has its own jet fuel: acid basslines on ‘Em Missão’ and ‘L.Submundo.D.’, a classic M1 on ‘Não Há Volta Atrás’, and an early 00s bumping tech house groove on ‘Linhas De Espaço & Tempo’. The title track closes the EP with galactic electro, proving that the horizon is just the start.

Shine Grooves (Hanagasumi, ФАКТУРА) is a specialist in live and experimental electronic music, blending software and hardware in his studio in Yekaterinburg, Russia. On this sophomore full-length he cultivates an otherworldly Space Garden on a distant planet, populated by alien organisms that move to their own extraterrestrial groove. Dawn breaks and the garden slowly comes to life on ambient opener ‘Morning Mood’, setting a promising tone for the day ahead. A kick shuffles in to work on the dubby ‘Tribal Acoustic’, which builds and builds before leading us into the industrious bounce of ‘Japan Sequencer’. This latter, first optimistic and later frenetic, ends the A-side’s warm-up and primes us for action on the B. ‘Tool’ is self-explanatory, a refined, stripped-down dub techno weapon honed for an afternoon’s hard work. After that exertion, ‘Evening Radio’ is the perfect cool-down, its delicately skittering percussion contrasting with sweet, improvised synth melodies. Finally, the ambient ‘Night Reverberation Jam’ is the sound of darkness falling, our garden’s lifeforms settling down to rest before the cycle begins afresh.

Cedofeita Records, an independent label based in Porto, proudly presents its latest release, CDFT003. This limited edition of 100 hand-numbered vinyl records features four exclusive tracks from both emerging and established artists, showcasing the creative diversity of underground electronic musicians currently living in Northern Portugal.From the weighty low-end pressure and muted vocals of Bruno & Rompante’s “Save Us” to the shimmering, percussive glide of Rowan’s “Nu Age”, the A-side locks into a focused, club-minded pace. On the flip, Miguel Seabra’s “Ancient Jar” leans into tribal rhythms and warm saturation, while Dr. Kobayashi’s “Theo’s Birthday” closes the record in hypnotic form, blending melodic restraint with