Various Artists
And Felt Like

The primer of techno was barely dry or England already had its own variant of the genre: UK techno. Original Man by British producer Dave Angel is perhaps the perfect example of what that variant sounded like, back then. If only you knew where to find it. The single was released in 1993 on a record label that has long since ceased to exist. Fortunately, Utrecht-based record label SoHaSo made this transverse techno-soul classic available again, in a punchy remaster. With its juxtaposed rhythm programming and orchestral arrangements, Original Man still lives up to its title, even if it is 30 years later. On the flip you'll find Quarter Pounder. With its nervous hi-hats and high paced rhythms, this seems like the perfect soundtrack for a highway chase between two roadhouses. As a bonus, SoHaSo has supplemented the vinyl version of this EP with a rare Dave Angel track which also was released back in 1993 on French dance label FNAC. It's called 4th Symphony and ticks all the right techno boxes: strings, hihats and a melancholic melody. If you wanna learn more about UK techno, you might as well start with this wonderful re-release.

The 2 Smooth World Vol. 1 Album broadcasts a highly addictive tale of electronic frequencies. A whole universe of musical explorations, ranging from twisted electro to more dubby compositions, beatless ambient ballads, classic house nostalgia - naturally flowing into oceans of acid & bass.

Vincent Lemieux and Guillaume Coutu Dumont, longtime Montreal fellows, launch their Copier/Coller imprint with Sol 668 from their own project Flabbergast.Extraterrestrial exploration on a ship guided by two artificial intelligences at war.

The second release on Lapse records welcomes UK Tech House mainstay Len Lewis, who’s extensive catalogue of club music stretches across the last few decades, along with newly appraised London based DJ and producer Mariiin. The split EP supports a four track selection of old and new head down club music touching different moods.Len’s inserts lead on the A side with the carefully sampled Matrix acapella laid across “Morpheus”, a tweaking and dusted 2 step thrill, in keeping with the left leaning spooky tone of the first Lapse release and label sound. “Do U Want It” follows in similar ilk to the self professed Sinister tech house sounds previously ventured on the likes of early Swag and Poodle Records releases of the early 2000’s that became essential points of reflection for the genre’s progression since.The B side spans a more contemporary 4x4 influenced thread of this style that circles closer to the outer rims of techno and acid. The Italian born producer joins the label with the “Snake Is Changing It’s Skin” and “Impasse” which continue fittingly to carve their signature sound, a style consistent in their early releases on the likes of BPR and EYA Records and across their DJ sets as Pleasure Club resident.

Turn of Phrase is rooted in place and bound by time, yet is simultaneously unstuck in both of these things. The record spans a range of locales; the remote coastal town of Morecambe and its harshly beautiful surroundings, the technicolour glamour of the heart of LA, and London - a city whose maze of contrasting environments and tunnel-visioned bustle offers a totally blank slate.The music however is anachronistic, technically guided by a strict set of rules based in time, the record’s memories and environments are allowed to wander and overlap. The familiar and the personal swirl and collide within an unfamiliar soundscape. The result acts something like a decaying memory, brief shining moments of clarity fighting against something unclear and untethered.