Crayon Records Новости

Freaky Chakra hails from San Francisco and is a local legend with a vast discography that has roots back in the early 90s and fetches mad prices on second-hand markets. This is a new one from him that shows off his take on tech, starting with 'Discotechno' which is a bubbly number with rubbery bass and aquatic synth globules. 'Foreign Element' is a heavy dubby stomper with a fat-ass groove and 'Space Jam' then takes off with more cosmic synth smears and delicate motifs drifting above a more muffled rhythm. 'Backflash' shuts down with a wonky back and forth and more late-night grit. A fresh sound from this venerated veteran.

Slope114 are Dmitri SFC & Elise Gargalikis, a duo that makes their house music live from home in San Francisco. That lends it a rare musicality and melodic lushness that sit their work right up there with deep house forefathers. This outing starts with the slouchy goodness and endearing bass of 'Dystopian Blues', complete with aloof vocals that exude cool. The dub is even more pillow and smooth than the Mark Ambrose mix that brings a little more roughness to the drums but still locks into a hypnotic vibe. 'Emu 2' is a gentle rhythm with dusty pads and candle-lit chords for when slow-burn subtlety is prized over immediacy. Classy stuff.

An inspired link up between UK and continental producers - yeah, in your face, Brexiteers - as Brit talent and Crayon boss Mark Ambrose joins forces with Spanish duo Serious Cut aka Raul Zapata and Ivan Martinez, across four irresistible cuts. 'Remedy' nods its head subtly to the Diana Ross (and then Associates) classic 'Love Hangover' while enchanted, spacious and spacey grooves do their thing, while the cherry on top of 'Deep Track' proves to be some neat sci-fi spoken word, not to mention the kind of soft, jazzy chords that Global Communication's house productions used to revel in. Flip it over for the more electroid 'Talk Box' and the unashamedly Windy City-referencing 'Auto Level. Four sides of a classic sound, three great producers, two sides of top vinyl and one must buy bit of vinyl.

Mark Ambrose has always been a mainstay of his Crayon label and it's there he returns with more from his Skymaster project. He ups the tempo a little with hard, driving sounds for both cosy peak times and heady back rooms at the afters. 'Light Speed' shimmers with Detroit soul and rides on booming but soft-edged kicks, then a new Modern Mix of his classis 'Dream Mode' is nicely toned out and hypnotic with whimsical pads floating up high. Last but not least is 'Dessert Horizon', which is a little more menacing and dark to close out a stylish EP.