Vince Watson releases 7th artist album

One of the most eagerly anticipated albums is finally out this week. Glaswegian producer Vince Watson's seventh studio album, 'Every Soul Needs A Guide', is a doozie too.

I reviewed it on Ibiza Voice a few weeks back. It's a rare treat and well worth checking out.

Every Soul Needs A Guide at Beatport.com

Now on Ibiza-Voice.com

Head on over to Ibiza Voice and check out my latest additions to their review section.

Latest reviews (including audio previews):

- Detroit Grand Pubahs - Sandwiches (Ben Sims remixes) on Engineroom
- Chriss Ronson - Maconka on Ready Mix records
- Steve Froggatt - Secrets and Sounds EP on NightChild Records
- Kyle Geiger & Bobby Dowell - Memory To Control EP on Driving Forces Recs

More on their way. Check out updates on my Facebook artist page.

Dosem 'Parallel' Review

Fresh from collaborating with Technasia on last year's album rising Spanish production star Dosem announces the release of his first artist album, Parallel.

The best description of Parallel is that's it's a modern take on classic electronica with twists of house, techno and Balearic added in. Some of it is peak-time dance floor music while other parts are perfect for a Sunday chill.

With a sizeable 37 tracks split over two discs the first sets the mood straight away with the beachy 'Silent Drop', and 'Databasics' - the first hint of Dosem's dance-floor rocking skills - and 'Diagonal', which shows his skill at creating synthy big-room tracks which sit somewhere between classic techno and progressive house.

Those who enjoyed 'Movement', his collaboration with Technasia in 2010, wont be disappointed as he hits a similar mark again, first with 'Esnite', a grinding loopy techno track, and 'Same Process', a high energy slammer reminiscent of vintage big-room Carl Cox styles. 'Parallel Fate' is yet another slant of Dosem's skills - creating a loopy and dark DJ tool which is probably the most useful anytime track on the album.

The album has a pop-friendly moment also in 'True Elements' featuring Louder Boys. It sits only a few degrees away from having mainstream appeal but is quality enough that it'd stand out in most (good) club nights as one of the records to track down.

The second disc, 'Sendo', is where Dosem showcases some ultra-cool ambient electronica which you rarely hear anymore. It has hallmarks of French electronic legend Jean-Michelle Jarre but also that of the more chilled out tracks by English artist Bent.

Dosem's inspiration from classic sci-fi films is on show here with 'Distant Playgrounds' and 'Your Skin' both having Blade Runner soundtrack sort of qualites. Synth-led 'theme' music is probably the most apt description. 'Children of Yesterday' is similarly enjoyable and along an early Leftfield tip. Breakbeat style chillout even makes a showing in 'Six Hours' and 'Questions'. 4/4 isn't ignored on this disc either with some dubby, pitched-down house grooves by way of 'Changes' and the sublimely groovy 'Maulenia'.

There's ample to love about this album. It covers the chill-out, the synthy, the retro and Dosem's undeniable skill for conjuring up dance floor weapons. Die hard techno fans might have hoped for an entire release of that ilk but, like Technasia and Renato Cohen before him, Dosem writes the book his own way. Mission accomplished.  5/5 stars.

Album pics: 'Esnite' and 'Parallel Fate' (disc 1), 'Maulenia' (disc 2)

Dosem 'Parallel' is available as a standalone artist album or as a DJ-friendly 'separates' album in both physical or digital format.

Release date: 6 June 2011 worldwide via quality music outlets everywhere.

Dosem on Facebook, Sino Records at Junodownload

Timo Maas - Balance 017 Review

It’s a case of long-time-no-hear from Timo ‘Dooms Night’ Maas who steps into the Balance series following some brilliant efforts by Joris Voorn, SOS and more. Maas is known for his hot DJing so it’s no surprise this has an x-factor so sorely missing from most compilations.

Balance 017 kicks off in super low-key fashion you’re soon hooked into the dubby house grooves of Nicolas Jaar ‘Time For Us’ and Dana Bergquist & Peder G ‘Acapulco’ followed by more melodic and eclectic sounds from Vector Lovers, DJ Koze, Tody Tobias and Deetron who put this well into the Sunday groove category and with strict quality control – no flash in the pan or obvious tunes in sight. Adding a few classics like Danny Tenaglia ‘Elements’ gives the immediate impression this will still sound great in a couple of year’s time – often a failing point of most compilations.

The second CD follows on with a chunky vibe, rolling percussion and a large number of tracks exclusive to this mix which quickly develop into a pretty menacing dance floor act. Kenny Larkin, Sante, Mutant Clan and many more make showings before the unmistakable acid line of the historic Hardfloor ‘Acperience’ drops in home stretch. Maas makes a number of showings himself with a number of exclusives and remixes which show he’s never lost his ear for quality. His DJing touch is as good as ever and this mix certainly shows up many ‘big name’ mixes from recent times.

Release date for Timo Maas - Balance 017 is 18 October 2010.
A Balance 017 EP of tracks exclusive to this mix will follow.

Filterwolf 'Music From Tomorrow' album review

Filterwolf's debut EP on Process Recs last year raised a few eyebrows with his quirky take on tech-house, a theme which holds here across his new album of post-minimal excellence.

Bosnian born but raised in Germany, Filterwolf is influenced by the minimal sound of recent years but adds to it a 1980s-vibe twist. Music From Tomorrow is straight-forward in concept but has an x-factor and unique funk which helps it stand out as quite distinct to most releases you’ll hear.

Starting out with ‘Sofia’, an ethnic music-inspired groove with an analog synth bouncing throughout, you immediately have an idea of the sound here. ‘Acrobat’ and ‘Terra Tech’ follow similar lines, making great use of eerie vocals intermingled with bouncing synths.

The standout track is ‘Nocturne‘, a simply brilliant piece of tech-house which will be rocking dance floors for a long time to come. On first listen it has an obviousness which could be mistaken for so much other rubbish out there but here the quality holds so well - from the vocal elements to the Kraftwerk-style futuristic cheekiness of the main synth.

‘Viva’ and ‘Hedonistica’ take a more pacey, dance floor vibe, still keeping with the theme of oddball haunting vocals, stabbed keys and an 80s-inspired quirk which you’d be hard pressed to find in such consistent quality outside of Carl Craig and other classic techno-slanted artists. Although this is a collection of singles more than a conventional artist album it is a great showcase of Filterwolf’s signature knack for producing quirky and original productions. 

Free Music! As an album promo Process Recordings are giving away an album track as a free 320kb/s MP3 download. Right-click and 'save-as' > Filterwolf - Nocturne 

Release: 10 May 2010 online. Junodownload release page