Nice & Nasty - Top Notch Techno and More

If there's one label which feels like it's living the techno spirit it's Nice & Nasty Records. Crazy as it may seem they're not even from Detroit, rather Dublin, Ireland.

Nice & Nasty have been releasing tunes for well over a decade and have an artist roster which includes Chymera, Terrence Dixon, Orlando Voorn, SourceCode, Tr One, Tomi Chair, Itokim and more... some well known and others breaking through with their own Detroit, Blade Runner and silver jump-suit inspired sounds.

They've put out a pile of releases in the past 18 months or so which rock and sum up what the broad tech category means to me - from Terrence Dixon's seeming retake on 90s rave icons Eon through to the astounding synth led techno of Chymera.

Some essential Nice & Nasty to get you going!

Chymera - My Love (Sourcecode and Remlab remix). Hands-down on the best tech-style tunes of the past year. This takes Chymera's blissful keys and turns it into a buzzing mother of a tune.

Orlando Voorn - The Beholder. Voorn puts 99% of funky house artists to shame with this groovy disco inspired deep house.

Tomi Chair - Midnight Skywalker (Orig and Scott Curtis Jackobi mix). An epic tune to put Deadmau5 and other rodent lovers to shame. If you want it big hit the Scott Curtis Jackobi mix. If epic deepness is your thing, go for the original.

Rabid Romancer - Circle of Life (from Ella's Tea Party EP). A very mid 90s E-Dancer 'World Of Deep' vibe track of the highest order!

Terrence Dixon - Tranquility (Octogen remix). I dunno why but this screams Eon to me. If you even know who J Saul Kane (aka Eon) is then chances are you'll appreciate this.

Itokim - Two & One (from No One Else EP). I long for a day when this sort of record rules - it's modern and forward thinking but with a classic vibe to it. The percussion, bass and keys are subtle in every way.
Tr-One - Detroit after Dark. A Jeff Mills 'Live At The Liquid Room' style deep dubby number.

Tr One also mixed a sort of a tribute to Juan Atkins DJ mix in January - a collection of records which, in his words "music that wouldn’t have been possible without Juan’s influence." - I agree. Check out the mix in the link above.

You can find Nice & Nasty at home or Nice & Nasty at Beatport

Reviews with Rob Warner - March 09

Daniel Kyo - I Can (Dark Energy)

Following the theme set by Milton Jackson and Shur-i-kan's releases on Dark Energy, Daniel Kyo's 'I Can' is a deep techy track with a hint of Chicago, full of crisp percussion and looped vocals. The Milton Jackson remix is the sort of spacey house he's nailed as of late with a sparse arrangement and nice use of some stabby synths which quirkily make the melody and extra rhythm all in one. 'Shake It' is the gem here though, rolling along as a dubby drum track before adding a great melody which kicks the track into another gear. Wicked track. Dark Energy at Beatport

Isolée - A Nightingale (Diynamic Music)
OK, so it might not be Beau Mot Plage all over again but Isolée's latest is a pretty darn fine track - especially as a set-starter. Using his crazy bleeps, woofs and wooshes style 'A Nightingale' builds from a throbby bass noise to a maniacal number which would sound amazing at 4am. The stepped deep bass is sick sick sick and shows why Isolée is always worth checking out for sheer surprise value. Great to hear he still marches to a different drum to most and is still amongst the best in the game. 'A Nightingale' at Beatport

Chymera - Sumatra (Figure)

Ireland does 'Detroit' better than Detroit these days and Chymera leads the pack after a stream of top releases. 'Sumatra' is no exception and continues his theme of lush epic chords over subtle building tracks which have a hypnotic x-factor. The original mix climbs right through the layers to a big-room anthem peak which gets there without any overuse of bells or whistles - a rarity these days. Deetron does a more gritty, hectic mix in their usual solid, jacking fashion and with the addition of some well placed cut-up vocals. Chymera 'Sumatra' at Beatport

Developer - In Search EP (4 Track Records)

This EP spans heaps of ground. 'Walk On Air' is a straight up dubby techno which keeps the flashy bits away and lets the solid hypnotic groove do the work. Add a few spacey snippets and you're done. 'In Search' is a spacey synth excursion with a techy groove running below. It's not a massive track but definitely original enough that people would take notice for sure. 'Chosen' hits the nutty tech-house category to perfection with computer-ish sounds and detuned notes. Nice!