DJ SPUN Vinilo y CD

Review: Two underground artists with many years in the scene behind them in Darwin Chamber and DJ Spun come together for the second in their Episode series on Rong Music. Once again they dig into the sounds of their formative years while also looking to the future as they blend dub, trance and techno into lithe new forms. 'The Revolution' is a mid-tempo and atmospheric roller with hypnotic vocals, while 'The Playa' is a deft bit of electronic minimalism with a deep space feel and ticking 808 sounds. Things get more loose with the warped synths and dusty tech beats of 'Dysfunction' while 'Acid Tounge' closes with trippy designs, a skeletal rhythm and a sense of late-night melodic and afterparty mischief.

Review: Darwin Chamber and DJ Spun unite for a bold four-tracker here that draws on all their decades of experience to push the boundaries of trance and techno. This self-titled release is nostalgic without sacrificing innovation and opens with 'Find The Missing Letter,' a dub-tinged techno builder with hypnotic synths. 'Digits' follows with relentless beats and dark, robotic energy. The sultry 'Do It All Night' anchors the EP with a seductive groove, while 'Ants' closes with mid-tempo warmth and acidic undertones. Combining Darwin Chamber's engineering expertise and DJ Spun's club culture mastery, this one is perfectly pitched for dancefloor mayhem.

Review: New York maestro and Loose Control Band member DJ Spun has served up a superb compilation for Above Board here. It is his third such collection and one that focusses on the specific subject of West Coast breaks, rave and electro funk from the late eighties to mid-cities. It was a fertile scene by this account and one that still sounds current today, right from the blistering open eats and trance-like synths of Tasti Box's 'San Francisco' to Deep2's old school house jacker 'Sphere' which closes out the double pack. In between are plenty of gems, not least the deep and dreamy sounds of Hawke's '3 Moods In A Purple Garden' (Robbie Hardkiss mix).

Review: Given that he cut his teeth as a DJ and producer in San Francisco during the early 90s, DJ Spun is in a perfect position to educate us on the city's breakbeat-driven 'rave' sound - a hybrid and hyper-local affair that blended the Bay Area's psychedelic sounds and loved-up ethos with elements of acid, hip-hop, hip-house, deep house and British breakbeat hardcore. The Beat By DJ Spun Volume 1 does a great job of highlighting largely lesser-known, breakbeat-powered cuts produced in the city between 1988 and '94. For proof, check out the dreamy, mid-tempo wonder of Single Cell Orchestra's 'Transmit Liberation', the funk-fuelled hedonism of Triple M's 'Prisoner of Passion (Funky Dub Mix)', the deep and dubby breaks of 'Based (Not So Free Mix)' by DJ Emma, and the sparse-and-squelchy post hip-house shuffle of Spins Inc's 'The New Frontier'.