MK303, Austin Corrosive, Tassid & D.A.V.E. the Drummer, OB1 – System Rejects 02 (System Rejects)

MK303’s Drugged Up is an outstanding track. Coming straight from SR’s no-nonsense division, the acid fires up right away, but it’s at around 1.40 that a riff begins blasting away behind the main acid lines, and it’s a total doozy, elevating the track from the realms of superior acid workout to something way better. A lot of tracks would happily rely on that one riff – not this one.

Meanwhile, Austin Corrosive breaks out the fatter, philthier acid for Sharks With Lasers. Austin’s recent tracks have had a real machinery-in-crisis sound to them, a feeling that they could, at any second, spin completely off the grid, and it’s an exciting, distinctive sound – the sound of a really in-form, confident producer. It’s a feeling that pervades the entire release, in fact. You get a sense of everybody involved stretching their wings.

Next, Tassid and D.A.V.E the Drummer on Sexual Advance. The track is basically a rework of the Adam Freeland track, We Want Your Soul, complete with the eponymous vocal and Bill Hicks’s ‘you are free to do as we tell you’ routine during the breakdown. Freeland’s track is a classic and it’s a brave man who evokes its memories, even in a new context, but Christ, this track thumps. Here the BPMs rise to Tassid levels, rather than drop to DtD levels, and Tassid tracks always bang. But this one? Whoosh.

Lastly, OB1 is, as ever, applying advanced acid techniques to his 303 on Fight War. First he has fun with drums, setting up a rolling, funky sound before laying down the first of the acid lines at around 1.40. The 303 are whipped to a frenzy, and with the looped ‘fight war’ vocal sample sounding suitably psychotic, the result is a truly breathless and relentless piece of acid techno, a stunning end to what is easily one of the best EPs of the year – if not the best.

Meanwhile, you can catch all of the Rejects plus various other ne’er-do-wells, including Rabbits fave Bad Boy Pete,  playing live at at Soitiz-organised bash in aid of the Headway charity. The party takes place at a secret location in Worcestershire on 7th December, and for tickets you’ll need to email soitizswifty@hotmail.co.uk. It promises to be epic.

Go to System Rejects’ website here.

Listen to the tunes here:

Champion Breaks – Extasy Make You Lovely (The Remixes) (Kut Off Records)

An unbearably nostalgic three-track remix EP from our favourite acid-breaker Champion Breaks, this begins with a real Rave Digger-esque take from Dodders, complete with tingle-on-the-back of your neck piano sections, and quick-hug-a-friend samples from Human Traffic. The DJ Slim vs Menace mix gets all junglistic on your ass but at the risk of playing Rabbit favourites, it’s Benji303‘s rub that really rules the roost. Benjio retains the manic  breakbeats so beloved of Champion but teases them into Acid Techno shapes and the result is phat and fast and highly addictive.

Robi Suss, Nesbit & DevilFishFury – AER006 (London Style EP)

Robi Suss’s Trip Back is a worthy A-side for this release. A slyly addictive tune I like the more I hear it, it evolves from a series of hammer blows and tik tok rhythms, the bass drum and hats building for a full three minutes before a series of effects introduces the acid drop. It’s a great technique and means the 303 sounds extra meaty when it arrives, landing like an axe to the head when you open the door to a stranger on a rainy night.  Sounds of Acid, meanwhile, is an SUF tribute, complete with a geezer vocal and some mega-squirly acid. Its great in the build  but ultimately promises a wee bit more than it delivers, and drops out just when you want it to really wig out, although I guess that has a lot to do with personal preference, mine being at the exploding eyeballs end of things.

Meanwhile, Nesbit’s Toxic Afterparty is an absolute cracker, boasting a funtabulous hardgroove opening. Chikka-wikka tribal drums jostle with effects for a couple of minutes before several kegs of Watney’s Red Barrel arrive and the Toxic Afterparty begins in earnest. For the main event two seriously scuffed-up and down-pitched acid lines take centre stage and batter the house into submission, but – and this is the really cool bit – without sacrificing the loose, funky feel of the tune’s first section. This is a very neat trick if you can do it. Mobile Dogwash do it a lot. And Nesbit’s absolutely on point with this.

Lastly DevilFishFury’s Around the Bend, which is Nesbit and ‘Tom & Riff’.  Not being very technical, I’ve no idea what the Devil Fish mod actually does, but it sure sounds tasty. What I really love about Around the Bend is the experimental feel to it, especially during the truly mental breakdown, where so much is chucked into the mix I half expected Gregorian chanting to start up. It’s noisy, for sure, but personally I love noisy. I live for busy. And I suspect you do too, so we should all be happy.

Get it from: Audio Eargasm Bandcamp