Dr Chekill, Ney, Tiago and Chris Liberator (SUF909)

My famous theory that Robert Louis Stevenson’s inspiration for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde involved trapped wind, two to three spoonfuls of bicarbonate of soda and twenty minutes uninterrupted on a chamber pot will just have to wait for another time. For now this is the estimable Dr Chekill with Dead Engineers, a (presumably Prometheus-referencing) release for SUF 909 that features nagging, looped vocals and – yes! – sirens as well as some surprisingly, one might almost say disappointingly, restrained 303 action.

Meanwhile on the flip is Fortaleza on Fire by Ney, Tiago and Chris Liberator. Well, obviously I’ve heard of this Liberator chap, but Tiago and Ney? Any information gratefully received. Whatever, this is bouncy and fun with breakdown riffs quite clearly recycled from around 1996, which is never a bad thing. I’ll be honest, though, neither track is what you’d call essential, but unless you’re here by accident I think you’ll probably want them in your collection anyway.

Get it from: 909 London

Steve Mills – SUF Projects 08 (SUF Projects 008)

Braingravy boss Mills pays homage to Stay Up Forever, with two old skool bangers full of high-pitched, mid-nineties 303 that tussle around a series of breakdowns with all the energy and appeal of enthusiastic Labrador pups. Let’s be honest here, if you’re reading this, chances are these kind of acid lines elicit an almost Pavolvian response in you and both tracks are practically guaranteed to get your serotonin bubbling. Pirate Radio is efficient, dirty, bordering on a DJ tool; SUF Forever, meanwhile, is an absolute gem – all about that acid line, which has been tweaked and crafted to within an inch of its hypnotic life, and about two-thirds of the way through rises to almost unbearable levels of peakiness before galloping to the finish line. Superb, have a Jenny Agutter.

Get it from: 909

Chris Liberator, Sterling Moss, Rackitt, D.A.V.E the Drummer, Ant – SUF 100.1 (Stay Up Forever)

Cat no: SUF 100.1
Release date: 02/12/11
Get it from: 909 London

Croydon Girl – Chris Liberator & Sterling Moss with Rackitt
BPM: 145
Heralding a year of celebrations from SUF (and for more details of that check out the new SUF 100 site) comes this EP, the first of four in the 100 series. Croydon Girl is supreme filth, with a Sterling Moss-speciality kick interrupted only by the odd outbreak of spitting hi-hats, a very hefty 303 line right from the off, and the main melodic acid line from 1.19. All in all, as nasty as you’d expect. The vocal is Rackitt expressing her love of Croydon as well ruminating upon her love of ‘fat 303s, fat rigs, fast drugs, fuck you,’ all of which are fine and upstanding pursuits.

The Drums – D.A.V.E the Drummer & Ant **
BPM: 145
Backing it up is The Drums, which is not so crowd-pleasing, but probably the better track in my humble Orion, and wraps up what has been a superb, transitional year for D.A.V.E the Drummer. After a section of layered drums comes all manner of freaky acidness, before more drums. And then more drums!  A drum solo in the break, no less! Imagine an Edinburgh Tattoo trip to the Rio carnival by way of Goa and you’ve got an idea what’s going on in here, and that it all holds together is a tribute to the acid-funking genius of the two talents involved. Great track, awesome EP, roll on the next one.

Steve Mills – SUF Projects 005 (SUF Projects)

Cat no: SUF Projects 0045
Release date: 24/08/11

AVP**
BPM: 148
AVP’s a cracking track. Plundering the original Predator for its sound-effects, rather than as the name suggests the wretched Alien vs Predator, it’s full of menace from the beginning. A low-slang acid line burbles and a higher one whipcracks away while Dutch and the boys venture deep into the jungle looking for something that’s out there, that ain’t no man. But for once the true magic lies not in build-and-release or bruising power but in the atmospherics. Mills has integrated Predator breathing, then war cries and even synthesised speech with the music itself to supremely shattering effect, creating a piece of work that’s as creepy and immersive as it is banging – and what’s more, truly original.

No Turning Back
BPM: 148
You can’t have everything, and in this case you can’t have a B-side that matches up to the majesty of the A-side. Maybe I’m bored of The Matrix samples or maybe I’m just wrung out by the essential AVP, but No Turning Back seems to lack a certain dynamism. It’s a great tool, no doubt, and the echoey vocal is really effective in the mix, but it’s not the main event.

Get it from: 909 London

Meanwhile, the magnificent AVP appears in this mix…

Tik Tok & Cus, Tik Tok – SUF Projects 004 (SUF Projects)

Cat no: SUF Projects 004 
Release date: 07/06/11

Lincolnshire Sausages**
BPM: 145
Never let it be said that acid techno is afraid to confront the big issues of the day. A sausage tax in Lincolnshire is the subject under discussion here, Lincs producer Jamie Taylor framing this issue with upbeat and funky drums, then a bright old-skool acid line. ‘Would you like some Lincolnshire sausages?’ it asks at one point, and yes I am feeling a little peckish, actually, now I’m able to face solids. Happily the track rocks, so you get to say, It’s a banger!

Amusement Park
BPM: 145
It’s been kicking around for a while, this track, first turning up on Jamie’s Soundcloud page about a year ago and finding favour with Chris Liberator among others. And it’s easy to see why. It’s one of those tracks that just sounds so… I don’t know, assured, like James Coburn in acid techno form. A smooth unhurried kick is lifted by a Bill Hicks sample – this one, in fact – while low-key acid flits among surprisingly silky percussion. It’s a great track but even so, the knockabout old-skool sound of the A side gets my vote.

Get it from: 909 London

Zoid – SUF90908 (Stay Up Forever 909)

Cat no: SUF90908
Release date: 19/05/11

Contract
BPM: 145
The F.A.T Collective is well and truly bringing it this year: A.P’s Scythe Squadron tunes have been peerless (Can’t Get Enough probably the year’s most-reached-for track), Kick The Drum has announced its return to much online rejoicing and now the estimable Zoid releases this: two sides of 303 workout for SUF909. Having said all that, and at the risk of slightly contradicting myself, it’s not an especially strong release. The first side, Contract, is my least favourite. A stout kick lifts us off and at 1.03 a voice introduces an acid line that weaves its way in and out of the drum for the next five minutes but ­never really does anything interesting. Great for DJs, the breaks come with plenty of drum rolls, but on the other hand also add to the air of hoover that hangs over the whole thing. All right for some, perhaps. Not for me.

Riot
BPM: 140
Like Contract, Riot has a vaguely retro feel to it, but the sound is simultaneously trancier and more organic, and thus preferable (to these ears at least), plus there’s a great flutey break at around 3.30, featuring a motif that plays through the rest of the track. It lifts the tune, no doubt, but not quite enough to make it essential. And the funny thing is, neither of these two tracks is anywhere near as strong as the – count ’em – six tracks given away for zilch and nada on the recently rejuvenated Kick the Drum’s Soundcloud page. These are free for you to download and trust me, you should. Pick of the crop is Zoid’s own Panic Attack, which uses a Goodfellas sample and packs a filthy kick, while A.P.’s 9bar goes for full-on screechy 303, Distek’s Praktikal does funky tribal and The Badger’s It’s Not Rock ’n’ Roll, It’s Acid uses a weirded-up sample of John Lennon (I think) to superb effect. All told, there’s about eight quids’ worth of free tunes available – uncompressed, too – and they’re all outstanding. If Kick the Drum’s proper releases are anywhere near this good, then we’re in for a treat.