Grooves On The Vinyl – #002 – Scuba – Hardcore Heaven (RSD 23 Exclusive)

The latest record in my collection is a Record Store Day 2023 exclusive, released on the 22nd of April. Scuba’s Hardcore Heaven is a 12 inch wax disc which is six tracks of a fresh take on euphoric 90’s style hardcore with production features such as hard-edged beats, euphoric breakdowns and helium vocals.

I haven’t bought many records in a while due to attempting to save money during the cost of living crisis, however when I saw a few video snippets of the EP being played on Old Skool Hardcore’s Instagram page, I immediately fell in love with track 5, Yesterday. With this being a RSD exclusive release, at the time I bought this there wasn’t a digital copy to buy online (however there are now streams on Spotify and Soundclound if you do want to check it out yourself without paying for a physical copy), so I headed to google to see where I could purchase such an audible beauty.

I bought it from Horizons Music, who have a massive catalogue of records on their online site. I have never bought a record from them before until now but I will definitely be buying from them again. They sell records of all genres – not just dance so be sure to have a nosey at what you could also pick up from there too https://www.horizonsmusic.co.uk/ !

I love both versions of hardcore (punk sub genre and the dance genre) and this is the first dance hardcore vinyl in my collection. Not only does it sound brilliant, but it is also a really pretty number to add to my collection with the green splatter across the neon yellow.

In Review: DJ Swagger – Fleg EP

Germany’s DJ Swagger released his Fleg EP in November of 2022 on Dr Dubplate’s Original Pirate Material vinyl series which debuted in 2021, and is the fourth release in the sub-label. The EP nods towards continued evolution in the ec2a sublabel’s sound, centred in darker corners of bass, garage and 140 realms and is DJ Swagger’s second release on the label.

The first track, Sssweat kicks things off with no restriction. A trippy and cheeky 2-step that packs a punch, there’s chopped-up vocals, chunky basslines and many a twist and turn, this is nothing short of a dancefloor mind-melter. Moving onto track two, Confu is bass-heavy yet stripped back and vulnerable. It is melodramatic, with airy synths that carve a deamy path into the dubstep nostalgia that follows. Flip over to side B, and Ghos has Swagger return to his usual mischief; this is a bumping house track that is bursting at the seams with old school energy, barely-there vocals, vinyl scratches and banging kicks – this is one for the real ravers. Closing off the EP with more of a blissful, psychedelic atmosphere is Crotch feat. Flying Solo which wanders through techno, trance and dubstep. An ape-shit vibrator that would sure enough unsettle a few dancefloors within sets.

In Review: Seb Wildblood – Do You Feel It Too?

Do You Feel It Too? is the heavenly second album from Seb Wildblood, released in May 2022 on his own label All My Thoughts, on which he has released music from artists such as Tiffany, Suchi D, and Ciel. Blissful and emotive, the album was heavily inspired by Wildblood’s relocation from London to LA, and followed on from the singles Jobi, Tetris, For Emotional Use Only and Keep On Feat. Ouri and ahead of his worldwide tour which he completed in June last year, which saw him play at some of the world’s most respected clubs such as Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s, Brighton Institution and Public Records NYC to name a few.

The album combines 90’s piano chords and garage instrumentals, lush vocals and groove-laden minimalist tech house sentiments and is fuelled by sublime LA scapes and informed by his early education and influence in dance music. Do You Feel It Too? seems to celebrate a renewed sense of togetherness and empathy after a period of loneliness. To put it in a nutshell, the album is about being present in the moment, largely directed at a dance floor.

Seb’s label All My Thoughts was launched in 2019 and has rapidly become a staple home for euphoric, deeply moving sounds, primed for meditative dancefloor moments. DJ mag hailed Seb as “one of the most prolific figures in the UK’s underground scene” and he has long been adored in the electronic underground, with fans in experts such as Mixmag, Resident Advisor, Complex and many more, he is also loved on radio stations such as BBC R1, BBC 6 Music and Triple J to name a few, and runs a regular All My Thoughts radio show himself on Dublab. Now based within Los Angeles, Seb is working with a refreshed perspective and a renewed approach to production, DJing and A&R.