Cocoon Recordings presents: Cocoon Compilation T Another year, another expertly curated compilation touches down courtesy of Cocoon Recordings. Somehow, the world keeps turning and with it the Cocoon universe keeps expanding, causing subtle yet persuasive shifts in the sonic soundscape that continue to capture and captivate the imagination. In time-honored tradition the old guard and the new combine with devastating effect, to define the current state of play. Veteran Techno producer Stephen Brown makes it clear the compilation series is back with a bang, opening things up in epic fashion with the lucid dreamscape 'Level Steps' - a true work of art. Another heavy-weight hitter steps straight up in the form of Claude von Stroke, who adds his own unique swagger to proceedings with those trademark shuffling beats and freaky, hypnotic bleeps scuffling for dominance on 'Moody Fuse'. Denis Horvat then slows things down on 'Monomono', with post-rave abstractions and disobedient synth-patches causing mayhem before the track finally unfolds in all its terrifying beauty. Motoring on, the collection wastes no time reaching that familiar tipping point as we enter the techno phase of the journey. A very special appearance from Daniel Avery makes it all the more worthwhile amid a dense forest of chiming melodies and blistering electrical surges on 'Your Future Looks Different In The Light', before Jeroen Search's aptly titled 'Subversive Elements' lead us deeper and deeper, into the matrix. Marco Bailey then kicks off a triptych of trance with some massive filtered piano action on 'Kanai' that's destined to trigger a serotonin smile with everyone it touches. Revisiting the huge, ever-growing pulsating brain of planet Orb, Damiano van Erckert continues the loved-up vibe on the gorgeously titled '500 People 500 Hearts 1 Love', expertly complimenting the classic ambience with some slick 909 snare and cymbal interplay. The melodic pull of 'Vision99' then signifies that the party is peaking at just the right moment as YOKTO concocts a glistening, psychedelic groove. The emotional resonance climbs ever higher with brittle melodies endlessly circling a lush, throbbing bass drone to create the sense of something stirring out of reach. Just when you think the acid sound is done and dusted, up pops a track like Jonathan Kaspar's 'CCC' that somehow manages to offer an entirely new perspective. Riding in on a wave of expectant arpeggios, the squelching bass and noise filter go toe to toe before Kaspar gets busy with a freaky tempo excursion that'll be destroying dance floors all year long. 'The Art of Electronics' is, as the title suggests, another superlative example of pure analogue fire, served up by UK legend, Andrew Meecham aka The Emperor Machine. The funk starts to flow as the bass drops, the machines cut loose and a swarm of cascading bleeps ride the trans-europa express to oblivion. Electro overlord Carl Finlow, has come to define the UK take on the genre over the last couple of decades. Here, he makes his long overdue label debut, taking us into the closing straight with a nervous sliver of dystopian futurism, complete with molten basslines and a fuzzy logic that underpins the tight, laser-guided groove on 'Surface Control'. DeFeKT then draws this great adventure to a close with the deliciously dark robo-disco overtones of 'Terraform' creating a dusky landscape that skillfully seduces the listener before the tension finally breaks in a wash of ecstatic chords. All in all, it's a supremely ambitious collection of tracks, generously featuring some of the most inspirational and durable artists of their respective generations. In fact, is this perhaps the best Cocoon Compilation to date?

When Leng Records founders Paul Mudd Murphy and Simon Purnell marked the imprints 10th birthday, they did so via a celebratory compilation that mixed classic catalogue cuts, remixes and exclusives. Five years on, and with the labels 15th birthday upon us, theyve decided to look to the future via a compilation made up entirely of fresh productions from Lengs roster of current and new artists. Presented on limited-edition gatefold double vinyl with a bonus 10 single, the collection offers an updated showcase of Lengs much-loved trademark sound, a distinctive fusion of mid-tempo sleazy-disco, Balearica and chugging house interspersed with elements of electronic psychedelia and synth-powered space disco. Fittingly for a compilation that wholeheartedly looks to the future, youll find first contributions from a handful of label newcomers. Fast-rising duo Flying Mojito Bros give their spin on Smoke Signals by label debutants Joe Harvey-Whyte and Bobby Lee, turning in a heady and inspired revision that sits somewhere between dusk-ready cosmic disco and flash-fried desert blues. Theres also an appearance from Swedish producer Bo Wosticz with the dreamy and ultra-deep nu-jazz of Bs As. Naturally, youll also find plenty of heat from those who have already proved their mettle through prior releases on Leng. Danish duo Liminal, who made their debut earlier this year with the much-played Keep Coming Back To Me, open proceedings with the tactile, slow-disco flex of Tzatziki Bay where sweet synth melodies and a heady electric piano riff ride a warming groove. Roberto Intrallazzi and Dario Piana from Italys original Afro-cosmic movement return with Plutos, a typically deep dubbed-out cosmic chugger. Then theres Rose Robinson AKA Tigerbalm, whose Mexicana featuring singer Joi NJuno is presented across the package in two different forms. Pete Herbert, who contributed to some of the earliest Leng releases, drops a driving dub disco take on the main compilation, while Robinsons original mix – a more organic, percussive and horn-heavy affair blessed with plenty of hallucinatory intent – opens the bonus 10. Theres a welcome return to Leng for the brilliant Payfone, whose Dime Algo is a typically classy, analogue-rich affair in which attractive Rhodes riffs, atmospheric female vocals and pitched-down house pianos rise above shuffling drum machine beats and a slow-motion bassline. Long-serving label contributor Lex (Athens) delivers the loose-limbed nu-disco breeze of Stolen Dance, while the imprints San Francisco connection ¬– the ever-brilliant 40 Thieves collective – drop the dubbed-out Bay Area brilliance of Such A Great Trip. Then there are the contributions of the labels most storied artist, Andrew Meecham AKA Emperor Machine with Eumig, a deliciously slow, synth-rich chugger full of colourful chords, bubbly electronic melodies and jaunty electronic bass. Then, to round off the bonus 10 single, Meecham joins forces with Paul Murphy (as Mudd) on Road To Nikko, an extended, Japanese musical culture-influenced slab of pitched-down alien-funk packed to the rafters with squelchy synth sounds, effects-laden percussion, chiming melodies and rubbery bass guitar.