4 out of 5

Label: Cartulis Music

Produced by: Various

Record 3 of a 4 LP Cartulis Music Anniversary compilation CRTL-SP01.3 goes international and cross-genre – French, Colombian, Israeli, Uruguayan and British producers deliver house, club, IDM and electro in a pretty slickly curated set. That mix does mean it gets pretty subjective up in here, but I think by comparing one artist to another, there are some relative winners.

Particularly: the leading cut on both sides of this make more notable stamps. Ivan Smagghe’s and Red Axes’ ‘What Cat’ is a banger techno track, with a pretty sick, organic bass propping up ambient affects, synth squiggles, and an emotive run on keys, each element breathing in and out for periods along the track’s 7+ minutes. This is backed by house cut ‘Eye House’ from Adi, an appreciably chilly beat with some nice rave-up synths and an electro bass; it’s just a bit thinner and repetitive as compared to ‘What Cat’.

On the B-side,Nicolas Etorena’s Eternal Highway has a retro and IDM vibe to it, playing with percussion production masterfully and ebbing and flowing like a rock song; a perfect aggressive pairing to Smagghe’s and Red Axes’ opener. DMX Krew closes things out with Unsteady Feat, an excellently bouncy techno tune that does the more joyful side of retro with upbeat keys and ploppy low-end – this is a top tier track, but, y’know, just another day for Ed DMX.

One great, flavorful slice of a delicious 4-LP pie from Cartulis.