- Optimo Trax's latest is a compilation EP featuring material by artists from Glasgow, London, Philadelphia and Edinburgh. With none of its four productions reaching above 118 BPM, it's all less tracky than a lot of the previous releases on Optimo's club-focused label. Glasgow DJ/producer Beta—a resident at The i AM, Sub Club's long-running Tuesday-nighter—turns in the obvious highlight with "Endless Plains." Unashamedly emotional, its gentle drums rattle against a flowing background of pads and orchestral touches, making for a beautiful and satisfying whole.
Edinburgh veteran Neil Landstrumm teams with Alan Parley (under the name Modini) on the spacey, flickering "Ghost Seducer," and it's of expected high quality. Philadelphia-based Alex Burkat's "Culture (Full Circle Mix)" adds a mutated Jamaican vocal sample to steady, slightly hydraulic drums, resulting in the record's most linear, if not most interesting, moment. "3AM At The Aqua-Disco," from Love's Flaccid Disco Muscle, skips and chimes pleasantly enough, but is ultimately underwhelming in the shadow of Beta's opener.
TracklistA1 Beta - Endless Plains
A2 Love's Flaccid Disco Muscle - 3AM At The Aqua-Disco
B1 Alex Burkat - Culture (Full Circle Mix)
B2 Modini - Ghost Seducer