VARIOUS ARTISTS MUTATIONS VOL 1 COMPILATION EP MUTATE RELEASE: DECEMBER 8, 2008 REVIEW: NOVEMBER 16, 2008

The first release of a record label is always the most special, it is the release that sets the bar for all else to follow. Set up by the near-legendary “Bleep” house producers Unique 3 (who feature here with the track “Song for Rohan”, the label promises to be “...a vehicle for crisp electronic music of many persuasions”. Being the first release of a promised series from established artists, alongside up-and-comers, it seems there could be no better time than now to introduce this label to the world.

“On Your Way”, performed by Momentum, has a slightly acid house feel through the rhythms - very old-school, but with a dash of an even earlier period for me, sounding a little like it could be the backing music to an early seventies sci-fi TV series - cool in a slightly retro way.

Si Begg, a founding member of Mutate Records too, steps up to the plate with “Come Correct”, a pretty unsettling piece of music that, through its mixing across the stereo bandwidth, really gets between your ears and needles into your brain, like an electronic worm. Imagine a more schizophrenic “Flat Eric” (of Mr. Oizo fame), and you get a little idea of what I mean. Good, if unnerving.

“Acid Jig” sounds like an early house version of a Scottish dance, but naturally (and maybe thankfully) this doesn't prove to be the case. Starting out as a bit of a joke track, in response to the increased interest in early acid house and the like, it actually proved to be a decent track in its own right. Again, the stuttering and breaks in the track give the post-modern edge, yet the heart is true to the original music of the time.

Finally, “Song for Rohan” closes the proceedings, being a rather dreamy affair, full of of-the-period electro strings, and funky signature notes, it sounds like it could have been recorded 20 years earlier.

So, another label that promises so much, but in this case the promise of new tunes, and more importantly, excitement, seems to have at least the capability of delivering. The idea of taking music from an all-together different time and bringing it bang up-to-date isn't new, but it is rarely done with such panache and attention to detail. A label that will cement its reputation in its upcoming releases I feel, but a real positive start.

MIKE WHYTE