Guy Mantzur & Khen, Slok, Of Norway – Touching Distance, The Trip, Running Lights V

Quality Canadian label and close-knit electronic family My Favorite Robot offers up a Various Artist EP and introduces us to some fine talent on their 108th release. Guy Mantzur & Khen, Slok and Of Norway all turn out one track each and every one is pleasingly different to the next.

Having previously worked together on a number of remixes and originals on labels like Sudbeat, Guy Mantzur & Khen team up for ‘Touching Distance’. It’s an epic, ten minute bit of stormy and tumultuous tech edged house with breaking synth waves, kinetic percussion, plenty of drama and atmosphere and lots of bright, glistening metal surfaces. It’s wholly abstract but is a well-constructed groove that fits in perfectly with the indie leaning label’s cannon.

Next up is Italian Alessandro Russo aka Slok, who has associations with labels like Satoshi Tomiie’s SAW, One Records and Get Physical going all the way back to the nineties. His contribution, ‘The Trip’, is a deep and broody bit of house with supple pads, clean and uplifting chords and slinky, wiggling drums and hi hats that really draw you in to the dance. Emotive and airy, it’s a nicely spacious groove that really resonates as it rolls on.

Finally, Of Norway are Vegard Wolf Dyvik and Carl Christian Steenstrup, a pair who say their sounds are like being lost in the woods of Norway – warm, dubby, deep. Their track ‘Running Lights V’ is just that – sparse, dark, mysterious and eerie in its little melodies and haunted sounding chords. Driven by rubbery beats and water droplet like melodies, it’s one that really sends shivers up your spine.

These three make for welcome additions to the MFR family and come up with some fantastically original track in the process.