DJ Warp – March Of The Cats EP

Another super-cool EP here from Elektrax Recordings, this time offered up by our native man in Japan, and undoubted producer-of-the-moment, DJ Warp.

But first, a wee bit of a history lesson: the Maneki Neko (literally "beckoning cat") is one of the most common lucky charms in Japan, often found in shop windows, where the statue sits with its paw raised and bent, as if beckoning customers to enter. Yet while there may be countless ethereal superstitions about cats in Japan, there's nothing airy-fairy about this release, bearing on its cover a few diverse Maneki Neko.

The title track - March Of The Cats - is minimal but fantastically cool, with a tribal rhythm section and hard synth stabs to die for. Or at least shake a cat at.

Track 2, Gran Turismo, has a forbidding kick combined with filtered, smoky chords, and the compact journey builds and builds like a futuristic car racing videogame.

On the third track, Ridge Racer, Warp goes all rolling and funky minimal with a superbly tough and relentless groove, guaranteed to keep any restless dance floor happy.

Track 4, The Next Step, is funky, driving techno: think superlative beats galore, with funky percussion layers and groovy synth underpinnings that will rock out any half-decent big system, or even simply on your personal mp3 player.

Brilliant music from one of our current favorite producers!