Available on: Deep Teknologi digital

If underground UK club music in 2010 was dominated by artists linked to Numbers and Night Slugs, then this year may well belong to those affiliated with Deep Teknologi, Local Action and PTN – all three imprints currently seem incapable of putting a foot wrong. The likes of T. Williams, Hackman and J. Bevin are setting the bar impossibly high when it comes to birthing large slabs of techy electronics which dance somewhere in the grey area between garage, Funky and house.

JTRP are Germans Jorge Takei and Robophil and the latest to debut their own material on Deep Teknologi for the label’s fifth release. ‘You Want It’ takes the lead here, opening off on a soulful tip before departing down a soca-esque organ work out; additional beef provided by a taut, muscular beat reminiscent of Lil Silva, and synthetic stabs conjuring up images of a demented priest pounding the keys in a church dedicated to UK Funky.

‘Dungeons is a far nastier affair, build on an overwhelming bassline with enough pressure to squeeze the juice from any dance – JTRP have likened it to the theme from Godzilla, which is an accurate depiction of a tune that’s as dark as it is monstrous; it’s frightening enough to warrant a cage. ‘Moons’ closes the EP and sees JTRP taking their foot off the bombast and cranking up the acid synth claps. Deep Teknologi don’t just have their fingers on the pulse of modern dance music; they practically are that beat.

Jim Ottewill