Dots & Pearls 5

To celebrate the turn of the year, Cocoon Recordings presents the fifth edition of the Dots & Pearls anthology, which has been offering an exclusive glimpse into Cocoon's treasure trove of demos at irregular intervals since 2011. Once again, the eight tracks on show represent a comprehensive snapshot of the current state of club music as 2018 fades into 2019, combining established stars of the scene with eye-catching newcomers to create a harmonious overall package. First up is Berlin production team youANDme, who have been an integral part of the capital's club life for over ten years as well as running the Rotary Cocktail label. Their epic floor filler "Claret Loss" kicks off the compilation with a refreshingly reduced yet deep tech-house showpiece as the "ear circus" begins. In fact, that's the name of the next track by promising debutant Florian Hollerith. "Ohrenzirkus" amazes with a bone-dry bass drum accompanied by an insect squadron and atonal orchestra horns. Little wonder that this bold homage with it's sonic claim to immortality also takes pride of place on Sven Väth 's Sound of the 19th Season (CORMIX 059CD). Geneva based, Cadenza producer Quenum then reels in the acoustic madness with the elegant, metallic percussion of "Blue Mountain", while Croatian mastermind Petar Dundov takes the listener into a highly emotional state of weightlessness with the typically anthemic "Pyroelectric". Next, Systematic label boss Marc Romboy scores with "Sequential Error", a perpetually growing ball of energy that lights the way to the dancefloor. In the midst of the mayhem, Italian newcomer Blackrachas offers up a slice of Mediterranean serenity with his snare opus "Paracasta", while veteran DJ and producer Emanuele Inglese from Rome demonstrates his special expertise for dancefloor hedonism with a flurry of modulated sequential breaks on the track "Rain". Finally, Bastian Bux of Barcelona-based label Suara, who recently also featured on John Digweed 's Bedrock imprint, offers a fitting finale to the compilation with the melodic techno hymn "Inner You". Dots & Pearls 5 is set to be an indispensable part of your life.