Everyone still seems to be recovering from Doc Martin's blinding set at last weekend's Get Underground! party, and although I personally had to miss it (hey, it was my birthday!), everything I've heard leads me to believe it was a mental evening--lines around the block, sweat covering the dancefloor, and the glories of the Meyer soundsystem. To celebrate its success, we managed to get a nice clutch of material from Doc himself, including restocks on the first two releases for his Sublevel imprint as well as another exclusive Mix CD called Sublevel 3. As with the other two exclusive Doc Martin CDs we've been carrying online, Sublevel 3 will not be commercially available in stores. It is, however, available at Primalrecords.com--here and now.

New vinyl is also up and online now at Primalrecords.com, and this batch includes two new promo releases from our old friends at Chicago's Moody Records label. Here's the shortlist:

BAD BOY BILL feat. KEVIN IRVING "Happy" (Original, Dub & Blak Beatniks Mxs) Moody (Promo) [House] Chicago legend Bad Boy Bill returns to his own Moody label for this uplifting vocal house bombshell. The Original and Dub mixes both present Bill's harder disco feel in a warm, summery context; it's the kind of record that would work just as well under the sun as it would in a dimly lit nightclub. On the flip, the Blak Beatniks give it more of a deeper house feel--more bass, more analog keys, and a more melodious tone overall. Definitely one for the Shelter in New York or David Harness' late nights here at SF's The End-Up.

TORN VS. SIEG "Progression" (2 Mixes) Moody (Promo) [House, Tribal, Tech-house] Moody was one of the first labels to spot H-Foundation, and they broke the tribal house revival wide open with Manaca, Chus & Ceballos' massive "The Strong Rhythm" a few years later. Here, they offer up another piece of tough, percussive house courtesy of Torn Vs. Sieg and it is just off the chain. Dark, brooding, techy drum business on both mixes here, grounding flanged atmospherics and a sub-bass line that simply heaves. Another notch in Moody's quality tribal house tradition.

COMMUNITY RECORDINGS "Late Last Night" EP Leaf [House, Tribal] "Late Last Night" is probably a good way to describe this record: Dark, stripped-down, and twisted grooves is the code of the day here beginning with "Dubtech," a subtle kick-n-bass track that thrives on a hypnotic rhythm and dubby etherealism--perfect for warm-ups or comedowns. "Drums In Space" takes on a bit of an Idjuts/Harvey feel, before coming into my personal favorite, "Stolen Base"--a strong-as-hell drum track that creates a percussion symphony of sorts. Is that a bass line or a tom-tom? Wicked.

www.leafrecordings.com

KATS & STYLES "Like No Other" (Main Pass, Bonus Beats, FX, and Acapella) Twisted [Progressive, Tribal] Twisted is on a bit of a roll this month. This week, the label releases a second EP from NYC production duo Kats & Styles, and much like Geoff Gains' recent Twisted release, this 12-inch revisits a deeper, New York tribal sound. If you fondly remember the records that Danny Tenaglia was playing in 1998 the way I do, you'll want to check this out--dark, druggy tones with a focused groove and discernible b-line, the way things were before everyone tried blending several conga loops at a time. "Like No Other" is a pure representation of the NYC sound that later influenced the world through jocks like Digweed and Lawler--tribal but not beat to death, progressive but not trance, tough but not macho. Go Twisted!

www.twistedamerica.com

Also new this week is remix and production work from Duncan Gray, BLIM, Killer Elite, Aquasky vs. Masterblaster, Tony Faline (remixed by Lee Coombs), and much more.

New label output from Mighty Atom, Electrolux, TCR, Oblong, Air, and more is also in, as are two new illicit white label mixes taking on Snoop Dogg and D'Angelo. Check it out.

More to come, including new white label music from Blue Daze and full release music from Safe In Sound, 20/20 Vision, and Amenti Music to name a few. Until then, be good!

(Norman Arenas)