VA: Ginglik Saturdays: Rhythms Re-Lik
Ginglik Records/Bubblewrap Industries

London residents already may know that Ginglik is more an underground bar and members-only club tucked away in a secluded spot beneath Shepherds Bush Green than a record label. In celebration of its fourth year of operation, Ginglik (a Cantonese martial arts term that means ‘explosive power,' incidentally) decided to solicit original material from artists who've graced the club's stage during the past years' Saturday nights and issue a second compilation, Ginglik Saturdays: Rhythms Re-Lik. The club vibe may be friendly and community-oriented but there's nothing casual about the consistently strong 14-song set.

A lovely multi-layered concoction of warm beats and emotive melodies, Dine's “Exit” makes starting from the end seem like a perfect idea. Merging airy vocal harmonies and jungle spatter, Liberation Jumpsuit's poppy “Karaoke” impresses almost as much and no discernible lapse in quality surfaces thereafter. Steely tentacles ricochet over warm techno washes in Zainetica's “Automatic Calm” while a breathy voice whispers over candy-coloured chimes and skipping beats in LJ Kruzer's “Schlooperglue (Line Remix).” In due course, there's bass-heavy breaks magic (Abstrakt Knights), bubbly arcade madness (Ochre”), driving funkhouse (Mighty Dark), squirrely acid (Ardisson), warped Aphex vocalizing (Kone-R), brooding atmospheres (Posthuman), and panoramic ambient (Veneration Music). The 70-minute disc makes Ginglik sound like the best place one could possibly be on a Saturday night.

November 2006