FRESH JUICE: VIRTUAL VELOCITY (V.A.01) by CLUB SP33D

Born out of the mind of Peruvian artist 'zpectrum', the CLUB SP33D label emerges with the first entry of a nitrous speed various artists compilation series.

Words by Oisín Campbell/ Design by Michael Savage

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VIRTUAL VELOCITY features artists positioned globally offering up intense and fierce fuelled club cuts that span ghetto tech, hard drum, jungle, hard techno and much more.

Buy/ Stream here: zpectrum.bandcamp.com/album/virtual-velocity-v-a-01

Clocking in on the emerging V/A trend, CLUB SP33D highlights one of the few positive impacts of an online world in this sharing of creativity and connectivity that the many artists and producers involved have benefitted from. On the surface it is a collection of club trax, but it ultimately highlights the international network in which labels and artists can now interact and work in.

CLUB SP33D combines artists from Peru as well as friends from Argentina, Brazil, Ireland, France, Ukraine, and South Africa to name but a few. The entire collection of artists and sounds manifests into a turbo blasting muscle car booming out hard techno, shocking electro, and booty grinding ghetto tech from all corners of the world.

Fellow Venezuelan HEX initializes the compilation with a track that struggles to maintain a sound that could be categorized into one specific genre. Starting quite calmly, 'Bloom' erupts from a relaxed background into a quaking hard drum track that flirts with techno and floating house templates. Ukraine's Distortion UA & Kørper collide on the electro mammoth that is 'Crystal'. Again this track tests itself in multiple genre waters as it is met with hard techno rhythms during its breakdown. Galway's HASCH brings the rumble in the jungle with 'Drillih'. Laced with dark, distorted basslines and daring sirens, the Irishman forks up a stormy concoction of noise here that growls louder with each passing bridge.

Khia's 'My Neck, My Back' meets Portuguese electronite Phaser on 'P#SSY LIKE THIS'. An aggressive edit that forges hard techno with ghetto tech alongside an oddball bassline. Lv Amaj runs a classic house melody against bad attitude vocals and chirpy kicks and hats on 'Hi Cyka 2 (Organ Edit), resulting in a bassy techno hitter that just rolls and rolls.

A Clan Destine regular, Houston's 'mister sticktalk' rattles up a thumper on 'Catch a Body'. The track gathers an industrial techno rhythm against Memphis rap vocals and stuttering 2 steps, typifying the genre-fluidity of all the VIRTUAL VELOCITY entrants so far. DJ Couchlock's 'Ghetto King' slaps a racing gtek rhythm alongside gauging grime vocals. These are paired with motoring effects and a wubbing bass, all crafted in a supersonic motion.

'The Sun Will Rise And We'll Try Again' is a fitting title to Lucas Martins' big room anthemic techno hit. Based in Brazil, he has become synonymous with hard and emotional rave techno, with his participation on CLUB SP33D further solidifying this. Marwaan picks up from the angelic dust left behind by Martins on the pulsating 'Fallen Angels'. Another emotion-kiltering techno sound with an emphasis on the more raw side of the genre. 'Fallen Angels' is as tribal as it is euphoric, making for a real journey in sound as it drifts towards elements of trance at its climax.

Argentinian producer PVR continues on this hard industrial techno path on 'Lust Dream'. Deafening 4x4 kicks are solidified by an uplifting arpeggio on this driving effort. Swooh's Berlin influence is evident on the ghetto racing giddy up that is 'Let's Ride'. One of the featured early releases from the compilation, this one instantly grabbed our attention towards CLUB SP33D and what else the imprint had up their sleeves.

Label head zpectrum shuffles between driving techno, jungle tek, and acid on 'Rollin'. A blitzing track that makes impressive use of Pump Panel esque acid lines and the rudeboy vocals of Chamillionaire. More snippets of Memphis rap trickle into the zorbing techno rhythms on cyberflex's 'Aint Tryin'. After an inviting breakdown, a vortexing bass line steadies the track on to its final techno destination.

An alumni of Your Character and Jerry Horny, Killrnik's soundscaping 'Breizh Elixir' is a cacophony of electrifying soundbytes, kept up to CLUB SP33D with a chasing drum pattern and whirlwind, glitching effects. Aleroj continues on the panicked seat belt fastening mood on the hard groove of 'Guara-Teka'. The rattling congas add an assertive depth to the well layered foundation set out by the Colombian.

DJ BITCHPLEASE & Ratibor Kukarekov flip another Memphis track into a booty bass, arcade game themed hip rotator on 'Let Me Fun'. More chastening ghetto tech rhythms blanket the hard-nosed vocal samples as the track progresses. 'Keep 'em' from LuBeat is a full throttle dark electro thump that makes rigid use of the 808. The floppy acid and bass lines manage to add an extra dark coat to the Georgian's production.

Saigg stays on this beefed up electro pattern with 'Atomizer'. More weighted 808 rhythms are splashed together with liquid bass lines and flanged effects. A real slapping electro stomper that gains mass throughout. Freakish synth work throughout from gloworm on 'Checks', which again tips its hat to the ever reliable 808 kicks mixed together with an elusive arpeggio and ever-diminishing arps.

Exactly as it says on the tin, Dr.100's 'Hot Dog Acid Juke' does just that. The Doctor layers his hot juke dog with acidic mustard and footworking step modes that are washed down with well cooled vocal snippets.

DJ Nerdiboy and Nerdiboy Records affiliate DJ Take Control man the penultimate tracks 'Ese Huevo Pide Sal' and 'Dale Que Tu Sabe' respectively. Both tracks are typical of the club-ready sounds the two Spaniards have been amassing in the last number of years with Nerdiboy's 'Ese Huevo' throwing a tight breakbeat alongside an old school acid house line and Spanish rap samples. Take Control's 'Dale Que Tu Sabe' pulsates with a pacing jungle step and darting synth lines which are directed with commanding, sensual vocals.

GIGAN's closing jungle tearjerker 'Don't Sleep' wraps up VIRTUAL VELOCITY in an emotional, cliff-hanging fashion. An angelic effort to close out the organized chaos that preceded it.

CLUB SP33D has sprung together these global artists and their unique takes on genres like techno, ghetto tech and jungle on VIRTUAL VELOCITY, leading to a seamless fluidity on many of the tracks from Memphis into techno, juke merged with acid, and hard drum meeting floating house elements.

An example of how to use the internet for the greater good, CLUB SP33D have really delivered on their opening V/A series, leaving our anticipation racing as to what may come next.

Discover the extended zpectrum and CLUB SP33D catalogue here: zpectrum.bandcamp.com/