After each of these compilations the Utrecht imprint has only ever set the bar higher, explored further and dared more. What’s next? More of what is on this record hopefully, more…change, something inevitable for these guys.
The syrupy sounds of the ice-cream van are bludgeoned
Change is inevitable, so goes the saying. The level of change over the last four years has been enough to perturb even the most stoical amongst us. Pandemics. Wars. Inflation. The arrival of AI. It seems like a lifetime ago that 030303 released the fourth of their trademark compilations in 2019. Thankfully, to help bring a little stability to our musical lives, the Utrecht ravers are back with the fifth installment.
The syrupy sounds of the ice-cream van are bludgeoned with bruising bass, broken beats and acid blasts as Caramel Chameleon takes the helm. A swirl of styles are churned and chopped for “To Create Is To Live Twice,” braindance bubbled through chiptune dust-mask late night forget-where-ya-live chicanery. Perseus Traxx arrives with something altogether more serious. “Something More Than This” looms large, basslines judder into the red as claps and toms circle above a bittersweet brittle melody.
Space on the double LP is dedicated to 030303’s own talent, Korre delivering deep hazy techno number of dub aquatics while Raving Kid finds balance in the melancholic yet uplifting “Edgeware Acid.” Likewise, homebased veterans are given room and board. R.A.G. splice a searing 303 lines with disco samples and shimmering scales for unsettling and incredibly absorbing “Zvondje 303.” Other local artists are on show, including Utrecht’s Pitto. An artist with an almost two decade addiction to Roland’s silver bass box, the offering is a stripped back psychedelic dive in the form of “Acid Rolo.”
The majority of the collection is given over to debutants. 030303 has always prided itself on unearthing new talent, and they have found some serious contenders. Mutex arrives with the joyous burst and building energy of “Road to Atlantis” with the uncovered Steifl serving up a measured and melodic piece with the nourishing “Omega.”
Other first timers include Art-Aud’s Kreggo. A soaking wet snare and liquid lines give the “Hearthpulse” a languid longue feel, a wonderfully absorbing and relaxed feel. Endfest brings his own cold acid house take of the classic “Shari-Vari,” originally by A Number of Names, before the closer. Dwaalgast & De Beer Uit Allekmaar might not ring to many bells for folk. It appears to be a lesser used moniker of Portugal’s Nuno Dos Santos of Something Happening Somewhere fame. The track, “A Wave Goodbye”, is a lush calypso jaunt of thick drum patterns and sun-filled key shifts.
These compilations have always been a gauge for 030303. What are they thinking? What musical direction are they pursuing? The answer? After each of these compilations the Utrecht imprint has only ever set the bar higher, explored further and dared more. What’s next? More of what is on this record hopefully, more…change, something inevitable for these guys.
Various V is available on 030303. [Bandcamp]
