The sixth and final release on Derrick Carter’s consistently ace Blue Cucaracha imprint (I’ve already written about the penultimate EP from Joshua) is one of the underrated gems in his sizeable back catalogue.
It dates from 1995, the same year he launched the Classic label with Luke Solomon, and the period when he was fast establishing his reputation as one of the best house DJs on the planet. The enormous success he went on to enjoy, and the inevitable change in his style that went with it, sometimes makes it easy to forget what a badman producer he was back in the mid-90s – but cuts like this, which owe as much to Transmat as to Trax, stand pretty proudly today.
Powered by intricate layers of drums, percussive synths and effects straight from the Mayday handbook, it kicks off in vintage Detroit fashion before breaking into some anthemic yet synthetic chords a couple of minutes in and heading off on a squiggly, bleepy trip. Essential.
Nothin' But Magic 