Various
Psy-fi Sounds Vol.3

Six years, fifty releases, countless artists and multiple subsidiaries; the Oyster Cult’s reach extends far beyond what sceptics once thought possible. It’s only fitting, then, that we gather some of our finest under the Kalahari banner in celebration.The anniversary release is upon us. Six whole years since Jacy helped inaugurate the label with a spin on Midwestern house, OYSTER40 signals a landmark occasion. 18 tracks, quadruple vinyl boxset action, and in true Oyster Cult tradition, it comes bearing pearls.Dancefloor squarely in focus, the Cult assembles on a compilation spanning alumni and new inductees alike. It’s an assemblage of the fractal, explorative and ritual-ready; at once a focused distillation of the Kalahari sound and celebration of its many acolytes. Big on atmosphere, heavy on groove, we delve deeply into the musical DNA shared by all who grace the label.Tough, direct cuts (Sansibar, Roza Terenzi, Big Zen, Maara & Priori) to the pristine and widescreen (S.O.N.S., Volodymyr Gnatenko, Adam Pits), this is all quintessentially Kalahari. Elsewhere though, the likes of D. Tiffany and SW. journey further into realms of abstraction: the former opting for hi-tech, dreamstate IDM, while the SUED co-founder dissolves a house template into dubby introspection.Calling upon contemporary talents for the most part, there are also exceptions. Raymond Castoldi - the one-time house producer best known as Madison Square Garden’s music director - returns with an unreleased nugget from ’91, while an ‘Aliens’-sampling track from Detroit-indebted techno outfit Syzygy gets the reissue treatment.

The Void Project 005 delivered by Kompo.

Having emerged from the chrysalis for a debut record on Roza Terenzi’s Step Ball Chain label, we induct Benoit B’s fledgling side project into the Oyster Cult. Blush represents a departure from the esoteric climes Benoit’s known for under the primary alias, not to mention the curation of his label, Banlieue Records. Eschewing notions of introspection, these are nocturnal, sultry club trax; immediate dancefloor pressure primed for the witching hour. Benoit kicks it seductively on the opener. Complete with trace echoes of ‘90s bleep, the French producer strikes a balance between insistent groove and a dank sexiness that would leave anyone weak at the knees. Then, laced with the same steamy romanticism, ‘Sassy’ keeps pace with another slice of late nite propulsion. Nudging closer to the big room with driving, direct torque, ‘Main Stage’ is perhaps the most pumping we’ve heard from Benoit to date. But where that one falls somewhere between prog house and hard trance, ‘Trippy’ and ‘Over Inflated’ head even further into the shadowy nether-realm on a tunnelling, lysergic flex that hangs heavy in the air like incense.