The ever quality Ai records ease us into 2006 with a sampler of things to come. Eight new artists to the roster show us what they are all about; this release has tracks from Rootsix, Biologic, Datasette as well as Pathic, Tomkats in Tokyo, Sensive, Plant 43 and finally Moonjean. This release will be pushed out on a very fine looking picture disc slice of vinyl, and be warned there are only going to be 500 of these beauties out there, so do not miss out.

"Rootsix - just one of those things" starts the games with a neon induced bassline with rattling hi hat scatterings filling the horizon. Smooth as a slice of ice diving into a pool of Teflon water, the synths penetrate your ears like an airborne virus and spread throughout your electrical system with a mission to get your head nodding, and hands chopping. Pulse bombs for all to enjoy, lets future it up!

'Crystal Violet' by Biologic is next up. Crystal rhythms and razor sharp sections of a mysterious pattern all slot into place and form a wobbling smoke like formation which ripples and thuds as waves of sound thrust through it. Attempting to keep itself in one piece, slicing ribbons of energy slap themselves out in a splash damage attempt to destroy the audio onslaught from wherever it originates from, but sadly its not enough, and the fuzzy almost didgeridoo slabs are too much for it. Topple and smash it does. Amazing stuff.

"Datasette - Elephant" is a short adventure into the reversed world of every smiling background character you have ever seen. A rich bulging bassline plods along like a big friendly marshmallow giant on its way to treacle island, whilst small multicoloured birds of varying sizes flutter around this gargantuan beings figure and scatter feathers formed of aluminium onto the shiny floor below. "Pathic - Triangulation" is your ticket into a secret establishment deep underground which rebuilds disused robots and teaches them to party like never before. Packed with slams, metallic gyrations and snap happy beats, all smoothed over with a fresh air soothing melody, this really is robot heaven and damn they love it. Well played.

Tomkats in Toyko are here to say hello and showcase "Telophasic Cephalee". The track kicks off with warm buzzes from something hovering directly above your head, whilst warped alarm calls poke around in the sky looking for a small hidden ledge to land on. All of this encased in a memory beat snap reflection which taps into all the stuff you think you forgot but didn’t, its clever stuff.

"Sensiva - 4410th Galaxy" has a pretty cool track title as well as cool music. It’s all small and full of anticipation at the beginning with random vocal transfers dropping into range of your ears whilst a mega rich bassline calmly drops its payload directly onto target. Imagine yourself directly on the launch pad of a cargo vessel on its maiden voyage to Venus, rumbles shakes and tinkling zaps of unknown origin are everywhere around you, whilst unseen controllers countdown and then you are gone. Hugely atmospheric stuff, love it.

Manufactured beeps and machines covered in glowing domes is what "Plant 43 - Twilight" is all about. Sharp but clarity rich injections of espionage fill the room with hissing repelling basslines and skyline creating pills of life drop into their receptive formations, whilst Moonjean's "Someday my prints will come" is a refreshing parcel of imagination and creativity. Acoustic wooden rumblings, sewn together with a scuff dry jingling melody has a smile beaming onto your face as its reversed secret revealing vocals make you think and wonder whets going on. Really good stuff.

Airecords are back for 2006 with an invigorating bunch of tracks to lighten up our ever so grey skies at the moment. This sampler plays like a glowing instruction manual on delicate planning and planet expanding imagination, all held together with a sense of freshness that is hard to find these days. It really looks like 2006 will be another engrossing, interesting and productive year for Airecords.

Keep em coming.

Sam