Audio Asia: Integrity Records dazzle with refined compilation 'The Other Side Vol. 2'

Singapore-based Integrity Records continues with its impressive run of form with the forthcoming 'The Other Side Volume 02' compilation. The label – set up by respected Singaporean DJ and producer Eddie Niguel back in 2016 – is able to boast of an impressive catalogue of releases from premium underground talents including the likes of Fabrice Lig, Tony Lionni, and Kiko Navarro. As such, the label's glowing reputation as a leading exponent of high-grade underground sounds in the south-east Asia region is richly deserved.

For their second instalment of 'The Other Side', the label journeys deep into the eclectic realm of the B-side to offer up a diverse selection of music from a fresh line-up of artists, and the quality on show is hugely impressive. From dub house to deep techno and abstract electronica, the collection provides abundant twists and turns from the first track to the last.

First up, Ackermann & John Disco present 'Mr. Music' – a driving piece of floor-friendly techno house which comes replete with Detroit stabs and makes use of a brilliantly atmospheric vocal sample. Next, we find trip-inducing textures on the exquisite dream house of Ma Spaventi's 'The Nideggen Proposal', with its meandering synths, subtle layers and delicately positioned effects and swells. Crâne De Poule's 'Opal' is a stripped, late-night workout that is as much about the space between the beats as the hits themselves.

Sheri Vari comes close to stealing the show with an effort that sounds as though it could have been forged deep in the Motor City. An artist who perhaps hasn't yet garnered the exposure she deserves, her knack for combining abstract rhythms with intoxicating synth layers really helps set her apart, and on 'Beyond Aldebaran' we find her in sensational form. Switching things up, we come to minimalArchiv's 'Compassion Transitions', an adventurously experimental jam with hectic acid layers and intoxicating synth effects combining over a spaced-out drum track.

The freaky synth work on Mbulelo's 'Imbube' is genuinely breathtaking, as arps and counterpoints rise over a jagged and distorted broken beat. This is our choice to play you here, but in all honesty, the entire collection deserves full attention.

This is an outstandingly cultured collection from Integrity, and they deserve full respect for their bold A&R efforts here, presenting as they have a wonderfully nuanced and sophisticated album.

'The Other Side Volume 02' is out now on Integrity Records, you can listen and buy it here