August: 8 electro releases you need to hear this month

Solid Blake 'Mario' EP (Outer Zone)

Outer Zone is a new label from well-established Glasgow basement venue La Cheetah Club, and for its debut release its enlisted club favourite Emma (Solid) Blake.Having previously worked as one-third of Apeiron Crew, this is Blake striking out on her own – and there’s no getting away from the fact that it’s straight electro fire. ‘Mario’ is the sort of electro that would scare small children, as Blake wraps thwacking percussion around grizzly synth work on a proper club cut. ‘Lens’, on the other hand, is a little lighter, but don’t be fooled: it still sounds like it was concocted in an abandoned cabin deep in the woods. ‘Yagharek’ is probably the dark horse of the three, based around a bleeping hook that sounds like R2-D2 pining for his long-lost friend, C-3PO. The only remix comes from La Cheetah Club mainstay DJ Stingray (who was the first ever artist to be booked by the club). He doesn’t disappoint, delivering a cut that’s bristling with bad intentions, as off-kilter kicks do battle with caustic stabs and barbed synth work.

8/10