Let’s face it, January can be a bit of a struggle at times. The usual cash shortages and post festive hangover combine into something that just has to be got through with best endeavours. Fortunately, Amsterdam’s Flippen Disks have dropped a nice five tracker from Milano’s Acidgigi to lift the gloom and strike fear into cobwebs everywhere. A double life as producer and sound designer gives this release an expansive, expressive and experimental touch to mark it out amongst the early runners and riders for 2026.

Title track, ‘Echo Mom’, begins in a spacious way, before giving up its core delivery of a sharp marimbas and dubbed out vocals all chopped together with a very decent indeed drum track and acidic squelches. ‘Limbo’ eases off a little on the tempo but ups the intensity with more dubwise touches and lysergic echoey effects. Next up ‘Raptor’, probably the punchiest number here, pounding drums with a simple vocal sample and warpy twists and turns. Simple but very effective.

‘Veleno’ breaks out the helium and beats in a two speed speed approach - hectic top half/rumbling undercurrent, blasting the Jan blues into the long grass. ‘Thermo Peach’ closes out, and doesn’t hold back on the drum and bass touches of old but adds something new to that sonic palate, fading out to bring things back to earth. Echo Mom feels like a producer stretching out and pushing himself into new and interesting spaces. 2026 is up and running.

Acidgigi’s ‘Echo Mom’ is available via Flippen Disks Bandcamp