Returning from the Italian excursion of Vol. 13 before the U.K. pulls up the proverbial drawbridge, Neil Diablo delivers another To Rack & Ruin winner live and direct from the Northern powerhouse. Showing some love for the finer half of the county, Neil presents the best the North East has to offer, enlisting 'Our friends from the north' Yorkshire's Craig Bratley and Newcastle's James Hadfield to do the damage on this slick split 12". After a relatively quiet 2016, Mr Bratley shuffles his Magic Feet into the studio and sticks his fist directly into the mainframe, coming back with a pair of strangely psychedelic body movers to decorate the A-side. 'Ani Kuni' bursts out the blocks in a swell of fizzing sequencer, throbbing bass and tonking mid tempo percussion, sparking away wildly like a Tesla toothbrush. An East-meets-West affair, the track marries the thrusting electronics of Krautrock with lightly spiced Indian vocals and hippie guitar licks, conjuring visions of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi gurning away at a Faust show. Bratley retains the propulsive percussion for A2 number 'Acid Mother', syncing gurgling synth bass beneath loose funk guitars and warbling lead lines as we're slowly sucked through the wormhole. As the track chugs ceaseless through Baldelli's cosmic terrain, rhythmic chants and rubbery bass solos reverberate through the vacuum, locking us into their other worldly gravity. Resistance is futile. We head up the A1 for the flipside, hooking up on the toon with Elizabeth Collective mainstay James Hadfield, who serves up two reheated treats tastier than your last parmo! Wielding the white stiletto and sweet sequined shimmer, Hadfield lets loose his disco juice on "Love And Affection", chucking some dreamy Gamble & Huff vocals over a dope and dusty groove. Crackling like a campfire cookout, this infectious cut spits out slick bass, dubbed out guitar and precise percussion, keeping your body in motion while the piano noodle and soulful vocal swirl through your brainspace. Things take a turn for the technologic on "Silent Builder", those organic disco licks replaced by swelling sine waves, soaring siren calls and military breakbeats. The punchy bassline provides a steady hand as the track gradually pulls itself apart, unravelling into squelching synth wobbles, oddball samples and proggy solos. Wonderfully wonky, this is music for when the walls start to melt. Four freaky cuts from two top talents - To Rack & Ruin for the win.