You’re at a monster truck rally. You’re seeing an incredible spectacle of Buicks being demolished by USA 1. Then you see Grave Digger jumping twelve DeLoreans then landing on its two back wheels. You’re thinking “that was awesome! it can’t get any better than this.” Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a gigantic metal T-Rex appears. It’s larger than all the enormous monster trucks you had seen all evening. It eats monster trucks, is made out of old car parts and shoots flames out of its nostrils. That monster-truck eating metal T-Rex? That’s Mako Records.

Mako Records is an electronic music label based out of Moscow, Russia, run by prime minister of crunching bass, The Proxy. After international success with releases on Tiga’s Turbo Recordings and the now classic rave anthem “Raven,” Proxy gathered his resources to launch Mako Records in his native city to build a home for all of the incredible, then-unheard epic club music from Russia.

Like Proxy himself, each Mako artist is unique, bold and confident. While The Mould brings his own brand of driving, tension building electro house, Saint Rider‘s take on dubstep brings punishing sub bass and climbing rave builds to another level. Somehow influences of dubstep, industrial, electro house and even disco live under the same roof. Disco duo Noise Invaders is not afraid to bring the retro vibe, as they deliver lush and out of control melodies into the mix. The title track off their latest release “Time” sounds as if Giorgio Moroder produced E=MC2 while driving 120 mph on Rainbow Road from Mario Kart.

Meanwhile The W‘s “Victim” featuring Yunus is as polished and paranoid as Pretty Hate Machine era Nine Inch Nails. “Victim” has razor sharp, piercing synths combined with dark, Rza-esque piano chords and some fat disco slap bass for good measure. Last but not least, we can’t forget the single that initially drew me to Mako: Happyboxx‘s “Destroy It.” The minimal, anxious bassline feels like an approaching two-story bulldozer. The constantly rising and tense strings compliment the unmatched power of its trash-compactor drums.

Detroit has techno, London has dubstep, Chicago has juke, and now Moscow has Mako. Expect an array of epic and relentless bangers this year from Russia with love. If you’re looking for a variety of next level, sound-system smashers programmed to make you and an army of Exoskeletons from T2 dance, look now further than Moscow’s best kept secret weapon.

- Rx