Daniele Ciullini – The Double Face of the Zero [TIF008]

‘The Double Face of the Zero’ revolves around the progressive crumbling of the human condition, trapped in a Babel of toxic languages, hypnotised by seductive as much as false myths. The traversed architectures are empty or abandoned; inside, only faint echoes of mechanical rhythms reminiscent/incubus of models destined for passive consumption and the reproduction of consensus. Babbling, bare syllables are all that remains of a one-way communication. The new alphabets of communication systems do not need expressive space but consensus time. This journey is closed, however, by a text that is, in its own way, full of hope and that, like a compass, indicates a possible escape route from this mortal spiral of spectacular-media-political consensus. The sound sources from which the work originates are multiple. All electronically processed so as not to show their origin, in order to place themselves in an “other” space. All this not out of sonic sadism but out of a desire to elaborate a sound palette that is as personal as possible. A palette of sounds that tries to place itself outside the fences and categories that delimit even the area of research music, which instead, by definition, should be as model-free as possible.

Daniele Ciullini – The Double Face of the Zero [TIF008]

Identity Theft – Omnia Vanitas [OR122]

Identity Theft is the solo electronic music of Michael Buchanan, commencing in 2011 with the album Night Workers. Rooted in Düsseldorf-school electro with strong leanings towards the more abstract Krautrock origins of the genre, “Omnia Vanitas” presents the listener with a narrative arc moving beyond the ‘modern problems’ which previous Identity Theft work was concerned with (e.g. themes of surveillance and paranoia).

listen

Identity Theft – Omnia Vanitas [OR122]

Juan Ramos – Pulse [BLESSYOU022]

Two powerfully effective club tracks by one of Berlin’s most talented Juan Ramos. A clear cut exposé of his vastly amassed knowledge in dancefloor experience throughout over a decade of dedication to the craft of steering some of the most significant contemporary underground dancefloors. Can’t really go wrong here, mandatory for any club focused record bag, with an entourage of 125 BPM percussion sample based mayhem on the A side and a slower industrial 115BPM chugger that grows into a tripped out narrative of playfully galloping transient elements.

listen

Juan Ramos – Pulse [BLESSYOU022]

Neuro State – I Remember Gino / Pleasures In Africa [SMR024]

Another well kept secret from the Italian cult electronic music imprint – Interactive Test. A 4 track EP with a wide range of flavours in “house” music, very much dependent on the different samples employed. A side starts off with a deep house track echoing similar atmospheric qualities as to some of the dancefloor oriented productions making their way into US underground scene around that time, specifically Chicago and Detroit. The Percapella Mix makes the dedication to the Canadian Disco legend Gino Soccio very clear with a lengthy sample of “There’s a Woman”, a track which uses early electronics in a pioneering way, with what could possibly be one of the first examples of an Acid Bass line. On the B-side, things slow down a notch with more clear cut explorations in Acid house featuring layers of synths and percussive samples and occasional placement of vocal samples from countries far away from Italy, all made possible thanks to the new exciting technologies that had recently been made available to producers at the time.

listen

Neuro State – I Remember Gino / Pleasures In Africa [SMR024]

Marcellus Pittman – Pick Yourself Up [UNI1008]

Pittman returns on his own imprint with a release that has been circulating as a white label. The Detroit badman does the right thing and gives it an official pressing. A-side jam ‘Pick Yourself Up’ (feat Crystal Procedures) is dusty, loopy, trippy house with swirling vocals adding to the late-night feel, then ‘Ode 2 Juan’ slows things down to smoky basement house vibes with melancholic pads bringing hints of light to the muggy atmosphere.

listen

Marcellus Pittman – Pick Yourself Up [UNI1008]

Techniques Berlin – The Language of Machines [1985​-​1991] [MEC090]

Formed by high school buddies Andreas Gregor and David Rout, Techniques Berlin started in 1984 experimenting with synthesizers, drum machines and guitars. In the early stages, the band was heavily influenced by UK new romantic acts The Human League, Visage, Yazoo, OMD and Depeche Mode, as well as rising Canadian synth-pop bands Rational Youth, Men Without Hats and Trans-X. It took them a few years to master their electronic toys and create a unique blend of addictive electro-pop melodies and beautifully crafted alternative beats. “The Language of Machines” compiles a selection of original recordings between 1985 and 1991, including some favorite tunes and a few unreleased tracks/versions. 

listen

Techniques Berlin – The Language of Machines [1985​-​1991] [MEC090]

Unconscious – Il Punto Di Non Ritrono [OR126]

Unconscious, Italian recognised EBM producer, surprises with a sound turn in his latest album “Il Punto di Non Ritorno”, where he ventures into New Beat incorporating touches of dark trance that clearly refer to some of his roots in electronic music. The album showcases the artist’s evolution capacity and highlights his versatility and ability to explore new sounds without losing the EBM and industrial essence that characterizes and defines his previous works.

listen

Unconscious – Il Punto Di Non Ritrono [OR126]

Bedroom Talks – Call Me Malespero [OR125]

Bedroom Talks, hailing from Ukraine, is a gifted solo artist whose music, delves into an eclectic blend of genres including coldwave, darkwave, synthwave, post-punk with touches of EBM. “Call Me Malespero,” produced during Ukraine’s shelling, captures the essence of his art in a unique and moving way. It’s a powerful testament to human resilience and the ability to find beauty even in the darkest moments, evoking a range of emotions from pain and anger to palpable sweetness, all woven into poetic lyrics and enveloping melodies.

listen

Bedroom Talks – Call Me Malespero [OR125]

VA – Electric Program l [GRTW011]

New compilation on Gravitational Waves. 6 tracks tell the story of what is considered classic electronic music in their own fashion. The artists established all in their respective niche join for an energy driven interpretation of what would otherwise fall through the cracks in the ongoing decay of techno music culture.

listen

VA – Electric Program l [GRTW011]

Human Rebellion – Light and Shadow EP [LDI012]

Electro duo Human Rebellion delves into the timeless conflict between light and darkness. As our world gradually descends into shadow, they emerge as advocates of free will. Their mission: to infuse the digital landscape with a distinctly human essence, like flowers growing in a digital wasteland. Their latest creation, the “Light and Shadow” EP (LDI012), is not just an electro release. It is a sonic manifesto. A testament to their vision. As their story unfolds, American artist Terrestrial Access Network provides the final twist: A remix that echoes across the binary expanse.

listen

Human Rebellion – Light and Shadow EP [LDI012]

VA – AirFunk 004 [AF004]

Maxime dB and Aline Brooklyn’s AirFunk label serves up five fresh ones in their usual vein of French pop and electro-influenced dance music. The fourth edition in their V/A series makes for no less than a masterclass in such inherited arts; the A-side comes packed to the brim with airy, upper-echelonic, sophisticated but not-tryhard electro-syntheses, from the introductory chord bursts and catwalk kick-claps of ‘Nrj’ to the lippy new wave lasers and speak n’ spelled interjections of Electrodynamique’s ‘That Is Right’. The B adds depth to the A’s surface tensity, with La Gugga’s ‘Gogo Danca’ and Paul Cut’s ‘Shoes’ lending a fashionista’s verve to stringing, saxophonic deep house and bass-driven Oizo-esque flat beats respectively.

listen

VA – AirFunk 004 [AF004]

Anbau – Mortirolo ’94 EP [BAP200]

Barcelona’s Anbau debuts on Bordello with a Giro d’Italia themed EP. Dedicated to its heroic riders and specifically the late Marco Pantani. He broke through in 1994, winning one of the hardest Giro climbs with an incredible time record; the Passo del Mortirolo. He eventually became second in the final rankings of this legendary tour of Italy.

listen

Anbau – Mortirolo ’94 EP [BAP200]

Recall IV – Interstate [MEC085]

Recall IV is the project created by Andre Fischer that reached a massive success in the German techno scene in 1990 with the release of the single “Contrast” on Techno Drome International / ZYX Records. This was shortly followed by two more releases in 1991 (“Contrast – Part 2” and the extended play “Aesthetic”) and contributions to various compilations. Andre has been a very active techno composer and producer since the late 80’s working with people like Lars Janzik, Carlos Perón, Giora Schein & Holger Wick (Konzept), Volker Then (Friends Of Carlotta) on countless projects including Scope, Scrot, Technoline, Trust in 6, ADSX, etc. “Interstate” compiles tracks from all Recall IV singles, some old compilations and a selection of unreleased cuts and remixes.

listen

Recall IV – Interstate [MEC085]