On A Night In The Forest, Alessandro Crimi delivers seamless quality dub techno inspired grooves. Nachtwald opens with echoing chords and panning effects combined with a steady 4/4 rhythm, propelling the listener forward. Nebelwald is a gradual building atmospheric dub techno soundscape, immersing you deep within its floating textures. Waldlichtung closes the EP with a beautiful soft dub techno composition with light floating ambiance and textural crackling.
Calibre returns with his enigmatic dub influenced drum and bass sound, smooth piano stabs with silky rolling beats. His sixth studio album does nothing to dispel this belief and signals a return to his early noughties heyday when he knocked out sublime and understated but fully formed musical gems for fun. Standout tracks “Who’s Singing” and “Mirage” are both haunting lessons in liquid and the tougher edged “Garbage Man” and “Schlager” are built for maximum impact.
Music Man just released ‘Conducted’, Marcel Dettmann’s new mix-cd.The track here is exclusive and comes with a remix by Answer Code Request aka Patrick Gräser.
Unit Moebius arise from dwelling in “the Hague sewers” for five fingers of dark industrial techno on the fledgling Chan imprint. Across the five untitled tracks on Perambulator One all the signature Unit Moebius sounds filter out with twisted glee – with the A Side traversing through lolloping machine sludge that will appeal to STL fans, tunnelling tape saturated techno inspired by the paranoia of 1950’s Martian invasion cinema and what can only be described as ambient industrial break core. Flip over for exercises in insular stripped down Detroit electro embellished by insect like ambient textures and stretched out machine funk that pounds your very essence at a dizzying pace.
Split EP on Stockholm LTD. S100’s Kalibrator and Murphy tracks sit on the A-side, with a classic techno formula that includes both an intro and a main track. Staffan Linzatti is a Stockholm LTD veteran and has been one of the label owner Par Grindviks favourite artists for years. Staffans contribution to Sthlm LTD 023 Prophet Of Regret comes in three parts, one main track and two interludes which all are wrapped with emotions and strength.
Luomo aka Vladislav Delay, under a raft of names Finnish artist Sasu Ripatti, has in the last years experimented with ambient, broken beat, glitch as well as grooves and house music with soulful vocals. Luomo is about experimenting with pop music, a big influence for Ripatti, and bringing it to a fusion of house, disco and electronica. His longplayer “Plus” hit the shops in October 2011 with a fine selection of songs inspired by Pop and end of the 80s Chicago vocals. For the 2nd single from the album it was obvious that Spy needed a proper single release, an imminent feel-good song with enough dancefloor appeal to be played out. The release features remixes by My Favorite Robot, Penner+Muder and Teeth.
On the third Alfabet release Tom Trago and Awanto3 step it up a dozen of notches or so. ‘Hell Of Samba’ surely sounds as the theme tune of armageddon. ‘Too Shy’ on the other hand sounds like we have died and woke up in heaven. A soothing, spaced-out, yet bass heavy jam that gives an strangely eerie feeling that angels are among us.
Little Fritter presents a new EP on Affin. “Raw Fix” welcomes 2012 with his unique mixture of pumping house beats and a little dirt between. A “walking” bass, uplifting chords and the driving shaker lines defining “Raw Fix”, the opener track. Moerover, you’ll be surprised by the merging vocal snippets added to this mover. The Romania based producer team Egal 3 turn the Original into a jazzy and weird tune with a feeling of an almost hand-played bassline. The hammering “Raw Tip” is just a hi-energy tool that will fill the floors with smiling faces and happyness all over.
Hotflush presents the debut 12″ from Belgian newcomer Locked Groove aka Tim Van de Meutter. The young producer delivers three hypnotizing and genre bending tracks that expertly weave the sounds of Berghain, soulful house and UK garage into a single crushing package. The “Rooted” EP draws you in with the title track, bouncing along to an acid baseline, then moves onto “Drowning”, a moody techno track that was included on Scuba’s DJ-Kicks mix compilation, filled with drum and ambient samples taken from field recordings. Lastly, “Change”, a production that smartly melds classic house grooves with industrial techno, demonstrates Locked Groove’s rhythmic finesse and long-term promise as an artist.
Ilian Tape release with number 12 by Marco Zenker. Lazy and sexy as always he is initiating a new time for us.
Imugem Orihasam offers a deep and introspective ep, continuing the Sistrum tradition of quality underground techno sounds for the true appreciators. Classic rhythm sections and deep synth textures driving you into hypnotic territory. Featuring a Patrice Scott edit.
New release on Shanti Records featuring 2 original tracks by Petr Serkin and a remix from Lipelis & Filq.
To celebrate his MOS Deep sub label reaching its tenth release, boss man Aroy Dee has teamed up in the studio with Doctor Spaventi for the label’s next release. Marco Spaventi’s “Wrecking” is a blisteringly raw house construction with ripping synth lines, delicate hi-hats and slow, crawling kick drums building up to an incendiary, Chicago referencing peak where pinging cow bells shooting in all directions. On the flip, Aroy builds in layers. His “Mr Floyd” is all muted synth growls, clattering percussion and blissful pads. It’s a tortured deep house track that challenges you before really soothing you, but once the inner beauty is revealed; it really has you under an enchanting spell.
Greece’s Echovolt Records return is a warm welcome to Italy’s gifted producer Simoncino. In three dreamy, lush, deep house tracks, Simoncino creates a breathtaking 4/4 visionary ambience, full of warm hi-hats and tricky basslines, while the Legowelt remix of ‘Werehouse’ comes as a dancefloor sparkle.
The Hipodrome Of Music 