Xosar returns with her third EP for Rush Hour, a sparkling two-tracker cloaked in her usual thick-set rhythms, heady vocal hooks and far-sighted synthesizers. In typical fashion, both “Rays of Babylon” and “The Calling” are blessed with a sense of playfulness and the emotion-rich, rush-inducing electronics that are fast becoming her calling card.
Johnny Aux on More About Music Records featuring some strobe light house music with all the raw energy of early Chicago.
June returns with a second release on his homonyms label with Don’t Be Seen With Me EP. This collection of pieces is characterized by an ’80s aesthetic approach with protohouse elements, wavy synth lines and a general spacey atmosphere. If I were you I’d be out of the town, why oh why are you hanging around?
Sonic sci-fi techno album reminiscent not just of early Plaid, Black Dog Productions, Boards of Canada or Luke Slater´s 7th Plain project, but also classic dancefloor classics by the likes of Surgeon, Regis, Dave Clarke or Jeff Mills that knew how to keep a crowd entertained. Bringing to mind the flavor of 1994 without losing the sense that we’re into 2013 as of now. This is dance music with conviction and an album straight and beautiful.
Dutch Techno label from the Audiosculpture crew with some hot remixes by Eduardo De La Calle and Area Forty_One. These long time techno heads based in the Randstad area start with some fresh new tracks on this trilogy called “Return to Form”. Sculpturism is delivering a fresh track for each release together with some of their favorite artists remixing their back catalogue. For the first EP, Area Forty_One delivers a killer techno remix for Dusk taken from Audiosculpture 5. Eduardo De La Calle takes a whole different approach. He turns Dusk into a deep and hypnotizing trip which takes you into oblivion. Some limited copies on special white vinyl edition.
Paul Boex’s Dynamic Reflection imprint is continually growing in calibre with each release. Time & Perception Part 1 is the labels 16th title and fifth for Abstract Division, a collab between Boex and Dave Miller. The EP opens with “Fierce Tension”, which sees the duo bury their siren-sounding synths into a condensed wall of sinister force, while Shifted’s booming and reverb heavy remix annihilates much of the originals musicality, it unrelentingly bores a war path of linear techno championed by the likes of DVS1. On the flip, “Comprehend” is like being caught in a wind storm of flying bolts, rust and ripped roofing, while the EPs ambient track “Collision” squeaks and gurgles like a alien trapped at the bottom cave in a Ridley Scott film.
Spherical Coordinates is the new project by Oscar Mulero and Christian Wunsch. “They join software and hardware to explore the deeper side of techno, heavily inspired by space and futurism, focusing on liquid textures, harmonic sequences and classic drum machine sounds, yet preserving the danceable feeling.”Mike Parker and Reeko on a deep tip on the B-side.
Still fresh from his debut full length Traces last year, Delta Dunktionen is back with his first EP of the year. As well a new track, it features a special Karenn remix of ‘Onkalo’, a track previously released on Traces, as well as ‘Challenger’ from the same album. The first original is ‘Sun Storm’ with its tumbling Chicago drums, chattering claps and sci-fi swirls all adding up to something that’s as heady as it is futuristic. ‘Challenger’ – previously cd/digi only – on the other hand sounds like a much more calm and serene trip through the cosmos, with slowed electro stylings and plenty of occult details coming over like the soundtrack to a film as much as a darkened dancefloor.
Hexagon Cloud RMXD celebrates the diverse influences of Erika’s solo release Hexagon Cloud on Interdimensional Transmissions Marcellus Pittman remixed the hypnotic Tow Ride from Erika’s debut Solo album with a stated goal of making it darker and ”more evil”. Canadian electronic music duo Orphx, remixed Hexagon Cloud, resulting in an immense, impeccable production. BMG, Erika’s mate in Ectomorph, also shares his vision of her track, A Cellular Meltdown.
Koehler brings a malfunctioning technoid monster to Skudge via an out of the blue white label.
Noleian Reusse is back with his second EP, Airborne, on his own imprint Black Tekno. Three modern techno tracks that reflect Reusse’s own style, while echoing the rich musical history of his hometown, Chicago
Preserved Instincts maintain their intermittent schedule of Chasing Voices transmissions with Awoken By Tearss. The usual Preserved Instinct traits are maintained here; a one sided 12″ with little extra information housed in a sumptuous sleeve depicting some rather haunting imagery from centuries gone by. “Awoken By Tears” proves to be as memorable and equally resistant to the notions of beat matching. Swirling mists of laser guided synths slowly emerge and form a hypnotic pattern that teases your full attention before a rough jack hammering drum joins the fray. This signals the emergence of an ever growing crescendo of cacophonous rhythms and thick bass stabs that threaten to explode under pressure of their sheer intensity before out of nowhere the elements recede and all that’s left is your heart in your mouth.
Scientist/Producer/Artist Reavis Mitchell breaks the sound barrier again. Though he recently became prominent as a co-founder of BKE Technology and an architect of the Beat Thang Mobile Music Production System, Rev has been manufacturing beats for years. On Soul Beats Volume 1, the Soulbeat Scientist concocted a collection of signature soul-infused hip hop and funk for your sonic toolbox.
DJ/producer Henrique Casanova strays back & forth the line separating house & techno. This EP features a track from his CD album, with two remixes from Jus-Ed and one from Esteban Adame.
2013 is the year of milestones for the ever understated and under the radar Boe Recordings. This year the imprint turns a grand 5 years old and celebrates a 20th release in the form of BOE XX. Fans of the previous celebratory release BOE X will be familiar with the format of 4 artists and 4 track each having its own style and groove but easily slotting into the boe ethos of preserving the integrity of the past and pushing forwards into the open realms of future house music. Tracks by Outboxx, Perseus Traxx, Machinesleet and Kammerton.
Moodymann’s Mahogani label releases another posthumous J Dilla release, titled ‘Lost Tapes, reels + more’. Despite his untimely passing in 2006, J Dilla’s legacy has remained strong thanks to the enduring qualities of his back catalogue, the endeavours of the J Dilla Foundation and the Yancey Media Group, not to mention the countless Dilla themed reissues and projects that have surfaced in the wake of his death. Moodymann’s Mahogani imprint have of course played their own part in ensuring J Dilla’s enduring legacy with the release of the Dillatroit EP last year, a 12-track release of previously unreleased J Dilla material done in collaboration with the aforementioned Yancey Media Group and J Dilla Foundation.
After 16 years releasing on the most influential labels in Drum&Bass, label owner and musician Seba is proud to announce his first album release on Secret Operations, “Identity”. For over a year, Seba has been writing a follow up to his first album “Return to forever”, released in 2008. This was no easy task, as Seba believes an album must be consistent and reinforced by a clear artistic approach and direction. A single is easy, Seba wanted to create an album and not a compilation of singles. The album is designed to display Seba’s musical “Identity” and the mechanics of his inspiration, as well as showcasing the production skills and confident musicality, which has had him releasing music for 16 years. Seba’s Drum&Bass productions are heavily influenced By Techno, House and even elements of Alternative Rock. “Identity” shows you Seba’s ability to work in other genres of music as well as alongside talented vocalists. A listening experience, carefully designed for a listening audience as well as a nightclubbing crowd.
Ambassador’s Reception label present the Romanian band Steaua de Mare, with their unique Smokey psychedelic sound. The whole concept of Steaua de Mare was founded on past sounds and the bygone entertainment rituals which existed before the 1989 revolution (that atmosphere extended well beyond and into the nineties). Steaua de Mare was a sixties seaside complex in one of the now fading Black Sea resorts Eforie Nord. As people relaxed in the sun and ate good food, traditional songs were played by restaurant bands which gave Steaua de Mare the idea to pay homage to this way of life by combining the sound of that era together with the new recording techniques of today. The band: Bogdan Stoian (violin, synths) Andrei Dinescu (percussion, drums, violin, synths) Ion Dumitrescu (bass, synths, drum-machines, drums) Horațiu Ș (synths, electric piano) Eugen Imecs (drums, percussion) came together after many years of jamming and decided to pool all resources together in two different studios around Bucharest. Their unique sound comes from many directions. They bring elements of Prog, dub, psychedelic rock, Turkish and contemporary gypsy music mainly from Romania and Bulgaria into the mix. If you then add that they are irreversibly contaminated in analogue and early digital sounds then maybe you have a passing image of this hybrid sound. Steaua de Mare add a unique twist on local standards with the help of Roland Juno 60, Yamaha CS-5, Elektronika EM-25, Junost-21, Poly 61 and their beloved Wurlitzer electric Piano. A wide range of influences from Can to Ork Universal, from psychedelic attitudes, kraut adventures to outer national delights like Bulgarian Chalga.
The Hipodrome Of Music 