Lady Blacktronica drops 4 under her Haze N’ Adaeze monniker on Underground Quality.
Month: May 2013
Alessandro Parisi Live @ Loch (Zürich) 13.04.2013
Especially Good – Foundation [EST83-02]
“Foundation” is the new EP fromlis’ Especially Good, the most exciting band from Detroit in recent memory. The eight track EP showcases the trios dynamic energy of Julio Dominguez’s vocals, Joe F synthesizers and drum programing and Paul Kiry’s bass – culminating in songs that are equally raw, brutal and honest. The sound of E.G. exists in a space of its own, but one can hear influences of Throbbing Gristle, Factory Records and Detroit Techno in the rhythms and sonic textures throughout “Foundation”. Recorded and mixed in Detroit by Sam Consiglio and Adam Lee Miller (of Adult). Released on Est. 83′ Records, a sub-label of FIT SOUND.
Andre Szigethy – Andre Szigethy LP [333.001]
The official re-release of the most sought after and expansive German minimal synth, dark wave, electro album! Originally released in Germany, 1983 on Leo Music.
VA – Dark Matters Too: Tales Of Enlightenment [LSD010]
The superb Light Sounds Dark return with perhaps our favourite release so far in the shape of Dark Matters Too: Tales Of Enlightenment. This 13 track collection was allegedly compiled with the august help and knowledge of Intergalactic Communication Network, a group said to include the following individuals; Rick Strassman (M.D) and Slawek Wojtowicz (M.D), Mutant Beat Dance and Beppe Loda. Whether we believe Light Sounds Dark or not, Dark Matters Too: Tales Of Enlightenment remains a superb compendium of rare and obscure dark wave, primitive electro and cosmic slop with not a artist the Juno review team recognises! The opening two tracks demonstrate the sheer variety here with ramshackle shamanic underworld funk of Dementia Precox followed by ultra-rare vocoder jam of Popsong’s Factory (think a Japanese Felix Kubin). Beyond that CHBB’s “Go Go Go” sounds like the pummeling prototype to the superb recent Streetwalker LP and “Giving Head To Kilian” could be mistaken for White Savage Dance era Karl O Connor.
The KVB – Immaterial Visions Remixes EP [CITI009]
Cititrax presents remixes for The KVB by Regis, Shifted, Silent Servant, In Aeternam Vale and Worn.
Albion – BIS Radio Show #674
Daniele Baldelli – Let’s Get Lost Vol.21 [LGL021]
Let’s Get Lost label’s 21st offering welcomes Italo Disco innovator Daniele Baldelli into the fold with an eight track, double 12″ cosmic transmission. Naturally given the length, Baldelli canvasses an array of styles, like the post punk and jazz fusion of “Dark Sax”, the pulsating future disco of “Teens & Teens” or the Studio 54 referencing “Portorico”. Baldelli also dips into some more down-tempo, ambient and darker italo stylings with “Tunnel”, while taking a Latin approach with “Conflitto Mexicano”.
Gramme – Gramme LP [GRAMMELP]
Gramme is the musically pioneering band that went missing in action sometime around 2000. Originally signed to Trevor Jackson’s Output label, the band emerged in the mid-nineties with a sound so out of step with the cultural milieu they found themselves swimming against the tide. Originally a five piece, the band formed around a shared love of the emotional melancholy now synonymous with Factory artists such as Joy Division, Section 25 and A Certain Ratio. Gramme were attracted by Manchester’s psycho disco of the early 80’s and NY’s subterranean proto punk-funk on 99 Records and bands like Liquid Liquid and ESG. The die was cast when, following a particularly intense Camden gig in 1996, the legendary DJ Nathan Gregory said the immortal words “ I love your band, but I dunno whether to dance or pogo?!”. The individuality of Gramme around ‘97 remains their lasting signature. Gramme 2012, now a streamlined four piece but equally as passionate and excited by the possibilities of their own music making. With three new 4 track E.P.s already on the shelves this year, reportedly selling out before the dust had time to settle. The next step is a 12 track long player scheduled for release in February on Tim ‘Love’ Lee’s Tummy Touch Records. The album represents about two and a half years of sporadic but intense writing, jamming, recording and editing and at least three complete fresh starts. The aim was finally to create something immediate and in the present but something that would also stand the test of time. It needed to work in the club, the car and the kitchen simultaneously.
Black Merlin – Salute To The Light [NJ005]
A self-confessed fascination with 80s Music and film scores from the same era..George Thompson has an ability to approach music with a strong visual aesthetic which is a common theme in his work, first apparent in his role as part of the duo “Spectral Empire”, alongside Kyle Martin. Spectral Empire caught our ear many years ago. with their sound that evoking a world of abandoned battleships, psychedelic fog and possession by dark forces through a maze of industrial beats, metallic drones and heavy baselines. A trip to Dusseldorf in 2009 saw Thompson connect with the cities’ currently vibrant electronic scene, with artists such as Kriedler, Der Rauber und der Prinz, Music Cargo and Toulouse Low Trax inspiring Thompson to continue his sonic explorations and push him forwards as a solo artist, under the “Black Merlin” moniker. As “Black Merlin”, the brooding, dark, cinematic elements remain, juxtaposed by Thompson’s obsession with late-80’s FM Synthesis and expansive production of artist such as Trevor Horn and Blancmange. Black Merlin’s first solo release was on Andrew Weatherall’s vinyl-only label Bird Scarer in late 2012.
Johannes Volk – Forgotten Planets [EXP006]
„Forgotten Planets“ is an adventurous voyage with heavy bass and storytelling synths, combined with hammering rimshots, snares and drums. After that we are „Surrounded by Fog“, experimental soundscapes generates a uncanny atmosphere. On the b side we have „Escape Mode“, a massive stomper with an industrial feeling and droning alarm signals. And last but not least „Ancient Spaceships“, a little time journey into the sound of the 90ies, no barriers between Detroit Techno, Rave, Breakbeat or whatever music was called in the past or will be called in the future. 365 copies black vinyl and 165 copies red marbled vinyl.
Vernon Felicity – Dawning EP [MOS019]
The unstoppable Boris Bunnik is back once again, this time as Vernon Felicity with a four track EP for MOS Recordings. The tracks see him explore his usual analogue heavy sound, but there is a little more space in his arrangements, a more rueful mood. The title track ‘Dawning’ is slow and purposeful, with acid pricks and twitches peppering a churning groove. Next, ‘Breaking Silence’ is more kinetic, with claps, hits and squiggly melodies all bouncing off each other as pronounced basslines strike a melancholic note below. On the flip, ‘Wrong Notion’ has plenty of height to it, again with eco systems of analogue lines and acid belches all weaving their way around each other and the raw, splintered beats below, before last track ‘3’ explores wide open cosmic synth spaces with lingering pads, mournful Blade Runner style synth lines and gently churning rhythms all soothing your brain and body in equal measure.
Cosmin TRG @ Boiler Room Berlin DJ Set 24.04.2013
Innerspace Halflife – Wormhole Transmissions [SYNCRO15]
Hakim Murphy & Ike for Innerspace Halflife concept on Syncrophone Recordings with special Sleeve.
Marko Fürstenberg – Amethyst [ORN026]
New release by Marko Fürstenberg on the Ornaments label, featuring two atmospheric & raw dub-techno cuts.
DML – Munique 2 [BRQ089]
Dirk Lamprecht aka DML lives in Munich, a fact he seems to enjoy as suggested by his new “Munique 2 EP” as well as its predecessor “Munique” (both on Broque). The local influence presents itself not so much through the music itself – though being reminiscent of the past in its own sense, DML’s down-to-earth dub and dub techno couldn’t be farther away from folkloristic traditions – but through the subtle use of field recordings which reflect the specific vibes of individual Munich districts. This has nothing to do at all with local patriotism but only shows Dirk’s curiosity for the diversity of his hometown and the individual characteristics of its different neighborhoods. His new “Munique 2″ EP features five fantastic new tracks, which continue the concept of the predecessor release and create their very own vision of traditional dub techno standards, contemporary influences and local field recordings. Classic chords of “Nymphenburg” meet deep dub techno (“Dreimühlen”, “Klonk”), marching arpeggios (“Westend”) or an almost ambient transcendence of “Oberföhring”, and develop a very original and well-deserved homage to Munich; an area which otherwise receives far less recognition within the respective circles than, for instance, Berlin Neukölln or even Cologne Porz.
The Hipodrome Of Music 