Froid Dub continues to explore its synth-lined slowed down digi-dub cave flooded with waves of echoes and acid bleeps. From begging to end, bass lines and flanged delays sail over deep waters, seemingly barely disturbed by the minimal pump of the synth-wave track Not Loved.
El Choop makes a welcome return to Echocord this March with the ‘Closing Motif’ EP, Deadbeat and Luke Hess step in on remix duties. Hess delivers a typically classy interpretation, taking the core of the original and twisting it into an IDM tinged cut via crunchy broken drums and shimmering synth textures.
Tresor Records releases “Crash Recoil”, a new album by Surgeon. It marks Anthony Child’s first techno LP in five years, following a period in which he felt uncertainty in his role as a techno producer and found it tough to locate inspiration. This new album encounters him drawing on spontaneous techniques to arrive at unchartered topographies. “Crash Recoil” originates from Surgeon’s recent live sets, where he experimented with constraints in performing and embracing the twists, turns and paradoxes that arrive from this.
Last seen on Discogs in 2017, the mysterious Marvyn Don returns with a full release of his old Lilac Road & Swag related EP from the early 2000’s, with four UK techno and tech house inspired rollers that are fit for any dark club or afters. This EP has been brought back to life with some exciting additions to the series coming later this year.
Having been lost in the Discogs realms for many years, without many sound clips online, each of The Piroman’s EPs began to gain a lot of traction online. The Piroman EP, the first of 2 projects released back in the 90s, features three tracks with rolling electro/ breaks elements throughout, inspired from the West Coast. All 3 tracks were given a European twist and will fit onto modern day dance floors comfortably.
Glasgowian label Clan Destine Records presents the debut album of The Dysphoria, great post punk from Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Martin Steinebach is back with his EM1V project on Soil Records, delivering a new 15 tracks album called “Escape Pattern “. A mix between e.b.m, electro and synthpop on a CD release.
Although his released body of work is relatively small, Dirk De Saever’s EPs come with a rather unique aesthetic in sound. Once New Beat was established and exploded as a dancefloor craze in Europe, there seems to have been a bit of a flood of attempts at making “a hit” within the style, filter through most of that and you’ll eventually land on Dirk’s mini catalogue of top grade Belgian New Beat. This 12” is a compilation of De Saever’s 3 EPs combined in one, featuring original mixes on the A-side and instrumentals on the B-side.
Over the last years a rehabilitation of the New Beat genre has taken place. Short-lived it succumbed under its own immense popularity at the beginning of the nineties, watered down once producers with an eye for commercial success – and not quality control – joined in on its seemingly easy recipe. Below the surface a lot of highly original tracks remain to be enjoyed however: the sound, with its unique mix of amongst others Chicago acid house and Belgian EBM, reveals itself to be an essential node in electronic music’s Trans-Atlantic trajectory. Innershades has been a longtime enthusiast of the genre and made it a focal point of attention on ”Heritage Vol. 1”, the first part of a series that celebrates his inspirations and influences. Rather than making a selection of style exercises, he opts to subtly inject his tech and progressive productions with some of its tropes. It is a blend that comes naturally as menacing melodies and throbbing pulses are vital to his sound.
Plague Pits is a collective from Bern, Switzerland. Inspired by the D.I.Y. electronic tape underground of yore, they play disco dirges for the Anthropocene – cold wave for a heating planet.
WLDV introduces four tracks on this new 12″ release in tribute to Valencia’s ‘La Ruta del Bacalao’ (or Ruta Destroy), with a kind of Proto-Techno that reminds us the late eighties and early nineties movement sound, also mixed with his personal Horror Disco.
Introductory single for Years of Denial’s ‘Suicide Disco Vol. 2’, featuring ‘Dancing with Demons’ taken off the new album and with ‘BB Kills’ a new and exclusive B-side.
Dip Shim returns to Malmo Traxx with a 8 tracker LP from Up North waters. Electro beat excursions, downtempo, trippy ambient cuts and experimental 303 hypnotic rhythms. Scandinavian waves from Up North captured on a limited edition vinyl.
Legendary electro producer Carl Finlow makes his return to Science Cult with a 2×12 LP on white vinyl. From start to finish “Plasmoids” delivers with expertly crafted electro. Mr Finlow’s production skills are present across a variety of styles from the cyber funk inspired “Trimonogogo” to the retro-styled “Relic”. This is an album not just for fans of Carl Finlow’s work, but a showcase of electro at its finest.
Avoidant Records is back with its latest and most direct V/A to date – Planet Destroyed. Once again compiling unique artists from across the globe, AVD constructs a stellar line up featuring some of the best in the game alongside up and coming talent from the world of Electro. Since its inception, Avoidant has firmly focused itself on diverse, uncompromising sonics and this newest compilation once again sets the bar high. This 4 track vinyl sampler includes tracks from Marcel Dettmann, Slam aka Autonomous, LUZ1E & SOD-90 who’s contributions all embody the theme of the Planet Destroyed – Avoidant once again creates the theme to your dystopian future.
Luz1e debuts on Mechatronica with a breakout blend of delicate electro and dystopian machinefunk, carefully reinforced by DALO’s haunting vocals and drenched in futuristic atmosphere.
Michael Robinson’s (aka iNFO) vinyl debut on Ozone Recordings takes you right back to those early 90’s Sheffield bleepy subscaping nights. 4 purist polished electronic cuts for the warehouse vibe connoisseur.
Originally hailing from Japan but currently living Berlin, SJ Tequilla is known far and wide for his Teknobuskers project, a hardware DIY dance party hosted with friends and held regularly in ‘Max-Koch-Passage’, Berlin. The energy from these dance parties can be felt and lived through his latest ep, ‘GG Allien’. SJT’s skillful use of mind melting background tape textures and moody pads provide the encapsulating canvas for otherworldly acid lines, driving hardware percussion and enlightening melodies. An EP primed to transcend the listener to a place of communal acidic dance appreciation.
EYA Records label has scored another big one here with this old-school House and Techno flavored EP by UK producer Tom Carruthers. In the last couple of years, the Chesire music-making machine has impressed with a series of super solid releases on LIES and his own Non Stop Rhythm imprint. “In Grooves EP” is an ode to the 90’s dance music sound with a modern and refreshing perspective.
Chicago legend Boo Williams’ “Depths Of Life” fuses classic melodic deep house with spacey acid and hard swung rhythms in Boo’s signature style. It includes 10 crisp signature tracks, wrapped in a cosmic view of jazzy moods and hypnotic melodies.
The Hipodrome Of Music 