For its first release, Colombian label Disidencia Records welcomes Sarmiento with his EP “El Absurdo”. Four tracks that navigate through the realms of electro, techno, EBM and breaks. 100% synthesiser sounds blending powerful beats with brief Spanish lyrics that question some of the reality of South-American society and its politics. This and all future Disidencia releases contain not only music but also a dedicated visual piece by different street-artists and muralists.
Techno legend Jeff Mills and keyboard wizard Jean-Phi Dary embark on a live musical trip, documenting their most recent performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland – and encapsulating their mission to fuse techno and jazz. In the past Jeff has spoken of the need to “take a few steps back and try and assess what has been done, and what might need to be approached to be able to go forward.” Jeff’s reassessment manifests as jazz-hno, film music-hno, conceptechno… anything to happily build of the mad range of influences he’s drawn on over the years. Paradox: Live at Montreux is the result. Jeff Mills – electronics; Jean-Phi Dary – piano, Fender Rhodes, synthesizer; Zaf Zapha – electric/upright bass.
Delsin marks its milestone 150th release in a rainstorm of gorgeous arps with a full EP from Voiski. For Luc Kheradmand it’s a return to the label which carried his 2020 collaboration with Wata Igarashi and where he issued early single Breaths Written Outside Gloom. For Delsin it’s the perfect way to sum up different dimensions of the label’s identity – richly melodic, machine-powered and yet distinct from any illusion of a typical ‘Delsin sound’.
Lisbon’s Paraiso bring their A&R a-game once again with a stellar EP by one of the city’s most beloved techno DJs – VIL – and a chef’s kiss remix by the one and only queen of twisted dance, EDND from Algarve.
Höga Nord Rekords kindly welcomes Tecwaa back to the label, following up his last full length-album “Beyond the Altai” with “Elysian on Moon Lake”. He is still exploring the intersections between house, electro, techno and dub and once again he manages to harness the analogue electronics in his machines to produce modern psychedelia. “Elysian On Moon Lake” is rawer, less airy and not as sparkling as his last album. This is a tighter, and slightly darker experience than Tecwaa’s previous work, maybe caused by being in quarantine for extensive time during production, letting some of the dreaminess aside for the harsher reality in a pandemic world. Still, you get a mind-altering experience in a lot of tracks since the album starts off in a lighter tone than how it later develops. Switching from the A- to the B-side works as a rite of passage going from dusk to night; the sun rays through the blinders are replaced by neon light dancing on the walls and ceiling.
The new Members Only 12” returns with more face melting & wall sweating psychedelic New Wave edits. The Worst Edits Vol 2 includes the 4 tracks “I Wanna Luv U Dirty”, “Perversion”, “Oh Oh Oh Ya” & ”Take It From The Top” originally recorded from 1999-2001. Real Chicago business.
Bordello A Parigi announces the reissue of this italo club classic on 12″ vinyl. Written by Goomy aka Duke Lake aka Antonio Gabelli and produced by Alessandro Zanni and Stefano Cundari for the legendary Memory Records imprint back in 1983. This action-packed-track was one of those few italo disco productions that made it to the US airwaves with radio play on stations like WBMX.
The Jaffa Kid goes deep with his second EP for Gated, appropriately titled “Second Frequencies”. Kicking off with the beatless but driving “Phased For Days”, the EP has a kind of relentless hypnotism to it, with “Trinian”‘s almost 7 minutes of spaced out electro. Flip to the B and the acid comes to the fore, with “War On Words” and its addictive 303 line pulsing over the Kid’s signature pads. “Tangential” throws in some breaks under gritty acid, and Not The Way rounds out the EP with a truly poignant melodic beatdown.
Long time deep head Thomas Cox debuts his new label Q.E.D. Recordings with his first solo release. Sounding like these house jams were composed and then stashed at the bottom of the Monogahela River, this three tracker drips with the rusted out grime Pittsburgh was notorious for in its pre-gentrification era.
Theo Parrish and Marcellus Pittman’s collaborations run deep, from those seminal Essential Selections 12″s some 20 years ago through to the T.O.M Project with Omar S, the 3 Chairs super group and on and on. In the usual Sound Signature style, a new link-up between the two Detroit legends arrives with a minimum on fanfare, just a killer jam with all the grit and soul you’d hope for from this pair. The drum levels push and pull in the mix from red line pressure to back seat driving, while a mellow blur of soul sampling comes calling through the mist until the titular low end glues everything together. It’s understated and casual brilliance, everything a Sound Signature club drop should be.
Turbo Recordings harpooned and skinned one of it’s white whales, Gesloten Cirkel. Gesloten Cirkel’s banger credentials are unimpeachable.
Gladio Operations launches its fifth release, which bears the electro signature of the Russian producer Dmitry Larionov.
Finish The Sun, the second offering from Shane Cooper & Mabuta, is a glowing and energetic album, rooted in grooves from all over the African continent. The six-piece outfit draws on influences from Mali, Nigeria, the Sahel, Morocco; and the many sounds that make up their native South Africa. This musical trip seamlessly dances through Afrobeat, maskandi, funk and hip hop, to moments of cinematic beauty. All embedded with subtle hints of 70s psychedelia. The core group of Shane Cooper, Bokani Dyer, Sisonke Xonti, and Robin Fassie invited international guests on drums including: Jamie Peet, Arthur Hnatek, Christopher Cantillo, and more…
Something special on Nightwind Records: Last December Danny Wolfers met up with Japansese digital dub legend Taka Noda aka Mystica Tribe to produce this Far East style heavy digital dub album. Custom made lo-fi oozing echo effects transform synthesizers and drummachines into a comforting mist of arcane sludge, laced with Taka Noda’s enchanting melodica playing.
L.F.T. is returning to the disordered house with another EP full of banging Electro Wave tunes.
Mannequin Records boss Alessandro Adriani lands on L.I.E.S. with a new four track ep of his melodic and driving signature italo-ebm-electro fusion. A master of machine music, Adriani lets them do the talking throughout the ep, with heavy arpeggios, big Juno basslines, and slamming 808s bringing the tracks to a head. Go directly to the symphonic and epic opener “Ecstatic Feeling” with its beautiful melodies, dramatic arpeggios and reverb saturated snares, all reminiscent of Yello meets Robotnik with pent up tension waiting to explode. This is an anthem to say the least! The remainder of the ep follows suit laced with traditional EBM and electro stylings being manipulated by the hands of Adriani in his studio
Cologne OG Grischerr has graced Neubau with an EP full of brutally honest analogue downtempo madness. As the title Perspektivwechsel suggests, the three-track release guides you to a different sonic perspective – in the most positive sense.
The Hipodrome Of Music 