Author: hipodrome
Antoni Maiovvi – La Ruta En Ruinas EP [IM005]
Antoni Maiovvi’s debut EP on Italo Moderni with four original tracks influenced by the Bakalao from Valencia in the 90’s. The so-called ”Ruta Destroy” was a direct hit to the “Movida Valenciana” and consisted of the largest clubbing movement in Spain. It started in certain aspects the clubbing movement in the country, and had long-term consequences on the form of nightlife in Spain. Including a remix by Jensen Interceptor and Cardopusher.
Amajika – Got My Magic Working [LCT007]
Heavy South African cut, unearthed by Dene from La Casa Tropical. The origins of Amajika is a tale of two worlds colliding at the perfect moment and begin in KwaMushu Township outside Durban. Here would be where a young Tu Nokwe would set up a school to help teach other aspiring youngsters like herself in music, dance and acting. This would become known as the Amajika Youth and Children’s Art Project and would be run from the Nokwe home, a common hangout for artists at the time. Some boast 2000+ pupils going through this program while others claim it wasn’t more than a backyard dance group, but for the lucky group of kids that were members in the mid 80s it would be their chance at stardom. Fast forward 30 years from the original release to a smokey club where ESA hears Got My Magic Working played by Rush Hours Store’s own Bonnefooi. Instantly he inquires about the track from his homeland and feels it a perfect addition the repertoire of the Afro Synth band he is quietly cooking up. Here you have compiled the two title tracks from original Amajika singles along with the instrumental version by ESA’s Afro Synth Band.
Interstellar Funk – Endless Illusion Mix #42
VA – Dead Beats 1 [DDM07]
“Dead Beats 1” brings together new and returning artists to Death Decay Magic, featuring tracks by Daniel Holt, Happy707, Heidi Sabertooth, Hissarlik, Man 2.0, Stockholm Syndrome AU and label boss Black Light Smoke.
VA – Murder 03 [MURDER003]
Murder Tbilisi, the Georgian record label, continues exploring electronic soundscapes and returns with third V/A compilation, featuring exclusive tracks from Soft Crash, Silent Servant, Volvox, Restive Plaggona, OTHR and Puritan.
Intergalactic Gary @ ADE X Future Intel 15.10.2021
Daniele Cosmo @ HÖR (Berlin) 14.10.2021
Sound Synthesis – Electro Planet [VIS328]
Sound Synthesis is the solo project of Keith Farrugia based in Malta. The record imagines an ‘Electro Planet’, with a the title track engulfing the listener into an alien world run by Kraftwerk autonotons, commanding synthesisers and vocoders live in harmony within it’s rich sonic landscape. ‘Robot Collision’ takes the record off into alien worlds with ominous overtones of spiralling synth lines, pulsating bass before descending into an abyss of modulation. On the flip, ‘Electronic Machines’ hits firmly at the peak time dancefloor and we can’t wait to hear it back on the big systems where it belongs loaded with dense palpitating bass lines, protruding from the midst of slick 808s and soaring string embellishments, and a dash of vocoder fragmentation. The EP is nicely completed with ‘Energy Patterns’, the understated bomb of the record and a juggernaut of pure menace, hitting with a bass line that will decimate clubs like fabric, Fold and Panorama Bar on their return – think churning acid lines, shrieking synth FXs, and a huge electro groove – not for the faint hearted but that suits us just fine.
Wolfgang Flür & Fabrice Lig – Cinema [ELY099]
Cinema’ is a brilliant snapshot of both artists working together in unison, with Fabrice Lig providing his trademark ‘high tech funk & soul’ sound alongside Wolfgang Flür’s keen, tried and tested ability to fuse clever pop inspirations and catchy vocals through the use of robotic mechanics. Perfect music which balances the headphones and dancefloors on the horizon. Five versions are on hand with the EP, including the original version of ‘Cinema,’ a French version of the original, as well as a remixes from Detroit’s Ectomorph, UK Electro kingpin Carl Finlow, and Dutch synthesis maestro Versalife aka Conforce.
Djedjotronic – The Great Red Spot [INTLC009]
Djedjotronic blasts us off on an interstellar journey with The Great Red Spot EP, the ninth release on International Chrome. Named after the ancient and gigantic storm on Jupiter (bigger than the Earth), the EP is similarly massive with a swirling, constantly moving energy. Includes a Jensen Interceptor remix.
Abstract Division – Anybody is Nowhere EP [DREF044]
A little more than 2 years ago, labelhead honchos Paul & Dave released their “Nobody is Anywhere EP” on their own imprint Dynamic Reflection. It was a statement about the status quo in the techno scene back then, where many artists didn’t know which way to go. Ironically enough, the contrary is very true as we speak. The “Anybody is Nowhere EP” responds to their previous work and reflects the uncomfortable time we are currently living in, driven by uncertainty. Even though these are not the happiest thoughts, the track titles show that there is hope left. “Emergence” is a very seductive but psychedelic trip towards “Discharge”, which feels like Abstract Division discharges themselves completely. The last track, “Polarise” points out the current divided society, which sets some doubtful thoughts about the future. Scandinavian rebel and Northern Electronics patron Anthony Linell provides his interpretation of the track “Emergence” and delivers a distinctive remix as only he can.
Holden Federico – Deliverance EP [SK11X009]
Holden Federico’s first SK_X release has been one worth waiting for. The New Yorker blends a mix of hard brutal percussive drive and powerful kick drums with his beautifully written melodies which stem from his background in classical music. Throughout the EP Holden’s musical background is ever dominant–vibrant synth lines provide a sense of body and feeling in the music, while straight techno rhythms keep the dance floor happy and the feet moving.
DJ Savage – Grooves 2000-2002 [SAVAGE002]
DJ Savage is a techno producer from Thessaloniki, Greece and this is the second set of recordings which have been released, 20 years after being produced.
Marco Shuttle – Cobalt Desert Oasis [INC-012]
Marco Shuttle’s third album, Cobalt Desert Oasis, features a varied collection of music recorded across a two year period. Often traveling to remote destinations, Marco would come back to Berlin with field recordings, images, and other inspirations to process in his studio and turn into sound. The theme of the journey turns into a something more abstract than a travel diary, where environmental sounds blend in with modular synthesis, drum machines, effects and analog oscillators resulting in a cinematic listening experience where psychedelia, ritualism, and mysticism weave together in a sort of alien soundscape – that as the title of the album suggests, is reminiscent of a parallel utopian world. The album is rich in complex rhythmics, and more than in any of his previous work, has strong acoustic elements. Amongst other percussion instruments, Marco used the Tombak, a traditional Persian hand drum capable of reaching a very wide range of frequencies – from deep round subby toms, to high pitched sharp rimshots, throughout the record. Marco Shuttle is certainly not new to these sort of elements, but in Cobalt Desert Oasis he brings the environmental element of his sound into the forefront in a way that takes the listener into a hazy expanse where it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the machine elements from the natural – and where the music almost becomes a visual experience, which relates to Marco’s own photography used throughout the cover and insert images.
Archivist – Psion [MIST004]
Sure Thing welcomes two new additions to the label with a long-distance collaboration between Seattle’s Archivist and Berlin’s Claudio PRC. Two original productions from Archivist recall dense, billowing fog and the gentle shimmer of waves, each re-imagined through Claudio PRC’s exacting lens into novel forms that spiral with steady, monolithic intent. Brought together, an expansive double vision, an exploration of the compelling nature of movement and air each within the other.
STL – Lost In Musik [SOMETHING31]
Something Records lifts off ‘Lost in Musik’ by STL aka Stephan Laubner. On 17 tracks and an extended playing-time, this double vinyl comes in complete album feel, multifarious variations, and in STL’s full tonal trademark fit. STL attends the brains & ears in his magic discrete way with an unstoppable bucket-raining flow of fresh sounds, catching rhythms and aspirating music, like no one else usually does. An album to blow your minds, shake your bodies and touch your souls.
Jeff Mills and Rafael Leafar – The Override Switch [AX104]
The Override Switch combines the talent of two Detroit natives: Jeff Mills and Rafael Leafar. The latter is a multi-instrumentalist with a strong affiliation to jazz music. Through Mike Banks, he was introduced to Jeff Mills, where the idea for “The Override Switch” began to manifest. “The Override Switch” gives control back to the musicians. Unrestrained and unshackled by the semiotics placed by conventional dance music, it looks to a frontier beyond what is conditioned by genre. By infusing the mercurial elements of jazz, it gives electronic instruments the avenue that it always had the potential to travel down; as an unrestrictive genre, exploring the boundless possibilities in which it is capable. It looks to innovation and transcends what has come before; it is a switch in a practical sense, overlooking its past before switching to the future. The album is a homage to artists like John Coltrane, J Dilla, Kraftwerk and those who inspire experimentation with what can be evoked through music.
Adrian Marth – Layer #270
VA – Visitors From The Galaxy Revisited (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack By Tomislav Simovic Remixed) [FOX007LP]
The score for a film by Oscar winning director Dusan Vukotic ‘Visitors From The Galaxy’ from 1981 (FOX001LP) was remixed by 11 artists from 9 countries. All original tracks from Visitors From The Galaxy (alternative titles: Gosti Iz Galaksije; Monstrum Z Galaxie Arkana; Gaeste Aus Der Galaxis; I Visitatori Della Galassia Arcana; Goscie Z Galaktyki Arkana; Los Visitantes De La Galaxia) are arranged, composed, conducted and produced by Tomislav Simovic. This compilation includes additional screen sounds from the unpublished tapes of composer Tomislav Simovic also featured in Dusan Vukotic film. With courtesy of Tomislav Simovic estate artists were given complete creative freedom to remix, reinvent and re-imagine the futuristic soundscape of first science-fiction film in Yugoslavia that was scored in analog, abstract, electronic and synthesised music. Alen & Nenad Sinkauz, Ali Renault, Anatolian Weapons, Credit 00, Drvg Cvltvre, Goran Vejvoda, Heinrich Dressel, Repeated Viewing, Security DJ, Tapan and Timothy Fife got the sounds from Tomislav Simovic score and embarked on a musical journey that had no rule or predetermined direction or genre; it was only their creativity inspired by Visitors From The Galaxy sound that led them to a new pieces, more or less experimental, abstract or dance floor friendly. The diversity of music goes wide and deep, it is modern and made by the stars of today paying homage to a composer who always retreated in being a star.
The Hipodrome Of Music 