David Carretta – Nuit Panic [BSR032]

David Carretta is the author of a modern techno that paradoxically draws its roots in the best of the 1980s. On Nuit Panic, his first solo album for ten years, the incisive and hypnotic melodies of “Face” and “Prince of the Cook”, interpreted by David, or “Dark Candies” sung by the Berlin artist Aga Wilk, evoke his obsession for disco italo and the seductive tones of the synth-pop of New Order or Depeche Mode. The martial beats and hypnotic synth lines of “Come Here Come Down”, “Destination love” or “In case of emergency”, recall the sound of the cold and percussive electronics of the EBM, a music nourished by the nihilism of punk and the metallic sounds of the industrial current, which had then invented Front 242 or Nitzer Ebb.

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David Carretta – Nuit Panic [BSR032]

Norwell – Fúzió EP [MTRON014]

Norwell returns to Mechatronica with a haunting set of electro driven sounds, fusing acid-soaked electro for the floor, atmospheric breaks and ethereal jungle styles into a versatile EP, further intensified by Solid Blake’s relentless hi-octane remix on the flip.

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Norwell – Fúzió EP [MTRON014]

Les Filles De Illighadad / Edmony Krater – African Acid Is The Future – Ambiance II [VF355D]

Cult Berlin club night and label African Acid is the Future returns with the second release in their Ambiance trilogy. Taking listeners into the unique spirit of their club night. For their second release they offer a series of live recordings from the heat of the party itself. The release features two tracks from both Les Filles de Illighadad and Edmony Krater as well as remixes from Dauwd, Maryisonacid and DJ Oil. Les Filles de Illighadad come from a secluded commune in central Niger, far off in the scrubland deserts at the edge of the Sahara. Best known for their guitar performances, this recording from AAITF finds them at their percussive best on the simply titled “Tende I” and “Tende II”. Edmony Krater is an avant-garde percussionist, singer and trumpet player, as well as a native of Guadeloupe. For his performance, Krater performs a duo of tracks separated by three decades, but united by Caribbean rhythms. “Gwadloup” was originally released in 1988 as part of the album “Edmony Krater Et Zepiss – Tijan Pou Velo,” while “Lagé” is taken from 2018’s album “Edmony Krater– An ka sonjé”

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Les Filles De Illighadad / Edmony Krater – African Acid Is The Future – Ambiance II [VF355D]

Gökhan Sürer Quartet – Chimera EP [ROC031]

This latest Rocafort EP is an exciting, international jazz affair stretching across time and continents. Consisting of musicians from Mexico, Serbia, Catalonia and Turkey, the Gökhan Sürer Quartet delivers a new perspective on the oriental jazz genre. Gökhan Sürer is a young Turkish pianist, composer and arranger whose musical education reaches from Istanbul, to NYC and currently Barcelona. ‘Chimera’ is like the soundtrack to a modern mythological journey across all sides of the Mediterranean and beyond. Anatolian magic is woven throughout the four titles, most of them filled with an elegant urgency and tension in the rhythmic composition with the intension of giving a modern jazz twist to Turkish and Armenian melodies along with elements of rock, funk and reggae. This is possibly Rocafort’s most ‘mature’ release to date, in the sense that, as with most jazz, it requires intense listening in order to get the most out of the musical journey and detail in the composition.

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Gökhan Sürer Quartet – Chimera EP [ROC031]

Jeff Mills – The Director’s Cut Chapter 4 [AX082DC]

The fourth chapter from Axis Records’ The Director’s Cut re-issue project gathers together various versions of killer cuts previously produced and released by the Motor City legend over the past two decades. Highlights include deep space techno workout “Deadly Rays (Of A Hot White Sun)”, the densely layered African percussion, low slung bass and echoing organ stabs of “Gateway Of Zen (Percussion Mix)”, the bleep-heavy electro/techno fusion of sweaty workout “999” and the alien-sounding, minor-key hypnotism of “The Industry Of Dreams”. Each track is accompanied by a separate “audio commentary” from the man himself, which is ideal for those who love to hear artists talking about their work.

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Jeff Mills – The Director’s Cut Chapter 4 [AX082DC]

Baz Reznik – No Cameras Allowed [DYFR008]

Be yourself without reservation or fear. The night does not discriminate and at the club there are No Cameras Allowed. Navigating between jak-house, techno and acid, these tracks are designed to make you move while still keeping the Baz Reznik rawness!

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Baz Reznik – No Cameras Allowed [DYFR008]

Low Tape – The Next Summer of Love [PRIVATEPERSONS013]

Gennadiy Manzhos brings his Low Tape project to Private Persons for the very first time. “The Next Summer of Love EP” is an expansive and universally impressive affair, with the Russian producer brilliantly charging between sun-kissed deep electro, raw and heavy jack-tracks, skittish but spacey electrofunk, bittersweet brilliance and bass-heavy ghetto-house/ambient techno fusion.

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Low Tape – The Next Summer of Love [PRIVATEPERSONS013]

An-I & Unhuman – AN-I + Unhuman [LIES141]

Doug Lee returns to the label under his AN-I moniker, this time collaborating with prolific Greek producer Unhuman on a new four track EP. This is what happens when you take all the right elements of techno, punk and industrial music and smash them together; a fucked up and devastating hybrid of blistering modern electronics. Heavy, but not stark by any means, Lee channels his inner Liasions with his vocal performace through the record. Most notably this is heard on the cut Entschuldigung, snotty laughs and scattered barks accent the stuttered drums and ms-20 feedback; Lee bringing it all together in a sarcastic funked up fashion. Five to Nine sees both producers complimenting each other expertly, clocking in with the most “dancefloor” cut on the ep…a twisted five minutes of screaming psychedelic dance that reaches an epic anti-climax of sorts. A true hit for those who know how to use it right, not to be missed.

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An-I & Unhuman – AN-I + Unhuman [LIES141]

Years Of Denial – Body Map [PBD18]

Years of Denial joins Pinkman Broken Dreams and deliver an EP with four devilish and cataclysmic electronic body tracks. The duo’s sound combines influences of deranged experimental music with vocals surrounding themes of isolationism and dark romanticism. The outcome is stunning in its very own way, as the music creates a deeply immersive atmosphere, and is abundantly vigorous to keep dancers on their toes and moving from the night’s darkest corners to the dawn of day.

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Years Of Denial – Body Map [PBD18]

Betek – Junior Flutuante [RET005]

Powerful EBM tinged Techno cuts by Betek who’s becoming one of the labels mainstay’s. Junior Flutuante is opening up the vaults of Bernardo’s harder and rougher work. After his succesor in 2018 with ‘Discipline’ ep we gladly welcome Bernardo back.

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Betek – Junior Flutuante [RET005]

Dekmantel Selectors 2019

Dekmantel Selectors is now over, we are back to our usual life, or we are trying to, but the vibe of the festival is still buzzing through our vines. The turquoise waters of Tisno, the shade from the pine forest, the rocky coastline, the incredible sound of the cicadas that is worth of a representation in one of Rabih Beaini’s mesmerizing ritualistic performances, the music that was filling every space, will stay with us for days.

Continue reading “Dekmantel Selectors 2019”

Dekmantel Selectors 2019

Motor City Drum Ensemble – Dj Kicks EP [K7285EP]

Danilo was always incredibly young with things. He started producing at the age of eleven—“way too early” as he jokes—having his first release out just five years later: Inverse Cinematics’ “Slow Swing”, released on Pulver Records in 2002, and ended up finding its way into Ricardo Villalobos’ record bag as well as onto one of the first Fabric mix CDs. An album under the same name and a string of EPs followed. Dailo’s latest releases, the Motor City Drum Ensemble’s Raw Cuts series in 2010, had the house music world responding strongly to the charmingly fresh and dirty sounding tracks, all mixed down in spontaneous two-hour sessions. Danilo has also released on top labels ranging from 20:20 Vision to Rush Hour as well as his own MCDE and Four Roses imprints, produced for Ben Westbeech and Rainer Trüby and never ceased to amaze with his challenging remix work for artists like Caribou, Jazzanova, DJ Sprinkles and Zero 7. His understanding of how the parts of a track can work has never been more apparent than on his DJ-Kicks mix. In 10 years, playing 80+ gigs a year, including such temples as Berghain, Fabric London, Rex and MOS, he’s absorbed dance history through hard and disciplined work behind the decks. Look at the opening selections of his DJ-Kicks mix to get a glimpse of his amazing ability to fuse totally disparate sound aesthetics into a coherent whole. With the next months holding an extensive tour schedule for Danilo, dancers around the world will be able to experience his gift as a selector first hand. That is, before he gets back into the studio to start working on his first album as Motor City Drum Ensemble as well as a live act. All this will prove, just as his DJ-Kicks is doing now, that there is no such thing as stagnation in the ever-evolving cosmos of Danilo Plessow.

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Motor City Drum Ensemble – Dj Kicks EP [K7285EP]