Continue reading “Maschine 6YRS @ Control Club (Bucharest) 7-9.10.2016”
Author: hipodrome
VA – Vortex Traks Vol.2 [VTX003]
The second Vortex Traks compilation features driving and spacy electro cuts from Kan3da and Morphology on the A-side. On the flip Mr Velcro Fastener make it more funky while The Guide Girls round off the EP nicely with their dreamy and melodic track.
London Modular Alliance – Out of Sync [BT014]
BT14 brings back Pip Williams & Koova along with Simon Lynch as London Modular Alliance for Out of Sync. Across 5 tracks they bring together a wide range of influences from electro, bass & techno to create their own unique sound. Opening the EP De-Orbit_118 is a beatless excursion into space before crashing back down to earth with the deranged The Mind is a Terrible Thing. Closing the A side, Tinker matches sombre pads with squelchy intricacies. On the flip Their Discontent grooves and trips out while closing track Out of Sync offers an even deeper variation of opener De-Orbit_118.
214 – North Cascades [FR035]
…and then the Log Lady said: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Yet there are those who open many eyes. Eyes are the mirror of the soul, someone has said. So we look closely at the eyes to see the nature of the soul. Sometimes when we see the eyes — those horrible times when we see the eyes, eyes that … that have no soul — then we know a darkness, then we wonder: where is the beauty? There is none if the eyes are soulless.”
Alex Seidel – S.G [OYEBLK001]
First OYE Black Label Edition comes with two outstanding electro tracks by Alex Seidel. More known more his dusty Max Graef Band deep house jams but makes the crossover into electro on the S.G 12″. On the first side is SG (mix A) a serving of dirty and lowdown electro funk where snappy vintage machine breaks are balanced out by some dreamy Rhodes keys: remnants of Seidel’s more typical work. On the flip, SG (mix B) injects more ferocity and tempo in the track; the breaks on this one get more glitchy and aggressive.
Norwell – Death Of A Star Remixes [PNKMN014.5]
Norwell’s Death Of A Star E.P, released earlier this summer, mixed his usual kosmiche-inspired sounds with the distorted grittiness of ’80s industrial music. It was impressive, and now Pinkman has decided to offer up two remixes apiece of EP highlights “Nordic Nights” and “Death of A Star”. The former track is given the acid-flecked, 8-bit techno treatment by Antenna, before S Olbricht turns it into an unsettling, Motor City-influenced roller. Delta Funkitonen channels the spirit of EBM pioneers Nitzer Ebb on his throbbing interpretation of “Death Of A Star” – all psychedelic synthesizer arpeggios and restless kick drums – before DJ Overdose steals the show with an inspired electro remake of the same track.
Fingers Inc. / Robert Owens – I’m Strong [ML2204LE]
A one of a kind track with a totally unique groove and a bass line not coming from this world. The DX sound that makes the track so powerful sounds like some kind of mutant machine that is going wild and the sublime combination with the Robert Owens vocals makes this a highlight in the history of house music.
Brooks Mosher – Here EP [DOLLY026]
Brooks Mosher, one of Dolly’s solid regulars, delivers another excellent high quality Detroit injected house EP.
Nautiluss – Reflections EP [SPC136]
Val G – Val G EP [VPR002]
Two original tracks and two edits from Detroit’s up-and-coming talent: Val G. Her youthful fresh style shows she’s learning to stand on her own two feet behind gear that’s been around decades longer than she has.
The Smoke Clears – S/T [ACTSCLPX1]
The Smoke Clears is the abstract ambient project of producer John Daly. He debuted this alias with an eponymous LP in 2013 on Further Records and this is a part 2. Following up his 2013 LP of the same name, this record builds upon it’s predecessor’s ambient abstractions while adding another layer of nuanced melodic contemplation. Kicking off with “Fathoms” a deceptively calm track but with a paced sense of urgency which is evident throughout the LP, belying it’s calm undertones. Continuing at this pace for the rest of the first side the LP takes a side turn with the lush “Slipstream” melting into the only vocal track of the LP – the dubbed out bliss of “Oh My Days” featuring Cian Finn. Showcasing a side that might not be so familiar, this is lush downtempo machine music equally as at home cranked up one louder soundsystem style, or for late night home listening.
Monadh – Muara [FUR103]
Everyone’s looking for inner peace of some kind even warmongers. As most intelligent people know, music is one of the most effective ways to achieve that blessed, blissed state. The debut album by Seattle producer Monadh (Jake Muir) offers yet more crucial aid in the war on stress. Muara is an ambient album in the purest, chillest meaning of the term. Its seven tracks are awash in aquatic signifiers and textures; each one is a rejuvenating dip in healing, icy waters. (Muara is Javanese for “estuary.”) Which isn’t to say that Muara should be filed in New Age sections of record shops (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Rather, what the album most resembles is the ambient output of artists like Biosphere. Loscil, and The Sight Below—musicians who uncannily make you warm to cold tones. “The way I make music is really stream of consciousness,” Muir says. “My friend calls it ‘slow improv.’ I happened to be watching a lot of older Japanese cinema, especially samurai stuff, from the ’50s to the ’70s while making the album.” Natural habitats also played a significant role, Muir notes. “My favorite music is informed by mood and place.” This deep into the 21st century, it’s not easy to create ambient music that sounds vital and untainted by hackneyed tropes. Monadh succeeds in this difficult task, through a combination of his field recordings from the Pacific Northwest and meticulously chosen samples mostly lifted and pitchshifted from library records of a pastoral and romantic bent. He also cites Andrew Pekler’s Sentimental Favourites and Biosphere’s Shenzhou as inspirations.
Ryo Murakami – Esto [BDNLP002]
Eleven, deft, darkly-lit, sometimes despairing soundscapes by the Osaka-based producer, for his third album. ‘The thoughts of a rebellious spirit are always accompanied by music,’ he says. Esto, existence.
DJ Ice Tits – Songs About Myrtle Avenue [DANG002]
A second utterance emerges from the tomb of DJ Ice Tits. Who was this ancient priest of Memphis whose sarcophagus lies entombed within the Metaphasic Pyramid, inscribed with the Analogue Hieroglyph? These five recently discovered FM transmissions from the underworld, entitled ”Songs about Myrtle Avenue,” may contain the key to this mystery.
Mick Wills @ VSSL (Los Angeles, US) 08.05.2016
Cosmo & Faber – Les Yeux Orange #069
October – OCT01 [OCT001]
Following up from his critically acclaimed industrial flecked debut album on Skudge White; Bristol’s October comes correct with a new series of 10” records, each featuring under-polished no frills club cuts aimed straight at the floor, rough enough to strip paint from the walls.
Pametex Interview
Blixaboy – Humanoid X [CPU00100011]
Humanoid X is CPU’s deepest foray into Detroit techno so far, from Blixaboy aka Mwanza Dover – Texas based artist, friend of Cygnus and very much part of the local electro scene. Dover presents an album influenced by the pioneers of the hypnotic groove. On first pass you’ll find elements of krautrock through to the Belleville three, all with finely crafted arrangements that reveal themselves in more detail on each listen. A cyberpunk theme runs throughout as Blade Runner-esque synths wash over the album evoking late night electric-city noodle restaurant contemplation. Blixaboy has selected 4 of the more DJ friendly tracks from the album for the vinyl E.P. treatment.
Dmitry Distant – Lucifer & Lust [EE011RTM]
Lucifer & Lust is a 10-inch mini album by Dmitry Distant, showcasing the diversity of his talent. The 6 tracks by the Russian-born artist who currently resides in Latvia reflect the atmosphere of the Baltic and the mystic sides of electronic music. Showing where his devotion lies, Dmitry experiments on the verge of techno, wave and industrial. On this mini album, he grasps our attention with minimalistic trance-like rhythms covered in fluctuating painful melodies, using wonderful analogue sounds and exotic instruments such as the electric violin.
