Author: hipodrome
Redshape – Red Pack II [101DSR/PRESENT010]
Almost exactly three years after the first, Redshape has readied his second Red Pack, due for co release by his own Present imprint alongside his frequent Dutch home, Delsin. Whilst the world is still enjoying the German’s latest album “Square”, the man himself has typically moved on once more. On Red Pack II he offers up six tracks new of hugely atmospheric and romantically industrial techno across two pieces of vinyl. First up, ‘Disco Marauder’ has raw, jangling beats, traumatised vocal cries and plenty of sci-fi ambiance all coalescing into a filmic techno tapestry, before ‘Path Dub’ goes deeper and more streamlined with rattling claps peeling off taught synth cables in hypnotic fashion. ‘The Source’ is a track slowed to a crawl that almost seems to want to collapse under its own weight. Machines gurgle and gargle, the beats march on with a heavy heart and widescreen synths all that ever present sense of cinematism that makes Redshape such a unique producer. Standout track ‘Daft Mode’ features a beautiful Reese bassline and rich layers of classic Detroit chords of the sort Inner City once championed. Redshape then pairs them with slicing percussion and loose limbed but tough edged beats and lets them roll on to a blissfully emotive oblivion. Last track ‘Bulp Head’ is one of Redshape’s more euphoric tracks thanks to the glistening and pixelated melodies which rise up and up through choppy, metallic percussion. It closes out another release from Redshape that offers six more classic pieces that are as idiosyncratic as they innovative.
Benjamin Damage – Delirium Tremens [50WEAPONSRMX003]
Following the success of his recently released album “Heliosphere” Benjamin Damage presents one of the most straight forward techno tunes of the year so far.“Delirium Tremens”, one of the more club focused tracks of the album, gets a remix treatment by Detroit´s techno legend Robert Hood.On the flipside Benjamin reworks his on tune into an extended long version for maximum impact.
Unknown – Common Series 1 [COMMONS001]
Nice first edition of this new series. Some beautiful techno tracks together with some darker frantic acid and some advanced electronica. All tracks good, despite their huge style differences.
Dez Williams – The Angel Maker EP [EAR004]
Dez Williams with a new release on Earwiggle. Starting with the melting frequencies of ‘Underground Persistent’, acid is in control, combining swingy 808 drums and masterful Detroit strings to a searing acid-line that keeps going and going. Switching things into more straight-ahead acid territory on A2, ‘Untitledacid 6’ has pretty much one intention and that’s to jack hard. ‘Freedom’ on the flip is a dense techno workout that joins a strong looped vocal and distorted percussion to swamping sound fx, in a rough but funky way. This time an expert pad progression brings the track to an unexpected but fitting finale. Finally, and showing what a complete supremo he is where dark floor-friendly electro is concerned, Dez turns in a blistering cut of sci-fi electro with ‘Courtesy Call’.
Erika – Hexagon Cloud [IT030]
While ‘Hexagon Cloud’ may be Erika’s debut solo release, this is by no means her introduction to the scene. For years Erika has been a member of Detroit’s Ectomorph and co-conspirator of Interdimensional Transmissions, but since these projects play shadowy games with identity and perception, she may just need that introduction. Composing without the aid of a computer, Erika’s system is centered around a rare highly flexible hardware sequencer. The ideas flowed quickly, and what began as an EP quickly blossomed into a double album with the aid of production from BMG. Science and music, dreams of space and microscopic organisms, mutation of plant life and the birth of stars, all come together effortlessly in her work to sound like post acid techno subterranean spelunking in a quest to return to the stars. Or at least to the northern “Hexagon Cloud” of Saturn.
Exium – A Sensible Alternative To Emotion [POLEGROUP016]
A sensible alternative to emotion is the second full length album by the spanish techno duo Exium. More than ten years in the bussiness confirm them as one the fundamental combos of european techno. We have the pleasure of presenting you this new step in sound design, ten tracks that show a new twist in their style, relaxing the frequencies and the tempos and departing from linear concepts, offering a well balanced tracklist with ambient or near IDM experiments, dreamy or even melodic techno and their traditional obscure feeling.
Dwig – Forget The Pink Elephant [GLGLP002]
Giegling homie Dwig presents his debut album and shows again his sampling art in all his facets. A very laid-back one.
Vita – The Ultimate Collapsing Remixes [FRMXS002]
We know it is spring and sunny and shit… but we got this new project going and yes,.. it’s cold.. it’s freezing cold. Loose them party shoes and grab those 40belows and don’t forget to put your insulation vest on. We got a remix pack for the Vita (infinity) project on a nice collectable limited colored vinyl 10”. Remixes are done by non other then Heinrich Mueller, Ovatow and Versalife as Hexagon. Also included on here is the beautiful and really deep Vita original ”The Ending” that will be exclusive for this release.
Somaticae – Catharsis [26192]
In 2011, we begin to think about doing a record label. We had been following Somaticae for some time and at this moment he was playing some art and punk gigs with a furious live of electronic improv, on the edge between hypnosis and noise. But Somaticae had already moved forward, and in a matter of a few weeks, he was sending us what quickly and easily took shape as Catharsis, a ten track piece which is to be the first album release on In Paradisum.
Metasplice – Infratracts [DOSER017LP]
Rabih Beaini’s Morphine imprint has undergone something of a renaissance in the past year to become one of contemporary techno’s most vital labels thanks to the recent material from Hieroglyphic Being, Container, Upperground Orchestra and Philadelphia duo Metasplice, whose two EPs for the label have provided some of the most alien sounding techno to emerge in recent years. Their debut album Infratracts appeared this week with no prior fanfare; it’s as exciting a journey into the duo’s uniquely desolate sound world as you could imagine; combining skull-shattering rhythms with brain-warping textures, the whole things recalls a seasick version of Container’s noise techno being transmitted via SETI’s long-range radio telescope. Essential wares for lovers of adventurous electronics…
Rabih Beaini – Albidaya [END07]
Exploratory Lebanese imprint Annihaya presents a stunning debut album opus by Rabih Beaini aka Morphosis under his birth name. As Rabih was born in Lebanon it is fitting he shares ‘Albidaya’ – meaning “The Beginning” in Arabic – with a label from his home country, who provide acute context for its mixture of electronics, psych rock, folk and jazz. Impressively it was mostly recorded over the course of one day in 2012, wrangling myriad rhythms, tones and shapes from Rabih’s famous collection of vintage analog synthesizers and sequencers meshed with Eko Tiger Duo organ and guitar, and some assistance from Tommaso Cappellato on drums and Piero Bittolo Bon on woodwind and electronics (with additional credits to both Mike Huckaby and Donato Dozzy), and post-production done in Berlin and Rome.
Dragos Rusu – Experimentalist #21
Gunnar Haslam – Mimesiak [LIES026]
Ron Morelli has also become a specialist in finding unknown producer and releasing it to the world with only little informations. The newest addition follow the same rule and comes from “an unknown NYC producer” named Gunnar Haslam with a Double LP called Mimesiak.
Sneaker – Java / Sumatra EP [UV016]
Sneaker’s first solo EP for Uncanny Valley is a record of high humidity. The Java / Sumatra EP evolved in large parts in Indonesia when Sneaker lived there for almost a year and it literally conveys the Indonesian heat to dance floors in the rest of the world. This four new tracks show another, rather dark, Pop and New Wave side of Sneaker. The “Java Island” side starts with “White Glow” where a serious percussion workout is blended together with the sharp electric guitar by Indonesian guitarist Al Goz. Backed up by Sneaker’s typical drum work, Slovakian singer Helena and Sneaker himself are dreaming of that mystical light. In “Misty Mirror”, it seems like Sneaker is speaking to his reflection in the mirror and trying to figure out what he is seeing there. The track is as relentless as it is bittersweet with its stumbling dark bass synth and the bell-like melody before the pads bring things to an almost orchestral end. “Sumatra Rain” again features Al Goz, this time on the Bamboo Flute, Guitar and with a poem in West-Sumatran Minang Language. The track can be read as a meditation on the fact that if it rains in Indonesia, it pours. At the same time it is an irresistible dance floor killer that sometimes feels like “I Feel Love” for modern clubs with its ongoing octave bass and an uncompromising kick drum. Eventually, “Run To You” stands in the tradition of love song duets like “Je T’aime…Moi Non Plus”. You simply cannot forget this catchy synth melody. This is pop music for people that like Italo Disco and Chicago House and rounds up the EP in a charming way.
Skatebard – 1979 Pace Int. / Emotional Bits [MANIA025]
Slammin’ tuff house and electro tracks from 2001 by Skatebard, Norway’s #1 Techno-Riddim-Connaisseur.
Geeeman – Jam The House [GEEEMANSAYSPUMPIT]
Mega limited pressing… Be aware: Very loud cut, so make sure your system is properly adjusted to avoid needle skips.
Traxx – Sonotown Podcast 068
VA – The Dance [STX009B]
Oh how we love the dancefloor and its magic! Every weekend we lose ourselves in endless grooves and jacking beats. We forget about time and space and let the music hypnotize us. We move our bodies. We sweat and feel happy and high. For moments like this Snuff Trax 009-B with tracks by Affie Yusuf, John Red Hawk, Ricardo Miranda and Arttu was made. Dedicated to all you dancers out there.
