The first LP since 2008’s ‘Corresponding Echoes’ on his Sacred Rhythm Music, Joaquin Joe Claussell arrives on Radio Slave’s Rekids for ‘Raw Tones’, a nine-track excursion through the sound of his exquisitely soulful house music. Originally released on uber limited cassettes, the music within ‘Raw Tones’ caught the ear of Radio Slave, aka Matt Edwards, who messaged Claussell and convinced the legendary producer that the music needed a wider audience and, so, ‘Raw Tones’ the LP is here.
Pleasant Systems kicks things off with Tilman’s “Adventures“ EP feat. Will Buck and Rhode & Brown to bring you some luscious summer tunes.
The Parkwerks series continues with four cuts from Mark Seven confirming the less is more philosophy: minimum ingredients to create maximum effect. Layered synths, clean, crisp percussion and heavy basslines.
Jeroen Search returns to Token with another serving of characteristically hypnotic purism. Aether draws on classic, tripping motifs designed for maximum drive.
Makuto returns to his home base Arketip Discs with three Detroit inspired outer space acid techno original trips alongside Truncate’s massive bullet.
Two Dogs in a House is Jason Letkiewicz and Ron Morelli. This is a collection of Two Dogs in a House tracks from the archives spanning 2009-2013. Tracks 1-5 previously unreleased, track 6 released on vinyl on Lets Play House Records, track 7 unreleased remix of Black Deer and tracks 8-10 recorded in 2013, released on vinyl in 2015 as Doomsday Initiative II, with blessed permission from Nation.
In pandemic times of telepresences and social distancing, Live At Robert Johnson and Leipzig’s own Riotvan team up for a magical musical mission. Encompassed by the graphic design of Michael Satter & Panthera Krause, each of the five tracks has been created by teams representing both label crews and their environs, rendering a truly synergetic effort. A1 is Roman Flügel & Rebolledo producing deep and wide Star Stuff with arpeggiated bass riffs, haunting vocals and melody. A2 sees Jennifer Touch & Chinaski setting off on an electroid Synth-Pop trip, with crafty 1980s synths, drums and vocals. A3 is New Hook and Perel teaming up for a Cosmic Disco tinged track, featuring unique spanish-english vocals. The flipside kicks off with Fort Romeau & Panthera Krause on B1, heavily into a stereophonic and proper Italo soundscape. Horkheimer & Peter Invasion & Gregor Habicht conclude the EP on B2 with a wicked technoid Breakbeat along a modulating bass line and, yeah, a looney laugh befitting these crazy times.
‘Star’ is Perel’s Running Back debut. Picturing Perel’s development as a recording artist on the one hand and the hardships everyone had to experience since the world has been changed by a pandemic on the other, making it – in her word words – „an EP about crossing the „physical distance between the people I miss and love“. Opening with the riveting vocals of Star („This song is literally a love song for my people“), the three pieces also show Perel’s growing versatility as a producer. The tried and tested neon disco lights interchange with darker tones, uplifting and affirmative moments (Tour De Perel) rotate with contemplative and pondering intervals (Internal Monologue). Yet, by no means Perel is whistling a sad tune. Her melodies are as always deep, distinguishable and delightful to dance to.
Born and raised in Indonesia, Omar Joesoef built this EP with samples of old records of ethnic music that he has found in an abandoned radio station on Java island. Named Lokananta, it is one of the first radios setting up in Indonesia in the 50’s. The recordings in Omar’s EP come from rituals and meditative chants of one of the last tribes still living in the ancient way, completely disconnected from the modern world.
Sekhem, the Grenoble based label is back with his second various EP. This one welcome international talents like Moya 81, Do Or Die and Davide Piras as well as the very talented french producers Mohammed Vicente.
The Exit Planet Earth vinyl series continues onto it’s 5th edition with a finely balanced release of electro, techno and breakbeat cuts. Carl Finlow – ‘The Oberth Effect’ kicks off the record with a mind bending trip to the dark side of electro, delivering a masterclass in multi-layered synth sound design, rolling bass lines and Finlow’s expert production. A fellow electro master, Plant43 delivers his debut release for 20/20 Vision – ‘Forcefield Deactivation’. The flip side features a collaboration between Hong Kong based producers Mr. Ho & Xiaolin (Klasse Wrecks). ‘No Change To How I Feel’ is a unique sign of the times. A deep techno track served with a heavy 4/4 kick, perpetually evolving arpeggios, quick fire hats and a haunting vocal. Leeds based producer Alfred completes the release with a sound forged from intricate drum sequencing and strong chords and melodies. Alfred is an exciting new talent that manages to connect the dots between breakbeat and electro.
Detroit based electro and techno artist Francois Dillinger (Natural Sciences, Blind Allies, Dionysian Mysteries) collaborates with LDI Records owner Lloyd Stellar for the imprint’s third vinyl release. Machine Men EP sees the pair working in a deep and contemplative sonic world, inspired by the potential future where the relationship between man and machine becomes blurred. The story of this EP takes place on a future earth, at a time where technological performance enhancing implants push identities of human and machine into a gray area which is no longer binary. On this earth, conservative groups oppose this development, stuck in the idea that machines are subordinate to humans. The EP explores this oppression of different ideas around identity, finding parallels with the same discourse and challenges that today we see in modern society and the fight against conservative, populist right wing politics to create an accepting and equal world. Specializing in moody, atmospheric electro, LDI Records (Lloyd’s Dark Imperium) are an essential label to watch.
You would think that a small country like the Netherlands has very few isolated places, but buried in the south-west corner you will find the region of Zeeuwsch Vlaanderen. Just before the Westerscheldetunnel was built in 2003, the area was only reachable by ferry or over land through Belgium. By the late 1970s, in the region’s small city of Terneuzen, a group of like-minded music lovers were inspired by punk music and formed a series of bands together. A number of the musicians first met in high school, and it is here where we find Danny Bosten (Das Ding) and his label Tear Apart Tapes. If you played music you had to have a label to release it and because you had a label you needed to make music. It was a logical and circular process, and despite being isolated, nothing stopped them from bringing new music to Terneuzen. Up till today the label releases cassettes just like in the olden days as well as a string of 7-inches with new music by Das Ding, Les Yeux Interdits and Ian Martin. Each of these releases carries a similar visual aesthetic to the label’s early 1980s output. All of them sold out quickly, but luckily they are now collected here on this LP.
Cavalry Stone duo its back on Soil Records along side with another Soil Records member like Rambal Cochet and a very warm welcome to Toni as he already work with the group Moken also already on the crew. A quite different way of EBM with two remix that goes from industrial to Goa/Trance feeling.
!Bang Elektronika started in 1986 as a solo project of Dave Rout to develop his electronic music wanderings. He recorded material off an on, but most of his time was spent working on Techniques Berlin, a band which he started with Andreas Gregor in 1985. The first !BE release was the “Audio Beat Warfare” cassette on Bombshelter in 1989. For the second !BE tape, “The Rhythm Screams Electronic”, also released in 1989, Andreas contributed with some vocals. After these releases Dave was moving into more EBM / industrial sounds and wanted some harsh German vocals for the new tracks so he asked Andreas to sing on some of them and join permanently the project. Their first release as a duo was the cassette entitled “Aktivierung!” on Shadow Records in 1991. Time after, the project was put on hiatus with just some sporadic releases and a few shows, until 2011 when they did their first and only show in Berlin and release a compilation CD. This year the band is celebrating their 35th anniversary releasing their dance floor stomper “Aktivierung” for the very first time on vinyl. This release includes, along the original version from 1991 and the b-side “Ich Bin So Ätzend!”, two new killer remixes crafted by Randolph & Mortimer and The Horrorist.
Exarde is an independent label from Moscow. Riccardo Buccirossi can be an example for many artists both musically and in terms of productivity. Co-founder of Imprints Records and the owner of Metropolita, Amazing Stories, and Elma Rivaga, he has composed 4 floor compositions under his new alias – Transcend∆nce. These compositions he calls “energetic and hopeful to dance again” and he definitely didn’t bend the truth with that statement.
