Better Sound 05 produced by the Maestro Franco Falsini! Original tracks from Franco’s own seminal label Interactive Test. 1990 – 1991 period.
001.Features
Mantra / Myriadd – All Is Mind [WOD013]
Weapons of Desire are back with the next installment of raw percussion and the dirty bass lines that we have all grown to know and love. Five brilliant 707 and 808 driven techno stompers from the eminently proficient Craig Stainton over two sides of wax in both his Mantra and Myriadd production guises.
SDH – Against Strong Thinking EP [AV!068]
SDH return with the Against Strong Thinking EP. The band continues to explore the musical language as a poetic form and trying to discover new questions that allow the great categories of thinking to be undone. Against Strong Thinking talks about the importance of facing all that categorical, dogmatic and conclusive thinking. There is a need for dialogue with everything that seems unquestionable. Again, the questions guide all the songs and, again, there is no single answer. Sometimes this doubt is fertile, sometimes it is painful and involves a total and profound loss.
VA – Vortex Chronologies Evo. 1 [KR3001]
The first release on the new Hypnotic techno label KR3 is a mini-compilation of four club bangers that symbolises the inception and evolution of a vortex – concept that is also embodied in the label’s logo. KR3 001 is a highly powerful release that seduces the listener into a labyrinth of twisted thoughts; a notion that has been widely embraced and evoked by all the artists who have contributed with their participation to the genesis of the label. Tracks by Steve Bicknell, Zadig, Giorgio Gigli & Lunatik and Iori.
Surgeon – The Golden Sea [IT043]
Acronym – Melting Sea [STILLATON6]
Legowelt – Secrets After Dreams [SW001]
The ever prolific Legowelt AKA Dutch electronic musician Danny Wolfers is back with another album, “Secrets After Dreams”. The enchanting LP is released by his long time acquaintance Mystic & Quantum records, the first one of a new series called SpellWeaver. 7 ethereal compositions gleaming with poetic synthesis. Artwork by Danny Wolfers himself.
Roberto Auser – Love and Saucers [AUS004]
Soothing synthesizer music and fantastic audiographic collage for fans and lovers of obscure ambient and jazzy minimal electronics. Original soundtrack to the feature documentary Love and Saucers (2017) […] Don’t sleep on this! Just 25 units made!
BOA & Mathieu Deranlot – Merci Pierre [FS021]
Freshly-formed French trio BOA – aka Behzad, Ohes and Amarou – wrap themselves around the new decade and squeeze tightly. Joining forces with decorated French musician Mathieu Deranlot, they present four far-ranging deep electronic and ambient techno explorations that range from the dramatic-yet-beatless “Nitro” to the brooding, swampy slo-mo electrofunk of “Lumiere Electronique”. Elsewhere “Merci Pierre” teases and squeezes even tighter with its trippy triplets and sudden dive into deep dream synths before “Bonne Nuit” closes on another ambient tip, this time switching the urgency for lullaby arpeggios. Sweet dreams.
Stanislav Tolkachev – Be Careful & Nobody Dies [SEM112]
“Be Careful And Nobody Dies” is Stanislav Tolkachev’s first release of 2020 and debut for Spanish imprint Semantica. Super nice versatile EP with a stunning electro cut (the title track) and some sick adventurous techno tunes.
LSD – Third Process [LSD002]
The techno super-group of Luke Slater, Steve Bicknell and David Sumner aka LSD is back again with the third installment of their Process series. Futuristic drum programming and mind melting melodies for maximum dancefloor impact spread out over three tracks, touching all assets of an hypnotic high-energy techno trip.
ORBE – Retrofuture EP [ARR06]
ORBE, no stranger to the electronic music industry, strikes again with four tracks of psychedelic techno.
Solitary Dancer – Postlude [PP01]
‘Postlude’ is the second release on Solitary Dancer’s new imprint, Private Possessions. Private Possessions was borne out of a desire to control all aspects of output pertaining to the development, creation, and dissemination of their music, video, and other media. Following their debut LP ‘Rites Of Passage’, ‘Postlude’ is a three-track affair which juxtaposes two of the album’s floor-focussed cuts with an extended version of ‘Test Dream’. The latter has been processed into a 15-minute “Devisualization” using degradation techniques that slowly destroys the piece over time, harkening the ever-changing lucidity and memories of our own dreams.
Ian Martin – Neo Modernist [PNKMN035]
Ian Martin’s Neo Modernist is an exercise in introspection, where things aren’t always rosy. Confronting your anxieties and fears may not be pleasant but sometimes necessary to escape deterioration. Ian Martin’s music channels these feelings, and gives beauty to something that expressed in words can seem depressing. One of Rotterdam’s best kept secrets comes through with maximum emotion and prowess. Take notice.
Retrograde Youth – Mass Asphyxia [PNKMN034]
‘Mass Asphyxia’, Retrograde Youth’s new record comes in the form of 6 tracks to satisfy the escapist desires of troubled minds and souls. The Colombian artist operates in a sphere of his own where the lines blur between different styles, fusing oddball techno with deranged acid, industrial elements, ethereal synth and haunting vocal samples. The sound aesthetic is just as diverse with atmospheres meandering between sci-fi, disaster and retro-futurism. Retrograde Youth once more shows his nonconformity and ability to surprise in great style.
Pablo R. Ruiz – Estados Criminales [PGS012]
New hot stuff from Detroit. Pablo R. Ruiz returns for his sophomore release for Portage Garage Sounds with some serious 707-infected goodness.. “Estados Criminales” features 5 tracks, playful yet sinister, like the chaotic energy of a carnival ride falling off it’s hinges.
Daniel Holt – After The Deluge LP [BLF1C002]
Daniel Holt is one of the most prolific and talented producers out there right now, with a slew of releases on labels like Frigio, L.I.E.S., Mechatronica or Aperitif de la Mort. He also runs his own labels Atrophy Records and Ardetha Records out of his Tennessee homeland. The Black Lodge presents a full 10 track cassette album of all new and original material from Daniel that is suited for both deep listening and dancefloor mayhem. “After the Deluge” is an emotional. mythical, and spiritual journey into one of the many extradimensional portals of The Black Lodge and the deeper darker recesses of the mind – a journey of pitfalls, wonder, victories, ecstasy, losses, revelation, death, rebirth and release. Join us as we travels to parts unknown. The cassette includes full dj mix “Before the Deluge” on other side.
Multicast Dynamics – Ancient Circuits [AI-17]
Multicast Dynamics returns with a sixth studio album that marks something of a new chapter. Ancient Circuits is an advancement from previous works on Denovali and one that stands the project aside as a powerful electronic act that tells stories while also serving up heavy hitting soundscapes that are persuasive, unexpected and disturbing. Each of the four 25-minute pieces of Ancient Circuits are clearly demarcated yet sequential sci-fi stories that introduce new characters and are drawn out of long and complex studio experiments. They are collages of sound that glimmer, disturb, shine, dive deep and explore new realms and make for ambient so arresting that it pulls you deep inside. Once again here, Multicast Dynamics draws together cinematic sound design and conceptual intergalactic fiction to come up with a work that is a multi-sensory exploration that puts you as the central character in an expressive musical world.
Move D & Benjamin Brunn – Let’s Call It A Day [SMALLVILLELP13]
Smallville Records reissues Move D (David Moufang) and Benjamin Brunn’s 2006 collaborative album, “Let’s Call It A Day” released on BineMusic. This is a complete piece built from seven sections, each one is a microcosm of unique textures, depth, ambience, emotions, programming, looping and melodic rules; Together they are a homogenous creation, a symphony that culminate in dance music experiencing elevation. The way Moufang and Brunn fuse different genres together without committing to any musical doctrine, makes them appear prophetic. However, it is in no sense a retrospect feeling; even at the time it was clear that the perceptions, experience, vision, and delicacy of this album were outstanding.
Psyk – Opal Lake [NON040]
Spanish DJ and producer Psyk returns to his own NON Series with ‘Opal Lake’. This 40th release on the imprint and also the first release of 2020 is a stellar four track techno pack including a collaboration with fellow Spanish producer Architectural. Opening track ‘Biting Nails’ sees a new studio collaboration between the two Spanish techno legends. It’s a deep and emotive jam showing a surprisingly melodic side of both producers. Title track ‘Opal Lakes’ is the most powerful outing on the EP, fierce and driving rhythms melting into hazy atmospheres. With its crispy snares ‘Bell Tair’ flips the energy with an on-point minimalistic percussion workout where ‘Outline’ and its deep drums acidic riffs drags you below see level into a bright and lively underwater world.
The Hipodrome Of Music 