VA – Italian Dance Wave Otto [SLOMO043]

June 3, 2019December 8, 2019 hipodromedisco, gallo, house, marcello giordani, slow motion records, system olympia, the carribean houseLeave a comment

The eight chapter of the infamous Slow Motion Compilation series, “Italian Dance Wave Disco Otto”, has quite some hidden gems to be discovered. Beginning with a track from Marcello Giordani DJ (half of the duo Marvin & Guy), that expresses a perfect Italian melancholic sunset (as the title also states), energetic, strong, but always poetic. Always following that “beachy” vibes we find The Caribbean House, serving a track that could last a century, and we would never mind. Electro hints mixing with deep and balearic vibes: ears glued to the headphones. Moreover, we have again Slow Motion queen, System Olympia with a track that could make even nuns sweat on the dancefloor: beats and bass to die for. To close this chapter, you can pamper your ears with a angry balearic track from Gallo, not suited for the more weak hearts, that’s for sure.

VA – Italian Dance Wave Sette [SLOMO042]

June 3, 2019December 8, 2019 hipodromealtieri, disco, electro, house, jose manuel, lukebox, robotalco, slow motion recordsLeave a comment

Summer is coming sooner this year, and you can tell from the heat of the two latest releases from Slow Motion. The first of the two, “Italian Dance Wave Disco Sette”, is here to delight you: starting from a half Italo and half Asian influenced Altieri track, killing it with a dancefloor belter that will make you sweat the night away, raving sensations guaranteed. Lukebox (Fabrizio Mammarella and Umberto Saba from the duo Loudtone) will serve you a slightly more downtempo, modular, weirdo beast that will make your head bang without you even notice: banger. Back on your turntables, is also Robotalco who is providing some proto-house extravaganza and adding some charme to the dirty, chunky beats of the compilation. Last but not least, José Manuel, delivering a touch of biting deep house and electro tribal feels to close the gap, and make us scream “hell yes”.

Mappa Mundi – Mosaics [DRIVE006]

June 3, 2019September 14, 2023 hipodromedisco, downtempo, jan van den bergh, mappa mundi, midnight drive, new beat, pieter kuyl, re-release, reissue, usa import musicLeave a comment

Mappa Mundi’s sole release ‘Musaics’ was released in 1990, riding on the wave of early trance and ambient house sounds and exploring the same sonic terrain and worlds as The Orb, The KLF, Sun Electric and other like minded outfits. A wonderful swirling collage or mosaic of breakbeats, samples and new-age synth stylings, ‘Musaics’ is indeed a real trip. A spontaneous late night studio concoction borne of endless takes and experimentation between Pieter Kuyl and Jan Van Den Bergh who both display a deep knowledge and a shared love of different sounds from around the world. The end result is a meditative, sprawling journey that touches on many different styles from languid widescreen techno to frantic drum machine driven machine-funk, all while retaining a feeling of post-rave atmospherics and psychedelia. This is a very special record indeed, and is somewhat of a lost gem from a very fertile and interesting period in sample based music. Undoubtedly the perfect soundtrack to numerous late nights and early mornings to come

Cosmo Vitelli – Holiday in Panikstrasse Part 1 [MALKATUTILP005A]

June 3, 2019February 3, 2020 hipodromecosmo vitelli, disco, fantastic twins, malka tuti, sebastian lee philipp, synth popLeave a comment

With his upcoming two-part LP on Malka Tuti, Cosmo Vitelli brings forward his more diverse and somehow mature musical side, combining elements of post-punk, krautrock, electronica and pop on this first of 2 four-track records. The songs on the LP transcend style and genre. They manage to hold and playfully sustain an idea that echoes throughout them all – a musical “saying” as well as a personal life experience, and they reflect Cosmo’s prolific studio work of the past 2 years since he moved to Berlin.

Jason Letkiewicz – The Reflecting Pool [ITLINTL03]

June 2, 2019May 31, 2019 hipodromealbum, ambient, electro, experimental, into the light records, jason letkiewiczLeave a comment

Over the last decade, we’ve come accustomed to Jason Letkiewicz releasing material under a dizzying array of aliases, each utilized to explore a different side of his multi-faceted musical persona. Now, some 14 years after he made his recording debut, Letkiewicz has joined forces with Into The Light Records to release his first album under his real name. ‘The Reflecting Pool’ sees Letkiewicz exploring the uncomplicated and uncluttered in the pursuit of pure aural beauty. The album is stripped back, quiet, melodious is drawing more on Letkiewicz’s love of crystalline ambient, slow burn synthesizer soundscapes, early ’80s library music and the kind of obscure electronic new age music. The set’s 12 tracks gently ebb and flow, with Letkiewicz making great use of dusty old drum machines, effects units and a range of vintage analogue and digital synthesizers. With ‘The Reflecting Pool’, Letkiewicz has provided us with a much-needed dose of stress-free musical escapism, at the same time offering hope that in these troubling times, love may still save the day.

Rhythmic Theory – Mechanised Dreaming [CRLP14]

June 2, 2019July 8, 2020 hipodromealbum, ambient, creme organization, drone, experimental, rhythmic theoryLeave a comment

Bristol based Rhythmic Theory, known for working the dark and mysterious edges of bass heavy techno and drum & bass, returns to Creme Organization. After his first work for the label in 2017 he now brings a fulsome nine track mini-LP ‘Mechanised Dreaming’, exploring the dark corners of ambient and synth based intrigue. Atmospheric sound design is at the fore here, with cinematic soundscapes crafted from broad synth smears and plenty of subtle little motifs. The music paints pictures of a metropolis during the dead of night, or a former industrial factory reduced to a hall of echoes and shadows. There is subtle tension built from sustained chords and plenty of suggestion of weird lifeforms in the icy ticks and scuttling footsteps of thew a-side. Side b is less dark and dank, with slightly brighter synths and wider horizons all explored. This is a truly immersive and emotive listen that always keeps you absorbed.

Kassel Jaeger – Le Lisse Et Le Strié [LTNC017]

June 2, 2019May 31, 2019 hipodromeambient, drone, experimental, françois j. bonnet, kassel jaeger, latency recordingsLeave a comment

Le Lisse et le Strié is a new work by french composer François J. Bonnet, released under his project name Kassel Jaeger. Based in Paris, Bonnet is the Director of INA GRM. He is also a writer and theoretician. Le Lisse et le Strié has been conceived as an exploration of the two antagonist concepts of “smooth” and “striated”, applied to the realm of electroacoustic sounds. If the “smooth” is linked to “nomos” as an open space of organic distribution, the “striated”, on the contrary, is associated to “logos”, as an enclosed space defined by a grid. Elaborating a dialogue between these aspects, Kassel Jaeger draws here an intermediary space where pulsations become textures and layers, and where rhythmic elements are found in the qualities and bodies of sounds instead of being functionnalised, pre-determined sound objects, abstracted and frozen onto a temporal grid. The concept of “striated” is made audible only through the sonic landscape it inhabits, like the stripes of the camouflage fur of wild animals only exist as such in the woods and long grass, disappearing into a potentially uselessness in a desert plain.

Kyriakos Sfetsas – Greek Fusion Orchestra Vol. 2 [TBLP023]

June 1, 2019May 30, 2019 hipodromealbum, greek fusion orchestra, jazz, kyriakos sfetsas, teranga beatLeave a comment

Teranga Beat presents Vol.2 of Kyriakos Sfetsas’ 1976 ”Greek Fusion Orchestra” project. Sfetsas’ vision behind the formation of GFO, was to create a piece of work that would expand the boundaries of Greek traditional music. The result was a Progressive-Jazz Fusion masterpiece comprising complex and intriguing compositions, performed by Athens’ best musicians of the day. Following the success of Vol.1, Vol.2 is still reflective of his ambition of bringing together progressive jazz and traditional music, but it does so in a different manner. Although the element of traditional music remains present, it does not provide the compositional foundation for the songs (e.g. most pieces are no longer based exclusively on traditional musical forms). More jazzy and more complex than Vol.1, Vol.2 has a darker feeling, presenting Sfetsas not only as a musical experimentalist, but also as a demanding and distinctive composer, who truly puts his musicians through the test.

Medline & Stéphane Carricondo – A Quest Called Tribe [MBLP05]

June 1, 2019May 31, 2019 hipodromealbum, funk, hip-hop, jazz, medline, my bags, stephane carricondoLeave a comment

“A Quest Called Tribe” begins with a series of portraits drawn by Stéphane Carricondo in 2017 dedicated to Hip-Hop legends. As close partner in art Medline proposed to create a soundtrack for them, and first interpreting ATCQ’s classics with elements of the past, present and future. The best way to materialize this multidimensional tribute was obviously a vinyl. And it’s the one we unveil today. On the visual side, ATCQ’s portraits are composing the front cover and, assembled into a great scene, are printed on a colorful A2 poster. Stéphane Carricondo’s natural lines are highlighting each member’s soul map. The alchemy of the dark ink on emptiness gives to them an impressive sparkle of life. On the musical side, the classic themes are transformed into a polymorphic fusion, were jazz, funk and soul from the original sample sources converse with Tribe’s characteristic beats. Medline added a hint of his magic, unique rhythms, improvisations, arrangements, original orchestration and inspired melodies. The album is an ode to the band that marked both artist’s life and mind. A cultural print and school of sound that designed Hip-Hop foundations. With a blooming expression Medline and Stéphane Carricondo are going to the roots of ATCQ in a quest for the tribe.

Dennis Young – Primitive Substance [AOTNLP026]

June 1, 2019May 31, 2019 hipodromealbum, athens of the north, dennis young, experimental, funk, jazzLeave a comment

Dennis Young is best known as the marimba player and percussionist for Liquid Liquid. After Liquid Liquid disbanded in 1985 he continued to record electronic music. He composes his own music, which combines influences from rock, jazz, dance, electronic and world music while incorporating unique rhythms and colorful musical textures. The “Primitive Substance” album’s timeframe ends in the year 2004 and the recordings have a jazz feel to it, yet still had dance music elements mixed in.

Cap’tain Créole – Ni Bel Jounin [BM1804]

June 1, 2019August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, beaumonde records, cap'tain creole, funk, outernationalLeave a comment

Cap’tain Créole – formerly known as Trenchtown Meditation – was a band formed in 1984 by Clément, José, Jean-Pierre and Serge. Cap’tain Créole was a pioneering creole-speaking French reggae band with the aim of exploring new musical horizons. With the help of 3 new members – among them a sax player and a trumpet player, both coming from the jazz scene, Cap’tain Créole recorded their unique outing, Ni Bel Jounin.

VA – Eye of the Minotaur – Collage 001 [SM-001]

May 31, 2019May 30, 2019 hipodromeciarra black, circling vultures, electro, industrial, justin aulis long, moze pray, perfect headache forever, soft machine, stallone the reducer, technoLeave a comment

Soft Machine is a surreal wander through the mystical sonic forest. A vision curated and designed by Chicago native Justin Aulis Long. A Cyclopian point of view while gazing through a wide lensed scope, which exists in the liminal spaces where light meets dark and angelic forces bath in the sludge and stardust of unfiltered eroticism. Eye of the Minotaur – collage 001 is a collection of artists working in varying musical practices that are channeling the solitude of mutantness, strolling through the familiar yet unfamiliar halls of the uncanny, refusing ordinary structures of the mundane, grasping the cold humor of cynicism, basking in the dichotomy of cosmos and chaos, and invoking the energies of Eris and Eros.

Ludgate Squatter / Gavelman – LF005 [LF005]

May 31, 2019August 9, 2023 hipodromeacid, electro, gavelman, lifeforms, ludgate squatter, technoLeave a comment

Dark acid and electro on Lifeforms. Two stripped back box jams recorded straight to tape.

Anshaw Black – A01 [A01]

May 31, 2019May 30, 2019 hipodromeanshaw black, black merlin, electro, industrial, technoLeave a comment

Anshaw relentlessly exposes a range of emotion and versatility through bit crushed textures, varying sonics and unorthodox song structure. The result is a creation of his influences (bass, techno, post punk, electro & dark wave) fused with his own unique vision. Culminating an EP that sounds absolutely powerful yet melodic.

VA – Relative Persuasions [BT35]

May 30, 2019May 31, 2019 hipodromearp220, brokntoys, electro, int main, obergman, oskar telemann, techno, the jaffa kid, xy0815Leave a comment

8th Brokntoys VA compilation, spinning a web around fresh and old bloods alike. 5 cuts, 5 styles, everything you need to slick the floors with out of date smoke fluid. Tracks from Arp220, Obergman, XY0815 and Int Main Rigid, The Jaffa Kid and Oskar Telemann.

Celestial Circuits – Dark Sines / Autonomy [IAS001]

May 30, 2019May 30, 2019 hipodromecelestial circuits, electro, in a spin records, technoLeave a comment

Futuristic Electro / Techno music written by a secret Microchip, connected to Intergalactic Celestial Circuits. Transmitted across the Space Time Continum from a Distant Galaxy populated by Artifically Intelligent Robots. This message was Intercepted by The Hacker Command and recorded to wax for Phuture generations to interpret..

Cygnus – Deep Analysis [CPU01001001]

May 30, 2019May 31, 2019 hipodromecentral processing unit, cygnus, electro, phillip washingtonLeave a comment

Cygnus aka Phillip Washington returns home to CPU with Deep Analysis. Six tracks of nebulous compositions all containing his signature emotional and melodic electro. Sheffield Bleep is an ode to CPU Records complete with an old school vocoder rap over CR-78 rhythms. Deep Analysis is an answer to one of Washington’s favourite tracks ‘Sleep Paralysis’ by Mikron. Ultraterrestrial, Her Majesty and Descent of Man are beautiful si-fi electronic music without comparison. The E.P. wraps things up with Hallucinate Data cementing Cygnus as a master of the genre.

Chris Barg – Stille Plage EP [ZEIT005]

May 30, 2019May 30, 2019 hipodromeacid, chris barg, electro, seven hills records, techno, tilo manig, zeitnotLeave a comment

The next four Zeitnot releases are coming in thick and fast. ZEIT005 is courtesy of Chris Barg aka Tilo Manig from 90s Italian Electro outfit analogue audio association. Zeitnot is a sublabel of UK record label Seven Hills.

Jex Opolis – Earth Boy [DKMNTL064]

May 29, 2019May 29, 2019 hipodromedekmantel records, disco, electro, house, jex opolisLeave a comment

Dekmantel welcomes the good time vibes of Canadian selector, and retrotastic, vibe-poppin’ producer Jex Opolis. Cult figure, obsessive Discog-er and Good Timin’ boss, the Brooklyn-based, Canadian has etched out a global reputation with his exotic taste of lo-fi, party productions, with this – his Dekmantel debut – not straying far from the formula Electro, disco-chic, doused in gooey pop, sultry silk, and retro synth-boogie.

Ziggy – BAH 050 [BAH050]

May 29, 2019May 31, 2019 hipodromebahnsteig 23, disco, new beat, synth wave, ziggy, ziggy sternenstaubLeave a comment

Here it is! The final Bahnsteig 23 release is coming from head honcho Ziggy SternenStaub.