Contributing to the Directors Cut series are core label members, friends, and artists who have supported VOITAX over the years. Each contributor is selected for their unique sound and bold vision. This series is not bound to any genre. The label encourages contributors to step outside the ordinary – anything goes! The first edition will feature tracks from VOITAX veterans Swarm Intelligence and Rory St. John alongside new contributors, who need little introduction, Rave Or Die boss, Umwelt and Downwards affiliates, Talker.
New-ish Hamburg talent alert.! After releasing a track on the second RTTD compilation, L.F.T. returns with a full EP featuring his idiosyncratic synth-pop-electro-dirge.
First opus of the new series is La Batterie, by the UK’s Richard Podolor and Sandy Nelson in 1983 in the hypnotic shimmering disco of ‘Let There Be Drums.’ The music of Polodor and Nelson is being given new life by Kalahari Oyster Cult. Alongside the entrancing original are two remixes. First up is Australia via Amsterdam’s very own Max Abysmal with his ‘Spooky Remix.’ Adopting and adapting the raw energy of the ’83 version, Abysmal layers ghostly notes and spectral snares into his mechanical remake. The flip takes on a different slant with ‘Shotgun’ taken from the EP of twenty fives years ago. A super slick work of understated funk shot through with bold keys and powerful chants to show another side of the UK pair. The fiercely talented Benedikt Frey closes, turning his daringly able hand to ‘Let There Be Drums.’ He keeps the vocal line, the rest of his rework is dipped in a thick heart of darkness threat. Pulsing thumps, menacing notes and danger lurk in this jungle of Frey’s own making.
For their sixth release London based record label and clubnight Snap, Crackle & Pop return with another slice of the post punk and kraut influenced electro/techno sounds that are coming to define the label. The latest release comes from Niv Ast and it serves as a follow up to his appearance on this summers Relish compilation. The EP leads with an ice cold slab of post punk swagger in the form of Quebec / Makolet which gets the remix treatment from previous collaborators Khidja, the Romanian duo strip the percussion back for the dancefloor and tease out the track’s darker side with more than a hint of acidic malevolence. For the B-Side Disco Monroe offers a nostalgic slice of pitched down French Electro undoubtedly influence by the Djs recent residencies in Paris. Optimo Music’s Mr TC rounds off the EP with his unmistakably left field vision to give the track a dark tropical re-imagining.
A doctor by day and a musician by night, Leon x Leon has been producing songs in his Parisian home studio since 2013, where house, italo-disco and boogie are mixing. Rokanbo EP offers us a clever contrast between synthetic notes and the warmth of tropical groove, and places our gaze towards the horizon, seeking the groove to disturb its line on the infinite sea.
Stratis is an electronic duo from Cologne, Germany, formed by Antonios Stratis and Albert Klein in 1981. They took inspiration from the progressive electronic synthscapes of Tangerine Dream & Vangelis and the proto-techno of Chris & Cosey and Yello, as well as jazz and funk. The duo recorded 5 cassette-only albums between 1982 and 1986 – Exotic, New Face, Musica da Ballo, Film Musik, and Raging Beauty – which were released on their own label Creative Tapes (later called Temporary Music), and which were also licensed to Colin Potter’s Integrated Circuit Records (ICR) label. We are pleased to announce the first ever standalone vinyl reissue of their sophomore album “New Face’, which was recorded and released in 1983. It consists of eight future-fixated tracks that could have been composed for movies like Blade Runner or Tron. A wide range of minimal electronics are presented, from robotic synth pop to melancholic cold wave to Neue Deutsche Welle electro.
Victrola is the duo of Antonio ”Eze” Cuscinà and Carlo Smeriglio from Messina, Italy. The band formed in 1979 but shortly thereafter relocated to Florence take part in a rich musical scene alongside Neon, Pankow, Alexander Robotnick, and Diaframma. Beginning as a 4-piece (two guitarists, bassist, drummer) they slimmed down to a synthesizer and guitar-based duo by 1982. Their sole release was the now classic ”Maritime Tatami”/”A Game Of Despair” EP from 1983, which we reissued in 2012. ‘Born From The Water’ is a 12 song collection of unreleased demos recorded between 1983 and 1985. The band sent us over 100 cassettes, through which we dug to compile the first volume of their archival darkwave ballads. They used an array of Roland synthesizers (TR-606, TB-303, TR-909, Juno 6) plus a Korg Polysix, Yamaha DX7, Casio VL-Tone VL-1, DR-55 Dr. Rhythm, and Fender Stratocaster and Jazz Bass. Some of the songs would later appear on various compilations, but the versions presented here are unique. Victrola engulfs the listener with trance-inducing synth lines, oblique minor-key bass lines, angular guitar riffs, and melancholic vocals. The songs tell tales of youth, love, karma, and the decline of civilization in modern times.
After 10 years of deep hibernation, Southern Outpost’s sub-label, Datadisk, brings the first in a series of ‘System Updates’ (think Direct Beat style bonus beats). Southern Outpost label boss, The Sentinel has compiled 9 byte-sized electro tracks/tools programmed specifically for DJ’s who like to throw down. The updates were developed by 3 programmers, from opposite ends of the planet. The Sentinel (Southern Outpost/Datadisk), Sol37 (Southern Outpost) both Australian ex-pats now based in San Francisco and Drox (Analog Cabin) based in Sydney, Australia. The tracks are on average 2 mins long, which mean they get straight to the point and are ready to deploy at a moments notice. For the advanced DJ, utilizing 2 copies will offer the opportunity to extend and remix the updates 24,310 ways. The release was mastered at Dubplates & Mastering and pressed at R.A.N.D to ensure the release is at the highest sonic quality.
Following volumes 1 & 2, Cultivated Electronics label-head Sync 24 hails another world-class line up to the helm to bring ‘From The Dark’ to a strong close with Volume 3. Finnish duo Morphology kick things off with ‘Sentinel’; a gritty stepper with a sinister synth riff, followed by Alpha 606’s ‘Zombie King’ of wiggy arpeggios and off-kilter analogue delays. Flip for the B1 where Silicon Scally enters with a raspy and cutting, harmonious jam. B2, which is a collaboration between CE head-honcho Sync 24 and NYC based Joonam, Prada, is a 140bpm big-room monster, with a reverberated low end and quivering moans of spooky voices. On the next disc, is Miami-based Calderin with a sickening groove that draws you in and holds you where you are from start to finish. Following up is Brooklyn based techno stalwart Donor under his new SC-164 electro alias switching things up with earthy snare rattles and a tweaked-out, panicky synth lines. Nomadic (of UK electro label Touchin’ Bass) then rolls out an addictive chord progression above tight, snappy beats, while masked, Dutch duo Animistic Beliefs close out the series with winding, morish pads that draw from a sci fi sound-palate, showcasing a glimpse into their astounding live set-up.
Stilleben’s latest EP is a no-holds-barred, all-action affair that gathers together previously unheard cuts from a quintet of label associates. Boss man Luke Eargoggle is naturally involved, with his hook-up with Swedish veteran Ola Bergman – the angular analogue bass, Italo-disco influenced grooves and shimmering chords of “Macho Macho” – being amongst the EP’s many highlights. You’ll find more razor-sharp, mind-altering robo-bass propelling Das Muster’s brilliant opener “Sinnestauschung” towards the electro stratosphere, while IXRQ’s “Robotic Nature” brilliantly combines ghostly, crystalline synthesizer melodies with a suitably dirty, club-ready electro groove. The most intense and sweaty cut of the lot, though, is Suicider’s suitably dystopian and psychedelic closing cut “Trainwreck”.
Cestrian (aka Ali Renault) lands on Mechatronica for the Berlin label’s 10th release with a remarkably wide electro-driven EP, exploring different rims of the genre from the transporting melodic peripheries and weirder edges, to the raw core. Two hypnotizing journeys in ”Gradients” and ”Rake & Pikel” make up the A-side along with the frenzied styles of ”Cat Strain”. ”Speak & Spell” blasts open the flip with an anthemic groove and potent basslines, before ”The Weir” rounds off the EP in heavy and atmospheric fashion, concluding an essential electro record – for the mind and for the floor.
‘Timing’ is a collection of sixteen records intended for audiovisual and media professionals which came out between 1975 and 1977, and initiated by Jacky Giordano who took care of the first six albums. The ten others were developed by Pierre Arvay and nearly all published in partnership with Music De Wolfe. 14-tracks LP with plenty of funky breaks and hard grooves, including afro-cuban rhythms, wild jazzy sounds, fuzz guitar, strings, sax, clavinet, flute…
Nubya fearlessly threw herself head first into this 5ive project, her debut recording, with a clear vision of what she wanted and was meticulous in her pursuit of her sound. Enlisting the help of fellow musical comrades from an exciting new wave of London based talent, Nubya tapped into well-seasoned, harmonious relationships with players that know and understand her – and this joyful union radiates through her compositions. Beautiful music, thoughtful and passionate playing.
Thandi Zulu known as T.Z. Junior was a young girl from Soweto. Original copies of T.Z Junior’s bubblegum-boogie cut “Sugar My Love” are hard to come by outside of the artist’s home country of South Africa. It’s been that way since the single was first released on Roy B Records in 1985, hence this tidy reissue from the on-point Jam Wax label.
Anthony Naples returns with his second full length album, “Take Me With You”. Originally conceived as a D.J. mixtape dedicated to friends and the time spent with them in the morning hours after the parties over (or beginning) – it quickly morphed into a soft focused meditation on all things warm and intangible. “Take Me With You”‘s message is undoubtedly about escapism, given away by its happy-abductee cover art done by the legend Biscuit— but first and foremost it reflects on that lingering feeling one gets when walking away from the ones they love.
Mannequin Records starts a series of re-presses dedicated to the legendary Nocturnal Emissions, one of the best kept secrets of the industrial genre since the 1970s. Led by Nigel Ayers and Caroline K, the band was one of the first to use tape cutting, avant-garde art, and underground video works to create a stage experience that was being cultivated by like-minded artists like Throbbing Gristle, SPK and Cabaret Voltaire. Originally self released in 1988 on Earthly Delights, ‘Spiritflesh’ is a masterpiece and a major reference for the early drone/dark ambient minds.
The Australian Nightime Drama label hits release number ten with a VA EP. It features a mix of returning artists and new signings, with Hiver, Stefan Vincent, Artefakt, Eric Cloutier & Trinity all featuring on a release that once again mixes styles from the past with a forward thinking vision.
It didn’t take too long until CPR and RSOT realized that there is a logical connection between two worlds. Where RSOT defines himself with his warm unearthly loops, floating into an unbounded void while reinventing beauty, CPR comes along to complete these with their more dark psychedelic, acoustic and organic oriented sounds. The “Earth Is Heaven / Heaven Is Hell” EP is beyond logic; it is the conclusion of combining both universes, where space and time confront themselves and will be burned down within the ritualistic circle. The void filled with warmth and sparkles, detached from their original source, a rebirth of natural primitivism.
Second bite of the Rattleznake sub label from Solar One Music. This time from the young and fresh artist “Persona Non Grata” based in Stockholm. Beautiful relentless and brutal Techno from Sweden.
The Hipodrome Of Music 