Dj Nephil returns for the 5th installment on his Gravitational Waves imprint. 6 uncompromising cuts of eerie synth lines, vocal samples and growling basslines form this EP with unblinking confidence. Gravitational Waves continues to shine, as always don’t miss it.
Following 2017’s ‘Path of Ruin’, DJ Richard returns to Dial with his much-anticipated sophomore LP, ‘Dies Irae Xerox’. Undoubtedly one of the most distinctive and fully-formed electronic producers in recent memory, DJ Richard imprinted the sound of a bubbling US underground with his label, White Material, founded in 2012 alongside Young Male. Now firmly settled once more in his hometown of Providence, ‘Dies Iræ Xerox’ is a personal and uncompromising journey that finds the Rhode Island native in reflective form, journeying without compromise into both his creative influences and personal psyche.
Brokntoys welcomes French producer Raphael Vendramini aka Automat. Known for his electro output on labels such as SCSI-AV, this 5-track EP showcases excerpts of his unique dark and atmospheric sound and includes the haunting ‘Dark Days’ previously released digitally on Parisian label Milles Feuilles.
Separated from both its reputation and its sleeve art, the music of Muslimgauze explores the relationship of visual sensations – space, colour, depth, illusion – to the listening experience. The music on ‘Maroon’ is dub-like inspired techno music, laid back with voices appearing randomly in the mix. The thick drums and rich found sounds that densely populate the soundscapes on “Maroon” give materiality to the warm presence of the synth washes. The music is so layered and textured that it ceases to be aural and exists almost solely in the realm of sight and touch. Devoid of reference to any external reality, Muslimgauze’s Ambience gets remoulded by subjective experience and moved around in the memory. By shifting the quality of perception with the producer’s sleight of hand, Bryn Jones (the Mancunian behind Muslimgauze) makes explicit the interiority of the senses. Thus, the fact that our inner life determines our relationship to the world outside becomes the music’s unspoken subject. Divorcing Muslimgauze’s music from its image is like listening to Take That without seeing Robbie’s pelvis or Mark’s pouting. This is precisely why the music is so effective. Relocating music’s power within the listener instead of as an external force acting upon the listener forces reappraisal and reinterpretation. The muezzin’s wailing call to prayer and the shrieks of women mourning the dead conjure up images of a fierce ‘death-to-the-infidels’ fervour in the Western imagination, and are recast as holy prayers for the ultimate, womb-like peace that most Ambient music aims to express. The usually easy exoticism of sampled tablas and ouds instead hint at the dread on the road to the water coloured bliss of run-of-the-mill Ambient and force the listener to internalise difference and confront the received images of Islam that Muslimgauze detour by such strong powers of suggestion.
Örtmek comes back round, presenting another vinyl only pressing of three invaluable edits of vintage Turkish funk, rock and disco delicacies. Following the raw, percussive experiments of the first release. Opening track ‘Özil Dans’ rains down crashing cymbals and freak-out-worthy wah guitars, maintaining an irresistible and authentic groove that doesn’t falter for five minutes of Eurasian hypnosis. ‘Dokuz Sekiz’ weaves traditional string elements alongside bursts of wild chanting. Finally, ‘Mozart’in Davul’ stitches a frantic, dense rhythm from the fuzz and feedback of an unknown slab of Turkish psychedelia.
“Cold Turkey Time” from Ernie Hawks’ debut album gets a single treatment here arriving back to back with the 45 only track “Tracking Down”. The latter should make the b-boys move even if heard in the relaxing steams of a Turkish bath, where its breezy melodies eventually point at.
Liverpool based producer Mark Forshaw, aka Casio Royale and member of the Phantom Planet Outlaws, has built up a solid back catalogue of releases with the likes of Dixon Avenue Basement Jams, Computer Controlled, Mathematics, Unknown to the Unknown and more. He makes the transition from playing at I Love Acid’s parties to featuring on the label. Four more tracks of acid bassline music to jack to.
Distorted drums and eerie melodies on this split between Frak and Jack Pattern on Cosmic Pint Glass.
Andrew Red Hand from Romania’s spiritual capital of lasi stands up as an unwavering militant of the underground, a true Detroit spirit possessed as Romanian humanoid. From his early gigs throwing parties as one of the first generation DJs in lasi since 1997, ARH continues to break boundaries as part of the Romanian resistance scene and numerous time portals as they open around Europe. His blistering, mind-bending sets such as at Berlin’s Tresor and Griessmuehle see the DJ with the red hand fuse pure Detroit electro and techno with the sounds of techno-bass, raw Chicago acid house, classics and futuristic beats.
Coming from different regions in France, Violent Quand On Aime’s members have joined forces to canalize their energies into something truly essential. Far away from hype and expectation they have created their own peculiar world. Expect a certain electronic griminess with hints of 90’s hiphop, postpunk alienation and an affinity for Musique Concrète. The overall experience is similar to the excitement one feels when hearing something genuinely original. This mini-album is the follow-up to their very impressive 7” on Le Syndicat Des Scorpions.
Mick Wills makes magic again with his cuts and transforms two tracks of the past in two superb master pieces. From glorious Italo-disco to a hypnotic Industrial, one track by side on this new release on Aspecto Humano.
Subliminale Materiale is the 5th installation on Lustpoderosa, kind of a split EP. The A side with two remixes and two original jams of Jack Pattern on the B side. With this release we want to point out the remixes on the A side. Both done by Lustpoderosas favourite producers and DJs: Sneaker aka Dunkeltier and Kris Baha.
Jonas Kopp presents his new own platform Tremsix, created by the inspiration of his 3 iconic labels from Detroit to continue the legacy of underground techno and electro movement. This EP Called Tremsix shows the vision and concept of the label, a perfect balance between minimal techno and electro represented by the creator of this new platform.
Returning to Hypercolour with the ‘Persona Non Grata’ EP, Mor Elian continues to flourish with four killer cuts of electro and techno infused goodness. Following 2016’s ‘Drum Vortex’ EP, Elian has clocked up superb releases for Delta Funktionen’s Radio Matrix label, Delft and her very own Fever AM imprint. On the ‘Persona Non Grata’, Elian serves up dusty electro beats, icy synths, headsy techno flavours and bottom end funk.
Delsin’s reissue arm once again looks to the revered back catalogue of Lost Trax for a second 12″ that picks out the best of the anonymous collective’s work. The EP features five cuts taken from two highly sought after EPs released on Tabernacle Records in 2011 and 2012. ‘The Eye’ opens things up with punchy drum programming and the sort of sci-fi effects and synths that immediately take you to a future intergalactic world. It’s a weighty but emotional opener, while ‘Pulp’ is more twisted and urgent, with warped synth sounds and busy, bristling drums and perc all building pressure throughout. ‘The Forest’ resets the mood with mystic synths and mysterious atmospheres that mix ambient beauty with suggestive skeletal beats. ‘B01’ then canes through the cosmos on a Detroit electro tip with slithers of synth, swollen pads and crisp hits and ‘Dominion’ rounds things out in hurried fashion. The restless electro drums pound away as prickly snares and cymbals, blurts of machine noise and sweeping pads all wrestle for attention and keep you on your toes. This is high octane electro and techno designed with metallic precision but oozing plenty of human feelings.
The Finnish duo Morphology joins FireScope Records for their 10-track ‘Traveller’ LP, a vision of travel to destination unknown. Morphology’s third album continues their intensive deep-space exploration at the intersection of electronic/electro music and scientific discovery. Awash in the beautiful sounds of hardware-derived music direct from Morphology’s command center, the album takes listeners into their skilfully crafted universe. Each track is a new world in itself of crisp beats, deep basslines and melancholic melodies. Interspersing the frenetic pace of hyper-speed travel with ethereal landings, ‘Traveller’ is an intergalactic trip without taking off your headphones.
After the successful first year with four remarkable techno VA releases, Propaganda Moscow launches the brand new series: Code. Inspired by hi-end and computer technologies, ‘Code’ will represent top electro and similar styles’ sound.
Lost Soul Enterprises with a retrofuturistic tour of the electro galaxy. Polymer is a brand new project from Nico Nightingale (Neud Photo) and Jean Lorenzo (Silent Em). They appear with two tracks on the A side. The B side, presents the Kraftjerkz label boss and champion of NYC electro, Kid Ginseng, distills the essence of machine music to an austere art form.
Deep space techno electro on TRUST celebrating the label’s year XX. /DL/MS/ is the viennese duo behind recent Frustrated Funk outing, ‘Omakuda’, last year’s TRUST29, ‘Rogue Intent’, as well as one of the most-played electro tracks of 2017 – their remix of Second Storey’s ‘Attack Of The Modlings’. ‘Exit Ghosts’ takes the /DL/MS/ sound far into haunted new orbits, trading some of its earthy rumble for more ethereal emanations. stark and sombre bass signals return, but find themselves enveloped in delicately threaded string anomalies, copious amounts of melodic ectoplasm, and spirit-like liquid funk dilutions.
