More fine bits from Vienna comming from Mr. Ho under the MRH alias.
001.Features
Kӣr – Imrali (Live At Medika Zagreb) [CREMECS002]
Recorded live during an Ekstrakt party, in the legendary Medika squat in downtown Zagreb. Kӣr is the production moniker of WhyBaneWhy, resident DJ of Belgrade’s dankest technoclub, Drugstore. Bane’s sets incorporate a wide range of influences and travel far off the beaten path, drawing in influences from techno to new wave to power electronics, obscure ambient, folk music, twisted echoes found deep in lost wormholes and whatever else it takes to distort your feelings, lost and disorientated whilst working up a sweat. Kӣr takes all this and pushes the envelope with punishing hardware. Its visceral music, embracing drones, repetition, rippling soundscapes and obscure sonic horizons, to boldly go where others throw in the towel.
Blue Hour – Blue Hour Remixed 2 [BLUEHOURMX002]
The second edition of Blue Hour’s ‘Remixed’ series features four distinctly diverse cuts. Mark Broom delivers a peak time take of ‘Common Ground’, followed by Substance’s (AKA DJ Pete) dub driven remix of the untitled hidden ambient track which appeared on ‘Reference 97’. On the flip Hessle Audio’s Pangaea re-captures the jacking and functional energy of ‘Falling Lines’, then closing the EP is a raw and dreamy electro workout of ‘Introspective II’ from VC-118A.
Unbalance – Reeko & Skudge Remixes [REBALANCE004]
VA – Cameron 10 [DSR/C10]
Delsin is to put out an eight track compilation for the tenth release on its Cameron series, taking in stronghold names as Claro Intelecto and Vril, as well as former contributors to the series Shlømo, Artefakt and Gunnar Haslam. As has been the mission for the series before, there’s eye for new talent too – in the names of recent Delsin newcomer Sentomea, The Invariants and Cameron. All contributors look beyond the dance floor to offer a mixture of moody and atmospheric sounds, and everyone was given free rein, which has resulted in a collection that covers so much stylistic ground.
Nick Höppner – Work [OSTGUTLP026]
Panorama Bar resident Nick Höppner gets to “Work” on his second solo album on Ostgut Ton, connecting the territories of House music with the ease of Alt-Pop. Work as in labor. An axiom that fuels the capitalist system just as the Techno/House scene economy says that one needs to keep oneself busy to make a living. As a musician, things are complicated of course. It’s a long way from the romantic idea of creating music simply for the sake of art to becoming a full time musician. Those who have accomplished this feat often find themselves in a professional loop of writing the music, producing it, promoting it (with an info text like this), releasing it and then hopefully selling it. After leaving his full time job as Ostgut Ton’s label manager in 2012, Nick Ho¨ppner went fully freelance, focusing on his musically diverse, deep and dynamic DJing in and outside Berghain’s Panorama Bar, but more importantly spending more time in the studio. The result was his critically acclaimed debut album Folk (Ostgut Ton, 2015), various 12′ releases and remixes, and now his sophomore LP, Work, which, more than ever, lays out his refined production skills and his talent to work the machines until they reveal their inner ghosts: nine new songs that now dodge the dance floor, then fully embrace it.
Rick Wade – Guardian Of Forever [SNF014]
Detroit legend Rick Wade steps up for the fourteenth release on vinyl only imprint Shall Not Fade with his melodic, dancefloor fuelled ‘Guardian Of Forever’ EP.Rick Wade or Big Daddy Rick is an artist who needs little introduction, a true House music legend, Rick serves up three of his signature style tracks, accompanied by a remix from LK. The four track EP features jazz fuelled cuts, perfectly suited for the dancefloor.
Derek Carr – Liquid Industries [WSS004]
Irishman Derek Carr makes his mark on the Romanian imprint Why So Series with the “Liquid industries EP”. Starting off with the loopy and hypnotic deep house of “Theta” he then gets stuck into some vintage hi-tech soul on the energetic Solar Storm”. On the flip, “Sub System 7” follows in suit channelling the vibe of greats like Aril Brikha while “Exodus II” gives you your fix of sunny swing fuelled tech house.
Vertical67 – Positive Vibes [MW014]
Berlin’s resident Electroid funkmeister Vertical67 is the latest release from the Magic Waves label with a 4 track EP of ‘Positive Vibes’ to get your summer into gear with. Vocodered electro builder ‘Clacid’ opens proceedings before we’re hit with the summery anthemic and futuristic Italo sounds of ‘Back In The Groove’, while on the flip ‘Let’s Dance’ continues that feeling before we’re whisked off ‘Into The Night’ with the closing track in pure aquatic Detroit styled bliss.
Sterac Electronics – Things To Think About [VD028]
Another side of Steve Rachmad. Preceeds and album of archive tracks that shows the far reaching talents of this master producer. Some things are just too good to be hidden from view. That’s certainly the case with ‘Things To Think About’, the first album from Dutch electronic music legend Steve Rachmad’s lesser-known Sterac Electronics project.
Mytron & Ofofo – Aircraft One [BAP097]
Mytron & Ofofo debut on Bordello with an intoxicating blend of sleaze and synth, disco and depravity. “Airforce One” smoulders. Dripping in funk, samples and smooth keys are bolstered by burbling bass for a track that glides and slides in glazed steps. “Hewa Kenya” keeps the vocal snippets, building them into fevered points as rhythms rumble. Medlar strips back the original percussion, crisp snares forming a base for shimmering synthwork and cascading chords in a shifting remake.
Gunnar Haslam – Kalaatsakia [BK025]
The latest transmission from the world of Gunnar Haslam, Kalaatsakia wildly sprawls across the intersections of techno and more abstract sounds to take us on a wideranging journey from the subterranean to the coastal, from blown-out dub tones through fractured rhythms. An incredible work that is not easy to pigeonhole, Kalaatsakia is a full length album that navigates and sketches landscapes where new languages are created from old, dead ones to emerge as the lingua franca of interconnected immersive zones. Haslam is an avid home listener of dub, dancehall and calypso, and that influence is quickly felt as Kalaatsakia launches with a tight electro snap and dubwise crash. Kalaatsakia advances and retreats seasonally, tightening up for the floor with the chrome-plated ‘Broadcast’ and ‘Kjolle’ while splintering apart on ‘Kalapuyan’ and ‘nxbound’. Its constituent parts are often left to collapse in on themselves, smearing themes into residual trails. As the narrative of the album disintegrates and unfolds into more deconstructed territory, it stretches out even further with a striking skittering mental tease, settling into burbling sub-audible vocals and resonant spaces that all form a part of Haslam’s self-created subconscious language.
Bill Converse – Salt Of Mars [TABR039]
Tabernacle Records presents Bill Converse’s first release outside of the U.S. is spaced out over a double pack format, focusing on his lengthy, trippy jams.
VA – The Lost Realms EP [GRTW004]
Next up on Gravitational Waves, Dj Nephil brings four unrelenting bangers designed for peak hour play. A collection of tough drums and arpeggiated synths is a unifying theme and will serve those djs who want to highly energetic EBM tinged weapons.
Riz Ortolani – Si Puo’ Essere Piu’ Bastardi Dell’ispettore Cliff? [FLIES023]
Previously unreleased full edition for this explosive jazz-funk score by Italian Maestro Riz Ortolani, created in 1973 for the crime-movie Si può essere più bastardi dell’ispettore Cliff’ (also known as Mafia Junction’). Only two tracks from this OST were published at the time in a now extremely rare C.A.M. 7-inch, but that was enough to create the legend. Four Flies had access to the original C.A.M. master tapes, so to present here the complete session for the first time. Just expect one of the funkiest piece of the whole Ortolani’s career: car chases, sex scenes, vicious kills are served here by amazing drum breaks, fat bass lines, captivating horn section and wonderful guitar effects. Totally outstanding session, and a real new classic for all crime-funk lovers.
Fontän – Fontän [HNRLP010]
There are many ways for a band or an artist to compile an album: some make it in a week and some let the process go on longer. The latter approach does often mean that that the record will not be better than had it been recorded and mixed within a short amount of time, rather the contrary. However, there are those albums that just could not be made within in a week or a month, those compilation of songs that needed the time to melt together to form an album. Fontän’s third album titled ‘Fontän’, released on Hoga Nord Rekords is that kind of an album. Put the opening track ‘Mangsebung’ on, then stay with the record until the closer ‘Shadows’ rings out and you will go clear, sharp, and mildly messed up by the listening experience because this is an extremely well directed trip in mind-altering music! This album needed time to reach such heights. With Johan Melin’s and Jesper Jarold’s love for music and non-sentimental creative approach, this album proves that the band never gets hung up on trying to sound like the past masters, but to develop what they once started.
NST Cophie’s – Bian Kou [KALITA12001]
Kalita Records announce their first release, the three choice cuts from NST Cophie’s 1980 private press Ivory Coast Afro-disco album ‘Mon’Da Center’. After moving to Paris in 1976 and having played with other well-known bands such as N’Bamina, Osibisa, and with numerous artists including Jimmy Hyacinthe and Papa Wemba, ‘Mon’Da Center’ was Ernest’s first solo album. Pretty much unknown except to the most hardened of diggers, ‘Bian Kou’, ‘E Clolo’ and ‘Mioukouna’ are guaranteed to set any dance floor alight, with hypnotic Afro-disco grooves, killer drums and angelic female vocals.
Henry Thomas & Rise – My Dreams Are Clouded [ATH046]
A regular triple-figure fetch on the auction sites, it was only a matter of time before Henry Thomas & Rise’s beautiful 80s soul doublet experienced the strong-armed justice of Fryer. Not just reissued but sourced and tracked down – this is just the start of what will hopefully be a whole load of criminally slept on and unreleased soul from Henry and his troupe. “My Dreams Are Clouded” is a verified club banger with its FM synth ripples and low-down bass bumps while “Don’t Wait Too Long” is the ultimate come home record. Slinky, swooning and soaked in raw dollops of emotion – Henry Thomas is, once again, on the rise.
Donarra – Les Sentiments De Shiva [SUIT010]
New to the Stay Underground It Pays gang, the tenth release on the label comes from one of the hotest & experimental french producer from Marseille : Donarra. The EP includes 6 cuts, which is almost a mini album introducing us to his astonishing sound. It could be described as dreamy, raw, completely analog, well some kind of proto-techno Chicago new-wave belter.
Luca Lozano – King Blade [PELVREC002]
Pelvis Records returns with a breakbeat trip around the train yards of New York, coming to you care of Klasse Recordings’ Luca Lozano. Entitled King Blade, the record is an ode to the eponymous NYC writer, famed for his prolific painting of trains during the late 70s. Featuring an alternate mix from Lozano and remix by Eargoggle.
The Hipodrome Of Music 