Mikron’s love of melody and pattern are very much at the forefront with every track full of great hooks and rhythms. The album takes you on a journey through various sub genres all delivered with careful execution and enviable studio mastery.
001.Features
Area Forty_One – Nocturnal Passions Part II [DSR/E8]
Delsin Records welcomes back Dennis van Gemert aka Area Forty_One for a second EP on the label. It is a second part to the Nocturnal Passions series started back in 2013, and come five years after his first ever release, which was on Ann Aimee in 2011, once again fusing ambient with techno, downtempo and electro. Nocturnal Passions Part 2 is seven minutes of slithering electro funk. Full of twinkling keys and spaced out chords, it has rugged bass and bumpy drums all making you want to move. Voyage is then a raw, beat driven yet still brilliantly serene affair with angelic chords, Consolation is a comforting, mid tempo tumble through the galaxy with soft focus, rippling melodies and gentle churning kicks and Orbiting is a suspensory, fully ambient track that sounds like a slow journey up to heaven. This is teary eyed, emotive stuff that comes from another world entirely.
Gosub – Sunday At Battle Ship Key [BAR007]
Shad T. Scott under his Gosub alias releases this Sunday At Battle Ship Key titled EP for Barba Records, staying true to that initial principle. Its far away from just being good though, its beautiful and warm electronic music at its best, oozing chill and feel good moods. Original two tracks are accompanied with a remix by second time appearing on Barba – JTC aka Tadd Mullinix who this time nicely surprised us with his ol’ school NY style house beauty. Overall one fine classic record this, period.
Schaltkreis Wassermann – SKW [369.032]
Schaltkreis Wassermann returning with a 2LP album including all their 1980’s minimal synth and soundtrack productions from around the recording sessions of their debut album Psychotron. The bands captured the impressions from the LSD dimension, converted them into synthetic sounds and bringing them to the listeners mind with their music releases. An unique form of art, expecially exciting if you are minding they are from the inner circle of group around Albert Hofmann (the explorer and designer of the substance LSD which changed the world in 1960s). Stella and PJ lived in Albert Hofmans house, on weekends they done their LSD research sessions in their studio, experimenting with their ARP2600 synthesizer. Some tracks made it on their debut album Psychotron, the rest is available now on their 2nd album „SKW“.
Ale Mania – Center (Mick Wills edits) [SBZ001]
The first release from Sign Bit Zero features two powerful edits from Mick Wills. Giving new life to the track, ‘Center’ by Ale Mania, a San Diego based band, the cuts here contain wholly new structures with a greater focus on the oppressive yet powerful vocal parts and the uplifting string section. By extending the (acoustic) drum track and giving it the groove and strength we have come to associate with his edits, Mick has created a unique take on the new wave / dark wave genres – ideal for any DJ who wants to showcase this sound in a club-focussed context. ‘Center’ originally appeared on the EP, ‘A, who sings that beat?’ on Volar Records and was written by Andrew Montoya.
Astronomy Domine – Elementi [KPT004]
Elementi EP is a full music experience into space and alchemy. “Terra Acqua” is a very calm and relaxing opening track full of percussion and rhythm letting the listener explore the inner places while “Fuoco Acqua” closes the EP as a dark tribal hypnotic hymn.
Savas Pascalidis – Right On For The Darkness EP [COT016]
Savas Pascalidis delivered 4 tracks timeless techno for his 1st EP on Children Of Tomorrow called Right On For The Darkness. A mix between deep techno tracks and more darker techno but always with a proper groove.
Voiski – Russian Torrent Versions 19 [CCCP019]
Voiski heads East making his debut on the CCCP sub-label. We are treated to classic Voiski material here- all the elements he excelled at on his previous efforts all present-massive drum programming, huge basslines and epic builds carry the songs along. 100 percent guaranteed club approved and essential for any Voiski fan.
CHPTR – CHPTR 002 [CHPTR002]
The anonymous entity CHPTR derived from undefined controlled sequences progressing into endless alienated narratives, all live recorded and captured on the eponymous label, CHPTR.
AWB – Celestial Longitude EP [TAAPION005]
It’s time for the third owner of Taapion Records to make it on the spaceship. For the fifth release but mainly his first EP, AWB presents two original tracks both remixed by young producers well known on the label PVNV and Shlomo.
VA – Zehn/Drei [OSTGUTLP2003]
Drei of Zehn comes with original tracks by Function and Substance as well as Len Faki remixing L.B.Dub Corp.
Four Legs – Clarky Cat [TTT041]
Samo ‘DJ’ Forsberg continues his assault on 2016 with this killer TTT 12″ as Four Legs alongside Skudge overlord Elias Landberg. This Four Legs stuff finds Forsberg and Landberg partaking in some no-nonsense, heads down machine funk. That’s the flavour for opening cut “Aguirre” whilst title track “Clarky Cat” (Chris Morris reference anyone?) finds the Swedish duo veering off into deeper, psychedelic territory. “Shark” is as marauding as the sea creature it takes its name from, whilst “Clearwater Bay” ends on a more serene note.
J.C. – The Rebellion of the Overman Part 1 [CBR001]
J.C. aka Jose Cabrera is launching his own new label, Cabrera. This 1st release that includes a strong remix by Jonas Kopp will be the starting point of an adventurous fresh new Techno label that is promising to reach for the dark corners of the dancefloors.
Johannes Volk – Emerald Tunnel [TIEF009]
Two original techno tracks aimed straight at the floor plus a big remix version by Efdemin in his well known fine style.
Fit Siegel + Tim Love Lee – Living Is Serious Business [FIT014]
UK heavyweight Tim “Love” Lee meets FIT Siegel for the ultra trippy, dubbed out odyssey “Living Is Serious Business.” On the flip, Carl Craig’s mix strips down the groove taking us into darker territory.
Eduardo De La Calle – Anima Animus [CADENZA107]
Eduardo De La Calle returns to Cadenza with the ‘Anima Animus’ single, coupling two tracks of refined techno for your listening pleasure. Taking inspiration from the psychologist/philosopher Carl Jung’s concept of anima and animus (and do take the time to explore this), Eduardo marries arpeggiated synths and melodic chords with a soft kick and tantalizing hats, producing a slick piece of reflective techno that’s alive with melody and groove. On ‘North Pole’, we get more of the signature ‘De La Calle’ sound; subaquatic bass and searing, melancholic strings play out over a steady mechanical beat, nodding its head not only to the Detroit masters but also to the European New Wave sounds that influenced the Motor City artists in the first instance.
Jamal Moss – 4 This Is Living That Gherkin Life: Gherkin Tracks [0000000-001]
Jamal Moss AKA Hieroglyphic Being with the Gherkin inspired treats. Combining tracks from CDR releases, of the same name, that were circulating at the end of 2015.
Scientific Dreamz Of U – Afloat, On Complex Wings [TABR035]
Benedikt Frey – The Lobbyist [ESP028]
Benedikt Frey crafts a musical aesthetic that might only be seen in its true form from a birds-eye view—a whole greater than the sum of its parts. His playful indifference to genre specifics and pre-prescribed instrumentation or production techniques makes for a loose and refreshing collection of work, and this debut for the ESP Institute, The Lobbyist, serves up an incongruous three tracks so bewildering and narcotic we’re already impatiently fiending for more.
Violet Poison – The Game [ISDR001]
”A dim light in the room. Dancing drapes of nylons and satin, the pungent smell of naphthalene in aunt’s old closets. She, powerful but still romantic, was sharpening the tools for the poor destitute. The distant sound of barking dogs, a lost farmhouse in Chianti. The beginning of a dance of sex and death, winged vicious presences, blood and flesh. In the passing she found her fulfilment”.
The Hipodrome Of Music 