DJ Stingray 313 – Communications System [BAR005]

Sherard Ingram aka DJ Stingray 313 for this fifth Barba release hits us with elegant but typically fast pacing modern electro 3 tracker. Each one is a beauty in itself, deep, resonating space funk, elegant yet dark at times but melodic in the same time as one would expect from the man. Simply put – truly outstanding craftsmanship across all tracks. Title track also gets a remix treatment by Aubrey, UK seasoned techno dj, producer and label owner who’s recent remix seen a light on legendary Metroplex label earlier this year. Enough said. Here Aubrey bravely bites the bullet and maintains the original high tempo but seriously twists the original resulting in stomping into stratosphere monster track creating his own communication system.

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DJ Stingray 313 – Communications System [BAR005]

VA – Stealth 1/3 [T2XS301]

The Stealth triple vinyl series presents six tracks taken from Peter Van Hoesen’s ‘Stealth’ mix compilation. The same philosophy is carried across: it marries Peter’s music with the sounds he is influenced by. The result is a powerful selection of vibrant techno, with a warm, almost spiritual, feel to it. Chris Madak (aka Bee Mask) epitomizes the dissolution of distinctions between music for the mind and the body. His stunning live performance of ‘Headband’ at the 2014 Labyrinth festival left Van Hoesen dazed and enthralled. This was the origin of the remix found here, which perfectly conveys the themes of ‘Stealth’. The remix is complemented by one of Van Hoesen’s own productions, the epic ‘Breach’.

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VA – Stealth 1/3 [T2XS301]

Yaleesa Hall x Malin – Lucas [WNK008]

Will & Ink label hits release number eight with a debut collaborative effort from Yaleesa Hall and Malin Genie. ‘First Lucas’ is a tough, abstract kicker with industrial sound design and weird synths the only accompaniment to a monstrous, earth moving kick drum. Truly hypnotic and all consuming it is followed by a brief bit of dark interlude music before ‘Second Lucas’ pairs ghoulish sounds with well swung wood block hits and watery pads. It is a forceful groove full of occult atmosphere and lastly ‘Third Lucas’ is again about solid kick drums and freaky sound design. Here squelchy synths and frazzled lines all dart about as hunched kicks stomp out a macho groove below.

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Yaleesa Hall x Malin – Lucas [WNK008]

Alphadrum – Unexplained Sounds EP [SYM016]

Ben Sims’ Symbolism imprint sets out with a blistering four tracker from Alphadrum. Rigourously roadtested by Sims himself over the past six months, this is an essential release from young italian producer, Alphadrum.

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Alphadrum – Unexplained Sounds EP [SYM016]

Baz Reznik – Kill You All [NYH017]

The ninja of Westcoast Electro returns with a cassette tape filled with evil distorted techno. Steeped in dark acid and drum machines on overload setting, these are some of the most brutal tracks ever on New York Haunted.

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Baz Reznik – Kill You All [NYH017]

Delta Funktionen – A New Planet [SSPS2]

2015 looks to be Delta Funktionen’s year. Following the terrifically dark and deep Wasteland series comes “A New Planet”. Cruel acid chords and mean percussion piercing through the fog. “A New Planet” is of that same sinister ilk. A cold electro beat is the bedrock from which a corrupting and corrosive 303 coil grows. But even with this caustic foundation, moments of salvation are to be found. A second techno moon dawns midway, frostier percussion giving way to warmer rhythms. Full and flowing bars fall and rise behind the squawk, allowing a new and brighter element to bloom. A track that is at once atmospheric and club centric from an artist at the top of his game.

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Delta Funktionen – A New Planet [SSPS2]

Jared Wilson – Idea Of A Deep State EP [SRTX010]

WILSON, Jared - Idea Of A Deep State EP

Super Rhythm Trax serves up a trio of 1990 style, rave-era British acid house/techno tributes from Jared Wilson. The three tracks could be considered riffs on a theme, as each – in different ways – reminded us of Orbital’s early work. Choose between the bold acid lines and jack-track beats of “How Deep”, the acid melodies and “Belfast” style chords of “Plate Mining”, and the pleasingly alien acid-funk of “Idea of A Deep State”.

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Jared Wilson – Idea Of A Deep State EP [SRTX010]

D5 – Sides Of Space [112DSR]

Delsin present Sides Of Space, a collection of classic, lost and forgotten tracks from atmospheric techno producer D5. The tracks on this new compilation have been chosen from old CDRs by label boss Marsel and truly reflect the artist formerly known as Dimensions 5’s fine tradition of relaxing chilled out, Detroit influenced techno. This is a compelling compilation that is wholly timeless from start to finish. Though driven by a fine sense of groove, it is also great head music that is richly musical and truly serene. In all, this releases reminds us that D5 is a underrated producer of emotive electronic landscapes.

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D5 – Sides Of Space [112DSR]

Patrick Walker – Veiled Space [SOMA442]

Patrick Walker of Forward Strategy Group on Soma. Starting off on “Space Wrecks”, it sees Walker drop tough tribal beats and relentless filters. “Outpost” and “Leviathan” go harder, powered by shaking percussion and hammering drums. However, Walker is at his most potent when he plays a more understated hand and closing track “Orbits Decay”, with its loose drums, lulls listeners into a false sense of security before Walker garrotes them with bursts of cheese-wire percussion.

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Patrick Walker – Veiled Space [SOMA442]

Birth Of Frequency / 2030 – Construct Re-Form Invites CLFT [CRFSPLIT001]

CRFSPLIT is a new series, a collaboration between CRF and a guest label with two different artists. For the first release they choose CLFT, the French label based in Lyon. On the A side Birth of Frequency with two hypnotic and abstract tunes, with a dry and claustrophobic atmosphere. CLFT choose 2030 on the B side with Life’s Lake and Fallen-in, very Detroit influenced with light pads and melodies.

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Birth Of Frequency / 2030 – Construct Re-Form Invites CLFT [CRFSPLIT001]

Redshape – Bleep Repeat [PRESENT014]

The ever-enigmatic Redshape returns to his own label Present with this propulsive and decidedly unearthly release. Bleep Repeat makes for a potent first track. Here, a thumping step gives way to synth lines that sting and swell across solar systems. Things get headier, grittier, reaching a furious and frightening rush with spectral soundbites to match. A homage to UK rave sounds, this track perfectly captures the uncanny pairing of aggression and rapture at the heart of 90s bleep. Paper Blades follows, a celestial soundscape punctuated with hissing breakbeats and a sinewy bassline. Rippling acid lines beam along the astral plane, and a hallucinatory, near-liturgical melody meanders all the while. Spaced-out yet inexplicably driving, this track is elevating, enveloping definitely one for transcending.

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Redshape – Bleep Repeat [PRESENT014]

Rechulski ‎– Ü [SNBV006]

NYC experimentalists Sheik ‘N’ Beik with another weird and wonderful record courtesy of founder Julio operating under a new guise: Rechulski. A regular at the collective’s parties – Rechulski offers up a celestial 3 track EP as his debut and in doing so offers up an insight into a left-of-centre approach to production that lends him perfectly to a record with Sheik ‘N’ Beik.

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Rechulski ‎– Ü [SNBV006]

Kyle Hall – From Joy [WO018K]

Wild Oats presents the triple LP entitled From Joy by Kyle Hall. The title is derived from the idea of finding a way to live life in a state of presence; detaching oneself from the mental, self imposed narratives echoed by society’s traditions and judgement. We as people tend to be at our most honest and present in our childhood, so in some ways From Joy serves as a mechanism and reminder to return to one’s youthful energetic state. The 8- track album, all produced before 2010, is a homage to where Kyle lived at the time in his father’s basement on the westside of Detroit on Joy Rd.

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Kyle Hall – From Joy [WO018K]

Miruga & Fulbert – Suzaka Motor City EP [CITY008]

New Rawthenticity release featuring 3 tracks produced by Miruga & Fulbert at Miruga’s Studio in Suzaka, in the middle of Nagano mountains, Japan. Deep & obscure as Japan countryside can be… A side is a 15minute deep piece of music melting House, Jazz & Techno influences – homage to Miruga’s father who runs a small garage in the backyard of the family house. B1 is Miruga’s deepness at his best & B2 is some Japanese sake inspired sample madness.

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Miruga & Fulbert – Suzaka Motor City EP [CITY008]

VA – From Chicago To Detroit V2 [DOFTD2-9]

There’s something delightfully simple about the formula behind Descendents of the Deep’s From Chicago To Detroit series, which predictably aims to bring together top-notch deep house from the Windy and Motor cities. This second installment begins with JF’s previously unheard re-edit of Gari Romalis’ 1995 cut “Butcher’s Choice”, a righteous lesson in bumpin’, New Jersey-influenced deep house. It’s followed by a typically emotionally-rich Larry Heard dub of Jordan Fields’ 1994 cut “Lifted My Soul”, before Maxi Aubert combines Heard style analogue deepness with rich, Motor City electronics on “Message In The Box”. Elsewhere, there’s a new JF edit of Gene Hunt’s throbbing 1987 jack-jam “Native”, and a wonderfully broken chunk of techno/house fusion from Africans With Mainframes.

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VA – From Chicago To Detroit V2 [DOFTD2-9]

OB Ignitt / Luke Hess – Star Gazing [OBONIT004]

Considering the spacey title, artwork and long-standing Detroit credentials of both Luke Hess and Omar-S collaborator Ob Ignitt, you’d expect these two tracks to be on the intergalactic side. The duo kicks things off with “Jefferson Reserve”, a tactile, floor-friendly chunk of energetic deep house blessed with classic electrofunk bass, deep space pads, and the kind of glistening, far-out synthesizer melodies you’d expect to hear the Cantina Band play in one of the Star Wars movies. They move further towards techno territory on flipside “Calm of Night”, where warring lasers fizz between the speakers whilst progressive house-influenced chords and rhythms propel the track forwards at the speed of light.

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OB Ignitt / Luke Hess – Star Gazing [OBONIT004]

Massimiliano Pagliara – Connection Lost Part 1 [UV034]

Synth wizard and disco don Massimiliano Pagliara is the latest addition to Uncanny Valley’s roster. From the first bass drum it is clear that “Connection Lost” pulls out all the stops. There is an urgency in its drumming and synth work that shouts “dance floor anthem” right from the get-go. “I Am Running All My Drum Machines At Once And Dancing” plays out like a percussive orgasm triggering pretty much all the drum sounds you could imagine. On the sleazy Disco affair that is “Don’t Give Up On Love” Massimiliano gets vocal support from Sigrid Elliott. This is a oh-so-sexy alliance that would have shined bright even in the heydays of Boogie. Finally, “I Enjoy Myself While I Am Here” shows off once again that when Massimiliano Pagliara is at the keys he creates glorious vibes like nobody else.

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Massimiliano Pagliara – Connection Lost Part 1 [UV034]

VA – RDY #25 (Ron Hardy Edits) [RDY025]

All three tracks here are on a stretched-out, dubbed-out electronic disco tip, beginning with what appears to be Hardy’s reel-to-reel extension of Disco Dream & The Androids’ quirky 1979, Moroder-ish arpeggio-jam “Dream Machine”. Flip for an all-instrumental dub take on Craig Peyton’s decidedly wonky, electro-disco cover of “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” and “116 BPM Trax”, an un-credited, boogie-era, proto-house jam full of bubbling electronics, cheeky synthesizer riffs and clanking drum machine hits.

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VA – RDY #25 (Ron Hardy Edits) [RDY025]

The Pilotwings ‎– Molitor 71 [BFDM005]

The Pilotwings are back on Brothers From Different Mothers with another ode to rurality and old-fashioned analogue. Including 4 tracks, Molitor 71 goes deeper into retrofuturist nostalgia and bucolic
mood.

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The Pilotwings ‎– Molitor 71 [BFDM005]

VA – Nemas Problemas Vol.1 [PTP002]

Nemas Problemas are a crate-digging crew linked to Malmo’s Wildlife Records. Here, they make their first appearance on Passport To Paradise, editing up a quartet of suitably obscure tracks found on various dusty-fingered record hunting trips. Rizzolo DJ kicks things off with “Ride To Paradise”, a suitably rolling, dancefloor-friendly version of a stoner rock/cosmic disco gem, before Kool DJ Dust raises the pressure further with the vocoder-laden electrofunk jam “A Brew With My Crew”. Flip for Rastanils lo-fi, synth-laden disco delight “Darling”, and arguably the highlight of the entire EP, The Keeper’s deliciously Balearic, melody-rich jazz-funk chugger “Quivering Crevice”.

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VA – Nemas Problemas Vol.1 [PTP002]