Japan Blues – Stoned Bird [BH023]

October 25, 2015January 26, 2024 hipodromeberceuse heroique, funk, howard williams, japan blues, percusionsLeave a comment

Given the undoubted quality of Howard Williams’ first release for Berceuse Heroique under the Japan Blues moniker – the superb Brasserie Heroique Edits Volume 2 – you’d expect this second 12″ for Kemal’s imprint to be equally inspired. It is, of course, with Williams’ digging deep in his near bottomless crates of obscure Japanese releases for inspiration. He begins with “Spurned My Colour”, a delightfully jaunty and cheery fusion of chiming synthesizer melodies, broken electro drums and sampled vocal stabs. He goes dense and tribal on “Stoned Bird”, brilliantly cutting up, manipulating and rearranging a killer, African-inspired percussion track. As for closer “Beak”, it expertly joins the dots between wonky, undulating live percussion and the weighty pulse of contemporary techno, via some thrilling backwards drum hits.

La Mecánica Popular – Noche Triler [NYCT7023]

October 25, 2015August 2, 2021 hipodromeafrican, funk, la mecanica popular, names you can trust, psychedelicLeave a comment

LA MECANICA POPULAR - Noche Triler

La Mecánica Popular takes to the night for a much anticipated follow-up to their critically acclaimed, self-titled album. This special edition single features a natural modification of their signature psychedelic style – a time capsule of 1970s Afro-Peruvian roots gone American Rock & Soul. Noche Triler (Thriller) takes the form of an uptempo instrumental stunner, a unique combination of styles from guaracha and cumbión, and a refreshingly thrilling flip of Michael Jackson’s iconic masterpiece. Already a staple in the band’s live performances, Mótame En La Tormenta (Riders On The Storm) transforms the Doors’ cowboy-jazz road saga into a brilliantly versioned Amazonian cumbia, a beautifully dark and shadowy trip into the heart of la selva.

Saab Knutson – Electronic Music From The Faroe Islands 1993 [NW005]

October 24, 2015March 25, 2019 hipodromealbum, ambient, cassette, danny wolfers, experimental, nightwind records, saab knutsonLeave a comment

The second tape on Legowelt’s Nightwind Records Cassette series. Through his remote viewing powers Danny Wolfers channeled the music of Saab Knutson of Faroe Islands circa 1993. 60 Minutes of Nordic Ambient with a disturbing undertone of dark melancholia with vague notions of distant happiness. Saab Knutson is a man with many issues, but on the Faroe Islands there is no time for issues. To stay of sound mind, Saab plays his synthesizers in the few spare hours he manages to find, unmistakenly influenced by Faroe’s spellbinding landscapes and grim climate. Though Danny has never been to the Islands he has a definite puzzling calling to them, a ‘luring’ force, so to speak. Hopefully he will sell enough Saab Knutson albums so he can fund an expedition and find out more about this mysterious destiny… Played on Yamaha DX100, Roland JX3P, Alpha Juno 2, EMU 16 bit digital sampling keyboard. Ruby metallic cassette tape in luxurious faux plastic case.

Giorgio Gigli – The Right Place Where Not To Be [EDLX045LP]

October 24, 2015December 8, 2021 hipodromealbum, ambient techno, drone, electric deluxe, experimental, giorgio gigliLeave a comment

GIGLI, Giorgio - The Right Place Where Not To Be

“The Right Place Where Not to Be” is the title of Giorgio Gigli’s first full-length “sonic movie”, a work emerging from the depth of his soul and which properly filters every musical input he’s developed over the years. The album takes its outset in a scenario where all human and animal life-forms have perished and only plants and minerals have survived. Giorgio performs that concept writing an ultra-detailed soundtrack to an imaginary movie, using rich textures that reveal new acoustics, enhanced by alienating atmospheres that captivate the listener. The album is focused on obsessive rhythmics cut on low frequencies, a persistent motion, and a stable tremor. The world is justifying its life-forms in detail. The sky is darkened by laden clouds and stratified sonics that electrify the sound of space. Blooming sensations that cover a wide spectrum, alternate from a feverish tension to the lightness of faith. Confines are rejected, techno meets ambient, purging our body of consciousness. A sonic bubble from a faraway era, a timeless atmosphere that describes a vision that seems to answer to the most important question: why? The task of creating an album is brilliantly managed in a manner that cinematically depicts a surreal concept without the loss tension. The experience of the music is enhanced by the intricate artwork with an evocative artwork that expresses Giorgio’s concept: The sequence of mountains dominated by clouds on a clear sky and the depths of flowers are tinged with the memory of a wonderful past.

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Abdulla Rashim – A Shell of Speed [NE024]

October 24, 2015June 8, 2023 hipodromeabdulla rashim, album, ambient techno, industrial, northern electronicsLeave a comment

Last year, Abdulla Rashim took time out to develop his alternative Lundin Oil project, delivering two EPs of in-your-face noise and industrial techno textures for Northern Electrics. Here, he switches back to his main creative name for a second Abdulla Rashim set that joins the dots between intense, beatless ambience and modular techno box jams. Despite the general bleakness of his sounds and method, A Shell of Speed is surprisingly picturesque and melodious in parts, with the brilliant “Crossing Qalandiya” delivering the kind of trippy, delay-laden electronic soundscapes that recall the halcyon days of IDM and ambient. Even so, it’s his more surging, rhythmically intense compositions – see “Red Pool” and “Ador Tracers” – that arguably stand out.

VA – Consider This A Warning [EVENT010]

October 23, 2015December 12, 2025 hipodromeaiken, arnaud le texier, ben gibson, chronicle records, compilation, echoplex, hironori takahashi, imugem orihasam, mike storm, minimal techno, staffan linzatti, techno, thema recordings, zadigLeave a comment

Bolstered by the unshakable body of work behind it, Brooklyn-born Berlin-based techno label Chronicle reaches its milestone tenth release with its gaze fixed dead ahead. Ten releases in, it pays to make a strong, defiant statement of intent, toasting to what the label has been about so far. More important though is to remind those tuned in to take heed, because the next step is always the most significant. Joining in on this behemoth project is; Aiken, Arnaud Le Texier, Ben Gibson, Hironori Takahashi, Imugem Orihasam, Echoplex, Mike Storm, Staffan Linzatti, & Zadig. The forward-thinking nature of the music in this collection sums up the ethos of Chronicle as a whole. Each artist has a distinct identity but they all strive to push techno into unexplored realms, placing the emphasis on atmosphere and psychological impact. In such an approach can the most affecting sounds be found, and there will surely be few listeners left unmarked by this record.

Inland – Wayfinder [NONPLUS032]

October 23, 2015March 6, 2024 hipodromeed davenport, inland, nonplus records, techno, tripeoLeave a comment

Ed Davenport aka Inland steps up on Boddika’s Nonplus; and delivers the goods as always. “Overpass” is a full frontal peak time weapon that reflects his experience playing in the worlds best techno club and brilliantly executed in all its nine minute glory. The title track is more suited for the pre peak time moments; a hypnotic slow burner but still retaining some intensity. Finally “Dromolaxia” is a sturdy and slowly evolving stomper with some real sinister dub chords lurking in the background.

Masha – Ghost [LAMA#01]

October 23, 2015November 22, 2024 hipodromelama records, masha, technoLeave a comment

New imprint Lama come charging out of the blocks with this single sided plate of gold. Atmospheric, and relentless, prepare to be submerged in moaning pads, shimmering hats and laser fire.

RA.490 Florian Kupfer

October 22, 2015July 9, 2016 hipodromeambient, florian kupfer, house, podcast, resident advisor, technoLeave a comment

resident advisor

Tuff City Kids – Underground House Research Vol. 2 [POTION003]

October 22, 2015September 5, 2024 hipodromegerd janson, house, phillip lauer, potion records, tuff city kidsLeave a comment

This is Potion number three. The Tuff City Kids have spent some time in the lab and created four fine potions to ease our ailments. Like memories of a Nexus 6, these tracks are machine made but feel organic, familiar and timeless. Programmed to make us dance, they reach straight for our brain’s motion centre. “Carden Eden” has been included in Prosumer’s fabric mix and we are proud to finally present it on vinyl, together with three brand new companions as “Underground House Research Vol. 2″. Philipp Lauer and Gerd Janson have built an excellent reputation for the Tuff City Kids moniker in the three years they are releasing together. And if you got this far into reading this, you surely know already what absolute legends they are.

Leonid – Otherworld [ELEVE006]

October 22, 2015July 6, 2021 hipodromedeep house, detroit house, eleve music, leonid, paul smithLeave a comment

Eleve welcomes Leonid into the family with Otherworld EP. He brings a three-track EP whose amazing sound and percussion, trademark basslines and detroitish leads and pads promise to transport many dancers to other worlds. A side starts with ‘Xana’, an esoteric house excursion with a mechanical edge. Next track is ‘Púca’, in the spirit of his deepest previous work with a characteristic syncopated bassline. B side long track is ‘Embarr’, an adventurous imagination trip across the sea; classic Leonid elements such relentless percussion and heavy bassline meets acid elements to create a one-way ticket to universal sub-conscience.

Pascal Viscardi – Wise Man’s Decision EP [TULTD003]

October 22, 2015July 25, 2019 hipodromedeep house, fred p, pascal viscardi, traxx underground, traxx underground limitedLeave a comment

Pascal Viscardi brings his gritty mellow tones and extra shuffled patterns to the Traxx Underground familly. Strongly routed into jazzy vinyl samples, black speaches and spatial atmosphers, the 3 tracks composing “Wise Man’s Decision EP” take inspiration from the past to showcase a true vision of what Slow-Deep-House should be in 2015. At last but not least, the great Fred P came to make his hands dirty, delivering a true reshape of “Wise Man’s Decision”, offering us a tunnel from where it aint easy to escape.

Amir Alexander – Sonic Subversion EP [PBR043]

October 22, 2015April 3, 2024 hipodromeamir alexander, house, plan b recordings, technoLeave a comment

Amir Alexander returns to New York’s Plan B Recordings with three dusty house trax. “Channeling” kicks things off with a sullen, funky bassline and intricate swings of percussion backed by distant piano keys, whereas “Deep Banger”, as the title suggests, is more of a straight-up house jerker, and “Nocturnal” fuzzes things out with its growling bassline and eerie background atmospherics.

Legowelt live @ Dimensions Festival 2015

October 21, 2015October 20, 2015 hipodromedanny wolfers, dimensions festival, house, legowelt, live act, technoLeave a comment

dimensions festival

Jamal Moss ‎- 4 This Is My Gherkin Life Vol. 3 [GHERKINCD003]

October 21, 2015November 2, 2022 hipodromeacid, album, chicago, gherkin tracks, jamal moss, mathematics recordings, technoLeave a comment

While Larry Heard only ever produced two 12″ singles under the Gherkin Jerks alias, the ragged acid tracks featured in those EPs have been hugely influential. Certainly, they made a lasting impression on Jamal Moss, who earlier this year decided to record a bunch of tracks inspired by Heard’s infamous blend of rugged drum machine rhythms, twisted acid lines, and heart-aching deep house touches. 4 This Is My Gherkin Life Volume 3 continues where installments one and two left off, delivering eight more killer machine jams which temper Moss’s usual balls-out approach to Chicagoan acid with a few melancholic, melodious touches. The result is another impressive set of analogue box jams, from the bass-heavy bounce of the intoxicating “Track 8”, to the spacey electronics and Detroit drums of “Track 5”.

Phrased – Star Maker [LBP004]

October 21, 2015July 5, 2023 hipodromehouse, l.b. produce, phrased, technoLeave a comment

Neither L.B. Produce or mysterious production outfit Phrased give much away, aside from a few hints at their love of old music-making hardware. That trait comes to the fore on this third Phrased 12″. Musically, it’s pleasingly varied, moving from the fluctuating acid lines, Detroit electro swing and sci-fi electronics of “Star Making”, to the hypnotic, becalmed, ambient dub flex of closer “Morello”. Along the way, they also find time to squeeze in a dash of ultra-deep IDM (the blissful “Diatom”), and an impressive excursion into classic, dubby deep house territory (“What’s Good For You”).

Chicago Skyway – Empty Patterns [EMP016]

October 21, 2015February 17, 2026 hipodromechicago house, chicago skyway, emphasis recordings, sean hernandez, technoLeave a comment

‘Empty Patterns” is a collection of tracks named after empty, programmable user patterns founds in most modern sequencers, synthesizers, and drum machines. All tracks are DJ tools and is geared towards DJs and dance floors. Lots of Chicago jacking house style drum patterns and bass synth stabs, with added reverb and distortion for grit and color.

Ron Morelli – A Gathering Together [HOS447]

October 20, 2015October 9, 2017 hipodromealbum, drone, experimental, hospital productions, industrial, ron morelliLeave a comment

A Gathering Together is Ron Morelli’s second full-length for Hospital Productions: a ‘techno’ cacophony brought to its granular detail and reduced to its most elemental tonal depths. A cohesive fusion of surreal and feverish deja vu loops, brittle noise, fucked rhythms, scrap metal percussions, pro-one metal synths, and an injection of near-buried, Drano vocal samples, it’s a fearsome celebration of brokenness, of amplified surroundings. Stereo-shifting drones and driving rhythms that tell the stories of those now gone, more a soundtrack for a wake than 4/4 crafted for the dancefloor. There’s a naked anxiety at work that doesn’t turn away from loss, but runs with an excited melancholy that looks to a future that won’t exist. The boldness of the gestures are not to be confused with exuberance. With this effort Morelli has shown remarkable restraint and patience most notably highlighted on title track ‘A Gathering Together.’ An intense cut born from rapid-paced dead-end urban environments that force people together. It’s a calling to do more, include more, and celebrate the many forms within those inconspicuous places. Upon numerous listens, it’s clear the sound design is a reflection of heavy compositional themes that suggest a greater whole. This is hard, dirty techno–humid, reduced, bare bones, yet dense and dissolved to its electronic soil. Heavy without being oppressive, it is the culmination of many elements pulled from all spheres of modern electronics, eaten, digested, and spit back out.

VA – Shark Story Of The Century EP [CY003]

October 20, 2015May 24, 2023 hipodromebeau wanzer, broken english club, contort yourself records, enrique, esplendor geometrico, prostitutesLeave a comment

The Contort Yourself continues the tradition of electronics pioneers, modern masters and new names. Enrique comes under that latter banner. The Hot Releases alumnus introduces the EP with the piston pounded belligerence of Dissociate. L.I.E.S. and Nation veteran Beau Wanzer continues this stroll into aggression. Weasels is an upturned work of techno. Nuts, bolts and the grisly inner workings are on show for this fast paced floor mangler. Spain’s industrial stalwarts Esplendor Geometrico open the flip. From 1988 the grit of the factory floor is carried into Rotor. A touch of the mystical is injected, chants looped through the hypnotic rhythms in this simmering classic. Broken English Club is on hand to rework Rotor into a guttering piece of Electro tainted machine music. If you’re hoping for some respite, think again. Prostitutes (Diagonal) closes with the cruel pummelling percussion of Cuyahoga Frankenstein. A brutal, beefy and brilliant 12.

Maoupa Mazzocchetti – Untitled [MNQ078]

October 20, 2015June 21, 2024 hipodromeelectro, florent mazzocchetti, industrial, mannequin records, maoupa mazzocchetti, technoLeave a comment

Hailing from Brussels, Maoupa Mazzocchetti debuts on Mannequin Records with a killer 3 tracks proto electro / industrial single, anticipating his debut full length planned for the beginning of 2016. Deep, dark, stripped-down, Mazzocchetti’s tracks regurgitate the lesson of the 80s Belgian ebm/minimal synth legends in a new and fresh nervous musical urgency