Jackson Lee & Ben Jenkins return to their roots. Equally influenced by Detroit warehouse parties & metaphysics of Middle-American industrial decay to advance Basic Channel/Deepchord blueprint, morphing dub sound into baroque acid dreamscape.
001.Features
Abayomi – You Sleep, They Live! [ABAYOMI001]
Jesse Abayomi is a DJ/producer who uprooted his London residence and settled down in Berlin to be an integral part of the avant-garde of the electronic music scene. Abayomi’s sound is significantly influenced by deep, raw Detroit Techno, dirty Chicago House music all with a twist of edgy UK bass heavy flavour to boot. With one foot in Techno’s past and one foot firmly stepping into the future, his passion for music goes far beyond conventional ideas of what music can do – listening to his hypnotic sets and productions, he elevates crowds to unimaginable places.
30drop – Superconductivity [30D003]
With 30drop comes again exoplanets new stuff. The project named after his own label brand presents four cuts ranging from cosmic quantum nervous compulsion to introspection. Harmonious combination of complex percussive rhythms gives way to the already identifiable sonic universe of 30drop that turns into an effective formula at any club aimed at the forefront of the electronic dance music. Sacred geometry and style, concept and form, all to the service of the fundamental search. The roots are deep and horizon is vast. “Superconductivity EP” extends the scope of 30drop positioning on the edge of the sideral dance floor.
Orbe – Music Of The Sphere [ORB003]
A NASA satellite has confirmed the ancestral tradition of the -music of the spheres-, that celestial bodies emit harmonic sounds. Although the music of the spheres has led first to the notion of universal harmony and then symmetry, it has now been discovered that the Sun s atmosphere actually emits ultrasonic sounds and interprets a score formed by waves that are about 300 times more severe than tones that can be captured the human ear. This time, ORBE represents these sounds.
Tadeo – Circles Inside Circles [BELIEF005]
Tadeo does it with style and grace on the new Belief System release. Deep trippy techno tracks.
Matrixxman – Homesick [GI245LP]
Matrixxman uses his debut album to evoke visions of a not-too-distant-future with music made both for the dancefloor and the early morning zone-outs that follow. These are the real world applications of Homesick, though Duff comes to it all from an entirely different mindset. “We will have the technological capability to fully map out a human brain in its entirety within 30 years,” he starts. “The implications of such a possibility are deep and far reaching. We will be crossing a rubicon towards a new phase in human consciousness. I am one person that is prepared to take that step.” Once you emerge on the other side of Homesick, it seems possible that Matrixxman already has.
Andreas Gehm / Elec Pt1 – Yes Or No [HAPSKL007]
Cologne based acid maverick Andreas Gehm dons his Elec Pt1 guise for his debut 12″ on Bristol’s Happy Skull. The A-Side see’s the German producer take us deep in to jak-beat territory with ‘Yes or No’, a riotous fusion of scatter bomb 707’s, hard hitting claps and undulating acid lines. ‘Summer Time in Coloniae’ lightens the mood slightly, a misty eyed homage to his hometown complete with melancholic synths and yearning melodies. Rounding off the 12″ is ‘Going By’, possibly the most adventurous cut of the three. A dense pulp of saturated drum machine noise, destined for only the wildest of dance floors.
WC0016 / Abono – Untitled EP [AIAN001]
The first release on Allisandnot label is a split EP between WC0016 & Abono. Gritty, lo-fi acid techno.
Khotin – For U To Feel [HTH004]
After making his debut with a delightfully dusty scalpel job on Canada’s Common Edit imprint, Khotin spent 2014 showcasing home-made blends of new age deep house and intoxicating “intelligent techno” on 1080p and Normals Welcome. Here, he pops up on Heart To Heart with more melodious, dreamy, retro-futurist fare. There’s naturally much to admire throughout, from the relentless drum machine handclaps, swirling pads and crystalline hits of “AT03”, to the intergalactic textures, thumping kick-drums and spacey electronics of “XP Waste”. Best of all, though, is “For U To Feel”, whose bubbling electronics and picture postcard melodies are brilliantly offset by a clattering drum machine groove.
STL – Simply Positive [SMALLVILLE043]
Stephan ‘STL’ Laubner’s new release on Smallville Records features two deep house tracks.Opener “Heaven’s Vape” (we chuckled, at least) peppering a rubbery, low-end groove with tuneful synthesizers and glistening electronics. There’s a similar love-of-life demonstrated on flipside “Joy Operator”, with winding synth motifs, lazy synth-strings and tumbling electronics draped over a notably bullish, forthright groove. Both tracks are typical of Smallville’s output, but rather less obtuse than Laubner’s usual fare.
XDB – Mitos & Enpii [DNP017]
Two Raw, atmospheric house and techno tracks by the mastermind XDB completed with two absolutely outstanding remixes from his friends of the Even Drones crew.
Orson Wells – Midnight Mystique [SM001]
Two deep electro flavoured 808 rhythm pieces on side A, plus a mystic morphing journey exploring the borderline between house and techno on the flip.
Tambien – Ondule [KITJEN002]
The second Kitjen 12″ released come from Tambien. The trio’s particular take on house – left-of-centre, but deliciously warm and inviting – comes to the fore on “Ondule”. The track is hard to pin down, with dreamy Balearic electronics and rich organ chords rising and falling over a twisting, skittish drum machine rhythm. Kornel Kovacs delivers the flipside remix, utilizing the Munich outfit’s wonderful chords and melodies whilst attaching his own throbbing, Italo-influenced deep house groove.
Most Significant Beat – Geometric State Compilation [FRV018]
What did the pioneers of Industrial and Synth Wave do when the age of Techno dawned in the early nineties? The simple answer is, some made Techno. Well that’s what Maurizio Martinucci (aka TeZ adn now part of Clock DVA) and Esplendor Geometrico’s Saverio Evangelista did back in the day as Most Significant Beat. This project has lain dormant for more than twenty years but has been dusted down, given a stiff drink and set to wax by Frigio Records. All tracks were recorded in between 1996 – 2000 and were released on CD for Geometrik Records years back except the first track “Geometric State” which is unreleased. Rediscovered prototypes from the founding fathers of electronic music.
Container – LP [SP040]
Ren Schofield, otherwise known as Container, has already released two LPs for the label, both called LP, but each one has seen a constant rebirth of his distorted and utterly screwed up view of techno. There’s seven tracks on here, seven devilish pieces of brain dynamite masquerading themselves as jams made by a human and not by an extra-terrestrial. The LP starts with a shock, “Eject”, and doesn’t get any more sweet or easy on the ears. From “Remover” to “Calibrate”, Container unleashes a filthy collection of clusterbombs which will render any dancefloor a living, walking hell…and we love that idea! A must, as per usual.
VA – Cititrax: Tracks Volume One [CITI017]
Cititrax presents the first in a series of 4 song samplers showcasing the talents of some of the most innovative producers of the moment. Cititrax: Tracks Volume One features Amato, an edgy new project brought to you by The Hacker, Tzusing, a young producer from China known for his hard-hitting L.I.E.S. releases, Berlin based former New Yorker An-i, and Oliver Ho’s stunning Broken English Club. The overall sound can be described as modern, uncompromising and guttural. Each artist reinvents dance music by bringing their own unique vision to the floor.
Romans – Ambulare Aude [BK012]
The Bunker New York delivers a second collaborative Romans EP from Gunnar Haslam and acid obsessive Tin Man. They go in hard from the off, blending extended analogue bass, metronomic rhythms and wiggly acid lines on “Enoma”. There’s a classic bleep feel about the ghostly chords on “Coptos”, which seemingly float above a hard-as-nails techno groove. They seem to soften a little on “Delenium”, which pairs the uplifting, end-of-night ethos of progressive house with classic Detroit techno sounds.
Black Merlin – Burn It / Experiments In The Dark [COMMONTHREAD004]
Treacle thick tech treats from Black Merlin on super-limited vinyl. Worked on an all-analogue set up, both “Burn It” and “Experiments In The Dark” take us back to the early ’90s when Black Strobe were smashing down European boundaries and Beltram was doing the same in the US. “Burn It” is the real crunchy groove-heavy cut while “Experiments In The Dark” takes us even deeper inside our own minds with an orgy of modem banter.
Hunee – Hunch Music [RHM016]
Hunee aka Hun Choi presents his debut album “Hunch Music”. “Hunch Music” is the striking assembly of the artist’s versatile inspirations and productional talent. It is a rich musical journey that latches onto you and doesn’t let go easily. “Hunch Music” is rather special: it is a cinematic journey from the beginning to the end, with scenes we haven’t encountered before. It starts with “Woods” as the perfect introduction – a moody, mystic night haze that quickly changes into a warm and soothing whole. Following with “Crossroads”, the mystery transcends into something that moves us to the dance floor, and we’re not sure whether we want to keep moving or we just want to listen. “Hunch Music” has a nocturnal aura, an organic groove, and moments of glorious acid. It takes us up and throws us down, gently, while subjecting us to many cinematic and musical elements. For an artist who is also an avid vinyl collector, it might be difficult to ensure that his numerous inspirations do not distract from his artistic signature. Hunee’s production work is as colorful as his character, displaying a broad spectrum of his inspirations that manifest themselves in a surprising and seductive artistic entity.
The True Underground Sound of Rome – The Bermuda Triangle (1992 – 2005) [VIBR001]
Despite only a few releases, the Electronic deep house sound of Vibraphone Records and the production team behind it had a major impact on the international 1990’s dance scene. The original 90’s vinyl are now considered precious collectors items. Revitalized by an increasingly new young audience interest this label has reached a cult status and it is now been re-launched via Juno Records. Produced by The True Underground Sound of Rome team all the tracks included in this re-released are characterized by a heavenly atmosphere and a cinematic sound. This 2 X 12″ EP contains the analog re-mastered version of the original 6 tracks first released in 1992 plus 2 new bonus tracks.
The Hipodrome Of Music 