The first Lobster Theremin EP of 2015 comes from London-based newcomer and hazologist, Ozel AB. Striking a distinct tone with his lucid day-dreamer pads, blown-out MPC drums and Werkdiscs-inspired weirdness.
001.Features
Garret David – A New Room [GRAMAPHONE002]
Garrett David presents his sophomore solo release on the Chicago Gramaphone label. While bouncing deep house and crystaline keys dominate the release, a slow-motion reprise collaboration with Adam Rowe closes out on B2. Tunnels from his debut release on Stripped & Chewed is also revisited for this dancefloor-aimed EP.
T.R. “Early” Earl – Bad Business EP [NSYDE011]
Christopher Rau, best known for reliable, soothing and airy deep house, debuts on Nsyde with a fresh alias T.R. Early Earl / The Royal Earl Company.
Nothing But Blood – White Of The Eye [COTF005]
‘White of the Eye’ is the first release under “Nothing but Blood” from Scott Fraser, a direct link back to Scott’s earlier 90’s work and sound around the darker realms of techno and harder-edged Chicago house. The EP title refers back to a favourite Donald Cammell film of Scott’s from 88′. ‘White of the Eye’ on the A-side is an 11 minute extended mix of the lead cut. Silent Servant on remix duties delivers an amyl fuelled techno bomb landing somewhere in an 80’s new york basement. Diving deeper on B2 it features Atlanta resident Claire Elise Tippins on vocals.
Svengalisghost – Russian Torrent Versions 15 [CCCP015]
Svengalisghost makes his eagerly anticipated return to wax after spending the better part of last year, crushing gigs throughout Europe with his high impact live set. On this slab we get four tracks of industrial strength machine electronics put through the filter of the Chicago native….equal parts EBM and dare we say half time techno. This EP drives and hits hard as only the energy king knows how.
Pukemaster Gehm – 303 Degrees [SOM033]
Pukemaster Gehm kicks four uncompromising and banging Acid tracks where you can feel his pure love for his partner in crime, the 303. Stomping basslines, twirling and chirping 303 sounds, jerking hihats and hypnotic claps all over here.
Perseus Traxx – Harmony Of Elements EP [PF007]
Perseus Traxx, aka Nigel Rogers, is returning to Photic Fields with a four track outing. This young Briton has time and time again shown his ability to sculpt soulful soundscapes using the building blocks laid down by Chicago House. Harmony of Elements is further proof of this. From the outset lush key strokes are laid down, warmth and texture brushed with subtle beats. Percussion patterns are used to scaffold achingly delicate bars. Autumnal tones swirl amongst warm winds and colder currents. Darker moments are present, nightskies bruise under weighty bars. M>O>S man ASOK is on remix duty, blotting “Grey Skies” with his ink-stained sounds; eclipsed moods balanced with honeyed notes. Harmony of Elements sees Nigel Rogers full range of ability on display. There’s a revived and renewed complexity to this layered EP. A landscape of emotion is lovingly created, edges are smoothed and richness flows.
Xtrak – Tape Archives [RAWAX002LP]
Unreleased Todd Sines tape archives from 1993 – 1994! Todd’s introduction in early 1993 to Detroit’s Carl Craig and Daniel Bell resulted in seminal releases with Peacefrog, Planet E and 7th City. Classic minimal techno when it was still maximal.
Rébeval – Rébeval [LIES056]
Paris veteran DJ Deep joins the L.I.E.S. roster with a new three track EP paying homage to the days of old when house and techno were a fresh and exciting music revolution. This EP perfectly balances the sounds and energy of the past with renewed vibrance and resurgence of what’s happening now in Paris.
Synthek & Audiolouis – Unwise Remix Series #1 [NTCLP001.1]
“Unwise Remix Series” has the involvement of artists which represent Synthek & Audiolouis main points of reference and inspiration, artists who acknowledged the potential of Unwise and accepted to get involved in a great re-edition of the principal cuts of the album. Tadeo inaugurates this first installment with an outstanding reinterpretation of “Thread Between Us”. Keeps the aggressive mood of the original, raising the impetus with slender hi-hats, haunting chords and devilish synthlines, all elements that clearly manifest the powerful imprint of the spanish producer. Aubrey concludes the first side with a sophisticated rework of “Broken Pad”: an unpredictable groove made of fluctuating bleeps and drums, embraced by spacey soundscapes strewn with sonic drills and fragments. Delivering the final blow on the flipside, Polar Inertia’s work can be seen more like a long journey, than an actual remix of Unwise. The final 8-minutes-cut brings an extreme dose of deepness to the release, pervading it of a surreal atmosphere crossed by violent droning flashes, while from a dusty, heavily texturized basslines rises a thin but empowering beat, that finally embrace the distinctive (and desynchronized) riff from the original.
Daniel Avery – Remixes [PH043]
Culminating the cycle of Drone Logic, Daniel Avery releases New Energy, a collection of remixes including six new reworks. Token Records’ ace in the pack Ø [Phase] reshapes Naive Response into a beautifully psychedelic techno trip whilst Conforce turns the previously reflective Simulrec into a militaristic stomp aimed squarely at the floor. Further out still, ruthless noise experimentalist Powell takes a typically esoteric approach to Water Jump, leaving it just as catchy in disarray as when it was first conceived.
VA – Finale Underground Vol.2 – Detroit Visionaries [FU002]
For those turned on by the far-sighted, sci-fi inspired sounds of Detroit deep house and techno, this EP from Michael Zucker’s Finale Underground imprint (an offshoot of his Finale Sessions label) should be an essential purchase. With the likes of Patrice Scott, Keith Worthy and Luke Hess involved, you’d expect the quality threshold to be high. It is, of course, resulting in a quartet of killer tracks. Worthy’s hypnotic techno jam “Tolox” is a definite highlight, though it pales in comparison to the analogue futurism of Luke Hess’s brilliant “Cyclops”. Best of all, though, is Scott’s “Journey Into The Unknown”, which bobs, weaves, bubbles and spits to the rush-inducing deep house sound of undulating synthesizer melodies and classic, Transmat-style Motor City rhythms.
Johannes Volk – P-Delta EP [CRF009]
Proper techno tools by Johannes Volk on this smashing 4-tracker EP. Rolling drums, accompanied by well laid-out clubsynth. Birth of Frequency on remix duties with a minimalistic take on the original.
Fanon Flowers / Z.I.P.P.O. – 002 [SAV002]
Raw and Direct techno stuff from Fanon Flowers: ”Bleeding Heroes” is a continuous journey between his two works, purist and dark from the start.
DJ Bone – Differ-Ent [DBA018]
Speaking to Resident Advisor recently to accompany his podcast, veteran Detroit artist DJ Bone looked to clarify the distinction behind his new Differ-Ent project, stating it is “darker, more aggressive and straight to the point but still manages to remain beautiful in a very twisted way.” This statement is fully qualified on the two track for Don’t Be Afraid that make up this excellent debut 12″ from the Differ-Ent project. “Differ-Ent (Hrall)” is the more musical of the two, with Bone teasing minor keys and acid squiggles over a stripped back, yet still quite forceful rhythm. “Differ-Ent (Ity)” is where that dark aggression is let loose and is the sort of ominous techno you crave to hear deep into the night.
Macadam Mambo Dj’s – Ultima Sensazione [MMLP101]
The new Macadam Mambo Dj’s project by Sacha Mambo and Guillaume des Bois is now ready to strike the world. Weirdo Italo-influenced sunshine disco for optimistic minds.
Mark E – Emergency [ESP025]
Mark E with his first offering for the ESP Institute. ‘Laurentian Abyss’ undoubtedly conjures narrative images from the depths of a man’s soul, trudging through an array of rhythmic pulse, percussion and arpeggiation that resembles the inner workings of a grandfather clock, based on a disorienting 5/4 timing yet culminating in a singular stroke. On the flip side, the title track ‘Emergency’ begins with the formula for which we know Mark E best, the ultimate tease winding us up for the big payoff, yet here we’re forced into a cyclical trance which diverts our attention so effectively that we never actually receive what we’ve been waiting for, Mark’s elusive drop.
Jacques Renault – Let’s Get Lost Vol.26 [LGL026]
Lets Get Lost vol. 26 … this time Jacques Renault steps up to the plate with 4 quality edits.
Kraftwerk PopArt
D’Marc Cantu – Car Type EP [RUNOR1006]
Michigan’s D’Marc Cantu has long been a revered house and techno craftsmen with a misty analogue sound that has spawned killer EPs and LPs. As well as also being part of 2AM/FM with JTC, the jackbeat proponent now steps out on Tom Dicicco’s Run Out Run label for the first of two upcoming EPs.
