Next Templar by The Persuader aka Jesper Dahlback.
001.Features
Takeshi Kouzuki – Ore No Atama Ni [MMX707]
Takeshi Kouzuki is back on Macadam Mambo Trax, he delivers here 3 powerful tracks completely futuristically weird and unusual, mixing acid, jakbeat and techno styles with a funky touch and fantastic vocoder’s voices. 2 Weird yet powerful jacking tracks and 1 balearic groover, all with that Nippon twist.
Chris Mitchell – Feng Shui Flow [VS007]
Vanguard Sound follows up on Guerilla Soul’s self-titled EP with label co-head Chris Mitchell delivering Feng Shui Flow. Feng Shui Flow is an exploration into deep harmonic textures in the form of three distinct offerings.
Simoncino – Dreams Of Konders [CR1277]
Italian producer and classic Chicago house student Simoncino returns once more to Creme Organization for four tracks made using a wealth of Roland machines. Opener ‘Meggaton’ is a sombre, downbeat house affair with a doom laden one note bass sound that reverbs forever. The title track surely named in homage to legendary New York City producer Bobby Konders is a snaking, spiritual deep house jam shrouded in mystery and fuzzy textures that puts most ‘deep’ house to shame. On the flip, ‘Pyramids’ is a stuttering, staggering percussive house jam that builds pressure before relieving it with some seriously emotional synths, then ‘Space Is The Place’ wallows down low in a thick baseline, is paired with crisp and icy hi hats and exposes some nicely starry night skies up top.
Mituo Shiomi – Japanese Tape [HM014]
Straight up deep, analog steez from the promising Japanese producer Mituo Shiomi. Five tracks in all, ranging from the heads-down jams to more melodic cuts. Retro nu-Chicago analog house tracks with this Japanese twist.
The Actor – Exploded View [MNQ057]
Mannequin Records announce the reissue of one of the most important Dutch Wave bands The Actor, with their seminal 1982 tape “Exploded View”. “In the beginning of the eighties, a new phenomenon emerged: home taping. This way of recording resulted in a lot of noise. But that was less important then getting one’s music out to the public. A well known label for cassette bands in those days was the dutch Trumpett Tapes. They were the first to publish the music of The Actor, who became their top selling cassette band in 1982 and 1983. The Actor’s first release was Exploded View in 1982. The songs – sung both in English and German – often related to fashion, modernism, dancing and appearence. This made The Actor “quite fashionable.”
Void Vision – Sub Rosa [MNQ054]
Void Vision is a Philadelphia-based electronic project helmed by Shari Wallin. It began around 2009 at a time when a wave of synth-revivalists were materializing, but the quality of the songwriting and intense vocals set the band apart from the pack. In a rare instance, Void Vision has managed to combine vintage dance elements with melodic structures, haunting melancholy, and lyrics that have a palpable soul. The songs themselves are dynamic, referencing a cross-section of the last 30 years of electronic music, while simultaneously retaining a uniqueness all their own.
Dust – C U In Hell [MNQ666]
Mannequin Records celebrated Halloween with a free download of the classic electro-dark ‘See You In Hell’ from Suicide Commando covered by the NYC based combat techno collective DUST.
In Aeternam Vale – GND Lift [MW057]
Gnd Lift is a slow building hazy hypnotic track with heavy atmosphere, fitting perfectly on a smoke filled dance floor. Jai Mang des Nerfs is a classic vocal driven synthpop track with the grit characteristic of In Aeternam Vales 80s cassette works. The 12″ closes with Animals Dont Mind, a slow and deeply emotive smoldering darkwave track that speaks directly to the heart, this one feels the most personal thus far. The Gnd Lift 12″ shows us all sides of In Aeternam Vale, his strengths lying in his ability to create both techno masterpieces and classic underground wave tracks, moving seamlessly from one to the next.
4M International – Space Operator [PM12006]
Spaced out disco electro. The mysteriously named 4M International was a side project of the production team behind short lived Italo group Trilogy (”Not Love”, ”Black Devil” etc). ”Space Operator” is the only record the outfit recorded and is an ultra spacey, pitched down, cosmic anthem based around fellow Italian band Traks’ ”Drums Power” record, taking the rhythm track and adding a wealth of killer sound FX, synth washes and sinister vocoded voices inviting us to join them in some intergalactic space travel. Released in 1982 on Full Time records off-shoot Good Vibes.
Ubre Blanca – Terminal Island EP [CDR12011]
Ubre Blanca return with their second release for Clan Destine. Continuing with their obsessions of 70’s and 80’s horror and B movie soundtracks, fat synth sounds and live drums, Joel Stone and Andy Brown bring us a more evolved sound with the Terminal Island EP. A heady mix of full on synth and live drums, mixed with some more atmospheric pieces this time around. Terminal Island takes us straight to some tropical island where some horrifying shit is going down. Bringing to mind old cinematic masterpieces like Cannibal Holocaust mixed with Miami Vice.
Kid Machine – Red Planet EP [RL013]
Four tracks of atom crushing slo-mo disco darkness, creating hazy semi real dreams of isolation and paranoia on the red planets vast emptiness. The first track alone ‘Invasion’ is a dance floor soundsmash to rival any recent disco chug. The story continues with the quicker pace and acerbic tones of ‘Rulers of the Red Planet’. ‘Martian Emotion’ drifts more towards ‘beautiful space ballad’ and finally the grand finale to the story of this EP is the dark and foreboding John Carpenteresque ‘Last Day On Mars’. The track completes a journey in sound so well accomplished it will have you feeling like you just watched a 3 hour sci-fi epic inside your mind.
The Hunt – Revengers Of The Darkness [GD007]
Stylishly blending a powerhouse mix of EBM Machismo, New Beat Sleaze and Space Disco’s hot synth solos, ‘Revengers Of The Darkness’ throbs like a robot post-the singularity on a quest for alien sewer sex. Giallo Disco are more than honored to present the debut EP from this fantastic group. Five cinematic dancefloor bombs for the discerning listener.
Machinegewehr – Carradine [BAP034]
This new Bordello A Parigi 12″ sees Machinegewehr on a solo tip with two killer Italo numbers, with the title cut “Carradine” seemingly positioned to look skywards throughout such is the soaring synth work at play. Complementing this, “Guarding The Frontiers” is a more supple and dare we say subtle affair that really highlights the artist’s talent for intricate melodies.
Jonas Kopp – Beyond The Hypnosis [TRESOR273LP]
In the eight years since his emergence as a promising 19 year old producer, Argentinean Jonas Kopp has amassed a solid discography with a veritable clutch of 12″ material for the likes of Curle, Ilian Tape, CLR, Krill, Stroboscopic Artefacts and Tresor. Sensing the time is right to try his hand at the album format, Kopp’s chance comes via the later Berlin techno behemoth with Beyond The Hypnosis a weighty 12 track endeavour. This vinyl edition features only eight of those tracks spread across the two slabs but still gives a keen display of Kopp’s talent for crafting finely sculpted techno.
Philippe Petit – Simplify EP [DMT005]
In-your-face raw techno attack from Philippe Petit on his own imprint, Decision Making Theory.
Nthng – Remember Us [MORK001]
Lobster Theremin launch their first sublabel proper, heralding a darker, murkier and deeper sound on their newly minted Mork imprint. Retaining it’s mother label’s passion for championing newcomers, Mork launches with a debut release from young Netherlandic producer nthng. Cultivating a sound that sits somewhere between Prince of Denmark and early Claro Intelecto with splashes of Clone influence, nthng’s stripped-back techno walks fuzzy, shrouded paths through nolstagic moments in time.
Truncate – Another One [TRUNCATE11]
Truncate is at it once again on his home turf, demonstrating something of a pinnacle for the US approach to stripped and raw techno. “Track 1” slaps out the handclaps with gusto, but the synths that bubble in the background keep a certain dubwise calm to proceedings even with all the energy fed into the drums. “Track 2” takes a more dense approach, working in more intense flurries of percussion and keeping the synth elements finely chiselled and nervous, before “Track 3” brings a more playful side to the fore thanks to a hooky melody.
Ñaka Ñaka – Mundo Harsh [BOP003]
The third release in the Black Opal series see’s Mexico City 2 Brooklyn expat Jeronimo Jimenez at his finest. The ghostly syncopations of his Opal Tapes debut are revisited again but this time the beats come charged with a new weight. 6 tracks of haunting techno, flickering metals and doomed synth set to probe into your skull.
AN-I – Gutz [CITI015]
AN-I continues his love affair with electronics offering us three distinct slabs of throbbing machine funk. The opening track ‘Gutz’ is a dense mutant high energy number, modern yet timeless. ‘Rut’, the first track An-i recorded whilst still living in New York and the first one to catch our attention, opens the B side with a massive dose of syncopated teutonic mayhem, spacier and sparser than the rest. ‘Save Us’ completes the release with an anthem of dirty warehouse techno.
