Steve Summers makes his debut on the shady Russian Torrent Versions imprint with a massive three tracker. Melodic, melancholy, and jackin this dusty platter will get you into the zone and is a welcome return of Mr. Summers to the floor. Heavy, rockin and rugged.
While industrial and EBM seem to be words buzzing around the media today, not too many artists associated with these words seem to be truly delivering. Tzusing, who resides in Shanghai has been a student of the game through the years, and has strived to execute his take on these sounds and does so with shining results. This four track ep is a testament to him transforming the metal beat into a sound of his own and running wild without limits.
Mister Andreas Tilliander under his TM404 monniker, the man with more machines than you drops 3 tracks of syncopated science on Skudge.
Cuthead got known to the wider public via his releases on Uncanny Valley but his roots reach way back before the label’s start. There was a time when Cuthead and his brothers from another mother threw wild parties at abandoned industrial locations or in the woods around Dresden. The crew, which was known as Kunst:stoff Breakz, also established a label where Cuthead released two albums and one EP as free downloads between 2006 and 2010. Over the years the calls for vinyl versions of those early joints were getting louder and so Uncanny Valley decided to give the best tracks from that era a new life on physical sound carriers and start the ”Total Sellout”. Through refinement and rearrangement 51 tracks were boiled down to a selection of 18 and ended up as an album full of catchy bass lines, heavy beats and sampling excesses. Among the tracks are party starters like the strings-infiltrated ”Scissorhands”, ”The Poncho” or the ever devastating ”Iron Lung” which still kicks like Dubstep has never faded. Since Cuthead has always been heavily influenced by Rap music, there are of course lots of great Hip Hop beats on ”Total Sellout”. Either in the form of funky sample studies like ”Painquilizer” and ”VibraSkit” or in true fashion with Raps by crew member Alibi on ”Hidden Track”. Also included on the album are ”Rock My Soul” and ”All Night Long”, some early examples of Cuthead’s knack for well tempered and super catchy House tracks, while the double-bass driven ”Rythmus ’78” shows another jazzy side of him. Once again, the artwork was conceived and designed by Till Hohmann who already did a brilliant job on last year’s ”Everlasting Sunday”.
Given the infamous depth of Nick The Record’s vinyl collection, you’d expect this contribution to Z Records’ excellent Under The Influence series to be packed to the rafters with unheralded gems. Predictably, it is, delivering 22 cuts that should be thrillingly new to all but the most dusty-fingered collectors. Picking out highlights from such an excellent and in-depth collection is tough, but try the steel drums-laden celebration of Boogsie’s “Can’t You See Me”, the synth-laden jazz-funk badness of “Keep Your Shoes” by MC and His Great Googa-Moogas, and the fizzing, melody-rich 808 electro of Ronnie Jones “Video Games”. If that’s not enough there’s also a swathe of DJ-friendly re-edits from Nick himself.
Four track split ep from Chicago producer Dj Skull and Victor Santa. ‘Different Connections’ contains a hybrid sound of Chicago rooted house and Detroit techno.
Vienna’s finest electro/techno label celebrates turning 20 with three exclusive trax by Tin Man, Elektro Guzzi, and Digilog. On the front, Tin Man does his best to distill the essence of ‘Detroit’ in a pounding, acidic night-flight. Flipside, techno mann-band Elektro Guzzi go thru the tight, driving drill of ‘Radicale’, and Digilog deals the lustrous minimal techno of ‘Mind Gap’.
The 2nd EP taken from Esteban Adame’s debut album “Day Labor”. Features a remix from New York’s Anthony Parasole & Phil Moffa.
Crazy etherial collection of some previously released and some unreleased tracks presented in album form. The album is hugely varied within it’s basic drum machine and synths template; from the psychedelic blowout ‘The Seer Of Cosmic Visions’ and the distorted, ruptured crunch of ‘How Wet Is Ur Box’, to more delicate meditations like ‘Space Is The Place’ or ‘Letters From The Edge’. From the the shimmering rhythmic noise of ‘A Genre Sonique’ to the the woozy tribal funk of ‘134340 Pluto’ or the rough darting strings of the off-kilter ‘Calling Planet Earth’ and finishing on the relaxing gaseous drones of ‘Strange Signs In The Sky’, the album never fails to transport the listener to another state of mind.
Few newcomers have created that stir that Italy’s Alessandro Parisi has caused. Following releases on Lux Rec, Minimal Rome and Flight Recorder this young producer has captivated audiences with his textured electronics and vivid soundscapes. It is to this bright talent that Frigio Records have turned to proudly introduce the label’s first full vinyl full length: Cathar Rhythms. Soundtracks have always been a focal point for Parisi, a core of his inspiration. This love of the analogue movie score permeates the six track album, fortified with a new toughened rhythmic edge.
Owdy, sexy, voyeuristic: this is Harry Bennett’s world of sizzling Neo-chicago House music. Including reworks by Till Von Sein, DJ Nature, Sonns and our favorite Traxx.
The sixth release on Jurg Haller’s excellent Forbidden Planet sees the Berlin-based newcomer Annanan at the helm. Lead track “124” booms and bristles in all the right places, with an intoxicating dub techno pulse at its core which resonates brightly with sonic intensity as the A side run out groove draws ever closer. On the B side, “ACIDz x2” fluctuates superbly between grizzled acid and saturated deepness, whilst the appropriately named “Satin” reins in the madness for a supple, widescreen journey into techno loaded with atmosphere.
The Italian Stallion comes through with 4 killer cuts designed to destroy your ear holes. All jams made straight to tape, no fluffy ish.
Cantu’s electro-heavy sound is fleshed out here and while still lean enough for dance floors, it makes bolder moves into atmospheric and melodic territory. The A side, “Some Kind Of Strange…,” begins with long synth strains before one of his signature overdriven drum workouts immediately punches through the lush spectral melody. Cantu runs through the patterns on his 808, weaving a sort of broken beat track that cruises through acidic space time. On the flipside you’re treated to the electro/freestyle jam, “A Space Age Function.” There aren’t many surprises here nor is there any need for them: just pure and grimy electro joy…right down to the pitched down vocal sample and octave-hopping bassline. “September,” the beatless coda, is an echo from a childhood spent in dark cinemas with the sounds of Carpenter and Howarth. Tinkling FM bells dot the layers of rich ethereal pads and you can practically hear the clattering of the projector somewhere behind you in the dark.
Roche comes to ICEE HOT with quite an impressive resume, and this two track outing is the latest chapter in what’s quickly becoming an excellent body of his work.
Jordan GCZ, aka Jordash from Juju & Jordash delivers for Future Times! ‘Swingonoguitaro’ hits a very unique place. Far from chopping up typical disco guitar licks, J runs a fierce house rhythm through varying six-string zones, from rainy day Slippertronics and Cocteau strums to the dusted, poly-rhythmic bends that warp the song’s ending. ‘Digitalis’ starts as cold, snake-charmer funk that gets washed away in outrageous keys and hovering, molten electronics. ‘Fusionfuk’ closes the EP with a barrage of library gusto. Jordan showcases his amazing synth work on this one, destroying and rebuilding melodies at will.
Violet Poison is the dark, enigmatic and esoteric side-project of Francesco Baudazzi, already known as Obtane, co-owner with Giorgio Gigli of the defunct techno label Zooloft. The new project is focused on analogue proto-techno with influences from 70’s Italian progressive bands like Goblin or OST composers like Fabio Frizzi and earlier Downwards records from 1994-1995.
Here’s something to excite those of an experimental techno bent: a collaborative set from veteran producer Function and drone/industrial sort Vatican Shadow. Given the qualities’ of both producers, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Games Have Rules is rather good. Like any good collaboration, it tempers the more outlandish aspects of each producer’s work, delivering a set bristling with icy textures, bittersweet ambience, dreamy atmospherics and, perhaps most pleasing of all, sprawling techno (see the brilliant “Bejewelled Body”). Highlights are naturally plentiful, from the crystalline mood of “A Year Has Passed” (reminiscent of Selected Ambient Works era Aphex Twin) to the murky textures and spooky electronics of “The Nemesis Flower”.
