Soma Records hits the milestone 400th release of the label and who better to see this in than label heads Slam as they lead up to their new album due to drop this October. Analogue rawness and straight up percussion.
001.Features
Binny – Explorer EP [ASGOR012]
UK-based Adam Cummings aka Binny is back with another EP that shows his skills & deep affinity with the Detroit sound, he blew our mind again with his tremendous honest analog sound & brilliant arrangement. This Four tracker contains only floor tracks full of 909 drums, brilliant patterns & groove baselines with the touch of the Juno machine.
Sean Dixon – Unknown EP [FINALCHAPTER003]
Back with a third release Sean Dixon’s Final Chapter label has a very solid and defined sound. Comes with Oliver Deutschmann and Joel Alter reworks.
The Exaltics – Twelve EP [SHIP024]
German producer and acid head The Exaltics is back with a new EP on Shipwrec that comes with a remix by Unit Moebius Anonymous and terrific artwork by Jaco Putker. Real name Robert Witschakowski, The Exaltics is co founder of the Solar One Music label and has turned out a steady stream of EPs and LPs on labels like Trust, Creme Organization and Clone West Coast Series until now, always coming on strong with a dense techno style. Opener ‘The New Beginning’ continues in that tradition where electro drums are run through with racing acid and more serene and tender synths colour in the backdrop. ‘Coroded’ is a much more bulky and brutal techno affair with tough drums that roll up and down, even angrier acid lines and plenty of industrial percussion. Final original ‘Downwards’ is even quicker and more abrasive and barely allows you to catch your breath with its hurried kick drums, ripping 303 and frankly manic, metallic hi hats. The Unit Moebius Anonymous remix is suitably tough and teeth clenching with paranoid sirens, gun like percussion and a true sense of unstoppable force. Serious techno for serious heads, this is an arresting EP that it is impossible to ignore.
Randomer – Residents [LIES050]
With L.I.E.S. 50th official release, London’s Randomer appears as the first British artist to release on the label with his ‘Residents’ EP. On this EP we get three out there diverse tracks with the title cut being a moody rhythmic, heads down yet upbeat percussion driven affair. ‘Jakobs Dream’ steps into the abstract tweaked out techno world, while ‘Huh’ which fills the entire b-side is a massive massive electro cut for the floor.
Hermans – Zaires [ZAIRES]
For a brief moment Hermans are cut free from their shackles and venture out from the black dungeon, dragging xylophones made from Kraken bones and drums fashioned out of reptile skins the duo summon a battle chant from deep within. Scores of allies join, endlessly banging the same rhythm relentlessly until the clouds draw and the red sun is no longer visible. A Basic Soul Unit appears from the murkiness and descends upon the racket, bringing with him booming thunder and electric lightning, a dark army marching alongside him. The massive beat continues for days, shaking all those that hear it. Slowy and steadily, the din subsides, the clouds part and the sun returns as Hermans retreat back to the darkness to wait patiently until they are called upon again.
Koehler – Spiral Light [BH007]
Koehler showed some balls before on Skudge White but this mad 12 sets the madness! Dope tracks on the notorious Berceuse Heroique from the UK.
Antonio De Angelis – Incrisis EP [WCRLTD001]
The first Weekend Circuit Records release in a new limited edition series of hand stamped vinyl with 3 track EP from London based Antonio De Angelis including a trademark mix by Tresor & Berlin resident Roger Semsroth aka Sleeparchive.
Common Series – Common Series 3 [CS003]
It is claimed that Three is the perfect number. Many fields of human thought have reasoned concerning this number: Religion, Literature, Philosophy. It’s an easy number to reach but difficult to cross. Once you cross the Three everything takes other forms. It’s a pass, there are those who will perish and those who stops and observe. Some believe that their work is finished there. But there are also those who consider it the closest point to the sky and the stars and draw the strength to continue their work.
DVS1 – Klockworks 013 [KLOCKWORKS013]
It would be fair to say that this latest EP from Minneapolis-raised Zak Khutoretsky features a trio of “tried and tested” cuts. Label boss Ben Klock has taken to closing his sets with lead track “Black Russian”, a surprisingly light and airy chunk of loop-techno blessed with deliciously warm and evocative pianos. The other two tracks aren’t quite as anthemic, but they’re certainly floor-friendly; you’ll struggle to find a more brutal and intense chunk of claustrophobic late night techno than “Spying” – all minor keys, restless shakers and booming sub – while “Creeping” is similarly dark and jackin’, with distinct hints of early Belgian techno.
Exium – A Sensible Alternative To Emotion Remixes [POLEGROUP025]
Alternative to Emotion featuring reworks from Jonas Kopp, Silent Servant, Oscar Mulero and Tripeo. Four different points of view about real techno, from analogue workouts to modern techno vibes. Silent Servant is the first on duty, taking The 12th Planet as target, reverting it into an arpeggiated sythn monster, hypnotic, repetitive, reverberated, a perfect abstract mixing tool. Jonas Kopp uses subsonic warfare in his reconstruction, with a subterranean beat for starting that soon fills the space with an industrial beat and hi frequency drones…no jokes here. Oscar Mulero gives the remix from Massless Particle, flanged synths, clear kicks, a breathing beat and repetition as a therapy, subtle 808 claves and some hi frequency drones complete the menu. Last guest is Tripeo. The remix for Dronid shows the intrincate part of Tripeo’s mind, broken beats, sweeping ambient drones, synth bleeps and pads, an ideal intro track for serious techno sets.
Imre Kiss – Raw Energy EP [LT006]
Lobster Theremin release the vinyl debut of yet another artist in the form of Budapest cosmic explorer Imre Kiss. The ‘Raw Energy EP’ sees Imre on schizoid form, shifting from drugged-out proto-ambient works such as ‘Stellar 0102’ and the super-slo house jams of ‘Spellbound’ and ‘Belief’, to the Hague-inspired ‘Non’ and a rip-roaring arpeggio-driven techno epic on ‘Raw Energy (ARPOS Session)’.
Perseus Traxx – In Awe Of Amy [CHIWAX014]
Perseus Traxx back on Chiwax with dreamy vintage Chicago tracks reminding of Virgo Four and the likes.
Mark Forshaw – Sequester EP [IIIR-III]
Mark Forshaw on Ill Rivers. Change Request – rides a glistening, arpeggiated crescendo of luminescent goodness. All eyes-wide-shut dancing under industrial backdrops. Fantastic Flake – could well be what happens after smoking one of Ron Hardy’s sherm sticks at Islington Mill. Muzik Box-inspired repetition and a concentric acid bassline mean this baby is crying out for a 2-copy, extended workout and destined to send dancers spiralling out of control into the speaker stacks. Track 3 occupies the whole of the B-side-Where Did You Go – a cavernous 303 workout which lends itself to ADHD-levels of smoke ‘n’ strobe abuse. Journeying deeper and deeper into the rave cave as the track progresses, expect a hoard of lysergic gremlins and machine-elves leading the charge.
CCO – Eliminiation By Illumination [HOTJAM003]
CCO aka Florin Büchel with 4 tracks of pure analogue oldschool deepness. Another fantastic very limited outing from the Hot Jam camp.
Anthony Nicholson – Four LP [DAS006]
Anthony’s fourth album is simply called ‘Four’ and features 12 masterpieces of deephouse music. Every track is a masterful lesson in the art of this genre. They are beautiful and originally composed, including elements of jazz, garage, disco, RnB and classic house. Anthony Nicholson clearly shows that he is gifted with an amazing imagination and also a proper knowledge of musicality.
VA – Paris Club Music Vol.2 [CCBLP003]
Last year saw French label ClekClekBoom cement its burgeoning reputation with a compilation showcasing the local talent it had been championing since starting up in 2011, including such luminaries in wild-card bass music as French Fries and The Town. There has been a swarm of left-leaning club bangers issued out since the first volume of Paris Club Music, and so it doesn’t feel rushed to be welcoming the second volume with a stack of choice cuts from the past twelve months. There’s a strong unified vibe to ClekClekBoom, from the tight but slippery electro of Manare to the off-kilter techno of NSDOS, while 50Weapons staple Bambounou sounds right at home with his primal and utterly head-spinning “Idem”.
Brian Harden – Tour De Chi [SIS024]
Since the label’s inception, Sistrum has kept an ear to the future while always keeping its roots firmly planted in the rich musical heritage of early house and techno – raw, real & unfathomably deep. In keeping with this ethos, Sistrum proudly presents a true Chicago original, Mr. Brian Harden. Three classic, late ‘90s cuts are brought together for a new generation of music lovers to enjoy, never before available as a 12” release.
Maayan Nidam / Laverne Radix – Split EP [PERLON101]
Maayan Nidam teams up with her alter ego Laverne Radix and delivers a 4-track split 12”, including a remix by mister Boo Williams.
Die Roh & Okee Ru – Beam Boom Bum EP [MLE004]
3 craggy dancefloor cuts of disco infected technoid shuffled 808 beats and quirky samples. Lucretio (Restoration/Machines State) on remix duty has delivered a methane-fuelled remix of ”Non la Rai”, adding illicit 90s happiness to the original beats. A remix that could easily cross-refer to his hard-to-find tunes on Warm Sounds.
