VA – Maud Sarr EP [RB001]

Here comes the first release of the brand new label named Roze Balletten. The label’s first offering is a various artist EP with tracks from Creme’s Innershades, Belgium’s Raw Sketches and Hotflush producer Locked Groove. Innershades opens the label’s account with ‘Volksverheffing’, which is a classically inclined bit of house music with a prominent bassline that dances about with real elasticity. The kick drums are as weighty as Kerri Chandler’s and the singing synths bring some Detroit futurism to the table in classy fashion. Raw Sketches, who also works as Ekleltiker and Tunguska, goes for a much slower, deeper, more purposeful vibe on his track ‘Spilzucht’. It’s one that wanders mysteriously on lumpy drums as sinewy synths perform acrobatics in its midst and will tie you in knots by the time its finished unfolding and evolving. Last but not least, Locked Groove comes hard with his firm techno workout. Machines go wild at the heart of it all and the ticking percussion is angry and insistent: it’s somewhat freaked out and acid in the latter half, working both itself and listeners into a noir frenzy.

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VA – Maud Sarr EP [RB001]

VA – London Housing Trust 005 [LHT005]

A nice mixed bag as ever, featuring label partner Prima’s first solo effort – grooves effortlessly and into darkest Africa , other half of LHT Alphonse brings the drama with – Acid Melody – youngest member Jamie Blanco makes a welcome return – with his trippy little Black Jack and finally newest recruit Asok crunches out this classic sounding piece of 4 to the floor goodness.

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VA – London Housing Trust 005 [LHT005]

Red Rack’em – Zoned [CFR008]

Deep funk driven house tracks by Red Rack’em. Comes with a delicious jazzy remix by Dj Nature. Kicking off the EP is the title track ‘Zoned’ which as the name implies is an ode to being ‘too far gone’. With a pitched down vocal, disorientating chords, heavy kick-drum and yearning male larynx hollering ‘music is the place to be, want it right to hold me free’, the track definitely takes you to a deeper place. Just before it gets any darker a dose of sax licks come in to inject some groove and light to proceedings. Sounding like a long lost 8-mile beatdown track that wouldn’t be amiss on an old KDJ B-side or LP a la Silentintroduction or Forevernevermore, this is definitely one for the real heads with the lights down low…

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Red Rack’em – Zoned [CFR008]

Innerspace Halflife – Astral Traveling LP [SYNAPSIS010]

The album Astral Traveling by Innerspace Halflife is among us with 9 tunes straight from the universal psyche, yet articulated with the tools of human perception through waveforms. Deeper and deeper the tunes take a listener on a journey of spacey pads, longing melodies, electronic bass notes, and jacking drum programming. In terms of human understanding, the universe is infinite which makes any scenario one can think of possible. With this in mind, Astral Traveling was composed and explores the deepness of creativity as Innerspace Halflife reaches down to pull out sounds using various techniques.

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Innerspace Halflife – Astral Traveling LP [SYNAPSIS010]

Elect Pt.1 – Bod-x [SIG.MMXIV.XI]

A relentless 12inch combining the teuton talents of Elect Pt.1 aka Andreas Gehm and Baden-Wurttemberg’s finest Mick Wills. No need for superlatives, three straight up acid tracks that hit you like a 200kph night drive up the Bundesautobahn – ohne Scheinwerfer.

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Elect Pt.1 – Bod-x [SIG.MMXIV.XI]

Alex Israel – Moving To The Suburbs [STILOVE4MUSIC040]

Alex Israel is back this time with an EP for the Jerome Derradji’s worldwide infamous label Stillove4music. “Moving To The Suburbs” is an acid ode to the devastatingly uncreative normcore of American suburbia via the State of Michigan – where Alex Israel hails from. “Ocelot” goes straight back for your roots and ours:  In Acid we trust. “Wafer Thin Sparrow” is a stunning sci fi beatless instrumental geared towards your future space and time deviations.

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Alex Israel – Moving To The Suburbs [STILOVE4MUSIC040]

D. Wilson & L. Carson – Tracks From Tapes [SS042]

WILSON, D/L CARSON - Tracks From The Tapes

Sound Signature completists will be rubbing their hands with a sense of relish at the label’s 42nd release as it sees more material drawn from the late 80s archives of Leron Carson. Back in 2001, Theo Parrish introduced Leron Carson’s work with “China Trax” which sounded like the uncovered cassette recordings of a deviant Robert Hood. Carson’s busted lo fi productions from the same era were later given a more extensive airing on the double plated Sound Signature issue Red Lightbulb Theory ’87-’88 and this third appearance on the label draws from some recordings made in collaboration with the unheralded D Wilson. All Sound Signature will offer by way of description is “This was Southside Chitown ’89. If you weren’t there you weren’t there…. lots of underground unreleased music circulated on the Southside on maxell and tonemaster tapes from Walgreens – 2 dollars for a pack of eight” For our money both “Siren” and “Other Science” can be compared to the twisted, grainy freeform acid Jamal Moss makes.

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D. Wilson & L. Carson – Tracks From Tapes [SS042]

Chris Moss Acid – Slam The Box [MATH074] (FREE DOWNLOAD)

Chris Moss Acid returns to Mathematics after a 6 year hiatus with a manic furry onslaught of squelch & tweaks to rupture the mind. Hard hitting acid tracks and good old fashion four to the floor rhythms.

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Free download from Chris Moss Acid on soundcloud!

Continue reading “Chris Moss Acid – Slam The Box [MATH074] (FREE DOWNLOAD)” →

Chris Moss Acid – Slam The Box [MATH074] (FREE DOWNLOAD)

D’Marc Cantu – Physical State EP [ANSATZ1002]

D’Marc Cantu has long been a standard bearer for hardware revivalism, having first released his drum machine-heavy blends of vintage jack and starlight rave revivalism on Creme Organization back in 2007. Here, he pops up on Ansatz with a superbly varied trip into warehouse-friendly territory. There are a couple of rush-inducing doses of strobelight-enhanced rave revivalism territory (the frankly nasty “Heater” and brilliantly wide-eyed “Surface Dweller”, which sounds like it’s been ripped from pirate radio sometime around 1992), a Larry Heard-ish foray into tactile analogue deep house (the brilliant “Grey”) and a thrillingly industrial-sounding fusion of jackin’ beats and clanking bleep melodies (“Box Sound Scape”).

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D’Marc Cantu – Physical State EP [ANSATZ1002]

Hotel Lauer – Brudis [PLAYRJC029]

On a rainy late September day in the mid eighties, 7 year old Phillip Lauer didn’t know what to expect from that little new born G, who was referred to as his brother Jacob. On the other hand, Baby Jacob wasn’t very sure of what to make of this – back then still sporty – youngster either, who behaved like his boss. To make a short story long… it took them almost 30 years to finally find out – behind the helm of the infamous Pyramide 2 Studio when conducting this fine piece of home made dance music: the Brudis EP.

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Hotel Lauer – Brudis [PLAYRJC029]

Mono Junk – Skudge White 06 [SKUDGEWHITE006]

Mono Junk from Finland with a new four-tracker on Skudge White. The affair starts off in a most evil fashion with “Electric Chair”, an industrial creeper with rolling minimal acid bass-lines. Next is “Yhteys”, a deep cut with Detroit cues and a highly 80ies romantic flavor, a haven before next the stage, “Jupiter Acid”, a night driving noisy banger that’ll turn your batteries acid, peak time ecstatic action followed by the contrast-full “Härinähouse”, a moody piece filled with a somewhat eastern charm to close this tense journey.

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Mono Junk – Skudge White 06 [SKUDGEWHITE006]

Coni – Comfort Zone EP [CCB12015]

Parisian club imprint ClekClekBoom return to the more familiar 12″ format with some new Coni produce. Presumably called the Comfort Zone EP because Coni wishes to lift you out of it, the four tracks here show a further evolution in his raw brand of hybrid dance. Lead cut “The Opposite” demonstrates a nice interplay between the delicate synth pads and dusty, tumbling toms and makes for a simple yet very effective DJ tool. “Napalm” is apparently Coni’s homage to Dance Mania which is quite self-evident when you hear the sound clip play, whilst B Side opener “Bunker’s Groove” offers a hint at the producer’s darker side, a chasm deep exercise in warehouse techno Paris style. “Exit to the Comfort Zone” offers a more introspective finale, though many will find it perfect as a mixtape opener!

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Coni – Comfort Zone EP [CCB12015]

VA – Subwax Record Store Day Series 2014 [SUBWAXRSD2014]

ALEXANDER, Amir/HINODE/SAMUEL ANDRE MADSEN/CHRIS MITCHELL - Enjoyment Of Servitude (Record Store Day 2014)

Versatil EP with strong tracks by Amir Alexander / Hinode / Samuel Andr Madsen / Chris Mitchell. Special Record Store Day 2014 release.

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VA – Subwax Record Store Day Series 2014 [SUBWAXRSD2014]

Nicuri – A Lucid Dream / Moments [MORAMUSIC002]

The second instalment of Mora Music’s vinyl output finally arrives with two exquisite cuts from the emerging New Jersey talent Nicuri. The A-side’s Lucid Dreams offers refreshing take on some early progressive house vibes with deliciously warm pads that float delicately around a hypnotic and heavily dubbed bass line and thumping kick drum, chugging along as ideal warm up fodder. Moments, on the flip side is the EP’s battle weapon, exploding with a thunderous bass drum that pulsates underneath a plethora of scuttling tambourines, epic synth-pads and crisp claps; held together by a ravey hook that maintains the tension throughout. Both tracks are beautiful in their simplicity, yet wholly deserve the side each to themselves they’ve been given.

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Nicuri – A Lucid Dream / Moments [MORAMUSIC002]

Rødhåd – Red Rising EP [DYSTOPIAN007]

Red Rising out of the ruins dystopian producer and mastermind Rødhåd follow up with his third EP on Dystopian since 2012. In three tracks between hell and mars, the red techno man shows his amazing melancholic and deep style.

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Rødhåd – Red Rising EP [DYSTOPIAN007]

Synthek & Audiolouis – The Storm Above Us [NTCLTD005]

Natch Records delivers a solid and diverse four tracks ep. Two originals which best represent the latest evolution of the label to a more powerful and straightforward sound. On the other side the remixes by Jeroen Search and Zadig offer really devious and unexpected interpretations, really efficient but still demanding on the dancefloor.

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Synthek & Audiolouis – The Storm Above Us [NTCLTD005]