Irish electro producing artist DeFeKT will supply the second Electronic Explorations 12″ release. Strong analogue sounding electro techno, raw industrial edged tracks.
DeFeKT – Transmuter EP [EEV002]
001.Features
A.W.E.S.O.M.-O. – Excellence of Execution [ZYNTAXMOTORCITY008]
These three tracks were recorded by Daze Maxim and Oliver Bondzio during the studiosession in 2003 for Oliver Bondzio’s Straight Outta D-Town album which was released on Cocoon Recordings. Since music has no expiring date Oliver finally decided to release them.
Torn Hawk – We Burnt Time [VV010]
Valcrond Video, the label of Brooklyn-based visual artist and producer Luke Wyatt presents it’s very first vinyl issue in the shape of two new tracks from Torn Hawk, one of Wyatt’s aliases. First coming to the fore in a musical sense with a set of distressed guitar and asphalt beat attacks on the LIES White Label series, Torn Hawk has been closely associated with Ron Morelli’s label ever since with Wyatt subsequently working with Karen Gwyer, Secret Circuit and Willie Burns. Distancing himself a bit from the grime and grit some associate with his productions, the two new tracks have more in common with the more expansively voiced compositions on Emotional Response release Teen Hawk, or the cinematic melancholy of the untitled EP he released under the alias Lossmaker. Clearly Wyatt is building towards housing all his musical instincts under one roof.
Shifted – Under A Single Banner [NAIL007LP]
It’s been a busy couple of years for the producer behind the Shifted project. On top of an extremely well-received album for the Mote Evolver label, the producer has edged further out into the fringes of electronic music under a number of aliases, taking in noise/ambient variants as Covered In Sand, as well as more distorted, technofied productions under the Alexander Lewis moniker, a sound described by the Blackest Ever Black label as “S-M techno.” His new album as Shifted, Under a Single Banner, finds the producer converging these strands into a lucid re-imagining of techno, starting off from the toughened, purist templates honed down by the likes of Sandwell District and Marcel Dettmann, and stretching out into more textured, sometimes noisy, often introverted and melancholy signatures. It’s a perfect fit for Bed Of Nails, a label that’s given a platform for the more direct dancefloor mutations of Dominick Fernow’s own productions as Vatican Shadow, Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement, and Christian Cosmos, as well as familiar Hospital Productions affiliates such as Kris Lapke under the Bronze Age guise. There’s a rich and earthy warmth to Under a Single Banner that’s perhaps at odds with the puerile fixation on all things noisy at the fringes of techno these days, but for the most part, the tension and momentum keeps the album definitively aimed at the floor without ever resting on its laurels.
Positive Centre – An Assembly [OCS007]
Positive Centre (Mike Jefford) brings his unique submerged electronics to Sigha’s label for 007 with his ‘An Assembly’ EP, fusing detailed sound design and acute attention to spatial sonics with a throbbing low end. This release is a departure from the label’s usual tempo but the palate remains the same. One for fans of deep, immersive techno or those who just want to get lost in the dark…
Society Of Silence – To The Maggot EP [VER088]
Following their first EP, Society Of Silence is back with the second part of their deep trip into dub techno. Three new tracks pushing their exploration further into the darkest side of techno. But without forgetting and omnipresent psychedelia…
Madteo – Insider [DOSER018]
Madteo’s return to Morphine. Really expanding his electronic pallet for this one and going into some heady experimental realms. Insider continues down the distinct path the fast talking Queens resident Madteo took on last year’s Sahko long player with “The Hiding Hand Principle” a particular highlight. It’s a sparse, sinister affair, with a high pitched drone wailing just under distorted vocals lurking just out of earshot, and a crawling kick drum that seems to drag itself along the ground like a wounded animal.
Farah – Metal Irene EP [DBA014]
Farah (formerly Darling Farah), joins Don’t Be Afraid for his first release of the year, and his first under the newly shortened pseudonym. The itinerant young producer adopts a uniquely non-conformist approach to house and techno on this EP, as evidenced by the arcade game-sampling Cloudy Apple and the deranged funk of Lockhead. Speak On The Spotlight meanwhile presents a deeper option, whilst Humming and Pieced Apart hint at Farah’s sound design credentials.
Creta Kano – Shinjuku [PNKMN004]
Massiande – Heart Rushed Love EP [HOUSEWAX012]
DeeKay Jones – Jones Comin’ Down [SHK007]
For its seventh release Shaddock unearths a genre-defining piece of music overlooked by even the most thorough of crate diggers, backed by a storming Hercules & Love Affair remix. New York, New York by DeeKay Jones is an electrifying piece of hypnotic electric-disco-wave, produced in the eponymous citys concrete jungle back in 1981. Its a track that had all the potential to propel dance music forward: Relentless drum computer beats that predate techno, and even Chicago house, by years. A minimalistic synth hook that sounds more futuristic than any cutting edge dance record available at the time. And brilliantly overdubbed chants (taken from a 1970 The Last Poets album), which anticipated sample culture and should have made this an anthem. New York, New York is accompanied by two more unreleased DeeKay Jones tracks from the same era and a remix by non other then Hercules & Love Affair vs. Haze Factory.
Hakim Murphy – Chiffre [MS0093]
Chiffre opens with “Tegal E”, boasting strong kicks, intricate percussion, fierce bass lines and a haunting synth lead which introduces the listener to Hakim’s deep cerebral textures, patterns, and rhythms. Up next, a remix of “Nabodani” by DJ Spider takes things to the next level with heartthrob kicks, jazzy percussion loops, and menacing soundscapes. Opening the B-side, we have Murdoc’s remix of “Vatitio”, a smooth rendition of the original featuring winding bass lines, unique synth pads and rhythmic pauses throughout the progression of the track. Concluding the release is the final track, titled “Gangsta Glide”; a strong composition returning us full-circle, back to Hakim’s dreamlike spheres of heightened reality.
Jonsson & Alter – 2 [KM032]
Having commenced 2013 with one long player in Andreas Tilliander’s TM404 project, Kontra Music signs off for the year with the second album from label regulars Jonsson & Alter. It’s a fine way to bookend another impressive calendar year for the Malmo-based label who have slipped out a bunch of killer twelves in-between as well as found the SKUM label with compatriots Skudge. The inspiration behind Henrik Jonsson and Joel Alter’s nonchalantly titled second album 2 apparently derives from the time Jonsson & Alter spent performing the previous album live and wanting to incorporate “heavier beats”. The result is a nine-track album that sees Jonsson & Alter produce a refined and matured follow up to their debut, while managing to maintain a raw and housey aesthetic.
Marcello Napoletano – Rush EP [WEN003]
Marcello Napoletano is back on What Ever Not with a fresh ep including four raw house tracks.
Marc Cotterell – Set Me Free [PPD003]
Late Night Underground House Music. Label owner Marc Cotterell delivers two tracks of deep soulful late night groovers. Side A holds the vocal of Claudia while laying down deep chords and baseline. Side B goes more floor friendly with club beats and flowing late night keys thanks to David Powers.
Santiago Santamaria – Thin Lines EP [PPD002]
Deep late night, educated house music by Santiago Santamaria on Plastik People label. The release includes a remix by label owner Marc Cotterell.
VA – L.I.E.S. Presents Music For Shut-Ins [LIES041]
A collection of hits, misses, new loves, and future head scratchers running the gamut from floor ready beat tracks (Legowelt) to post chill out room bleep-hop (Daywalker & CF) to industro-wave anti beat experimentation (Svengalisghost) with no restrictions or limitations. As with last year’s American Noise compilation, disc one revists prime cuts from the nearly 30 releases the label will have released by the end of 2013, while disc two compiles unreleased tracks exclusive to this cd. A document of the immediate energy surrounding these musicians here and now, maybe one can call it club music for people who hate going to the club? or simply “Music for Shut Ins.”
R-A-G – Life [LXRC015]
The road to Hell is paved in gold. One that guides to Disorder, Repression and eventually a last leap into OD. Yes, boy, this is Life. Unfair, menacing, dark and twisted, like the new EP from R-A-G out on Lux Rec. The Dutch trio presents its first release outside the M>O>S legacy and delivers three excessive tracks wandering on the fringes of the jacking zone, analog techno and wavy obscurity. Walk in, embrace Life. Hear it pulsates, disappear.
Nepal – Drift [SEQ009]
And here we are, just as promised, exploring the dark corners of Nick Lapien; the man otherwise known as Metropolis. This time around, he comes back with a pair of extended cuts that veer off into heretofore unexplored terrain, relishing in detail with a sharp focus on momentum and lyricism. ‘Glow’, the A side, uses a basic 2-note sine wave bass line and a 136 BPM kick as the backdrop for a 13+ minute descent into a thicket of static and clattering modular craftiness—a pathway into the unknown through auditory hypnosis. On the flip side, ‘Rebuild’, a milder 4/4 beauty, uses a soft bass riff for its duration as shuffling synth experimentation stretches the stereo field. A long trumpet solo by Mark Nieuwenhuis casts a soothing, mournful light into the piece. Immerse yourself into the sounds and let yourself be guided, let yourself be found.
Fishermen – Patterns And Paths [SKUDGEWLP001]
After their wonderful EP from a year ago, the Fishermen are ready to take you on a diving trip with their very first album, an accomplishment in itself With “Patterns and Paths”, Thomas Jaldemark (YTA) and Martin Skoggehall (MRSK, Smell The Flesh) have crafted a rather mesmerizing story of abstract and figurative tropes altogether, and eerie is probably the best word to describe the general mood of this, but hard and raw eeriness! The affair starts with “Green Horn”, a gentle foreplay setting the tone for an imminent journey into the lightless abysses. “Hope Is gone” further enhances the incoming grim turn of events in a coil-like fashion before “Serpents” makes our feet and hips take over our fear of the unknown. The trance has indeed begun and we’re soon entering a hidden warehouse rave cave of un-earthy shamanism, the unforgiving stomp of “Get None”. “Dyspnea” manages to find a path into deeper regions the groove shift towards a darker funk with “Lost Teeth”, a caribbean techno banger that’d wake any zombie in the making! “The Four Skulls” suddenly hints of a safer journey with healing percs and melancholic pads, but “Rise” soon shatters those false hopes with an evil lurking motoric groove. Then, you hit “Scurvy” where the pace slows down a little only to introduce the seductive side of this gloomy adventure, a challenge to you feet inducing lascivious moves. Keeping you in trance, “In Solitude” kind of combines both previous tracks strengths with an added Twin Peaks value. Now finally reaching the far bottom of the ocean, the mood gets even more claustrophobic with “Sunken Mosque”, the last stage of this trance before maybe getting back to the surface. Indeed, if “Torments” might let you catch a breath of air, it is filled with minerals, the world above has changed, and you might very well feel safer back under the water, a reverse mirror to Mike Ink’s old Gas project.
