“Vanishing Dreams” is a highly awaited new mini-album by Cold Colors, brimming with personality and inspiration as always. Wistful undertones and captivating melodies establish Cold Colors as one of the most prominent figures in the current French and European new wave scene. His music mirrors the sharpness and elegance reminiscent of the renowned Lyon duo, Deux, showcasing his talent for evoking beautiful emotions through his melancholic and catchy notes.
The new Kri record goes back to the buzzing 1980s in Yugoslavia, where numerous art projects were testing the censorship and unity of the Communist Party. One such project was a punk and later post-punk/industrial band called O! Kult which took a hard stance against bureaucracy, technocracy and alienation. Their test was successful as it brought censorship and surveillance by the state and media authorities. The track and its mystical vibe have been reimagined by Silent Servant, Christian Kroupa (1/2 of Black Dot) and 198319831983, adding fresh EBM, electro and melancholic techno edge to the record.
UK producer, Darren Nye, is set to captivate listeners with his exciting new album, “Thoughts And Emotions,” released on Deeptrax. The long-player delves deep into the realms of techno, harking back to the golden era of the 90s and channeling influences not just from Detroit, but also the electronic waves that emanated from the UK, Belgium, and the Netherlands. ‘Thoughts And Emotions’ is a labor of love, where Nye masterfully explores and curates a rich collection of sounds, all bearing his distinct signature. Across twelve tracks, the listener is treated to an exceptional journey that encompasses bubbling electronica, down-tempo jazzy flourishes, and cosmic string-laden soundscapes. Darren’s socially conscious titles also add an extra layer of meaning to the listener’s experience, creating a soothing and moving soundtrack that speaks to the soul.
Deeptrax presents Deepseries 1.3, the latest installment in their Deep compilation series featuring friends and family of the label. This atmospheric EP showcases the distinct sounds of Deeptrax, bringing together a curated selection of tracks that define the label’s sonic universe. Tracks from Caim, Mathijs Smit, Joey Anderson, Rich P & Lee and Pim Holthof.
Jordan GCZ is back on Rawax, after the Dizzy Dizzy Dizzy release from earlier in 2023. The machine-jamming maestro is at his best dealing in cosmically-charged techno, and that’s exactly what he delivers on this latest record. ‘Polyphonic Glide’ is swathed in mysterious pads and soulful leads which offset the steady-trucking drive of the drums beautifully. ‘Why So Serious’ is a subtly bumping cut with a hazy, after hours atmosphere, while ‘Sunny Side Up’ deals in squashed funk and sparkling arps before ‘Undercurrent’ takes us home on a bed of celestial synth tones and submerged rhythms. The consistent feel of the record makes it a true delight to melt into – a techno record for sure dreamers.
The last of the Konduko series from Emotional Rescue arrives now. His ‘Fantasy’ saw him work with Larry Dermer aka Der Mer on what is an effective and catchy electro jam that operates at the higher end of the tempo chart with some classic vocoder vocal action to really make it pop. Despite being released originally in 1984 this one still bangs with its emulated TR-808 beats and nagging melodies. The instrumental heightens that and then the Jonny Rock Discomix shuts down with long-form rework that shows why the DJ, editor and all-round amiable bloke is so well regarded.
Belgium techno mainstay Elypsia Records from Brussels welcomes Carl Finlow with a six tracks mini album. Fierce electro tracks in the wellkown signature sound of Carl Finlow. He starts off with some fizzing and snappy action in the form of ‘Fractionality’ which has bounce and bite in equal measure. There’s a more zoned-out deep space feel to ‘Anomaly’ and a downtempo bliss to ‘Dust To Dust’. The flipside kicks off with some turbo-charged and ghetto-fried Motor Citry electro in ‘Visceral’ before two more electro gems get a little more atmospheric and deep.
Here are our favorite albums from 2023 compiled in chronological order.
Continue reading “2023 Best Albums”
Fierce electro and acid tracks by Die Gestalten. They continue their label series with a 3LP box set including a set of slipmats, A2 poster and stickers. The limited box sets contains 12 tracks influenced by the music and attitude of Underground Resistance and Mad Mike Banks.
Detriti Records presents “Kein Empfang” by Andreas Aprill, an 5 tracks EP of industrial electronics.
Free downloadable minimal electronic / techno music by Ryan Huber from Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
The Don is back to round off the series with maybe his most sought after release, his Remember EP. Reaching crazy prices online, the two tracks have been lost for some time. Now being remastered, ready for any dark club or after party.
Adeen Records is on a roll right now and this time out they welcome the Detroit hero that is Marcellus Pittman for a new and beguiling four-track 12”. Known for his work with The 3 Chairs collective as well as his solo jams, this Motor City mainstay opens up with ‘You Always Hank Bank One Time’ which is a real mental maze of rickety loops and blurts of degraded synth. ‘Another Spring Lover’ is another rusty and lo-fi piece of archetypal Detroit house that is very clearly machine music but with a unique sense of human soul. ‘I’m Gonna Be The Everything’ is a raw drum track with sparse, heartwarming chords and ‘Slick Nickle Pladium Investment’ is a knackered downbeat hip-hop closer.
Höga Nord Rekords presents “Totem Och Tabu”, the debut album of Swedish electronic psychedelia artist Datasal. The sound is built around repetitive sequencer loops and programmed beats where electric bass, electric guitar and flute improvise around a theme, creating a sound that is best described as cosmic flute house.
The original single from Escape From New York finally gets an official reissue. Originally released in 1983 ‘Save Our Love’ was released a year before ‘Fire in My Heart’ and sets out their highly effective fusion of New Wave, Disco, Italo and Post Punk. Featuring Jaki Graham and D.C Lee on backing vocals, the 12” also includes an instrumental mix and cult classic ‘Slow Beat’ (Dance Mix). Escape From New York were short lived and disbanded in 1984 following the release of ‘Fire in My Heart’, ultimately buckling under the pressure of commercial expectations for their innovative brand of pop music.
L.I.E.S. boss, Ron Morelli follows up his acclaimed “Heart Stopper” LP with a new six track mini LP. The six tracks on “Rhythm Master” focus on a departure from the more song based structures of “Heart Stopper,” presenting a series of raw “old style” beat tracks for the DJs to use and abuse as they see fit, although these tracks are not as cut and dry as the title may imply. Check the complex, jacking, drum programming of the Fingers inspired “Loose Screw” or absolute melodic deep house mastery on the closing track “Escapes.” and the late nite mix show drama of “Disco Gridlock” with its monstrous reverb drenched kick opening the b-side. All of these standing on their own and all of them displaying Morelli’s versatility as a producer in his ability to pinpoint and execute the many styles that made djs what they were back in the days.
NYC’s Sweater on Polo delivers a hammering six track mini LP for L.I.E.S. indebted to the sounds of early-90s psychedelic Chicago house, names like Gherkin and Pierre come to mind over this release but the young producer tastefully and effectively puts his own vision to the forefront with this record. In the misguided world of modern dance music production, Sweater on Polo, throws all trends aside and sticking to the bare essentials…letting the 808s,303s,727s do the job and making this one of the most crucial modern House records to come out of New York City in the last 10 years.
Kwasir lands on earth with a full break ‘on electro EP, making you sweat till pass over, controlling the chaos on the society and ruling the way to new music flavors. Expect nothing less than heavy interstellar vibes and disrupted frequencies and let the sound drive you to madness. Comes with remixes from Larionov and PTHGN.
Athenian label FERMA presents the next digital EP which is straight from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, featuring Josef Tumari. Josef is gaining momentum in the underground scene with his distinct and eclectic style rooted in subtle speed, broken rhythms and sanoat (en. industrial) atmosphere.
For its 49th release Dame-Music welcomes back Fear-E, this time for his second solo EP on the label this year, following on from his Lysergic Patterns From The Silver Box EP which came out in March. Once again, the Glasgow based producer delivers 4 banging acid cuts on Vol. 2. Heavy acid bass lines and dynamic drums are the name of the game here.
The Hipodrome Of Music 