Strut presents a reissue of Mary Greer Mudiku & Oneness of Juju’s album “Black Love Alive Again”, first released on Back Fire Records.
Mary Greer Mudiku & Oneness of Juju – Black Love Alive Again [STRUT251D]
001.Features
Jerome Hill – Crude Appraisal EP [SRTX040]
Jerome Hill returns with his 5th full EP on the label to warm you up for winter and it’s maybe stylistically, his widest offering yet. A joyous mash of influences collide and Hill spits them out of the blender with some typically unexpected curveballs. From the strikingly moody break beat acid of The Warning, to the 8 minute long extended Disco workout of ‘Harlseden Shuffle’. Then on the flip side, a reliably gnarly wedge of Technoey Acid House in ‘Combustion Zone’ and the EP culminates with a tip of the hat to mid nineties House with the rumbling bass and catchy percussion of ‘House Thing’.
Strange Haze – Temple of Truth [OUT002]
Outside In returns with some new-school, acid inspired sounds made for the club by Strange Haze.
Alpha Sect – Dance Mécanique [VV014]
Dance Mécanique EP: Unleashing the Pulse of the Mechanized Symphony. Embark on a sonic journey through the labyrinthine landscapes of machinery with Alpha Sect’s upcoming EP, “Dance Mécanique.” This vinyl release, destined to echo through the underground, serves as a pulsating manifesto against the encroaching takeover of our world by cold, relentless machines. In Meredith, Alpha Sect crafts a sonic portrait of a world on the verge of mechanization. His haunting voice, draped in delay and reverb effects, weaves seamlessly with the beats of EBM and the cold melodies of Post-Punk. This sonic tapestry creates a hypnotic soundscape that mirrors the evolving relationship between man and machine. Dance Mécanique, the titular track, unravels the dance of humanity entrapped in the mechanized rhythm of everyday life. Here, the gritty beats of EBM and ethereal echoes of Coldwave serve as a mirror reflecting how, at times, we move mechanically, lost in the repetitive motions of a world dominated by cold efficiency.
Böhm – Scientific Relevance EP [EUDEMONIA016]
Dreamy and old-school ravey moments that resonate perfectly with each other on this versatile EP by Böhm. Böhm is no stranger to the electronic music scene as he has made quite a splash with his latest releases on Dolly, Partout, M>O>S and Undersound Recordings and this outing on Eudemonia acts as an ideal successor.
Franck Kartell – Acoustic Warfare LP [N2MU009]
Six years following his previous LP, Franck Kartell returns to the music scene with an exceptionally personal album released under the label Noise To Meet You. On this occasion, the French artist pays homage to one of his lifelong obsessions — underwater detection and the acoustics of war. Eight exclusive tracks that immerse listeners in the raw undulations of rough waves, the echoes of sonar sounds, and weighty atmospheres combined melodic elements that define Franck Kartell’s unique sound.
Rude 66 – Conditioning Consciousness LP [BAP169]
For more than thirty years, Ruud Lekx has been corrupting hearts and minds with his unmistakable brand of synthesizer music. Under his Rude 66 mask, this titan of electronics returns to Bordello A Parigi with twelve darkened tracks for ‘Conditioning Consciousness’. Tempos glide low in the opening incantations. From the breathy murmurings of “Magick Angels’ Invocations”, the listener is brought into Rude’s world. Shauna Lekx’s signature vocoder lyrics and blackened subject matter are central tenets, as are hauntingly delicate melodies. “The Riddler In Me” is a deep psychological journey through cable and circuit, an unsettling monologue accompanied by liquid analogue lines. BPMs are allowed to rise for the shimmering warmth of “In Exile” and in the reverb soaked “The Chariot”. But these are the outliers. Across the collection, percussion drives without ever being a central force. Instead, the focus is the bewitching and brooding compositions. Take the drugged low slung groove of “The Talisman of Algol” or the loose modulations of “Le Sagittaire”, here the listener is brought into the heart of the machines and the musician. The curtain close, “The Five Swords Of Venus In Aquarius” gathers a spread of influences, bringing them together into one piece. Synth. Soundtrack. Strings. All culminate in this superb climax, a climax to an album that broaches the boundaries between terrifying and terrific.
Filmmaker / Petros Spatharos – DDS08 [DDS08]
Dalmata Daniel welcomes Filmmaker and Petros Spatharos for the eighth part of their split series. This obscure 3-3 track vinyl is the debut of the Columbian music maker on the label. However, for the Athens-based producer it’s a return after his participation on “Dalmata Daniel eats Lahmacun” compilation. But this project isn’t their first collaboration, because Petros released his first album on Body Musick, Filmmaker’s own imprint.
Happy707 – Escupir Un Burgues [SBOX020]
Happy707 have their vinyl debut, and it is well worth the wait. For years the Buenos Aires pair have been electrifying dancefloors far and wide, now their brand of electronics is set to infect even more speaker cones. With a unique style that meshes ebm, industrial, techno and wave, ‘Escupir Un Burgues’ is an addictive furore for the senses. From the energy packed “Cyber Chase”, the listener is pulled through the fog and the strobe of “El Extranjero” and into the headfirst thump of “Las Bolas.” Distant vocals and stuttering percussion are pivotal in the stripped bare title piece. Stammering synthlines and shattering snares rail and rage in the bold body music of “Magic Wave.” The curtain fall comes care of “Ultraman Theme.” Beats are emboldened, tempos race in this tongue in cheek slalom of laser beam melodies and videogames memories.
Gifted & Blessed – Heard And Unheard LP [39156031]
Gifted & Blessed returns with ‘Heard and Unheard’, an album that distills years of making music in a variety of styles and under different names into a singular statement. In addition to producing electronic music as Gifted & Blessed since the early 2000s, Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker has dabbled with many other aliases over the years: as Frankie Reyes, he explores his Puerto Rican heritage by playing Latin standards and originals on vintage keyboard instruments; as The Abstract Eye and The Reflektor, he creates dancefloor anthems with electronic hardware; and as GB and Julian Abelar, he’s released sample-based productions and techno adjacent dance music.
Electrodefender – Music Is Worth It LP
Frankfurt am Main producer Electrodefender is back with his signature West Coast influenced electro. 15 tracks on his new release “Music Is Worth It”, serving up electro-funk and ambient journeys.
Channel One – Technicolor [M003]
Metroplex continues its run of reissues with two more seminal releases from the label’s golden back catalog. First off is Catalog number M003, aka late 80’s Metroplex electro staple Channel One, a Juan Atkins joint with Doug Craig (Carl Craig’s cousin) on vocals. Futuristic and playful techno from the late 80s which soundwise evolves from Cybotron and the obvious Kraftwerk influences. Juan Atkins said about the release in a 2005 interview that “it was more fun than politically driven, just about the colors and combination spread from colors”. An important release in the history of Techno from both a cultural and creative perspective. Channel One’s technicolor has been carefully remastered from the original tapes.
Featherstone – Contact [ERN005]
Featherstone’s fifth release for Ernest’s Way is a 5 track, electro inspired EP featuring deep, syncopated sequences and angular rhythms contrasted with emotive passages that hit in all the right places.
F.U.S.E. – Dimension Intrusion LP [WARPLP12R]
‘Dimension Intrusion’ was the first full-length studio album by Richie Hawtin, who was 22 years old at the time and living in Windsor, Canada. It was first released in June 1993 under the F.U.S.E. name on Hawtin’s own Plus 8 Records imprint and again as the second release of Warp Records seminal ‘Artificial Intelligence’ series. The album compiled previously released F.U.S.E. EPs from Plus 8 complemented with new music specially recorded for this release. It would be a fundamental album for the young producer, who was experimenting with different themes and techniques to find his very own sound. Largely inspired by sci-fi movies he used a collection of synthesizers and drum machines, playing with their electronic yet warm sound effects and in turn discovering some of his favorite instruments.
Orbe – Andromeda [TOKEN120]
For Token’s 120th release, the imprint reintroduces scene favorite ORBE for another EP. Revered for his deep and viscous textures over stark rhythms, the Spaniard furthers his point in four calculated and layered examples.
R.Gamble – Dream Sequence [KRI005]
The fifth Kri release was produced by a New York based producer Richard Gamble. Dream Sequence EP explores the boundaries between mutated Wave, Minimal Synth, and EBM in search of a perfect loop and the most epic melody. A dim and moisty atmosphere is often cut by a ray of light but you can’t be sure if it’s just a flashing strobe. Three original tracks command absolute attention on the dancefloor or on the sofa and are accompanied by a Violet Poison remix.
Love In Cage – Trans-Reality [SEA023]
Third album from Rouen cold & arty band Love In Cage, between some cold synth electronic tracks, some post-punk anthems and a deep lynchian dark rock on the second half of the record. Perfect marriage of 80’s sound & contemporary music. A must have for wave & cold lovers.
Facets – Breakable [OMDD053]
Optimo Music presents the new EP from Facets. EBM has become a much abused term in recent times but here are some tracks exploring that EBM DNA where the creator 100% knows that history and what they are doing. Taking that knowledge and bringing that sound right up to date.
VA – Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX [Eskimo]
Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX is the second compilation for Eskimo Recordings compiled and curated by Berlin-based Musician and DJ Luca Venezia, aka Curses, to explore the darker side of club music. Spread across 3CDs and three 2LPs Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX features a mammoth 49 tracks that join the dots between early industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle, EBM legends like Nitzer Ebb and the post-punk experiments of people like Malcolm McLaren and Big Audio Dynamite with some of the most exciting artists around today, such as Boy Harsher, Nuovo Testamento and Years of Denial. Where the first Next Wave Acid Punx compilation was a personal journey for Luca, a lockdown inspired exploration of his record collection to find the thread that ran through the music that had soundtracked much of his life, DEUX is a celebration of that music let loose on the world, the thrill of music performed live, the smoke and strobe filled clubs you’ll hear it in and the artists you’ll find on those stages.
Model Alpha – Perceptions [OBL05]
Jonathan Fitoussi & Julie Freyri are Model Alpha. 8 years on after their first album Dimensions, Perceptions is the duo’s second album and was entirely composed on analog synthesizers. Model Alpha is inspired by electronic artists such as Kraftwerk, Laurie Spiegel, Manuel Göttsching or early Detroit techno productions. An elegant blend of synthesizers and drum machines including remix by Chloé (Thévenin).
The Hipodrome Of Music 