Pink Skull – Taki Chrome / Strummer Maxxx [HNR040]

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PINK SKULL - Taki Chrome

Imagine Andrew Weatherall producing Pere Ubu. The 7” Taki Chrome / Strummer Maxxx single by Pink Skull released on Höga Nord Rekords give a hint of how such a collaboration would sound. Mid seventies kraut rock á la “Neu 75” meet leftfield and sophisticated punk. The record has an organic warmth to it yet the excessive use of electronics: most instruments on the tracks are synthesizers and drum machines – all Moog, Korg and whatnot. In the warmth of the Pink Skull-sound you suddenly get a wash of cold, hard rain from all directions. These elements of surprise create edges in the round soundscape and brings chaos to the mix. This is of course all part of Julian Grefes (founder of Pink Skull) plan. Pink Skull propels you out of the quarantine like a shiny metal free bird released from its rusty cage.

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Pink Skull – Taki Chrome / Strummer Maxxx [HNR040]

Casco – Cybernetic Love [HM1004/R]

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CASCO - Cybernetic Love (feat Danilo Braca remix)

Recorded and released in 1983, ‘Cybernetic Love’ was the first of a string of Italo-era club hits from the late Salvatore Cusano AKA Casco – an undeniably the most impactful and timeless. On the A-side you’ll find the original mixes: a sweet vocal version featuring lyrics seemingly about falling in love with a robot, and an instrumental tale in which Cusano and his collaborators’ dreamy chords, sparkling synthesizer melodies, funky electro bass and unfussy machine drums come to the fore. Over on the flip you’ll find a new remix from Danilo Braca. He wisely retains the feel of the original, adding a few clonking electronic bleeps and a more chugging groove, whilst retaining the sparkling melodies and immersive chords.

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Casco – Cybernetic Love [HM1004/R]

XTR HUMAN – G.O.L.D. [BR//002]

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XTR HUMAN - GOLD

Though the hallowed halls of Berlin’s nightlife excess now sit cold, the sounds that once haunted their depths beat ever onward, and colder still. Birthed in these hushed plaguelands, XTR HUMAN’s new full-length G.O.L.D evokes the frozen melancholy of a post-pandemic city, driven ever onward by the impetus of night’s primary currencies: sweat, release and change. The latest full-length from Johannes Stabel, G.O.L.D finds the German producer evolving as much as the rest of the world has had to. Taking his political and socially conscious lyrics into his native tongue brings a deeper and more powerful thrust to their weight—particularly at a time when Germany is weighing its own social consciousness after years of being seen as a leading world figure.

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XTR HUMAN – G.O.L.D. [BR//002]

Steve Summers – Generation Loss [LIES169]

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SUMMERS, Steve - Generation Loss

Steve Summers delivers his long anticipated debut double LP for L.I.E.S. Stepping up with 13 tracks, Summers goes across the board exploring all ends of the long lineage of Chicago House music. As a member of Mutant Beat Dance with Traxx and Beau Wanzer or under his Rhythm Based Lovers alias Summers has always managed to tread the line between classic Chicago styles and modern psychedelic Jakbeat floor beaters. On the aptly titled “Generation Loss” we get the the full spectrum; from the old school 80s acid of “Who Knows” to the long form lysergic blackhole of “Boxed In” or the dx funk of “Unknown Origin” Summers cements his signature style which he has refined over years throughout this LP.

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Steve Summers – Generation Loss [LIES169]

Modern Analysis – Proto Rhythm [NATION19]

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MODERN ANALYSIS - Proto Rhythm

After a 4 year hiatus, Nation return to the vinyl world with their essential qty pressing / strictly ‘no repress’ policy firmly in place. A label designed to “Going Out” while “Holding The Lifeline”. Invocations of modern musical practice in the course of hypnotism in which each improvisation unreels in a mixture of a fanciful flight and a solid “Always There” beat. Modern Analysis is a new alias project for this their debut 12”. The duo was driven by these times of change and transformation in our world where we feel odd, lost or alienated. Lives have been lost, which has been greatly emotional for humanity. Everyone has a limited time on this planet and nothing stays the same – everything is in constant change.

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Modern Analysis – Proto Rhythm [NATION19]

Getatchew Mekurya – Ethiopian Urban Modern Dance Music Vol. 5 [HS098VL]

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MEKURIA, Getatchew - Ethiopian Urban Modern Music Vol 5

Getatchew Mekurya is probably the most revered veteran of Ethiopian saxophone. A real giant, both physically and musically. Not only is he at the very top level of Ethiopian saxophonists, but he is the ‘inventor’ of an extremely distinctive musical ‘style.’

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Getatchew Mekurya – Ethiopian Urban Modern Dance Music Vol. 5 [HS098VL]

Alemeyehu Eshete – Ethiopian Urban Modern Dance Music Vol. 2 [HS095VL]

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ESHETE, Alemeyehu - Ethiopian Urban Modern Music Vol 2

Alèmayèhu Eshèté is no less than one of the great voices of the heyday of modern Ethiopian music, the swinging sixties which, in this country, went on until the fall of the Emperor Haile Sellassie 1 in 1974. On a par with Tlahoun Gèssèssè, Bzunèsh Bèqèlè or Mahmoud Ahmed, Alèmayèhu is a star at the top level of the constellation that once lit up the wild nights in the capital.

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Alemeyehu Eshete – Ethiopian Urban Modern Dance Music Vol. 2 [HS095VL]

Awkward Corners – Amateur Dramatics [SORLP4]

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AWKWARD CORNERS - Amateur Dramatics

Amateur Dramatics is Awkward Corners AKA Chris Menist’s second LP in the space of a year. In 2020 – a time when the global pandemic gave artists more time and space to think about their music – Chris took his collaborations and compositions to a different level. Having already collaborated remotely with Sarathy Korwar, as well as Kitty Whitelaw through Karthik from Flamingods’ Isolate/Create/Collaborate community, Chris turned his thoughts towards a new project. Amateur Dramatics is influenced by the events of early 2021 and alludes to the general atmosphere of political life in the UK right now where we are chivvied along by people who seem woefully unqualified to be commanding authority. Musically, the LP builds on foundations of the meditative, devotional electronic aspects of previous LP Dislocation Songs but this time frames it more in a jazz context with significant collaborations with Collocutor and Maisha’s Tamar Osborn on four tracks.Vocals (from Kitty Whitelaw) feature on an Awkward Corners track for the first time, as well as double bass provided by David Leahy.The result is a thoughtful and deep listening 40 minute listening experience.

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Awkward Corners – Amateur Dramatics [SORLP4]

DJ Surgeles – Visions Of The Wise [ECLLTD018]

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DJ SURGELES - Visions Of The Wise

DJ Surgeles is back again on Eclectic Limited with a solo EP. 4 powerful tracks on clear orange colored vinyl showcasing his uniquely appreciable recognizable way of making Techno.

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DJ Surgeles – Visions Of The Wise [ECLLTD018]

Levon Vincent – Enchanted Cosmos [NS-36]

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VINCENT, Levon - Enchanted Cosmos

Lately, Levon Vincent has begun to serve up especially long tracks. At the start of the year, he delivered the 14-minute techno opus ‘Cyclops Trx’, following it up with two more stretched-out dancefloor workouts (‘Riding Alongside The Ocean’ and ‘So Good’). He’s at it again on ‘Enchanted Cosmos’, a 13-minute slab of deep space techno in which echoing, dub techno style riffs ride a sweaty drum machine rhythm and a driving, acidic bassline. Turn to side B and you’ll find the ‘Reprise’ mix, a stripped-back and even more mind-altering interpretation to adds glacial synth sounds and wilder acid lines to the long-serving producer’s heavy techno beats.

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Levon Vincent – Enchanted Cosmos [NS-36]

Nite Fleit – The Truth EP [INTLC008]

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NITE FLEIT - The Truth

Following up from Amadeezy’s wildly successful East Side G-Ride earlier this year, Nite Fleit beams onto the International Chrome starship to bring us four tracks of extra-terrestrial electro that will blow your sensor readings.

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Nite Fleit – The Truth EP [INTLC008]