Soil Records presents the third volume of Tears For Fears cassette compilation. The release includes 22 tracks from the likes of Adrian Marth, Anatolian Weapons, Chino, Crossover Network, Fragedis, Le Chocolat Noir, Ober Dada & Lera Foer, Sons Of Traders, Violet Poison and many more.
Schrödinger’s Box found a true audio delinquent when they discovered Rapha. Resident at Alphabet Club in Tel Aviv, this is a musician who creates tracks with a punk attitude and a painted acid smile. The co-founder of Chateau Royal arrives with four blistering numbers for our box. After the pounding percussion and 303 smears of “Ivanka”, this sidewinder synthesist unfurls the brooding darkness that is “Transform.” Lighter tones pierce the gloom in the carefully crafted “Visionia” before The Exaltics lands for some deep and dreamy electro with an incredible remake of “Voyager101.” Rapha’s original of “Voyager101” closes the 12”. Rasping rhythm patterns cut a path for rich dauby analogue bars in this stripped-back, late-night close.
BT57 sees Markus Gebauer AKA Interviews making his debut on Brokntoys. Having left a lasting impression with his previous efforts on labels Ortloff and Bitterfeld, here the Berlin-based producer showcases his throbbing blend of Italo, EBM and electro on a 4 track EP designed for primetime club action.
Producer and DJ from Strasbourg, France – Itako’s anachronistic influences combine a wide range of sounds from the 80’s to the early 00′, from industrial to disco & trance to new beat. Itako presents a 5 tracks EP of raw and unadulterated electro for his debut on Lone Romantic titled ‘Ligotage EP’.
Dark Entries is again presenting an essential classic: the Chicago house anthem Essence of a Dream, by Risqué III. K’Alexi Shelby’s illustrious career has included releases on legendary labels such as Trax, DJ International, and Transmat, as well as collaborations with high profile artists such as Marshall Jefferson and Pet Shop Boys. But his musical journey began at the young age of 12, when he befriended Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles while frequenting the Music Box and Warehouse. In 1987, Shelby’s first solo release, Risqué III’s “Essence of a Dream” b/w “Risqué Madness,” was to be cemented in Chicago dance history. He was accompanied in the studio by his cousin and production mentor, Mr. Lee. The tracks effortlessly propulsive house rhythms (courtesy of the Roland TR-727, TR-707, and TR-909), salsa-inflected bassline, and oneiric strings fuse magnificently with K’Alexi’s steamy, Prince-esque verse.
Ambroise Boret is a French engineer, mixer and producer located in Paris who released material under various guises from the nineties through to the early 2000’s. Here we see his Continental moniker brough back into the limelight, highlighting a selection of material from the Pushin’ It Up EP on Alliance Records. Up first is ‘Flying Dub’, as the name would suggest a dub-infused excursion through gliding chord sequences, snaking bass licks and bright string sequences while swinging analogue drums dynamically evolve throughout. ‘Way U Jack’ follows, introducing a more Chicago leaning attitude rhythmically alongside low-pitched vocal murmurs, fluttering dub chords and a bumpy bass line. Title-track ‘Whispers’ follows on the b-side next, employing ethereal atmospherics, flute like synth melodies, organ bass tones and crunchy, shuffled percussion. Rounding out the EP Cosmin TRG reworks ‘Whispers’, offering a contemporary twist on the original with intricately programmed drums, subtly nuanced introductions of the originals atmospherics, winding low-end pulsations and an overall ornate, dynamic feel.
Takeshi Kouzuki returns to Alley Version label for sharing with the brothera duo FLML, the split mini-LP “Tracks From The Alley”. Takeshi Kouzuki keeps crossing old school house with his recognizable classy signature. The warm but hitting acid of “福”, opens the Takeshi Kouzuki’s side, while in the second track “1986” deep-and-dark synthetic magic atmospheres are driven by the beating of the twins TR707 and TR727 drum machines. “Yellowacid” burns in its acid-jackin’ madness. Opening FLML’s side “Hot Spread” is obscure jackin’ techno mechanical psychedelia, the following “Jack That Strings” is a pure raw windy city deep‘n’acid track. In the closing “Does Mean It’s You” a freaky FM synth melody is driven by the pulsing of liquid and creepy analog synths and drums, while an 8-bit sampled Andy Warhol’s speaking fragment marks the space, until dies in a delay feedback.
Two classic Finnish acid house remixes from year 2004 by Jori Hulkkonen. Where the A-side’s remix of unreleased Acid Kings track makes Jori’s rapping sound as embedded as resonance in a silver case – the flip side is deep, driving, juxtaposing pop and underground in a way Manchester’s dance scene was famous for in the hayday-80’s. What’s that sound so fresh and wicked..?
”Think Again is about reviewing the plan. It’s about taking inventory, reorganizing, restocking, doing away with and adding what’s needed. It’s a project about transition – in body and soul” – Millsart
Although now based in Berlin, Subradeon began their career in home city Naples. The Neopolitan twosome specialises in a brand of techno that combines the crunchy, full-throttle techno sounds of their native Italy with a soulful musicality that deftly draws on classic house and Motor City techno sounds. It’s an ear-catching and entertaining formula that delivers more hits than misses. For proof, check out the pair’s latest EP, and in particular bouncy, sun-splashed opener ‘We Are Resilient’ and the stab-happy joy that is retro-futurist anthem ‘Don’t Fake The Funk’. Subradeon’s love of combining cheery, looped riffs and heavy grooves is further explored on ‘Wisdom’, which is then given a more dubbed-out, late-night re-fit by Underground Resistance crew-member Rolando.
Keith Tucker and Gerald Donald of Dopplereffekt finally got together. The combination of these two musicians has created a bombardment of funk as only Keith Tucker and Dopplereffekt can bring. That unearthly eerie funk and strings from other worlds. That snappy intelligent funk that Detroit so heavily influenced and unleashed to the universe.
Jordan GCZ takes our minds raving along psychotropic wallpapered hallways of sound with this tight set of emotive belters for Rush Hour. The Juju & jordash / Magic Mountain High keyboard maestro leaves the noodles at home for this EP. After cooking up the hooky, Acid dipped title track, he turns the heat up high over three 90s style techno cuts.
The next Selections release comes from Parisian artist Jamn Ensemble. “The Snows of Yesteryear” features 3 instrumental tracks of sublime deepness with hints of acid and techno. The EP also sees Basic Soul Unit (Stuart Li) on remix duities. Stuart has added some late night rawness to the title track “The Snows of Yesteryear”.
Produced by Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards of Chic, this song was featured on the 1982 Soup For One movie soundtrack album. Includes an 8-minute 12” version, instrumental, and radio version. Pressed on opaque olive green vinyl with white detail.
Kaymany & Asestar hail from Rome, a city where many musicians spend most of their days producing sounds for the television industry and even shopping malls. That’s part of the reason the country has such a reparation for great jazz-funk sounds and now adding to that cannon are Kaymany & Asestar. ‘Effimera’ is glossy and feel good disco with retro future chords, while ‘Digressione’ has a Bob James style energy to it with its high speed funky bass and incidental chords. ‘Capao’ closes in Latin fashion with manic keys and more plucked and funky bass slaps making you shake every limb.
Keith Farrugia aka Sound Synthesis returns to his home and he has done it again. After his now deleted work on Electric Eclectics, you will have a second chance with this new EP. Very limited units on colored vinyl, packed in a really nice way as we have come to know by the Fundamental crew.
Exzakt teams up with fellow Electro Breaks legend, BFX and the output is very strong. Originally produced for submission to an Egyptian Lover compilation, Nasty girl is laced with vocoder vocals as well as a female voice over hard hitting bass beats and deep baselines. This is a tune tailored for the club however retains its depth like many Exzakt & BFX tunes usually do. With Nasty Beats is the instrumental. As if Side A comes just as strong. Starting with BFX, Jelly offers his signature melodic sound along with low end frequencies all culminating into a solid Electro tune. Finally a deep cut from Exzakt, Taking Over The System is a perfect end to this future classic vinyl.
It’s been 25 years since the anthem ‘Freak O Holic’ by Los Angeles electro legend Egyptian Lover was first released. His label Egyptian Empire Records serves up a repress for all the fans out there, featuring an extended version of the track, presented here as the super sleazy Alternate Universe mix on the first side, followed up on the flip with ‘2 The Extreme’ (long version) taken from the seminal album of the same year – the 1986 LP. A true pioneer, Egyptian Lover’s (real name Greg Broussard) earliest material is name checked by producers such as as Autechre and I-F as influential.
The Hipodrome Of Music 