VA – Casting Shadows: Intergalactic Gary [CSIG]

SPRAWL/GAG/QUAD - Casting Shadows: Intergalactic Gary

Brokntoys return with the second volume of Casting Shadows this time featuring three secret gems selected by Intergalactic Gary. A true music archaeologist and one of the leading lights of the Netherlands’ West Coast scene for over 30 years, his knowledge spans across genres and decades. Opening proceedings on the A side, we go back to one of Andrea Benedetti’s acid classics – this time revisited at 33RPM, morphing it into a slow-burning dancefloor grinder. On the B-side, Italo disco duo GAG get a re-airing of their lost classic Flyin’ Bolero. QUAD, the UK duo formed by Mark Carroll and Pete Diggens, closes the EP with a deep breakbeat excursion originally released on Kinetix.

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VA – Casting Shadows: Intergalactic Gary [CSIG]

VA – FTD4X4-01 [FTD4X401]

FRANZ SCALA/ANATOLIAN WEAPONS/FUROR EXOTICA/ONDATA - FTD 4X401

Szymek Lawik and Maritn Lefteri’s regular party and NTS show, Feel the Drive, turns record label with a debut release that takes you through the gears. Spending their lives digging up the very best Italo, New Beat and EBM delights, a record label was the next logical move for Szymek Lawik and Martin Lefteri. The perfect distillation of their combined tastes and determination to search the globe for new music, the four-track debut EP features big hitters from Franz Scala (Bahnsteig 23, Tusk Wax, Cocktail d’Amore), Anatolian Weapons (Beats in Space, Dark Entries), Furor Exotica (Bordello a Parigi, Sprechen) and the label bosses themselves under their Ondata guise (Red Laser, Night Noise Music).

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VA – FTD4X4-01 [FTD4X401]

Martin Matiske – Robotic Theatre [MST044]

MATISKE, Martin - Robotic Theatre

Moustache Records welcomes to the family the oldskool electro legend Martin Matiske with his Electronic disco-ish 12 inch EP release “Robotic Theatre”. This is a future vision of a theatre run by robots and is the era in which machines entertain mankind. Operas are written and played in a mechanical way. The pieces of “Robotic Theatre” deal with different terms of stage work. Track A1 is called “Acting Faces” and Refers to the rehearsing of the role, as well as the interaction of the actors on stage. The well-being of the actor does not often match what is played. He has to play even If it’s painful. B2 is the track called “Machinery” Human beings are machines that build machines today. The advantage is perfection and time saving. Robots as actors are reliable and precise. B1 listen to the name “Transistor Dances”its Like The Hungarian Dances by Johannes Brahms you just need a dance to express happiness and remind your culture. Dances bring people together. A robotic dance should not be missing in a play. The last track of the EP is the tune “Practise” a story about a robot the has to practise to achieve perfection and it is fun.” Don’tplay this underwater order now gone is gone.

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Martin Matiske – Robotic Theatre [MST044]

Jared Wilson – Seeing is Forgetting [030EP016]

WILSON, Jared - Seeing Is Forgetting

An outsider in the Detroit scene, Jared Wilson’s meandering acid jams have always sounded more Cornish than American. His brand new EP for the Netherlands’ 030303 Records continues on that spacey tip. Sea Friends starts warm, bassy and laidback with upbeat and frenetic melodies taking over later on, lifting the tune to another level. Seeing is Forgetting is a melancholic, beatless acid trip, drenched in a strange field recordings setting with waves, vocal snippets and bird sounds all present. Potentially referring to Detroit’s legendary record label and distribution company is Submerge the Ship, the most layered and mesmerizing jam on this twelve, a track that truly sends you off to the depths of the deep sea. Closing track Yogacamp is the fastest one on the record and with various eerie melodies battling for dominance, a great once for the darker dance floors.

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Jared Wilson – Seeing is Forgetting [030EP016]

Solitary Dancer – Reveries Of A Solitary Dancer [PP02]

The latest release on Private Possessions finds itself landing in the embrace-inducing, euphoric, yet tear-worthy Bermuda Triangle of the proverbial DJ vibeboard: the cathartic response to over two years of album-dedicated studio time. The release also begs of a more existential question bleeding into the social consciousness: “Where do we belong?”, to which the answer is simple: “Together”. ‘Reveries Of A Solitary Dancer’ was inspired by an article of the same name by Artforum’s David Velasco. The piece details the legacy of artist Adrian Piper and her extensive body of work, most notably in the field of dance. Velasco reveals Piper’s desire to “transform the mechanisms that divide people into groups” and highlights her belief in dance spaces as conduits for reunification during times of segregation.

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Solitary Dancer – Reveries Of A Solitary Dancer [PP02]

Krokakai – Strange Behaviour [SDC002]

KROKOKAI - Strange Behaviour

Glasgow label Silver Dollar Club return with their second release, this time by local talent and friend Krokakai, titled ”Strange Behaviour”. Four tracks of tripped-out dub beats and squelchy acid treats to take you on an odyssey to the outer reaches.

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Krokakai – Strange Behaviour [SDC002]

Dj W.E.B. – Traditions 16 [TRAD16]

DJ WEB - Traditions 16

The necromantic antibeats is the first longplayer by DJ WEB (Walid El Barbir). Repetitive and funky drum-compositions contradict vocal samples resembling horror, suffering, pain and malady, combining both into very playful compositions which contain seductive joy and the ill depths of mankind (hell) at the same time. Dead poems for the eager & the lost evoking forgotten potentials through ritualistic repetitions.

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Dj W.E.B. – Traditions 16 [TRAD16]

Halv Drøm – Slum Vatic [F//019]

HALV DROM - Slum Vatic

In his debut LP on the imprint, Fleisch collective co-founder and resident Halv Drøm crafts esoteric body music inspired by loss, nostalgia and ego-dissolution. With groove, finesse and nothing to prove, he processes his past and future through an arcane haze of post-punk guitars and industrial field recordings.

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Halv Drøm – Slum Vatic [F//019]

The Nation Presents: A Black United Front (part 1) Sterilization

this is a new segment series focusing on rare vinyl from the basement/vaults, cd and music material from the headquarters and recording studio of Nation …

The Nation Presents: A Black United Front (part 1) Sterilization

Portray Heads – Portray Heads [MW074/BL-015]

PORTRAY HEADS - Portray Heads

Minimal Wave Records and Bitter Lake Recordings are happy to present their first collaborative release, a double LP by mythical Japanese underground electronic trio Portray Heads. Their self-titled double LP spans all their recordings to date including the songs from their rare “Elaborate Dummy” flexi (1985) and follow-up “Oratorio” (1986) Influenced by early 1980s European New Wave and Japanese synth-pop, their songs range from circular poppy synth gems to moody dark new wave anthems – all led by strong female vocals.

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Portray Heads – Portray Heads [MW074/BL-015]

Jyl – Jyl [MW075]

Minimal Wave presents a reissue of Jyl‘s self-titled full-length album from 1984, originally released on Klaus Schulze’s Inteam label. Born and raised in California, Jyl travelled to Europe in her twenties to dance and met several talented and like-minded collaborators along the way. She ended up in Germany, and worked with Ingo Werner, Angela Werner, and Klaus Schulze, on what would become one of the most important and forward thinking electronic albums of the time. Shortly after its release, the song “Computer Love” became a mini-hit along with the album’s opening track “Mechanic Ballerina”. The lyrics of “Silicon Valley” and “Computer Generation” are reflective of the times and have become even more relevant now, 36 years later. The production and song arrangement on the album is immaculate. The synthesizers, drum programming and vocal contributions complement Jyl’s voice perfectly. The album contains an incredible depth beyond a regular dance album likely due to the spirit of the people behind it – the list of contributors add to its significance and near-mythological mystery.

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Jyl – Jyl [MW075]

Locust – The Plaintive [SUCTION053LP]

Suction Records presents the first new album since 2014 by the legendary, and somewhat underrated electronic project of Mark Van Hoen, Locust. The album is called “The Plaintive”. Earlier this year, Locust released “The Plaintive” as a 15-track CD/digital album, part of Touched Music’s “Touched By Silence” boxset, and the CD was sold out in a matter of hours. Having heard Locust’s contribution to the set, the Suction crew was immediately smitten with the material, which sounded very much unlike the Locust of old, yet absolutely complimentary to Van Hoen’s murky, analog-synth past. Produced intermittently over a 5-year period, the tracks were created with a largely-digital eurorack modular system, alongside a selection of analog synthesizers, notably a newly-acquired Prophet 12 polysynth. While tracks like “If You Knew” and “Out Here” are reminiscent of classic Locust, much of “The Plaintive” shows us a new side to Locust – melodic, playful, and melancholic, with clear nods to the melodic electronic sounds of early pioneers like Cluster, early-Kraftwerk, or even OMD’s late-70s output.

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Locust – The Plaintive [SUCTION053LP]

Westcoast Goddess – The Soul’s Return EP [DOG81]

With a fresh and distinctive sound, Westcoast Goddess successfully fused soulful touches and late 80’s-era digital synths with raw, punchy grooves and a euphoric, ravey atmosphere. The Berlin-based producer lands on Delusions Of Grandeur with a 3 tracks EP.

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Westcoast Goddess – The Soul’s Return EP [DOG81]

Vienna – Tell Me [OW02]

Obscure World come back digging in the past , after the first release with Cosmic Galaxy now is time for italian house maestro Alex Neri with one of his very first aka “Vienna” alongside Marco Baroni inseparable music partner.A fresh touch with the italian newcomer crew Matteo Zarcone , Mennie and DJ GLC versions make this record again fresh to hit the dancefloor

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Vienna – Tell Me [OW02]

Bottin – Artifact 13 [ART13]

Artifact is again hot off the vinyl presses with a private edition, curated by stalwart editor Bottin. First off, “Manifesto Balearico” does exactly what it says: providing a blueprint of the Balearic Beat genre: thick layers of dreamy keyboards over a lavish mid-tempo groove, topped by a sparse macho voiceover and chanting sirens. With “Palmy Days” we leave the Mediterranean Sea for the ocean and the French West Indies: it’s not so much Latin music, but rather sophisticated tropical new wave. On the B side we cross the U.S. of A. for some naughty Californian Hi-NRG treat, better served straight into your ear channel: “Got Headphones?”. Finally we head back to Bottin’s homeland and explore an Italian city well after dark. “Ok Goodnight!” Buonanotte, amiche care.

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Bottin – Artifact 13 [ART13]

Paul Villard – C.A.R.R.I.O.N EP [LR019]

Mysterious and masked techno talent Paul Villard unveils more of his musical weaponry on the Lone Romantic label. Futuristic opener ‘Side Effects’ is a bumping electro cut with a stuttering drum pattern and squelchy synth funk from another planet. ‘Submarine Limousine’ keeps up the cyborg styles with a crisp electro groove that is run through by sci-fi vocals and effects, while ’Fluid Dynamics’ is all watery synth droplets and fractured vocals panning about the mix. Taught bass stabs keep you on your toes and make for an otherwordly robot disco vibe. The second half of this well-crafted EP starts with the glowing pads and creepy atmospheres of ‘Bioluminescence’, a classic Drexcyian electro jam that charges hard and deep into the cosmos. ‘Neon Death’ is an explosion of coruscated synth lines and bumping bass, tripped out machine sounds and warped electro-techno before closer ‘C.A.R.R.I.O.N.’ zones you out with intense ambient pads and modulated synths that are restless and paranoid.

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Paul Villard – C.A.R.R.I.O.N EP [LR019]