Robert Hood – Paradygm Shift. Vol 3 [DKMNTL055]
Following on from the 2017 LP Paradygm Shift by Robert Hood released on Dekmantel Records, the Detroit legend returns to the imprint to deliver the final installment in a trilogy of EP releases that initially began back in February 2016. Now based in Alabama, the Detroit-techno producer is returning to his roots. Embracing the trademark, minimal, funk techno sounds that defined his earlier career, Paradygm Shift Vol. 3 is classic Hood, operating in new, and uncharted ways.
Orbe – Laser’s Worldwar [PALINOIA003]
Orbe is no stranger to the hypnotic side of techno, and his newest release on Eric Cloutier’s recently created Palinoia label properly allows the Spanish artist to do what he does best. Four tracks of deep, psychedelic techno, all slightly twisted and quirky in their own way, the entire EP is perfect for those headsdown nights deep in to the morning on the dancefloor of your favorite darkened club.
Boston 168 – Phenomena Part 2 [ODDEVEN014]
One-of-a-kind acid tunes made by two scientists. Boston 168 are back on Andre Kronerts Odd Even with a new masterpiece. Phenomena consists of two EPs. Each one contains 4 flowing and breathing tracks for the world of acidicted humans. Sergio and Vincenzo got their own handwriting if it comes to techno and acid, new gravity spaces and sound blackholes.
PNKMIX-05 | Black Seed – Lost Kisses
Leonardo Martelli – Menti Singole Vol. 2 [ATN040]
It’s already been two years since Leonardo Martelli’s debut with the four-tracker Menti Singole. He has since been following the direction he took with this first release, at a rather slow path, releasing a lone and haunted mini-album, Previsto, in the meantime. With Menti Singole Vol.2, Martelli establishes a picture of his music, an update of his aspirations in the feminine.
Dr. C. Stein – La Bombe Plastique [AD002]
Artificial Dance has returned to the source for release number two. The 12” pays tribute to one of the most influential figures of Amsterdam’s original DIY electronic music scene, Hanjo Erkamp. During the first half of the 1980s, Erkamp had a hand in some of the most experimental and forward-thinking releases on the now legendary cassette label, Trumpett. Famously, he was a member of two of the label’s key bands – industrial outfit Doxa Sinistra and new wave combo Ende Shneafliet – but during the period he also recorded a swathe of solo tracks as C. Stein, most of which only saw the light of day decades later. ‘La Bombe Plastique’, a thrillingly spacey and futurist cut rich in proto-techno rhythms, intergalactic electronic motifs and drowsy choral vocals. For this timely reissue, the superb original version comes accompanied by a fresh re-edit created primarily for DJ use.
Veronica Vasicka – BIS Radio Show #923
VA – Electrified Bodies [BVV03]
Bodyvolt celebrate 10 years with a longplayer and 9 tracks by various artists: Bruta Non Calculant (formerly known through Invasion Planete Records and his project Le Syndicat Electronique), Eleven Pond (legendary 80s New Wave Band), Flying Bodies (Kommando 6), Swesor Bhrater (also coming from the Ex-Invasion Planete circle) Nina Belief (No Emb Blanc Records) TecRoc (Kommando 6), Naive (formerly known as :Codes, Autonom or as Code on Kommando 6), Black Pond (collaboration between Eleven Pond/Jeff Gallea + Beta Evers) and Radikale Analog Fraktion (Kommando 6).
Volta Cab – Rise Again 2LP [BAP106]
Temperatures are dropping and we’re all feeling the effects. Bordello A Parigi is letting the cold winds of the north swirl inside its doors with Russia’s Volta Cab bringing a fresh 2LP to the table. A spread of influences come together for the eleven tracks of Rise Again. Take Emerald’s Phantasy, a piece built on layers of percussion that blends elements of disco with notes of techno. Dark Room is a different affair. Arctic chords are cut with electro and distant vocals for an unsettling treat. Kruger stomps to a terse beat before lush pads bloom in a work that builds to dizzying peaks. Warm blasts balance these colder moments, the rich grooves of Savage Fury, the floor filling funk of Board Scandinavia and the removed romance of Sweet Exorcist all show another shade to the Volta Cab sound and of course there’s more. Rise Again is an audio collection of vibrant colours and hues, tracks pitch from icy blues to autumnal ambers and fiery reds; a musical kaleidoscope that stretches across a spectrum of styles.
The Hacker @ Shelter Amsterdam 22.12.2017
Luke Eargoggle – Stranger Destiny [BT27CHR01]
Karl Lukas Pettersson has searched through his vaults of DAT tapes to create a personal album of lost projects, ideas and forgotten gems. The album includes a remastered version of Professor Laphroaigh originally included on his Dr Lindh – Sounds Interesting EP for SCSI-AV.
Norwell – Geometric Vision EP [NF19]
Real name Balázs Semsei, Norwell has turned out a steady stream of releases, always coming on strong with a personal artistic vision plus a sense of drama. Across four craftily cuts on Umwelt’s label, he revisits his own dystopian universe made of sonic frequencies fused into rich atmosphere with a strong array of emotions. From the haunting opener Geometric Vision’ to the explosive final Conversation Patterns’, Nor-well signs one of his best release to date. Fascinating synth melodies supported by raw drums and insane electro textures compose this must have 12” and an essential addition to the New Flesh catalog. Heavy electro darkness for serious heads, this is a soulful EP full of depth, impossible to ignore!
Kosh – Null 212 EP [CSV02]
The Moroccan label Casa Voyager returns with 4 electro tracks from Kosh aka Youssef Benjelloun to feed you data fantasies. The Casablanca based producer delivers a very efficient debut release. Death or serious injury could occur if ear comes in contact with this music.
La Contra Ola – Synth Wave & Post Punk From Spain 1980-86 [BJR015]
A compilation dedicated to the early 80’s Spanish Synth Wave and Post Punk scene. First to be published outside Spain, this anthology explores the electronic music side of the independent music produced in the days in the Iberian Peninsula: Synthetic pop music with industrial sounds including futurist Art Rock, dance-floor productions and low-fi experiments on cassettes. Classics or true hidden treasures, this selection of nineteen songs is symbolic of the musical dawn that Spain experienced during the decade marked by the return of democracy and by the creative freedom initiated by Punk music. “La Contra Ola” covers the years 1980-1986, and the most striking thing about this LP is the diversity of sounds that these artists were using. Unlike the stale synth wave that swept across the UK in that Neo-romantic sway, the likes of Esplendor Geometrico, Derribos Arias, Linea Vienesa, or Tres, to whom this comp is dedicated to, used their own native influences to express their vision of electronic punk music, and the results can be heard all over this magnificent anthology. It’s a piece of history that we finally have more knowledge of, and we thank the ever-reliable Bongo Joe for it.
VA – Issue No 22 [JL022]
The 22nd “Issue” on Regis, Silant Servant and James Ruskin’s Jealous God label is predictably impressive. Undoubtedly the most notable inclusion is “The Bond”, a rare collaboration between Marcel Dettman and Silent Servant that looks to the sleazy, arpeggio-driven thrust of Electronic Body Music for inspiration. It’s the EP’s one genuine “peak-time” moment and strong enough to carry the whole 12″, though happily Pye Corner Audio’s flipside excursions are also impressive. Check, for example, the undulating, fluttering, post dub techno cut “Delay Gratification” and the swirling, hypnotic dancefloor melancholy of inspired closer “The Future”, where a lone acid line rises above a dense and poignant backing track.
Savage Grounds – Let Your Love Groan [PBD11]
Being closely connected to the label, it was only a matter of time before Daniele Cosmo was released on Pinkman. At long last, he makes his debut appearance with co-conspirator CCO as Savage Grounds. What they came up with is a tight two tracker presenting full speed, minimalistic punk electro workouts. Both tracks, while boasting with furiosity and dread, as is often the case in the Broken Dreams releases, carry an infectious groove that is guaranteed to get bodies moving in the highest gear and right into the abyss.
mir.ON – A Dark Ambient Trip [SNDSPHR025] [FREE DOWNLOAD]
Miron Ghiu, once in his youth a winner at international philosophy competitions and a journalist specialized in music and new media, has been experimenting for almost 10 years in the field of sound art, both on his own and as a member of the ambient /drone/noise Nava Spațială duo. He finds his inspiration in Dada and deconstructivist techniques and he likes to play with chance and improvisation. He feels best in art galleries, where the audience actually listens to the surrounding ambient music without looking for beats to dance on, but also in music venues. He has created the sound design for a few theatre plays, peformed in various independent spaces as well as on the stage of a major Romanian theatre. He is also a DJ. Most of the music he composes, either ambient or noise, is available on several Soundcloud accounts and on several discs released in various parts of the world.
Jeff Mills – And Then There Was Light (Soundtrack) [AXCD052]
Last year, Jeff Mills provided the soundtrack for a curious Japanese film by Tatsushi Omori called And Then There Was Light. The movie was based on a novel called Hikari, which focuses on a teenager who kills his girlfriend’s other lover while mistaking their affair for sexual assault. The dark tone of both novel and film naturally shines through in Mills’ refreshingly electronic score, which flits between moments of quietly spacey ambience, creepy intensity, Reichian minimalism (see “Danger From Abroad”), icy soundscapes, industrial strength intensity (the panicked “The Players of Consequence” and “Lost Winners”) and, on the “Hikari Mix” of “The Hypnotists”, full-throttle Detroit techno with Giallo overtones.
Initial Programs – What Tomorrow Brings EP [FIRSTCUT003]
Initial Programs is a new project by respected ambient producer Mick Chillage. It is also Mick’s first ever vinyl release and sees the Irish artist focus on deep, acid-tinged techno and melodic electro.
The Hipodrome Of Music 