Olivia @ Unsound Toronto 11.06.2016
Chino – Hiss [HOLGER010]
Holger #10 introduces yet another new face to the ever growing label crew: Chino has been one of the most busy live performers in Poland for the last decade – playing all-hardware sets in clubs and at festivals on a weekly basis. His »HISS« EP is a true Acid treasure and Holger’s most decisive step into proper club territory. »Worker« and »Paper Rider« are two bass-heavy dancefloor belters, with strong kickdrums and synapse-tickling 303 lines. The flipside shows two more of Chino’s many facets: While »31.08.« is a slow-burning Dubtechno hypnosis, »Shifter« closes the EP with moody Electro.
NGLY Interview
Mick Wills – DJB Podcast #398
Death In Vegas – Consequences of Love [DRONE009]
United over a love of Throbbing Gristle and Chris & Cosey, Richard Fearless partners with artist and writer Sasha Grey on ‘Consequences of Love’, the second single from Death in Vegas’ critically lauded sixth studio album, Transmission. In the spirit of this collaboration, we are thrilled to announce the release of ‘Consequences of Love’ with a remix by iconic electronica pioneers Chris & Cosey. “After listening to the stems we could sense a kind of “October Love Song’ vibe in there so – so that’s kind of what we aimed for. We really enjoyed doing it, there was lots of dancing around the studio while we worked on it.” Chris Carter.
Intergalactic Gary for RLR @ Dekmantel Festival 05.08.2016
Jago – I’m Going To Go [DE133]
Jago was the studio project of Michele Violante created in Milan, Italy in 1983. The line-up also included Luciana Cirrillo aka Kynsha, who wrote lyrics and sang back up vocals. The name Jago comes from Iago, the main antagonist in Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’. In those years, Michele produced a lot of songs and published material for Full Time Records. “I’m Going To Go” was recorded at Forum Studio in Rome in 1983 and released on Full Time the same year. He made an electro-funk demo with a Gibson Les Paul, but during practice the song became soulful funk but arranged with new wave electronics. The song revolves around a slick atmospheric bassline, driving electronic percussion, and tight rhythm guitar and synths. The setup for the recording was a Casiotone MT-40 keyboard, Boss DR-55 and Sequential Circuits Drumtraks drum machines, an Akai cassette recorder, and a Revox A77 for multi-tracking. Lead vocals were done by session musician Bruno Kassar, delivering Kynsha’s playful lyrics along to the lead melody. Also on the A-side is the Instrumental Version which became a hit in New York after Larry Levan played it repeatedly at the Paradise Garage. Full Time asked Levan’s long time friend Frankie Knuckles to make a remix. It was released in 1985 as the “Plant Mix”, and is included here on the B-side. This was Frankie’s first released remix, although the record label misspelled his name as ’Frankye’. The remix clocks in at over 8 minutes, and is a dub edit made using the stereo master of the instrumental track.
Expansives – Life With You [DE131]
Gianluigi “Gigi” Farina and Francesco Rago are to be counted among Italo disco’s true originators. Operating as a duo under many monikers, they brought us masterpieces such as Wanexa’s “The Man From Colours”, ‘Lectric Workers’ “Robot Is Systematic”, and Decadance’s “On And On”. Their sound is propulsive and ethereal in equal measure – dense, psychedelic, and tinged with melancholy. Their first composition was under the name Expansives. “Life With You” was recorded in Milan in 1981 and released on Leader Records in 1982, and features then 16-year old Xenia Monneret on lyric-writing duties. They wanted to incorporate a more electronic sound to break the classic disco mold, and in the process, they created an early, raw example of what would come to be known as Italo Disco. A thumping bass synth and processed drums set the groove, while Francesco sings of his loneliness. Tension is released when he later breaks into a Bee Gees-esque falsetto, but in the context of such an unusual song, the uncanny becomes familiar, the familiar becomes uncanny. Unfortunately they were not able to afford a professional recording studio and had to re-record each take over the same reel of tape. This caused a subtle surface noise buzz that adds to the warm analog feel of the song. On the B-side is the instrumental version with extended breaks, drum claps and dubbed out bass line.
Convextion – 2845 [ARTLESS2845]
2845 is Gerard Hanson’s first full-length as Convextion in a decade. The new album is made up of seven characteristically spacy techno cuts, and is his first release with the Mojuba-affiliated a.r.t.less.
Crotaphytus – Acanthosaura [FUR104]
Robert Witschakowski takes a break from rewiring the rules of electro with his prolific The Exaltics project to deliver the eerie soundtrack album, ‘Acanthosaura’. Working with Nico Jagiella – with whom he co-runs the Solar One label – the pair have created the soundtrack for a world of flickering shadows, dark ambient textures and ominous bass tones. It’s the first Crotaphytus release in six years and according to Witschakowski, a project stemming from his love of reptiles and movie soundtracks. Like previous Crotaphytus releases on Solar One, ‘Acanthosaura’ is a deeply atmospheric affair. With each track title a reference to different types of lizards, from the death-paced drums of Cyclura Cornuta” to the slow-motion ebm-disco groove of Xenosaurus Platyceps” and the murderous subs of Caiman Latirostris”. In between, the dark ambient passages of Conolophus Subcristatus” and Amblyrhynchus Cristatus” as well as nods to The Exaltics’ spaced out electro in Iguana Delicatissima”. However, Robert insists that the album remains true to the project’s ethos. Crotaphytus is always dark and haunting. The project has no rules and that gives us the total freedom to make everything with it. I make also different styles with The Exaltics, but I have a concrete vision every time. With Crotaphytus, we let it flow and see were we land at the end. For this album, we tried to create an atmosphere like you are in a deep jungle, chased by giant lizards. Ambient has really the power to transport feelings. I guess this is subliminal in us from watching films.”
Johannes Regnier – Hilbert Space [THC012]
The Healing Company re-release a highly sought original version of Johannes’ Regnier “Hilbert Space”, coming with two stunning remixes by Palms Trax and Massimiliano Pagliara.
Federico Leocata – Zunachst [CPU00100001]
Federico Leocata is an italian audio-visual artist who has exhibited in Athens, Thessaloniki and Catania. Later expanding his art into the field of sound based analysis of the human psyche. First discovered by Heinrich Mueller (Dopplereffekt, Drexciya), Federico released his first EP in 2010 for the Belgian imprint WeMè Records, attracting further interest from labels like Frustrated Funk and Last Known Trajectory. Zunächst vocals by Beta Evers.
Charles Manier live @ Ponton (Bucharest) 26.08.2016
Terence Fixmer – Beneath The Skin EP [OTON097]
There’s few names that have left their mark on electronic music throughout time like Terence Fixmer did. The French producer has been releasing music since 1993 and by combining the aesthetics of EBM, Electro and Industrial music with the rhythmics of Techno, Fixmer coined and occupied his very own musical niche as a producer and live act.
Alfredo Mazzilli – Nibiru [LNTHN005]
Label owner, Christian Gerlach recruited the young and very talented Alfredo Mazzilli, which already showed his skills with his latest releases on Edit Select Records or Planet Rhythm. In the EP, which is dedicated to the Babylonian gods, Alfredo takes us into worlds of sound that reminds us of a run through the jungle and arrivals at mighty temples.
Executive Slacks – Seams Ruff LP [DE128]
Executive Slacks began in the hot, humid summer of 1980 Philadelphia by Matt Marello, John Young and Albert Ganss, three bored, broke, anxious art students. Starting out with performance art in subways, they soon took their angst-ridden act to galleries and night clubs. The band found their moniker in a run-down bookstore after seeing an ad for men’s polyester pants. They pieced together sounds that captured the growing paranoia of an age predicted by Orwell and the growing inequalities of the 1980s. They excavated two cassettes that contained their earliest recorded material from 1980 and 1981. “Seams Ruff” is a 13 song compilation from these cassette collections plus a bonus flexi disc featuring a live performance on WXPN from 1980. The tracks were created with the use of heavily modified synthesizers and noisemakers, the broken innards of a grand piano, metal oil drums and a spray painted Harmony Rocket guitar. The Slacks drew their influences from contemporaries like Cabaret Voltaire and Tuxedomoon, as well as Disco and Dadaism. Dripping in nihilism, the song’s lyrics tackle the existential dread of the late 20th century and three of the songs are taken from “Mann ist Mann” a 1926 play by the German modernist author Bertolt Brecht. Executive Slacks’ unique brew of primitive electronics, harsh guitars and aggressive vocals inspired many bands like Ministry, Front 242 and Skinny Puppy.
Zwischenfall – Sandy Eyes [DE134]
Zwischenfall formed in Belgium in 1982 with Michael Sass (synths), Martin Urban (bass/vocals) and Stephan Kraemer (guitar/drums). They were united by their interest in combining electronic and traditional instruments, which developed the basis for 1982 demo recordings. By chance Patrick Codenys of the Belgian electro pioneers Front 242, heard two songs and decided to record a 4-song EP. The “Heute” EP was released in 1983 after a week of recording in Front 242’s private studio under the direction of sound-whiz Daniel B. In 1984 Martin Urban left the band and was replaced by vocalist Iben Larssen and bassist Thomas Kürsten. They recorded their second 12” single, “Sandy Eyes”, which contained a remake of their song “Fluct”, sung in the English this time. Some fairly revolutionary techniques were used, including the introduction of sampling (with an Emulator I and Ensoniq Mirage), and ‘gated reverb’, in which the sound of a large reverb room was processed through a Yamaha CS15’s envelope follower. This record was originally released in 1984 on both Les Disques du Crépuscule and Fuzz Dance, packaged in three different covers. The reissue EP features two bonus tracks from the 1984 recording sessions previously unreleased on vinyl: the saxophone drenched instrumental “Polar Magazine” and street beat dance track “Sacred Time”.
The Pool – Dance It Down/Jamaica Running [DE130]
Patrick Keel is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and performer. The Pool was his solo project, the sum of fifteen years of experience in live bands, studios, and home recording. Patrick was heavily influenced by the radio of the early and mid 1960’s in Dallas. The British bands and Black soul of the era gave him a distinct style, and shaped his musical attitude. The New Wave/Punk/D.I.Y. attitudes of the late 1970s inspired him to express himself in a new way. 1980 saw the release of “Pool One,” a sixty minute home-produced cassette. “Pool Two” followed in 1981, which received much praise and little distribution. In 1982 he released a 5-song self-titled vinyl EP of tight, skeletal, synthetic dance music. In 1983, “Dance It Down/Jamaica Running” 12” EP was released on Moment Productions. Based on response from D.J.’s in New York and the Bronx, Patrick went back in the studio and remixed two songs from the self-titled EP for rapping, scratching and break dancing. “Jamaica Resting” was sped-up, extended, and reconfigured as “Jamaica Running”. The whirlpool synth-strut of “Dance It Down” came out of the studio as “Dance In Dub”, with a heavier kick and extended dub outro. These spacious versions were optimal for DJ play, slotting regularly in sets at hip clubs like Danceteria. For this reissue we’ve added two bonus European remixes from the 1984 12” of “Dance It Down/Jamaica Running”, released on Nunk records from Belgium. Both songs employ the use of a Boss DR-55, Korg MS-20, Korg PolySix, and a Prophet 5, and were mixed on a 16- track Ampex recorder. The Pool’s spartan, self-assured songs are experiments you can dance to
Ron Trent – Fon Space Project [MAP004]
Chi-town house legend Ron Trent goes from strength to strength with this fourth release on his very own Music and Power imprint. Two deep house instrumentals coming to you from outer space.
The Hipodrome Of Music 