“The rising Romanian offers a glimpse of his new live set in this week’s XLR8R podcast.”
CAB92 – Family Ties EP [LIT001]
London in Transmission was founded by two geezers in their bedroom, both regulars on the London underground scene. Christian AB dips into the mind and spirit of his machines to summon CAB92. Crafting a 4 tracker tinged with cosmic sounds and frenetic energy, CAB92 delivers it raw. Serious deep vibes here, this one is LIT.
Lapien – Something To Show You EP Part 2 [MISTRESS008.5]
On the second part of his simultaneously released Something To Show You EP series, Nick Lapien moves further towards late night techno territory. This is evident from the very start, with opener “Searching” delivering the perfect blend of layered, undulating rhythms, spacey riffs, and hypnotic, early morning atmospherics. It’s there, too, on the cascading deep house synths and freshly baked grooves of “Moon”, and “Wild For The Night”, whose bold analogue bassline and yearning vocal samples propel the tracks forwards. Lapien heads for deeper territory on the flipside, with the sinewy pianos and locked-in rhythm of soul-flecked closer “It Ain’t The Same” providing the headline attraction.
Lapien – Something To Show You EP Part 1 [MISTRESS008]
Following a brief hiatus, DVS1’s Mistress Recordings label returns with its’ first release of 2016. Something To Show You is an expansive, two-part E.P fron Nick Lapien. There’s much to enjoy on this first part, which sees Lapien deliver trippy, late night workouts that sit somewhere between ultra-deep house and Detroit techno. It’s an atmospheric formula that works wonderfully, particularly on “Something To Tell You” – where bluesy vocal samples weave their way around a deep, locked-in groove – and the up-tempo bump of tech-house hustler “No Good”.
Norm Talley / Michael Zucker – South by Midwest [FS001K]
Owner operator of Finale Sessions Music Michael Zucker has brought you a sister label called Finale Sessions Music to showcase his own music with close friends and family. The first release it’s starting with the Detroit veteran Norm Talley and label boss Michael Zucker. Norm Talley track called “Power “it has the sublime Detroit deep sound with its sharp chords and that pumping deep kick and claps and it also has additional work from another Detroit legend Delano Smith but what makes this track is the fantastic vocals from the soul. Track two “Lock Jaw” is just raw beatdown late night track with deep chicago classic sound with a pumping kicks and mind altering synth. Then next is Michael Zuckers first track “Parisian Nights” with it’s classic filtered classic chicago sound with proper pads and chords with a vocal drifting in and out of the spectrum . Track two “ Thought Process” is just an amazing deep inspired melodic trip with key’s and that classic b4 organ that sets the tone for the pads and that lifted filtered sound.
Frak – UH006 [UH006]
Since 1987, Frak have been everyone’s favourite, premier Swedish synthesizer-touching weirdos. Even if most people hadn’t heard of them until 4 years ago. And yet, world of Frak is as long as it is wide. As blue as it is black. As ominous as it is glorious. As dirty as it is hairdryer. Sweet it is as yellow paper As. All of the above is a perfect example of how trying to convey what Frak is in the crass form of words is ultimately fruitless. Here is a double 12” vinyl product from Ultimate Hits featuring eight audio recordings from Frak: three men who have known each other since at least 1987. The sleeve was lovingly hand screen-printed at the studio of House of Traps, and features the colours commonly known as pink and black.
Cliff Lothar – All It Takes [TURBO179]
Cliff has clearly been smoking something special. “All It Takes” is one of his richest efforts to date, and that’s saying a lot coming off a consistent roll of terrific releases. A-side “Devotion” answers the EP title’s question with a masterclass in heavyweight groove-building. It’s an instant cult anthem, gritty but buttery compression, warm, wet bass, driven forward by stoner-friendly organ solos and the vocal call. It’s a perfect afterhours gear-shifter, squelching with the sweat of one hundred thousand hours of studio jamming and countless seasons of acid. “100 Dollars” is wiggly pork bun of a beat, our old friend Roland never sounding fatter or more luxurious. The only question here is whether this super-kush urban house bomb is more well paired with a low-slung indica driving in an elite automobile, or a punchy sativa dancing in a world-exclusive night club. “Big Brother” is a paranoid romp through the dark corridors of your dance-algorithm, a wonky, dissociative funk experience for heavy heads trying to unlock their own brainwashed brain and seriously dance. Rounding things off is “Xenit”, a relatively placid, deep, trancey trip that transports you 8 hours in to an amazing party, when you’re loose and well oiled with positive feelings.
Borusiade – Feelings Of Entropy EP [COR044]
Romanian born, and Berlin Based, Borusiade (aka Miruna Boruzescu) makes her Correspondant debut in dazzlingly bleak fashion. Over a four track EP the artist manages to channel a wealth of disparate sounds, referencing Giallo disco, New Wave longing and Pitched-down ghetto techno amongst other dark and otherworldly tropes. All of the music on offer here possesses a slow and dark drive that purposes it for the dance floor, but also contain such a wealth of loss despair, and a perverse pathos that elevates them from simple dance music and move them in to a more artistic realm.
Seixlack – Bed Bug Bites EP [XK004]
Hot off the back of his debut LP for Delroy Edwards’ LA Club Resource as alter-ego Innyster, Seixlack serves up an EP of trademark, super raw, machine funk. Spanning the full gambit of dredged up acid, synth stacked daydreams and straight up 4×4, the breadth of this EP showcases a real talent.
Amato – Le Desordre Et La Nuit [CITI020]
Michel Amato aka Amato is a French producer more widely known as The Hacker. Alongside Miss Kittin, Amato has been a cornerstone of the European house, techno, and electro scene, dropping singles and album like bombs. Having contributed to a previous split 12″ on Cititrax, Amato returns to Minimal Wave’s sister label with a wondrous homage to industrial, EBM and electro in Le Desordre De La Nuit. The difference between The Hacker and Amato? The sounds of The Hacker are more constrained than this particular whirlpool of pseudo electro and gargling quasi techno. Whatever you want to call it, these four slammers are all made for the dark room dance, each one nastier than the other and all of them audibly produced by an artist with plenty of experience and effectiveness know-how.
Intergalactic Gary Interview
Ron Morelli – Dekmantel Podcast 079
Master C&J – The Legendary Master C & J Feat Liz Torres [TX5075]
Killer, heavyweight double pack from the Chicago dons – Master C&J. Originally released in 2002 and featuring some unreleased and alternative mixes and versions of some classics and various projects they worked on this double LP is indispensable for any fans of vintage dance music. All of the hallmarks of Master C&J’s sound are here and we ca easily see what a huge influence their style was on everyone who came after them, this double LP serves as an essential collection and overview of some of their finest moments. Remastered in conjunction with Trax Records, fully legit, now is the time to revisit a cornerstone of classic Chicago House music, often imitated, never bettered.
Playgroup – Previously Unreleased EP 1 [YWP001]
Trevor Jackson tends to do things differently, so the recent announcement of nine EPs of previously unheard Playgroup material, to be released in the space of nine weeks, should have come as little surprise. Opener “Move My Body” is particularly strong, and features sampled Robert Owens vocals rising and falling over a classic, late ’80s Chicago house groove. There’s a similar retro-futurist feel to the more acid-flecked Ed DMX collaboration “I Want To Believe”, while “Play The Music” combines similar influences with a touch of NYC proto-house.
Jupiter Jax – Urban Legends [DPTX002]
The second release from Deeptrax, features Jupiter Jax from Malta. A deep 4 story EP containing Detroit vibes beamed into today’s world. Starting melancholic with lush sounds and firm beats, then slowly building into piano heaven. The other tracks are deep ethereal technoid trax with lush, conscious sounds and stomping beats, which is pushing the label into deeper, broader territories.
VA – Computered Love [369.036]
A bag filled with ‘computerized love’. This 2xLP compilation including scarce, valuable and sought after European computer inspired underground dance music productions from about 1979 to 1982. Timeless sound from a decade when nobody expected that in the future men and woman would be online all day and night, texting, dating and playing computer games nonstop Eurovison song contest participant „Carol Rich“ throwing in the name for this record set with her song „Computered Love“ . Including the first time official re-release of the song „Transvolta – Disco Computer (long 12“ version)“ by Dan Lacksman aka Telex (Eurovision song contest, 1980) and 12 more songs. Very 80’s minimalistic lineprinter / computer inspired design.
Repeated Viewing – Street Force (Soundtrack) [GDLP005]
Repeated Viewing’s soundtrack to the “not totally sure if it’s real or not” film of the same name slinks out of your speakers as if Badalamenti and Goblin had made sweet regretful love one night and created a baby so dark and brooding, only the ‘Trv Synth Fr33ks’ would take it in and raise it like wolves. Following the story of one man’s revenge across 1982 New York, this is Death Wish if we lived in some kind of alternative universe where Lucio Fulci had directed it instead of Michael Winner. From Ballads to Disco to Minimal Synth, “Street Force” is a masterpiece of faux soundtrack bliss and definitely not to be missed.
Nagamatzu – Above This Noise [DE127]
Nagamatzu were the British duo of Andrew Lagowski (SETI, Legion, Terror Against Terror) on synths, guitar, and programming and Stephen Jarvis (Pure Motorised Instinct, Terraform) on synths and bass. Formed in 1982 after messing around with old tape machines and drum boxes, making numerous contributions to international compilations and erratically releasing their own cassettes. Their name comes from a character in JG Ballard‘s “Atrocity Exhibition” and their music reflects his influence. Nagamatzu self-released their debut cassette “Shatter Days” in 1983 after messing around with old tape machines, drum boxes and effects. “Above This Noise” is a compilation of 9 songs recorded in the period between the release of ‘Sacred Islands of the Mad’ in 1986 and ‘Igniting the Corpse’ in 1991. It gathers tracks which surfaced on some of the international compilation cassette releases that the band were invited to contribute to in the 1980s as well as some previously unreleased songs. The band’s working method was for Andrew to first record a backing track, usually rhythm, sequence, samples. Then both members would layer more electronics, samples, guitar and bass over the top, recording the whole piece in one take. These instrumentals combine stuttering bass, guitar bursts and funeral keyboards draped over a dragging drum machine beat, calling to mind Clock DVA, early New Order or Cocteau Twins. Their sound is full of complex rhythm patterns and dark electronics.
All the Madman – Tape Recordings 1980-1983 [VOD145B1ATM]
All the Madmen were Neale James Potts, Michael William Richardson, Christopher Paul Bailey and Richard Roger Weston-Smith from Stoke-on-Trent, UK. They called themselves minimal synthesizer-punks. ATM started in 1980 as an Anti Rock group, believing that the way that music was played and produced should change forever. One track called ”Superior Life” made it onto the LP ”Cry Havoc”.
Stephen Cadman – Big Smith Stays in Bed [VOD145B1SC]
Stephen Cadman is a synthesist from Leeds, GB now living in Australia. In late 1980 he produced and released a C60-Tape on his own Big Smith’s Nose Tapes-Label. His synth music and style in the vein of Tangerine Dream and other german electronica bands of the 70’s found interest to Ian Dobson and was then distributed via Ian and also (re)-released shortly after on the Flowmotion-Label.
The Hipodrome Of Music 