Hexagon – the sixth installment in our yearly compilation series – is here, bringing together six tracks that explore a range of powerful and intriguing musical directions. Clouzer kicks things off with a driving EBM monster, setting a bold tone right from the start. Next up, Gunce Aci delivers a high-tempo, hypnotic hard-hitter. Then, Radondo takes us in a darker direction with a haunting EBM piece that blends atmosphere with intensity, creating a sense of eerie tension. Ton Globiter follows with a high energy of a track, infused with his signature vocals that give the track an undeniable punch. Dream Days maintains the momentum, keeping the tensity high. Finally, KMBN wraps things up with an electro-tinged, leftfield track, offering a surprising and experimental finish to the compilation.
In your face new 8 track LP of vicious beat driven warehouse electronics from the L.I.E.S. boss, Ron Morelli. Straight and to the point, “Extinctionist” stands very much in line and continues further in the sonically unapologetic L.I.E.S. Records tradition of the last 15 years.
For release number 051, Dame-Music welcomes E-bony to the label for the first time, with a full EP showcasing his fresh take on the electro sound. His musical style seamlessly blends elements of Techno & Electro, navigating through shades of darkness, light, and funky grooves, captivating listeners along the way. E-bony’s Machine Code EP is made up of 4 tracks, including three originals and a powerful remix of “System Error” by infamous French producer The Hacker.
Timothy “J” Fairplay returns with the 7th release on Dungeon Module. Like last years ‘Rule The Streets’ ‘Local Networks’ is made up of 8 Chicago House influenced beat tracks made predominantly with Timothy’s Casio RZ-1, just a couple of synths and an A/DA Flanger. As you have come to expect from Dungeon Module, raw but stylish 80s into 90s basement music to jack on.
Takeshi Kouzuki is back on Alley Version with this superb four-tracker EP. House music at its best, starting from the basics laid out by Chi-masters like Larry Heard, Marshall Jefferson, liquefied in the typical mesmeric touch of this Japanese legend.
Planet 303 is a distant astral body where acid rules suprem and the soundtracks that play out there are always unreal, just like this latest one from Acid Synthesis. ‘Actu Ikulurit’ blends 90s breakbeats and dreamy techno synth work with an undulating acid lien that anchors you to the floor. ‘Semplicita Aciduza’ is a little more serene but comes with some lovely melodic rain that falls down the face of the 303 and ‘Hafna 303s’ brings a psychedelic and colourful edge. ‘Actu Malti’ closes with plenty of journeying cosmic charm and celestial energy.
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Plastikman, aka Richie Hawtin, has remastered his groundbreaking second album, Musik, from the original tapes for a new limited bio-vinyl edition. The record was first released in November 1994 through NovaMute and Plus 8, following the debut Plastikman album, Sheet One (1993). A masterclass in minimal techno, Musik quickly propelled Hawtin to new levels of success. The release followed Plastikman’s first-ever live performance in a black vinyl-encased room at a semi-derelict Packard Plant in Detroit, where Hawtin was central to the burgeoning underground scene. Now, 30 years later, the album has been remastered from the original tapes, reminding us why Plastikman is a name that still resonates and that the album’s intensity – on and off the dance floor – has lost none of its potency in the intervening years. Available on limited edition double bio-vinyl from Mute and NovaMute.
Patience is a virtue well-rewarded in techno; finding the right groove to build on then holding your nerve long enough to pay off the wait at the optimum moment is a much more skillful endeavour than it would seem for such a minimalistic style. And few display this talent better than Detroit originals Scan 7. Part of the hallowed Underground Resistance family, Scan 7 first broke out in the mid-90s with a series of jacking machine funk 12”s that showcased their savvy for self-control – a faculty they have demonstrated in releases year-on-year since. Highlighting this continuous font of vitality, Tresor Records has returned to the source and presents the reissue of Scan 7’s debut LP, Dark Territory. First unleashed on the label in 1996, the album has been remastered from the original DATs by Mike Grinser, augmenting already powerful tracks such as the snake-like, teasing Unusual Channel (mixed by the master Blake Baxter), and the harder-edged VII resulting in music that will, without doubt, provoke an enhanced response when the pressure is finally released.
New EP by Fred P brings a definitive futurist vision of Dance floor mayhem of the late night variety. ‘Singular Point of Focus’ is an EP packed with weapons of mass euphoria for the discerning selector and enthusiast alike. Incorporating augmented vocals by the Artist himself with a character that can’t be pinned to his natural rich deep voice yet an exact fit that represents the current moment in time. Fred P seems to be entering a zone most dare to tread boldly going beyond in service of the music that he so dearly loves to provide the everlasting sonic voyage for the people who understand there is more than meets the eye.
Anorax has got a vital 10″ here featuring a stone cold classic Balearic house tune from Don Carlos in two different mixes. First is the Paradise mix which is as Ibiza as house music gets – the swirling pads, the subtly joyous feeling in the piano chords, the blistered bassline. It all immediately transports you to the White Isle and gazing out to see as the sun sets and the party ratchets up a gear. On the flip is a Lute Mix which brings some more mellifluous melodies and makes the drums a little more bouncy.
Detroit innovator and singular soundsmith Theo Parrish returns with a new EP which we’re told is his response to “stagnation and nonmovement” either physiologically, mentally or physically. ‘Positive Mental Attitude Solves All’ is up first and is a tribute to the late great funk-father Amp Fiddler. It’s a typically deep cut with dusty drums and irregular, scruffy percussive lines layered in next to diffuse synth warmth and soulful melodies. ‘Traffic Jams’ plays with similar signature themes and is sure to loosen up mind, body and soul. Another standout bit of work from the venerable Motor City man.
Dark Entries has raided the bathhouse to bring us Deep Entries: Gay Electronic Excursions 1979-1985, 10 tracks of obscure queer synth bliss. One of Dark Entries’ most important missions has been illuminating neglected facets of gay musical history, with crucial archival works by legends like Patrick Cowley, Sylvester, and Man Parrish. On Deep Entries, the label spans 6 years of gay electronics – from sultry to angsty to camp, these songs are overflowing with snappy 808 snares and sinewy analog synth leads. The ’80s were a difficult period for many in the gay community as they grappled with the horrors of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The 10 tracks on Deep Entries, varied in genre and vibe, are united in their portraiture of 1980s gay life, and the hope for love or fleeting romance. Previously unreleased cruising soundtracks come courtesy of Patrick Cowley’s “Love Me Hot” featuring vocalist Paul Parker and Boytronic’s “Tonight (Alternate Mix)” set on Hamburg’s famous “Mile of Sin.” Brisbane-based Megamen deliver the proto-electroclash number “Designed for Living,” which prefigures Madonna’s Marlene Dietrich rap in “Vogue.” Trans vocalist Paula “Ula” Villagrá declares, “Everyone is gay!” on Muzak’s “Happy Song,” a skittering tecnopop anthem. Dereck Higgins’ “This Was Something” rings like a lost Joy Division cut draped in bizarre effects, and Polar Praxis’ “(I Want) To Be Different” is a seething ode to alterity. Nightmoves’ “Nightdrive,” is best known as the brooding instrumental B-side to their epochal “Transdance.” Transistor Jet’s “Master Of The Universe (BW’s f-w)”, Maxx Mann’s “Just Like a Razor” and Bachelor’s Anonymous’ “A Stranger’s Bed” are mood music for the pleasures of BDSM and one-night stands. The record comes housed in a retro bathhouse fantasy sleeve designed by Gwenaël Rattke and includes a double-sided poster with photographs and lyrics. Deep Entries arrives on December 1st in honor of World AIDS day, and proceeds will go to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
In 2012, Army of God released a cult cut of cold wave: “Salvation”. This was the only EP by the partnership of Aroy Dee and Miss Jagroe, the only EP until now that is. Army of God are back, after more than a decade the duo return with Endless Skies. Analogue warmth is sliced by surgical synth stabs and bittersweet strings, Jagroe’s unmistakable voice echoes into the distance with the beseeching mantra of “until the music dies”. Aroy Dee’s edit of the title piece fortifies drums for the floor, emotion is further stripped from the already deadpan lyrics as melodies bleed into distorted wonder. The black streak that characterises Army of God turns a shade darker for the flip. A throbbing bass is inked by off-kilter keys, clusters of claps piercing the thicket of static and chilling chorus of “Fear the Night”. Venturing ever deeper into the night, the darker version will set speaker cones shaking and shivering. Juddering and trembling, basslines are bolstered with vocals invoking the very darkest regions of the dancefloor.
As is now a well-established tradition, when 7 appears in the catalogue number it is the turn of handyman Asymmetrical. The title takes its inspiration from a tag that appeared in the bathroom of the historical Knick Knack Yoda after one of the (in)usual nights, and is a leap in time, a project born from the layering of different sessions that took place between 2018 and 2020 and only sees the light of day today. 7 is also the number of inches of PVC on which this double is engraved, hosting on one side the track that gives the album its name, on whose rhythms the sound of Luigi Gargano’s saxophone echoes. On the other Estetica Della Notte, is a journey into the phenomenology of tumultuous nights in the shadow of Rome’s Dome.
The Hipodrome Of Music 