Last Trasmissions from Solaris was inspired by the Stanislav Lem’s novel Solaris, a journey into techno-soul emissions explored by the talent of passEnger. It combines a subdole sci-fi atmosphere with solid techno approach and scientific electro incarnation. Here you can find a direction if your soul needs an utopian vision of the future. The closest thing to Detroit we’ve been able to produce over the years.
Swedish techno producer and performer Ascorbite is launching his own imprint Corseque Records by releasing a solid four tracker on limited 12” vinyl.
MindTrip presents its 12th release, which sees two young Argentinian techno producers – Alderaan & Mental Resonance – joining forces to create the Man from Earth EP. This record features 3 outstanding, original tracks and an explosive remix from MindTrip’s fulcrum, Pfirter.
With their first release the team behind the Moscow clubbing institution has aimed to recreate the atmosphere that has made the club such an important part of the Russian techno movement. Featuring Oliver Deutschmann, Unbalance, Recid & Anastasia Kristensen.
Don’t Be Afraid imprint welcomes back DJ Bone under the Differ-Ent guise. It’s a sombre tone that sees the Detroit icon return too, with both these tracks produced by Bone in the immediate aftermath of his mother passing away after battling cancer. The 10-minute “M.O.M.” is something of a throbbing, pulsating techno delight, with the Detroit veteran adding colossal organ chords and mind-altering electronics to a stomping, brain-melting groove. Bone goes deeper on similarly epic “The Final Driver”, combining shuffling techno rhythms and alien electronics with warm, deep chords, and the melodic ethos of Omar-S style Detroit house.
Romanian minimal techno hero Petre Inspirescu releases a solo album on Japan’s Mule Musiq and what a moment in a brilliant career thus far. This guy is a true innovator and many are curious to hear what kind of journey into the deep and bizarre he can take us on. Starting out with the exotic bongo meditation of “Delir 1” and the breathtaking immersive ambience of “Delir 2” or the sinister and unsettling “Lumiere” things start to develop more movement later. Such as: on the deep hypnotic vibes of “Delir 4” or “Delir 6” which feature sombre string arrangements, emotive piano passages and some of the most expressive and restrained drums and percussion performances. All nine suspenseful compositions seduce with a deep melodic sensibility, harmonic adventures and an overall rhythmic ambiance of freshness and laidback enthusiasm. Together they represent a challenging auditory experience that will resonate in your mind long after the music has finished.
Given his prolific nature, fresh material from Rod Modell under the Deepchord guise is not news. There is, though, something rather special and extra-ordinary about Ultraviolet Music, an expansive, double-disc full length for Soma, which the Detroit-based producer has described as “hallucinogenic”. Taking dub techno as his blueprint, Modell delivers an impressive collection of hypnotic, out-there moments that also take influence from ambient, Detroit techno, deep house, and the kind of fuzzy, beguiling sonic textures guaranteed to flip your lid. While many of Modell’s albums feature epic, 20-minute plus workouts, here he quickly shuffles between shorter moments whilst retaining a deliciously dubby dancefloor pulse.
Finally available on wax, cv313’s classic ‘Lost Sequence’ culled from the celebrated Japan exclusive Live double CD album released back in 2009. On the B side there’s a rare live version performed by Intrusion at a Loft event put on by the good folks over @ Little White Earbuds. This rare recording was reduced and stripped down, core traces of the original swim inside oceanic bass, and modulating frequencies creating an atmosphere all of its own.
Stephan Laubner presents his new EP on Echocord “Message Of Sound”, containing original STL tracks and loops.
Marco Shuttle returns to his Eerie label for his first full release since 2014’s debut album, ‘Visione’, with a new two track single that sees Shuttle return to more dancefloor driven territory. ‘Sing Like a Bird (Reprise)’ is a fresh version of the track originally released last year on Peter Van Hoesen’s Time To Express label, to which Shuttle fans will have become familiar with in recent sets. It maintains the original’s hazy reverbed flavour, but in the form of a more groove-oriented and psychedelic edit that sidelines much of the original’s vocal track in favour of a snake enchanter-like synewave melody, for a less lyrical but equally musical new take. The B-side ‘Back Here’ is an older track that Shuttle has been holding back for a while, waiting for the right moment to reveal this atmospheric, melancholic and melodic track, in which intricately delayed layers of piano keys progressively unfold through a rich percussive background made of 808 rims, deep bass kicks, heavy toms and jazzy hats and rides.
BNJMN returns to his regular label home of Delsin with a brand new mini-album of experimental cuts that continue his journey into ever more decayed, lo-fi and gritty sound sculpture. This new release features six tracks and kicks off with ‘Microgravity,’ a shadowy exercise in suspensory dub that ripples and groans, growing in menace over its static laced three minutes. Next, ‘Womb’ is a vast chamber of glory synths and rippling pads that sounds like it comes from the after life, ‘P-Tr’ is a high tension, nerve jangling brew of glassy electronics with heavy kicks buried deep below and ‘1987’, a fuzzy, darkened brew of spacious kicks, whirring machines and bubbly tape sounds that are seriously foreboding. ‘Oder’ is a more emotional work where multiple synth lines echo about and emit cautious rays of light, then finally ‘Amygdala’ is based around a frazzled, oversized and spraying bassline that is backed by radiant pads and a dystopian house groove and it rounds out another expertly outlier collection full of strange yet compelling tracks and textures.
2016 marks a decade since Dario Zenker released his first 12″, the Whatever EP on Balkon. Here, he returns to the Ilian Tape label he co-founded with brother Marco for a first solo missive since his 2014 turn on The Trilogy Tapes. There’s much to admire about Dedication, from the starburst synths and booming, broken techno rhythms of opener “There Is Hope”, to the Roman techno revivalism of “Gianluca Cazzeti”, and the skittish, funk-fuelled intensity of the Dave Clarke style “For Internal Use”. Arguably best of all, though, is “Spice Universal”, a delicious combination of dub-flecked loop techno and the undulating, far-sighted futurism of Detroit.
The young Ukrainian producer follows his debut on Ben Klock’s label with this innovative, unusual techno record. “Axiom” is reminiscent somewhat of DVS1, with its meaty bass snaking its way through an insistent, minimal groove. By contrast, “Sakura” resounds to microscopic beats and hypnotic, tonal bleeps. It’s just as subtle as “Axiom”, but far more understated. This proves to be a temporary diversion however, and straight afterwards, he drops “Lyrae”. Tight claps, insistent pulses and bristling percussion make for a functional but distinctive dance floor track. Last and possibly best of all is “Luna”. Its melancholic bass and windswept, mysterious melodies make for a beautiful, unexpected end to this release.
Psyk takes the stage with a four-track solo EP ”Works”, also including a digital bonus track. On both side’s first positions, with ”Definition” and ”Balance”, Psyk delivers electrifying tracks teetering on the boundaries of hypnosis. On the inner-rims, Psyk slows down the pace with ”Stigma” and ”Lowdown”, introducing some industrial tones to his techno equation.
Stuart Li, better known as Basic Soul Unit, brings his rugged house to the Dekmantel imprint for the very first time, serving up this finely crafted follow-up to his 2012 debut album. Delivering ten Detroit and Chicago-inspired house tracks of the finest calibre, Li’s offset and grubby bruk drums are a constant nod to the dance floor, while his melodies lean towards an unparalleled industrial edged emotion. From the LFO-like synth-line and crunchy jack of ‘Fate In Hand’, to the Levon Vincent-esque techno shuffle ‘n mutter of ‘Landlocked’ and the Morphosis-gone-wild style of ‘Unwavered’, on the to the dark subbass welt of ‘The Rift Between’ and the relentless floor destroyer ‘Temptress’: ‘Under The Same Sky’ sets the bar fly high for raw yet extremely original house music.
Frigio Records are delighted to announce that Alessandro Parisi is once again donning the darkened robes of Hesperius Draco. Following the acclaimed Cathar Rhythms this supremely talented Italian artist delivers. The five track mini-album continues the Draco search to balance tainted techno, sinister synth and soulful sounds. The underhanded rumblings of “Tronitum Domini” introduces before filth encrusted bass blurs the menacing visage of “Mjolnir”, claps scarring the already grimacing sounds. To end the first side, the medieval blast of “ASI Kingdom (Mitt Hjerte)” is track that surely won’t pass unnoticed. Skies crack with thunder by analogue alchemist Drvg Cvltvre on this interesting remix of “Fenrir Eye” which original version ends the release with Blackened clouds build for the intense and tapering approach.
When Richard Maguire is in the mood to make spacey, off-the-wall grit-house, he prefers to go by the name Richard Fearless He’s back on his Drone label with “Overview Effect”, a raw, percussion-driven house cut that falls into the mood end of the spectrum, but contains enough charm and energy to render it a magnificent weapon on the dancefloor. However, the real best is within “Metal Dub” on the B side, and the track’s name describes its sounds only too well, a sublime cascade of wobbly bass tones and rattling drums.
The Hipodrome Of Music 