Six tracker of jacking acid house and warehouse rave music for dancing to. Four to the floor goodness from Planet Mu hardware don Chevron, Granary 12 (new Scottish duo featuring Steven Simpson of 10 Pills Mate fame), Heka Trax boss Nightwave, UK electro rave heavyweight Matt Whitehead, Balkan label owners Posthuman, and Han Do Jin – new moniker of Rag & Bone’s Warlock. No need for more blurb, just listen to the tracks.
Nice collection of adventurous electro and dreamy house tracks. The unlikelihood of being alive warrants expression. In the increasingly digital universe we are tangibly intertwined yet phenomenally disconnected. This creation of soundscapes defines dream-like iterations of a post-Internet reality and is uncanny in its ability to quintessentially emulate potential futuristic states of being. It induces the uniqueness and highly emotive aspects of undefined existences. It is raw and purposeful. Potatoheadz is a Melbourne-based, DIY label created by Nipuna, Leon Wan & Sam Sedgwick. It is dedicated to the dispersion of local and international music focused on innovative artistry. “Unknown Data Set” is their first record and third release featuring the music of various artists.
The jam starts with “Orange Sunshine” (doesn’t it always) Of course as usual it takes a while to kick in and by the time it does it’s obvious Helltown Acid Militia are back with their time warping spaceship. By the second track “Still Turning” the fog clears a little, but there are still echoes of a time past, what is it can’t quite put my finger on it… On the flip we are met with chunky 909 rhythms in “More Important”, because what’s more important than a 909 rhythm track For the final outing “Broadcast” (which may be the real hidden gem here) the tempo drops and there’s chord stabs, strings and talk of UFOs. Its at this point that you realise that the label on the record has a picture of Mitzi the cat, in a space suit, holding a white 303. This acid really is a trip.
One year after its first release, Nagual Drift is back on the radar, exploring a panel of emotions and a wide range of sounds and feelings. This Various Artists compilation features contrasting atmospheric shades of the dance floor. From acidic house tools to blooming ethereal soundscapes, bright and buoyant breakbeat to melancholic cuts from the left field of house to deep, dark and sorrowful techno. NDFT002 is a drifting, shifting landscape of collected emotional music from a pool of talented producers.
Four acid-filtered, metal disco killers from the enigmatic Michael Ferragosto, gear to keep that Chicago Muzique shit alive and well. Hear from the horse’s mouth: ‘Man…this is the pure shit… pure house experiments are the only motherfucking thing that sounds real these days on the floor – know what I mean’.
Enter the Dragon. Adding mystique to the techno are these pulsating, arpeggiated, snarling beasts from the Italian producer with an ominous-sounding remix by Heinrich Mueller aka Gerald Donald of Drexicya. Track titles refer to the journeys of the Sky Dragon (A1), Yellow Dragon (A2) and Dragon King (B1/B2) as they soar and serpentine majestically underwater and beyond the clouds.
The second release from Hamtramck, Michigan’s Portage Garage Sounds is an acid/ambient EP by Detroit’s Bill Spencer and Zachary Saginaw (also known as Shigeto), featuring narration by Walter Williams (also known as ZelooperZ).
Acid Jesus, the first of many collabs between Roman Flügel and Jörn Elling Wuttke. Situated in Germany’s then blistering techno scene and especially a mirror of Frankfurt at the time (and it´s holy label trinity of Playhouse, Klang and Ongaku), Flashbacks are also a feedback loop to what was happening in the UK and the USA. Flügel and Wuttke succeeded with their own and unique take on it, that owned as much to Underground Resistance and the Belleville Three as it did to Sven Väth and Andrew Weatherall. Including 3 (+1 more on MP3) unreleased tracks.
The 10th release from Polybius Trax is a collection of 6 tracks from Roger van Lunteren, Nikolay Sunak, Moralez and I-VIL.
After delivering the 8th Polybius Trax’s release under Myriadd’s alias, Craig Stainton strikes again. And this time he does it under the name of Mantra with 4 tracks of jackin’, acid house and acid techno. With this EP “The Seventh Seal” (PT009) and with its predecessor in the label “A New Day” (PT008), shows us of his mastery in the art of invoicing dance music under the different strands of acid.
Adalbert C. Kupietz (aka Adalberto, Fatjack, Crime Scene) is a rising name in the wonkier, more cerebral techno scene. The German is up on Acidicted, Adalbert’s own imprint which focusses on the all things 303, and this is only his third outing under the Hieroglyphica alias. “Biorhythm” is the perfect name for the sizzling banger residing on the A-side, a loose-cut techno killer with all sorts of electrifying acid sounds from the heart of the machines, while “Extinction” bounces more gently to and fro, offering mischievous basslines at the core of its rusty, analogue circuitry.
John Heckle’s first one for 030303 starts off deliciously with “Translate” being a moody and melodic and bouncer that caters to a twisted dance floor. “Terix”, the opener on the B-side is a beautiful reminder of Derrick May’s Detroit, Rhythm is Rhythm’s “Kao-Tic Harmony” in particular. The end of this record then, is like the end of most nights: with lots of melodies going on and a stomping rhythm “Hear Me” is by far the most mind bending track of this excellent 12″.
UK techno & house veteran Neville Watson makes his I Love Acid debut, after headlining at their tenth anniversary party in London earlier this year. Mark Forshaw with remix duties. These tracks have been getting caned across the UK, Europe and the USA this summer by a list of DJs far too long to mention. This is the real deal, proper acid for the dancefloor.
The third and final segment of the Knowes Universal Broadcast has been received. The series of transmissions is completed by Brainwaltzera, William The Squid, Deep Space Orchesta and Kovyazin D spanning Breaks, Acid and Techno.
The R-A-G trio aka Dutch producers Ma Spaventi, G-String & Aroy Dee deliver three raw acid-jams with Aroy on the couch working the mic. The lyrics of Dreadfully Nervous are based on a Edgar Allan Poe story. ‘Dreadfully Nervous (Aryd’s Acid Mix)’ is a gurgling brew of squelchy acid with dark vocals and pinging cowbells pulling you in all directions. Coarse claps and ever more wild synths encourage you to cut loose and make for another timeless cut. ‘Dreadfully Stoned’ is more stripped back, with a rubbery arpeggiated synth the main hook over subtle, supple drums. Those dark spoken word vocals are back again and the whole thing is freaky and unsettling as a result. Last of all is the bright and glistening ‘No Soul’ with metal hits and claps and prickly acid all bursting out of dusty Chicago drums. It’s raw and sure to fire the synapses just like R-A-G productions always do.
A poignant and thoughtful EP from Berlin duo Snuff Crew, dedicated to their friend, collaborator and labelmate Andreas Gehm who passed away in summer 2016, just after his own I Love Acid release. Four analogue acid hardware tracks. Remix duty falls to fellow hardware aficionado Perseus Traxx.
The Hipodrome Of Music 