acid
Ole Mic Odd – ZMNT 004 [ZMNT004]
The next number on Zement is by Ole Mic Odd (aka Michael Padgett). He is a hardware operator and DJ from Los Angeles. He runs the label The New U.S. Government. Two slow gfunkish tracks for the slow people and two fast acid booty tracks that will blast your shoes off.
Adam X – Acid Archives 92-94 [LIES152]
Trends come and go as we have seen, unlike many, Brooklyn-born Adam X isn’t one to follow trends, but rather set them. Now entering his 30th year of DJing and 25th year running his Sonic Groove label much of the world of dance music has come full circle since Adam started back in 1990. With that said there was no better time to explore his vast back catalog then the present as it’s all the more relevant right now. As many younger contemporary techno djs have taken to the faster, harder, stronger route as of late, this was par for the course back in 1992, where this compilation begins. What we have here is a collection of formative psychedelic acid tracks specifically made for the raves that were happening all over the world at the time. Many of the tracks here had previously appeared on cutting edge labels such as Direct Drive, Drop Bass Network and Magnetic North, who were all spearheading the sound at the time, we also get two unreleased cuts from the vaults, plus a rare collab with Thomas Heckmann. Back then the goal was simple- to push the limits of this fresh sound, and see how far they could actually go with their 303s; this music now filling warehouses and clubs worldwide. The eleven tracks on this record undoubtedly take rave-extremity to new heights whilst keeping the integrity (and brutality) of the music intact and the crowd in a frenzy.
Lake Haze / Celldöd – Acid Avengers 016 [AAR016]
Acid Avengers return. On the A-side, Portuguese producer Lake Haze delivers three techno cuts for the floor, all composed with a brutal acid line. On the B-side, Swedish producer Celldöd returns with three electro and techno tunes for those who like the cold groove of northern Europe. Sometimes ravey, sometimes martial, sometimes funky, here is a new split EP with six raw bangers.
CRAY76 – 1111 [CRWDSPCR020]
When Joakim aka Cray76 moved back from NYC to Paris in 2019, he knew he wouldn’t have access to a studio for a little while. And although he welcomed that forced pause in making music, he felt the need to take at least one piece of gear with him in his suitcase. It was the legendary Roland TB303, one of the simplest and quirkest synth ever made and maybe the one that had the most important influence on electronic music since the mid 80s. Having recorded a few beats on his Roland TR808 before he packed his studio in Brooklyn to be shipped back to France, Joakim decided to make a record only using those 2 machines, an « exercice de style » that is a tribute to 30 years+ of acid house and techno and a way to make tools that he could use in his DJ sets. It goes deep, it goes hypnotic, it goes rough, many flavors of acid are packed in this 808+303=1111 12inch.
VA – Casting Shadows: Intergalactic Gary [CSIG]
Brokntoys return with the second volume of Casting Shadows this time featuring three secret gems selected by Intergalactic Gary. A true music archaeologist and one of the leading lights of the Netherlands’ West Coast scene for over 30 years, his knowledge spans across genres and decades. Opening proceedings on the A side, we go back to one of Andrea Benedetti’s acid classics – this time revisited at 33RPM, morphing it into a slow-burning dancefloor grinder. On the B-side, Italo disco duo GAG get a re-airing of their lost classic Flyin’ Bolero. QUAD, the UK duo formed by Mark Carroll and Pete Diggens, closes the EP with a deep breakbeat excursion originally released on Kinetix.
Jared Wilson – Seeing is Forgetting [030EP016]
An outsider in the Detroit scene, Jared Wilson’s meandering acid jams have always sounded more Cornish than American. His brand new EP for the Netherlands’ 030303 Records continues on that spacey tip. Sea Friends starts warm, bassy and laidback with upbeat and frenetic melodies taking over later on, lifting the tune to another level. Seeing is Forgetting is a melancholic, beatless acid trip, drenched in a strange field recordings setting with waves, vocal snippets and bird sounds all present. Potentially referring to Detroit’s legendary record label and distribution company is Submerge the Ship, the most layered and mesmerizing jam on this twelve, a track that truly sends you off to the depths of the deep sea. Closing track Yogacamp is the fastest one on the record and with various eerie melodies battling for dominance, a great once for the darker dance floors.
Solitary Dancer – Reveries Of A Solitary Dancer [PP02]
The latest release on Private Possessions finds itself landing in the embrace-inducing, euphoric, yet tear-worthy Bermuda Triangle of the proverbial DJ vibeboard: the cathartic response to over two years of album-dedicated studio time. The release also begs of a more existential question bleeding into the social consciousness: “Where do we belong?”, to which the answer is simple: “Together”. ‘Reveries Of A Solitary Dancer’ was inspired by an article of the same name by Artforum’s David Velasco. The piece details the legacy of artist Adrian Piper and her extensive body of work, most notably in the field of dance. Velasco reveals Piper’s desire to “transform the mechanisms that divide people into groups” and highlights her belief in dance spaces as conduits for reunification during times of segregation.
Krokakai – Strange Behaviour [SDC002]
Glasgow label Silver Dollar Club return with their second release, this time by local talent and friend Krokakai, titled ”Strange Behaviour”. Four tracks of tripped-out dub beats and squelchy acid treats to take you on an odyssey to the outer reaches.
Dj W.E.B. – Traditions 16 [TRAD16]
The necromantic antibeats is the first longplayer by DJ WEB (Walid El Barbir). Repetitive and funky drum-compositions contradict vocal samples resembling horror, suffering, pain and malady, combining both into very playful compositions which contain seductive joy and the ill depths of mankind (hell) at the same time. Dead poems for the eager & the lost evoking forgotten potentials through ritualistic repetitions.
Interstellar Funk – Crack Mix 376
CYRK – 656.281 [SCAS2]
Part 3 of the ”Astra Spectra” series features the Berlin Electro duo CYRK with 3 intense and dark electro tracks. Rounding off the release is a remix of ”Human Mind” by Syrte.
The Hidden Figure – Finality EP [EXALTSPECIALEDITION02]
Building on the outright success of his previous outings for the label, The Hidden Figure return to deliver a cutting edge EP of beautiful acid for Exalt Records. 4 acid tracks in various styles, this EP seems a fitting end to a stellar run for this shadowy and mysterious pseudonym of super producer Paul Cignol.
Chino – K-Hole Mixtape 17
Mesmé – Steel City Dance Discs Volume 17 [SCDD017]
Iran-born, Los Angeles-based Mesmé casts her first EP with a 5-track tangle of Acidtinged exo-House riddled with contorted IDM atmospherics. Mesmé traps you in a web threaded with warped synth lines, chugging breaks, hefty lows and her own distorted vocal venom. This release will have you caught, instinctively trying to gyrate your body free as the sound descends upon your psyche…
VA – Special International Vol. 2 [HC012]
Hypnotic Connection presents the latest release which features artists from Mexico, Sweden, Israel, Germany, Holland, US and Russia. In this compilation you will hear bouncing techno and acid, some slomo synth grumbling and a banger electro & breakbeat tracks.
Animistic Beliefs – Thief of Sanity [BT45]
Thief of Sanity’ is shapeshifting duo Animistic Beliefs’ debut on Brokntoys. The 4 track EP is an ode to the past, drawing inspiration from political techno group Underground Resistance, as well as ancestral pan-tribalist music. Without compromising their signature Rotterdream sound, the dynamic duo deviates from their recklessly violent live-sets, tuning into more introspective and earthbound frequencies. By means of hypnotic synthesizer and bursting drum machine workouts, Xakalele and rbf.linh take you through their melancholy filled world, sharing with you their worries, hopes and fears in the form of a tongue-tied protest.
Daniel Holt – TOMBOLOMIXX 016
Daniel Holt – Simulate Podcast 18
Lausen – Glorius Box Dates [FE037]
Furthur Electronix brings back an essential analog acid album by Lausen. Released in 1995 on Drop Bass Network, includes remastered versions of ”Dry Ray” and ”Acid Inhaler” from the ”Anti Static EP’.
