Rave Or Die’s sixteenth release signs a 100% frenchies masterpiece that will leave you breathless. As an absolute must-have for anyone who loves old-school music, this collectible double 10″ features tracks from techno pioneers The Hacker, David Carretta, Terence Fixmer, and Umwelt.
Umwelt knows his craft. From no-nonsense acid-drenched electro assaults to more thought-provoking works, the Frenchman can shred speakers as well as soothe souls. The two sides of the New Flesh boss’ sound combine as he returns to Shipwrec with the five tracks of “Collapsar”.
Long time producer and DJ, Baz Reznik is back at New York Haunted with some heavy acid stompers. Baz has been around since the beginning of the Bunker days and has been down with the true underground from day one. Running his own DYFR records and dropping magic on Syncom Data, Bunker Records and of course New York Haunted, you know what to expect here: Tough west coast acid for the masses. Whipping you into shape with that 6 in the morning illegal squat party vibe. Hardware booming in the red, compressors malfunctioning and all that good stuff. Check out this blistering EP that will not disappoint the true heads.
Gladio Operations inaugurates 2023 with its seventh release titled “Split Machine”, a new series of shared EPs, where in this first episode the producers Jauzas The Shining and Cycloplex go halves on the EP. The French producer returns to Gladio with three cuts which possess his peculiar and characteristic rugged sound. The EP launches with “Business Machines” and “Isla De Encanto”, two powerful cuts with aggressive and noticeable basslines filled-up with dark textures. Jauzas gifts us a last cut titled “Equation”, a nod to the EBM sound, where he preserves the same darkness as in the previous cuts. On side B we encounter the Spanish producer Francisco Aguado, who has recently released his first work under the “Cultivated Electronics” label under his new electro alias, Cycloplex. With two cuts titled “Intercepted” and “Acid Machine”, Cycloplex reveals his particular minimalist vision of electro sound in an abstract journey of excellent monotonous rhythms.
Black smoke coming from the chimney; we have a blast off! Intergalactic Gary launches massive 4 tracker from his his lab.
On 26 February, hundreds of Israeli settlers went on a violent late-night rampage in Huwara and other villages in the northern West Bank, leaving one local resident dead and 100 others injured and the town ablaze. This compilation of music was put together in order to raise funds that can hopefully give some aid to the residents of Huwara, all of the proceeds Confused Machines make from digital sales will go directly to Physicians For Human Rights – Israel (PHRI) www.phr.org.il An NGO that works in the occupied Palestinian territory, promoting Palestinians’ right to health and providing direct medical and humanitarian assistance. The compilation hosts a roster of both local and international artists spanning a wide spectrum of leftfield electronic music. Acid, Drone, Noise, Downtempo, Techno, SoundCollage and more. All of these tracks are new and have not been heard before, many of them have been created with Huwara and Palestine in mind.
Following their 2021 debut on Mindri, Ernestas Sadau, Rapha & PRZ return to the Pinkman fold as Pluto Junkies with a 7 track mini-LP recorded at the furthest reaches of the solar system. After the swirling synths and cryptic messages on opener Launch, the record quickly descends into a frenzied supernova of metallic synths and propulsive drums. From the twitching Italo-informed techno of Astronaut Dolphine Detective to the frenetic speedball electro in Black Eye Galaxy Battle, this collection of hardware jams is straight up sonic fuel for sweat-drenched hours at wide eyed raves right around the galaxy. With the snarling acid riffs on Captain Blade and the punishing pulse in Cosmo Scooter Race, Pluto Junkies continue to ride the wave of manic energy from their first release, providing further soundtracks for only the most serious space travellers.
L/F/D/M returns with yet another stellar album of underground house and techno.
Tresor Records unveil a new EP from DALO entitled “GUM”. DALO, aka Nadia D’Alo, is one of the founders of the R.i.O label and half of the duo INIT. After several years of performing as INIT with Benedikt Frey, she had her solo live debut in Berlin in 2022. “GUM” showcases DALO’s expert mastery of rising tension through analogue sound sources, as it swings in and remains with minimal changes and accentuation.
NOUN welcomes the UK-based veteran, Richard Brook. He opens the EP with “Caldera V” an emotional breaky workout with an acidic switch halfway through. The unpredictable rhythms and contrasting melodic elements are reminiscent of the golden Sheffield days. On the flip-side “Skaros” is a straight acidic workout with sinister overtones and a steady groove that will keep the dancer glued to the floor at all times of the night.
030303 Records presents the fifth Various artist compilation, featuring a variety of acid sounds that transcend the boundaries of genres. Sounds inspired by Chicago, West coast The Hague, Malta acid and/or Cornwall UK. Caramel Chameleon kicks off with an epic cut, one that will appeal to fans of Roy of the Ravers. Perseus Traxx, Raving Kid and RAG aka Steven Brunsmann follow suit with acid on a deeper tip, with the latter adding a heavenly soulful touch to it. And how great it is to see American producer Korre return to the label with a wonderfully spaced out introspective cut. Also standing out is Endfest’s heavy electro/acid take on one of the most obscure mysteries ever to come out of Detroit: Shari Vari. Dwaalgast & De Beer Uit Allekmaar aka Cosmic Force deliver the last track before the lights go on – the aptly named A Wave Goodbye has a distinctive, bouncy westcoast-sound-of-Holland feel to it.
First Various Artists EP on eudemonia with four electro tracks by Sound Synthesis, Hermeth, Caramel Chameleon and Larionov each exploring the acid side of the universe.
Dip Shim returns to Malmo Traxx with a 8 tracker LP from Up North waters. Electro beat excursions, downtempo, trippy ambient cuts and experimental 303 hypnotic rhythms. Scandinavian waves from Up North captured on a limited edition vinyl.
Hambourg’s electro duo Fallbeil composed by Wosto and Kluentah, is still pretty unknown despite they’ve been releasing a bunch of EP and a couple of LP on label like Mannequin, Killekill sub-label Boidae or New York Haunted and more recently on their own label Teerpappe to name a few. Macadam Mambo presents now a compilation of irresistible dark atmospheres slow electro tunes with very raw textures, complemented by few little skits to generate a brilliant album around the story of the Mockturtle.
Hilltown Disco celebrate 5 years with a star-studded compilation of artists that have featured and helped shape the label over the past half decade. On the A-side of the vinyl we find w1b0, Wibo Lammerts who sadly passed away during the production of the record, and Ole Mic Odd, who offer crunchy, dark electronics, perfectly sewn together, producing two future classics, with their bass-heavy electro. Flip to the B-side and the record ups tempo, with the first track from Larionov & St. Theodore that showcases their slick, punchy electro productions, followed by a spiraling, hypnotic, machine-funk weapon by PRZ. The record finishes with Robyrt Hecht’s stripped-back electro track with classic Hecht, signature, captivating vocals.
Chupacabras presents, on his label Draconian Steps, the final release of his alter ego Acid Freq. This includes 6 over driven analogue tracks to nowhere. These were the final recordings before leaving London for the Thanet Coast with the exception of the digital bonus “Thursday Night”. The recordings embrace feedback, distortion, overdrive and experimentation. Mindless repetition for mindless times.
Zodiak Commune Records presents a highly effective EP from SOUR, with 303’s lined-up to gently pierce eardrums around the globe. All tracks are driven by energetic drums with a steady but relentless groove.
Athenian label FERMA announces the first Vinyl release coming in the form of a VA compilation. “Rites of Passage” is hitting the dancefloors with a variety of different tools and club styles combining deep grooves, electro sounds, rolling basslines and sinister synths. On the A side we see Jack Roland and Serge Geyzel, while on the flip side we have Vilnius based 5ZYL and synth-lover Extase Urbaine.
The Hipodrome Of Music 