San Francisco label Left Hand Path’s latest record is a contemporary techno opus, featuring four tracks, each with a distinct sound and feel, designed to set off a dancefloor and invigorate your stereo. Cool dripping Electro cuts from Johnny Igaz aka Nackt.
Bitterfeld is most known for their production of drain-pipes, paper-roofing and it’s amazing chemical production industry but it’s a little known fact that Bitterfeld are also responsible for the production of amazing music. Some 900 years after the city’s foundation they’ve finally found the time to establish a music label to reflect the city’s rich musical heritage. The first release comes from Guy Contact. Expect chemical influenced electro, acid and house.
Geat electro compilation out of the city of Leipzig. Tracks by Robyrt Hecht & XY0815, Varum, Perm and Credit 00.
Highly anticipated full length album by Australian producer DyLAB. Heavy duty analogue acid and techno with a distorted and sometimes industrial edge. Some lengthy tracks that are made to play in your car and drive 140.
Another excursion for the genre independent Borft label. Celebrated artist Obergman delivers a six tracker record for fans of acid and electro. The release is initiated with the drexciyan styled electro track “Germination” with occasional strings that brings some light in the atmosphere of desolate landscapes, followed by the groovy electrotech melodic track “Unexpected Connection” The acid techno workout “Acid Healing” slowly builds with sweet melodic strings into floorfilling potential while the B-side begins with “Inflatable”. A Bass ridden driving acid techno track with ominous melodic stabs that works well when doing a build-up mix into more frenzy territory. The b2 track “Greenglow” explores rocking acid lines bonded by delicate smooth detroit styled strings. Last track of the record, “Universal Hologram”, is a strong beautiful electro track with great electric pulses, melancholic atmosphere and subtle strings.
Analogical Force welcomes Pye Corner Audio for its 10th release. 4-tracker of raw acid jams from the oppressive mind of Martin Jenkins, the man behind the operation. ‘Island of Ghosts’ includes a wild electro remix by Finnish duo Morphology. Needs no introduction: brutal and beautiful.
Berlin’s Mechatronica with a new VA compilation featuring The Exaltics, Drvg Cvltvre, Le Chocolat Noir and Kluentah. The Exaltics and Drvg Cvltvre pack the A-side with gritty, hypnotizing acid burners, relentlessly paced and bound to induce frenzy. On the flip, Le Chocolat Noir and Kluentah (50% of Hamburg duo Fallbeil) dive deep into analogue driven electro trips, culminating with Kluentah’s 9-minute journey ‘Nightliner’.
Acid Test continues their journey with the return of Achterbahn D’Amour. On their first proper release in three years, Jool & Iron Curtis patiently craft an intricate sound world – with the opening track, major-key pads hearken towards a bright future, hi-hats rustle like leaves and on “Dehaveland,” percussive elements fall into beautiful, random unison like factory machines staging an after hours dance. Samuel Van Dijk’s vaunted VC-118A project steps up for a remix, turning in a taut techno version that unfurls smoke pillars of ghostly ambience. The duo wraps up the four-tracker with an unexpected dreamy electro turn, “Don’t Talk To Me.” Throughout Acid Test 13, they remain in lockstep with the label’s ethos – to bend, hammer and flatten acid lines into new, imaginative shapes.
Dark Entries returns to the New Jersey basement studio of Smersh to unearth an 18-minute jam session from 1989, backed with two contemporary remixes. “Sideways” was taken from a cassette titled ‘100’, which refers to a 100-minute jam session the band recorded to tape on June 12, 1989 in Piscataway. A frenetic hybrid of techno and acid with driving EBM style beats, “Sideways” weaves intricate industrial noises with synth melodies that drift in and out of phase. On the flip are two fresh remixes by different aliases of prolific Ann Arbor producer Tadd Mullinix. As JTC, he expands the sound palette, adding organ stabs and lush pads, drawing on Detroit deep house and UK garage. The Charles Manier remix features chanted vocals on top of an array of pulsating synths, stark percussion, and post-punky guitar effects.
Garçon Taupe has been around for quite some time but released only a few tracks. This 4 track EP is all about acid.
Pinkman’s Broken Dreams welcome a new midnight malcontent into the fold, Ernestas Sadau debuts with his first 12”: Gonzo on Tour. Sirens blare, samples hiss in a haze of static before a grizzled snare introduces “Riots in Jail Near Kaunas.” Grubby basslines curl into shards of acid, full figured thump sweetened by fragile bars. “Crackheads from Lyon” is steeped in the traditions of garage bands and D.I.Y. punk. Strings snarl and sneer at crashing drum beats, lonesome notes floating in the surge. The foul tempered “Hiroshima (Acid Breaks Your Body Mix)” demands the flip. Beats break and buckle under the leer of lewd 303 lines, a finale bubbling over with violent intent.
Berlin based Mannequin Records pushes out some proper Industrial/EBM bangers. Raised in Pescara on the Adriatic Coast and ow based in Frankfurt am Main Antonio Barbetta is debuting on Death of the Machines as Raw Ambassador. The heavy four track ep is created to burn every dancefloor with full Industrial vibes and a lot of EBM influences, giving us a small insight into his violent and rough sound.
Next up on Bucharest’s Raw Tools label is Börft co-founder, Johan Sturesson, also known to be part of the Swedish electronic trio, Frak. Always under the radar, he has been operating raw electronics since the late 80’s, developing quite a distinctive sound. As Kord, he has released on several Swedish labels, including his own imprint. The four-track EP consists in music from the private vaults of the producer, that has been kept secret for almost 20 years. Rough and gritty, his analogue approach and stripped down sound define the record. Starting with the rave sounding “Uncle Owl” and then moving to a more darkly atmospheric title track, Kord shows his muscles on the flipside with some more techno infused and bass driven dancefloor cuts.
Jesse Pimenta is a Brazilian-born, LA-grown artist who has previously released on Nous Disques as well as on his own Private Selection imprint. Side A brings two slamming cuts fit for all-out dance floor annihilation whilst Side B delves into more psychotropic yet punkish zones.
Third release Mosaique Records MSQ003 is a dark electronic music experience, which includes new edit and cut by German musician and producer Mick Wills. Side A- super rare, almost unknown track by a Russian industrial project DMT (Dmitry Tolmatsky/1970-2009), grabbed by Mosaique label owner Alexander Moralez from DIY audio-cassette. Thereafter it had some edits on Mick Wills studio. Side B- Mick’s cut on never released track “Flexion” by Jasss.
“Rhys Celeste aka Microlith passed away 26th February. 24 years old. The fatal weekend when Rhys lost his life I was mastering the tracks for his release in Fundamental Records. Rhys sent me the tracks only a few days before. He kept about forty untitled tracks for Fundamental Records and together we selected a perfect track list for the album. I was with all these melodies in my head all that weekend, I remember perfectly that feeling. Today I still have that special sensation that you can feel in all tracks composed by Rhys, something nostalgic with a big doses of happiness and hope in every note. When I was mastering his tracks I was like a young kid with a new record in my hands, each track is great, even the interludes are very special compositions.I am sure the people who support the projects we release in Fundamental Records will support this album not only for the circumstances but mainly because the quality of the tracks from someone with only 24 years… this is sad. I feel a deep emptiness inside of me because Rhys never listened the final tracks mastered… we released each track with the original references Rhys used for his tracks, except two tracks included in the very special 7. This feeling is something I can’t explain in words, and it is very difficult to carry within me. The next monday after his death I was like out of my body, we had a mountain of work with the shipping of the 808 Box but I felt totally paralyzed, my wife Anais and I could hardly speak, we were speechless for some minutes, looking to the screen of the computer trying to understand what happened, then I decided I have to do what I said to Rhys only two days before, and I opened the player in my laptop and I started to work in the design for the cover with the music of Rhys in repeat mode. I was in front of the screen all day, printing many sketches and color variations. I called Fundamental Records to our label for a very good reason and this project deserves this adjective in full effect. For the same reason I also decided to release this album under the real name of the artist, Rhys Celeste and use his music name, Microlith, for the title.”
The Hipodrome Of Music 