Pyramid Club – Cycling Obsession [PRECEPT010]

Joining the Unknown Precept forces are C.G.I. Records’ label head Matthew Weiner teaming up with Christopher Daresta as Pyramid Club. Being known for their T.W.I.N.S. and Anticipation solo activities, Cyclic Obsession comes as the debut re-lease of the four-handed formation taking its name from the eponymous venue which helped define the counterculture and queer sound of lower Manhattan in the late 70’s. Recorded in their stronghold of Atlanta following a handful of tracks released via the jointly-operated D.K.A. Records, it shows the duo taking over primitive body music in its most physical and psychedelic dimension. Thick as a brick bass lines for the basement turmoil — reflecting the hazy vortex smoldering out of an ill-lighted nightclub. Think of spasmodic synth-driven tunes interspersed by convulsive vocals and throbbing snares, in which one could see the whites of the dancers’ eyes right before the lights turn back on.

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Pyramid Club – Cycling Obsession [PRECEPT010]

Neil Landstrumm – Roller Killer EP [GD023]

And who exactly would we be to turn down the legend that is Neil Landstrumm? Expert craftsman delivers five relentless tracks of spooktacular wrongness. Acid casualty sex dungeon weapons, lunacy and blutmuzik for greasy nights inside long closed Italian nightclubs, where Dr Pretorius is the host and there is a kidnapped swamp monster melting in a corner. 100% Bangers all night long. It is our immense pleasure to welcome Neil into our deranged little world and let him tear us a new space hole.

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Neil Landstrumm – Roller Killer EP [GD023]

Jann – Murder People [PBD006]

Jann arrives on Pinkman with a soundtrack of breathless panic, an ode to a blighted world of diesel fumes and indifference. Rhythms are grizzly, gored and torn. Thick chords judder, revving like a clapped-out engine as metal slashes at savaged snares. Acid scorn is poured on this inhospitable world, amplified by the haze of distortion that clouds Jann’s hard and cold vision.

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Jann – Murder People [PBD006]

Alien Rain – Alien Rain VI [ALIENRAIN006]

Man of many aliases Patrick Radomski has saved some of his best material for the Alien Rain series, which has been delivering bombastic blasts of acid-fired techno hedonism since 2012. “Alienopolis”, the track that kicks off this sixth EP, is a suitably no-holds-barred romp through intense club techno territory, with genuinely mind-altering TB-303 motifs weaving in and out of a no-holds-barred rhythm track. Over on the B-side, he opts for a slightly deeper, darker and more intoxicating feel on psychedelic creep-out “XOX 31”, before sharpening his acid lines further on the otherworldly hypnotism of “Illusion”, where sampled vocal snippets help enhance the druggy mood.

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Alien Rain – Alien Rain VI [ALIENRAIN006]

Privacy – Zero Value [KLAKSON026]

New school electro wunderkind Privacy makes his debut on Klakson with a dark four tracker that checks all the right boxes. The EP kicks off with “Four IO”, a haunting, spacey dubbed out acid roller with lush pads throughout. “U Can Tell” and “NCSC” are both specimens of the finest EBM tradition, re-interpreting the sound for 2017, while “Shove” on the B2 effortlessly transports us into deep, uptempo aquatic electro territory.

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Privacy – Zero Value [KLAKSON026]

Frak – Altan Gathering [KM049]

“A long time ago, at a festival far, far away, the members of the legendary Borft trio Frak were just going to bed in their tent when something caught their attention. Now, this was well before Frak’s rise to international fame – in fact, this moment was Swedish music history in the making, because what they heard was someone playing a Frak tune. That someone turned out to be Kontra-Musik’s own Ulf Eriksson and once their paths had crossed, there was no turning back. Frak has since released five highly sought after records on Kontra-Musik and Kontra-Musik White Label. When it was time for a 10-year anniversary gathering in Ulf Eriksson’s private garden, Frak of course turned up together with other Kontra artists like TM404 and Rivet. For those present – we few, we happy few – this turned out to be one of the most magical summer nights in living memory. The Swedish word for porch is altan, and so, to honour this wonderful experience of the whole Kontra-Musik family coming together, Frak decided to name their brand new album Altan Gathering. Another great friend of Kontra, Henrik Jonsson aka Porn Sword Tobacco, made the album cover and we wouldn’t have it any other way. His aesthetic choice of tin foil is on point: Listening to Frak is a lot like biting into a fresh falafel wrap without first removing the aluminium foil holding the delicious mess together; it’s mouth-wateringly warm and moist but at the same time intensely harsh and tough to chew. This might seem like a far fetched analogy but if you’ve ever went partying in Kontra-Musik’s home town Malmo you’ll know the feeling. And if you’ve never been to Malmo, well do stop by someday. It seems, when the stars align, the gatherings here can be the stuff both legends and albums are made of.”

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Frak – Altan Gathering [KM049]

Rude 66 – From Reason To Ritual [BAP079]

Early 20th century. Barbarism on an industrial scale. After the final shots had rung out Europe was left a husk, a shell to be rebuilt. And she did rebuild. Slowly, but surely, normality returned. Different zones. Different ideologies. One Europe. Yet not everyone was happy. Within this struggling continent there were those who saw the hand of authoritarianism at the wheel, past criminals ruling and lands being led back to dictatorship. The solution: the sub machine gun. From Reason to Ritual is Rude 66´s most ambitious album to date. Amsterdam´s premier electronic musician maps the rise and fall of terrorism over two slabs of wax. Gruesome naivety, one that led to countless deaths, is given an electro beat on the first record, “Reason.” Warbling wave vocals from Ruud’s wife Shaunna tell a bitter tale of paranoia and looming violence. That violence is truly realised on the second record “Ritual.” Beats rain like shards of broken glass, constricted acid and echo as the enemy closes in for the final hollow defeat. An album that takes you from manifesto to death march.

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Rude 66 – From Reason To Ritual [BAP079]

Steinzeit – Wahrheit [MRT008]

STEINZEIT - Wahrheit

Steinzeit concludes the MRT grey series. The duo is comprised of Hansruedi Schnriger, one half of Echo 106, and Bjorn Magnusson. They recorded these three tracks in a weekend’s time inside Magnusson studio, which is an abandoned factory in the middle of nowhere, in Switzerland, using bare concrete walls as an echo chamber. The pace is slow, atmosphere is bleak, tone is melancholic, drums are evil. It reflects how Switzerland feels in winter. Lonely, and this is true, like the name of the tracks.

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Steinzeit – Wahrheit [MRT008]

Cosimo Damiano – Our Better Selves [UNTO003]

COSIMO DAMIANO - Our Better Selves

UN.T.O.’s fifth release comes from Cosimo Damiano who delivers a brooding four tracker that leans heavily upon synth melodies and hardcore stylings. The result is an essential experimental techno EP that works just as well at home as it does in the club.

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Cosimo Damiano – Our Better Selves [UNTO003]

2AM/FM / JTC – Dope Jams NYC Vol 1: 2005-2012 Addendum #1 [DJ581]

Two floor-smashing highlights from the gnarliest corner of the Spectral Sound library get a welcome reissue on the first limited addendum 12” to the Dope Jams NYC Volume 1: 2005-2012 compilation. Tripping back to 2005/4 on a raw, machine funk flex, Dope Jams track back over Todd Mullinix’s earlier chapters with two immense slabs of future tech. First up, his 2AM/FM project with D’Marc Cantu with “Poison Dart” a gritty late night Berlin lazer-fest. It’s followed by the wily, unpredictable data charges on “Bizarre Carnival” on which you can almost hear the machines hissing in meltdown. This is what flashbacks were invented for.

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2AM/FM / JTC – Dope Jams NYC Vol 1: 2005-2012 Addendum #1 [DJ581]

Artefakt – Kinship [122DSR]

Dutch live-act and DJ duo Artefakt release their atmospheric debut album on renowned techno imprint Delsin. Known separately as Robin Koek and Nick Lapien, the pair first appeared on Field Records before follow up releases on Prologue, Delsin and Konstrukt. Kinship portrays a compelling narrative in a body of work that will undoubtedly keep listeners engaged from start to finish.

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Artefakt – Kinship [122DSR]

Circling Vultures – Circling Vultures EP [SCS006]

The latest offering from US-based imprint Secret Studio Records will arrive courtesy of Circling Vultures, a project fronted by Chicago natives Justin Long (Hugo Ball), and Ken Zawacki (Dar Embarks). Circling Vultures’ sound is rooted in the hedonistic Midwestern rave scene of the ’90s, formed over a long history traversing the hedonistic spaces of that time—it’s a hardware-driven sound with a DIY punk ethos.

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Circling Vultures – Circling Vultures EP [SCS006]

Steffi & Dexter – Zatlap [KLAKSON025]

The original Klakson funkateers Steffi and Dexter return to true form with three punchy techno/electro cuts. “Zatlap” on the A Side is a lush nighttime driving track with an urgent bassline powering all through the song while spaced out strings develop. The B-side’s “Kopstoot” is a pure funk workout in the Detroit tradition while “De Fles” builds a stack of airy pads on top of a playful question and answer bass riff to maximum effectiveness.

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Steffi & Dexter – Zatlap [KLAKSON025]