Four techno banging tracks by UK Legend Ben Sims, on the A side Rippin & Skippin is this relentless Jackin heavy Techno jam. Gamma Ray Subway is a Funky Hypnotic and repetitive jam that can somehow be pictured in a Jeff Mills set, while on the B side it’s Acid attack. The Stalker is a darky heavy monster, while Acid OD is a dope and raw Acid jam.
The Trickfinger project was recorded 10 years ago with no intention of being released at the time, made purely for discovery and learning experience. ‘In my opinion, making music with no intention of releasing it is the best thing a musician can do for his own development in this day and age. The Trickfinger LP was made in that mindset, and it was the beginning of a new musical life for me. When I hear it, it sounds like I am opening up doorways to new worlds, and I never have had that feeling listening to music I made for the purpose of releasing it and selling it.’
The second release in Endless Illusion’s series of Split EPs comes from Marcos Cabral & Daniel Araya and features two tracks from each artist. New York’s Cabral is known for his experimental IDM and techno on labels like L.I.E.S. while Daniel Araya has recently released an album of acid, techno and industrial on the Classicworks label. Araya’s ‘We Almost Lost Detroit’ is first and is a truly haunted deep techno cut with sparse acid undulations and a real sense of manic in the rasping synth lines. Softer pads in the background only add to the spooky nature of the track. ‘Ghost Bass’ is the other Araya cut and this one is more up on its toes, with mid tempo kicks down low and wonky chords up top. It’s a mind melting tune that trips deep into the night. ‘Live At The Egg’ is Cabral’s first effort and is a lonely and icy techno track that is supple and seductive in its long lines and paddy drums. After getting you into a state of hypnosis, some freaky vocal sounds only add to the unsettling nature of it all later on. ‘Cuts & Bruises’ rounds things out in squelchy and depraved techno territory. Muted acid stabs are off in the distance as swampy drums suck you in from the front. It’s a brilliantly odd tune that close out a fine EP.
Here comes the the Hamburg based duo Fallbeil with two brilliantly aggressive tracks filling each side with mutated acid face melt. With numerous scary records on Return To Disorder, New York Haunted, and Mannequin, among other labels, these maniacs have been burning a path of over carnage the last two years and this release signals they have no intention of softening up. They aren’t going limp. They can go all night in hell, hell with a lower-case H.
“Feeling numb from all the electronic dancemusic coming out?, moaning about how its become a bit samey, or are you just tired of your shitster friends saying its not like in the 90’s anymore. This record will shut everyone in the room up. A1 is a deeply psychotic acid death march into confusion, so minimal and primitive (kick, snare, acidsquelch) it will challenge every beard and armpit and might even hypnotize the dj to the point he cannot mix in the next one. A2 is a straight up Commodore 64 SID track with mongoloid data elephants tooting over a wobbly and tarded electroish beat. B1 is a dystopic dreamy rave stomper, starting out kinda datacuddly but gets more and more serious, with choirs of fable mooers taking you into that virtual bad trip you need. b2 continues as expected with more c64 SID madness, so snary I cant even determine if its in 115 or 230bpm. But it leaves you with the feeling your ears and mind just been wrestled, smacked and poked at, and thats the point. This is no record for the safing chickenshit DJ.”
New 030303 release coming from Caron, is a true gearfreak from up north, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.
Dark Leader 003 featuring Riga’s Dmitry Distant and Portland’s own Natural Magic. Side A begins with “Tukšums” a driving acid jam by Dmitry Distant that brings the energy level up to 11. Natural Magic’s “Most High” polishes off side A with a triumphantly positive romp that puts the love icing right on the cake. Side B opens with “Artificial Joy” a breaky acid track by Dmitry Distant that will engross the dance floor with groovy sinister funk. This release concludes with Natural Magic’s “Dude Can Dance” a drummy piece of hypnotic dance music that dabbles in experimentalism.
Dark Entries present the sophomore album from Austin, Texas analogue hardware enthusiast Bill Converse. Immersed in the early days of the 90s midwest rave scene, Bill began DJing at a young age in Lansing, Michigan. Luminaries such as Claude Young, Traxx, and Derrick May were key early influences. Techno, noise, ambient and tape processing are all part of his uncanny sound palette. ‘The Shape Of Things To Come’ is a 70 minute journey spread across two pieces of vinyl. It’s comprised of seven tracks recorded directly to tape with no overdubs, made at Converse’s home studio. At the time of recording, Bill was sending this material to Josh Vance (Josua Dorje Ngodup) for feedback. Most of the time Josh would respond in the form of artwork, and then Bill would create another track inspired by this feedback chain. Converse has dedicated this series of tracks to him. The songs on this album reveal a sublime influence from Detroit techno, early Chicago house, and Acid. For this album Converse slightly bumped up the tempos geared for dancefloor energy. Built around vintage synthesizer lines and gritty drum machine percussion, the tracks evoke how things have changed and how they have come to be.
The Brooklyn Sessions bring together old and new Pinkman friends. Annanan returns, this time with Maroje T, for three pieces of NY darkness. Acid tainted torment opens the 12″, pain and rejection catalogued in the barren “Confrontations in Terms of Sexuality.” “I Saw You” maintains that cold edge. Militaristic percussion is dipped in industrial grease, lost samples circling in a haze of distortion. The pair explore reduction with tracks being boiled down to leave only distilled dread behind. The breathy vocals of “I Am” close, drum patterns looped into machine groan and the aching abyss.
Jasen Loveland is a doctor of medicine, with interests in house music and computer dating. This is his recorded debut. Recorded in LA and mixed in Detroit at the IT studios. To celebrate 10 years of No Way Back (a regular party in Detroit…and beyond), the label is launching the Acid Series, a series of records on Interdimensional Transmissions inspired by the No Way Back parties.
Sign Bit Zero’s next output is Black Seed, the alternate identity of Turin-based DJ and producer Matteo Viani. The project is a showcase of his excavations into the realm of electro-tinged techno and live experimentation. Using the sharp edges of a raw, tribalistic robot funk sound as tools for crafting rhythm, Black Seed generates unsettling yet grooving scenarios, basemental bangers of danger dunked in smoke and hypnosis.
The Hipodrome Of Music 