acid
Tornado Wallace – Kangaroo Ground / Ferntree Gully [BIS018]
Australia’s one-man storm of tropical funk Tornado Wallace returns to Beats In Space Records with the acid-flecked two-tracker, Kangaroo Ground / Ferntree Gully. “Kangaroo Ground” shares the buoyancy of its spirit animal namesake, but grinds in high-gear with a shredded 303 line and monstrous groove more akin to a possessed croc. The record’s flip, “Ferntree Gully,” sheds its scaly acid skin for softer sines and sirens signaling Italo productions past and built to last.
Regal – Monomyth [FIGURE063]
Regal is fully welcomed to Figure with his first EP. Showing off his ear for a twisted Acid line or two, Regal provides three tracks.The rising tension of ‘Monomyth’ is classic 90s acid, accented by the ear of a young man who is very much living in the present. Refined and tracky, Regal draws out every last drop of energy from a mere handful of well tuned ingredients, peaking his acid line sky high. The snaking, heads-down ‘Symbol’ fits very much with Figure’s 2014 manifesto – driving, precise modern techno, with clever arrangements that simple beg repeat listening and club play. The tweaking, after-hours vibes of ‘Pointillism’ continue this with a totally playable, bubbling minimalist killer.
Gaja – Modern Passivity [OPSM001]
Berlin-based artist Gaja runs Ophism, a label oriented to raw industrial inspired techno. Modern urban and suburban views are composed by monotonous, repetitive sequences and simple elements, focused on the mechanical landscape of factories, warehouses and assembly lines. Concept behind could be the translation of the urban sprawl in music. Gaja provides full improvisation and finally the new protagonists are the machines: their cold steady rhythms, their screeching metallic noises, their symphony of inarticulate patterns.
Drvg Cvltvre – Telepathic Warfare [COSMOS003]
Drvg Cvltvre is now back with a full EP of his own on Dutch label COS_MOS. Since 2009, Vincent Koreman a.k.a. Drvg Cvltvre has been churning out his own acid, no wave and experimental house and now kicks off the new year in style with three more inventive offerings. ‘New Earth Army’ is a slow, heavyweight and coarse track with rattling chords, angry percussion and elastic drums that manages to be physical and tough yet groovy and playful at the same time. ‘We Have Become The Filth of the Universe’ is a big, fat, heavy wedge of slow motion techno with monstrous drums and wild acid lines all spraying about wildly for the duration. It’s a warehouse sized track that will reduce the ‘floor to a writhing mess and finally ‘Possessed’ is a sci-fi riddled track with lots of spacey synths, filtered analogue lines and paranoid sirens all making for a turbulent brew of dark and otherworldly energy.
Marco Bernardi – Laffer Ep part 1 [BAR002.1]
Archetypal Detroit electro techno taken to the next level by Mr. Bernardi on Burek sub label Barba. Bernardi delivers a double album worth of ideas, spread among 2 releases. The first half of the release is very much in the robots-having-an-argument rather than the peaceful-cosmic-journey vein. The tracks feature abrupt changes, stabbing asymmetrical rhythms, multiple layers of sound and a darker moodier feel.
Cause & Effect Men – Schwarzgerat 0001 [DELFT007]
Two shadowy figures, Cause and Effect Men present a Pynchonian mystery-weapon with rolling, growling 303 and 909 machinations, tumbling to the edge of chaos. Comes with a remix from LA-4A.
VA – Dark Acid IV [CDR12012]
Glasgow’s Clan Destine Records present the fourth volume of the essential Dark Acid series. As you’d expect, the included material is as trippy, intense and left-of-centre as you’d expect. Canadian producer Khotin kicks things off with “Tsoi”, a deep, psychedelic acid shuffler that builds incessantly towards a breathless climax. Varg’s “Ultra Acid” takes things up further via ghetto-tech inspired beats and icy melodies, before Kid Who drops a twisted chunk of midtempo acid chug (the delightfully claustrophonic “Gap Related Injury”). Finally, Becoming Real’s Toby Ridler and Golden Teacher/General Ludd man Richard McMaster join forces for “Terminator”, as intense an acid track as you’re likely to find.
EDMX – Ash Cloud [AACID008]
Hieroglyphic Being Live @ Boiler Room (London) 06.11.2014
Ro Maron – Collected #1 [MPLD001]
An inestimably valuable and definitive collection of 1988 Belgium club classics anthems produced by Rembert De Smet including hard-to-find, unreleased and rare materials. Two black vinyl sleeved into a reversed silkscreened cardboard, including a CD version.
Nothing But Blood – White Of The Eye [COTF005]
‘White of the Eye’ is the first release under “Nothing but Blood” from Scott Fraser, a direct link back to Scott’s earlier 90’s work and sound around the darker realms of techno and harder-edged Chicago house. The EP title refers back to a favourite Donald Cammell film of Scott’s from 88′. ‘White of the Eye’ on the A-side is an 11 minute extended mix of the lead cut. Silent Servant on remix duties delivers an amyl fuelled techno bomb landing somewhere in an 80’s new york basement. Diving deeper on B2 it features Atlanta resident Claire Elise Tippins on vocals.
Pukemaster Gehm – 303 Degrees [SOM033]
Pukemaster Gehm kicks four uncompromising and banging Acid tracks where you can feel his pure love for his partner in crime, the 303. Stomping basslines, twirling and chirping 303 sounds, jerking hihats and hypnotic claps all over here.
Ekman – GMDDI [BH015]
Ekman returns to the Berceuse Heroique imprint with another formidable chunk of acid rave sorcery. “GMMDI” brilliantly blends relentless techno rhythms, recorded-in-a-cement-mixer synths and dancing rave melodies into the sort of throbbing techno banger that could have been recorded at any point over the last 30 years. Ekman’s old pals Breaker 1 2 (aka Greg Beato) provide the B-side remix, simmering things down whilst retaining the original’s foreboding chords and thumping beats.
In Aeternam Vale / Ekoplekz – In The Dark Again 2 [DARK002]
Dark and trippy sounds on a label straight from Berlin. In The Dark Again brings out music between Acid, New Wave/ Minimal Wave and psychedelic Techno and Dub. The second release comes with tracks by In Aeternam Vale and Ekoplekz.
Marco Bernardi – Mantela [AFS020.01]
The mastermind of dark and demented Electro returns to Abstract Forms, Marco Bernardi delivers four cuts of awesome Purist Electro.
Celldöd – Pulsdisco [SUCTION030]
Celldöd is the solo project of Anders Karlsson, well known in the EBM scene for his involvement in the band The Pain Machinery and as a live member of Severe Illusion. Celldöd strips EBM down to it’s core, eliminating vocals and any superfluous details. Celldöd offers a raw, minimal, and purist vision of EBM; hardware tracks recorded live to tape using just a handful of machines. Celldod’s bare bones dance cuts are dirty and primitive, but manage to steer clear of retro trappings, sounding fresh and contemporary.
Das Ding & Interstellar Funk Live @ Hausse II (Nijmegen) 01.11.2014
Drvg Cvltvre / Umwelt – Horned Be The Hunter [ROD003]
For its third release, French indie label Rave Or Die introduces two dystopian & dark tunes with haunting atmospheres from Drvg Cvltvre & Umwelt. A serious release for smoking dancefloors.
VA – (Reference Analogue Audio HM-12115) The Acid Years (1994-1996)
A Collection of Tracks released 1994 to 1996 on Hotmix’ first label launched from the shop in The Hague.
The Hipodrome Of Music 