John Heckle – Desolate Figures [TABR022]

November 26, 2013May 26, 2023 hipodromealbum, chicago, detroit, experimental, house, john heckle, tabernacle records, technoLeave a comment

Two years after his last full-length titled ‘Second Son’, which was out on Jamal Moss‘s Mathematics label, John Heckle has returned with his second album ‘Desolate Figures’ for Tabernacle Records. ‘Desolate Figures’ revolves around vintage-tinged Detroit techno, gritty Chicago house and experimental hybrids of the aforementioned genres, with the overall result sounding deliciously and uncompromisingly nasty. The album opens with a wonderfully warped slab of Detroitish techno in the form of ‘Blindman’s Bluff’, a track deeply rooted in spacey synth and string structures that gradually transforms into a superb dancefloor track. From that point on, Heckle continues to present his broad view on house and techno across a set of track that seem to stray away from pre-fabricated song patterns, instead drawing on more abstract and less rigid textures. This ethos gives the LP as a whole a very personal and organic touch, as if it were recorded in a single take while creativity and intuition were peaking. Tracks such as the emotive ‘Inhuman Nature’, ‘Something For Your Distorted Mind’, and the acid-driven, Legowelt-esque ‘Never With You’ are all examples of Heckle’s signature blend of flowing melodics and raspy rhythms, while the industrial and very minimal ‘Love-Lies’ and the nervously rattling ‘Crazy Metal’ add a dash of experimental flavors to the LP. Its diverse content and overall DIY-attitude turn ‘Desolate Figures’ in a somewhat unorthodox package, but if you don’t shy away from experimental house and techno (or if you’re just a fan of the Crème Organization and Tabernacle labels in general), then you simply can’t afford to miss out on this one.

Conforce – Kinetic Image [102DSR]

November 26, 2013November 8, 2022 hipodromealbum, ambient techno, boris bunnik, conforce, deep techno, delsin records, detroit, experimentalLeave a comment

Boris Bunnik has finished his third full-length album as Conforce. Entitled ‘Kinetic Image’, the ten-track album is the sound of Conforce producing without the dancefloor in mind. It’s the sound of him moving away from the past and into the present. The album has very much been designed to be heard in one sitting, as a complete experience that moves away from regimented 4/4 beats and into slower, more surreptitious tempos. The result is an all consuming sonic journey of intriguing and inspiring sounds that range from full on cerebral excursions into vast open spaces that throb invitingly (Scientific Trajectory) to underwater daydreams that suspend you deep in an ocean as various mycobacterial details float by. There’s also more industrial sounding fair that depicts a desolate warehouse in perennial decay (Semantic Field) and mysterious echo chambers that spread out all around you as celestial light beams and haunting melodic ripples gently float by as per the excellent Temporary Reversals.

Patrick Cowley – School Daze [DE052]

November 22, 2013November 10, 2017 hipodromealbum, dark entries records, electronics, honey soundsystem, italo-disco, patrick cowley, post punkLeave a comment

11 track album by Patrick Cowley. Perhaps one of the most revolutionary and influential people in the cannon of disco music, Cowley created his own brand of Hi-NRG dance music coined The San Francisco Sound. By the mid-70ies, Patricks synthesizer skills landed him a job composing and producing songs for disco superstar Sylvester such as You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real), Dance Disco Heat and Stars. This helped Patrick obtain more work as a remixer and producer. Of particular note was his 18-minute long remix of Donna Summers I Feel Love. By 1981 Patrick released a string of dance 12inch singles, like Menergy and Megatron Man, creating the soundtrack for a generation. Prior to his passing on November 12, 1982, he recorded two more Hi-NRG hits, Do You Wanna Funk for Sylvester and Right On Target for Paul Parker. In 1981 Patrick was contacted by John Coletti, owner of famed gay porn company Fox Studio in Los Angeles. John had heard about Patricks music from the legendary Sylvester and proposed he write music for his films. Patrick jumped on this offer and sent reels of his college compositions from the 70s to John in LA. Coletti then used a variable speed oscillator to adjust the pitch and speed of Patricks songs in-sync with the film scene. School Daze is a collection of Cowleys instrumental songs recorded between 1973 and 1981 found in the Fox Studio vaults. Influenced by Tomita, Wendy Carlos and Giorgio Moroder, Patrick forged an electronic sound from his collection of synthesizers, modified guitars and self-constructed equipment. The listener enters a world of dark forbidden vices, introspective and reflective of Patricks time spent in the bathhouses of San Francisco. The songs on School Daze range from sparse prototechno to high octane funk to somber post-punk to musique concrete, revealing the depth of Cowleys unique talent.

DMX Krew – Micro Life [AFS016]

November 19, 2013March 19, 2019 hipodromeabstract forms, album, dmx krew, ed dmx, edward upton, electroLeave a comment

Ed Upton aka DMX Krew debuts on Abstract Forms, showing us just what can be done with a collection of vintage synths, impeccable programming skills and a heavy dose of talent. ‘Micro Life’ is a jam packed EP of eight tracks which venture on the quirky side of the electro genre. This modernist take on a classic style delivers a wonderful sense of melody, refreshing arrangements and innate funk.

Das Muster – Durchleuchtung [SOM026]

November 19, 2013September 9, 2021 hipodromealbum, das muster, electro, marcus mumm, solar one musicLeave a comment

MUSTER, Das - Durchleuchtung

Solar One Music is back with Marcus Mumm’s project Das Muster. After 2 albums for Transient Force, now he delivers this full length masterpiece for SOM. Minimalistic, ice cold and robotic electro music at its best.

Cuthead – Everlasting Sunday [UV019]

November 16, 2013May 10, 2023 hipodromealbum, cuthead, deep house, hip-hop, uncanny valley1 Comment

Cuthead returns with the long awaited follow-up to his “Brother EP”. His new record “Everlasting Sunday” surely fulfils some dreams as it is packed with no less than nine tracks. Three catchy House tunes on the A-Side and six Hip-Hop-jams on the B-side make for a very extended EP or a mini-album. Right at the beginning we start with the sample-heavy “Maputo Jam”, a tune in classical Cuthead-manner with its irresistible drumming full of stumbling blocks and layers of sweet synth-melodies. “Nautic Walking” is a straighter House track with a guitar line and clapping samples but that bass line quickly reminds you whom you’re listening to. “Minerals” starts off pretty deeply before evolving from a jazzy House affair into an almost orchestral tune with opulent strings. The flipside is an extensive expression of Cuthead’s inexhaustible love for Hip-Hop. There is feel-good material like “Everlasting Sunday” and “Deep Shadows” as well as banging joints like “Calculator Watch” with all the typical Cuthead-trademarks: sick bass work, stammering drumming and imaginative sampling.

Daniela La Luz – Based On Electricity LP [RAWAX001LP]

November 15, 2013July 19, 2023 hipodromealbum, daniela la luz, deep house, rawaxLeave a comment

Rawax presents the long awaited album full from Berlin based producer Daniela La Luz, featuring 12 elegant deep house tracks.

Hieroglyphic Being – A Synthetic Love Life: +++10 Love [MATHSPLUS010]

November 14, 2013November 2, 2022 hipodromealbum, chicago, hieroglyphic being, house, jamal moss, mathematics plus, mathematics recordings, technoLeave a comment

“A Synthetic Love Life” is an 8 track “compilation of experimental tunes & sonic art in retrospect from 1996-2013”. Mathematics label boss/founder Jamal Moss releases some of his more challenging tunes on the Mathematics Plus side label. Limited pressing, hand stamped with printed insert.

The Valley & The Mountain – Black Planet LP [WEME313.13]

November 13, 2013October 31, 2017 hipodromealbum, aran daniels, electro, house, techno, the tvtm, the valley and the mountain, weme records, weme313Leave a comment

Beauty and power within art often come from unknown sources, made by people mysteriously working deep in the shadows. Detroit-based electronic music project, The Valley and The Mountain (TVTM) embody this truth.

L.B. Dub Corp – Unknown Origin [OSTGUTTONCD029]

November 10, 2013June 8, 2023 hipodromealbum, benjamin zephaniah, deep techno, function, l.b. dub corp, luke slater, ostgut ton, technoLeave a comment

Ostgut Ton presents ‘Unknown Origin’ the debut album from Luke Slater’s L.B. Dub Corp moniker. The ten tracks recorded at Spacestation Ø form a hymnal intent on transporting you back to the roots. Digging deep into the history of dance music, ‘Unknown Origin’ dares to ask the big questions and offers noeasy answers. Instead, deep spiritual dubs are side- by-side with slices of piano house, and handsome slabs of techno contrast with the words of the silver-tongued poet Benjamin Zephaniah.

A Sagittariun – Dream Ritual [EDREAMSLP001]

November 9, 2013April 3, 2025 hipodromea sagittariun, album, ambient techno, deep techno, detroit, elastic dreams, skip mcdonald, technoLeave a comment

The shadowy UK techno artist, A Sagittariun, releases his debut album this November, to coincide with the Sagittarius zodiac period. “Dream Ritual” comes off the back of a steady stream of well received EPs from ‘The Archer’ on his own Elastic Dreams label, releases that have captured the imaginations of the electronic community for their depth and diversity, where old techno breaks collide with Detroit techno aesthetics, ambient dub sits alongside industrially charged electro, and many more sound palettes inbetween. “Dream Ritual” continues this journey through moods and tempos, each track sprinkled with this stargazing quality. Opening track “Sundial” sets the tone, the percussive elements teasing in and out of a melodious, thick analogue cloud. “Dream Ritual” represents the versatility of A Sagittariun, and presents a collection of music for the listening experience as opposed to a dancefloor record, hopefully following the lineage of some of the classic techno and electronic albums that have paved the way and most definitely influenced A Sagittariun on this record.

Patrik Skoog – Exit Earth [3ELP-201311]

November 7, 2013March 17, 2022 hipodromealbum, detroit, patrik skoog, techno, third earLeave a comment

Exit Earth is Patrik Skoog’s first solo album under his own name. He has released on Drumcode as Patrik Skoog, but it is as Agaric that he is best known. As Agaric he has released tracks on his We Are label and on Josh Wink’s Ovum Recordings (the album Who Made Up The Rules in 2011). As Agaric, Patrik inhabited a more Housier planet. With Exit Earth he has produced one of 2013’s best Techno albums. Exit Earth is a Techno album. Purely electronic. It is intentionally forward thinking, not retrospective. It is inspired by the twin space crafts Voyager 1 and 2 sent out by NASA in the late 70s on interstellar missions, which up to and beyond the very day of recording this album have been exploring the planetary systems of Jupiter, Saturn and the outer reaches of our solar system. Third Ear Recordings is proud to release Exit Earth. It is imaginative. It is beautifully written, played and produced. It reminds us how much we love Techno.

Musumeci – Schwarze Morgen / Zusammen [MNQ042]

November 5, 2013July 17, 2019 hipodromealbum, industrial, mannequin records, minimal synth, musumeciLeave a comment

Mannequin Records presents one of the most rare and unknown Italian Minimal Synth bands from the 80’s. Musumeci were formed in Turin at the beginning of 1985, from an idea of Mauro M. (synthesizers – ex guitar player of Rude Pravo) and Franco G. (programming – ex noise maker of Errata-S-Corrige). The group was founded as a link and expression of various experiences, aimed, at least initially, to highlight the individual personalities of the members. The formation settles after six months of testing with the final entry of Laura G. (ex-keyboardist of Rude Pravo) and Paul C. (voice of K Position). Musumeci were playing several shows, preceded by long monologues in which find space rumorism, electrical scans, voices, screams, etc. Presented here are the two super rare demo tapes that Musumeci recorded in 1985 (“Schwarz Morgen”) and in 1986 (“Zusammen”), on their own label Zeltweg.

Hard Corps – Rarities [MW051LP]

November 5, 2013June 29, 2019 hipodromealbum, hard corps, minimal synth, minimal wave records, regine fetet, synth popLeave a comment

We are pleased to announce a strictly limited edition release of rare tracks by UK legends Hard Corps. Hard Corps were true innovators of the 1980s UK synthpop scene. Hard Corps gained some notoriety for their unique and uncompromising live shows throughout the 1980s. It was the juxtaposition between their hard edged industrial sound and the fragile and enigmatic vocals of French front woman Regine Fetet that created an unusual dichotomy, lending to their strength of character as a band and thus allowing them to stand out from the rest. By 1985 Hard Corps had signed with major label giants Polydor. This enabled the band to work with a couple of their favoured and respected producers, Martin Rushent (known mostly for his exceptional work with the Human League) and Depeche Mode producer and Mute Records supremo, Daniel Miller. These sessions provided the public with just one single due to the labels non-promotion, Je Suis Passée, a sweeping arrangement of breathtaking beauty, combining pumping sequences and sheer power of emotion of Regine’s voice. The band went on a major tour with The Cure in 1985 and Depeche Mode in 1988, before finally disintegrating. As a follow up to Clean Tables Have To Be Burnt (2012), Rarities compiles the outtakes and demos that were left behind. Tracks that truly never saw the light of day.

Shadowlust – Trust In Pain [LIES035]

November 4, 2013August 11, 2017 hipodrome51717, album, experimental, l.i.e.s., lili schulder, long island electrical systems, marquis cooper, shadowlust, shoegaze, svengalisghostLeave a comment

A collaborative effort between Marquis Cooper (Svengalisghost) and Lili Schulder (51717), this project was born in the winter of 2013. What can best be described as non-stop electronic erotic cabaret, the duo played a series of improvised performances which served as a structural backbone prior to the recording of this album. Finished in merely two weeks, this 8 song double LP acts as a complete listening experience, engrossed in the down beat primitive electronics of the past whilst pushing further into the self-created anti-beat world of today. Pulsing tones, off beat drums, melancholic vocals, and overall dark vibes characterize, but do not solely define what it is to truly trust in pain.

Five Times Of Dust – Smile With The Eyes [MW048]

November 4, 2013February 13, 2026 hipodromealbum, electro, five times of dust, krautrock, mark phillips, minimal wave records, robert lawrence, synth waveLeave a comment

Minimal Wave present Smile With The Eyes: a double LP of selections of unreleased material from the prolific outsider duo Five Times Of Dust. Formed in 1980 in Bristol, Mark Phillips (MAP) and Robert Lawrence came together with a shared passion for Krautrock, Industrial Electronics and the burgeoning DIY tape scene, as well as being influence by the Dadaist movement and the works of Burroughs and Ballard. Unconventional, quirky and at times melancholic and romantic, their music acted as the perfect escape from the urban decay of early 80s Bristol and Cardiff, the two cities they travelled between on weekends to record. Although unashamedly electronic, the sound of Five Time Of Dust is far harder to pin down, perhaps in part due to their location. Both Phillips and Lawrence produced music that owed little to any scene happening in London, Manchester or Sheffield at the time. As a result, the majority of their output are perfectly formed electronic curiosities. The material on Smile With The Eyes spans recordings Lawrence and Phillips made between 1982-1986. As a follow up to The Dadacomputer, their debut cassette release as a duo which we reissued earlier this year, Smile With The Eyes remains lo-fi but is musically more complex. The recordings are catchy, curious and emotionally rich. Whereas The Dadacomputer could be compared with the early output of Robert Rental, Smile With The Eyes is a collection of works that stands all on its own.

Charles Cohen – Music For Dance And Theater [DOSER021LP]

November 4, 2013August 8, 2019 hipodromealbum, charles cohen, experimental, minimal synth, morphine records, synth waveLeave a comment

Final part in the Charles Cohen trilogy on Morphine Records. Featuring various works made for Dance & Theatre productions between 1976 & 1988. Eleven tracks in total – lovingly spread over double LP and featuring some of the most beautiful material of the series. Another essential purchase.

Orlando Voorn – La Cliqa [VF003]

November 3, 2013September 29, 2020 hipodromealbum, cypher, hip-hop, mohs de rapper, monice, mr phillips, orlando voorn, psychonavigation, vital forceLeave a comment

VOORN, Orlando - Presents La Cliqa

Vital Force is proud to present the new album from the legendary producer Orlando Voorn. A hip hop fan since the 80’s, Orlando used his unique scratching skills to win the Dutch DMC DJ championship in 1986. It was clear he always had a true love for all things Hip-Hop. Orlando has also traveled the globe as a Techno DJ during which time he regularly hooked up with many talented MC’s. Voorn began to compile the music created in these sessions which started way back in 2000. The various collaborations resulted in the album La Cliqa. The album represents the best in fluid, clever lyricism and a production style which sounds fresh and contemporary while giving an unashamed nod to the hip-hop golden age of the early noughties. In his career which began almost three decades ago, Voorn has used many different aliases and produced an abundant amount of styles of music but it’s his Detroit Techno/House productions that have gained him the admiration of the electronic music scene. With the release of ‘La Cliqa’ Orlando hopes to introduce his sound to a whole new audience.

William Onyeabor – World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who is William Onyeabor [9900791]

November 3, 2013August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, afrobeat, album, disco, funk, luaka bop, outernational, william onyeaborLeave a comment

In the early 21st century, a shadowy figure rose from the dust that settled atop forgotten record collections throughout Africa, leaving behind a trail of clues in what seemed like a wild good chase, but in October 2013, Luaka Bop will unmask a phantom: the great William Onyeabor. 13 tracks from Nigerian electro-funk originator, a mystery man of epic proportions, and an elusive master of synth & good vibes.

Hieroglyphic Being – Seer Of Cosmic Visions [Free Album]

November 2, 2013November 2, 2013 hipodromealbum, chicago, free download, free tracks, hieroglyphic being, jamal moss, mathematics recordings, the wireLeave a comment

Hieroglyphic Being’s Seer Of Cosmic Visions album, of original jams and reworkings of previously released tracks, exclusive to The Wire.

Inspired by Sun Ra, Chicago based House experimentalist, noise maker and Afro-Futurist, Hieroglyphic Being aka Jamal Moss has released an ever expanding cosmos of music since the 1990s. Operating under different monikers including Africans With Mainframes (with Noleian Reusse) and Insane Black Men (IBM), Moss started out selling cassettes of his music outside Chicago nightclubs, then started up his own label, Mathematics Recordings, and sub-labels Music From Mathematics and +++.

Even though Moss started out under the wing of first wave House producers Adonis and Steve Pointdexter, he’s consistently made work on the fringes of Chicago’s electronic music scene: “I never really set out to make sounds for the club or the DJ, I make them for all ears that will listen and maybe be inspired by it for positive purposes. Or hate on it for negative purposes. Either they make me better at what I do, or go out and make it how they think it should sound. Believe me, I got a lot of haters out there letting me know how it should be done, and I have a lot of lovers of what I do modify and apply my sound. It makes it to the dance by three degrees of separation regardless.”

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