Trystero – Sfumare e Vedere [KH048]

Trystero comprises Scottish/Luxembourgish producer Thomas Lea Clarke (aka MR TC) and Low Bat, otherwise known as one half of the formidable duo Jean-Luc. Their debut album, “Sfumare e Vedere”, was conceived over three days aboard Urban Boat, a 1960s barge transformed into an arts and performance space. Moored along the river just outside of Paris, the duo embarked on a joint residency, discovering their complementary creative energies and a mutual passion for all things strange and psychedelic. As frontman, Low Bat is a fire-powered poet, his unparalleled stage presence resonating through Trystero’s music. Meanwhile, Clarke’s drone-lead electronic accompaniment takes its cues from sizzling acid, 1990s snap rhythms, post-punk, krautrock and shoegaze. Firmly rooted in these tripped-out genres, Trystero journeys to entirely new cosmic dimensions.

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Trystero – Sfumare e Vedere [KH048]

Dimanche Midi – CONDé [NB04t]

Chronicles of the wasteland, an ode to those who remain in the shadows, a nod to the wild beauty of 40 rue Marceline. Looser solo project, Dimanche Midi goes quickly, it can be listened to in one go, fully on your bike. Drum machine, electric bass, synth, guitar, cassette loops, samples, radio archives and dirty stories from CONDé!

Dimanche Midi – CONDé [NB04t]

Heinrich Dressel – Polarlys LP [MPI-ORIGINAL001]

Musica Per Immagini it will release a series of albums of contemporary and electronic music often “inspired by” different sources, both sonic, if not literary and cinematographic. Heinrich Dressel’s “Polarlys” is the first album of unreleased tracks published by Musica Per Immagini, or a soundtrack for a imaginary noir film set in the icy waters of northern Europe, inspired by the book “The Mystery of the Polarlys” by Georges Simenon. Drones and ethereal atmospheres are paired with a cinematic background in order to describe the frost of the northern seas and the restlessness of the journey: beyond the classic analog sounds, a specific use of additive and vector synthesis particularly in vogue during the Nineties and typical of vintage synthesizers.

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Heinrich Dressel – Polarlys LP [MPI-ORIGINAL001]

Taru – Ipnagogik [DM09]

Confused Machines unleashes it’s first release for 2024 and it’s a mesmerizing journey led by Ruggero Lambo aka Taru, utilizing minimal synths, squeezing beats into tiny fractures and exploring syncopations to a certain visionary degree where the tension between self-consciousness and unconsciousness arouse, a vague memory of a near future becomes present.

Taru – Ipnagogik [DM09]

Donato Dozzy – Magda LP [SPAZIO028]

Donato Dozzy presents his next studio album entitled ‘Magda’. An emotional hommage to family and the Adriatic Sea. Over the course of six tracks he explores colorful emotions and sounds connecting to his deepest inner feelings. Speaking through music and showing gratitude to his auntie, one of the strongest women in Donato’s life and a real life teacher.

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Donato Dozzy – Magda LP [SPAZIO028]

Filmmaker – Land of Hidden Variables [Opal Tapes]

“I am not a conspiracy theorist. I deal with real facts, not theory. Some of the people I write about, I have met. Some of the people I expose are alive and very dangerous. The darkness has never liked the light. Yet, many of the secrets of the Filmmaker are locked up tightly simply because secrecy is a way of life. It is such a way of life, that they resent the [REDACTED] and the [REDACTED] who want to tell real historical facts rather than doctored up stories and myths. I have been an intense student of history since I could read, and I am deeply committed to the facts of history rather than the cover stories the public is fed to manipulate them.”

Filmmaker – Land of Hidden Variables [Opal Tapes]

Darren Nye – Thoughts And Emotions LP [DPTX-037]

UK producer, Darren Nye, is set to captivate listeners with his exciting new album, “Thoughts And Emotions,” released on Deeptrax. The long-player delves deep into the realms of techno, harking back to the golden era of the 90s and channeling influences not just from Detroit, but also the electronic waves that emanated from the UK, Belgium, and the Netherlands. ‘Thoughts And Emotions’ is a labor of love, where Nye masterfully explores and curates a rich collection of sounds, all bearing his distinct signature. Across twelve tracks, the listener is treated to an exceptional journey that encompasses bubbling electronica, down-tempo jazzy flourishes, and cosmic string-laden soundscapes. Darren’s socially conscious titles also add an extra layer of meaning to the listener’s experience, creating a soothing and moving soundtrack that speaks to the soul.

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Darren Nye – Thoughts And Emotions LP [DPTX-037]

2023 Best Albums

Here are our favorite albums from 2023 compiled in chronological order.

Continue reading “2023 Best Albums”
2023 Best Albums

Die Gestalten – All die Leere Worte [DIEGESTALTEN2323]

Fierce electro and acid tracks by Die Gestalten. They continue their label series with a 3LP box set including a set of slipmats, A2 poster and stickers. The limited box sets contains 12 tracks influenced by the music and attitude of Underground Resistance and Mad Mike Banks.

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Die Gestalten – All die Leere Worte [DIEGESTALTEN2323]

Datasal – Totem Och Tabu LP [HNRLP033]

Höga Nord Rekords presents “Totem Och Tabu”, the debut album of Swedish electronic psychedelia artist Datasal. The sound is built around repetitive sequencer loops and programmed beats where electric bass, electric guitar and flute improvise around a theme, creating a sound that is best described as cosmic flute house.

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Datasal – Totem Och Tabu LP [HNRLP033]

Ron Morelli – Rhythm Master Volume 1 LP [LIES202]

L.I.E.S. boss, Ron Morelli follows up his acclaimed “Heart Stopper” LP with a new six track mini LP. The six tracks on “Rhythm Master” focus on a departure from the more song based structures of “Heart Stopper,” presenting a series of raw “old style” beat tracks for the DJs to use and abuse as they see fit, although these tracks are not as cut and dry as the title may imply. Check the complex, jacking, drum programming of the Fingers inspired “Loose Screw” or absolute melodic deep house mastery on the closing track “Escapes.” and the late nite mix show drama of “Disco Gridlock” with its monstrous reverb drenched kick opening the b-side. All of these standing on their own and all of them displaying Morelli’s versatility as a producer in his ability to pinpoint and execute the many styles that made djs what they were back in the days.

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Ron Morelli – Rhythm Master Volume 1 LP [LIES202]

Sweater on Polo – Go Wild Harlem Trax LP [LIES191]

NYC’s Sweater on Polo delivers a hammering six track mini LP for L.I.E.S. indebted to the sounds of early-90s psychedelic Chicago house, names like Gherkin and Pierre come to mind over this release but the young producer tastefully and effectively puts his own vision to the forefront with this record. In the misguided world of modern dance music production, Sweater on Polo, throws all trends aside and sticking to the bare essentials…letting the 808s,303s,727s do the job and making this one of the most crucial modern House records to come out of New York City in the last 10 years.

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Sweater on Polo – Go Wild Harlem Trax LP [LIES191]

Anthony Rother – ROBO POP [PSI49NET] [Free download]

End of the year 2023 and Anthony Rother comes yet again with a new double electro/ambient album, called ROBO POP. Available as ‘name your price’ on bandcamp.
◼️ ALBUM ONE (Title 1-12) total playtime: 72 Minutes
◼️ ALBUM TWO (Title 13-25) total playtime: 59 Minutes

Anthony Rother – ROBO POP [PSI49NET] [Free download]

Model 500 – Classics LP [MLP093]

Juan Atkin’s masterpiece compilation, the blueprint of Techno albums…. the 1993 Model 500 ‘Classics’ compilation with some of Juan Atkins’ biggest early Metroplex milestones, with some of them in exclusive remixed versions. 3 decades later Metroplex is re-releasing this collection of hugely influential tracks for a new generation to play from fresh and clean vinyl!. Just like the recent 12″ reissue series, this album has been fully remastered with all the care and attention to detail you can imagine. Tracks like ,,No UFOs”, ,,The Chase”, ,,Techno Music”, ,,Night Drive (Time, Space, Transmat)” or ,,Off To Battle” are basically techno ground zero, with the electro influence of mid-80s to late-80s Juan Atkins productions still omnipresent. 30 years on since its original release on R&S records, ‘Classics’ is still as gritty and timeless a statement as ever.

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Model 500 – Classics LP [MLP093]

Juan Manuel Cidrón – SLG3 [W13]

Juan Manuel Cidrón, hailing from Almeria (Andalusia), is a legendary Spanish synthesist who embarked on his musical journey in 1976. A veteran of analog electronic sounds, his early influences come from the Berlin School of the seventies (Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, etc.) and American Minimal music. ‘SLG3’ is a long-awaited double album with four lengthy tracks (one per side). It’s the first release exclusively on vinyl in over a decade, considering that Cidrón has mainly released his recent works on CD.

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Juan Manuel Cidrón – SLG3 [W13]

Alpenmarmot – Unheimliche Landschaftsgestaltung [NW040] [Free Download]

Alpenmarmot – Unheimliche Landschaftsgestaltung (translates as ‘eerie landscaping’) is my new power electronics industrial acid ambient noise project, Recorded at 1500 meters above sea level on the slopes of the Wildhorn mountain in Switzerland. Unfussy sewer-synths mixed with field recordings of the local Alpine nature and infrastructure. We hear mangled rusty cable cars, crumbling mountains, unknown nocturnal creatures and ofcourse the ever so cute Alpen Marmot.

Alpenmarmot – Unheimliche Landschaftsgestaltung [NW040] [Free Download]

Robert Hood & Femi Kuti – Variations LP [MPM045]

Robert Hood’s techno and Femi Kuti’s Afrobeat intertwine in a new form where jazz-grooves reign supreme. For the fourth season of La Compagnie des Indes & Sourdoreille ”Variations” live series of creations for France TV, they unite around James Brown, performing a tribute to the legendary Godfather of Soul. This album is the live recording of this unique collaboration and performance, capturing a very special moment in time.

vinyl / CD

Robert Hood & Femi Kuti – Variations LP [MPM045]

Foreign – Strange World LP [EFAE]

“Strange World” is not merely an album; it’s a sonic expedition that probes the aberrations of a society shaped by the strange and transformative influence of technology. The music industry, a microcosm of this surreal universe, has become an intricate web of formatted reactions and impersonal interactions. Foreign, the musical observer, takes the audience on a solitary journey through the night—a time of introspection where raw feelings and emotions are eclipsed by the numbing shadows of social media and the relentless march of technology. The album resonates with an unmistakable romanticism, shrouded in a dark, mysterious atmosphere. Each track is a testament to the disquieting beauty found in the synthesis of opposites—the warm, pulsating beats of EBM intertwining with the ethereal melodies of synth-pop. The result is a musical landscape that is simultaneously haunting and alluring, much like the strange world it reflects.

Foreign – Strange World LP [EFAE]

Dircsen – Helical Structures LP [GTDLP9]

Germany’s Dircsen has a solid track record of 303 infused releases across labels like We’re Going Deep and Soundtravels, but this is his first full-length vinyl outing. Across these two slabs of wax he slips and slides between electro, deep techno, jacking house, and psychedelic live workouts, but throughout the eight tracks the silver boxes work their indefinable magic.

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Dircsen – Helical Structures LP [GTDLP9]

Terrence Dixon – Edge Of The Visible Universe LP

The “Edge Of The Visible Universe” is a 24 tracks album by Terrence Dixon. The album was recorded in Detroit and Amsterdam and is only be available exclusively on band camp in digital format only.
The album will be followed soon by a vinyl release with the same name featuring four club oriented tracks under the Population one alias.

vinyl

Terrence Dixon – Edge Of The Visible Universe LP