Danny Wolfers striking another album at the Northsea Institute For The Overmind. This time is coming under the Smackos alias, providing a 11 track album free to download / name your price on his bandcamp.
album
Biochip – Crux Alley [CPU01011101]
Montreal duo Biochip return to Central Processing Unit with their new LP Crux Alley. The pair of Melissa Speirs and Julian Kochanowski turned plenty of heads when they first rocked up on the Sheffield label back in 2019 with debut drop Synthase. Synthase found Biochip twisting up Braindance, IDM and electro to their own ends, and Crux Alley is an album which hits similar sonic sweet-spots. Biochip continue to mark themselves out as one of contemporary electro’s most exciting new acts with the Crux Alley LP.
Visitor – Technofossil [BR//001]
Visitor, founded in 2017 is a two piece Canadian act comprised of Veronica Stefanuik and Philip Traikovski that seamlessly combines the best elements of old school EBM with new beat. The result is something out of time yet uniquely modern. Dark frantic beats and bass lines, Visitor will take over your body.
Franz Scala – Mondo Della Notte [SLOM046]
As head of Italian (centric) Slow Motion label (and international artist sister imprint, Wrong Era), and through his own productions and remixes, Franz Scala has been pioneering the retro-futuristic aesthetic of club culture weaving together elements of proto-house, wave and Italo for the nuovo contemporary dancefloor long before it’s current vogue. Now alongside Bordello A Parigi, and supported by Sameheads, Slow Motion presents Scala’s euphoric debut album Mondo Della Notte. A homage to the world of the night where Franz plies his trade. Solid production and understanding of the various references informing the contemporary dancefloor imbues this set with a quality of permanence. Each track clocks-in at around the seven minute mark accommodating all Scala’s retro influences providing the space for walls of sounds to expand and unfold along these infectious rhythm voyages.
Transpac – Mondovision [ER007]
Transpac does not hide its love for Arpanet’s ”Wireless Internet” album in any way. ”Transpac is the name of one of the first computer networks. It enabled data exchange based on the X25 standard, the Minitel was one of the most famous applications of this network. This project pays tribute to the development of telecommunications in the 70’s and the creation of this network.”
Don’t DJ & NWAQ – Fashion [MEA033]
Ahead of the Meakusma Festival 2019, Don’t DJ and NWAQ did an artist residency developing new music together from scratch. Their resulting performance at the festival was a mesmerizing descent into the artistic perspectives of two singular artists active in off-kilter club music. Some of the eight tracks on this record were recorded live at the festival while others were recorded during the residency. All dwell in distorted and eccentric bliss and play around with rhythmic arrhythmic and post-rhythmic tension. There is happiness in dystopia although the subtle yet intense layering in the music hints at undercurrents that are far from bright. The joyousness of this record lies in the notable excitement Don’t DJ and NWAQ experience fusing their modi operandi coming up with a music that shines and distorts. As massive blocks of sound alternate with subtler disorienting parts repetitive vocals create an air of disparate acceptance. It uses club music’s template and pushes on.
NNHMN – Deception Island [OR79/OR85]
Berlin duo NNHMN – Lee and Michal Laudarg – creates moody and evocative music infected with dark synth sounds, eerie ambiances and mysterious female volcals. They return to Oráculo Records with “Deception Island” where fresh cold beats meets hypnotic techno and avant-garde of a ferociously experimental nature. We find Lee’s sultry vocals over synthwave classical bass and rhythm structures, from dark Italo Disco with touches of light EBM to classic post punk.
J. Mono – Redate II [DDA02]
J. Mono is back on Dalmata Daniel with the Redate II release, an emotionally filled journey of 12 songs, recorded between 2015-2018, all showing deep thoughtfulness of composition, mastering soundwaves and harmonies. There are no cuts or edits, all songs are live recordings from J. Mono’s home studio. The songs vary in tempo and genre, a unique mix of acid, idm and electro with pulsating bass and drums. – all of them filled with a range of emotions, melancholy and inwardness.
Cygnus – Cybercity Z-Ro LP [GU004]
Phillip Washington (aka Cygnus) is an electronic musician based Dallas, Texas and is making
a name for himself since the early 2010’s with releases on Central Processing Unit, Breakin’ Records, Biosoft Records, Recondite and Icesea to name a few. Gentrified Underground is giving his first & sought after tape-longplayer “Cybercity Z-Ro” from 2012 a vinyl reissue and a total cover-art make-over by Walid El Barbir. These aquatic and futuristic compositions represent a seminal timestamp for Phillip’s discography and electro in general.
Cosimo Damiano – Hypnos [H951]
Immersive audio experience for both the dj and the collector, ranging across tribal voodoo rhythms, Coilish esoterism and musique concrete atmospheres.
Sons Of Traders – Crollo Nervoso LP [BLF1C007]
“Crollo Nervoso” (Nervous Breakdown) is a collection of tracks recorded in Berlin Schönlein Strasse between 2018 and 2020 by Italian super-duo (and cousins) TANS & Mike Tansella Jr. as Sons Of Traders. This is their 2nd full album, with over 80 minutes of sonic mayhem from SOT mostly inspired by Genesis P. Orridge, 242, A.S.F., Esplendor Geometrico etc. in the Italian 80’s wave tradition. Additionally there are over 24 minutes of remixes by the likes of Chris Mitchell, Chupacabras, Elena Sizova, Jaundice, and Memory Clap Acid.
Coldreams – Crazy Night LP [CAM019]
After the repress of their single “Eyes / Morning Rain”, Camisole Records announces the reissue of Coldreams tape “Crazy Night”. Recorded in 1984-1985 by a gang of young students passionate about Post-Punk this record represents the culmination of the band first period. Haunted lyrics and melancholia were already the basics of their sound and from “Don’t Cry” to “Crazy Night / Burning Passion” it’s difficult to imagine that they were only 18 to 19 years old at that time. “Bulbs and Bubbles” and “Turn the Button” show their pop appeal which definitely takes them apart from their contemporaries and all-around gloomy feelings infuse these six tracks which unveils another part of Coldreams history.
DAWL – Born Abstract LP [CHILDTWELVE]
UK Bleep & Breakbeat Sensei DAWL with his debut Album on Childhood intelligence. Ten Kubrick like Space Journeys. A Hypnotising mix of Graffiti Vibes & Old School Techno, Full of massive basslines & Trippy Atmospheres.
214 – Exposure to Winds [VIS322]
214 aka Chris Roman is highly regarded as one the most innovative electro producers on the planet following releases on esteemed labels including; Cultivated Electronics, Frustrated Funk, CPU, Klakson and Lunar Disko. ‘Exposure to Winds’ sees 214 return to the 20/20 Vision fold with his first full length album release in 5 years. ‘Exposure to Winds’ was inspired by Roman’s love of the mountains that surround his native Washington State, living in North Bend where David Lynch’s masterpiece ‘Twin peaks’ was filmed. It could be no co-incidence that 214 produces other worldly electronic music that always sounds out of the ordinary. This expertly balanced eight track vinyl release features a selection of styles and tempos from the laid back electro funk grooves ‘Tongue Twister’ and ‘Ball of Straw’ to dark room wobblers like ‘Quick Start’ and ‘The Night’s Shift’. AIt’s a record that will live long in the boxes and crates of discerning DJ’s but also provides an auditory adventure for the listener.
Il Quadro Di Troisi – Il Quadro Di Troisi [R-M190-2]
Raster presents Il Quadro di Trois, a project by Andrea Noce (Eva Geist) and Donato Scaramuzzi (Donato Dozzy). The record is a colorful ode of an Italian scented vision, overflowing of details and profound intensity. The contemporary world condition, the pandemic in Italy and around the world define ‘Il Quadro di Trois’ as a unique and right-on-time release. This record is a enigmatic collaboration between the two Italian natives Andrea Noce and Donato Scaramuzzi. Andrea Noce takes lead on the vocals, with Donato Scaramuzzi carving the dreamlike soundscapes of the record. The record was born with a correspondence between the two artists about the late actor and director Massimo Troisi, and this exchange soon became an inspirational source of identification. Andrea Noce’s lyrics are sensitive and multi-faceted, they perfectly cling to the musical phrases and flow like a filmic monologue from the oeuvre of that very Troisi. In a highly creative and confident manner, entire decades of national music history are comprehended and transformed into the here and now. The record takes its cue from the italo-disco, synth pop tradition corroborated by the contribution of artists such as the legendary Twilight Music co-founder, Paolo Micioni, as well as Stefano Di Trapani who wrote ‘L’ipotes’. With’Il Quadro di Trois’, Noce and Scaramuzzi prove their eclecticism, and passion for their home country.
Giuliano Sorgini – Occulto [FLIES47]
Two years after the stunning ‘Africa Oscura’, Four Flies Records is back with another gem from Giuliano Sorgini’s secret archives, this time one which unearths some of his darkest, eeriest music – that is, pieces he composed in the mid-70s for some of the most infamous, low-budget horror movies ever made in Italy. This collection brings together a selection of original recordings from those movies, which were directed by “Italian Kings of the B’s” Angelo Pannacciò, Salvatore Bugnatelli, Luigi Batzella, and Guido Zurli, with whom the Roman composer worked intensively throughout the 70s. Due to the very low-budget nature of the films, Sorgini recorded the soundtracks entirely on his own, in his Cat & Fox Studio in Rome. He played drums and percussions and added overlapping layers of analogue synths to create a superbly sinister soundscape, thus turning a constraint into an opportunity. The result is a journey into the mysterious atmospheres of the Italian occult-sounding music of the time, something very close to the dark electronic masterpieces that made Sorgini famous. ‘Occulto’ features ten previously unreleased tracks characterized by enigmatic moods, obscure beats and esoteric themes. All tracks are taken from original master tapes that remained buried in the composer’s archives for decades.
Newclear Waves – Archive Tracks 2005-2009 [EE033RTM]
Winter is coming, with ‘Archive Tracks 2005-2009’ by Newclear Waves as its soundtrack. For the album, Berlin-based and Italian-born producer, DJ and label owner Alessandro Adriani let us dive into the vast archives of his Newclear Waves project. The resulting collection of 8 tracks can be described as minimal wave pur sang, reminiscing of the darkness and doom from the cold war period. The exorbitant and jumpy synth lines and derailing revolving drum machines keep us moving, all analogue of course. With this album, Adriani confirms his musical excellence.
Morganistic – Fluids Amniotic LP [MOTELP06]
As Morganistic, Luke Slater only released a handful of cuts-but among those was the album ‘Fluids Amniotic’, still widely praised today as a benchmark techno long-player. Regularly featuring in the sets of Hood and Mills, Morganistic’s dark, rumbling minimalism was, as the album title suggests, the sonic equivalent of being trapped in the murky, viscous fluids of some sinister alien womb. Slater unearthed the original DAT and reel-to-reel tapes and got them remastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis. Fluids Amniotic will get re-issued both on vinyl and digitally for the first time in 25 years.
Praed Orchestra! – Live in Sharjah [DOSER040]
If you’ve ever travelled to Egypt and wandered through its crowded streets, you probably ended up buying a cassette or a CDR of popular synth based music heard in most cabs, cabarets, or alleys around town: the almighty Shaabi. Raed Yassin and Paed Conca based their project PRAED on research between Shaabi and Mouled (traditional trance music from Egypt) and the hypnotic structures of both these genres. Repetitive beats, loud Mizmar and loads of energy, with a strong influence from psychedelic rock, free jazz and electronica. During the years in which the duo produced 4 albums and performed on an endless number of stages around the globe, PRAED started working on anambitious expansive project: an orchestra that could transpose this study of rural and popular culture into an immense, iconic work. In autumn 2018, supported by the Sharjah Art Foundation, PRAED Orchestra! premiered “Live in Sharjah”, interpreting new material merged with some of the band’s iconic pieces. The composition process started with the choice of musicians: the line-up consisted of some of the most innovative artists coming from a wide spectrum of musical practices. Each musician was chosen for a defined role, and the common denominator was their capacity to interpret written material, and their ability to improvise effortlessly. Each role was clearly set to work in unison with the rest of the group, while simultaneously sustaining a centrality in the choir. Solo parts masterfully drawn over the structure as a fil rouge connecting every piece of the entire concert; massive and powerful orchestral sections leading to a breathtaking trance-like state of mind; all of this material ultimately coalescing into an Egyptian Operette that narrates the sorrow, love, and deeply rooted culture of this urban music called Shaabi.
Robert Hood – Mirror Man [REKIDS168]
Detroit pioneer Robert Hood joins Rekids label with a new album entitled ‘Mirror Man’, showcasing his innate knack for crafting paired back but intricate rhythms that deliver punch and soul. Opening with the cinematic ‘Through A Looking Glass Darkly’, the album quickly flows into precise, powerful four four. There’s mesmerising cuts such as ‘Fear Not’ with its throbbing bass and spectral vocals, the twisted and off-key ‘Run Bobby, Run’, not to mention muscular tracks designed to light up dancefloors like the machine driven ‘A System of Mirrors’ or the mesmerising ‘Face In The Water’. Hood also breaks things up with downtempo and mind-bending interludes, including the tranquil yet spooky ‘Black Mirror’ and the beatless and murky ‘Freeze’. Each of these are aural feasts that demonstrate his vast musical pallet. From start to finish ‘Mirror Man’ is an education in finesse from one of techno’s most heroic artists, landing on one of electronic music’s most important labels.
