Seven unreleased tracks meticulously chosen from the Schrock archive crossing and blending multiple genres from electro, wave, kosmiche and new age by Dallas analog synthesist Jake Schrock. With a literal arsenal of vintage equipment, Jake forges a wonderful, almost 80s soundtrack vibe with deep emotive washes and playful and gentle classic drum machine patterns and beats.
Culminating in four years of recording sessions in Russia, Australia and Northern Ireland, ‘A Voyeur Makes No Mark’ is Nite Fields’ second LP. It’s the follow up to 2015’s ‘Depersonalisation’. If ‘Depersonalisation’ was an album of loss and self-destruction, ‘A Voyeur Makes No Mark’ embodies a self-possessed, buoyant, confrontational figure – though no less anguished with self and the world at large. More outward looking than the Nite Fields debut, and with a redefined aesthetic, themes of rebirth and redefinition carry throughout the album immortalised in principal songwriter and protagonist Danny Venzin’s delicate web of sound. Found within the 8-track LP are sounds rarely heard and even lesser played by the Western hemisphere. Utilising a sonic palette inspired by Venzin’s new surrounds whilst living in Moscow, a purposeful decision was made to incorporate local recording equipment and instrumentation. The results are stark yet richly atmospheric.
Medical supports the frequencies and thoughts of Italian producer Alessandro Parisi as we embark on an exploratory voyage into the realms of (un)consciousness. Leave your burdens behind as he guides you through a visionary tour. Eight tracks of cerebral and dancefloor stimulation expanded over a deluxe double LP guaranteed to take you “there” and “back”. Emotive and propulsive storms amidst delicate symphonies await you. Lovers of unique and unclassifiable vibes of dark disco/soundtrack/trance/electrosynth should dive in. Beautiful full color gatefold double LP.
On this long-awaited debut album Patricia Kokett continues his transcendent explorations. Built around a trip to the annual Nine Emperor Gods festival on the island of Phuket, Thailand, Bizarr is the sonic end result of an immersion into Thai ritual culture. The festivities and rituals of this so-called Vegetarian festival, which aim to give health and wisdom back to the community, inspired this beautiful, ecstatic collage of music, self-illuminating Kokett in the process. In this narrative of 6 long, stretched out songs, he conjures up an electrifying sense of catharsis and transcendence. An insert gathering in-depth liner notes about the artistic vision, the travels and the concept behind Bizarr will accompany this release.
Dark Entries welcomes back San Francisco based DJ and producer Sepehr Alimagham for his debut album ‘Shaytoon’. Drenched in nostalgia from his upbringing, ‘Shaytoon’ pays homage to 1970s Iranian albums that were on rotation throughout his youth. Eight tracks of twisted acid, left-of center electro, sludgy psychedelia, and things-you-can-maybe-call-techno are a few of the sonic elements found within. Regular listeners will find Sepehr’s signature perspiratory dance-floor vibe, but some songs also showcase a low-slung, cerebral approach. Sepehr’s unique sonic palette carves an interesting space in the dance music world by harnessing the spirit of his cultural ancestors. The artwork pays tribute to ‘70s Iranian pop and funk albums with bold Farsi calligraphy and portraits by Sahra Jajarmikhayat. In relation to the music, the album cover creates a dichotomy much like Throbbing Gristle’s ’20 Funk Jazz Greats’.
Aura Dinamica continues its exploration into hypnotic, wide angle Techno with a dense eight track missive from Italian producer Matteo Ghiringhelli’s new project Atoloi. In equal parts subdued & transcendental, the album pairs intricate, polyrhythmic drum work with carefully executed and gently undulating atmospheric motifs to generate a moving and immersive listening experience.
Neel reveals debut collaborative album with Filippo Scorcucchi under their LF58 alias on Astral Industries. Alterazione presents a critical statement – distinguished by its technical execution and breathtaking artistry. The album itself is a cathedral of sound, each cavernous chamber an exploration of space and consciousness. Presented in four movements (one track per side), altogether they extend as a transportive experience of evolution for the listener. Iniziazione – a steady departure that unfurls like the opening of a portal; a process of molecular transfiguration commences. Panoramic landscapes begin to stretch wide, glistening with an exotic beauty, before the shamanic incantations of Rituale draws things deeper. Pulsating rotations push through the next phase of transformation, now drenched in hyperspace white-noise. The procedure continues through the quiet ethereal orbit of Metamorfosi, before finishing with the three-part Evocazione/Contatto/Risveglio; uplifting synth motifs drive forward with optimism, before fading back into the great expanse. Alterazione is both cerebral and meditative, and one cannot help but be pulled at the core by its potency.
Scottish trumpeter Malcolm Strachan is a founder member of top UK funk/jazz-funk band The Haggis Horns as well as being one of the busiest session musicians in the UK today. After a professional career spanning 20 years, now he’s finally releasing his first solo album, aptly titled “About Time”, on Haggis Records and he’s going back to his original roots… Jazz. The album is a collection of original compositions, all written and arranged by Malcolm, which are firmly rooted in the classic acoustic modern jazz style typified by the great 60’s and 70’s recordings on the legendary Blue Note Records label. A nice variation of themes and tempos feature throughout the album. From full-on latin vibes to beautiful ballads, soul jazz grooves to cinematic soundtrack flavours, all woven together by a great group of experienced musicians.
Mow Records unveils its second album. A further exploration of label head Mowgan’s penchant for house music and authentic African sounds, ‘Soya’ features percussion and vocals from Solo Sanou, an artist whose roots lie in Burkina Faso – though he’s based in Toulouse, where the album was recorded. Comprised seven Afro house cuts that utilise organic instrumentation and Solo’s raw, emotive voice, the album is the second installment in a series of five long-players recorded by Mowgan in the space of a year. This new LP goes deep into the heart of Africa’s rich musical culture, delivering contagious rhythms, rousing atmospherics and a pure, organic, unadulterated sound that has been cultivated through electrifying jam sessions at Mowgan’s studio.
Tyyni is the third album by Finnish-born sound artist and musician Cucina Povera aka Maria Rossi. The second album recorded using a more studio-based scenario – as opposed to last year’s Zoom, a collection of in-situ, spontaneous recordings – Tyyni feels like a slowly unfurling mediation on the clash between nature and mechanical living, a rumination on the complexities of modern life that begin to unveil more about the inner landscape of the artist as it progresses. A Finnish word referring to still, serene weather, the title belies a new note of turmoil in Cucina Povera’s soundworld. Tyyni represents a more detailed focus on the sculpting of sounds that curl around Rossi’s hymnal vocal performances. It’s a more adventurous work than Rossi’s previous output that goes further into noise elements and vocal abstraction while maintaining the balance and ecclesiastical ecstasy of her debut Hilja.
Recorded at the North Sea Institute for the Overmind in Scheveningen Holland.
“Yesterday I released a free/pay-what-you-want album on Bandcamp called TIPS FOR LIFE to hopefully brighten your days up a bit. Its Nightwind Records NW023 and its got 12 tracks on it ranging from Slowjam Memphis Rapbeats to Poldertechno and everything in between” – Legowelt
Minimal Wave presents The Sound of Indifference, a rare cassette released in 1981 by Aural Indifference. Aural Indifference was a post-punk studio collective from Sydney, Australia. The two principal members were Brian Spencer Hall (the M Squared in house producer) and Kevin Purdy. The cassette album, The Sound of Indifference, was released in 1981, featuring tracks such as “Theme”, “Park, and “Man Am I Progressive”. Their sound ranges from minimal synth, to post-punk to quirky guitar-driven electronic folk music, some of it resembling John Maus. “Theme” appeared as the closing track on The Minimal Wave Tapes: Volume Two compilation and “The Park” appeared on The Bedroom Tapes compilation.
Throughout his career, Roger Semsroth has followed a deep intuition for experimentation in sound, wrapping club music around eerie microtonal motifs and industrial sensibilities. This new work for Tresor takes a step forward, as the first true techno album from Sleeparchive, where his previous LPs have exhibited themselves more conceptually, or under di erent names and his Nord Vest label. Semsroth has been active in electronic music since the late 90s. He received initial attention first for his electro productions under the alias Skanfrom and the 80s minimal synth inspired Television Set. These projects echoed his love for these sounds, which the East Berliner had steadily immersed himself with after the end of the GDR. Upon hearing the bleeps of Mika Vainio and Plastikman, he began to engage with his strain of techno. Over the last decade, he has focused on his Sleeparchive alias, which dates back to 2004. Alongside close friend DJ Pete, he performs live techno as TR-101. His relationship with Tresor began in 2011, first releasing the Ronan Point EP and following up with the crucial A Man Dies In The Street series in 2013. With this new album, Sleeparchive’s impact on the techno sound is ever more relevant. Awaking in constant locomotion, locked-in, unrelenting and dry. Sleeparchive’s churning loops etch visions of tight minimalism at times densely frenetic and others serenely galactic. This predilection continues throughout the four sides on the album, eschewing conventional arrangement styles with gradual probabilistic change. Tracks such as ‘Needle’ and ‘Peccant’ o er up precise, sinewy techno. ‘Leave’ recalls the Detroit sound of Terrence Dixon, with its cascading synth tones and droning atmospheres. The album closes with a di erent version of ‘Trust’ to that found on last year’s Revised Recordings EP released on Tresor, with its now-familiar nerve-inducing pizzicato strings even more at the fore with its mechanic delivery.
Pivotal Parisian producer Dang-Khoa Chau aka D.K. pays sublime tribute to ancient Vietnamese spirit possession ritual, Hau Dong, on a fresh first vinyl edition of his 2019 cassette for Good Morning Tapes. ‘Goddess Is Dancing’ is a 40 minute trip that revolves around a handful of pieces of lilting, thmelodic percussion and aqueous atmosphere expressing D.K.’s imaginary interpretation of music used in Vietnamese ritual music. It unfolds as a ceremony in five parts honouring the mystical goddesses of Forest, Water and Heaven, with music both relaxing and energising in a way that’s intended to aid dancers’ transmogrification from human vessels into spirited beings.
Following two well received releases on 20/20 Vision – ‘Machine Life’ & ‘Asimov’s Code’ Versalife returns to the label with his latest album ‘Manifold’ serving up futuristic electro with signature emotive synth work to trigger the imagination. The Dutch producer Boris Bunnik aka Conforce continues his dystopian journey with auditory echoes of a cosmic abyss. Peppered with moody tones, deep bass lines and robotic funk, ‘Manifold’ navigates the future landscape in true Versalife fashion.
Fortuna Records return with an exceptional reissue of a mid-80s early electronica LP by keyboardist Raviv Gazit. The album was composed entirely on the Synclavier synthesizer in the basement of the Tel-Aviv University in 1985. Gazit was ahead of his time composing cold yet blissful electronic music for film and theatre which he later released as an album. An unexpected yet extremely welcome addition to Fortuna’s killer catalog.
Following the death of his one-time Chi Factory partner J. Derwort in February 2019, Hanyo van Oosterom went back to Patmos, the magical island where they once recorded their most famous works, armed with some of the artefacts and hand-built instruments they’d collected together. While there, he made the field recordings and musical sketches that form the backbone of “Travel In Peace”, Oosterorm’s emotional final album as Chi Factory. Poignant, atmospheric, melancholic, dreamy and otherworldly with a genuine sense of time and place (you can almost smell the surrounding flora and fauna), the album’s two lengthy tracks – collages of interlinked sketches and recurring musical motifs – are fittingly fantastic. As curtain calls go, we can think of few better.
Pre Kraftwerk, Florian Schneider and Ralf Hütter formed Organisation in 1968. Their music was a mixture of sounds, feedback and rhythm, with the line up being Fred Monicks on drums, Butch Hauf on bass, Basil Hammoudi on percussion, Florian Schneider on flute and violin and Ralf Hütter on organ. The original sales were poor but nowadays it is highly sought after, also because Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider later continued as Kraftwerk, and became one of the most important electronic music formations ever.
‘Radar’ by Parisian DJ and producer NiKiT is Electronic Emergencies’ first release in 2020. Two years after his debut, NiKiT has once again delivered a stunning mini-album. His idiosyncratic and particular style within the realm of techno flirts with electro, and sometimes even has a dubby touch. Compared to his debut ‘Arcanes’, NiKiT’s sound has expanded and is more spacey, while staying powerful and very danceable.
Poland, early 80’s. Lieutenant Miosz Szwajcer is assigned to the young student’s murder case. Struggling with his personal life and unclear releationship with recently murdered young woman, he tirelessly chases the psychopathic killer. Things are darker than they seem. Strange things soon begin to occur. He must decipher the reality from his delusions, phantoms and supernatural phenomenons. Pieces of the puzzle indicate that the new violent crime is being planned. The race against time is on. Original score from obscure Polish movie ‘Kontury’ (1984), directed by Lucjan Kut. Remastered from the original tapes.
The Hipodrome Of Music 