Ironing Music – Ironing Music [MR070]

April 14, 2017February 18, 2019 hipodromealbum, crispy nuggets, ironing music, medical records llc, synth pop, synth waveLeave a comment

Medical Records in collaboration with our friends at Crispy Nuggets blog are happy to reissue a very obscure Australian gem from the 1980s. Ironing Music were a three piece band from Brisbane. They originally formed in 1984 as a result of their collective love for New Order, Human League and eventually Jean Michel Jarre and Cabaret Voltaire. Comprised of bass and electic guitar, Yamaha DX-7, melodica and an 808, they recorded a 12″ single as their sole outpt in 1985 in a limited run of 250 copies (obviously excruciatingly rare now!). It was recorded in their bedroom studio with at Teac 4 track. The video clip for the “hit” Shopping Bag Women was played on several national and local television music shows. They also recorded demos in hopes of landing a LP deal which unfortunately didn’t attract any takers at the time. They actually only played 3 gigs and were forced to disband after one of their members fell ill in 1986. The LP presented here included the original 4 track single as well as hand picked demos which nicely congeal to form a well rounded LP documenting the band’s brief existence. They can best be described as lo-fi synth pop with an emphasis on excellent pop songs and interesting synth/instrument arrangements.

Xosar – Xymeria [FREE DOWNLOAD]

April 12, 2017April 18, 2017 hipodromealbum, ambient, electro, experimental, free download, free tracks, gyrocyre, house, sheela rahman, techno, xosarLeave a comment

The year is 2051. The human race has split into two groups. One maintained their basic human state, while the other transformed by tapping into their psychospiritual lifeforce potential. The second group created a higher dimensional civilization. They called it Xymeria.

Brian Bennett – Voyage: A Journey Into Discoid Funk [ISLELP001]

April 11, 2017September 21, 2023 hipodromealbum, brian bennett, disco, funk, isle of jura recods, re-release, reissue, space discoLeave a comment

Isle Of Jura’s first LP reissue, the highly sought after ‘Voyage – A Journey Into Discoid Funk’ by Brian Bennett originally released in 1978. A cosmic disco classic completely re-mastered from the original master tapes by Matt Colton.

Jeff Mills – Planets [AXCD051]

April 8, 2017August 31, 2021 hipodromealbum, ambient techno, detroit, jeff mills, minimal techno, sylvain griotto, symphonicLeave a comment

The history of Planets … It has been 100 years since the British composer Gustav Holst introduced his most famous score «The Planets». An elegant musical tour to each one of our Planets in the Solar System, Holst brought forth imaginary visions of space that would survive many generations and decades after. As an important piece to the classical universe, ‘The Planets’ is regularly played throughout the World every year as it had been the most vivid translation of our cosmic neighborhood until now. The Electronic Music artist and producer Jeff Mills, pays tribute to this century of incredible musical production. He embarks to compose a sonic journey to re-discover our neighboring planets in a 18 piece suite that explores the nine planets, including the portions of space in between the Planets, the nine regions Mills calls Loop Transits.

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Dopplereffekt – Cellular Automata [LSR020]

April 8, 2017June 9, 2022 hipodromealbum, ambient, detroit, dopplereffekt, electro, gerald donald, leisure system, michaela to-nhan bertelLeave a comment

“Cellular Automata” is the new album from Dopplereffekt (Gerald Donald and Michaela To-Nhan Bertel), their first in ten years since 2007. Cellular Automata approaches mathematical growth and decay as an iterative process, with each data input considered individually relative to the overall model. The result represents one of the group’s boldest creative endeavors, defying expectations while remaining unmistakably Dopplereffekt. Cellular Automata is the third Dopplereffekt release to come via Berlin’s Leisure System label, following 2013’s “Tetrahymena” and 2014’s “Hypnagogia”.

From Nursery To Misery – Pixies In The Woods [DE153]

April 5, 2017July 17, 2024 hipodromealbum, dark entries records, from nursery to misery, gina fear, lee stevens, minimal synth, re-release, reissue, synth pop, synth wave, tina fearLeave a comment

From Nursery to Misery were three teenagers who grew up together on the same street in Basildon, Essex. Formed in 1987, the band was comprised of vocalists (and identical twins) Gina and Tina Fear, along with keyboard player and producer Lee Stevens. Lee invited the twins to over to record some music with him, suggesting they try singing over some instrumentals he had written and recorded on a newly purchased 4-track. They played a sum total of four gigs before splitting in 1991. Their recorded output, however, was relatively prodigious, with the band appearing on over 22 compilations, as well as self-releasing two album-length tapes ‘The Oak Tree’ (1989), and ‘Equilibrium’ (1990), and a split EP with Germany’s Nostalgie Eternelle, ‘Art is the Tool’ (1990). All these releases were home-produced, hand-made cassettes distributed and swapped via the Mail Art scene. ‘Pixies In The Woods’ is a 13-track career spanning compilation including three previously unreleased tracks. Tracks range from no-fi synth pop overlaid with ethereal, child-like vocals, to audio collages of animal noises and harrowing, double-speed monologues. Lee’s expansive synth productions, informed by the Blade Runner soundtrack, early electro records, and 4AD acts like Dead Can Dance, provided a rich, spacious platform for Gina and Tina’s sung-spoken introspective lyrics. Their songs are disarmingly direct and unfiltered, the product of three self-confessed misfits exploring difficult, often intensely personal issues.

Frequency vs Atkins – Mind Merge LP [OUTA005]

April 4, 2017April 19, 2023 hipodromealbum, detroit techno, frequency, juan atkins, orlando voorn, out electronic recordings, out-erLeave a comment

One day back in end of the Eighties, a pair of friends began sharing a deep love for music, the music we have been supporting, playing and now, able to put it out for your listening pleasure: ‘Mind Merge LP’ is a beautiful quintessence of Detroit electro, funk and techno, partially blending with contemporary electronic contaminations and we believe it’ll be as timeless as many of their records before.

Mystica Tribe – Island Oasis [SSDB001]

April 2, 2017July 7, 2022 hipodromealbum, ambient, dub, dub techno, mystica tribe, silent season, taka nodaLeave a comment

Mystica Tribe is the musical alias of Tokyo-based producer, Taka Noda. Drawing on a wide range of influences from dub, soul, bass music, rhythm and blues Mystica Tribe has quickly been developing a very distinctive sound that exists in a weird, freaked out zone between dub and techno. Noda is especially interested in deep, psychedelic music, and this is reflected in his productions, which are equally suited for late night listening sessions or bent, broken in dancefloors. Now he heads over to Canadian label Silent Season for his debut album, capitalising on his emergent career in the field of dub-influenced downtempo with his most complete artistic statement to date. From the spacious stalk of ”On The Lookout” to the edgy piano delay of ”Peek-a-Boo”, this is the work of a man who has immersed himself in the tradition of classic dub music, but not at the expense of bringing things up to date. The loose, live and natural feel of the album is testament to Noda’s skills in the production department, not to mention his instinct for a killer sub-heavy rhythm.

Peter Westheimer – Cool Change LP [LER1008]

April 1, 2017October 15, 2021 hipodromealbum, experimental, left ear records, peter westheimerLeave a comment

WESTHEIMER, Peter - Cool Change

If you walk into a record store you might discover Peter’s recordings filed under the usual headings: Electronic, Ambient, Experimental or New Age. Peter has long loved blending sounds from around the globe, with both Asian and European classical influences often finding comfortable spaces beside his synth pop sensibilities within his soundscapes. In the record stores of our minds you might also file some of Peter Westheimer tracks like ’Walking On The Edge’ or ‘Elastic Smiles’ under Mutant Disco or Divergent Dance Music.

Denis Mpunga & Paul K – Criola [MFM019]

April 1, 2017August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, album, denis mpunga, experimental, music from memory, outernational, paul kLeave a comment

MPUNGA, Denis/PAUL K - Criola

The last Music From Memory is a mini LP of works by Denis Mpunga and Paul K. Combining elements of traditional African music with experimental electronics, the Belgian/Congolese duo released only a handful of tracks, scattered across a few rare LP and cassette compilations that were put out in the mid eighties by obscure european labels . This release also includes a few previously unreleased songs that were found on the original master tapes.

Shankar Jaikishan – Raga Jazz Style [OTR001]

April 1, 2017September 26, 2017 hipodromealbum, indian, jaikishan panchal, jazz, outernational sounds, re-release, reissue, shankar jaikishan, shankar singhLeave a comment

Never before reissued, this legendary 1968 EMI recording is a revered Indian jazz rarity; a collectors’ holy grail. Raga Jazz Style is an original Indian excursion into Indo-jazz fusion. A one-away recording from the almost unknown Bombay jazz scene, it is among the few jazz LPs to hail from the subcontinent. Raga Jazz Style takes the melodic, scale-based raga system of Indian classical music and marries it with a swinging jazz rhythm section assembled by Bollywood’s most highly acclaimed musical directors, the soundtrack composing duo Shankar Singh and Jaikishan Panchal. Singh and Panchal were a dominant force in Hindi film music from the late 1940s onwards. Shankar had been trained in classical tabla, while Jaikishan was an expert harmonium player. They worked together on well over a hundred films, and their innovative compositions and orchestral scoring revolutionised the music of the nascent Bollywood industry.

Petre Inspirescu – Vîntul Prin Salcii [MULEMUSIQ211]

March 26, 2017May 26, 2023 hipodromealbum, ambient, experimental, mule musiq, petre inspirescu, radu dumitru bodiu, romanianLeave a comment

Petre Inspirescu delivers ‘Vîntul Prin Salcii’ – another longplayer enlarged with seven, up to epic twelve minutes long arrangements. They all listen to the name ‘Miroslav’ and only differ numerically in their title. You can call them ambient. You can call them minimal music in the sense of classic compositions by Steve Reich or Terry Riley. They groove – sometimes more, sometimes less. and they spread the sounds of flutes or saxophones, delicate piano figures, organic jazz drumming, arpeggiated analogue synth-lines, mesmerizing strings, choral singing, alienated looped vocals and spaced out new aged spheres. What unites them all is the way, the melodies dance upon and in each single tune. Their beautiful tex-tures ensnare and they are continuously engaged with experimentation. A mystical album full of evolutionary music to which each listener is able to paint his very own emotional picture. Moody, dark and at the same time light-flooded shape-shifting compositions – made for those who love to surrender them-selves to a gentle dance between experimentation and attractiveness.

Helena Hauff – A Tape [DE149]

March 22, 2017November 20, 2017 hipodromealbum, dark entries records, electro, experimental, handmade birds, helena hauff, technoLeave a comment

Dark Entries present ‘A Tape’, a double LP of early work by Helena Hauff. ‘A Tape’ is a compilation of Helena’s earliest recordings from 2011 and 2014, originally released on limited cassette by Handmade Birds in 2015. Clocking in at over 50 minutes, this collection spans Hauff’s musical universe, from jacking acid-techno to krautish zone-outs and scuzzy feedback interludes. It’s tempting to consider it Helena’s debut album, but she views these tracks as mostly forgotten sketches left on the cutting room floor. It a gripping collection of deep, sinister analog synth sequences, industrial dissonance, and heavy percussion. Her equipment set up was a Roland Alpha Juno 2, Juno 60, TB-303, TR-707 and TR-808. Both of the discs end with Hauff stepping outside of the intentionally stiff, robotic rhythms, instead showing her skill at crafting less conventional electronic sounds.

Credit 00 – Game Over [UVLP005]

March 20, 2017June 29, 2021 hipodromealbum, alexander dorn, credit 00, electro, house, techno, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

CREDIT 00 - Game Over

Credit 00 delivers his debut album “Game Over”. After four EPs for Uncanny Valley the Leipzig based musician is now ready to let loose his electronic visions on full length. As everybody can confirm who saw him playing live or DJing, the head behind Uncanny Valley’s sub label Rat Life is a slave to the rhythm on a full-time basis. Obsessed with sound, he can’t stop pushing the buttons of his synthesizers and drum machines like someone torturing the controls of an Arcade machine. “Game Over” is an electronic love letter to the romantic fantasy worlds of classic video games and their bleepy and clonky sounds which used to be common also in repetitive electronic dance music.

Collecting tracks from the last six years, “Game Over” is also a passion project that channels all his influences. You can get a glimpse of the ingredients that make up his record collection. Whether it is Hip Hop,Techno, Electro Boogie, New Beat, Italo, Jungle, Reggae, House or Chill Out. Though, all those different sounds and styles do not tear this album apart. It’s a bit of a miracle that it feels so flawless for what happens between the appetizing “Level One” and the final track “The Last March”. Those beats on “Game Over” can be brutally effective like the fatalities in Mortal Kombat while the overlying sounds can be smooth like the lemmings’ animations in the eponymous Amiga game. Just listen to the title track. Or the instant hip shaker “Breakers Revenge” that comes with a little help from friends like Sara Stammburg on vocals and Max Rademann on Rhodes.

Without losing sight on the dance floor Credit 00 creates an electronic wonderland that delights dancers and connoisseurs at the same time. To top things off the wonderful artwork was created by Alexander Dorn a.k.a. Credit 00 himself.

Frak – Altan Gathering [KM049]

March 20, 2017February 24, 2023 hipodromeacid, album, bjorn isgren, frak, house, jan svensson, johan sturesson, kontra musik, technoLeave a comment

“A long time ago, at a festival far, far away, the members of the legendary Borft trio Frak were just going to bed in their tent when something caught their attention. Now, this was well before Frak’s rise to international fame – in fact, this moment was Swedish music history in the making, because what they heard was someone playing a Frak tune. That someone turned out to be Kontra-Musik’s own Ulf Eriksson and once their paths had crossed, there was no turning back. Frak has since released five highly sought after records on Kontra-Musik and Kontra-Musik White Label. When it was time for a 10-year anniversary gathering in Ulf Eriksson’s private garden, Frak of course turned up together with other Kontra artists like TM404 and Rivet. For those present – we few, we happy few – this turned out to be one of the most magical summer nights in living memory. The Swedish word for porch is altan, and so, to honour this wonderful experience of the whole Kontra-Musik family coming together, Frak decided to name their brand new album Altan Gathering. Another great friend of Kontra, Henrik Jonsson aka Porn Sword Tobacco, made the album cover and we wouldn’t have it any other way. His aesthetic choice of tin foil is on point: Listening to Frak is a lot like biting into a fresh falafel wrap without first removing the aluminium foil holding the delicious mess together; it’s mouth-wateringly warm and moist but at the same time intensely harsh and tough to chew. This might seem like a far fetched analogy but if you’ve ever went partying in Kontra-Musik’s home town Malmo you’ll know the feeling. And if you’ve never been to Malmo, well do stop by someday. It seems, when the stars align, the gatherings here can be the stuff both legends and albums are made of.”

30drop – The Time Of Cruel Miracles [30DLP001]

March 18, 2017April 5, 2022 hipodrome30d records, 30drop, album, architectural, geistform, minimal techno, rivet, substance, zero massLeave a comment

30DROP - The Time Of Cruel Miracles

Since launching the project in 2014, Barcelona-based 30drop has been releasing on End of Dayz, Detroit Underground and of course the 30drop label which has also seen appearances by Der Zyklus, Population One, The Black Dog, Sterac and Trolley Route (Oscar Mulero). Now, the Spaniard announces his album “The Time of Cruel Miracles” which includes 12 original tracks and 4 remixes by Substance, Architectural, Rivet and Zero Mass (30drop + Geistform).

Din A Testbild – Programm 4 [MNQ093]

March 15, 2017July 17, 2019 hipodromealbum, din a testbild, electro, experimental, gudrun gut, innovative communication, mannequin records, mark eins, minimal synth, post punk, re-release, reissueLeave a comment

‘Programm 4′ is their fourth album. Mixed and auto-produced by Mark Eins near the Wall in West/Berlin in 1983, the album was rejected at the time by Innovative Communication, considered too much synth/punk/techno’, while the new label managers were looking more into new age stuff. In fact Schulze eventually sold the label in 1983, which started to release a plethora of acts loosely grouped around the NAM genre.

Din A Testbild – Programm 3 [MNQ092]

March 15, 2017July 17, 2019 hipodromealbum, din a testbild, electro, gudrun gut, innovative communication, mannequin records, mark eins, minimal synth, post punk, re-release, reissueLeave a comment

Early pioneers of the German New Wave music scene, Din A Testbild were formed in 1978 by Mark Eins and Gudrun Gut. Din A Testbild played a significant role in defining the avant-garde music of Berlin. Legendary is their partecipation at the Festival Genialer Dilletanten” in 1981. ‘Programm 3’ is their third album. Mixed and auto-produced by Mark Eins with help of Ziggy Schöning, it was released on Klaus Schulze’s record label Innovative Communication in 1983.

Rude 66 – From Reason To Ritual [BAP079]

March 14, 2017May 29, 2023 hipodromeacid, album, bordello a parigi, disco, electro, rude 66Leave a comment

Early 20th century. Barbarism on an industrial scale. After the final shots had rung out Europe was left a husk, a shell to be rebuilt. And she did rebuild. Slowly, but surely, normality returned. Different zones. Different ideologies. One Europe. Yet not everyone was happy. Within this struggling continent there were those who saw the hand of authoritarianism at the wheel, past criminals ruling and lands being led back to dictatorship. The solution: the sub machine gun. From Reason to Ritual is Rude 66´s most ambitious album to date. Amsterdam´s premier electronic musician maps the rise and fall of terrorism over two slabs of wax. Gruesome naivety, one that led to countless deaths, is given an electro beat on the first record, “Reason.” Warbling wave vocals from Ruud’s wife Shaunna tell a bitter tale of paranoia and looming violence. That violence is truly realised on the second record “Ritual.” Beats rain like shards of broken glass, constricted acid and echo as the enemy closes in for the final hollow defeat. An album that takes you from manifesto to death march.

Planetary Assault Systems – The Light Years Reworks [MOTELP003]

March 11, 2017June 8, 2023 hipodromealbum, compilation, function, kamikaze space programme, lucy, luke slater, marcel fengler, mote evolver, octave one, planetary assault systems, psyk, slam, steve bicknell, technoLeave a comment

Having already unleashed a considerable amount of collaborative magic with the ”Planetary Funk: 22 Light Years” series of remix EPs, Luke Slater has now upped the ante with six full sides’ worth of material,all of them injecting the spirit of classic P.A.S. into new sonic organisms. Behind the controls: Marcel Fengler, Function, Psyk,Octave One, Kamikaze Space Programme, Lucy, Slam and Steve Bicknell.