Nagamatzu – Above This Noise [DE127]

July 26, 2016July 17, 2024 hipodromealbum, andrew lagowski, dark entries records, minimal synth, nagamatzu, stephen jarvisLeave a comment

Nagamatzu were the British duo of Andrew Lagowski (SETI, Legion, Terror Against Terror) on synths, guitar, and programming and Stephen Jarvis (Pure Motorised Instinct, Terraform) on synths and bass. Formed in 1982 after messing around with old tape machines and drum boxes, making numerous contributions to international compilations and erratically releasing their own cassettes. Their name comes from a character in JG Ballard‘s “Atrocity Exhibition” and their music reflects his influence. Nagamatzu self-released their debut cassette “Shatter Days” in 1983 after messing around with old tape machines, drum boxes and effects. “Above This Noise” is a compilation of 9 songs recorded in the period between the release of ‘Sacred Islands of the Mad’ in 1986 and ‘Igniting the Corpse’ in 1991. It gathers tracks which surfaced on some of the international compilation cassette releases that the band were invited to contribute to in the 1980s as well as some previously unreleased songs. The band’s working method was for Andrew to first record a backing track, usually rhythm, sequence, samples. Then both members would layer more electronics, samples, guitar and bass over the top, recording the whole piece in one take. These instrumentals combine stuttering bass, guitar bursts and funeral keyboards draped over a dragging drum machine beat, calling to mind Clock DVA, early New Order or Cocteau Twins. Their sound is full of complex rhythm patterns and dark electronics.

All the Madman – Tape Recordings 1980-1983 [VOD145B1ATM]

July 26, 2016January 23, 2024 hipodromealbum, all the madman, christopher paul bailey, electro, mike richardson, minimal synth, neale james potts, post punk, richard roger weston-smith, synth pop, vinyl on demand recordsLeave a comment

All the Madmen were Neale James Potts, Michael William Richardson, Christopher Paul Bailey and Richard Roger Weston-Smith from Stoke-on-Trent, UK. They called themselves minimal synthesizer-punks. ATM started in 1980 as an Anti Rock group, believing that the way that music was played and produced should change forever. One track called ”Superior Life” made it onto the LP ”Cry Havoc”.

Stephen Cadman – Big Smith Stays in Bed [VOD145B1SC]

July 26, 2016January 23, 2024 hipodromealbum, electro, experimental, stephen cadman, synth wave, vinyl on demand recordsLeave a comment

Stephen Cadman is a synthesist from Leeds, GB now living in Australia. In late 1980 he produced and released a C60-Tape on his own Big Smith’s Nose Tapes-Label. His synth music and style in the vein of Tangerine Dream and other german electronica bands of the 70’s found interest to Ian Dobson and was then distributed via Ian and also (re)-released shortly after on the Flowmotion-Label.

Head Technician – Zones [E022LP]

July 19, 2016November 27, 2017 hipodromeacid, album, ecstatic recordings, martin jenkins, techno, the head technicianLeave a comment

Ecstatic label catch Martin Jenkins (Pye Corner Audio) in Head Technician garb for a slippery set of slow, plasmic acid workouts that were originally issued on a super-limited tape, and now sit heavy on wax. Over the years Jenkins has used the Head Technician alter ego as a sort of evil engineer Hyde analogous to his day-to-day Jekyll, a sort of hyperstitious studio partner in a time-honoured tradition of sleeve credits ghost chasing. Where Pye Corner Audio’s pieces may tend to be lustrous, optimistic, the Head Technician’s Zones LP hems to the shadows of the ‘floor with a furtive, noirish quality that works a treat in the right situations, whether soundtracking gaslamp-lit raves or midnight street patrols seeking out ne’erdowells and laudanum dealers.
Fired on a classic trinity of Roland TR-606 drum machine with an MC-202 (a beast to program, he admits) and TB-303 to sequence his baselines, it clearly makes explicit reference to the early days of Detroit techno and UK bleep ’n bass, but the vibe is more anachronistic, out-of-time, possibly thanks to his patented, lagging basslines and slowly unfolding arrangements, bridging that imaginary, dilated gap between fuzzy dancefloor head melt and curtains-drawn next day gouch out.

Vakula – Cyclicality Between Procyon And Gomeisa [DKMNTL040]

July 17, 2016May 13, 2025 hipodromealbum, ambient, dekmantel records, experimental, soundtrack, vakulaLeave a comment

Vakula has been a Dekmantel label member ever since the very early days. The Ukraine based producer now drops his album Cyclicality Between Procyon And Gomeisa on the label. ‘This album is about cycles, repetition and interaction’, says Vakula, whose Cyclicality between Procyon and Gomeisa is the third of a series of albums and reflects a dashing experimental record that evokes the endless and captivating potential of electronic music. It creates a mesmerizing journey through various music genres, exhibiting a singular sonic experience, whilst he works through a process of improvisation and refinement. Once again the mastermind proves to be capable of creating complex, yet diverse musical pieces beyond genres and trends. The result: an audio adaptation of his fascinating mind. ‘There are two parallel processes that come together in my work: me writing music and working on the sound I want to achieve, and the energy from outside that flows and transforms into thoughts, correlations, and actions.’ The track titles relate to the source of Vakula’s inspiration and connect the dots between his obsession for the vastness of our universe and electronic music. ”To wonder about the universe and to dig into mythology and scientific research discovering at least some of its secrets is what keeps me endlessly motivated as a producer.”

Fred P – Sound Destination [SPMBLP002]

July 17, 2016July 25, 2019 hipodromealbum, ambient, deep house, experimental, fred p, fred peterkin, soul people boards, soul people musicLeave a comment

Sound Destination is a project that crosses genre to find its own space. Soundscapes, downtempo, ambient, and house music all find a place in this aesthetically complete project. There’s a simmering, hovering quality about the whole album, as a pastoral ease settles over the listener. The record flows like a vague narrative, a non-specific sort-of journey album, a meditative jazz-house trip. Fred Peterkin shows yet another perspective of his expression. bursting out of the style-box, to draw you in to his own dimension.

Afrikan Sciences – Means & Ways [DBRV006LP]

July 16, 2016July 15, 2016 hipodromeafrikan sciences, album, deepblak recordings, eric douglas porter, experimental, house, jazzLeave a comment

Bursting out of Oakland into the ionosphere, a hot pocket of free jazz, house, blues, African & Latin rhythms, a fully shuffled deck of everything that might expand your head, all fed into the MPC, and hot-wired right into your heart. Some five years after it was released digitally, Aybee’s Deepblak label revisit the wonderful Afrikan Sciences LP Means &Ways to grant it a double LP vinyl edition. For those unfamiliar with the album, the 11-track set showed Eric Porter refusing to stand still, variously touching on polyrhythmic IDM, dusty jazz-hop, dense post-techno wonkiness, hard-to-pigeonhole madness (see “Alpha Male Syndrum”), sparkling aural experiments (“Ways & Means”), and pleasingly off-kilter dancefloor fare. Amongst this category you’ll find deliberately out-of-time deepness, slipped broken beat, and dense drum workouts (“NanoRock Skank”). As usual, Porter’s tunes are bizarre but brilliant.

Nat Birchall – Guiding Spirit [JMANLP089]

July 16, 2016October 7, 2020 hipodromealbum, gondwana records, jazz, jazzman records, nat birchallLeave a comment

Guiding Spirit was second album by Nat Birchall for the fledgling Manchester label Gondwana Records back in 2010. The follow-up to the remarkable debut of Akhenaten found him exploring different textures using percussion and instruments like the kora and the harp. It was also the first time Nat had recorded on the soprano saxophone, featured here on the songs Keep the Light Shining and Higher Regions. Nat reveals a concept on the instrument quite unlike most other contemporary players of the higher-pitched horn, his sound more akin to the keening tone of the Indian shenai master, Bismillah Khan, perfectly in keeping with the music’s more “Eastern” sounding leanings. The music here is firmly rooted in the modal jazz world of Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane and others who sought to expand upon the avenues of expression originally forged by John Coltrane in the heady days of the early 1960s. As has often been pointed out by commentators however, this is no pastiche or “re-make”. This is the real thing, played absolutely in the now, but played from and in the spirit of then. Originally released only in CD format, Jazzman Records are proud to make this music available on vinyl for the first time.

Nat Birchall – Akhenaten [JMANLP088]

July 16, 2016October 7, 2020 hipodromealbum, gondwana records, jazz, jazzman records, nat birchallLeave a comment

Akhenaten was the first album Nat Birchall released via the then brand-new Gondwana Records label in Manchester. Originally only released on CD this is the first time this classic recording has been made available on vinyl. The album on the whole features a quartet, and is expanded to a quintet on the title track where UK trumpet virtuoso Matthew Halsall joins in with a stunning solo. The album explores deep, hymn-like themes at length, finding much to say on the relatively simple melodies and arrangements. Nat and his fellow band members play here with the selfless motivation and focus that’s required to allow them to tap deep into the human psyche, producing music that is soulful and stately. Very different from most modern jazz styles played nowadays, the music has a timeless beauty that will stand the test of time.
listen

Leonardo Martelli – Previsto [ATN029]

July 10, 2016February 7, 2018 hipodromealbum, ambient, antinote recordings, electro, experimental, leonardo martelliLeave a comment

Electro kicks, raw textures, ominous choirs: L’ immaginario, Previsto’s opening track, ties a bound between Martelli’s two releases on Antinote, giving us one last glimpse at the uninhabited post-apocalyptic landscapes drawn in Menti Singole. However, this time Leonardo Martelli explores a more urban universe, as the use of rap samples on Negli abissi and Lo Schema suggests. Martelli exploits their aggressiveness in a way that somehow reminds us of minimalist rap tapes from Memphis. The third track’s title makes it even clearer: called Leggende Metropolitane, the song is a trip into the darkest blind alleys of the city, an invitation to wander among human wastes, driven by its light kick. La Luna, is the most contemplative moment of the album, offering us a meditative break before the nightmarish Il registro, Martelli’s brutal come-back to raw electro with a tune which depicts us a hellish engine room for expiating souls. Finally, the record concludes with Previsto, a haunted title track, filled with wailings that give us to contemplate a cruel vision of the urban misery we’re stuck in.

Synths Versus Me – Tormento Part 1 [OR11SE2016]

July 6, 2016August 31, 2021 hipodromealbum, nico cabañas, oraculo records, synth pop, synth wave, synths versus me, vanessa asbertLeave a comment

SYNTH VERSUS ME - Tormento Part 1

Oraculo Records announce a new release, “Tormento Part 1” from Synths Versus Me. After the sold out Synths Versus Me first album “Auferstehung”, they release the first part of their second album “Tormento” that have been divided in 2 parts on the vinyl edition in order to maintain the EP/Maxi sound in all the tracks.

JTC – S/T [BOP006]

July 4, 2016March 19, 2019 hipodromealbum, bopside records, dmx krew, house, jtc, tadd mullinix, technoLeave a comment

Following hot on the heels of Tadd Mullinix’s ‘Skein’ – Bopside’s second album release for 2016 comes from label owner Tadd Mullinix’s dancefloor destroying nom de plume who needs little introduction: JTC An 8 track concise body of work perfectly calibrated for DJ use and home listening alike, where the beats hit hard and the melodies linger in your brain. The self-titled LP starts with ‘Caskadia’ – a call to arms for dancers with call and response synth lines and broken beats. ‘Atmospheres Pt.2’ takes things out into deep space, and ‘Nexus Ship Core’ is an acid drenched burner with glacial synths. ‘Infoline’ then makes it’s first appearance in a remixed guise by Rephlex alumni Ed DMX, then closing out the album with its recognisable lead line in its original form. Things take a deeper turn with ‘Dusselmorph’ before the full on breakbeat assault of ‘Blitz Puff (High Position Mix) takes things up a gear, then dropping you off safe and sound, though a little shaken with ‘Atmospheres pt.5 (Hemi Mix).

Kneebody & Daedelus – Kneedelus [BF058]

July 3, 2016July 2, 2016 hipodromealbum, brainfeeder, daedelus, experimental, jazz, kneebodyLeave a comment

Two members of Los Angeles’s alternative music scene, beat freak Daedelus and instrumental quintet Kneebody, team up for a collaborative album on Brainfeeder. Titled (amazingly) Kneedelus, the album articulates the notion of technological singularity – the idea that humans and computer technology will increasingly blend together – in its straddling of jazz, rock, and electronic production.

Les Pythons de la Fournaise – SLP! [CATALP022]

July 3, 2016August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, album, catapulte records, les pythons de la fournaise, outernationalLeave a comment

Exquisit Franco-Creole supergroup Les Pythons de la Fournaise (named after the great volcano on the Reunion island) are rewarding us with their 2nd effort, ”Salut Les Pythons !”. More songs, more groove, more emotion in this exciting long-player where the band show they not only can compose amazing tracks and develop their interpretation of classic Sega-Lontan (typical music genre from Reunion, Mauritius and surrounding islands); but also open their sound to broader, yet specific influences, ranging from 60’s/70’s psychedelia to Eastern harmonies or African rhythms. In this LP the work on vocals is stunning; the 2-female duet in ”Maloya Ton Tisane” is a delight, as well as Reunion-native Rene Cadet’s emotion in songs like ”Pardon” . The combination between percussion and drums is extremely tight, yet supple and true to the unique groove of Sega music. Tracks like ”Ton Ti Gueul Rose” are a pure expression of the band’s inventivity – merciless Arp synthesizer and electric guitar galopping through a frenetic rhythm. Produced by the Catapulte team, this LP also benefits from a beautiful screen-printed artwork with a hand- glued photograph, different for each Vinyl copy – a unique object!

Marco Segreti – Elisabetta [BAP036]

July 1, 2016June 15, 2023 hipodromealbum, bordello a parigi, cosmic disco, italo-disco, kid machine, marco segreti, mark wilkinsonLeave a comment

The long fabled ‘Elisabetta’ project, conceived by Giuseppe Alcheri, scored by Marco Segreti and eventually cancelled entirely by shady producers has long been lamented by fans of Italian Cinema and Disco aficionados alike. ‘Elisabetta’ was to be a return to Alcheri’s erotic thriller roots after (what some may consider talent wasted in) the Euro-Crime genre of the late 70s. Though, despite the predictable trappings of previous efforts, Alcheri’s flair for stylised dramatics and profound statements on the human condition bubbled under the surface, even in films such as “Legge Rotto” and “Sono Unica Difesa di Questa Citta”, but it was the melancholic power of early hits such as “Angelo Della Pelle” or “Pianto Vergine” that serious fans were crying out for. All of which was to be delivered with ‘Elisabetta’ which promised to be his most ambitious and emotional film in years. Concerning a writer driven to suicide by a lost love, told mostly through typewriter monologues, conversations with “Little Grey”, a pigeon and late night cruises through the discotheques of the mid 1980s, ‘Elisabetta’ was to be an epic poem on the nature of love and fidelity, sadly lost much like the lover in the film. Marco Segreti’s credentials should need no introduction, originally the drummer and leader of “Bruciando Roma” a group of anarcho-session musicians, playing on many 70s disco hits, the synthesizer revolution of the 1980s allowed him to break out into independence. Dripping with vintage reverbs and mourning melodies, the soundtrack, presented here for the first time ever is all that remains of this remarkable project.

DJ QU – Conjur [SMR016]

June 28, 2016August 17, 2023 hipodromealbum, charlotte carter allen, dj qu, house, ramon lisandro quezada, strength music, technoLeave a comment

DJ Qu returns with his sophomore album ‘Conjure’ out on Strength Music Recordings. Five years on from the release of his debut album, Gymnastics, Ramon Lisandro Quezada finally serves up a follow-up. ‘Conjure’ is a fine set that neatly showcases the varied sides of the prolific deep house producer’s output. So, we get Iberican tribal drums fused with hazy trumpet solos (“Feed Off Of”), dreamy ambience (“Candlelit”), groovy downtempo beats (the hip-hop influenced “Supafly”), sumptuous and sensual dancefloor deepness (“Lotus (In Memory Of)”), and dark, intense, occasionally dubbed-out late night business (“Whistle Song”, “Visitation”, the stripped-back hip-house of “Toc”). There’s little in the way of filler or fluff, and plenty of playable, club-ready material.

Dmx Krew – The New Age Travellers [EKS009]

June 27, 2016March 19, 2019 hipodromealbum, dmx krew, ed dmx, edward upton, ekster, electro, experimental, synth waveLeave a comment

This record can easily be classified as Library. Listening to these tracks moves your senses back and forth through time, from 80’s sci-fi back to Raymond Scott’s early 50’s experiments. The perfect soundtrack for bedrooms, late night dinners and greenhouses Ed Dmx contributes to a tradition in musical history, a richly vivid trail in which composers influence each other’s harmonies and ways of writing tunes, like an endless ping-pong game between minds and individuals but at the same time between continents and places throughout the world. Unlike many of Ed Dmx’ electro- oriented productions, ‘TheNew Age Travellers’ shows a more intimate side of his work. A story told through short synthesized conversations and electric piano improvisations is reminding us to cry, dream, remember, feel, live … and love.

Huerco S – For Those Of You Who Have Never (& Also Those Who Have) [PRB018]

June 26, 2016January 9, 2019 hipodromealbum, ambient, experimental, huerco s, proibitoLeave a comment

Proibito presents “For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)”, an album by Huerco S. Nine of the densest ambient and meditative music pieces since the dawn of music!! Sounds both extremely of this time, and of no time whatsoever. Monolithic and stark but extremely warm, intensely personal, and for every one in every which way.

Roger 23 – Extended Play [ITX008]

June 26, 2016August 11, 2021 hipodromealbum, ambient techno, drone, electro, experimental, ilian tape, roger 23, roger reuterLeave a comment

ROGER 23 - Extended Play

Roger Reuter has only one previous album to his name, the woozy, edge-of-reason ambience of 2015’s Mensch 001. Extended Play is its’ follow up, and sees the experienced German producer appear on Ilian Tape for the first time. Rooted in his usual brand of unsettling, otherworldly ambience, the six tracks variously draw influence from early IDM, drone, dub techno, industrial and experimental film soundtracks. Despite these nods to familiar experimental styles, it’s an album that can easily be listened to in a variety of situations, and never drags. It’s strongest moments, such as the mournful ambient throb of “State IIX Interlude II”, are particularly beguiling.

Hieroglyphic Being & The Configurative Or Modular Me Trio – Cosmic Beebop [MATH088]

June 23, 2016November 2, 2022 hipodromealbum, chicago, hieroglyphic being, jamal moss, mathematics recordings, the configurative or modular me trioLeave a comment

Jamal Moss doesn’t mess around. The legendary Chicagoan is impressively prolific, and seemingly able to knock out a new album or double EP in a matter of days, rather than weeks or months. Cosmic Bebop is his latest set of no-nonsense jack tracks; an eight-track assault on the senses forged from dusty old drum machines, occasional blasts of distant melody, and all manner of mind-altering special effects. It’s pretty much what you’d expect from Moss, and for the most part sits in the folder marked “box jams”. It’s a proper past perspective of works (1996-2014) from Jamal Moss of obscure experimental releases of unique analog sounds reissued other his other popular known alias.