Blackploid – Cosmic Drama LP [CPU10000001]

August 6, 2025August 7, 2025 hipodromealbum, blackploid, central processing unit, electro, martin matiskeLeave a comment

In recent years, Blackploid has come to be one of Central Processing Unit’s signature artists. The German producer has averaged more than a record a year for the Sheffield imprint since he first landed on CPU in 2021. This prolific run continues with Cosmic Drama, Blackploid’s second LP for the label. The album takes the baton from its predecessor Enter Universe in style, delivering twelve tracks of top-quality machine-funk that draw down from electro’s classic artists while also imbuing proceedings with a playfulness that very much gives things a signature Blackploid-ish flavour.

VA – CPU128 Classics [CPU10000000]

March 10, 2025March 6, 2025 hipodromeautomatic tasty, central processing unit, cn, compilation, cygnus, dmx krew, electro, jensen interceptor, microlith, mikron, mnlth, morphology, plant43Leave a comment

Central Processing Unit releases have all been logged in an eight-bit binary numbering system ever since the Sheffield label arrived on the scene with Cygnus’ 2012 LP Newmark Phase. With 256 variations allowed for in the binary catalogue, CPU now hit the halfway point more than a dozen years into their run. In that time the imprint has grown into one of the most celebrated voices in contemporary electro, its monochrome sleeve design reaching iconic status and early releases trading for big money in certain circles. As such, CPU128 Classics serves as both a victory lap and a line in the sand, a survey of some of the highs in the imprint’s discography and a second chance for CPU aficionados to get their hands on out-of-print material.

Larionov – Space Threat [CPU01111010]

February 5, 2024February 5, 2024 hipodromecentral processing unit, electro, larionovLeave a comment

Larionov debuts on Sheffield’s Central Processing Unit with the Space Threat EP. Larionov’s previous releases have shown off a musical sensibility which is both schooled in classic electro stylings and also able to reach for leftfield sonics in a way which sets the producer apart from the pack. It’s a vibe that continues into this record, a quartet of busy electro joints which are characterised by a brooding, neurotic energy.

NULLPTR – Recursor [CPU01111000]

October 9, 2023October 5, 2023 hipodromecentral processing unit, eddie symons, electro, nullptrLeave a comment

Eddie Symons’ fine recent run for Central Processing Unit continues. The NULLPTR mastermind makes it four releases on the Sheffield label in five years with Recursor, a six-track EP which balances precision-engineered machine-funk grooves with an overarching aura of gracefulness.

Silicon Scally – Soft Robotics [CPU01110111]

August 7, 2023August 7, 2023 hipodromecarl finlow, central processing unit, electro, silicon scallyLeave a comment

“Soft Robotics”, the new EP from Carl Finlow’s Silicon Scally project, is the fifth Silicon Scally release in five years to boast one of CPU’s instantly-recognisable black-and-white covers.

Si Begg – Energie Electrique [CPU01110101]

June 6, 2023June 6, 2023 hipodromecentral processing unit, electro, si beggLeave a comment

British veteran of beat tracks, Si Begg make his debut on Central Processing Unit. Begg’s casual mastery of his sound is shown off by the fact that he doesn’t over-egg the pudding of the Energie Electrique EP. Rather than doing sonic cartwheels to get people’s attention, Energie Electrique is characterised by the way Begg adds or subtracts elements to sturdy grooves. It’s an approach which makes for a collection of tunes that manage to bring the boogie from the off while they also hide all sorts of aural Easter eggs amidst the mix.

Blackploid – Enter Universe [CPU01110011]

February 17, 2023February 17, 2023 hipodromealbum, blackploid, central processing unit, electro, martin matiskeLeave a comment

Blackploid has become one of Central Processing Unit’s stalwarts in the past couple of years. Martin Matiske’s project contributed a trio of EPs to the label across 2021 and 2022, with each of them showing off the kind of electro chops and production sensibilities that made Blackploid an ideal fit with the Sheffield imprint. Now, for CPU’s first release of 2023, Matiske levels things up with the debut Blackploid LP Enter Universe. Across these twelve tracks, Matiske leaves us in no doubt that he’s a prime mover in the world of modern electronic music. Enter Universe does not let up from start to finish, delivering a dozen pieces of leftfield electro that draws from the sound’s greats while also showcasing an unpredictability and flair that is all of Blackploid’s own.

Blackploid – Planetary Science [CPU01101111]

September 20, 2022September 19, 2022 hipodromeblackploid, central processing unit, electro, martin matiskeLeave a comment

The Blackploid resurgence of recent years continues to gather steam. After laying dormant for some time, Martin Matiske’s project roared back into life in 2021 with a pair of EPs for Central Processing Unit. It doesn’t look like he’ll be taking his foot off the gas any time soon – not only does the new Blackploid collection “Planetary Science” complete Matiske’s hat-trick for the Sheffield label, but it also serves as a prelude to the full-length album which Blackploid will deliver on CPU in 2023.

Silicon Scally – Field Lines [CPU01101001]

February 15, 2022February 15, 2022 hipodromealbum, carl finlow, central processing unit, silicon scallyLeave a comment

SILICON SCALLY - Field Lines

Carl Finlow remains a prolific producer more than a quarter of a century on from his emergence. Still averaging several records a year across a variety of aliases, recent times have seen Finlow forge particularly strong links with the Central Processing Unit label. Now, after a run of EPs for the Sheffield imprint which began with 2018’s ‘Projections’, Finlow’s Silicon Scally project offers up CPU’s first drop of 2022 in the form of the ‘Field Lines’ LP. Silicon Scally productions have long been marked out by how they combine piston-precise beat programming with more textured synth play. ‘Field Lines’ runs with this formula to deliver some of Finlow’s most atmospheric material to date. At once shadowy and expansive, listening to ‘Field Lines’ is the aural equivalent of taking a night-time drive around some futuristic metropolis.

Blackploid – Strange Stars [CPU01100111]

November 23, 2021 hipodromeblackploid, central processing unit, electro, martin matiskeLeave a comment

BLACKPLOID - Strange Stars

Martin Matiske’s renaissance continues as he delivers another fresh EP as Blackploid for effervescent Sheffield imprint Central Processing Unit. In keeping with the German producer’s other recent material, we can hear echoes of his classic, mid-2000s Blackploid material. Strange Stars also continues his interplanetary theme, delivering a quartet of sci-fi powered cuts full of squelchy acid bass, star-fall electronics, Kraftwerkian melodies and beats so crunchy you could probably eat them for breakfast. Our picks of a very strong bunch are probably pulsating opener ‘Star Patrol’ and the turn-of-the-80s sci-fi movie feel of ‘Unseen’, but to be honest all four tracks hit the spot.

Nullptr – Terminus [CPU01100011]

August 5, 2021August 6, 2021 hipodromecentral processing unit, eddie symons, electro, nullptrLeave a comment

NULLPTR - Terminus

The faultless Central Processing Unit label welcomes back Eddie Symons aka Nullptr with this slick new EP. His sounds are fresh and futuristic with plenty of otherworld motifs making them so. ‘Connected’ kicks this one off with a bumping bassline and far-sighted pads while ‘Mesospheric Cruise’ sooth the soul as it journeys through the cosmos. There’s more tension in the restless beats and bass of ‘Syndicate’ and ‘Terminus’ that make for a nice yin to the a-side’s yang.

Blackploid – Cosmic Traveler [CPU01100000]

March 26, 2021April 16, 2021 hipodromeblackploid, central processing unit, electro, martin matiskeLeave a comment

Cosmic Traveler, a four-track affair, marks Matiske’s debut appearance on Sheffield’s Central Processing Unit. Given the long wait, it’s great just to see Blackploid back among the fray once again. But for the project’s CPU curtain-raiser to be an EP of such high-quality techno jams? Now that really is spoiling us. Cosmic Traveler’s title nods towards the sort of stargazing aesthetics one finds in classic Detroit techno. However, while there are undoubtedly ties to the Motor City in this music, the record ultimately steers less towards spacious atmospherics and more towards the taut, lean machine-funk of seminal practitioners like Dopplereffekt.

2020 Best Albums

January 4, 2021November 3, 2022 hipodromea civil terror, album, alessandro adriani, artificial dance records, avian music, axis records, beat concern, black meteoric star, central processing unit, childhood intelligence, das ding, dmx krew, electronic emergencies records, franz scala, furthur electronix, grant, heinrich mueller, ian martin, infoline, jake schrock, jeff mills, la luna sotto il ponte, lbeeze, linea aspera, lobster theremin, marco repetto, medical records llc, men with secrets, newclear waves, nullptr, obergman, phormix tapes, pinkman records, shifted, slow motion records, solar one music, tear apart tapes, terrestrial funk, the beneficiaries, the bunker, the exaltics, the nightstalker, trenton chase, voluminous artsLeave a comment

Continuing our past year briefing, after the readers top 3 and best giveaways, we present a list of our 20 favorite albums from 2020.

We have four albums more on the electro side coming from DMX Krew, Men With Secrets (Donato Dozzy and Retina.it), Nullptr and The Exaltics & Heinrich Mueller, while on the industrial/EBM side we have albums by A Civil Terror, La luna sotto il ponte and LBEEZE and impressive works from Black Meteoric Star, Ian Martin and Trenton Chase.
On the synthier side of music we have four albums coming from Das Ding, Linea Aspera, Newclear Waves and Jake Schrock, while for the Detroit lovers we have two Detroit influenced album by The Beneficiaries (Jeff Mills, Eddie Fowlkes and Jessica Care Moore) and The Nightstalker (Dan Piu and Martin Akeret).
Closing the list are the debut album of disco-don Franz Scala on Slow Motion, Obergman‘s acid album on Furthur Electronix, Anthony Collins with his album on Lobster Theremin under the Grant alias and Shifted with his first album on Avian.
The list is compiled in chronological order.

Continue reading “2020 Best Albums” →

Biochip – Crux Alley [CPU01011101]

December 26, 2020December 23, 2020 hipodromealbum, biochip, central processing unit, electro, julian kochanowski, melissa speirsLeave a comment

BIOCHIP - Crux Alley

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.

Silicon Scally – Dormant [CPU01011011]

October 12, 2020October 8, 2020 hipodromecarl finlow, central processing unit, electro, silicon scally, technoLeave a comment

SILICON SCALLY - Dormant

Silicon Scally is the most prolific of Finlow’s alias projects, and on Dormant, the third Silicon Scally release for Sheffield’s Central Processing Unit, Finlow constructs four pieces of thrillingly futuristic broken-beat electro. These tracks never stand still, their little cells of synth and percussion always evolving. When combined with some stomping drum programming, the final result is an EP which has that rare balance of endless danceability and genuinely innovative production. It’s the sound of a master creator letting loose while also managing to keep everything in the pocket, a marvel of moving parts.

Nullptr – Future World [CPU01011000]

July 7, 2020July 6, 2020 hipodromealbum, central processing unit, eddie symons, electro, nullptrLeave a comment

Two years after debuting on Central Processing Unit with the acclaimed Aftrmth EP, Nullptr returns to the Sheffield label for the release of new full-length album Future World. Nullptr has created a set of perpetual-motion marvels here, wind-’em-up-and-watch-’em-go electro tunes in which synth lines and 808s weave dexterously in and out of one another to form these lovely interlocking patterns. Many of the tracks on Future World are anchored by needlegun grooves in the Drexciyan mode. While busybody drum programming persists throughout the album, Nullptr’s fondness for washed-out pads means that Future World also provides the listener with space for contemplation. Rather than playing it safe within the genre’s familiar confines, Nullptr instead uses electro as a base from which to incorporate other sounds throughout Future World.

20 Albums from 2019

December 24, 2019December 23, 2019 hipodromealessandro adriani, artificial dance records, autumns, blackstrobe, boy harsher, central processing unit, cocktail d'amore music, curses, dark entries records, david carretta, death & leisure, detriti records, dimdj, dissemblance, distant wave records, e.r.p, filmmaker, forgotten future, function, gladio, hoga nord rekords, jeremiah r., june, june records, kris baha, l.i.e.s., mannequin records, nude club records, opposing currents, paranoid london, photonz, plant43, shakti, stroboscopic artefacts, stroom, tresor records, veyl, years of denialLeave a comment

Yesterday we presented the preferences of our readers from last year, now this is a list of 20 albums from 2019 that made an impression on us.

We have three pure electro albums from E.R.P., Jeremiah R. and Plant43 and the new electro-synthy album of veteran David Carretta, his first solo album for ten years. On the darker side of the synth palette we have two EBM/synth-pop albums from Boy Harsher and Years Of Denial, the debut album of Kris Baha, the third album of Greek producer June, a new one from Jason Letkiewicz aka Steve Summers under his new moniker Opposing Currents and two more industrial albums from Autumns and Colombian Filmmaker.
On the other had we have two acid gems from DimDJ and Paranoid London, the first ever Gladio album, the second album from Mannequin boss Alessandro Adriani and an experimental/ambient album from veteran Function on Tresor.
So, here it is compiled in chronological order.
Continue reading “20 Albums from 2019” →

Biochip – Synthase [CPU01001110]

August 7, 2019July 6, 2020 hipodromeacid, biochip, central processing unit, electro, julian kochanowski, melissa speirsLeave a comment

Central Processing Unit welcomes Biochip with their debut release ‘Synthase’. Eight tracks of analog electro and acid techno, all recorded live. Very much of the Selected Ambient Works Vol. 1 ilk. Beautifully noisy, highly melodic and raw, with those emotional mid nineties IDM tendencies that very few successfully capture. Biochip are Melissa Speirs and Julian Kochanowski from Montreal, Canada. Listening to Synthase you can tell they are huge fans of vintage analogue synths, magnetic tape and drum machines; their sound has a reassuring warmth and human feel to it.

Cygnus – Deep Analysis [CPU01001001]

May 30, 2019May 31, 2019 hipodromecentral processing unit, cygnus, electro, phillip washingtonLeave a comment

Cygnus aka Phillip Washington returns home to CPU with Deep Analysis. Six tracks of nebulous compositions all containing his signature emotional and melodic electro. Sheffield Bleep is an ode to CPU Records complete with an old school vocoder rap over CR-78 rhythms. Deep Analysis is an answer to one of Washington’s favourite tracks ‘Sleep Paralysis’ by Mikron. Ultraterrestrial, Her Majesty and Descent of Man are beautiful si-fi electronic music without comparison. The E.P. wraps things up with Hallucinate Data cementing Cygnus as a master of the genre.

Plant43 – Three Dimensions [CPU01001000]

March 31, 2019March 29, 2019 hipodromealbum, central processing unit, electro, emile facey, plant43Leave a comment

Plant43 aka Emile Facey, one of CPU’s originators delivers his fourth album ‘Three Dimensions’. Eight tracks of crystalline electro with his signature epic pads and Blade Runner-esque melodies. Facey is one of the most respected electro artists of today and this album galvanises this reputation. DJs will find several weapons amongst this package of beautiful electronic music that rewards both headphone listeners as much as a big room.