For the 101 release Semantica comes with a special triple album packed with talented techno producers dropping some deep trippy techno knowledge right here.
compilation
VA – Warriors [777-14]
Double trouble compilation featuring tracks by DJ Normal 4, Qnete, Xan, Seixlack, Rixdorfer Grau, Lutto Lento and Futers.
VA – Da’asa: The Haunting Sounds Of Yemenite Israeli Funk 1973-1984 [FTNLP003]
Fortuna Records deliver a stellar compilation of real-life magic created by immigrants from Yemen, in Tel Aviv, from the mid seventies to the early eighties. Ranging from extremely rare to previously unreleased, these tracks are a result of a unique scene which blended funk, soul, jazz & disco with traditional Yemenite rhythms & sounds. It cannot get more obscure than this.
VA – Q/R [SUBREC0942]
“Q/R” it’s about weird electro, new wave, industrial, synth pop and dark psychedelic musik. It includes a remastered version of Chen Yi’s 1982 work “Rug” , but also unreleased track from Beta Evers & Dora Gerl as “Severe Sisters”, Denis Frajerman & William Bope project, The Blizzard Sow. An industrial/rock track recorded by a new band from Berlin, called Automatenfall. A new track from USA based artist Neud Photo, a cosmic electro track from mysterious BB & SS and an exclusive latvian piece from 1988 (19 Gadi Pirms Sakuma).
VA – CPU Remixes [CPU00110010]
Following their 50th release milestone CPU celebrate 5th anniversary with a 2×12 LP remix compilation. CPU has been reticent in regards to remixes, with a grand total of zero during its first five years of existence. This all changes with this dedicated remix compilation celebrating the label’s 5th anniversary. The exalted roster have chosen their favourite tracks to remix from the label’s back catalogue and are brought together in a very special 2×12 gatefold sleeve. B12, Jensen Interceptor and Morphology all make an appearance alongside some of the label’s seldom seen artists. There is also a posthumous Microlith remix of Tryphème – Mélodramatique. Electro has again proven its staying power and CPU has played a key role in championing some of the genre’s greatest: bringing new artists to the front line and cementing the status of the established. This five year celebration showcases the diverse tastes and backgrounds of the roster, crossing many genre boundaries – all executed with precision and attention to detail that the label is known for.
VA – Klockworks 20 [KLOCKWORKS020]
Perfectionist comprehensive Techno compilation coming from the Ben Klock collective. Dance music of the highest calibre, from a collection of artists who have truly crafted a neat and elegant vision of techno music. There’s a mixture of old and new faces all coming together to showcase the sound they’ve been so close to over the years: Etapp Kyle, Jon Hester, Sterac, DVS1, Trevino, Heiko Laux, Ritzi Lee, Adam Craft and others.
VA – Elsewhere MCMXIII [ICI003]
Elsewhere MCMXIII is a 12 track journey of future retro oddities that navigates through different waves of electronic territories, all that with a taste for experimentation while being great to dance to. Put together carefully by DJ soFa for débruit’s ICI label, the track listing’s emotional depth balances between retro and modern, lo-fi and high end, warm and cold… make the listening experience an exciting, surprising journey. Genre-wise the music floats between borders of disco, new wave, synth-pop, kraut and trad elements.
VA – Serenity [AFFINA004]
An ambient compilation opening Affin’s 10th year anniversary. Find some hidden ambient pearls from Markus Guentner, Joachim Spieth, Gustavo Lamas, Zann, Toki Fuko and Ismael Pinkler.
VA – Kale Plankieren: Dutch Cassette Rarities 1981 – 1985 Vol. 1 [KH009]
Featuring a wide range of artists (Das Ding, Plus Instruments, De Fabriek for a start!) from the Amsterdam Fetisj scene and cities such as Rotterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, and Zwolle. It gives a glimpse into the artistic DIY music movement that was growing extensively outside of mainstream circles. The beautifully printed record sleeve was designed by Steele Bonus. It includes liner notes (in English and Dutch) that paint a great picture of the context where these bands and artists lived and breathed. It is compiled by Mark van de Maat and mastered by Rude 66.
VA – Raw Raw #12 [RRR012]
Ukrainian techno stable Raw Raw has pushed the boat out on this 12th release, in the process delivering a double-pack full of tried-and-tested dancefloor movements. Amongst the eight tracks you’ll find numerous highlights, including the distorted drums and Drexciyan melodies of Sleeparvhive’s “Hide”, the kick-drum driven alien funk intensity of Eric Fletcher’s “Transcendent Wisdom”, and the energy-packed hypnotism of Joton’s “Diagram”, which comes on like Brown Album-era Orbital dragged kicking and screaming through Berghain at eight in the morning. Best of all, though, is the TB-303 driven techno psychedelia of Petter B’s “Isgrus”, which is almost capable of triggering vivid dancefloor hallucinations.
VA – Simple Music Experience Vol. 2 [MMLP505]
Macadam Mambo presents a special collaboration with friend label ‘Simple Music Experience’ from Bordeaux/Marseille. Contains original Industrial, Synth-Pop, Jakbeat, Post-Punk, Experimental and Contemporary music by underground artists from France. Originally it released on tape (SM05) in 2016.
DJ Stingray – Kern Vol.4 [KERN004]
For the latest volume in Tresor’s occasional Kern compilation series, the long standing German imprint has turned to balaclava-sporting Detroit legend DJ Stingray. The Drexciya associate has gathered together a typically forthright selection of techno and electro jams, presented here in unmixed form for pure DJ pleasure. Given that all the material is high quality, picking highlights is tough. Our favourites include the deep space electro brilliance of “Musik Politik” by Syncom Data, the trippy, acid-fired madness of vintage Aphex Twin wriggler “Serge Fenix Rendered 2”, the throbbing sub-bass and crusty drum machine hits of Herva’s “Slam The Laptop” and the bustling techno madness of Dynarec’s intergalactic workout “Moving Corridors”.
VA – Pop Makossa: The Invasive Dance Beat Of Cameroon 1976-1984 [AACD083]
Now Analog Africa returns to put the record straight. Pop-Makossa shines a light on a glorious but largely overlooked period in the story of Cameroonian makossa, when local musicians began to replace funk and highlife influences with the rubbery bass of classic disco and the sparkling synth flourishes and drum machines of electrofunk. The resultant compilation, which apparently took eight years to produce, is packed full of brilliant cuts, from the heavily-electronic jauntiness of Pasteur Lappe’s “Sanaga Calypso” and horn-totin’ Highlife-disco of Emmaniel Kahe and Jeanette Kemogne’s “Ye Medjuie”, to the dense, organ-laden wig out that is Clement Djimogne’s “Africa”.
The Pop Makossa adventure started in 2009, when Analog Africa founder Samy Ben Redjeb first travelled to Cameroon to make an initial assessment of the country’s musical situation. He returned with enough tracks for an explosive compilation highlighting the period when funk and disco sounds began to infiltrate the Makossa style popular throughout Cameroon.
VA – Distant Waves II [DWR015]
Dead Wax Records presents “Distant Waves II”, a follow up of the well received 2014 compilation. This was compiled in three whole years (and a lot of research work) and is a collection of songs that share some common factors: they all were made in the 80s, they all feature synths and they all are extremely sought after, rare as hell or just previously unreleased. There are obvious style variations as each band here is unique but “Distant Waves II” is quite more homogeneous than its predecessor. We have the upbeat, danceable minimalism of Standing Ovation, Boris Dzaneck, Störung, Doppler Effect and Factoría Ribbentrop. The cold, moody melancholy of Broken Tables and La Valse. Virtually unknown acts like The Sixth Sense, Seeing Red and Almost Anyone, heavily underrated new wave giants like Grey Parade and Puppets Of Mankind. An unreleased synth pop masterpiece from Almost Alone here, an unheard 7” rendition of a worldwide dancefloor smasher by Nightmoves there. A total of 14 amazing tracks, all ‘instant classics’
VA – Selectors 003 [DKMNTLSLCTRS003]
Dekmantel’s Selectors series now continues with an edition curated by Marcel Dettmann. Although he’s now known as one of the world’s most celebrated techno artists, even Marcel Dettmann had to start somewhere. Long before he ever held court at Berghain (or its predecessor, Ostgut), he was just another young boy in Eastern Germany, one whose earliest encounters with capitalism involved spending every penny he could scrape together down at the local record shop. In those days, it wasn’t techno that got him excited, but new wave, post-punk, industrial and EBM acts like Front 242 and Depeche Mode. Get back to his roots right here.
VA – Terra Incognita [ERC034]
Emotional Rescue starts its 5th year by shining a light on one of Europe’s best underground 80s’ label in Spain’s Auxilio De Ciento. Their Terra Incognita Volumes I and II collated an international mix of synth-pop, new wave, world and industrial sounds to a small but appreciative following. Released in 1985 and 1986, the Volumes have become highly regarded and rightly sought after, finding a place in discerning playlists from London to Amsterdam and Dusseldorf to Glasgow. Here, taking a premise of avoiding the songs unearthed on other recent reissues, is a unique album itself. Starting with Denis Mpunga & Paul K’s esoteric Criola, a fusion of fourth world ideals and poly-rhythmic funk. The music of Mal, Bene Gesserit and La Caida De La Casa Usher, however, soon highlight that the decade also belonged to dark, minimal synth as to shiny balearic ideals. The inclusion of Hector Zazou with Bony Biyake and their contribution Komba, is a fitting continuation from their cult Noir Et Blanc LP before, things continue with US avant-artist Danny Alias and his humorous Big Brother “response” to Laurie Anderson’s Superman O. Image Pour Image loose indie-pop and the inclusion of seminal Beast Of Burden lead again to a Zazou contribution, this time in his collaborative Stranger In A New Light, before the compilation eclectically ends with the dadaesque Lakota and the post punk dub of Instead Of’s closer, Angels .
Steffi – Fabric 94 [FABRIC187]
Given that there have been 93 previous editions of Fabric’s long-running mix series, you’d think DJs would struggle to find a new angle. Steffi, though, has had no such problems. The Berlin-based Dutchwoman has flipped the script by commissioning all 16 tracks especially for the mix. It’s a neat trick and works well, with the result being a typically impressively put-together stroll through a myriad of techno, house, IDM and electro-related sounds. There are two exclusive Steffi collaborations (one with Martyn as Doms and Deykers, the other with Shed), alongside seriously good cuts from pals Dexter (solo and alongside Virginia), Late Night Approach, Answer Code Request, Privacy and UAS.
VA – Musica Per L’Immagine [FBNMLP001]
With Fly by Night Music now celebrating their fifth year of operation, Lorenzo has marked the occasion by assembling his biggest project to date – an impeccably curated collection of obscure Italian production music circa 1974 – 1985. The project, nearly a year in the making, has been very close to Lorenzo’s heart – beginning unexpectedly in the record fairs of Buenos Aires and leading him on several trips to Rome and Milan, tracking down the original musicians and licensors. ”In this compilation, I have tried to include some of the most interesting cuts I have collected over the years. Tracks like the entirely electronic ”Nitrogen” from Alberto Baldan Bembo’s ”Sound Orchestra” LP on Star Track Records, featuring a wild evolving bassline leading us through frantic rhythmic experimentations. ”In the Space”, by French born composer Albert Verrecchia and taken from Italian poliziesco drama ‘Il Tempo Degli Assasini’ (Season for Assasins), tells the tale of wistful longing, played out with serenity on strings and keys, but unexpected interruption from its stop-start arrangement brings an unforeseen tension into the mix… And how could I not include the wonderfully charming ”Screw Driver” by Fabio Fabor, from his collaborative album ”Superman” with a young Antonio Arena. Featuring an orchestra of beautifully programmed ARP and Oberheim sonorities alongside the Commodore 64 programmed graphical artwork by Antonio Arena himself.” The music itself was partly sourced from Lorenzo’s own collection, archived and then restored especially for this release. Where possible, tracks (such as ”Vision”, ”Nitrogen” and ”Blue Magnolia”) have been lifted directly from the original master tapes kindly lent by the repertoire owners. Every track, however, has been carefully restored, remastered and cut for vinyl by the cautious hands of Andreas [LUPO] Lubich at Calyx Mastering, Berlin.
VA – Cameron 10 [DSR/C10]
Delsin is to put out an eight track compilation for the tenth release on its Cameron series, taking in stronghold names as Claro Intelecto and Vril, as well as former contributors to the series Shlømo, Artefakt and Gunnar Haslam. As has been the mission for the series before, there’s eye for new talent too – in the names of recent Delsin newcomer Sentomea, The Invariants and Cameron. All contributors look beyond the dance floor to offer a mixture of moody and atmospheric sounds, and everyone was given free rein, which has resulted in a collection that covers so much stylistic ground.
VA – Five Years Of Loving Notes [ATN5YEARS]
5th Birthday comp featuring a host of artistst who’ve graced the label over the perioid.. Exclusives from Tolouse Lowtrax, Geena, Iueke, Domenique Dumont, . Inoue Shirabe, Raphael Top-Secret and more… Gatefold Sleeve. The music on this compilation covers a wide spectrum of moods and atmospheres, from the dark and raw excursions from Tolouse Low Trax or Iueke to the lush instrumental crafted by Nico Motte and Syracuses Antoine Kogut; however as the listener gets deeper into the compilation, the whole of the tunes, sitting side by side on the records, start to make sense as they all seem to point towards the same direction. If one should try isolating a common trait from all these songs, one might come to the conclusion that it lies in the way they all speak directly to the listeners emotional receptors, unvarnished and without abusing of producers tricks.
The Hipodrome Of Music 