Versalife Live @ Harvey (Copenhagen) 12.12.2014
detroit
Andrew Red Hand – EPM Podcast #64
VA – Gravitational Push [TEAL009]
Sonic contributions come from two TEAL newcomers A Sagittariun and Matti Turunen, as well as the return of Jared Wilson to the label with a fresh cut of his own. The opening drum break swirls into synth-line and syncopation europhoria on Gravitational Push. The droning bassline cuts a groove in the space-time continuum that’s so deep, it could put some discussions in Geneva to shame. The playful arpeggios of Spice Flow mask the underlying moody pads, resulting in an unusually honest piece of dance music. Flipping the disc reveals a two-track contribution by Matti Turunen. Menacing kicks and synth chirrups begin Substellar Object as a dark chest-rattling piece. However, its sonic frequency emission spectrum eventually widens into a lush composition. When we arrive at the Apoapsis of our sonic orbit, we are met with a stuttering of rhythms and bleeps. An emotional line melody confidently marks the end of our journey.
Korrupt Data – Korrupt Data [PLE65366-1]
Surfacing earlier this year with two 12″s on Planet E, the anonymous Korrupt Data now deliver a debut album for Carl Craig’s label. Korrupt Data’s music straddles the divide between Kraftwerk and Model 500 without the crazy frenetics of Drexciyan electro. Said to be made with ‘old kit’ this 11-track album is spread across two discs and it’s very much geared for the dancefloor and sounding distinctly Detroit. Highlights include the vocoder electro space pop of “Inter Arrival”, the glitchy tones and rigid beats of “Photons, Protons, Microns, Mutrons” and the emotional techno acid of “Memory Loss”.
ASOK – Hunter EP [SCN006]
Scenery label boss ASOK steps up with the next release, and that it comes with a remix from Dutchman Boris Bunnik in his Versalife guise is the icing on the cake. This is heady and original dance music from Scenery that continues the motion that has been set with the first few releases.
Plant43 Live @ Femur Club at Specka (Madrid) 03.10.2014
Plant43 – Scars Of Intransigence [SHIPLP002]
Plant43 is releasing his next album, Scars Of Intransigence, on Shipwrec. He has a strong artistic vision and that plays out in this carefully crafted album, which has been written as a coherent story that unfolds from start-to-finish. Rather than being purely a collection of DJ tools, Scars Of Intransigence has also been made with the home listening experience in mind so that the album works in both contexts equally well.
VC-118A – Vlucht Naar Nachtschade [LDR016]
After a mini-hiatus, Lunar Disko Records returns with a four track EP featuring two of their favourite producers, VC-118A and Delta Funktionen. VC-118A aka Samuel van Dijk guides the listener into deeper realms of sound via three more expertly crafted electro tracks. Aficionado’s of VC-118A’s deep sound will be particularly pleased with this latest installment of emotive electronics from the VC-118A project. Delta Funktionen makes his Lunar debut and completes the EP with a killer techno / electro remix of Vlucht Naar Nachtschade. DF combines rough 808 drums and a deep moog-like bass with VC-118A’s sparse and spacious sound to devastating effect.
Dopplereffekt / Objekt – Hypnagogia [LSR012]
Hypnagogia marks Dopplereffekt’s second appearance on Leisure System, following the Tetrahymena EP. This time the electro outfit has contributed one track, Delta Wave, which takes up the record’s A-side. Appearing on the flip is Berlin artist Objekt, whose mutant brand of bassy techno has appeared on labels like Hessle Audio and Power Vacuum. The label says the two efforts are ”borne of mutual inspiration” and were ”derived from a shared journey into extrasensory perception and subconscious thought.”
Manuel Gonzales – Filth EP [WB015]
Wicked Bass label presents a new release by newly emergent Detroit talent Manuel Gonzales, aka MGUN. Opener ‘Mono Port’ is a sludgy, dirty track with scuzzy ambiance, grainy white noise and plenty of grit obscuring buried deep kick drums and raw synth patterns. Second track ‘Frosted Lakes’ is a just as knackered sounding bit of whacked out techno. Broken kick drums trudge below spiralling synths, static interference and the general imperfect buzz and hum of analogue gear and it builds into a loopy banger that will blow minds as well as speakers. Last is ‘Chip Implemented’, another dystopian bit of depraved sounding techno with groaning synths, hurried drums and plenty of stormy winds blowing across its face. This is hugely textured, darkly cerebral music that manages to be minimal in design yet maximal in impact from start to finish.
Brooks Mosher – Don’t Say Goodbye [DOLLY019]
Warmer than warm club/techno groovers by the man Brooks Mosher, delivering his third release on Dolly. 4 very strong cuts with exactly that dreamy & sensual feeling which might be the main reason why we like to dance & sweat in the dark so much… body to body with the eyes closed, far away from everyday trouble.
Stephen Lopkin – The Haggis Trap [MOSDEEP020]
Next up to join the MOS Deep cannon is Stephen Lopkin, who serves up four new cuts on his The Haggis Trap EP. Lopkin is still something of an emerging talent having only started releasing in the last couple of years. The Glasgow based producer operates in the worlds of house and techno with a unique futuristic perspective. Combining elements of all the techno greats from Juan Atkins to Derrick May, this is an EP that surely announces the arrival proper of a very real new talent.
Mark Forshaw – Digital Tsunami 041
Andrew Red Hand – Life-Changing Experiences [MATRIX027]
Five Deep and dark, funky Detroit Electro tracks from the Romanian producer Andrew Red Hand. Sounding like the rebirth of the legendary Red Planet/Martian project, Andrew makes his Matrix debut. The “Life-Changing Experiences” e.p. is very well produced “Detroit electro funk” composed by a master of the genre who has obviously studied and learned from the likes of Cybotron and Aux 88.
Monobox aka Robert Hood – Film / Rectangle [MPM022]
As part of M-Plant’s 20th Anniversary, it’s the perfect time for Robert Hood to re-visit one of his other decisive monikers, Monobox. The deep and melodious tones of ‘Film’ are beautifully offset by the tougher machine groove of ‘Rectangle’, with both tracks conveying the hypnotic minimalist approach of Hood’s otherworldly Monobox sound.
Astronomical Telegram – Naked Index 05 [NI005]
Horizontal Ground sub-label Naked Index introduces a new name from Columbia: Astronomical Telegram. The grungy feel of Regis’ early work can be heard throughout the entire EP, meaning this will appeal to the staunch techno heads. Higher frequencies seem to be a defining difference between “Optical Observation V1” and “Optical Observation V2”, with the latter really jamming its foot on the pedal when it comes to the harsher sonics and frenetic percussion. “Tool Part 2” by and large does away with those pesky hi-hats and lays down a heavy groove of gruelling techno.
MGUN – Wideye [FIT011]
Manuel Gonzales aka MGUN, steps up to the plate for Fit Sound with an EP that is equal parts diverse, epic and raw. From the basement techno of “Wide Eye”, to the scuffling acidic “Debit, and finally onto the melodic/ melancholic sound of “M.S.C.”, Essential music from the underground for the underground.
VA – Corndogs #2 [CORNDOGS002]
Strong sounds from the Sly Fox Records camp. ‘Corn Dogs’ is their compilation 12′ released for the 2013 Movement festival in Detroit.
Common Series – Common Series 3 [CS003]
It is claimed that Three is the perfect number. Many fields of human thought have reasoned concerning this number: Religion, Literature, Philosophy. It’s an easy number to reach but difficult to cross. Once you cross the Three everything takes other forms. It’s a pass, there are those who will perish and those who stops and observe. Some believe that their work is finished there. But there are also those who consider it the closest point to the sky and the stars and draw the strength to continue their work.
