A taster of what we have been waiting for a long time; four tracks from Motorcycle Boy’s upcoming album – Squalo. Mutant house and dischord disco sit alongside girl freindly drum workouts and emo disco. Its disco, but not as we know it.
electro
Visonia – Impossible Romance [TRAJECTORYLP001]
Following the release of the Visonia collaboration with the mighty Dopplereffekt that delivered ‘Die Reisen’ earlier this year, Visonia returns with the anticipated debut album release entitled, ‘Impossible Romance’. Commencing with ‘Juana de Arco’, which edges finely the fragile border between expectant angst and hopeful optimism, this opening piece pretty much sets the tone for the album. Undulating between the highs and lows of human emotion which beautifully encompasses Visonia’s own conception of art to hold hands and contribute to humanity; to give beauty, wisdom, or to simply open the listener’s mind in order to reflect and ask questions of one’s own self, one’s own existence; what we have here is at times a poetic soundscape of emotions, feelings, fears and positive expression. The album, in its double vinyl format includes the previously available collaboration with Dopplereffekt, namely ‘Die Reisen’, alongside an equally striking collab with New Wave/Synth Pop artist, Mad Moizel in the form of ‘Beat Frequencies’ and late addition to the album – the sleek, driving vision of ‘Between Lies and Real Looks’.
Jauzas The Shining & Victoria Lukas – Shadows [TRAJECTORY1018]
Collaboration project between Jauzas the Shining & Victoria Lukas featuring Ekman and Orgue Electronique. Lukas, drawing upon personal sensations, melds diary-like lyrics into dreamlike ambiance and textures, beautifully fusing with the infectious electro-pop grooves of Jauzas the Shining. Songs encapsulating lost love and longings for sensation, emotional stimulation and experiencing feelings through those of another are conveyed via vocal pieces, ‘Cold Sweat’ and ‘Coral Eyes’. Ekman contributes a driving, acidic groove version of ‘Cold Sweat’ more apt for the dancefloor, while Orgue Electronique pushes the electronic pop vibes into house territory.
VA – Royal Athlete Vol. 1 [RAD001]
Royal Athlete is a new venture from Berlin’s Hot Pony party, a well-loved excuse to play camp Italo, boogie and ’80s electro from former Bristol residents Vexkiddy and Antoni Maiovvi. Both offer up tracks on this debut 12″, with Vexkiddy’s bouncy synth funk throw-down “Robotic Understanding” – all squidgy melodies and darting rhythms – just edging out Maovvi’s italo-revivalism in the highlight stakes. Elsewhere, UK Italo royalty Bill Ambrose and Marika Gauchi join forces as The Dreamers’ for the deliciously camp “He’s My Man”, before Berlin newcomer Dimitri SoEmotional delivers “Unconditionally”, a chunk of deep modern boogie.
Diffuse Arc – E.P. Messiah [CAUW001]
Brilliant analogue space synth music on this small label from Spain. Including nicely crafted and designed covers. Wont be available for a long time to come.
Julia Pé – Una Vuelta Al Sol En Madrid Pt1
DMX Krew – 100 Tears [FR005]
Spanish label Fundamental come through with a ltd edition of their highly prized DMX Krew LP. Ed Upton’s been on prolific form this year for sure, with 100 Tears his fourth DMX Krew long player of 2014 following outings on Shipwrec, Mystic & Quantum and Luke Eargoggle’s Stilleben Records. The twelve tracks here really demonstrate that Upton is a grand master of electro whatever the tempo, and are apparently the result of him working with just a few synths and a drum machine as opposed to his full studio whilst in the midst of moving house. For most people this would be a stressful process, for Ed Upton the situation has resulted in a sublime, masterful album.
Mr. Velcro Fastener – TKU [CYBERDANCE017]
Finnish electro pioneers Mr Velcro Fastener return after a very long absence with this long-awaited and much-anticipated EP on Cyber Dance Records. Full of the same funked-out, quirky and fresh futuristic sounds that brought them instant recognition in the 90s electro underground the ‘TKU’ EP sounds like the innovative duo never went away, effortlessly picking up where they left off. ‘Brinkkala’ opens proceedings with their classic signature brand of Detroit-meets-Finland robotic funk jamming, while the next track ‘Bridge Over Nothing’ delivers harder and punchier rhythms deftly topped with layers of spaced-out chords and shimmering noises – and a relentless bassline that builds and progresses the grooves to alien dimensions of sheer electro brilliance. The sonic assault continues on Side B with ‘Ologrammed’, a pulsating monster of a track that pushes the Velcro Fastener sound into ethereal realms. The EP closes with ‘Johnny’s Wood’, a funked-up, jazzed-out and upbeat adventure over-brimming with robotic positivity and electronic optimism.
Alek Stark – Titan’s Cycle – 808 Syncs in C Minor [TH007]
The latest output from Alek Stark and featuring remixes by Heinrich Meuller. These tracks are simple experiments using the TR808 triggers with the Dot Com Modular, SH101, Oberheim Xpander, Roland System 100/101, Jupiter 6 Europa, Pro One and other vintage synths. All tracks recorded at real time. This EP include two versions of the main track Titan’s Cycle composed by Heinrich Mueller aka Gerald Donald, Arpanet, Dopplereffekt…
Jeremiah R. – Underwater Title [TABR028]
The somewhat mysterious Jeremiah R. is steadily earning a reputation for putting out quality electro. Having first surfaced on London label Organic Analogue, Jeremiah R now boosts his profile further with a seven-track mini-album on the supreme Tabernacle operation which shines further light on his Drexciyan inspirations. It’s not all deranged synths and brittle snares shots though, with tracks “Far Sight” and “Twin Paradox” suiting the Tabernacle mould of jacking, Chicago-themed house music.
Skanfrom – Postcards [SUCTION028]
Skanfrom is Roger Semsroth, best known for his purist minimal techno project Sleeparchive. Skanfrom first appeared in the late-90s, releasing limited edition 7”s on his own A.D.S.R. label, part of a small movement of DIY labels influenced by the melodic, experimental electronica output of labels like Rephlex, Skam, and Warp. Skanfrom found a likeminded home in Suction Records, who were releasing records by Solvent and Lowfish with many of the same musical references. In 2002, Skanfrom released his debut album on Suction Records, ‘Hand Picked Fragments.’ A lot has changed since 2002, but in Skanfrom world, 2014 is very much the same. ‘Postcards’ is full of the same pure and melodic electro(pop) that made Skanfrom so special from the start.
Kid Machine Live @ Magic Waves, Loftus Hall (Berlin) 20.07.14
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”.
Beau Wanzer – Beau Wanzer [BW001LP]
Beau Wanzer delivers a 12 track LP of archival material culled from tapes stored away from years past, the tracks in question being plucked between 2002-2008. Wanzer has stuck to his grotesque guns over the years, keeping his music personal, grating, and down right bizarre. Each track takes a narrative of its own, from the languidly vocaled, yet uncannily catchy ”Mob Boss” to the possessed murmurs of ”Love Tone,” Wanzer has created a completely unique collection of music which engages the listener all the way through.
June – The Human Target [JUNE005]
June presents The Human Target EP. Industrial house & electro tracks on the A and the B side.
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.
dynArec – Sunken Park [VW007]
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.
The Hasbeens – Maybe [BAP030]
Trying is the first step towards failure. Alden Tyrell and DJ Overdose are back once again with the misery!
The Hipodrome Of Music 