Krautrock and EBM inspired post-industrial techno. Next-level electronic music made by one of The Hague’s most original producers. Must have for fans of Unit Moebius Anonymous and Shitcluster.
electro
Area Forty_One – Nocturnal Passions Part I [DSR-E003]
Area Forty_One steps up for a full EP on Delsin. The Dutchman proves himself to be an elegant producer of electro that has a super future soul to it across the four tracks on offer. First up, ‘Nocturnal Passions Part I’ skips on snappy drums through an ethereal galaxy lit up with neon trails and twinkling lights. It’s a vastly spacious trak full of celestial vibes and expert production before ‘Reminiscence’ deals in more serene pads and glassy melodies and conjures the sense that you are lost floating in deep space without a rudder. It’s a beautiful place to be for the way it has no real drive or direction. Then, ‘Freefall’ trudges along some heavy, gloopy drums. All around are huge mirrors of melody that shine and reflect light back at you and leave you marvelling at their sheer scale and sereneness. Final track ‘Isolated Soul’ sure is aptly title, featuring sad synths, skipping beats and raining melodies that make you feel beautifully alone. There’s a menacing sense of tension pervading the whole track, too, that makes it all the more engaging
Obergman – Cyclic Multiverse [AFS017]
Mid-paced, fresh ‘n’ funky electro gear on this eight track EP from Swedish artist, Obergman. All very nicely produced while maintaining the quirky factor throughout which results in an EP that gels perfectly from start to finish and a respectable follow-up to the recnt DMX Krew release on Abstract Forms.
Container – Adhesive EP [LTECH007]
With a sprawling discography that can be traced as far back as 2005, the last few years have found the Providence-based noise artist Ren Schofield shifting his attention towards his Container guise with increasing vigour, delivering full-length albums for Spectrum Spools and I Just Live Here, as well as an acclaimed EP for Rabih Beainis much-lauded Morphine Records. With Liberation Technologies having already exhibited the fiercely confrontational style of BMB, and coaxed an EP of skewed electronics out of Vessel for Misery Is A Communicable Disease, the Adhesive is a natural fit for the imprints burgeoning canon. As uncompromising as youd expect, the four tracks on offer display the work of a producer working intuitively with the machines he surrounds himself with, a relentless pulse ever present at the core of these abrasive workouts.
Morphology – Intercal [CPU00001000]
A collaboration from Finland consisting of Michael Diekmann and Matti Turunen. “Intercal” follows a string of sought after electro releases on Abstract Forms, Semantica and Cultivated Electronics, fusing haunting melodies with perfectly executed electronic sounds. The 9th release on the binary cataloging CPU Records.
dynArec – Exomove EP [SOM027]
DynArec will release his first 12″ for Solar One Music. Deep aquatic techno/electro at the highest level. All will presented on the new “Elektronische Werke” series on Solar One Music.
Aleqs Notal – A.E.T. EP [CCB12014]
This is the first EP of Aleqs Notal, a boy who spent his early years in the heat and sand of Saudi Arabia, but then decided to take some dust with him and throw it in our ears. In love with the soulfulness of Detroits style and the roughness of Chicago suburbs, he comes solid with this four tracks release full of shadows and tricky rhythmic patterns. While it sounds calm on the surface, theres a lot of restrain angst hiding behind, convulsing all along this mental tracks.
Andy Blake & Timothy J Fairplay – B-Ultras [EES005]
A love of new wave, new beat, UK Bleep and Detroit techno all feature in B-Ultras and the aptly titled, Neu Beat. Both cuts are heavily soaked in the pitch black, smoke machine funk and strob-laden fug of Andy’s (and co-hort Joe Hart) infamous World Unknown dancefloor. Running at around 10 minutes the tracks are essentially an examination of acid house’s ideals. Clattering hats, throbbing basslines, stabbing keys and doses of 303. Keeping it pretty simple but all about a pure groove on and on. Backing these up is a remix of B-Ultras from Jamie Paton that accentuates the groove and drags the acid deeper down to some B-boy Dub throwdown – with more to follow from all protagonists in 2014.
Container LIVE @ Boiler Room (London) 26.11.2013
Kan3da – Soundtest [AC014]
Ultradyne – Visions Of A Past Life [PGM010]
Ultradyne six tracker for the Pi Gao Movement imprint. Going from soulful dark electro tracks to more lighter excursions with Reincarnate bringing old Bitstream productions to mind.
Dollkraut – Theme Of Fukoyama [TAPE004]
New Tape release by Amsterdam based Dollkraut. Heavy analogue, drummachine driven house tracks. Influenced by some classic Asian B-flick action, Dollkraut’s long awaited drummachine driven ‘Theme Of Fukoyama’, full of synthesizer layering takes you back into the mid eighties where machines took over. This mini OST to a non-exsistent movie ends with a collaboration together with Bernard Crochet who took care of the analogue synthesizer sequencing of the ‘End Titles’.
Ekman – Heimwee EP [SHIP022]
The mysterious Ekman, aka Roel Dijcks, has been gaining some deserved attention with his terse brand of Electro. With releases on the likes of Panzerkreuz, Solar One Music and Berceuse Heroique, Dijcks has rattled souls with his bare mechanics and cold-hearted sounds. Arctic blasts descend from the outset with his latest for Shipwrec. Frosted coils ensnaring clipped beats, roaming bass lines kept in check by tight drum patterns. Emotion is masked, feelings enveloped and embedded beneath those arrangements of aluminium and steel. Distress is never far from Ekman’s work. The flipside jangles with fear and retribution, respites elevating that initial unease into something outright sinister. Anxiety is effect. A brooding boil of ghosting reverb and sharpened percussion from the hooked hands of Ekman.
Emile Strunz & Iron Blu – EP [VIVOD005]
Ali Renault’s Vivod label drops its best disco assault yet: a darkside double header from Newcastle’s Emile Strunz and Intergalactic FM regular/Flight Recorder boss, Iron Blu. From his studio overlooking the North Sea, Strunz follows ace issues for Tusk Wax and World Unknown with a proper body-rockin’ chugger meshing mystic, orientalist synthlines with steely 111bpm Belgian New Beat rhythms on the front. Iron Blu complements this with a more sensuous, spaced-out flipside working like a medicated EBM groove or Pye Corner Audio’s darkwave panoramas.
Rude 66 – The Kill [BAP016]
It’s exactly 20 years ago since Rude 66 dropped his first record. Time to celebrate with this monster release on Bordello A Parigi. Killer vocoders, crushing beats and heavy dark arps.
Victrola – Maritime Tatami [DE055]
A special series called Dark Entries Editions, dedicated to 12” singles made for the dance floor. The first release in this series is Victrola, the duo of Antonio ”Eze” Cuscin and Carlo Smeriglio from Italy. The band formed in Messina, but later relocated to Florence to join the rich musical scene there with Neon, Pankow, Alexander Robotnick and Diaframma. Beginning as a 4-piece combo (two guitarists, bassist, drummer) in 1979, they slimmed down to a synthesizer and guitar-based duo a few years later.
Visiona et Dopplereffekt – Die Reizen [TRAJECTORY1017]
Collaboration between the fresh and immensely talented Visiona and the mighty Dopplereffekt. ‘Die Reisen’, encapsulating what you will soon recognize to be the distinctly warm and engulfing sound that is Visonia, here morphing with Dopplereffekt’s unmistakable, deadly bass arpeggio and subterranean stratospheres utterly amazing. Flip over to the AA side and witness Visonia with two markedly different styles. ‘Antarctic Love’ is an emotive piece of electronic music and ‘Impossible Romance’ a fresh, new-wave inspired.
Neud Photo – OmnicroM [KJ013]
Neud Photo returns with another cool ep with soma abstract minimal wave, electronix rooted in the 80’s.
Marco Bernardi – Star Silvano Mix: 716 Exclusive Mix
VA – I Am Enfant Terrible [ETX]
This new compilation is created to celebrate the 10 years of activity of Enfant Terrible. ”I Am Enfant Terrible” makes clear the traditions ET has been working in but at the same time is an album with the broad spectrum of sounds they are interested in. From indie pop to new wave to minimal synth and from noise to elektro and IDM and ambient, from poppy to experimental to dance music. This is what Enfant Terrible is…
The Hipodrome Of Music 