Four raw & mental jack tools by Robert Bergman on a new Brew release.
electro
Blotter Trax – Superconductor LP [OMLP27]
Blotter Trax was a collaboration between two storied artists, techno titan Magda and serial underground aggravator (and man of many aliases) Jay Ahern. Now they are back in updated and expanded form, a trio thanks to the addition of bassist Hannes Strobl. The band will release their far-sighted, funk-fuelled debut album, “Superconductor”. A pulsating, thrill-in-minute ride includes contributions from a swathe of notable guests (Nina Hynes, Ilhem Khodja and David Moss provided vocals, Shigeru Tanabu played guitar, Matthew Styles mixed the set and John Tejada mastered it). While rooted in electro and acid, the album is impressively low-slung, stylish and funky, with nods towards Blotter Trax’s mutual love of Arthur Russell, early ‘80s NYC downtown disco, leftfield new-wave pop and flash-fried punk-funk.
Lost Highway & Erica Li Lundqvist – The Hotel Room [OR116]
Mathis Kolkoz (Blind Delon’s alma mater) joins forces with Pablo Bozzi and with Abu Nein’s voice Erica Li Lundqvist to release one of the most amazing synth-pop works listened in recent time. In between low beat electro, soft ebm and even modern new beat, Lost Highway sounds harsh but romantic with great rhythm patterns that make it impossible to stop dancing.
Timothy J. Fairplay @ DT CAMP 2022
214 – July 2023 mix
Ninechecker – Generating Coastline EP [ORSON027]
Ninechecker is an electro producer from Ontario, Canada, who released with Delsin and Central Processing Unit to name a few. Adding to his extensive releases belt, he delivers four stone cold new ones for electro-techno-breakbeat Orson. With its name maybe nodding to the generative creation of fantasy landscapes in 3D CGI software, highlights like ‘Magagun’ convey a weird kind of horrific calculator-nightmare (bloop freakouts aplenty) between the beats, all going to make this a stellarly exciting EP.
Konerytmi – Teoreema [DMX011]
Redray – Grafiti Tapes #13 [GT#13]
Klasse Wrecks’ Grafiti Tapes series continues on at its own pace with a new release from Antwerp based graffiti writer, tattoo artist and musician Redray. Aside from being active in the Belgium scene in the late 2000s, Redray is also enjoying great success as a tattoo artist, having co-founded Brabo’s Hand Tattoo in the center of Antwerp. For GT13 Redray turns in a charming 6 track mini-album, with all individual songs are produced by a limited pallet of sonic tools. A tried and tested combination of vocoder, 808 drum machine, keys and screwed samples of old funk and soul records provide the solid foundations. Comfortably sat in-between the genres of G-Funk and Screwed + Chopped Rap, Redray elevates the beats with catchy vocal hooks sung through a Roland SVC-350 vocoder. The result is some of the sleaziest and greasiest sauce to ever adorn a Grafiti Tape.
Adrian Marth @ Italo Moderni, Nitsa Club (Barcelona) 26.05.2023
VA – Irrational Flashbacks [GRTW010]
Mysterious project recorded in Berlin in 2018, a shadowy collective brings a collection of cold synths, ominous tones and analog drum machines. Various Positions exist as the collective vision by five anonymous artists. On ‘Irrational Flashbacks’, Various Positions have created a unique atmosphere likened to the the reverberation of a gunshot ricocheting through city streets though while still maintaining the impact of a hollow point bullet absorbed into the chest; a resounding testament to the artists’ ethos towards the obliteration of identity and their self imposed state of obscurity.”
Dank Matter @ Intergalactic FM Festival 2023
Garçon Taupe @ Intergalactic FM Festival 2023
Anthony Rother @ Fuse (Brussels) 24.06.2023
The Exaltics – The Seventh Planet LP [CWCS022LP]
Clone Records releases the new sci-fi electro-techno album by The Exaltics. Its the 3rd album project for Clone Records after the 2014 ”Some Other Place” and critically acclaimed 2019 album ”2 Worlds”. The Exaltics deliver an album full of futuristic modern techno tracks with beautiful distant atmospheres, alienating techno tracks and energetic robotic electro beats. Joined by Paris the Black Fu & Mr. Remy for a critical view on the current state of affairs on our home planet.
VA – NOAR001 [NOAR001]
NOAR Records is a young collective of enthusiasts in electronic music from Dresden. The aim is to bring locals from Dresden and eastern Germany on the screen of like minded people. The scene is bursting with talents and audiophiles of several generations and therefore we want to give these talents a platform and make their output accessible to like-minded people. The kick off is a compilation with 6 different producers with their take on electro.
VA – Exit Planet Earth: Strontium [EPE09]
Exit Planet Earth continues its exploration of the world of electro universe with an expansive, extended six track EP, featuring The Advent x Zein Ferreira, DeFeKT, London Modular Alliance, Konerytmi and Zobol. The Advent, whose weekly Gardening Club residency in the mid-90s helped to drag electro out of the realms of the retro and back into the future, team up with Zein Ferreira for a Kraftwerk-on-speed extended mix of ‘CarpeDiem’, before London Modular Alliance’s more moderately paced but still squiggle and bleep laced ‘Lump of Coal’ plus a ‘beats’ breakdown for the DJs. The B-side brings us the acid-powered ‘Pulssi’ by Konerytmi, the bouncy, breakdance-friendly ‘Radar’ by DeFeKT, and the relatively pure, optimistic sonics of Zobol’s ‘Data Wars’. Thumbs up all round.
Caustica – Kids From Drum Machine City [CAU.W005]
After a period of inactivity Caustica Waveform is back with an E.P made up of three powerful original electro tracks. In true Caustica style the real deal shades of proper electro and featured and presented – classic electro breakdance and electro jazz all designed to make you move & groove. The record comes with a full sealed artwork cover and limited edition sticker.
Radiation 30376 @ HÖR (Berlin) 24.06.2023
VA – Shadow Terminal [SYNT005]
After some time of laying in the dark, the Warsaw-based Syntetyk label and club night series emits waves yet again with their very first cassette release by various friends from the local and global underground. Tape starts with a pathos ambient track by Mchy i Porosty, followed by a desert night drive dub by Rapha. The A side continues with a wavy melodic thumper by Olivia, accompanied by a nostalgic club diver by Czech maestro Exhausted Modern and a punkish fast paced hymn done by the Colombian prodigy – Filmmaker. The B side opens with Dogpatrol’s broken jungle track and carries on with Astma’s industrial dub-driven tune. Album slowly comes to a close with a nasty distorted wave by Dyktando, dystopian radiation emitter by Chino and ends with Mala Herba’s folk inspired epic ambient drone.
Chris Mitchell – No Consensus [FCT002]
Feral Colony is the label of U.S. based artist Chris Mitchell (Vanguard Sound, Annunaki Cartel), focused on direct, improvised methods. The second cassette release “No Consensus” is a 7 grimey tracks album by Chris Mitchell himself.
The Hipodrome Of Music 