VA – Triangle’s Peak LP [GTDLP5]

Gated’s second compilation takes inspiration from the path less travelled, the earthen underbelly that binds disparate threads to its wonky centre. So while the music here is from artists all over the world, each track is grounded in a quirky, off-kilter sound, from the opener by UK hardware house don Perseus Traxx to the closer by Space Agent, the alias of a yet-to-be unveiled techno artist. In between we get Gated stalwarts Guavid, Lucita Octans, Acidulant, and Lloyd Stellar with their takes on the wonk, plus glassy-eyed electro from Austin, USA-based Terrestrial Access Network, unusually banging fare from man of the moment MOY, and broken techno from the criminally under-appreciated Stacie-Anne Churchman. There’s also the reissued and remastered sub-bass squelcher Beta Carotene by Modified Starch, which was originally released in 1998 on UK breaks label Slalom.

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VA – Triangle’s Peak LP [GTDLP5]

Drexciya – Neptunes Lair [TRESOR129LPX]

Tresor Records announce forthcoming special editions of its entire catalogue of Drexciya and related projects. 2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of James Stinson and the releases of the Transllusion and Shifted Phases albums. In recognition, the rightsholders, their families, and the label have commissioned Detroit-based contemporary artist Matthew Angelo Harrison to re-conceptualize the covers of Tresor’s Drexciya-related catalogue. The series starts with Neptune’s Lair, first released in 1999.

vinyl / CD

Drexciya – Neptunes Lair [TRESOR129LPX]

Blackploid – Planetary Science [CPU01101111]

The Blackploid resurgence of recent years continues to gather steam. After laying dormant for some time, Martin Matiske’s project roared back into life in 2021 with a pair of EPs for Central Processing Unit. It doesn’t look like he’ll be taking his foot off the gas any time soon – not only does the new Blackploid collection “Planetary Science” complete Matiske’s hat-trick for the Sheffield label, but it also serves as a prelude to the full-length album which Blackploid will deliver on CPU in 2023.

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Blackploid – Planetary Science [CPU01101111]

DJ Gio MC-505 – Saved From Oblivion [HVL002]

Active for over 25 years as a music journalist, writer and author of books, Giosuè Impellizzeri was, for a period, also a composer. Through several records recorded since 2002 as DJ Gio MC-505, he has developed a sound obtained on the crossroads between chiptune, electro and synthetic disco with a few glimpses of funk, techno, house and EBM. Now completely dedicated to journalism, Impellizzeri has stopped creating music for over a decade. In the drawer, however, he still had unpublished tracks, written and produced in the past, and five of them now end up in this EP entitled “Saved From Oblivion”: from the cinematic “Il Bacio” to the legoweltian “Jupiter Lander”, from the biting “Picnic On Pluton” “to” Sexy Song “that plays with 80s synth pop up to cybernetics” The Eyes Of Memory “in which you can see trails of SID style. Made between 2005 and 2006 and recorded live in a combination of hardware and software instruments, the tracks of the EP are subject to an adequate and effective mastering.

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DJ Gio MC-505 – Saved From Oblivion [HVL002]

EYE-BM – EYE-BM EP [SLOMO048]

Something very special here with Slow Motion’s 48th release. Recorded while experimenting with gear at CIMM studios (Venice Biennale’s centre for computer music which Bottin co-designed in 2019), EYE-BM is a joint release between two of our heaviest hitters: hairy Fabrizio Mammarella and baldie Bottin. EYE-BM is three tracks of sinister music, sweaty electro with tinges of cyberpunky EBM and New Beat. The icing on the cake is the euphoric remix from Italian synth wave pioneer Alexander Robotnick. The acidic and jacking flavour might as well be the sound of your mind and body losing it on the dancefloor or missing your stop on the ass-bahn.

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EYE-BM – EYE-BM EP [SLOMO048]

VA – Modernation Vol​.​ 4 [IM010]

Italo Moderni brings Modernation Vol. 4 it’s the last compilation from 4 and this time on vinyl. We finish this compilation with the best quality in production with artists like Timothy J. Fairplay, Alessandro Adriani, Chino, Chupacabras, Leroy Se Meurt, Univac and Adrian Marth. The A-side sounds like a late-80s industrial EBM cut but with a strictly new future concept inside of each track, while the b-side goes more Electro eighties weird sounds strong with metallic beats perfect for the adventurous working DJ. Everything with that futuristic touch that surrounds us today in the electronic music scene.

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VA – Modernation Vol​.​ 4 [IM010]

Flood – Romeo EP [KROF03]

Flood’s new release on “Kein Rauch Ohne Feuer” provides a sinister soundtrack to Romeo’s descent into darkness. Flood makes use of a sound palette inspired by Italo Body Music including heavy drums, rough arpeggios and eery pads. Subtle, wavy vocal bits add to the structure and let both “Romeo” and “Sacrifice” grow into catchy yet functional club tracks. On the B-side, Greek producer Alpha Sect gives the title track a new spin and – while slowing down a bit – easily shakes the Capulets’ crypt with his interpretation.

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Flood – Romeo EP [KROF03]

skitungen – La​̈​ngre a​̈​n La​̊​ngta​̊​n [RUBBER010]

Rubber welcomes Swedish artist Towa Isling (towLie) under her skitungen alias. While some of you might be familiar with distorted drums and seething synth lines from the kafTen records founder, her skitungen project emits a more brazen energy. “La​̈​ngre a​̈​n La​̊​ngta​̊​n” embodies Towa’s raw and DIY approach, but takes an unexpected turn towards the odd and dreamy. This results in a beautiful assembly combining Towa’s ethereal voice with satisfying weirdo beat music.

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skitungen – La​̈​ngre a​̈​n La​̊​ngta​̊​n [RUBBER010]

Mono Junk – IÄTI EP [BLOW10]

The techno pioneer of Finland, Kim Rapatti, makes his solo debut for Cold Blow with an EP of his trademark dark, soulful and raw sound. IÄTI is what techno can be when breathing humanity and soul into every inch of it. The EP has lineages to Mono Junk’s 2019 album Vanished, moving between deep swirling stompers, emotional compositions and raw, uninhibited electro.

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Mono Junk – IÄTI EP [BLOW10]

Robotron – Fehlfunktionen [SKYNETT.1]

There could be no proper introduction as “Fehlfunktionen” by Robotron to design the future of termination by Skynet Cybersonix. T.1 (termination one) is the debut concept album by the man behind several underground labels and projects like Interfunk and HIEROGLYPHICA – representing pure Detroit electro/techno machinery resistance on this limited 12″ 6-track LP.

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Robotron – Fehlfunktionen [SKYNETT.1]

Interfunk – The Mand Behind The Screen [BOOTSEKTOR2]

The 2nd output on Robotron’s lo-fi label Bootsektor represents the very first recordings by Adalbert C. Kupietz as Interfunk. Created in 1997 on a MS-DOS 8/16 bit tracker under heavy influence by the west coast sound of Holland. Doomy, dark and moody – the soundtrack of “The Mand Behind The Screen”.

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Interfunk – The Mand Behind The Screen [BOOTSEKTOR2]

Obergman – Akrobahn [STILLEBEN060]

Swedish label Stilleben hits the not-so-insignificant milestone of 60 releases with this new EP from Obergman. He is a veteran of the global electro underground and shows off his skills here with some bumping 808-based electro-techno fusion cuts. They are brilliantly muscular and well-defined tunes with irresistibly bumping baselines, slapping hits and mystic synth work that brings the cosmic vibes. ‘Akrobahn’ is an eerie opener and things remain deep and mysterious with ‘Hermispherical Transmission’. The flip side offers more powerful and propulsive jams in the form of ‘Photometry’ and ‘Vaterloos.’

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Obergman – Akrobahn [STILLEBEN060]

Kalcagni – Manners EP [D91005]

This debut EP from Manchester producer Kalcagni brings us 4 slices of deep, vibey electro. Kicking off with EP title track ‘Manners’ which provides 303 acid lines laced with infectious chord stabs and beefy 808 drums. Next up ‘Retox’ takes proceedings even deeper with a soulful, slightly melancholic touch. On the flip side ‘Wrong Fix’ jacks up the BPMs for a wonky electro affair, before EP closer ‘It Knows Me Bad’ rounds things off with oscillator sync bass stylings interspersed with minor chords, modular percussion and punchy drums.

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Kalcagni – Manners EP [D91005]

VA – Through Consumption and Entertainment [SOTXX]

”Through consumption and entertainment’ is the latest full-length compilation from the Sons of Traders label in collaboration with Mutant Radio. It features a gritty cast of affiliates of label owners Mike Tansella jr. and TANS who curate this release.

VA – Through Consumption and Entertainment [SOTXX]