Romansoff @ Corp.X 006 (Bucharest) 15.11.2019
electro
VA – Blue [UV050-2]
The clouds pile up in the Dresden autumn sky, but Uncanny Valley still sees a little bit of blue on the horizon. And why not looking on the bright side of life for a change? It’s appropriate. At least if you have five killer tracks in your bag. Anyway, the collaboration with the Leipzig graphic designer Doppeldenk proved to be very fruitful and has now produced the fourth of seven children. So, after PINK, RED and ORANGE, here is BLUE. May life be good to you. The record opens with the aptly titled, Chicago-inspired ‘Mind Trip’ by Credit 00, the Aldous Huxley from your neighborhood. The Leipziger takes you on a journey on your own nerve pathway with occasional stops at the hottest spots in your body. Local buddy Gnista is piling up layer by layer for the UK meets Electro affair that is ‘Playtime Worktime’. It’s an atmospheric monster that needs to be climbed first. But as soon as this is done, a fresh breeze blows around your nose. In ‘Brecht Hat Er’, the mysterious Dresden underground formation AGB spreads wisdom in staccato mode, accompanied by Cold Wave-like music, which could also have been created in the shadows of the Berlin Wall. After a long time of hiatus, there is also a sign of life again from Uncanny Valley’s Break SL, who proves with ‘Bye Bye 627’ that he still masters the art of producing House music that is as edgy as it is catchy. In similar veines comes ‘In Treansit’ from Qnete who channels the ghosts in his machines into an emotional and powerful House track.
Jerome Hill – Eat The Evidence EP [DEXT013]
Jerome Hill, the man synonymous with the UK Underground for a couple of decades now arrives on DEXT with this 4 track EP and shows just why he is one of the country’s most underrated talents. The Super Rhythm Trax / Don’t Records boss really flexes his muscles on these heavyweight offerings – effortlessly blending super sharp drum programming with his signature “acidic bleeps and breaks” style, delivering 4 clever-yet-no-nonsense jams to make you move for a long time to come.
Jared Wilson – Roland Acid Again EP [USR013]
Undersound returns with a four tracker of restless acid sketches with one of our favourite contemporary Detroit producers, Jared Wilson. As the title “Roland Acid Again” suggests, the EP is a homage to the classic synthesizers that defined electronic music. The EP kicks off with “Always Something” and “Roland Acid Again”, where acidic lines are interlaced with signature Roland drums to convey different moods. Side B showcases a more reflective side of Wilson’s sound, with “Peanutbutter Halloween Saltmix” and the more direct “Nov 27” which closes the EP with its squelchy melodies.
Elena Sizova @ Empty Signal Transmission (Milano) 05.10.2019
Popsimonova – After The Fall [EE029RTM]
Electronic Emergencies celebrates its fifth anniversary with ‘After The Fall’, by Croatian dark electro queen and style icon Popsimonova. Cult classic ‘Drive’ was remastered especially for the clubs by Rude 66, who also made a DJ edit of ‘Dark Star Crashes’, the collaboration of La Popsimonova with Italian queer heroes Hard Ton. Bosnian producer Borgie remixed ‘Break and Enter’ and ‘Delete Yourself’ into energizing, pounding dance floor killers.
Versalife – Equation of Motion EP [CELTD002]
Cultivated Electronics continues it’s output from excellent Dutch producers right now. CE LTD 002 comes from heavy weight Boris Bunnik under his Versalife alias. Haunting melodies and crispy digital beats make this some of Versalife’s darkest work to date. Out on limited run, vinyl only, hand stamped wax.
Pasiphae – Motel Campo Podcast 005
Aborted At Line 6 – Mammut [MEC050]
Aborted At Line 6 was a project that emerged from the inside of a Swiss company which sold electronic equipment and batteries. Carlos Perón (founder of Yello) sat on the same desk as the later publisher Urs Steiger. The other members Martin Sturzenegger, Moritz Faccin and Andrea Fürer sat separately through a glass pane in their own office and sold TEAK products. Chris Lunch was the only not employed in this company. He was working on some stuff at the Slatt Studio owned by Carlos Perón. They all had a ritual to drink a bottle of Mumm champagne early in the mornings. Since it was not allowed to drink in the workplace, the glasses were disguised as a coffee mug and used the winged word “Mümmli”. It’s in this situation that Aborted At Line 6 developed into a “crazy idea”. They did some recordings in the studio of Andrea Fürer and mixed everything in just one go. The equipment used included one 808 Roland Drumcomputer, a Roland Drumatix, a Roland Bassline, one EMS Synthi A1, a Duke guitar and a Roland SH 3A operated and programmed by Carlos Perón and Chris Lunch. All this took place in 1982 and a 12″ single was released by Off Course Records (home of Grauzone and Stephan Eicher). This iconic and very hard-to-find single is re-issued included the original tracks.
Norwell live @ Mechatronica x Cultivated Electronics, Griessmühle (Berlin) 25.10.2019
Ekman – A Pastime for Semi Gods [BR-APFS-LEB2]
‘A Pastime For Semi-Gods’ is an evidence to a new mythology, is the genesis of a collisions. Of waves to a statement on the static, extending in perpetual change. With this album, Ekman is describing the chaos of erotic imagery that is unbroken. On the border of mythology and science fiction. ‘A Pastime For Semi-Gods’ is Ekman’s fourth release on Bedouin Records and his album debut on the label.
Westlake & Hayter – Sucksonia EP [RAT17]
Greetings from Sucksonia! This is Rat Life number 17 – straight from the arse end of nowhere called Saxony. Westlake & Hayter dedicate their debut EP to this not so special part of Germany. Moving here voluntarily from the western sector pissed off their parents and friends, so they had to join the local freak music underground. Apart from this, what other option do you have as a free spirit, in a place that is controlled by crazy old men and their weird ideas? Right! You deal with the messed up reality by making some beautiful messed up music. And the two did very well! Spreading their Mutant Freak Funk over four tracks that will make your nice little suburban homestead collapse, this way it will fit in perfectly with the industrial ruins in the neighborhood!
Mono Junk / Mesak – Code Four [PROPAGANDAM012]
VA – Vol.1 [ANCPT002]
For its second release, Russian label Analog Concept brings you four powerful and floor-ready electro tracks from rising stars in a dedicated genre. On Side A, we have Reedale Rise with a track that can easily work out at 5 am as well as at 5 pm, joyful and broken rhythm promises it will shake your body properly, while Nullptr delivers a strong and vibrant track. On Side B, Datawave delivers a tune that keeps the atmospheric idea of the label and experiments with driving rhythms and acid lines. Ivna Ji’s track isn’t focused on dancefloors but instead entices the listener into a slowly progressing story, heavily loaded with dreamy synth lines.
Thomaas Banks – Necare Disko EP [SINAHTI001]
Necare Disko EP is the debut original release from, Thomaas Banks and also the first release on his own imprint, Sinahti. The 4 track EP delves into his love for EBM & the slower side of Techno. Necare Disko rocks with low slung future vibes. Gnarly metallic synths and apocalyptic Vatican orchestration meld with a rolling beat to provide a sleek burner with plenty of grind and glimmer. Vital Claret ups the tempo with a rousing trip to the chasm edge. Ring modulated arpeggiated leads clash with insistent embers of modular rebellion. A background hum rises throughout to reach a punishing crescendo. TYVYT|IYTYI on the first remix of the EP’s title track and he pushes the swamp funk button for a syncopated noise workout, with a hot as hell detuned noir melody around the halfway mark. Magma! The EP closes with a loose open electro remix of Necare Disko from Hymns. Open and lighter than the rest of the EP, nevertheless it still has a taut, Germanic vibe with distorted bass funk dueling hard towards the end.
Chino – The Cave [SYNT002]
For their second release Syntetyk brings Chino – the Cracow-based jack of all trades. The Cave, with all its dirty drum work and heavy basslines, makes you feel as if you’re going down through a dungeon of clockwork machinery.
Dyktando – A Line Drawn By Chalk Hypnosis [SYNT001]
After years of terrorizing the Polish underground scene Syntetyk is kicking off with their first release made by their partner in crime – Dyktando. With his debut EP Dyktando brings you the story of Warsaw night life covered with a thick fog of paranoia.
VA – Schwarze Schweiz Pt. 2 [LXRC40]
Schwarze Schweiz is a compilation, split in two records, which gathers together Swiss active musicians working in those obscure territories that have been Lux Rec playground for so long. Trostlosigkeit, Elend und Isolation. Ärger, Schwermut und Dunkelheit. Their statement to this country. Part two includes an insert with pictures by Kleio Thomaïdes (Geneva), Max Zeckau and Dominik Schmid (Zürich).
Years of Denial – Suicide Disco [VEYL012]
Written and produced in a country house surrounded only by vast, empty landscapes and an endless sky, ‘Suicide Disco’ is the fruit of a 3-year long collaboration and Years of Denial’s debut LP for Veyl.
Urged to escape from crowded cities and information overload, the duo sharpened their sound and working process through isolation and introspection, crafting 11 songs filled to brim with enormous hooks, New Wave nostalgia and razor-sharp production details. Barkosina’s voice echoes and oscillates against Jerome’s snares, profound and wounded at once. Her expressionist narrative take us to unknown yet familiar places, amplified by dub delays and otherworldly reverbs. Each track tells a story based on the intensity of relationships, a touching and distorted invitation into intimacy and complicity.
Mandroid – We Are Elektronik – Electric Eclectics Ghost Series [FUND018EE030]
Fundamental Records’ electro music project called ”Electric Eclectics” comes with the additional ”Ghost Series”, that literally fit perfectly in the remaining space of the ”Electric Eclectics” box. Each record is a picture of the electro music released in the line that Fundamental Records has us accustomed. Talk about the music itself is something that Fundamental Records try to avoid in each release, if you want to know why you only have to check the project Music for The Other People Place to find out more about their philosophy.
The Hipodrome Of Music 