An ode to the corals from the French producer Amandra.
experimental
Transient Visitor – TV1 [SUBEX00024]
Transient Visitor are Alex Cargill and Martin Jensen. Formed in March 2020 when most of Europe was deep in lockdown due to Covid-19, Alex and Martin decided that the music should still flow, thus forming Transient Visitor and setting out on a mission to record a collaborative album together-apart in Kent, UK, and Luxembourg on the continent. TV1 is the first instalment from this process. Eight tracks unlocked and now being released into an uncertain world in the humble hope that it might help bring smiles to ears. TV1 is dedicated to Ray Cargill (1951-2020), Alex’s father who sadly fell victim to Covid-19 and passed away earlier in the year.
Ultramarine – Folk [FMOAW001]
For their first outing, new London-based reissue label Foam On A Wave resurface the remarkable debut album from one of the UK’s foremost artists of ‘ambient techno’, Ultramarine’s ‘Folk’. Like the surrealist collage of the sleeve designed by Benoît Hennebert, Ultramarine weave together unique instrumentation and sonic influences into rich, ethereal soundscapes, now fully remastered for its 30th anniversary. Conceived at a time when technology began reshaping the process of recording and production, the band’s interest in fusing the organic and the electronic is apparent, and one that has remained with them throughout their career. ‘Folk’ both sits apart from and serves as a precursor to the ‘pastoral techno’ sound Ultramarine went on to pioneer.
VA – Dalmata Daniel x EXILES x Farbwechsel [DDC03/FARB037][FREE DOWNLOAD]
After a heavy year that shocked the music scene all over the world, three fellow labels, Dalmata Daniel, EXILES and Farbwechsel joined forces to kick off 2021 with a massive 43-track compilation album. Contributed by 12z, Adam Krasz, AGA2L, A I W A, Alley Catss, Alpár, Carla Under Water – Máté Tulipán, CT Kidobó, David Harleydson, Dj Faktor X, FOR., Grabosky, ICR, Imre Kiss, J. Mono, Jeremiah Soft, Kobanya3000, Kokum, LAU, MA’AM, Maks, Marcibagoly, Max Sinclair, Mike Nylons, Microbeat, n o a h s t a s, Nemerov, Normal Tamas, Norwell, obwigszyh, OOO, Palmovka, Panoramic Barrier, Prince Matt, qvirk, ritual abuse, Roh Yugen, S Olbricht, Saint Leidal The 2nd, Sematic4, SILF, Sipowicz, SVR101, Tsering, Új Bála, Új Látásmód Fúzió, Wedding Acid Group This bold selection of contemporary Hungarian electronic music producers represents the three labels’ roster, including their core members and latest signings, alongside with other crews’ members and independent artists. The compilation ranges from experimental and ambient compositions across industrial, electro and acid bangers through the current techno sound of Budapest.
The compilation is available for download as name-your-price on bandcamp.
Mantris – Souvenirs From Imaginary Cities [SFIC001]
It has been almost 30 years since Mantris, real name Dirk Eggermont, shared music with the world. A driving force of pioneering Belgian house outfits The Black Sun and Brown Hardware Inc, Mantris had a productive music career forecasted, but he vanished into thin air and no more music was ever heard of him. Mantris is now transmitting again from his small apartment in Bombay, India. Completely insulated from hypes and scenes, these 10 rich, phantasy provoking cinematic jams are the inauguration for the Souvernirs From Imaginay Cities label, started by Kong DJ and Hill Men.
Amandra x Mattheis – Lettre Ouverte [NOUSLP005]
Two artists who have carved out their own niche in todays techno universe join forces for their first collaborative full length. Ten tracks across two vinyls demonstrate the unique synergy between these two friends. In their collaboration they each focus on their own expertise, combining best of both worlds. Amandra on drums and Mattheis on synths – creating overlapping, constantly shifting patterns, like an endlessly captivating moire effect as result.
Dissemblance – Radio Rituel 34
Biosphere – Angel’s Flight [WHYT037]
Angel’s Flight is the new album from highly-acclaimed producer and composer Biosphere. It features twelve tracks based on Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14 that deftly tread the peripheries of classical and electronic composition. Much of the music was initially composed for Uncoordinated Dog, a dance production by the Ingun Bjørnsgaard Prosjekt in 2019 that explored the personal, the ambiguous, exposure and beauty – which gives you a sense of what the album holds.
Intergalactic Gary & mad miran @ Dekmantel Connects 2020
Anatolian Weapons / Linja – Split EP [SRNDS002]
The second release by Serenades features a magical adventure created by two talented artists from Russia and Greece. Believe it or not, with LINJA’s beckoning modular foghorn, you will find yourself in a desert heading towards the ancient lighthouse castle, while Anatolian Weapons is helping you walk through the vast sand dunes with his electrical mantras and spells.
Baruch Williamson – Sagittarius A*
Baruch Williamson is the alter ego of Boris Willems, a Belgian artist member of a string of psychedelic rock acts like Aavon Durckheim, cosmic super weirdo, Hugs of the Sky and The Insect Soldiers Of The Sky. In 2019 he started to release a more electronic, experimental sound. ‘Sagittarius A*’ is his second album as Baruch Williamson (both release in 2020) and is inspired by metaphysical themes, a fierce experiment in pop composition and mixing. The album it’s released digitally by Wagonmaniac and on CD by Dream Museum Records.
Smackos – Eden In A Sea Of Misery [NW027] FREE DOWNLOAD
Danny Wolfers striking another album at the Northsea Institute For The Overmind. This time is coming under the Smackos alias, providing a 11 track album free to download / name your price on his bandcamp.
Don’t DJ & NWAQ – Fashion [MEA033]
Ahead of the Meakusma Festival 2019, Don’t DJ and NWAQ did an artist residency developing new music together from scratch. Their resulting performance at the festival was a mesmerizing descent into the artistic perspectives of two singular artists active in off-kilter club music. Some of the eight tracks on this record were recorded live at the festival while others were recorded during the residency. All dwell in distorted and eccentric bliss and play around with rhythmic arrhythmic and post-rhythmic tension. There is happiness in dystopia although the subtle yet intense layering in the music hints at undercurrents that are far from bright. The joyousness of this record lies in the notable excitement Don’t DJ and NWAQ experience fusing their modi operandi coming up with a music that shines and distorts. As massive blocks of sound alternate with subtler disorienting parts repetitive vocals create an air of disparate acceptance. It uses club music’s template and pushes on.
Cosimo Damiano – Hypnos [H951]
Immersive audio experience for both the dj and the collector, ranging across tribal voodoo rhythms, Coilish esoterism and musique concrete atmospheres.
Il Quadro Di Troisi – Il Quadro Di Troisi [R-M190-2]
Raster presents Il Quadro di Trois, a project by Andrea Noce (Eva Geist) and Donato Scaramuzzi (Donato Dozzy). The record is a colorful ode of an Italian scented vision, overflowing of details and profound intensity. The contemporary world condition, the pandemic in Italy and around the world define ‘Il Quadro di Trois’ as a unique and right-on-time release. This record is a enigmatic collaboration between the two Italian natives Andrea Noce and Donato Scaramuzzi. Andrea Noce takes lead on the vocals, with Donato Scaramuzzi carving the dreamlike soundscapes of the record. The record was born with a correspondence between the two artists about the late actor and director Massimo Troisi, and this exchange soon became an inspirational source of identification. Andrea Noce’s lyrics are sensitive and multi-faceted, they perfectly cling to the musical phrases and flow like a filmic monologue from the oeuvre of that very Troisi. In a highly creative and confident manner, entire decades of national music history are comprehended and transformed into the here and now. The record takes its cue from the italo-disco, synth pop tradition corroborated by the contribution of artists such as the legendary Twilight Music co-founder, Paolo Micioni, as well as Stefano Di Trapani who wrote ‘L’ipotes’. With’Il Quadro di Trois’, Noce and Scaramuzzi prove their eclecticism, and passion for their home country.
Giuliano Sorgini – Occulto [FLIES47]
Two years after the stunning ‘Africa Oscura’, Four Flies Records is back with another gem from Giuliano Sorgini’s secret archives, this time one which unearths some of his darkest, eeriest music – that is, pieces he composed in the mid-70s for some of the most infamous, low-budget horror movies ever made in Italy. This collection brings together a selection of original recordings from those movies, which were directed by “Italian Kings of the B’s” Angelo Pannacciò, Salvatore Bugnatelli, Luigi Batzella, and Guido Zurli, with whom the Roman composer worked intensively throughout the 70s. Due to the very low-budget nature of the films, Sorgini recorded the soundtracks entirely on his own, in his Cat & Fox Studio in Rome. He played drums and percussions and added overlapping layers of analogue synths to create a superbly sinister soundscape, thus turning a constraint into an opportunity. The result is a journey into the mysterious atmospheres of the Italian occult-sounding music of the time, something very close to the dark electronic masterpieces that made Sorgini famous. ‘Occulto’ features ten previously unreleased tracks characterized by enigmatic moods, obscure beats and esoteric themes. All tracks are taken from original master tapes that remained buried in the composer’s archives for decades.
Praed Orchestra! – Live in Sharjah [DOSER040]
If you’ve ever travelled to Egypt and wandered through its crowded streets, you probably ended up buying a cassette or a CDR of popular synth based music heard in most cabs, cabarets, or alleys around town: the almighty Shaabi. Raed Yassin and Paed Conca based their project PRAED on research between Shaabi and Mouled (traditional trance music from Egypt) and the hypnotic structures of both these genres. Repetitive beats, loud Mizmar and loads of energy, with a strong influence from psychedelic rock, free jazz and electronica. During the years in which the duo produced 4 albums and performed on an endless number of stages around the globe, PRAED started working on anambitious expansive project: an orchestra that could transpose this study of rural and popular culture into an immense, iconic work. In autumn 2018, supported by the Sharjah Art Foundation, PRAED Orchestra! premiered “Live in Sharjah”, interpreting new material merged with some of the band’s iconic pieces. The composition process started with the choice of musicians: the line-up consisted of some of the most innovative artists coming from a wide spectrum of musical practices. Each musician was chosen for a defined role, and the common denominator was their capacity to interpret written material, and their ability to improvise effortlessly. Each role was clearly set to work in unison with the rest of the group, while simultaneously sustaining a centrality in the choir. Solo parts masterfully drawn over the structure as a fil rouge connecting every piece of the entire concert; massive and powerful orchestral sections leading to a breathtaking trance-like state of mind; all of this material ultimately coalescing into an Egyptian Operette that narrates the sorrow, love, and deeply rooted culture of this urban music called Shaabi.
Israel Vines – And Now We Know Nothing [IT046]
Debut album from Israel Vines on Interdimensional Transmissions, a futuristic fusion of UK bass, post-jungle breakbeats and techno with the rhythmic flex of Detroit Electro. Across its nine tracks, Vines channels the spirit of undulating UK techno and bass — think Bristol and London — into a form and shape all his own, indebted to his American Midwestern roots. Rolling beats, uncommon rhythms, and club-floor sensibility paired with a polyrhythmic touch.
Group A – Initiation [BFE060]
Japanese industrial-experimental-synth outfit group A is formed by Tommi Tokyo (synths, drum machines, vocals) and Sayaka Botanic (violin, sampler, tapes). They create a unique mixture of dark minimal synth and avant-noise with striking visuals and stage performances. Group A carries on the very breath of early pioneers such as Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire and the Japanese underground scene from the early 80’s. This is the vinyl edition of group A’s 2nd self-produced album released in October 2013 only in CDR format. 9 tracks of genuine experimental minimal electronics.
Han Sotofett & Jaakko Eino Kalevi with Andres Lõo – Jazzsomdub [AMFIBIA25]
Finnish multi instrumentalist Jaakko Eino Kalevi & Norwegian producer Han Sotofett (aka DJ Sotofett) teamed up with Estonian drummer Andres Lõo on the “Jazzsomdub” album for a wide & improvised excursion within a narrow world of drums, percussion, saxophone, flutes, electric piano, monophonic synths and tape delays. Besides distinctively exploring Lõo and Kalevi’s batterie & percussion work with deep-listening quality drum mixes there are elements of impulsive beauty, particularly on “Essens” free carrying sax solo. The album partly reaches for well known directions of jazz in the vain of the cosmic, psychedelic, improvised, atonal and spiritual, but the particularness lies within the rhythm & mix – like a rubber band stretched in 4 dimensions.
The Hipodrome Of Music 