VC-118A – Waves Of Change LP [157DSR]

On his fifth album as VC-118A, Samuel van Dijk is using his evolved electro practice to explore the notion of change – a universal constant which keeps us barreling towards unknown futures. 2021’s Spiritual Machines found van Dijk edging his sound into downtempo and experimental pastures. On the follow-up, Waves of Change, crooked machine rhythms and richly developed tones and textures spool from his trusted bank of outboard tools, while a subtle drop in tempo widens the space for the atmospheric sound design to weave its magic. Balancing the disciplines of machine-powered sequencing and hand-shaped sound to render his ideas in sonic form, the continued evolution of VC-118A results in another mesmerizing record steeped in craft and loaded with intention.

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VC-118A – Waves Of Change LP [157DSR]

Shakkatam – Run [HVN063]

Back in 2017 Tear Apart Tapes released “Run”, a song by Shakkatam. John Talabot immediately connected with it and played it as the closing in many of his dj sets. Hivern Discs now presents “Run” in a new context, with three covers from artists we admire: Cucina Povera, Céline Gillain and Dania.

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Shakkatam – Run [HVN063]

Hieroglyphic Being – The Moon Dance [APNEA104]

‘The Moon Dance’ Mark’s the come back of one of Chi Towns most innovative and iconic figures to Apnea Records. Jamal Moss (Hieroglyphic Being) sound’s were first released on Apnea in 2007. Now, in 2023, he’s back with this double 12” album flooded with synth jazz and cosmic acid explorations in his signature and irreverent style.

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Hieroglyphic Being – The Moon Dance [APNEA104]

Khidja – Transmissions Part 2 [MTLP0012B]

Khidja’s new album ‘Transmissions’ on Malka Tuti is divided into two separate releases. Part 1 was released at the beginning of the summer and now at the beginning of autumn Part 2 is out. The album was written and produced by the Romanian duo, Andrei Rusu and Florentin Tudor, over the last several years, showcasing the diversity in the Khidja’s production; from shuffle to slow mow, to ‘chugging’ to new age 4th world.

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Khidja – Transmissions Part 2 [MTLP0012B]

Tomorrow Comes The Harvest – Evolution [AX110]

Tomorrow Comes The Harvest is a theory initiated and put into action by late Afro Beat creator and Nigerian Drummer Tony Allen and Detroit Techno’s Jeff Mills. Each belonging to a long tradition of using music to reach higher levels of consciousness, along with veteran keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, the three toured internationally until the untimely death of Tony Allen in 2020. Recorded live during Nuits Sonores, Brussels, 2022.

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Tomorrow Comes The Harvest – Evolution [AX110]

Doxa Sinstra – The Other Stranger / Strange [DRIVE009]

Mysterious Dutch outfit Doxa Sinistra have been operating on the fringes of the industrial-experimental and sound collage tape scenes since the very early 1980s. Their output has long been coveted by fans of DIY and left-field music since their earliest transmissions, and this featured 1983 recording ‘The Other Stranger’ might well be one of their most known. A truly strange offering, the track is a cascading acidic and minimal stripped piece, bathed in disparate resonant sample sources that could possibly have been recorded straight from the TV set. This special 7” Midnight Drive vinyl only edition also features the more stripped back rhythm track version entitled ‘Strange’ on the b-side that is a slightly longer mix with a different arrangement and no samples, letting the minimalist acid and drum machine workout unfurl at its own steady woozy pace.

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Doxa Sinstra – The Other Stranger / Strange [DRIVE009]

Max Schreiber – Discreet 808 Music [DM08]

Usually going under the moniker Mule Driver, Harel Schrieber has dedicated a great deal of his life’s work to studying and exploring the wonders of the Roland TR-808 drum machine, celebrating its’ rhythms to a large extent and since 2011 releasing exclusive material for the annual 808 day, which occurs every August 8th. For this years “808 birthday” Max Schreiber utilize and treat the 808 differently delivering two experimental and drone oriented works, creating an ambient soundscapes and atmosphere. Daniel Heidebrecht aka Swiss Arrow contributes a Masked-Cocoon dark ambient-drone remix for the B2 track which makes this release even more intriguing.

Max Schreiber – Discreet 808 Music [DM08]

Llimbs – Midnight Amber [VEYL037]

Veyl presents an experimental sonic experience from Llimbs, the project of Hagen Ebejer. He began making music in the early 2000’s and started Llimbs in 2016 and now he arrives on Veyl with “Midnight Amber”, an 8-track album which fully realizes the Llimbs sound and vision. Inspired by dark and experimental sounds, “Midnight Amber” is a tour de force of genre-bending compositions, conjured using downtempo and dreamlike sounds which explore both the organic and digital. The result is an undefinable affair which is both haunting and infectious at once.

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Llimbs – Midnight Amber [VEYL037]

Toki Fuko – Spirit Medicine [AI-34]

Known previously for his contributions of deep and hypnotic techno, Toki Fuko presents on Astral Industries a further development of his sound in this long-form work. A two-part sojourn into vibrant organic soundscapes and liminal sonic archaeologies, ”Spirit Medicine” is an ethereal yet human-centric venture into the realms of consciousness. Soft chimes mark the opening, making way for expansive pads and the emergence of a bristling jungle panorama. Solitary flute melodies call out to the valley, riding over a bed of drones and earthy rhythms. Later juxtaposed with broadcasted voice samples, the natural fabric ruptures with exposed layers spilling through, only to fade back into the ether. Perhaps a memory, or the momentary glimpse of a parallel reality. Part Two adopts an equally atmospheric flavour, substituting fauna and flora for deconstructed, psycho-somatic mysteria. Overall darker in tone, broken beats combine with avant garde adornments, underpinned by a subtle existential narrative. Wading through a wilderness of eerie remembrances, their starkness is counterbalanced with a peaceful return – a form of clarity and reconciliation that the listener is offered in the final act.

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Toki Fuko – Spirit Medicine [AI-34]

Legowelt – Ambient Trip Commander Original Soundtrack [NW038] [Free Download]

“Ambient Trip Commander” is a hand drawn/painted feature animation film made by Danny Wolfers. The film premiered on 28th of May 2022 at the EYE film Museum in Amsterdam Holland with a live soundtrack on synths by Legowelt. This is the soundtrack album of my 2022 Ambient Trip Commander animation film on cassette tape and digital.

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Continue reading “Legowelt – Ambient Trip Commander Original Soundtrack [NW038] [Free Download]”
Legowelt – Ambient Trip Commander Original Soundtrack [NW038] [Free Download]

Philipp Otterbach – The Dahlem Diaries LP [MFM063]

The new LP by Krefeld-born, Berlin-based artist Philipp Otterbach entitled ‘The Dahlem Diaries’. Recorded in a little-visited corner of the German capital, ‘The Dahlem Diaries’ is a convergence of ideas, sketches and tracks, both old and new, most of which were produced between 2020-2022. Whilst eerie atmospheres, electronics and drums have played a pivotal role in Philipp’s earlier releases, his latest is a rather more introspective affair, in which the guitar takes a leading role. A role Otterbach uses to quietly bring light and hope to his music. Combined with a strong use of effects and field recordings, ‘The Dahlem Diaries’ feels somewhat like a scene or fragment from a story, in which the narrative remains undefined. It is a playful album that is something of a blurred underwater adventure, sounding as bright as it is hazy, even psychedelic at times, yet with an almost melancholic positivity. 

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Philipp Otterbach – The Dahlem Diaries LP [MFM063]

VA – I’m Ten Years Ahead Of My Time: Hoga Nord Rekords Singles Collection Vol.5 [HNRBOX006]

Höga Nord Rekords celebrates a decade of deep diving into both local and global pools of underground music. During this 10 year long period, Höga Nord Rekords has proven that music both has high cultural relevance as well as supplying instant kicks. Common for the label mates are the slightly screwed approach to genre and sound, with creativity and surprising takes on song structures and tonality. The label has from day one searched for, and signed creative people making music that is not for everyone. Höga Nords reach has and never will be the mainstream and the well-known, rather going deep and wide underground, reaching those who need music to survive and not just as a fund to pass time.

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VA – I’m Ten Years Ahead Of My Time: Hoga Nord Rekords Singles Collection Vol.5 [HNRBOX006]

Dorisburg & Sebastian Mullaert – That Who Remembers LP [SPAZIO027]

To prepare for “That Who Remembers”, Dorisburg (aka Alexander Berg) and Sebastian Mullaert set up their equipment in Malmo’s empty Inkonst venue, spending several days immersed in its atmosphere, using the lights, smoke machine, and Soundsystem to create an authentic club environment where they could freely improvise. The result is a suite of free-flowing sounds that draws on both artists’ backgrounds in reduced techno and ambient music, sailing thoughtfully through near-future landscapes and punctuating them with shimmering, kosmische textures, decaying sonic memories, and fragile rhythms. Not dance music exactly, it’s music that instead considers the spirit of an empty dancefloor, wondering which elements might remain when feet have left the building entirely.

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Dorisburg & Sebastian Mullaert – That Who Remembers LP [SPAZIO027]

Millsart – Don’t Ask Me Why [AX112]

The Axis Expressionist series, curated by Millsart aka Jeff Mills, is back with a second EP that features a selection of tracks making their debut on vinyl. The music is less focused on the act of dancing and more, says the ever-verbose Mills, “about reflecting on the complexity and simplification of life.” 

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Millsart – Don’t Ask Me Why [AX112]

Harmonious Thelonious – Metro Tribe EP [DISK19]

Stefan Schwander better known as Harmonious Thelonious is a mainstay of DISK. The Metro Tribe Ep delivers: 3 deep club bangers of trancecending quality. Two of which are also featured in alternative versions – ancient MAXI-style – to suit Selectors needs. Every of those 5 tracks are relentlessly drawing the listeners into loosing themselves into dance, demanding the immediate dissolution of your ego in order to open your mind to the perception of rhythms and sounds echoing imaginary cultural traditions of somewhere far out.

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Harmonious Thelonious – Metro Tribe EP [DISK19]

Rapid Ear Damage – R.E.D. LP [HNRLP031]

With distorted arpeggiated synthesisers and cold metallic drum-machine patterns, William Wiffen from Yorkshire invites you to his sonic warzone. Höga Nord Rekords presents R.E.D. (Rapid Ear Damage), a stripped and harsh take on postpunk, motorik and EBM. With haunting and reverbdrenched synthesizers, Wiffen’s new project sometimes resembles acts like Two Lone Swordsmen in their dirtiest moments. R.E.D. is not a wholesome and pleasant experience. Heavily modified vocals, used more like an additional instrument, breaks through the distorted, hard, backbeat, contributing to the feeling of being trapped in a mental slit trench or bomb shelter: no light coming in – only sound.

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Rapid Ear Damage – R.E.D. LP [HNRLP031]

Kaukolampi – Inside The Sphere [OMLP26]

Optimo Music continue to dazzle with their increasing experimentation, this time welcoming Finnish producer and K-X-P frontman Timo Kaukolampi to the fore. Exploring the concept of sound as a physical and spatial phenomenon, the LP explores Kaukolampi’s idea of “the sphere”: his metaphysical and/or musical analogy for being subject to an undetectable outside force, as if being manipulated by an unseen cult. Hypnotic, eerie grooves play out in a muted, time-crystalline fashion, all tracks evoking the feeling of being locked in spherical amber, unwitting.

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Kaukolampi – Inside The Sphere [OMLP26]

Dressel Amorosi – Buio In Sala [SPE79]

The new digital single from Italian duo Dressel Amorosi, like many of their previous productions, is perfect as a theme for the soundtrack of an imaginary film inspired by the great Italian horror films of the 70s and 80s. Indeed, it has all the sonic ingredients of that fascinating and yet disquieting world and its inextricable mixture of suspense, dream and adventure. The theme starts at the piano, originating from a sweet but haunting melody that seems to evoke distant memories, and then developing into a brilliant arrangement that combines the warmth of the prog bass played by Federico Amorosi (former bassist of Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin and a recurring collaborator of composer Fabio Frizzi) and the coldness of the razor-sharp synths played by Heinrich Dressel (aka electronic music composer Valerio Lombardozzi).

Dressel Amorosi – Buio In Sala [SPE79]