2023 Best Albums

January 9, 2024March 6, 2024 hipodromealbum, anatolian weapons, axis records, boo moonman, boo williams, bordello a parigi, carl finlow, cititrax, clone records, cosmetics, credit 00, dark entries records, datasal, die gestalten, die gestalten records, dircsen, dungeon module, fabio monesi, gated recordings, hoga nord rekords, l.i.e.s., ldi records, minimalrome, pinkman records, rapid ear damage, ron morelli, rude 66, science cult, t/error, teslasonic, the creative technology consortium, the exaltics, timothy j fairplay, tom carruthers, tomorrow comes the harvest, veyl, years of denialLeave a comment

Here are our favorite albums from 2023 compiled in chronological order.

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Datasal – Totem Och Tabu LP [HNRLP033]

January 3, 2024January 1, 2024 hipodromealbum, datasal, disco, dub, electro, hoga nord rekords, house, psychedelicLeave a comment

Höga Nord Rekords presents “Totem Och Tabu”, the debut album of Swedish electronic psychedelia artist Datasal. The sound is built around repetitive sequencer loops and programmed beats where electric bass, electric guitar and flute improvise around a theme, creating a sound that is best described as cosmic flute house.

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

July 23, 2023October 20, 2023 hipodromebirds, black bones, common dreams, compilation, datasal, dub, electronics, experimental, fontan, hoga nord rekords, jamie paton, laughing eyes, leftfield, rudolf abramov, sordid sound systemLeave a comment

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.

Birds – Into The Coral Sea / Ritualistic Healing [HNR049]

July 13, 2023October 20, 2023 hipodromeacid, birds, disco, electronics, hoga nord rekords, katie wilkinson, psych rock, psychedelicLeave a comment

Birds aka Katie Wilkinson returns with “Into The Coral Sea / Ritualistic Healing” her third release on Höga Nord Rekords. Birds is a declaration of love to electronic music and psychedelia.

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

July 4, 2023July 3, 2023 hipodromealbum, ebm, experimental, hoga nord rekords, industrial, post punk, rapid ear damage, techno, william wiffenLeave a comment

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.

The Exorcist GBG – III [HNRLP030]

April 2, 2023March 30, 2023 hipodromedisco, hoga nord rekords, krautrock, psych rock, psychedelic, the exorcist gbgLeave a comment

Höga Nord Rekords presents the third album of The Exorcist GBG, an analog disco/psych band from Gothenburg, Sweden.

Datasal – Observatoriet / Besök [HNR047]

October 16, 2022October 13, 2022 hipodromedatasal, dub, electro, hoga nord rekords, psychedelicLeave a comment

The word datasal paints inner pictures for most people growing up in Sweden during the 1990’s. The datasal (a classroom for computers) was an ordinary classroom with few changes to fit the school’s 10 newly leased computers. The room represented the change of times in Sweden during this period: the fixed institutions and the awaiting digital flood wave. The music of Datasal sounds captures the feeling of printing a downloaded picture of your favorite hockey player or music artist or the expectations building up as you wait for the modem to log in to interact with the thousands of users of the internet in 1995. The two tracks on this release manifests the excitement but also the bit of fright you felt connecting to the world in the mid 90’s – a time when the internet still was fun. The sound is built around repetitive sequencer loops and programmed beats where electric bass, electric guitar and flute improvise around a theme, creating a sound that is best described as cosmic flute house. Datasal is an harmonic reminder of a time where digital progress seemed less harmful than today.

Tecwaa – Elysian On Moon Lake [HNRLP028]

July 13, 2022July 12, 2022 hipodromealbum, dub, electro, hoga nord rekords, house, tecwaaLeave a comment

Höga Nord Rekords kindly welcomes Tecwaa back to the label, following up his last full length-album “Beyond the Altai” with “Elysian on Moon Lake”. He is still exploring the intersections between house, electro, techno and dub and once again he manages to harness the analogue electronics in his machines to produce modern psychedelia. “Elysian On Moon Lake” is rawer, less airy and not as sparkling as his last album. This is a tighter, and slightly darker experience than Tecwaa’s previous work, maybe caused by being in quarantine for extensive time during production, letting some of the dreaminess aside for the harsher reality in a pandemic world. Still, you get a mind-altering experience in a lot of tracks since the album starts off in a lighter tone than how it later develops. Switching from the A- to the B-side works as a rite of passage going from dusk to night; the sun rays through the blinders are replaced by neon light dancing on the walls and ceiling.

Rudolf Abramov – Paracetamol / Clonex [HNR045]

July 2, 2022June 30, 2022 hipodromebrendan cleary, electro, hoga nord rekords, matthew johnson, punk, rudolf abramov, technoLeave a comment

Rudolf Abramov is taking a step in a different direction from his last release on Höga Nord Rekords. This 7” contains the works of deep mining in an old hard drive during the introversion of the pandemic quarantine. These two gems have been going under a bit of tasteful polishing before reaching the point of release and the result is a punk meets Stoner rock experience propelled by hard sequencers and drum machines.

Timothy J. Fairplay – Free Andromeda [HNRLP027]

March 24, 2022March 24, 2022 hipodromealbum, electro, hoga nord rekords, house, techno, timothy j fairplayLeave a comment

Gazing at the stars is looking at the past. The galaxies send you messages from thousands of light years away. That overwhelming feeling is present on Free Andromeda by Timothy J. Fairplay. An album grounded on earth while floating through eternity with a loose connection to the Milky way. This nine-track record is, as always with TJF a delicately balanced mix between dark and light, analogue and digital, vast space and tight basements. With an impressing collection of premium synthesizers and drum machines, TJF showcases some of the most exquisite electronically generated soundscapes heard on this side of 1984. His sound on Free Andromeda can be described as leftfield inspired by various John Carpenter- and Italian horror movie soundtracks together with some West German Kosmische Musik.

Pink Skull – Taki Chrome / Strummer Maxxx [HNR040]

August 26, 2021August 26, 2021 hipodromedisco, experimental, hoga nord rekords, julian grefes, krautrock, pink skullLeave a comment

PINK SKULL - Taki Chrome

Imagine Andrew Weatherall producing Pere Ubu. The 7” Taki Chrome / Strummer Maxxx single by Pink Skull released on Höga Nord Rekords give a hint of how such a collaboration would sound. Mid seventies kraut rock á la “Neu 75” meet leftfield and sophisticated punk. The record has an organic warmth to it yet the excessive use of electronics: most instruments on the tracks are synthesizers and drum machines – all Moog, Korg and whatnot. In the warmth of the Pink Skull-sound you suddenly get a wash of cold, hard rain from all directions. These elements of surprise create edges in the round soundscape and brings chaos to the mix. This is of course all part of Julian Grefes (founder of Pink Skull) plan. Pink Skull propels you out of the quarantine like a shiny metal free bird released from its rusty cage.

VA – Höga Nord 100 – The Effect Will Last Forever [HNRBOX004]

July 12, 2021July 12, 2021 hipodromeacid, birds, birds of paradise, compilation, dark strands, disco, electro, electronics, experimental, fontan, frak, high boys, hoga nord rekords, jamie paton, khidja, mythologen, red axes, synth wave, timothy j fairplay, vox lowLeave a comment

VARIOUS - Hoga Nord 100: The Effect Will Last Forever

What better way to celebrate 100 releases than with a handmade box containing soul expanding music!? Höga Nord Rekords have reached an important goal and releases a rare box set containing all 12” from the HNRUK-series plus a new record from Birds, unique for this box. Except Birds, this compilation includes Dark Strands, High Boys, Vox Low, Timothy J. Fairplay, Fontän, Bird Of Paradise, Mythologen, Jamie Paton and Frak. This exclusive handmade box made in Norrmalms kartongfabrik in Stockholm, is a celebration to the Scandinavian Bronze age. You’ll find rock carvings like those on the artwork scattered over the land but mostly near Gothenburg, home of Höga Nord Rekords on the Swedish west coast. Archaeological evidence proves similarities in ornaments and pictures between the Nordic and European Bronze age, just like you find common features in the music released on our label. Though the acts in this compilation box come from all over Europe and beyond, they stem from an obscured and mysterious common source of escapism, purity and creativity.

Modern Ruin – Unemployment Disco Line [HNRLP024]

April 7, 2021April 7, 2021 hipodromealbum, hoga nord rekords, industrial, minimal synth, modern ruin, synth waveLeave a comment

MODERN RUIN - Unemployment Line Disco

With an Arturo Micro brute synthesizer put through psychedelic effects, Modern Ruin keeps the flame of Andrew Weatherall and Suicide burning through times of isolation and disarray. This Synth Wave/New Wave experience of an album, released on LP on Höga Nord Rekords, sums up 2020 with its dark and cold sound. The title speaks for itself: “Unemployment Disco Line” reflects the desperation in the sound and the reverb-drenched vocals in the back of the soundscape comes from deep within the Covid hole. Drawing influences from masters like the legends above, Rowland S. Howard, Johan Balance + Peter Christopherson et cetera, this debut album by Modern Ruin sums up four decades of underground club music and no matter how long this pandemic goes on we are in “Nothing Blues” until the dance floors open again.

Timothy J. Fairplay – Pathfinder Theme / UFOs Over China [HNR039]

February 25, 2021February 25, 2021 hipodromedisco, hoga nord rekords, house, timothy j fairplayLeave a comment

Timothy J Fairplay is back on the label with a 7” single containing two tracks cut from a rock of uranium. “Pathfinder Theme” and “UFO’s Over China” might differ in sound and tempo but are connected by a radiant feeling. The two tracks bathes in a greenish/yellow bright toxic aura.

VA – Upward at 33 1/3 Degrees – Höga Nord Rekords Singles Collection Vol.3 [HNRBOX003]

September 3, 2020September 2, 2020 hipodromeal lover, compilation, druk 11000, dungeon acid, electro, experimental, golden bug, hoga nord rekords, max von sydow, osynlige mann, pardon moi, the idealist, ultra satan, vastlankenLeave a comment

The Mothership has come! It has arrived in the form of the strictly limited collection box “Upwards at 33 1/3 Degrees” (50 copies), containing all singles released on the label between 2017 and 2020. The Höga Nord – galaxy resounds of all good between strict electro and loose jams, fluffy krautrock and moist world music to underwater techno and space funk. Although, what it is that defines the Höga Nord sound is not genres, instead it is, to cite Mathias Nilsson, founder of and boss for the label, music “strongly connected to fantasy, to the creative world.” The collection is an overview on Gothenburg’s underground music and on an international scene that breathes similar air as the local Swedish acts that Höga Nord Rekords has chosen to highlight.

Purple Desert Rain God – Invisible Matter / Bridge To Nowhere [HNR036]

July 28, 2020July 28, 2020 hipodromedisco, funk, hoga nord rekords, psych rock, purple desert rain godLeave a comment

PURPLE DESERT RAIN GOD - Invisible Matter

The psychedelia of Purple Desert Rain God is playful and innovative in a way that brings early Pink Floyd to mind, where classic blues elements were mixed with tape loops and tremolo/feedback guitars. But more than 50 years has passed since Barret’s trip through universe was caught on tape and the comparison stops there: Purple Desert Rain God is a new take on acid rock. Purple Desert Rain God is nature music and transcendental dance music and they overlap between genuine psychedelia and electronic music with filter sweeps on guitars and drums. Sudden bursts of drum fills brakes the monotonous groove and amplifies the feeling of lost control and the band often balances on what is considered a beat that is on time. However, they keep momentum and hammers the pulse on your eardrums, into your mind.

Birds – Transcendental Phases / Tunnel Vision [HNR035]

June 25, 2020February 4, 2025 hipodromebirds, disco, hoga nord rekords, katie wilkinson, psychedelicLeave a comment

Höga Nord Rekords presents Birds from London. Birds or Katie Wilkinson is relatively new as a producer but has been DJ-ing and playing in bands for the last nine years, marinating herself in interesting underground music. This 7”, Transcendental Phases / Tunnel Vision is her first release on Höga Nord Rekords. Birds is a declaration of love to electronic music and psychedelia.

20 Albums from 2019

December 24, 2019December 23, 2019 hipodromealessandro adriani, artificial dance records, autumns, blackstrobe, boy harsher, central processing unit, cocktail d'amore music, curses, dark entries records, david carretta, death & leisure, detriti records, dimdj, dissemblance, distant wave records, e.r.p, filmmaker, forgotten future, function, gladio, hoga nord rekords, jeremiah r., june, june records, kris baha, l.i.e.s., mannequin records, nude club records, opposing currents, paranoid london, photonz, plant43, shakti, stroboscopic artefacts, stroom, tresor records, veyl, years of denialLeave a comment

Yesterday we presented the preferences of our readers from last year, now this is a list of 20 albums from 2019 that made an impression on us.

We have three pure electro albums from E.R.P., Jeremiah R. and Plant43 and the new electro-synthy album of veteran David Carretta, his first solo album for ten years. On the darker side of the synth palette we have two EBM/synth-pop albums from Boy Harsher and Years Of Denial, the debut album of Kris Baha, the third album of Greek producer June, a new one from Jason Letkiewicz aka Steve Summers under his new moniker Opposing Currents and two more industrial albums from Autumns and Colombian Filmmaker.
On the other had we have two acid gems from DimDJ and Paranoid London, the first ever Gladio album, the second album from Mannequin boss Alessandro Adriani and an experimental/ambient album from veteran Function on Tresor.
So, here it is compiled in chronological order.
Continue reading “20 Albums from 2019” →

Kanot – Bottenmannen [HNR032]

October 4, 2019October 4, 2019 hipodromeanton kolbe, disco, funk, hoga nord rekords, jesper jarold, kanot, lindha kallerdahl, psychedelicLeave a comment

Kanot is Jesper Jarold and Anton Kolbe. With the help of Lindha Kallerdahl’s expressive vocals, Jarold and Kolbe weave an eclectic yet durable sonic textile. Call it music for psychadelic hiking, primitive dance beats or speculative folk music – most of all, it is unrestrained music, for the smartest and the dumbest kid in the classroom. In the dense, and at the same time airy production, some drums anchor themselves steadily into the ground while others lash out like reverberating rhythmic gunshots. The tones from Jesper’s guitar and fretless bass float like leaves on the Drangme Chhu River, at times almost drowning in effects only to resurface in surprising and skillfully chiseled melodies that could play forever.

Stiletti-Ana – Ab Ovo [HNR018]

September 20, 2019September 20, 2019 hipodromealbum, ambient techno, experimental, hoga nord rekords, ilari larjosto, stiletti-anaLeave a comment

Producer, drummer and sound engineer in all forms Stiletti-Ana aka Ilari Larjosto is known for his wide output in the world of cosmic, techno, leftfield, disco and ambient music. Stiletti-Ana keeps the main focus rather on timeless quality releases than searching for the hype. His new solo album “Ab Ovo” is the first full length Stiletti-Ana LP and represents his discoveries in the world of heavenly cinematic arpeggios, conga driven ambient and physical 3D drone compositions.