The prolific Jason Letkiewicz returns to his Steve Summers alias for a suite of post-apocalyptic jack tracks. Across labels like L.I.E.S., Future Times, Echovolt, Nation and Clone, Letkiewicz spent the last decade exploring dimensional rifts between techno, house, noise, ambient and more. After occupying nearly as many cities as monikers he’s landed in Chicago and on local outpost Clear.
D’Marc Cantu’s second release on Drone is an introspective, emotive piece of electro. With it’s deep pads, ‘Omega Red’ provides the soundtrack to a trek through the snowy wastes, never letting up and calling through the night. In contrast, under his Rival alias Cantu delivers ‘Sustain’ a ferocious track with monotonous drum lines that slowly takes you into the night.
‘Artful Rifle’ is a new record label dedicated to ‘non-serious techno music’ founded by Berlin based producer Pablo Mateo. The first release “Tentlover” EP comes up with 4 atmospherical, psychedelic techno trips – paying an homage to Octavia E. Butlers ‘Xenogenesis’ trilogy.
More dead bears for the masses! Unreleased/never heard before material by Newworldaquarium. Trancendental disco fever straight from the aquarium.
Dekmantel has wheeled out the big guns for this third volume in their 10th anniversary vinyl series. Mr Consistency himself, Leon Vincent, kicks things off with “UK Spring Vibes”, a pleasingly deep and softly spoken shuffler piled high with attention-grabbing analogue bass, stretched-out chords and twinkling piano flourishes. Legowelt excels himself (as usual) on the darting, synth-heavy intergalactic fun of “Blue Astral Techno”, while Joey Anderson is an ultra-positive mood on the melodious, slightly melancholy, synth-heavy deep house of “Opened Gate”. Central’s “Six Five Two”, a wavy and Balearic-minded trip though gentle, sun-kissed sounds and bubbling electronic rhythms, draws a fine EP to a close with an intoxicating flourish.
Alex took his first musical steps by studying piano and guitar at the young age of 6. His fascination for the more outlandish, experimental side of each instrument corrupted his lessons and sent him down a modular synths and tape loop composition wormhole. Years later Alex resurfaced, got himself clean and, through connections made while spending time as a vocal audience member (and sometimes uninvited participant) at Lyman Woodard, Phil Ranelin, and other Tribe- and Motown-linked gigs in Cass Corridor during the mid-1970s, spent time as a session musician for Earth Wind and Fire, Chic, and Prince. It was only toward the mid-90s he found himself enthralled by the techno and house sounds of Detroit and Chicago so he went into the woodshed and came out firing electronic salvos.
Crimes Of The Future head to the other side of the world their first release from Australia as Paradise Box joins the family with the Hookup EP. Two original cuts of fine and upliftying deep and tropical house music are joined by two very special cover versions like you have never heard before. An incredible EP working equaly as well in the club or on a sun kissed beach bar.
Mint Condition’s latest trip into vintage house territory comes from Mystic Bill, the Chicago-based Floridian whose produced some of the finest Windy City house of the late 1990s. Classics From The Vault Vol. 1 first appeared on Relief Records back in 1997, and has recently become something of a sought-after 12″. Naturally, it’s stood the test of time rather well. “Mind Ride” is a thumping blend of Ghetto-house drums, relentless electronic tweakery and psychedelic intent, while “The Struggle” tiptoes the fine line between jacking hypnotism and trippy, late night eccentricity. Flip for the loopy, proto-boompty warmth of “Jazz In Space”, where synth horns tumble down over and snappy drum machine groove, and the rolling deep house exoticism of “Late Night At The Music Box”.
Number 10 in the Fell My Bicep catalogue comes as a single titled ‘Hail Falls’ from Tim Sweeney and Phillip Lauer operating under T&P. Having introduced their collaboration through a self released record on Sweeney’s own Beats In Space back in 2016 – T&P continue to develop this fruitful relationship and roll out more Disco-tinged Acid.
For a relatively new artist to release a double 12″ with zero filler on it is most impressive indeed, and that’s just what tape_hiss has done here on this, the 10th Love Note from Brooklyn. The first disc contains the EP’s deeper material, with tracks like Nasty Boy and Cognitive Dissonance getting filled to the brim with dark, foreboding basslines and anxious, dystopian melodies. Disc 2 finds tape_hiss flexing his muscles a bit more and going outside of what we’ve heard him do thus far; ie the rugged breakbeat funk of No Neck and Bad as Hell and the arpeggiated thunder and volatile percussion of Barely Trippin’.
Eidetic welcomes Kovyazin D & Moralez for the 2nd release of the series. Based in Moscow & Saint Petersburg; Dmitry Kovyazin & Alexandr Moralez between them have released on respected labels such M.O.S, Chiwax, New Flesh & International Deejay Gigolo. The Night Watch brings the two of them together for the first time for an intergalactic rollercoaster ride, swerving between jacking techno and starry eyed electro.
Robin De Wolf is a man of many talents (and identities). Almost two years ago, he co-produced a groundbreaking debut EP, as one half of SHIN. At the moment, he’s making a name for himself as ‘Phara’ with uncompromising hard techno on labels such as Black Sun and Stockholm LTD. And now he delivered us three solid tracks under his new alter ego ‘Robert D’. While ‘Un Ni Yo is a house track with a wavy sound and affective synths, the second A-sided track ‘Dommel’ is a banger that begins with a smooth intro that changes over into hard kicks and raw bass chords. On the B-side, you can find a more melancholic uptempo track that goes by the name of White’s Wisdom. Interstellar Funk’ tops it all off with a remix of ‘Un Ni Yo’ that combines the wavy sound of the original with synth-heavy electronics.
Exploring the deep roots of Avrokosm, where occult still means hidden, starting in reverse. Best foot forward, two epic Reich-esque ttrriippmuzik cuts exploring rhythm, harmony and polymeter. Beyond the cloud suckerpunches of non giallo, un-trance tech-disco Glass-spacerock. Non academic explosions of synthetic joy.
Third time is a charm. The Analogue Acid Project by Todd Osborn and Tadd Mullinix resulted in two records in 2005 and 2006 that excelled at the fabrication of gritty acid jak tracks ow, Todd N Tadd alias TNT aka the dynamite duo finally returns. Their third outing and first one on Running Back, is a detonative reunion of old and new friends. With two previously unreleased beat tracks on one side plus carefully tailored reissues of Hotness (from the blue record) and Beat This House (from the red record), you get a box of dynamite sticks in various sizes for different situations. More than ten years later and still as explosive.
Estonian pizzaboy Kadajane delivers five slices of super spicy Pepperoni pizza directly to your door. These straight from tape house cuts will overheat every big room, narrow dirty club, and block party you’ll ever play them in. Lard and fat trickling from the turntables all over the place.
The second part in the Dancefloor Records reissues on Emotional Rescue comes in the form a true House classic. Produced and released by the Chicago legend Andrew Komis, “It’s You” is an original deep-house bomb and an education to those increasingly misusing the term today. Essentially a cover/updated version of the all-time early House classic in ESP’s Its You, this 1989 update shows how much the scene was progressing in just 3 years with a tougher, heavier and deeper 12 that was all about rocking club sound systems.
‘Tone To Voice’ is John Heckle’s fourth long player, and second on Tabernacle. Science fiction tracks of the highest order demonstrating a subtle development of John’s already widely recognised sound.
The Hipodrome Of Music 