Person of Interest, highly sought after and could be lurking in the shady corners under Brooklyn’s JMZ line. On his L.I.E.S. debut we get soupy remnants of what could be called garage house, pieces of high octane techno, and one slow burning grisled tooth number to close this three track EP out. A strong showing and undoubtedly one to keep your eyes on.
Fans of L.I.E.S. couldn’t have failed to notice the Russian Torrent Versions label, a highly limited vinyl-only operation that shares many artists with Ron Morelli’s imprint. While we’ve yet to prove a direct link between the two labels, the latest piece of compelling evidence comes in the shape of this L.I.E.S White Label from NGLY, an anonymous artist who recently debuted on the Russian Torrent Versions label. Fans of dank basement techno will be in their element with this record, with “Service Cost HH2” offering a muddy jack track featuring an uncommonly melodic touch, but “Some Relationships” offers a track in more of a submerged experimental hip hop mould. On the flip, “Speechless Tape” is a dark 303-led track whose copious reverb and spoken word vocal sample puts it somewhere between classic synthwave and acid, while “I Don’t HAve A Soul” harks back to classic Chi house sounds, albeit glimpsed through that gauzy L.I.E.S. filter.
Willie Burns and Entro Senestre team up for their second release on L.I.E.S. under the Daywalker + CF moniker. Picking up right where last year’s release left off the title track, Supersonic Transport, turns out to be their most dancefloor driven effort to date as it does exactly what the title states, moving in beautifully epic territories throughout its almost 8 minute course taking you where you need to go. The b-side turns the floor vibes down a notch, as both tracks are left alone to breath in their own worlds, each with equal space and unique sonic character. Ace release from these guys.
Jorge Velez returns to L.I.E.S. with his first effort since 2012’s Hassan LP. Through this six track LP we see the ultra versatile Velez weave seamlessly through numerous strains of electronics. From menacing drones to EBM influenced floor tracks to Sakamoto-esque melodic experiments, he creates an atmosphere equally suitable for home listening or adventurous club play. All of this very much reminding us of the days when Mute, Factory, Cherry Red, or Fetish Records were at their best.
Inhalants is a duo comprising of Jahiliyya Fields & Patricia….ooh and it’s killer combination.
Florian Kupfer is back with a new ep diverging from his previous efforts and delving interesting results. Nasty one from this very talented young upstart. This Society turns out to be a massive floor board ripping cut in a similar to old Acid Planet or Bunker tracks, no bells and whistles just bare bones warehouse mayhem. Resistors teases in start/stop fashion throughout pushing to the point of no return and never getting there leaving the listener in limbo. Finally, taking up the entire b-side, Reach Another System is an autistic 909 driven piano track in the most unconventional sense which implodes upon contact.
Following suit where his 2xlp left off Gunnar Haslam presents a new ep for L.I.E.S. Once again we see Haslam find a nice balance between combining samples and hardware in his productions creating moving and atmospheric tracks, which range from slow stripped down soundtrack style cuts to more developed far out techno.
Brand new material by Marcos Cabral following his False Memories 2xlp archive release earlier this year. On the Capri Social EP we see Cabral offering three varying tracks all touching upon the outskirts of house, techno and beyond as he captures the energy of the machines to create effective and engaging psychedelic excursions.
A collection of hits, misses, new loves, and future head scratchers running the gamut from floor ready beat tracks (Legowelt) to post chill out room bleep-hop (Daywalker & CF) to industro-wave anti beat experimentation (Svengalisghost) with no restrictions or limitations. As with last year’s American Noise compilation, disc one revists prime cuts from the nearly 30 releases the label will have released by the end of 2013, while disc two compiles unreleased tracks exclusive to this cd. A document of the immediate energy surrounding these musicians here and now, maybe one can call it club music for people who hate going to the club? or simply “Music for Shut Ins.”
A gem of the Parisian underground electronic music world for those who know, Voiski hits us with three tracks of high bpm techno. The b-side hits hard with the epic “From Sea to Sea” a monstrously beautiful building track that does all the right things in the right places just when you want them to happen.
A collaborative effort between Marquis Cooper (Svengalisghost) and Lili Schulder (51717), this project was born in the winter of 2013. What can best be described as non-stop electronic erotic cabaret, the duo played a series of improvised performances which served as a structural backbone prior to the recording of this album. Finished in merely two weeks, this 8 song double LP acts as a complete listening experience, engrossed in the down beat primitive electronics of the past whilst pushing further into the self-created anti-beat world of today. Pulsing tones, off beat drums, melancholic vocals, and overall dark vibes characterize, but do not solely define what it is to truly trust in pain.
Entro Senestre makes his L.I.E.S. debut with the two track ”Siamese Connextion” EP. Root Canal sounds just like the title, a painfully executed techno/electro track. Starting with a blown-out stuttered kick pushing air coupled with synths and melodies that wouldn’t sound so far off in an Ultradyne song crushing the listener. Siamese Connextion is a completely different animal clocking in at 9 minutes with lush chords and melodies, building up and breaking down, providing perfect early morning modern house sounds.
L.I.E.S. present a conceptual O.S.T. LP about Kowloon City, Hong Kong produced by Samo DJ and Max Stenerudh.
Legowelt returns to L.I.E.S. Three floor ready cuts full of soul, deepness, wooly basslines, beating drums and those signature Legowelt melodies that will make this an instant classic now and for years to come. True D.I.Y. underground from the guts of Den Hague to your speakers.
Samantha Vacation appears with her first 12 inch release for L.I.E.S. This release is comprised of two full side tracks which explore a loose yet complex form of mutated beat driven music which again may or may not be directed at the dancefloor. Subtle hints of the bass music and the twisted remnants of Detroit techno are present in both tracks as they freely stutter and morph while the songs evolve.
Shadowlust is the project from Marquis Cooper aka Svengalisghost and Lili Schulder from the forthcoming LP “Trust In Pain”. Vamped-up appreciated hypnotic synth and luring sexy vocals courtesy of Schulder.
A natural pairing. Hawk & Deer share this 12″ both dropping sublime slices of kraut inspired chug.
Following last year’s “Unicursal Hexagram” LP Brooklyn producer Jahiliyya Fields enters a new realm with this four track EP. Taking elements from his past industrial fueled efforts and this time expanding upon them with the addition of the kick drum. One can hear a non-traditional and refreshing approach being brought to traditional beat driven electronics with piercingly harsh undertones and creeping melody. This ep explores the vast sonic elements which are designed to affect the body, the mind and the relationship between the two and the music.
Chicago’s Beau Wanzer known for his work with Mutant Beat Dance and Streetwalker makes his debut on L.I.E.S. with his first solo EP. Wanzer who has been involved in the underbelly of American electronic music for many years, cut his teeth working at Magas’ now defunct Weekend Records and Soap. Through that time Wanzer constantly worked on music amassing a sizable studio where he worked in various electronic strains creating an impressive body of work. These tracks come from different points of his career and are stripped down functional pieces made for the dj even if that was not their initial intention.
The Hipodrome Of Music 