midnight drive

The Infinite Wheel – Java Dub / Enviro [DRIVE10]

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The Infinite Wheel are a visionary duo who emerged from the DIY and Anarcho-Punk underground of the early ’80s West Country scene. Both members have been deeply involved in numerous influential projects, releasing chart-topping music under names that are instantly recognisable. But it’s their groundbreaking work in the ’90s that truly captured the attention of Midnight Drive label. “Java Dub / Enviro” are immersive, longform explorations that stay true to the dub tradition – expansive soundscapes that pull the listener in, treating the mixing desk as an instrument in its own right. Thunderous basslines and cavernous echoes intertwine with tribal percussion and celestial ambient synths, creating a rich, enveloping sonic universe for both deep listeners and dancers alike.

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The Infinite Wheel – Java Dub / Enviro [DRIVE10]

Doxa Sinstra – The Other Stranger / Strange [DRIVE009]

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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]

Mappa Mundi – Mosaics [DRIVE006]

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Mappa Mundi’s sole release ‘Musaics’ was released in 1990, riding on the wave of early trance and ambient house sounds and exploring the same sonic terrain and worlds as The Orb, The KLF, Sun Electric and other like minded outfits. A wonderful swirling collage or mosaic of breakbeats, samples and new-age synth stylings, ‘Musaics’ is indeed a real trip. A spontaneous late night studio concoction borne of endless takes and experimentation between Pieter Kuyl and Jan Van Den Bergh who both display a deep knowledge and a shared love of different sounds from around the world. The end result is a meditative, sprawling journey that touches on many different styles from languid widescreen techno to frantic drum machine driven machine-funk, all while retaining a feeling of post-rave atmospherics and psychedelia. This is a very special record indeed, and is somewhat of a lost gem from a very fertile and interesting period in sample based music. Undoubtedly the perfect soundtrack to numerous late nights and early mornings to come

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Mappa Mundi – Mosaics [DRIVE006]

Code 6 – Untitled EP [DRIVE005]

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Midnight Drive presenta a long out of print and highly sought after NYC ambient techno classic – Code 6’s ‘Untitled’ EP from 1993. In the early 1990’s, Code 6 was a side project by Joey Beltram. This 4 track EP is a departure from the style Joey was most associated with during this time period, favouring a more ambient, breakbeat driven and esoteric aesthetic. Contained within is 4 wide-screen snapshots of sci-fi drenched emotion, a raw, melodic tour de force that leaves the listener wanting more. ‘Untitled EP’ is a truly original set of short but effective techno-vignettes that still captivate today in 2018.

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Code 6 – Untitled EP [DRIVE005]

LA Synthesis – Harmonis Disassembly [DRIVE002]

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For the latest installment of the Midnight Drive presents a reissue of London duo LA Synthesis. Formed on the Southside of the city in the late 80’s Carl Grant and Tony Gallagher’s long running LA Synthesis project has given us some of the most forward looking, modern and compelling Electro and Techno over the span of the last 3 decades. ‘Harmonic Disassembly / Skyline’ was originally released in 1997 on the cult Evolution label. Both tracks are sleek, cutting edge examples of electronic music. Now, almost 20 years after it’s original release we see a full repress of one of the jewels in the LA Synthesis crown, a truly cult record that stylistically transcends time and space and sounds every bit as groundbreaking and fresh as it did in 1997.

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LA Synthesis – Harmonis Disassembly [DRIVE002]

Blue Maxx – Private Life EP [DRIVE001]

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DRIVE001 sees us step back to 1998 and into the hands of the duo of Damon Wild and Mederic Nebinger, recording together as Blue Maxx they quietly unleashed some of the finest futuristic widescreen Techno and Electro to emanate from NYC in the late 1990’s. Utilising a small sub-label of Wild’s seminal Techno imprint Synewave called Deja Vous the pair embarked on a slew of EP’s released over the space of a couple of years with ‘Private Life’ being one of the last. Across 3 tracks ‘Private Life’ opens up a new sound world, from the driving, tool-like qualities of the A-Side cut – all swinging drum programming, synth stabs and deranged metallic percussions to the deeper, more clandestine leanings of the B-Side tracks, mining a more musical and Electro infused vein, the whole EP stands out as something truly original. A hallmark of the Blue Maxx sound. This is the first time ‘Private Life’ has been reissued, almost 20 years has passed and somehow Wild and Nebinger’s style remains utterly fresh and contemporary.

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Blue Maxx – Private Life EP [DRIVE001]