mord records

UFO95 – A Brutalist Dystopian Society part 2 LP [MORDLP005]

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Sometimes you’ve just got to point things out for what they are. Brussels-based, French born UFO95 does so impressively on the second instalment of his brutalist architecture-inspired series, framing producer and DJ as alien abductee and diagnosing the current world state from an extranormal perspective. Techno with narrative suffers much unfair derision, so this album is very welcome: the saturated ambience of ‘Dystopie’ sounds like a Heptapod’s warning blasted over glacier valleys, while everything from there is an invasion in churning waves, like the many bulldozing arms of a self-replicating war machine.

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UFO95 – A Brutalist Dystopian Society part 2 LP [MORDLP005]

Damcase – Anom Valley [MORD026]

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Anom Valley follows Damcase’s recent outing on Bunker and positions the Greek producer as a leading light in hard techno. There is a rough, raw feel throughout this release for Bas Mooy’s label; “Delete Scene” is mired in distorted kicks and noisy, barb wire percussion and both “Rusty” and “Towards Them” resound to titanium-powered steel drums. “Interlogon” is probably the most extreme track, thanks to its grisly, punishing rhythm, but Damcase also has a funkier side. He showcases this on “Rn 45” and “X Gun”, where hypnotic electronic pulses, although encased in weeping layers of white noise, see him get his groove on.

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Damcase – Anom Valley [MORD026]

Sleeparchive – Senza Titolo EP [MORD018]

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Fashions and trends may come and go, but Roger Semstroth aka Sleeparchive’s adherence to hypnotic underground techno remains a constant. The intense flurry of bleeps, blips and grimy pulses of “Senza Titolo 1” flow through the speakers. It’s followed by the second “Titolo”, where Semsroth brings up the tempo and adds in some hammering drums. The third instalment marks a divergence of sorts with its blasts of noise and visceral rhythm bearing echoes of Rob Hood, but it’s only a temporary divergence and the fourth track is locked-on techno purism at its finest.

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Sleeparchive – Senza Titolo EP [MORD018]

Charlton – Intelligent Life [MORD008]

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Doing their own thing with a host of less-familiar names, Mord has worked tirelessly over the past couple of years to establish a distinct sound within more techno-minded realms. Charlton returns with a second release for the label that brings a range of moods to bear on his looped-up style, kicking off with the Robert Hood-isms of “Vulnerable” with its nervous cyclical chimes, before “Stand Behind A Line” burrows a little deeper into throbbing machine rhythms with acid overtones thrown in for good measure. “Unforgiven” opens things up with a mammoth, distorted square wave synth line that flinches not once in its quest to devastate the dance. “Simple” thing brings some 303 action back into the mix but balances it out with a dense base layer of industrial grunge to make for a nice and dirty ass-shaker.

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Charlton – Intelligent Life [MORD008]