Plant43 – Feeding The Machines LP [PLANT43016LP]

UK electro wizard Plant43 marks his 20th year in the game in the only way he knows how: with another wonderful album, his 10th overall. It comes on his own now five year strong Plant43 Recordings. ‘Feeding The Machines’ is full of signature excellence, from the lithe rhythms of ‘Information Decay’ to the jittery drums and introspective chords of ‘Anthropomorphic Algorithms’ via the dark, hurried urgency of the paranoid ‘Absolute Inertia’. This is another long player that is as adventurous as it is emotive and cinematic.

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Plant43 – Feeding The Machines LP [PLANT43016LP]

VA – Xuntanza Vol. V [FAN021]

The 5th installment of the Xuntanza series of Fanzine Records brings a new gathering of 5 electro wizards as Plant43, Umwelt, Robert Cosmic, BombyxBlow and the Slit Observers.

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VA – Xuntanza Vol. V [FAN021]

VA – Astral Projections [AC016]

Alien Communications has sent out some otherworldly transmissions to cult electro talents E.R.P., Client_03, Plant43 and Carl Finlow and in return they have been sent a series of killer new tunes for this bumper double 12″. ERP’s ‘Telenovela’ I first to cast off into the cosmos with solar winds gently blowing over kinetic drums and far-sighted celestial pads. MOY brings some wonky acid turbulence to the trip on ‘Pale Nimbus’ and Juno favourite Carl Finlow gets a little grubby with his gloopy, sordid electro wobbler ‘Woven’. Another titan of the scene, Radioactive Man, comes through with a winky gem that harks back to Two Lone Swordsmen on ‘Space Junk’, with many other essentials from the likes of Abduction, Domenic Cappello, DMX Crew, FASME, Reptant and Transparent Sound making this utterly essential.

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VA – Astral Projections [AC016]

VA – CPU128 Classics [CPU10000000]

Central Processing Unit releases have all been logged in an eight-bit binary numbering system ever since the Sheffield label arrived on the scene with Cygnus’ 2012 LP Newmark Phase. With 256 variations allowed for in the binary catalogue, CPU now hit the halfway point more than a dozen years into their run. In that time the imprint has grown into one of the most celebrated voices in contemporary electro, its monochrome sleeve design reaching iconic status and early releases trading for big money in certain circles. As such, CPU128 Classics serves as both a victory lap and a line in the sand, a survey of some of the highs in the imprint’s discography and a second chance for CPU aficionados to get their hands on out-of-print material.

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VA – CPU128 Classics [CPU10000000]

Plant43 – Concrete Echo [PLANT43014]

Esteemed electro explorer Emile Facey aka Plant 43 is back on his Plant43 Recordings imprint. Despite being hugely prolific, the artist always managed to find fresh new creative ground with each new outing and Concrete Echo is no different. The EP features four tracks originally written to perform live at Tresor in Berlin in 2024.

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Plant43 – Concrete Echo [PLANT43014]

Plant43 – The Unfading Spark [QD20]

Next up in the quiet details series is the producer and live performer of everything from the deepest ambience to true dance-floor electro, Emile Facey, otherwise known as Plant43. ‘The Unfading Spark’ shows this immense and honest experience realised to stunning effect. An instant post-club classic, his innate melodic and textural understanding mixes perfectly with a sense of build and release, the album moving through its own indelible world of space-time to completely immerse the listener in its expanding beauty.

Plant43 – The Unfading Spark [QD20]

Plant43 – Luminous Machines LP [PLANT43013LP]

Luminous Machines, the eighth album by UK based Emile Facey recording under his Plant43 alias, is made up of eight dancefloor tracks and eight cinematic interludes all of which are inspired by visits overseas to play live in 2023.

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Plant43 – Luminous Machines LP [PLANT43013LP]

Plant43 – Reflection | Reaction – Part Three [PLANT43012]

Reflection | Reaction is a trilogy of EP’s written by Plant43 over the course of winter 2022/23, the first in the series marking the 10th release and third anniversary for the artist’s Plant43 Recordings label. Over the course of twelve tracks and over an hour of new music Emile Facey takes the listener on an emotional journey through the frosty depths of winter and into the warm sunlight of spring.

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Plant43 – Reflection | Reaction – Part Three [PLANT43012]

Plant43 – Reflection | Reaction – Part Two [PLANT43011]

Reflection | Reaction is a trilogy of EP’s written by Plant43 over the course of winter 2022/23, the first in the series marking the 10th release and third anniversary for the artist’s Plant43 Recordings label. Over the course of twelve tracks and over an hour of new music Emile Facey takes the listener on an emotional journey through the frosty depths of winter and into the warm sunlight of spring.

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Plant43 – Reflection | Reaction – Part Two [PLANT43011]

Plant43 – Reflection | Reaction – Part One [PLANT43010]

Reflection | Reaction is a trilogy of EP’s written by Plant43 over the course of winter 2022/23, the first in the series marking the 10th release and third anniversary for the artist’s Plant43 Recordings label. Over the course of twelve tracks and over an hour of new music Emile Facey takes the listener on an emotional journey through the frosty depths of winter and into the warm sunlight of spring.

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Plant43 – Reflection | Reaction – Part One [PLANT43010]

2021 Best Albums

From the long overdue debut albums of LeRon Carson and Steve Summers, to the revelation of An Anomaly, from the roughness of Filmmaker and Ratsnake to the meditative music of Les Filles de Illighadad, from the established Greek artist June to the very limited synthwave album of the unknown Greek artist Tatat, here are our favorite albums from 2021, compiled in chronological order.

Continue reading “2021 Best Albums”
2021 Best Albums

Plant43 – Sublunar Tides [PLANT43006LP]

PLANT43 - Sublunar Tides

The sixth album by Emile Facey under the Plant43 moniker and the seventh release on his Plant43 Recordings imprint since its inception in 2020, Sublunar Tides is his most expressive and stylistically wide ranging to date. Over 52 minutes and nine tracks the album whisks the listener effortlessly from fast-paced dancefloor electro through the slowmotion cloud-soaring of Concrete Breakers, the intricate experimental synths of Perfect Ruin to the lilting, songlike tones of the emotional album closer ‘Tides Align’.  Co-founder of London’s Bleep43 crew, Facey has been promoting underground electro and techno since the 90’s.

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Plant43 – Sublunar Tides [PLANT43006LP]

VA – Exit Planet Earth: Helium [EPE05]

FINLOW, Carl/PLANT43/MR HO/XIAOLIN/ALFRED - Exit Planet Earth: Helium 

The Exit Planet Earth vinyl series continues onto it’s 5th edition with a finely balanced release of electro, techno and breakbeat cuts. Carl Finlow – ‘The Oberth Effect’ kicks off the record with a mind bending trip to the dark side of electro, delivering a masterclass in multi-layered synth sound design, rolling bass lines and Finlow’s expert production. A fellow electro master, Plant43 delivers his debut release for 20/20 Vision – ‘Forcefield Deactivation’. The flip side features a collaboration between Hong Kong based producers Mr. Ho & Xiaolin (Klasse Wrecks). ‘No Change To How I Feel’ is a unique sign of the times. A deep techno track served with a heavy 4/4 kick, perpetually evolving arpeggios, quick fire hats and a haunting vocal. Leeds based producer Alfred completes the release with a sound forged from intricate drum sequencing and strong chords and melodies. Alfred is an exciting new talent that manages to connect the dots between breakbeat and electro.

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VA – Exit Planet Earth: Helium [EPE05]

Plant43 – Interlinked [PLANT43005]

PLANT43 - Interlinked

Plant43’s fifth release ‘Interlinked’ is a reaction to the UK’s decision to leave the EU and how this affects the electronic music culture, which thrives on being interlinked. The B side starts with the driving urgency of ‘Ancient Voice’, future electro designed to move dance floors when they return. Closing track ‘The Silent Flock’ is a slower, more contemplative expression of discovery and hope.

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Plant43 – Interlinked [PLANT43005]

Plant43 – Storm Control EP [PLANT43004]

PLANT43 - Storm Control EP

Storm Control features three new Plant43 tracks which exemplify Emile Facey’s continuing quest to speak through his machines. The up front electro of the title track is born out of a yearning for a return to club dance floors while the two on the flip explore deep emotional landscapes through his trademark melodic electro sound.

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Plant43 – Storm Control EP [PLANT43004]

VA – Urbi Et Orbi 4 [MROME032]

TESLASONIC/PLANT43/HEINRICH DRESSEL/COSMIC FORCE/MICROTHOL/SONOBE - Urbi Et Orbi 4

The MinimalRome “Urbi et Orbi” franchise debuts in 2006, juxtaposing Rome-based producers to others around the globe (“urbi et orbi” can be translated as “to the city and to the world”) featuring — in time, amongst others — Legowelt, Rude 66, Mick Wills, Andrea Benedetti, Ra-X, Polysick, The Exaltics. This fourth chapter delivers a vinyl EP compilation with monster electro tracks by Teslasonic, Plant43, Cosmic Force and Microthol, plus a couple of synthorama joints by Heinrich Dressel and Sonobe.

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VA – Urbi Et Orbi 4 [MROME032]

Plant43 – Density Wave [PLANT43001]

PLANT43 - Density Wave

The first release on Emile Facey’s Plant43 Recordings sets the tone for his new label with a showcase of his trademark shimmering, melodic electro. The three tracks take the listener through an array of deeply emotional soundscapes while keeping the electro-funk beats to the fore, another outstanding display of a unique style nurtured through over 20 years of production. A co-founder of London’s Bleep43 crew, Facey has been promoting underground electro and techno since the late 90’s. As a producer he’s been releasing records since 2005 with a string of releases on respected scene favourites such as Central Processing Unit, Frustrated Funk, Semantica, Shipwrec and Cultivated Electronics, among others.

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Plant43 – Density Wave [PLANT43001]

VA – CAREBOT$ (raising money for the NHS and Médecins Sans Frontières)

“The international electro and techno producer community has come together to raise money for two charities doing vital health work during the Covid-19 crisis – NHS Charities Together and Médecins Sans Frontières. The project began in April this year. The resulting release is an essential compendium of techno and electro featuring some of the most respected creators working in the genre including The Hacker, Radioactive Man, Anthony Rother, Delta Funktionen, John Selway, Carl Finlow, Kronos Device, and more than 120 more!”

VA – CAREBOT$ (raising money for the NHS and Médecins Sans Frontières)

E.R.P. – Evoked Potentials 3/3 [SEM016(2020)]

Second time around for the third and final part of electro hero Gerard ‘ERP’ Hanson’s “Evoked Potentials” series, which first hit stores way back in 2011. A-side “Repose” is (quite literally) classic ERP, with Hanson peppering Egyptian Lover style drums and funky synth-bass with chiming lead lines, starburst chords and deep space chords. It’s tuneful and picturesque, but will also have you on your feet and throwing shapes in no time at all. Over on the flip, Plant43 (London electro veteran Emile Facey) turns in a very Drexciyan take on “Sensory Process”, in the process wrapping Hanson’s bittersweet strings and 33rd century electronic motifs around a suitably deep sea electro rhythm.

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E.R.P. – Evoked Potentials 3/3 [SEM016(2020)]

20 Albums from 2019

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”

20 Albums from 2019