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”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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!”
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.
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”
Fundamental Records’ interesting electro music project called ”Electric Eclectics” comes with the additional ”Ghost Series”. Each record is a picture of the electro music released in the line that Fundamental Records has us accustomed, each sleeve silkscreen printed by hand in the same color of the vinyl record. Talk about the music itself is something that Fundamental Records try to avoid in each release, if you want to know why you only have to check the project Music for The Other People Place to understand this philosophy.
Plant43 aka Emile Facey, one of CPU’s originators delivers his fourth album ‘Three Dimensions’. Eight tracks of crystalline electro with his signature epic pads and Blade Runner-esque melodies. Facey is one of the most respected electro artists of today and this album galvanises this reputation. DJs will find several weapons amongst this package of beautiful electronic music that rewards both headphone listeners as much as a big room.
Emile Facey (Plant43) has been at the forefront of electronic for more than twelve years. During that time the British producer has released on a host of seminal labels, expanding his style and sound in new directions. Although Plant43 is typically classified as a purveyor of electro, behind those driving rhythms and steely percussion a tenderness has always been present, an emotion expressed in lilting melodies and complex harmonies. It is these melodies and harmonies that come into focus on Plant43’s debut ambient album. On “From Deep Streams” is a rich and textured tapestry of synth work, a soundtrack that organically unfurls from nightime woodland walks and city stargazing to mindful solitude. The eight tracks offer the listener a calming journey into stillness, an excursion through gentle audio currents and a moment to pause and take in an inspiring vista of sound. Recorded over the space of 3 months, this album gives the quiet, the subtle and the sometimes underappreciated centre stage whilst casting light on yet another side of Emile Facey’s ever-evolving music.
Edge of the Wood is the first release on new label Eudemonia. Emile Facey lives in Penge, South East London. ‘When writing this music I became very interested in the history of the area I live in, imagining what it had been like when the ancient Great North Wood was still standing and the now busy urban area was a tiny hamlet sitting at the edge of a vast forest. I read that Penge was first recorded under the name Penceat in an Anglo-Saxon deed dating from 957 and that many historians believe the name of the town is derived from the Celtic word Penceat, which means “edge of wood”. The Porcupine Meadow and a toll gate were important landmarks in the area.’
Following their 50th release milestone CPU celebrate 5th anniversary with a 2×12 LP remix compilation. CPU has been reticent in regards to remixes, with a grand total of zero during its first five years of existence. This all changes with this dedicated remix compilation celebrating the label’s 5th anniversary. The exalted roster have chosen their favourite tracks to remix from the label’s back catalogue and are brought together in a very special 2×12 gatefold sleeve. B12, Jensen Interceptor and Morphology all make an appearance alongside some of the label’s seldom seen artists. There is also a posthumous Microlith remix of Tryphème – Mélodramatique. Electro has again proven its staying power and CPU has played a key role in championing some of the genre’s greatest: bringing new artists to the front line and cementing the status of the established. This five year celebration showcases the diverse tastes and backgrounds of the roster, crossing many genre boundaries – all executed with precision and attention to detail that the label is known for.
Emerald City is the first release of Verdant Recordings, a new label to present carefully curated deep music across the electronic spectrum. On this EP are 3 highly respected producers from the UK; Leigh Dickson, John Shima and Plant43 (Emile Facey) and a 4th debut track from a disciple of the halcyon days of emotive music Mihail Petrovski. Musically this EP is all about deep techno; the exquisite sounds and characteristic style of each producer is unmistakeable. Emerald City was first released as limited edition of lathe cuts but interest in the project completely overwhelmed its availability.
Emile Facey aka Plant43 is back on terra Shipwrec. On skeletal rhythm supports strings and bass intertwine, link and disappear. Facey performs audio alchemy, transforming cold chords into organic warmth, transfiguring electrical impulses into palpable emotion. Frigid currents flow through bright bars, ephemeral percussion snap at heels of soaring keys as Plant 43 draws you deeper and deeper into the bare and beautiful brilliance of Grid Connection.
The final chapter in the Trust XV trilogy once again brings together an elite crew of electro programmers. Tracks by The Exaltics, Plant43, Adapta, and Epy x Micromega conclude the fate of interstellar mining outpost 61 Cygnus e.
Madrid’s Fundamental Records not only release a high volume of contemporary electro, but they do so in fine style thanks to their overloaded packs and comprehensive compilations. This time they really done a number on us with this 808 Box release, a jaw-dropping fifty-tracker sealed in a trendy DJ shoulder bag tagged with the most infamous of all drum machines on the planet..! The music comes from all corners, and we see familiar faces laying down some truth on those beats; check the gear by Patronen, CPU, Alex Stark, Luke Eargoggle, Sync24, Tau Sagittarii and UHU.
Third and final chapter for the Sentient City serie by Plant43 aka Bleep43 crew member Emile Facey on Semantica Records. Continuing the theme of his previous two releases, the four strong suite of intense electro revolves around Facey’s sonic travels through the imaginary Sentient City. If you have indulged in previous Plant43 output you will know the London artist possesses a masterful range and it’s displayed wonderfully here. Opener “Chain Of Memories” combines ripples of richness with the instantly gratifying snap of 808 programming, whilst “Ascendant Machines” is a wonderful example of his ear for melody. B side opener “Ubicomp Malfunction” veers into alien territory whilst “Amphibious Architechture” offers a contemplative finale.
The Hipodrome Of Music 