techno
Mantra – Blackout [PT013]
Polybius Trax present another three track EP from Mantra showcasing a variety of acid styles. Opening track, Blackout, is a solid, no-nonsense acid techno workout, perfect for a strobe filled warehouse, and features builds and drops layered with ethereal tones. Emanation is a maelstrom of moving synth sounds, bouncing delay lines and vocal-like klaxons that combine to disorientate the listener. Final track, Mirage is a classic bad attitude acid track with an unnerving acid line that weaves in and out of aggressive percussive lines.
Photonz – Etheric Body Music EP [DE239]
Photonz is the alias of Marco Rodrigues a DJ, producer and driving force of Lisbon’s underground scene. Etheric Body Music is Photonz’s debut 6-track EP for Dark Entries and a simultaneous reference to hermeticism and EBM (Electronic Body Music). Marco loves that ‘aesthetic when 80s industrial and EBM bands split up and start to make trance in the early 90s and all the ritual magick pushes them to zen stuff and they do ecstasy.’ There’s this concept in theosophy and hermetic philosophy of the Etheric Body, which is an energy body superimposed and connected to the physical body, similar to the acupuncture idea of an energetic body. That idea manifests itself as six primal club cuts, which also channel early techno, Drexciyan rhythms, balearic & old school jack. Raw arpeggiated synth lines and bass blast jut against metallic stabs and highly percussive shakedowns to create mournful atmospheric warped house.
Cardopusher – Muscle Memory [DE233]
Born in Venezuela and based in Barcelona, Luis Garban aka Cardopusher has spent the last decade creating a wide variety of noisy dancefloor assaults. Although his roots lie in the breakcore scene, he’s slowly gravitated toward a raw, electro-infused take on techno that is no less compelling. Dark Entries presents a new 6-track EP titled ‘Muscle Memory’ that takes the listener on a deep and gritty ride through his diverse sound, from techno to electro, acid, rave and house.
Hieroglyphic Being & The Truth Theory Trio – Journey Through The Outer Darkness from the Inner Light [HVNX-700]
When asked about the story behind the tracks of ‘Journey Through The Outer Darkness from the Inner Light’, Jamal Moss answered with a laconic “No story. No dogma. No Hype”. After all, his despise of extra-musical paraphernalia is proportional to his productiveness in the studio. But there’s always a story. On April 9, 2016, Hieroglyphic Being played a live show in La Casa Encendida of Madrid within the festival Electronica en Abril. Some days later, the recording of the full set was uploaded to YouTube. When we watched it, we were totally captivated. Those eighty minutes of music had the raw power of all of Jamal’s body of work, but with a heightened sense of transcendence. Cosmic, spiritual and intensely beautiful, it sounded like a lysergic reinterpretation of Detroit techno transmitted from a galaxy yet to be discovered. As most of the material was unreleased, we reached Jamal in order to try to press it into vinyl. The result is ‘Journey Through The Outer Darkness from the Inner Light’, a 12″ that reunites eight of the individual tracks that conformed that Madrid performance. When inquired about AUM, the sacred sound all the tracks are labeled after, Jamal referred us to a book by author and naturalist Joseph Bharat Cornell. A book that the author himself presents with these words: ‘The sound of the Cosmic Vibration is AUM, and listening to it brings the greatest bliss imaginable. AUM is the Omnipotent Force that propels each soul toward Spirit. It’s the sacred, inner fire. As you approach the cosmic blaze, you feel at first its radiant, soothing comfort; then, as you come closer – AUM’s liberating flames consume you – and bring you to God”. There might be “no story and no dogma”, but, suddenly, it all makes sense.
Posthuman – Mutant City Acid [BV29]
First full length from Posthuman in eight years. Named from, and created as a companion piece to the (completely sold out) Mutant City Acid series on Balkan Vinyl. Inspired by classic computer games such as ‘Syndicate’, ‘Flashback’ and ‘Beneath A Steel Sky’, it is written as the soundtrack to a journey through a near-future dystopian city, awash in the glow of neon skyscrapers. Digging into the weirder side of acid techno and electro, this is still an album for the dancefloor but with one eye on the darker corners of the room. Pressed on completely random coloured vinyl – red, green, yellow, blue -.some marbled, some faded, some solid, some translucent – the first time this has ever been done. The entire pressing process was video livestreamed from the plant with engineers answering questions in the chat (again, a first). Comes in a full colour gatefold sleeve adorned with retro pixel art.
Sepehr – Body Mechanics [DE226]
Dark Entries comes with a 6-track EP from San Francisco based DJ, producer, and remixer Sepehr Alimagham. The San Jose native has been a fixture in the Bay Area house and techno scene for quite a while now, on the dance-floor, behind the decks, in the studio, or all of the above. In 2017 he began performing live PA sets, utilizing his immense production backlog to perform vivid and electric sets, from potent dance music to psychedelic and esoteric soundscapes. ”Body Mechanics” is six tracks of acid drenched dance music that ebb and flow from floor filling club thumpers to more cerebral soundscapes. Inspired by the new wave of the acid sound as well as nostalgia from his formative years in the San Francisco music scene, ‘Body Mechanics’ takes a functional, yet psychedelic approach to 303 styled techno and electronica.
Skudge / Splice – X0X01 [SKUDGE-X0X01]
Three different takes from two different periods of time meet up in this acid focused 12”. The record features two Skudge originals from 2009, optimized into today’s standards. And also a classically trained Splice track, where a fierce drum patterngoes in parallel with the acidic bass line. A current take on a very classic machine.
Djedjotronic – Cruising [CPU01000010]
Djedjotronic Aka Jérémy Cottereau drops an icy 4 track Electro cut for CPU. There’s a clear Drexciyan influence here with plenty of dystopian drama but things are disrupted with the likes of ‘Tunnel’ serving up raw 4/4.
Ectomorph – Subsonic Vibrations [IT001]
The debut record from Ectomorph that launched it all — the project, and the label Interdimensional Transmissions in 1995. This is the first time it has been repressed in over a decade, and it’s using the original masters complete with 3 lock grooves cut by Ron Murphy.
No Data Available – The Night EP [NUL004]
London based hardware specialist No Data Available joins the Null+Void family with a four track EP of rugged, playful and effective electro driven tracks for the rave – ending in a blissful introspective 7am moment with title track the night.
Sololust – Dato EP [GOOILAND036]
It has been quite some time since Sololust released something but he returns with fresh energy and a sound both familiar and with a new twist. His music has become less synth pop and more dance floor minded. Acid and elektro is the drill here, with some touches of techno. This five track EP features some crazy stuff which at times is reminiscent of Börft output.
Adam X – Recon Mission [SGLP05]
Adam X returns to his imprint Sonic Groove with his first album in four years, a 56 minute excursion into EBM and Cyberdelic Industrial Techno titled “Recon Mission”. The mission begins with beat driven hypnotic electronics that invoke paranormal illusions of Easter island mythology and Bermuda Triangle disappearances. Climbing forward the album crosses the line into harder industrial territories, conjuring visions of New York City’s dystopian past and CIA shadow government experiments. Adam has survived the ups and downs of the industry while continually raising the bar for production value and sound design.
VA – Emerge From The Darkness [SYMLTD002]
Following a superb start last year with his edits of Mike Storm, Ben Sims’ Symbolism imprint returns with it’s second ultra-limited drop featuring Biemsix, Scott Franka, Stef Mendesidis and Raul Alvarez. Deep, hypnotic techno for the ‘floor.
VA – Continuum 3: Fluctus [10YRDREF003]
Marking its ten-year anniversary Dynamic Reflection is set to release Continuum, a collection of five uniquely intertwined EP’s. The special series commemorates the label’s roots, evolution and establishment and honors its residents and friends. The Continuum-series will feature twenty exclusive tracks. The EP’s Sonos, Magno Hyacinthum, Fluctus, Luna Frigus and Terra Nova are planned as part of Continuum. Collectively they become the articulation of a decade of techno. Featuring tracks from Donato Dozzy & Mike Parker, Abstract Division, Deepbass & Ness and Ben Buitendijk, Fluctus represents the third planet in the Continuum-constellation, consisting of five exclusive releases in celebration on the 10th anniversary of Dynamic Reflection.
Dimi Angélis – ANGLS 007 [ANGLS007]
In the seventh EP to come out on his own imprint, label head Dimi Angelis serves up four tracks, each distinctively ANGLS: bare and unassuming music. Opening track “Live Chat Events” leaves little space for actual conversation and immediately hits home with some thorough techno that reminisces of a bygone rave era which refuses to be forgotten. Follow-up “Index” continues that feel but switches things up by delving off the deep, ever so slightly distorted synth end. On the flipside Angelis allows subtle percussion movements to do the talking in “Lotus”. Proper and powerful on its own, equally useful as a tool. “Cosmodrome” closes down #007 and is the most introvert of the four with a unique, submerged sounding pattern that gradually builds and falls. An EP that will fit and improve any collection.
VA – MonoTrax Volume 1 [MON017]
Introducing a new vinyl only Compilation Series from Monotone featuring some top notch producers. Kicking things off the Techno/Electro master The Advent starts things off with a collaboration with his son and this track is a beauty. This has Monotone style written all over it with hard percussion, epic synths and smooth rythyms. Next we have label boss Exzakt coming back to his form with Kreep. Classic Exzakt beats and just a driving composition added with some vocal flavor to make a solid club tune. 214 comes correct on Side B with a riding, groovy jam that will get the asses shaking. To finish things off we have the mysterious EggFooYoung with a rare appearance since taking on the Michna alias he is well known for today. This is a record that is a must have for all Electro Heads out there.
Umwelt / Ryan James Ford – Untitled [PTCH09]
Repitch Recordings presents another small collection of club-ready electronic creations. This time around, the label welcomes french veteran and New Flesh / Rave Or Die founder Umwelt, sharing the platter with Canada-born Berlin-based young master Ryan James Ford. Led by their mutual love for saturated analog percussions, massive kick drums, and relentless beats, the two producers find common ground while retaining their respective distinctive approaches. Umwelt’s much more electro-oriented excursions style relentlessly acidic basslines alongside epic synth pads and distorted polyrhythms, while Ford’s side connects flows more down the stream of contemporary techno, deep and drone-laden as it is.
Joshua Cordova @ Hugo’s House in Austin (USA) 10.09.2018
Black Merlin – Dekmantel Podcast 204
