Andrew Red Hand @ Tresor (Berlin) 21.04.2017
techno
Mono Junk – Presents Suomen Moroderit [VTX007]
Umwelt – Encoding the Future [SHIP053]
Umwelt returns to Shipwrec for his third 12″ on the dutch label in as many years. Encoding the Future sees the French pioneer deliver five tracks of on point electronics. Umwelt is known for his trademark sound of piercing percussion, serrating synthlines and industrial strength bass. These elements are all present on this latest EP but have been carved back to allow strings to soar and pads to resonate. New plains are explored. Frigid elegance is juxtaposed by coarse chords, deep basslines countered by lilting lines. Encoding the Future opens a new chapter for the Lyons based producer as he dives into new textures and tones whilst remaining tethered to his cold electro roots.
Function – Recompiled II/II [A-TONLP03]
Regis – The Master Side [BLACKEST064]
LSD – Process [OTON109]
This debut single from previously unseen outfit LSD is remarkable for a number of reasons, not least the fact that the trio is made up of legendary UK techno producers Luke Slater, Steve Bicknell and Dave Sumner AKA Function. Given their collective history of making thumping, mind-altering techno, you’d expect Progress to be both heavy and trippy. That’s certainly what you get from opener “Process 1”, where psychedelic electronics and cascading, otherworldly noises rise above an armour-plated techno groove. They push the envelope even further on “Process 2”, a track blessed with restless cymbal lines and weird, off-key electronics. In comparison, the similarly intense “Process 3” seems deep and woozy, though the incessant, 1990 style bleeps and “LFO” style synths guarantees a suitably hallucinogenic feel throughout.
Alessandro Parisi – Belmont’s Revenge [VIVOD020]
Closing the Vivod map series is Alessandro Parisi with this stunning EP, ‘Belmont’s Revenge’. 3 tracks in his slo-mo horror jak trade mark style. ‘Crossfire’ kicks things off nicely with it’s pulsing groove followed by ‘Ravens’, a slower, brooding type of soundtrack. Flip over for a remix of ‘Sages’ by the mighty Mick Wills who has done some nice work here. It builds and builds, perfect for getting lost in the fog and strobe. B2 is the original version from Parisi, a much slower, majestic cathedral horror affair.
Milium – Addis Abeba / Lord Stanley’s Cup [PT03]
PossblThings Records return with the debut single of Leipzig-based Milium. This record contains your blend of Lust & Angst, compiled for and dedicated to the club. “Addis Abeba” equals Side A – a collocation of groaning machines, bittersweet strings and seducing bass synths, defined with the aid of befriended producer Kator. Side B equals “Lord Stanley’s Cup” – a cloudy hike into that weird place where EBM and Electro meet.
Claro Intelecto – Exhilarator [127DSR]
New long player from Manchester’s Claro Intelecto. Entitled ‘Exhilarator’, the 13 track album marks a return to action for the esteemed producer. A cinematic album of icy techno, weighty bass and poignant melody. From plaintive keys and slow motion drums awash with melody to corrugated industrial drums that don’t let up, this is a diverse album in both mood and texture. Moments of ambient celestial beauty exist next to breezy and summery grooves while skewed and sludgy acid sits next to serene underwater dub. Stewart’s mission to step outside his usual self has resulted in another landmark electronic album.
VA – Lesser Mysteries [BT021]
‘Lesser Mysteries’ brings together 5 up and coming acts to present a widescreen view on electro. Ben Cohen opens the EP with the atmospheric, hazy Entrance, Monotoxine uneases the ride with the squelchy, demented Positive Thinking. On the flip Tharsis Shelter Unit’s Start Transmission unfolds the B side with a sharp blow, before Stratowerx steps up with the impassioned Zero Hour Dispatch. Furious Frank closes the EP with the resonant Night Rider.
Late Night Approach – Clarence Mews [KLAKSON028]
Late Night Approach debuts on Klakson with a hyper funky electro twelve. The two tracks on the A side both show machine music that’s simultaneously human, whether it’s the melancholic shards of melody buried under “Clarence Mews” commanding rhythmic pulsations, or the beautifully striking chords on “Luvquest”. However, the b-side takes us to gloomy subterranean pastures with the uptempo banger “Primo”, while A2 “Kit” crosses over into broken beats but still keeps the same shadowy atmosphere.
Achterbahn D’amour – Acid Test 13 [ASD030]
Acid Test continues their journey with the return of Achterbahn D’Amour. On their first proper release in three years, Jool & Iron Curtis patiently craft an intricate sound world – with the opening track, major-key pads hearken towards a bright future, hi-hats rustle like leaves and on “Dehaveland,” percussive elements fall into beautiful, random unison like factory machines staging an after hours dance. Samuel Van Dijk’s vaunted VC-118A project steps up for a remix, turning in a taut techno version that unfurls smoke pillars of ghostly ambience. The duo wraps up the four-tracker with an unexpected dreamy electro turn, “Don’t Talk To Me.” Throughout Acid Test 13, they remain in lockstep with the label’s ethos – to bend, hammer and flatten acid lines into new, imaginative shapes.
East 8th Street Players – Truth Of Time EP [MAN002]
Truncate – Wrktrx [TRUNCATE016]
Fierce grooving rhythm tracks by Truncate. 4 jack trax including a stripped down remix from Jimmy Edgar.
Legowelt – Legendary Freaks In The Trash Of Time [CWCS009LP]
Five years after the illustrious Paranormal Soul LP, techno derelict Danny Wolfers aka Legowelt returns on Clone with “Legendary Freaks In The Trash Of Time”. A vivid collection of twelve genre-defying tracks: from late-night hermit house to Memphis rap influenced slowjam electro, from Amiga 1200 technorave to cosmic spaceweed trance, including the whole universe in between. All blended together in a mix of subdued sensuality and psychedelic splendour, this album is flavoured with Legowelt’s typical crunchy LO-FI sampler and synthesizer aesthetic. Wolfers’ own hand-drawn sleeve artwork illustrates the album’s mood without the need for much further promotional blurb… colourful stories embodying societal malaise and its dwellers – yet with a dash of aspiration. Music for misfits, witches, dreamers, cyberpunks, outsiders, geeks, and freaks. Legowelt’s people.
Donato Dozzy – Afterhouse 01 [AFHS01]
Forward thinking futuristic house cuts on this new project by Donatto Dozzy called Afterhouse. Four driving dj tools that go deeep. Although renowned as a maker of dark, intense, doom-laden techno, Donato Dozzy has been known to dabble in house from time to time. That’s the idea behind his new Afterhouse label. Of course, nobody would expect Dozzy to deliver fluffy deep house or slick U.K garage. Typically, the four cuts here – from the brilliantly broken, analogue-rich wonkiness of “B”, to the hypnotic, Chicago-influenced late-night jack of “D” – all tend towards the dark and clandestine, with the producer’s usual murky aural textures present throughout. There’s a slightly more positive feel to the clattering drum machine hits and simple, otherworldly synth lines that mark out closer “E”, while the thrusting, loopy “C” feels like a pitched-down take on his usual techno sound.
Beverly Hills 808303 @ Dekmantel Festival 06.08.2017
Beau Wanzer – Issue N. Twenty [JG020]
Kris Wadsworth – Breed 04 [BREED04]
Spoiled Drama – This Is Our Mission [F//006]
Spoiled Drama reemerges exhibiting their darker side on “This is Our Mission”, their debut on the label embodiment of Berlin’s Fleisch collective. The five track EP exhibits a unique range and dexterity, blurring lines between the realms of techno, EBM, acid and electro with a touch of maladjusted pop and post-punk. From the anxious beat and shimmering tones of “Another Death Experience” to the ritualistic war drums and heavily distorted vocals of “Kisses Are Out of Fashion”, expect to feel dizzied, unnerved, yet beckoned to move. The eponymous track closes out the EP in an undeniably Drexciyan fashion, low-pitched vocals emerging from watery depths in lush sweeping pads and dissonant melodies. A mission accomplished with style.
