The fourth LAQ is proudly made by Attic’s owner Fabrizio Lapiana. His melodic techno taste is employed into each track moving from hypnotic hard strings of the ”Cold In Summer” to the sour and acidic groove of ”Acid Smiles” (both on the first side). In the b-side Fabrizio goes into more hypnotic and obsessive sound. A sort of progressive-techno vibes served to people who never-stop dancing.
Black Merlin continues to push his retro-aggressive style forward to now- his new EP ‘Control’ for Boysnoize Records. Power, discipline, CONTROL- the word itself is inseparable from the aesthetic mythos of industrial music, channeled so adeptly by Black Merlin across the 4 track release. The first two cuts, ‘Control’ and ‘Secondo,’ capture the neurotic, mechanical energy of a fantasy after-hours in a weapons factory- the kind of sci-fi meets political unrest wet dream that was Amiga-tracked through every undercut, black booted teenager’s imagination in the late 80’s. Production evoking the most dancefloor forward moments of Front 242, a sound both retro and contemporary but firmly planted in dark and aggressive EBM… Sound familiar for a BNR release these days We hope so.
Black Merlin makes his debut on Omnidisc Records, with a two tracker of hard hitting distortion.
World of Rubber 3 is compiled to make you cry, love, stomp and vomit. Rebellious heavyhitter and lovely melodic excursion provided by Japanese Wave-duo Group A, acid smash and catchy synthpopper by Interstellar Funk, basement 808 TECH-NO-SHIT by DJ Overdose and Dutch ”Pop not Pop” by Leuk & Ko. Brought to you from Den Haag on a white immaculate platter with fresh inlay design.
Unearthed sees Blue Hour explore tribal rooted sounds inspired by British techno of the late 90’s. The two tracks offer a darker outing, focusing on breakbeat sampling, textural processing and subtle repetition making these ideal rhythmic tools for peak time dance floor use.
American experimental musican Shane English continues in a long tradition of outsider electronics as he’s been humbly prolific in his output though the years involving himself in numerous recording projects. Collaborating with Jonah Lange in their group Corporate Park as well as an ongoing collab with Beau Wanzer (seeing a release last year under the CP/BW name), English now commits his second full length solo offering to vinyl in the form of the General Dimensions lp.Sparse machine driven electronics dominate the recording providing a back drop for the occasional pulsating rhythm, metallic clank or floating obscured vocal. While it is a dark and sparse affair there is a quiet downtrodden beauty throughout giving the recording a sense of uncertain serenity in an almost shoegazey way. Highly recommended for those into early electronics.
Driven by the common 80’s DIY-attitude, the 4th Is The Way release happens to be a cooperation for an absolute one-side vinyl, Shinoby vs Hypnobeat (James Dean Brown + Helena Hauff). The one-track (9:19min) is rooted in the concept of a ‘neo-tribal’ approach; compressing electronics into an emotional, hypnotic and rhythmic core. The energy and the emotional impact of polyrhythms and the track turned out to be centered around the inimitable sound of the Roland TR-808 plus a wide range of analogues gear including up to eight synchronized rhythm machines
WHO’S THIS FACE!? After several strong and adventurous releases on Unknown Precept and Mannequin records, now it’s time to land on Knekelhuis for the next chapter. Meet Maoupa “Clown carrying butcher knife at Brussels” Mazzocchetti, known for his nervous, out of the box, thoughtful machine- driven electronics. You’ll love his powerful, distorted, gut-wrenching, yet danceable, black humour filled tunes! Would you please buckle up?
Rawax welcomes Final Chapter label boss Sean Dixon to the family. The swedish DJ and producer presents four melodic and groovy cuts for the vinyl only series.
Italy-born, Dublin-based producer Leopoldo Rosa aka Lerosa returns with his second EP in 2016 and continues a string of excellent releases for Croatian label Barba. “Your Soul” comes as the 9th release of Barba, and is very much in the area of previous ones – heady, mental and diverse. Lerosa effortlessly manoeuvres between genres on this 4-tracker, while at the same time keeping the overall sound and vibe consistent. 303-reminiscent synth serves as an underlying leitmotif which appears in every track, but in a different manner. Blood is an obvious A1, direct and trippy techno with a misty mood. With Duelist Lerosa wears his electro suit, while maintaining the atmosphere sketched out by the first track. Ghost sits right in between the first two, with its 1/2 tempo serving justice to the track’s feeling of neither resting nor moving. B2, Your Soul, is a house track with an elegant Lerosa twist on the classic Chicago vibe.
The 6th reference of Clasicos del Ruido is the result of a collaboration with Aitor Arch and Femur Club (club of reference in Madrid), and it is exclusively produced by artists who have performed at this well-known parties. The record opens with ‘Utopia’, a luminous, evocative and fascinating track by the German artist Hyboid, the undoubted leader of space and cosmic sounds. The British artist Kid Machine replicates on the same album side with the track ‘Fighting fears’, which includes echoes of disco and Den Haag sounds. On the other side of this 12inch, we will listen first to ‘Monologues’, a hypnotic-percussive track signed by the renowned French artist In Aeternam Vale. ‘Non auro, sed ferro’ by Hesperius Draco closes down the album, fizzing among their usual coordinates: horror disco, retro wave and soundtrack sounds. An album that brings together different artistic sensibilities in which both Clasicos del Ruido and Femur feel comfortable.
2016 remastered re-release of this essential dutch westcoast electro-techno classic, aka Interr-Fered Communications HM1202.
The elusive Vernon Felicity comes with a stark and stomping 4 tracker for the Basement series. Motorcity meets Harbourcity…
A debut release on Fina White from one of the most influential UK acid pioneers, Affie Yusuf. Hailing from Southampton on the south coast of England, Affie has been producing techno, acid, and house music for over two decades. The lead track, ‘Roland Hardware’, builds in energy from its intro of dark distorted vocals into trippy, acid fueled masterpiece. With its looping hooks it steadily increases in intensity to a crescendo of the kind of distorted bliss that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. An underground floor filler that harks back to a golden age of acid house. Taking things a little deeper, ‘Shinkantuiisu’ beautifully combines infectious funky grooving percussion with a dream esque melody. An elegant track with an enticing refrain and a rhythm that will have feet tapping and get any party started. ‘Spirit Acid’ rounds off this EP in fine style. This is acid house in its purest form with 909 beats, piano and a driving baseline. A psychedelic journey that is bound to get a great reaction in peak time sets.
The next chapter in the Creme Organization Ecplise series comes from Cosmic Garden with three original tracks and one remix from Orgue Electronique. Little is known about Cosmic Garden other than he is from Southern Italy and has had two EPs out in 2016, one on HotMix and one on Cosmic Rhythm. He heads out the blocks here with ‘Reptilian Treant’, six minutes of lo-fi deep house that is roomy and atmospheric. Lazy synths bring soul and a gentle chatter of claps and hits helps drive it along. ‘Rare Centaur’ is also way below the surface but is darker and more celestial, with turbulent bass, frantic claps and angelic chords glowing like a white light at the end of a tunnel. Dutch house and electro don Orgue Electronique then remixes ‘Reptilian Treant’ into something that is slick and serene, with metallic lines dancing above rubbery drums as big piano chords boucle up top. It is joyous and colourful and truly majestic before final track ‘Apocalyptic Moose’ takes us back down into a mournful house vibe that echoes Chicago with its roughhewn analogue textures and lovestruck chords.
