The first of the OMNI.VA series, featuring Barker & Baumecker, The Friend, Schmutz and Space Fresh. A dark territory.
techno
VA – Acido 20 [ACIDO020]
Never a label to be afraid of bucking expectations, the 20th Acido releases sees founder Dynamo Dreesen collaborating with regular colluder SVN and, surprisingly, Dave ‘A Made Up Sound’ Huismans. Of the three untitled tracks, it’s the A side where the production touch of A Made Up Sound is most discernible, thanks to the skipping, stripped back rhythmic kicks that propel the cut forwards. You can totally see Ben UFO getting plenty of mileage out of this one. It is the B side where the abstract inclinations of SVN and Dreesen come to the fore, with “Track 2” sinking meandering drums in a thick, foggy soup of sonics and delayed modular bleeps whilst the final track is jittering, minimal electronics at its most paranoid.
DMX Krew – Zsagi [ZSAGI]
After landing his malfunctioning PX-4000 on the purple planet, Captain DMX steps out of the smoldering cockpit. After barely setting foot on the dusty landscape, the Captain is startled by deep thudding from over the hills. Dragging his oxygen pack with one hand and his atomizer with the other, he sets off in search of the other-wordly din. Over the hill his pupils adjust to the stroboscopic lightning and below him lies a sea of strange creatures moving together as one body. A cosmic sermon takes place under the three suns in the sky, mechanical and stuttered frequencies set a manic pace and drive the dark creatures back and forth. Captain DMX sighs a heavy breath and starts to descend into the fray….
Chemotex – Thulsa [TTT036]
Under his Chemotex alias, Marcos Cabral has been one of The Trilogy Tapes most productive artists in recent times. Thulsa strives to get a balance between becalmed techno hypnotism, skuzzy grooves and gently melodious intent. This blend is perhaps most satisfyingly mixed on the industrial-tinged clank of “Delta City”, though the woozier, scuffled late night warmth of “Music For Security” pushes it close. Twice he heads towards deeper territory; first on the title track’s trance-inducing synthesizer loop groove, and secondly on the dubby, locked-in tech-house majesty of “Lorentz”.
Pulpo – Russian Torrent Versions 16 [CCCP016]
Bookworms and Max Ravitz aka Patricia team up as Pulpo and givimg you some dusty Brooklyn haze. While it may be challenging for most dancefloors, the guts and murk of these tracks are sure to get you in the proper headspace for a night sinking deep into the couch.
VA – DKMNTL X PATTA 02 [DKMNTLXPATTA002]
For the second installment of their four-part collaboration with Amsterdam streetwear brand Patta, Dekmantel unleash a tasty long sleeve t-shirt and another three previously unheard tracks from a trio of homegrown talents. Veteran producer and former Rednose Distrikt man Awanto3 kicks things off, joining the dots between the starry sounds of Detroit techno and Mood Hut style new age deep house on the dreamy “Cover Up”. Flip for the old skool Detroit techno-meets-deep house bounciness of Mark Du Mosch’s “2nd 5ystem”, and Robert Bergman’s “Wings”, an out-there, acid-flecked trip into deep space paranoia that defies easy categorization. All three tracks are undeniably strong, making this one of the more alluring volumes in an altogether excellent series.
Maoupa Mazzocchetti – 14.07.A [PRR001]
The first release on the new obscure Belgian label PRR! PRR! in coming from Maoupa Mazzocchetti. A proper belter for those who it love it raw and off the wall.
G-23 – Mongrando Mongrel Trax [SRTX006]
Super Rhythm Trax is back with a fresh new artist G-23 who delivers 2 monstrous slabs of Mongrel Acid music. “Kidding Kids” is an ultra fresh beast of a track that sits comfortably outside classification, melding Acid with a super heavy breakbeat and peppered with UK Garage references. “Mountain’s Acid” goes for a straight up 4/4 Acid track with a deep bubbling Acid line that hooks you early and keeps you locked throughout. On the B side label boss Jerome Hill is on remix duties turning in a tracky Acid version of Mountain’s Acid with a heavy bottom end and funky percussion
Alex Cortex – Multi [BAR003]
Cortex means the nerves in brain used for thinking. On fishing boat this part of brain can sometimes stop working due to lack of sleep and repetitive noise of sea. Alex Cortex is clever man who thinks much about music and also names because ‘Spike Train’ is actually a science word for what nerves do. This confuse simple fishermen at first because this track does not sound like a train, more like when you drive very fast and noises outside your window vanish fast into the distance so that you experience much in a short time. But does not matter as we like the sound – drums on this one are snappy and funksome with big deep bass and a lot happening to occupy nerves. As well as original there is nice mix from Florian Kupfer which is very much simpler and has loud scary kicks which are like the 90s gabber music but actually nice to listen to. ‘Multi’ EP also has ‘Time Texture’ which is maybe not so much a track for dancing to and sounds more like frog blowing bubbles in x-ray machine. Perseus Traxx takes this tune and adds a big descending electro bassline so frog can journey to centre of earth. People who wish techno to tingle head nerves and then forget about head nerves because body nerves are working should buy this record.
QY – Quatro / Zord / Skynet [UWE012]
QY are finally returning to their mothership with three tracks that immediately will take control of your hidden daydreams.
Paul du Lac @ Have A Nice Day Festival 04.07.2015
Marco Bernardi – Motionless [MATH082]
Given the prolific nature of his output and close links to Jamal Moss, it’s something of a surprise to find that Motionless is Marco Bernadi’s first outing on Mathematics. It sees the Bristol-based Glaswegian in suitably nostalgic mode, dropping a quartet of tracks that pop and crackle with vintage analogue rhythms, raw electronics, and intoxicated acid lines. The A-side boasts two chunks of electro/techno fusion, with the vintage rave stabs, relentless drum hits and barely audible vocal samples of “Shiny Windows” most impressing. Flip for the skittering rave breakbeats, foreboding chords and undulating acid lines of “Finite Space”, and “Hater of Love”, a sparkling fusion of sharp electronics, bubbling acid bass and foreboding, anti-fun vocals.
Mark Forshaw – The Fuck [BH020]
Berceuse Heroique continue their quest to put out only the most distorted, dystopian and intense techno cuts by turning to Mark Forshaw. The wild freakery of A-side “The Fuck” is strangely alluring, with ragged, undulating acid lines and psychedelic electronics – most notable in a trippy multi-speed breakdown – sitting alongside head-mangling, in-your-face beats. The flipside I.B.M. aka Jamal Moss Remix is a little more straightforward, but no less intense, with juddering, cyclical loops and deliciously darting synth lines riding a pounding but rolling techno groove.
Terriers – Second Labour of Hercules [MPR006]
New release on Major Problems featuring some glassy-eyed triptych of techno variations from Terriers.
Veronica Vasicka – XLR8R Podcast 396
Carlos Souffront – The Bunker Podcast 98
Jon Convex – Day After Day / Light Year [CONVEX010]
Jon Convex releases Day After Day with a Matrixxman Remix and Light Year – Inside (feat. Louisahhh) with a Mr G Remix.
Romans live @ The Bunker (NYC) 25.04.2015
Karen Gwyer – Bouloman [US008]
In yet another powerfully persuasive incursion the Berlin-based Nous imprint have invited Michigan’s Karen Gwyer to handle business for their 8th mothership release, who in turn has obliged with the really rather glorious ‘Bouloman EP’.
Florian Kupfer – Explora [TCLR003]
Florian Kupfer aligns with Fotomachine’s prospering Technicolour label and delivers four cuts that should be filed under ‘all killer, no filler’. First up “Explora (Slave)” gets all up in your face with its retro techno stomp but the chugging minimalist epic that is “Headpiece” is grinding, beatless affair. On the flip we have “Brute Force” which trances you out with its sinister analogue synth arpeggio; so simple but utterly effective. Finally there’s “Schpel” another experimental and atmospheric cut that is haunting as much as it is riveting.
The Hipodrome Of Music 