techno
Hieroglyphic Being – A Synthetic Love Life: +++10 Love [MATHSPLUS010]
“A Synthetic Love Life” is an 8 track “compilation of experimental tunes & sonic art in retrospect from 1996-2013”. Mathematics label boss/founder Jamal Moss releases some of his more challenging tunes on the Mathematics Plus side label. Limited pressing, hand stamped with printed insert.
Neil Landstrumm – Like A Sultan EP [RAWAX003LTD]
The Scottish techno veteran with some forward-thinking & energetic pumping house/bass tracks!
Xosar – Retreat 2 Rapture EP [ENS001]
Ensemble is dedicated to togetherness and deep, timeless house music, initiated by 22tracks.com Brussels house selectors Gratts and Kong. First release by none less then Xosar plus a remix by Xan Xosa aka San Soda.
R-Zone – R-Zone 07 [RZONE007]
The much loved R-Zone series continues apace here with three more rough analogue jams for its seventh release. ‘If U Going Thru Hell Keep Going’ is a paranoid, angsty bit of house jack with a busy synth line, hard hitting percussion and plenty of muddy, murky atmosphere. ‘Emojako’ is even more unhinged and off filter with its weird hooks, dusty hi hats and intense drum workouts. It’s a physical one that will fuck with your mind as it changes direction freely, and final track ‘Subatomi’ is just as freaky and left of centre. The synths are lively and charming, spraying about above a cacophony of woody percussion and heavy drums. It’s grainy and roughhewn but groovy and catchy at the same time.
The Valley & The Mountain – Black Planet LP [WEME313.13]
Beauty and power within art often come from unknown sources, made by people mysteriously working deep in the shadows. Detroit-based electronic music project, The Valley and The Mountain (TVTM) embody this truth.
Dungeon Acid – Dungeon Jams [ZAQUA]
Direct out of deepest Neukolln emerges Z O D I A C 4 4. Rusty, broken and cantankerous we spill forth our first ever release with Dungeon Acid at the helm. Dungeon Jams sees the Swedish producer summon madness from the depths of his mind and unleashes it on the world via his Computerriddimdrummachiner and the Analoguewavecombosignalizer. Aboard the pirate ship are fellow Viking Rivet and Nordic saint DJ Fett Burger with both bringing their own inimitable and unparalleled sonic grooves to the battleground.
RA.389 L.B. Dub Corp vs P.A.S.
Cosmin TRG – Terminus Abrupt [50WEAPONSRMX08]
Serge @ Clone x Delsin x Rush Hour ADE Special, Trouw (Amsterdam) 18.10.2013
Dario Zenker @ Arma17 (Moscow) 05.10.2013
L.B. Dub Corp – Unknown Origin [OSTGUTTONCD029]
Ostgut Ton presents ‘Unknown Origin’ the debut album from Luke Slater’s L.B. Dub Corp moniker. The ten tracks recorded at Spacestation Ø form a hymnal intent on transporting you back to the roots. Digging deep into the history of dance music, ‘Unknown Origin’ dares to ask the big questions and offers noeasy answers. Instead, deep spiritual dubs are side- by-side with slices of piano house, and handsome slabs of techno contrast with the words of the silver-tongued poet Benjamin Zephaniah.
Borai – Last Time Out [NUDES003]
After his last solo appearance for Tasteful Nudes served up a dose of sunkissed house music that was soft to the touch but steeped in musicality, Bristol’s Borai now transfers his considerable ear for melodics to a tougher template of 4/4. “Last Time Out” is built around a ripped beat that snaps hard on the clap and struts purposefully on the hats, but it’s the insistence of the chord stab that will embed the tune in the minds of all and sundry. It’s still positively catchy, but it moves with a more weighted presence. “Midnight Run” is more thoughtful, turning to romantic Detroit strings to tell a drawn out story compared to the snappy riffs that have peppered other Borai tracks.
Fred P @ Boiler Room 05.10.2013
A Sagittariun – Dream Ritual [EDREAMSLP001]
The shadowy UK techno artist, A Sagittariun, releases his debut album this November, to coincide with the Sagittarius zodiac period. “Dream Ritual” comes off the back of a steady stream of well received EPs from ‘The Archer’ on his own Elastic Dreams label, releases that have captured the imaginations of the electronic community for their depth and diversity, where old techno breaks collide with Detroit techno aesthetics, ambient dub sits alongside industrially charged electro, and many more sound palettes inbetween. “Dream Ritual” continues this journey through moods and tempos, each track sprinkled with this stargazing quality. Opening track “Sundial” sets the tone, the percussive elements teasing in and out of a melodious, thick analogue cloud. “Dream Ritual” represents the versatility of A Sagittariun, and presents a collection of music for the listening experience as opposed to a dancefloor record, hopefully following the lineage of some of the classic techno and electronic albums that have paved the way and most definitely influenced A Sagittariun on this record.
Voiski – Iai Movement [LIES036]
A gem of the Parisian underground electronic music world for those who know, Voiski hits us with three tracks of high bpm techno. The b-side hits hard with the epic “From Sea to Sea” a monstrously beautiful building track that does all the right things in the right places just when you want them to happen.
Mosca – A Thousand Years’ Wait [ANN018]
Next Ann Aimee release comes from UK tastemaker and Radio 1 presenter Mosca. First up is ‘It’s Not What It Looks Like’ – a hunched over, industrial tinged house groove with rattling percussion and a heavy kick drum. Fully of grainy textures and clanging machines, the whole thing is backlit with serene pads and smeared with deft synth patterns. ‘Kneecap’ is even more direct, with tiny little off kilter chords bringing a sense of paranoia to the barrelling beats and bristling percussion. It’s muscular and heavy yet inviting, whilst final offering ‘Press Up’ is a beautifully swung bit of deep and atmospheric house – all the edges are nicely frayed and the whole thing is smoothed over with misty textures as the barrelled-up sense of funk grows more and more lively as things progress.
UELI – Russian Torrent Versions 1 [CCCP001]
Casey Tucker – Know 2/2 [KNOE2/2]
After the success of Casey’s first chapter on For Those That Knoe, he returns with three more liquid techno tracks, unearthed from his 90s archive. Two unreleased pieces are pressed alongside an absolutely rare deep gem from the Fine Balance vaults. ‘Tanita’ is bright and melancholic bringing its phased soaring pads and slippery acid funk. Yet again Casey delivers a unique take on Techno, shattering those preconceptions of the genre’s dark and moody melodies with warmth, swing and harmony. The flip sees ‘Stratosphere’, a drop down into the abyss with a haunting lead, moody pads and a squelchy arpeggiated synth. The track speaks through the pure emotion of the harmonies Casey creates; able to tell a number of stories through his melody. The B2 plays host to a perhaps more stereotypical 90s style tech house track. The chord stabs and intrinsic delay patterns of ‘Secret Desire’s breathe funk over swinging rimshots and sizzling hi hats. The track sets itself apart from most 90s tracks with clever arrangements, an unpredictable but bumping bass line and some fine live work on the synths and groove boxes.
Dario Zenker – Alto Fragments [IT021]
Ever committed to the techno cause, Dario Zenker returns once more to his own Illian Tape imprint with four intense statements of how classic and modern elements should be fused to make timeless tracks. “27 Northwest” undoubtedly has a whiff of original Detroit about it, but there’s no escaping how much of a hook the lead synth is over the tough but dextrous beat. “Cooking Booking” meanwhile exists somewhere in that discordant realm Kevin Saunderson dipped his toes into before rave emerged as its own offshoot, all the time still pounding out a detailed broken techno pattern. “Growin” gets a little more heady in its use of old-skool chords before “Karlim” softens the edges of the EP with a glorious slice of emotive techno.
The Hipodrome Of Music 