techno
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.
Patrik Skoog – Exit Earth [3ELP-201311]
Exit Earth is Patrik Skoog’s first solo album under his own name. He has released on Drumcode as Patrik Skoog, but it is as Agaric that he is best known. As Agaric he has released tracks on his We Are label and on Josh Wink’s Ovum Recordings (the album Who Made Up The Rules in 2011). As Agaric, Patrik inhabited a more Housier planet. With Exit Earth he has produced one of 2013’s best Techno albums. Exit Earth is a Techno album. Purely electronic. It is intentionally forward thinking, not retrospective. It is inspired by the twin space crafts Voyager 1 and 2 sent out by NASA in the late 70s on interstellar missions, which up to and beyond the very day of recording this album have been exploring the planetary systems of Jupiter, Saturn and the outer reaches of our solar system. Third Ear Recordings is proud to release Exit Earth. It is imaginative. It is beautifully written, played and produced. It reminds us how much we love Techno.
Svreca – Övergång EP [WU036]
Spanish DJ and producer, Svreca has been travel ling around the world for a while and his label Semántica has earned its place amongst the best cult labels. This release comes in two versions: a four-track EP and a six-track digital release with two bonus edits by Oscar Mulero.
Nuklear Default – 303 [SONICULTUREUNLIMITED013]
New floor filling EP where Lewis Fautzi, now re-baptized as Nuklear Default, takes us on another joyful ride of groovy techno. Explorations in acid are the mottos of 303 and Acid is back. Rocking and Intense are just few words we can use to describe these floor filling bombers. Filthy goes in another direction, where dub and techno are present and arranged with very strong drum programming. Again, the dancefloor is the target and the will to go crazy should arise and be huge.
Giorgio Gigli & Obtane – Perception Through Dissonance [PP039]
Perception Through Dissonance features a collaboration project from Giorgio Gigli and Obtane. Each production is filled with deep philosophical undertones creating a very nostalgic experience. This release also features a remix from the illusive stateside artist Rrose. This three cut journey starts with “Industrial Assaults” showcases a circadian rhythm style production reminiscent of an old John Carpenter film filled with scattered decaying elements, unearthly soundscapes and brutal baselines. Next in line is Rrose’s interpretation of “Industrial Assaults” which highlights deconstructed elements, warping aquatic molecules and erratic eccentric builds. Ending our journey is an experimental tool that embraces the feeling of solitariness in some alien landscape playing true to the name “Ambient Drama”.
Stenny & Andrea – Vostok Smokescreen [IT020]
Ilian Tape presents a new release coming from Stenny and Andrea. Versatile EP with 4 rough melodic machine funk techno tracks.
Raw M.T. – Raw Music Theory EP [WB012]
Our new release ”Raw Music Theory EP” is the debut for the young but very talented Italian producer Raw M.T. The opening tune, ”Walkman Is Dead” does, in fact, sound a bit like dismay over a broken piece of domestic electronics. As if the original wasn’t weird enough, it is backed with L.I.E.S’ very own Greg Beato’s remix that would easily make it into one of these fashionable screwed up mixes that everyone seems to enjoy so much these days. Keeping it so lo-fi it nearly crosses the line of DJ-unfriendliness, Greg stretches the original synths, delivering something on the unexpected-yet-welcome border of trance, speed garage and powerhouse. On the flip, a more laid-back and relaxed ”Sara”, possibly dedicated to a special one, takes us all the way back to the Drexciya times.
In Aeternam Vale – Machine à Laver [MW049]
Minimal Wave is proud to present a third 12” single from our French favorites, In Aeternam Vale. The single features two more epic, pioneering masterpieces. Machine à Laver (Washing Machine) sounding much like its title, is 12 minutes of pure electronic hypnotica. And the flip side is a more straightforward 127 bpm 11 minute number entitled Ultrabase – which is an unashamed slab of innovative dub techno from 1990, existing completely outside of its genre. Neither of these tracks have ever been released before.
Luger – „misticism halvingradez” [:hlvngpdcst#6:]
Crystal Maze – Enter the Maze LP [ADEPTH010]
Formed of Italian producer Ma Spaventi and Dutchman G-String aka Gijs Poortman, whose releases for the likes of M>O>S and Echovolt have provided some of Holland’s most interesting deep techno output, Crystal Maze arrive on aDepth Audio with their debut album, Enter The Maze. With only two 12? releases to their name, a full album of Crsytal Maze material is an ambitious statement from the pair, but one that sees Spaventi and Poortman continue to develop the Crystal Maze sound which has been characterised a decidedly dark edged manipulation of analogue techno. Across ten tracks the duo display a wide variety of sounds and influences; “Slow Swirl” sounds like Drexciya taken down to a lumbering, mid-tempo groove, “Indian Tape” combines rubbery, ghetto house textures with swelling deep house chords, “Mirrors Chamber” comes across like the sub aquatic dub techno of Porter Ricks, while “Dr Claw” creates a low slung, warped vision of Detroit techno’s first wave. An ambitious album, yes – but one that more than succeeds.
The Hipodrome Of Music 