Spherical Coordinates, aka Oscar Mulero and Christian Wünsch, have joined forces in the studio and made four new cuts of spatial futuristic techno. With the minimum elements, it is hypnotic, rough and repetitive. A stylistic U turn that brings us a more personal sound palette, something we should appreciate very much in this era of continuously cloned works.
Luke Slater’s most well-known pseudonym Planetary Assault Systems is back in the fullest swing with ‚No Exit‘, a standalone EP following his famed ‚Deep Heat‘ installment series. ‚No Exit‘ unmistakably bears all the hallmarks of Planetary Assault System, from mind-tripping and floor-stirring hypnotic energy to the theme of pushing the outer limits of unknown territories.
Subtlety and class are what ultimately set apart certain techno releases from the multitude of records coming out each week. With this new four track EP on M_REC Ltd. Grey Series, Echologist (aka Brendon Moeller) skillfully incorporates a wide range of ideas, delivering an affective and fascinating piece of unconventional far out techno. ‘Impossibility’, the opening track, stands at the crossroad of dub techno and so-called mutant house, with its mean bass drum carrying a smooth analog melody through a field filled with sharp and trippy sounds, in a journey that is dark and sexy at the same time. ‘Geographica’ is more experimental, with its proggy and psychedelic sounds laid on a set of mutating beats traveling through rawness and distortion. Stuff that can only come out of real machines. On the flip side, ‘Too Far Gong’ is an oppressive and haunting track: dark spaced out electro. The closing track, ‘Drug Company’ remains on the same trajectory, but pusher things farther on an heavier dubby drumscape, taking advantage of the brain-liquifying properties of piercing sounds. Meant to belong in every dark and uncompromising set.
For their next release Creme Organization turn to an emerging producer in the form of young Belgian Innershades. With but one previous release on Ukraine’s Wicked Bass label, little is known of the man other than the fact that he produces heavyweight techno with a purposeful and dubbed out menace. The first cut here, ‘Nina At The Boiler Room’ is a mid tempo stomper with grainy textures and musky ambiance run through with a wild acid line and classic pinging cowbells. It’s potent and feverish and forever builds to a peak, at which point a searching horn sound surveys the desolate landscapes. ‘No Stoppin’ is more like dub house, shrouded as it is in plenty of echo, delay and rueful and romantic pads. Last cut ‘The Future’ is the most up beat and peak time of the lot. It’s a bouncy, nimble bit of analogue house with sombre pads, busy melodies and a healthy scattering of percussion that brings plenty of kineticism to the mix. Three fine tracks that will surely have the world keeping an eye on Innershades from here on in.
Debut release from Delroy Edwards’ new label L.A. Club Resource. Dark & ruff beat tracks for the club. no frills..straight from L.A.
Three tracks of techno funk straight from Saturn on Hakim Murphy’s label. Classic Jamal Moss harsh raw Chicago tracks.
Having established Optimo Music as a truly eclectic label more than worthy of the Optimo (Espacio) night it grew out of, JD Twitch and co. expand operations with the launch of the club specific Optimo Trax label. The all encompassing approach of Optimo Music remains the driving force behind this new offshoot, with the label apparently taking in both current artists and excavated “forgotten classics” and it’s with the former that they launch. Little is yet to be known about the London producer L/F/D/M, credited as R. Smith, who was apparently encouraged to pursue music production while studying art with Factory Floor’s man on electronics, Dominic Butler. Taking Butler’s advice, L/F/D/M delivers a strong five track of EP of deep, analogue-fueled acid techno which simultaneously draws upon the influences of the motor and windy cities, while also incorporating the more sinister strands of European techno.
More Than A Marathon marks the debut release for Super Public. Predominantly recorded with analog hardware, the EP is an immediate classic – a must have for any techno enthusiast or DJ. Groove heavy synth funk and dreamy string-laden rhythms suggestive of standout tracks on Carl Craigs More Songs About Food And Revolutionary Art occupy side A. The flip side is filled with deeper dance floor friendly tracks sonically reminiscent of the Transmat catalog. Chambray is proud to release the second pressing of ”More Than a Marathon,” which quickly sold out in shops when originally self-released by Super Public in September 2011.
New A Made Up Sound! Following up on the frantic start-stop action of the Ahead/Endgame whitelabel from earlier this year, number 6 in the series features two expansive semi-live trips. ‘After Hours’ offers a brooding alternative soundtrack to that most underrated of Scorsese movies, while ‘What Preset’ sounds like a launch into stratospheric jazz territory by way of some restless broken hardcore shuffle.
A new release by René Pawlowitz, regardless if it is as Head High, Wax, EQD, WK7, The Traveller, Shed or any of his other project names, is always big news. “The Dirt / Fluid 67” is the first new Shed release since his fantastic third album “The Killer” on 50 Weapons released in July 2012. The single unites 2 of the main elements of the Shed sound: dry and puristic functional techno on the A-Side and UK rave euphoria on the B-Side.
Acid house curmudgeons Killekill have unveiled Hyperfocus, Alex Cortex’s fifth EP for the Berlin label-conglomerate since he launched it in 2011 as one half of Bad Cop Bad Cop. Hyperfocus’ two originals blend acid house and gritty techno with Killekill’s ironic rave aesthetic, while a sleek-yet-beat-down Skudge remix muscles up the B-side for some extra eye candy.
The Romanian hotshot Cosmin TRG gets his work reshaped by two of the best contemporary remixers. Marcel Dettmann is best known for his industrial-tinged techno, but his remix of the title track casts a different light on him. Shards of delicate, metallic percussion provide the basis for Dettmann to deliver fragile melodies and a mysterious electronic groove. It’s an impressive about turn for the German producer, but not quite as jaw-droppingly unusual as Lee Gamble’s version of “Noise Code”. There, razor sharp hats soar in over a pacey, tracky rhythm that stops, starts and collapses to reveal a wobbly, cartoonish bassline. Just before the end, Gamble lets the track descend into abstract mushiness, a fitting end to an idiosyncratic remix package.
Tin Man returns to Acid Test with the club ready track ”Mystified Acid”. the 12” also includes two remixes from his ”Neo Neo Acid” album: ”Finger Paint” remixed by RVDS and Joey Anderson’s remix of ”Futurist Acid”.
More hardware driven soul grinding dance music from Muhk with Matti Turunen’s Morphology partner, Michael D (CRC) behind the machines this time. Melt away in the 90’s synth stabs and the 909 mastery.
Brilliant chicago / detroit house cuts on Night Drive Music. Myles Serge and Whim-ee joining forces for a raw and oldschool infected split EP. The icing on the cake are two remixes they did for each other.
Next to the regular catalogue number, here comes a strictly limited 3LP handmade package including represses of all parts from Daniel’s “In Days Of Old” voyage. Kann locks the awesome project with a complete collection of all tracks from “#one – #nine” that teases out Daniel Stefanik’s many-faced shining talents in techno and house music.
The Hipodrome Of Music 