Len Faki – Basement Trax Vol. 01 [OSTGUUTT064]

Len Faki is no stranger to Ostgut Ton having mixed the label’s third Berghain CD back in 2009. The Basement Trax Vol 1 12″ signals Faki’s return to Ostgut Ton in impressive and diverse fashion. Lead track “Btx1” is dominated by the heavily processed treatment of some orgasmic sounding female vocals which are submerged deep in the mix and smeared greedily across the channels chased by whip cracking percussion. The flipside accompaniment “Btx2” is a tougher version with the tribalistic percussion gradually consumed by the vastness of Faki’s string arrangements and the final version “Btx3” sees Faki present a swirling mass of ambient calm.

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Len Faki – Basement Trax Vol. 01 [OSTGUUTT064]

N.A.D. – Dawn Of A New Age [RHRSS007]

Sometimes, through a combination of misfortune and bad timing, a fine record will go largely unnoticed on its original release. If it’s good enough, though, it will be rediscovered and reappraised through the hard work of record collectors. N.A.D’s The Dawn of a New Age, an unheralded British deep house classic, is one such example. Originally released by Tony Thorpe’s short-lived house label BPM Records in 1990, The Dawn of a New Age was on sale for little more than a week before it vanished from record store shelves, the victim of Rough Trade Distribution’s demise. BPM folded shortly after, consigning N.A.D’s first and only album to the annals of history as a little known and little-heard obscurity. The misfortune that beset the project arguably denied listeners more material from its hitherto unheralded creator, an English producer called Mustafa Ali. Before recording The Dawn of a New Age, he had created an early UK house classic, 1988’s “Close Jack Encounter”, as L.E Bass. Unlike much similar material of the period, The Dawn of a New Age still sounds fresh, futuristic and far-sighted. listen
N.A.D. – Dawn Of A New Age [RHRSS007]

Function – Incubation [OSTGUTLP024]

Function aka Dave Sumner presents “Incubation”, his first solo album on Ostgut Ton.  Over nine tracks we are guided through the varying moods and scenes of Function’s musical temperament. Be it through writhing layered club tracks, soaring string-led atmospheres, or melodic pieces founded on classic electronic traditions, ‘Incubation’ marks a new level of maturity for the Berlin-based producer.

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Function – Incubation [OSTGUTLP024]

Nukubus – Skylark [SDN001]

An electrotechno bomb by Nukubus on Syncom Data Records. Comes with the epic 13 minutes original, the hammering dub version and the trippy space mix by Louis Guilliaume in a wonderful double vinyl package.

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Nukubus – Skylark [SDN001]

Bad Cop Bad Cop – Wings Of Techno [POM032]

Bad Cop Bad Cop are underground veteran Alex Cortex (XX Badcop) and glam-tech-hero Lopazz (ZZ Badcop). So different they are in their respective solo-projects, so indistinguishably they melt their unique visions into one flow of effervescent creativity when they hit the studio or stage together. Bad Cop Bad Cop’s music is deeply rooted in early to mid-nineties techno, house, and electronica but at the same time peeps through wormholes into the future. Driving, roaring, epic, and cosmic are all apt descriptions of their sound, but so would be jacking, funny, surreal and -above all- alien. A typical trip to Bad-Cop-Land is a full on crash through a psychedelic wall of sound that has to be experienced rather than understood. Now, Pomelo label brings Bad Cop Bad Cop’s debut album “Wings of Techno”. It’s a trippy puzzle of styles and moods that blends the most absurdly divergent tracks effortlessly into one coherent piece of intriguing musicality.

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Bad Cop Bad Cop – Wings Of Techno [POM032]

Marco Bernardi – Motorways [FBR014]

Picked up by the ever-nurturing and discerning ears of Futureboogie Recordings, Marco Bernardi is a live act with a solid line in cuts of epic splendor. Marco delivers the ‘Motorways EP’ – sweet electronic melodies fused with the raw analogue sounds. A-side ‘Motorways‘ is a gem of a party starter – sounding like a classic smashed up and put together in the future with extra swagger, the infectious melody and quirky organ keys will hook the crowd while the kick drives and the melodic textures and acid synth lines build up with unbridled, bubbling joy. On the flip, ‘Space Coral’ is a sound wall of futuristic bleeps and cosmic pastures with old school bassline undertones sounding like a tribute to Derrick Carter’s Sound Patrol Orchestra while ‘Cosmic Aroma’ is a heady mix of warm floating pads and lively electronic keys. listen
Marco Bernardi – Motorways [FBR014]

Hakim Murphy – Analog Schema EP [INST001]

https://imagescdn.juno.co.uk/300/CS481000-01A-MED.jpg

Instruction is a new label based in Rome. ‘Analog Schema’ is a trip into industrial Chicago Hyperspace gate. Side A is a mix of deep and techno Chicago sound with space pad and amazing drums. Bumps (b1) is more static, perfect for a sound dark and full. Throuw Up (mapleAve) B2 has a more minimal sound, good for an after-hours psychedelic session.

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Hakim Murphy – Analog Schema EP [INST001]

Samo DJ – Tai Po Kau [LIESBLK003]

Cover art - Samo DJ: Tai Po Kau

More twisted dome-wreckers from Samo again surfacing on the L.I.E.S.-BLK sublabel. One track throws down a Latin vibe somewhat in keeping with his first effort for the label, while the other two deploy sample-heavy, smoked-out production over slamming bass for something that goes a bit outside of the norm.

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Samo DJ – Tai Po Kau [LIESBLK003]

Vereker – EP 2 [LIES020]

Second EP from Vereker picks up right where the last one left off starting with the track Fear Eats the Soul which somehow reminds us of Nitzer Ebb meets techno meets your face in a meat grinder. Chock full of paranoia, deceit, and all things bad that happen that you wish never would, the remainder of the ep continues on in a bleak and unforgiving manner painting
a grim picture of the decaying present and lost future. Heavy music for the dark hours.

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Vereker – EP 2 [LIES020]