Anthony Rother @ Fuse (Brussels) 24.06.2023
techno
The Exaltics – The Seventh Planet LP [CWCS022LP]
Clone Records releases the new sci-fi electro-techno album by The Exaltics. Its the 3rd album project for Clone Records after the 2014 ”Some Other Place” and critically acclaimed 2019 album ”2 Worlds”. The Exaltics deliver an album full of futuristic modern techno tracks with beautiful distant atmospheres, alienating techno tracks and energetic robotic electro beats. Joined by Paris the Black Fu & Mr. Remy for a critical view on the current state of affairs on our home planet.
Rapid Ear Damage – R.E.D. LP [HNRLP031]
With distorted arpeggiated synthesisers and cold metallic drum-machine patterns, William Wiffen from Yorkshire invites you to his sonic warzone. Höga Nord Rekords presents R.E.D. (Rapid Ear Damage), a stripped and harsh take on postpunk, motorik and EBM. With haunting and reverbdrenched synthesizers, Wiffen’s new project sometimes resembles acts like Two Lone Swordsmen in their dirtiest moments. R.E.D. is not a wholesome and pleasant experience. Heavily modified vocals, used more like an additional instrument, breaks through the distorted, hard, backbeat, contributing to the feeling of being trapped in a mental slit trench or bomb shelter: no light coming in – only sound.
Radiation 30376 @ HÖR (Berlin) 24.06.2023
VA – Shadow Terminal [SYNT005]
After some time of laying in the dark, the Warsaw-based Syntetyk label and club night series emits waves yet again with their very first cassette release by various friends from the local and global underground. Tape starts with a pathos ambient track by Mchy i Porosty, followed by a desert night drive dub by Rapha. The A side continues with a wavy melodic thumper by Olivia, accompanied by a nostalgic club diver by Czech maestro Exhausted Modern and a punkish fast paced hymn done by the Colombian prodigy – Filmmaker. The B side opens with Dogpatrol’s broken jungle track and carries on with Astma’s industrial dub-driven tune. Album slowly comes to a close with a nasty distorted wave by Dyktando, dystopian radiation emitter by Chino and ends with Mala Herba’s folk inspired epic ambient drone.
Chris Mitchell – No Consensus [FCT002]
Feral Colony is the label of U.S. based artist Chris Mitchell (Vanguard Sound, Annunaki Cartel), focused on direct, improvised methods. The second cassette release “No Consensus” is a 7 grimey tracks album by Chris Mitchell himself.
Lennard Ypma – Ladies Jam [VOLREC001]
Leftfield electro and acid for Lennard Ypma’s debut ‘Ladies Jam – on his own label Volunar Records. BLS and GH-1S on the A-side make up for a heavy West Coast and electro journey. The remix of GH-1S by Beau Wanzer is also not to be missed, with his signature touch and a nauseating bassline. Flip the record to the B-side for two mind-bending acid cuts. Ladies Jam is a heavily distorted and mechanic track with eerie leads that will drag you through acid punches, while Betonsmeer offers a slowed-down bunker-style cruise with earworming acid and heavy percussion.
Shokh – S/T [BT78]
BT78 sees the return of Shokh, presenting his first material in two years. Having contributed previously to the Cold Readings VA and with outings on Omnidisc and Kompakt, the producer presents his stone cold take on retrofuturism across four tracks.
Russ Gabriel – Work It EP [RMCE021]
Ferox mastermind, Mr. Russ Gabriel, with his second release on Rawax Motor City Edition. Work It EP a Masterpiece for deepnes.
Mark Ambrose – The Journey Vol.3 [REPEAT16]
Over the years veteran producer Mark Ambrose wrote some of the most unique, energetic house / techno tracks. The Journey is an essential and timeless compilation that collect his most rare and hard to find classics. Volume 3.
PRZ – Synthetic Man [CWCS020]
Powerful and alienating electro-techno tracks from PRZ. The ‘Synthetic Man’ gives us a little view of how his LFO brain works and delivers a fierce follow-up on his 1st release on Clone.
Mike Parker – The Devil’s Curators Vol. 3 [SPAZIO026]
Mike Parker lands his third chapter in The Devil’s Curators series on Spazio Disponibile. Impressively warping time and tempo’s with five iconic cuts of his deep mind trips. From down tempo acid riffs to shuffling dnb, hysteric drones and his trademark metal kick drums, it’s another package showing true style isn’t bound to one genre.
Zorz @ Intergalactic FM Festival 2023
John Heckle – Return To Titan [IR-004]
Intrinsic Rhythm presents a new EP by John Heckle entitled “Return To Titan” and the first on the the label from a different artist other than label owner Tr One. This is John’s first release under his own name for a number of years and also includes a remix by Michigan techno visionary John Beltran.
Sacred Stones – Sacred Stones 02 [TM-XX2]
The second outing from Transmigration’s anything goes sub-label Sacred Stones. Four DJ edits covering repurposed free techno, extended proto trance and a cosmic jam with Cocktail D’Amore resident Trent.
Timothy J. Fairplay – Hot Night For Slum Lord EP [IM013]
UK based studio wizard Timothy J. Fairplay returns to Italo Moderni with a masterpiece EP including remixes by Dj Overdose, Intergalactic Gary and Univac. Three originals and three remixes influenced by italo disco with catchy basslines and acid harmonies. It is not a surprise that Italo Moderni & Timothy J. Fairplay are great combination together and this is a fine example of his quality studio productions.
Ekman – The Strange Vice of.. Ekman [CREME12-102/CREME12-103]
Creme Organization presents a retrospective of sorts, compiled from dozens of unreleased tracks from literally two decades of producing, these gems were collecting dust in the vaults of Ekman. Ekman takes us to a journey deeper into the woods with his unique brooding electro, vivid sparkling soundscapes and minimum for the maximum dirty brown The Hague Acid (TM). Evocative and eerie electro from the Dutch master. The compilation is splitted into two parts including 7, respectively 6 tracks.
Levon Vincent – Work In Progress [NS-47]
Levon Vincent returns with his fifth studio album, titled Work In Progress, the follow up to 2022’s Silent Cities cassette release. Progress sees the dub techno and NY house auteur throw away any overarching concept, apart from the idea that it must move you. Work In Progress is a collection of club ready jams that form the latest productions from Levon’s incredibly prolific run of 12”s he’s pressed on his own label Novel Sounds, directly for the next weekend’s sets. Rather than his previous albums presenting a finished story, his fifth presents a diarist’s work in progress, his latest club constructions, many raising the BPM to 140 to reflect the faster pace of his latest DJ sets.
Redshape – Acid Leak [RB117]
Redshape’s visits to Running Back are a welcome recurrence and a soothing reminder that techno and house can still come in several shapes and sizes. Related and referring to earlier acid studies on Release Me and to a certain extend on Rise, the masked man continues to find new approaches to the 303 canon with Acid Leak.
The Jaffa Kid – Polysynthesis pt. 2 [030EP027]
Daniel Pringle aka The Jaffa Kid returns to 030303 with a heavy and versatile five tracker. Amazon is a futuristic cut, reminiscent of Gerald Donald’s Arpanet project, but a little faster and even more otherworldly. On Drum Mode, Pringle adds some dramatic melodic layers to a bare steadily rolling kick drum – making it a perfect track for a melancholic rave. In the Morning, the first one on the flip, is a beautiful, arpeggio-driven electro jam that should appeal to fans of early Legowelt. We then enter breakbeat territory with the droney, mid-tempo Etafe warming you up for Rudiman, where Jaffa Kid lets Lynn Collins’ famous Think sample run wild in a spooky way. Stunning stuff.
The Hipodrome Of Music 