Perseus Traxx makes his Schrödinger’s Box debut with a 4-track EP of experiments forged in the depths of Northern England. Pristine plateaus and eerie sweeps cover the entire first side, a Perseus Traxx from 2090, shimmering in and out of phase within a murky acidic landscape. Introspective and thoughtful throughout. Timothy J Fairplay finishes off the final quarter with a summer-garden Techno banger.
The first of a new series of VA releases, Casting Shadows reimagines archival music through the eyes of our favorite DJs. Each volume is overseen by a different selector, inviting us to look through the peephole of their crates. Cutting the ribbon, we invite German luminary Mick Wills. Active over 3 decades, a perennial influence and looming figure across the wave and techno scenes. Wills refashions 3 of his favourites, giving them the trademark ‘Cut’ treatment for tender floors worldwide. The first track sees a crucially overlooked Baby Red Torres number 7” fully expanded to 5 am percussive meltdown business. Next up synth-botherer Paul Nagle sees his early tape emission‘The Mesomeric Effect’ re-cut by cool hand Mick, coming in hot & throbbing in all the right ways. Closing on a dramatic note, Kehrschliefe’s Leonid Brezhnev (previously on Polytechnic Youth) is opened up, ripped apart and smartly re-dressed, oozing class and menace. 3 cuts your way from one of our favourite basement surgeons. Look out for the second volume of Casting Shadows, carefully compiled by an interplanetary presence.
The latest in the synth-heavy sludgedown from Public System Recordings, invites a new cast of characters into the dungeon dance. The common theme throughout this sampler of titans of industrial the world over, seems to be wide, slowed down melancholy. Some tracks take a floor-friendly jump, while others demand the attentive consumption of a more serene setting. These two discs are packed with dynamic, chugging, and forward thinking jams that make you mesh all things PSR is passionate for.
In The Dark Again 11 brings together 5 great tracks. The Bleak Engineers from St. Petersburg (Svetlana Zombierella and Alexander Moralez), lead the way with their irresistible groove and melancholic synth melodies on – Scientific Science’. Next up with a heavy hitter called – PTP’ is Synkronized, the specialist in dark electronic sounds out of Russia. Coming in third on the A Side is a fascinating sinister baseline with a hypnotic build-up titled – Electronic Humming’, produced by Pablo Dissko (born in Greece, living in Amsterdam). The B-side keeps it rolling with Greek artist KSTS’ wicked Electro on his vocoder-driven tune: – Three Hundred Dark Times’. Closing out the collection is Alavux (born in Serbia, living in Macedonia), another true Electro master delivering a banger called – Bender’, that leaves absolutely no questions.
Hungarian electro wizard, Norwell presents his first release for Lobster Theremin. A kaleidoscopic journey of electro flavours and warm, punchy robotic space magic.
Broken English Club presents the second part in the White Rats trilogy, a full-length double vinyl album that focuses heavily on the dancefloor with droning techno, head banging acid and cinematic synth noise. This album continues Oliver Ho’s musical journey, fusing techno with industrial post punk and textures of death metal producing a unique electronic vision. Ideas and influences that went into the writing of the album was the dark soul of Wormwood scrubs prison in west London and the obsessions in the JG Ballard book Crash. White Rats II stands as a relentless and personal portrait of techno and all the things that feed into the creation of it.
Barro from Spain brings for the second release a compilation of six industrial tracks from Betek, Nole, Orlok 101 and Persona Non Grata.
Torrent unleashes 8 malevolent creatures that writhe, scream and fight their way across both sides.
Dimi Angelis’ eighth release on his ANGLS label is essentially a tale of four brothers. Four separate tracks, clearly related yet with distinctive qualities that sets each of them apart in its own unique way. ”Out Of Nowhere” does its name justice by hitting home from its opening bars, throwing a messy sawtooth layered with evolving percussion at the listener. Following suit, ”Funky Lizard” is an amalgamy of trippy, filtered arps blended with a classic rhythm section. Damage guaranteed.
Private Selection Records founder and curator Dreams comes crashing in with a 6-tracker falling between thick body music and gnarly, frenzied electro. With ragged rhythms, reverberating synths and heart-wrenching vocal elements these tracks tie together a dystopian journey beginning with sheer rampage, leading to devastation and ending in hopeless ruin.
The fifth release of the label returns us to the first compilation universe. This time in orbit you can hear (as in the first release) the French producer Umwelt with the apocalyptic doom core track ‘Fallen Empire’. Also a collaboration of the Mosaique label owner Moralez and the legendary American EBM/ Hard Core artist The Horrorist. They were joined by a hypnotic composition from the Mannequin label owner Alessandro Adriani and accidentally surviving track (after the death of the artist’s music storage) from Greek artist Morah, who’s was released on Helena Hauf’s label Return To Disorder.
Kris Baha is back on Pinkman Records following up his ‘Can’t Keep The Fact’ EP last year with another great release rich in energy, rhythm and under the influence of his Master. In ‘My Master’ Kris expertly fuses the past and present amidst sonic aesthetics of 80s new-wave, minimal synth and post-punk – all this in amongst fierce percussion, wired sequenced baselines and his vocals up front, revealed and out of the dubby shadows. The result is 6 tracks dribbling with nostalgia in a 2019 context and in classic Kris fashion, can be played on the dance floors of your mind right through to dance floors of reality. In this release Kris submits himself, wholly to his master, which is himself. Who is your master?’
Having collaborated over the years in several projects, Endless Illusion and brokntoys join forces for a trilogy of EPs to showcase unique talent across the globe. Meeting somewhere across both label’s middle grounds, the first volume of Human Abstracts captures an array of international players operating at the fringes of the ‘floor’. Colombian duo Vltra Delta Drive kick off the EP with the tense, body-propelled El Complot. Santoine builds up the drama with the uneasy, percussive Transmission. Closing the Aside, Outermost brings his trademark ominous sounds in Mystic River. On the flip, cult favourite Konsistent weaves narcotic grooves on Paranoid Humanoid. After his knockout contribution for Move’s launch EP, Black Propaganda brings the EP to a close with the utopian Instrument Of Liberation.
Kluentah recrutes for the next number on Zement the underground prodigy L.F.T. straight out the sewer. All four tracks are neckbracking belter on its own class. Murderous acidlines and floorshaking basslines plus dirty drums that will blast your pants off.
Killer 13th EP release as Head Front Panel aka John Heckle with some relentless techno tracks in the best tradition.
The Hipodrome Of Music 