The Hacker – Red Team [MIN303]

After a frenzied 2019 debut on Pinkman under his scarcely-used Amato alias, The Hacker brings his seminal sound to Mindri for the sublabel’s 3rd release. Exploring desolate cityscapes and windswept tundras shrouded in winter’s gloom, he provides 6 club tracks that are suitable for dancefloors at any stage of the night. From feverish 4/4 kicks to stalking electro and a chugging after-hours stomp, stripped back rhythms dominate throughout. Punching their way through misty pads in a relentless chase with metallic synths that are icy to the touch, these are 6 slabs of machine-driven grooves from a master of the art.

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The Hacker – Red Team [MIN303]

2022 Best Albums

Our favorite albums from 2022 compiled in chronological order.

Continue reading “2022 Best Albums”
2022 Best Albums

Miss Kittin & The Hacker – Third Album [NBLP003]

As one of the iconic partnerships from the electroclash era, Miss Kittin & The Hacker helped define seedy synth tackle at the turn of the century. Given the prevalence of minimal wave in this day and age, it feels like the perfect time for them to come back with a new album. Teetering between pop nous and the darkest of deviant nighttime dreams, this is everything you would want from a return of the Grenoble greats. Listening to ‘Purist’ and they could easily be taking on the charts, while a trip into ‘La Cave’ is like donning your finest leathers and sliding into the dungeon.

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Miss Kittin & The Hacker – Third Album [NBLP003]

VA – Dalmata Daniel – Compilation for Ukraine [DDC05]

“As a result of Russia’s cruel invasion of Ukraine, the lives of millions have turned from living in peace to instability and fear, facing attacks and occupation. In order to help the people of Ukraine, we release this compilation album to raise funds to United Help Ukraine – a charitable non-profit organization for medical aid and humanitarian relief for the front lines. All income we receive from sales of this V/A goes to support their work.

unitedhelpukraine.org

VA – Dalmata Daniel – Compilation for Ukraine [DDC05]

The Hacker VS Commuter – Roentgen [CE039]

HACKER, The/COMMUTER - Roentgen

Fellow Frenchmen The Hacker and Commuter take their inspiration from the TV series, Chernobyl to create an imaginary soundtrack for their collaborative EP on Cultivated Electronics. They deliver three new punchy electro tracks that convey their love of vintage electronics and machine funk, but with a modern touch that will hit all the right notes for electro fans, with names like ‘Roentgen’ (a unit of measurement for the exposure of X-rays and gamma rays) and ‘RBMK’ (Chernobyl’s nuclear power reactor). The EP includes the added treat of a remix by MMT-8, otherwise known as Ed Upton (DMX Krew) and label head Phil Bolland (Sync 24) who deliver an escalated reworking of ‘RBMK’.

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The Hacker VS Commuter – Roentgen [CE039]

VA – Death Decay Magic Remixes Vol. 1 [DDM05]

Death Decay Magic Remixes Vol. 1 draws on the first three releases from the label: Black Light Smoke “Lines & Shadows”, Daniel Holt “Traveler”, and Man 2.0, Black Light Smoke “Holy Hammer”. With remixes from The Hacker, Cardopusher and others, DDM05 hits hard with EBM and electro vibes.

VA – Death Decay Magic Remixes Vol. 1 [DDM05]

VA – CAREBOT$ (raising money for the NHS and Médecins Sans Frontières)

“The international electro and techno producer community has come together to raise money for two charities doing vital health work during the Covid-19 crisis – NHS Charities Together and Médecins Sans Frontières. The project began in April this year. The resulting release is an essential compendium of techno and electro featuring some of the most respected creators working in the genre including The Hacker, Radioactive Man, Anthony Rother, Delta Funktionen, John Selway, Carl Finlow, Kronos Device, and more than 120 more!”

VA – CAREBOT$ (raising money for the NHS and Médecins Sans Frontières)

VA – Exit Planet Earth: Carbon [EPE01]

Exit Planet Earth by 20/20 Vision is a new series of various artist vinyl releases, selected and compiled by Ralph Lawson. The first edition ‘Carbon’ leads with contributions from two of the most influential electro producers of all time The Hacker and 214, who both deliver unforgiving hard hitting excursions to future worlds. On the other side Reedale Rise sheds some light with ‘Lux’ before the record is beautifully closed with an uplifting composition for space travel – ‘The Gap’ by Derek Carr.

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VA – Exit Planet Earth: Carbon [EPE01]

VA – Diamonds In The Night [BAP134]

Bordello is back with a new compilation series: Diamonds In The Night. An homage to the hours of darkness (and the great composer who went by the name of Felli – R.I.P.). From ecstatic peak time dance floor action to erotic euphoria and its more edgy after hours just before dawn. For the first volume we’ve selected four fine diamonds by The Hacker and Voiron from France, Armonics from Italy and Discobeton from Bulgaria.

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VA – Diamonds In The Night [BAP134]

The Hacker – Nancy [EE027RTM]

The Hacker needs no introduction. The 4-track 12-inch ‘Nancy’ on Electronic Emergencies finds him at his best – oscillating wildly from electro to new wave, his true musical roots. For the title track, he collaborated once more with post-punk hero Michael Zodorozny, vocalist of Crash Course in Science, resulting in a slippery wet dance floor killer. The three instrumental tracks have a gritty feel, breathing over the cold wave atmosphere.

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The Hacker – Nancy [EE027RTM]

Amato – Mécanismes Vol.1 [PNKMN30]

The Hacker pulls out his Amato moniker to deliver an abyssal, floor-ready EP, drawing on influence from the funkier side of early electronic body music. Though dark, the illustrious Frenchman seasons the A-side tracks with a healthy dose of groove for peak-time frenzy. Meanwhile the rather dejected flip side will do the trick for the murkier of dance-floors.

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Amato – Mécanismes Vol.1 [PNKMN30]

VA – MonoTrax Volume 2 [MON019]

Hot off the heels of MonoTrax Volume 1, Monotone is not letting up with this vinyl only compilation of what could be considered some of the best Electro has to offer. Banging Electro from The Hacker, Larry McCormick, Cosmic Force & DeFeKT.

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VA – MonoTrax Volume 2 [MON019]

Heinrich Mueller – False Vacuum [WEME313.20]

This is the first time any of Heinrich Mueller’s highly sought after remodels/reworks have been compiled together. Many have been previously available only on limited releases and have patiently been awaiting discovery by a wider audience. These 9 specially selected examples embrace all facets of his approach. First up is the ultra smooth and minimal ‘Fadin’ Away’ by The Hacker from 2000, probably one of his most sublime and timeless creations. Then jump forward to 2011 when he serves up an infectious and sparse slice of robot funk for Albert van Abbe’s ‘NCS_0009121010’. By the time of Alek Stark’s ‘Halo 6’ (2014) he’s still got the dance-floor on his mind, but it’s located on an alien or perhaps underwater world in some dimension parallel to our own. In 2009 he works for the first time with fellow Drexciyan traveller DJ Stingray and delivers the hard edged but still quite delicate ‘Drone FX’. Jump to 2005 and he conjures the playfully disjointed ‘P.O.M. (Time Dilation Mix 2)’ for Duplex. In 2000, when he had a close relationship to the label, International DeeJay Gigolo, who were releasing Dopplereffekt and the first fruits of Der Zyklus, they commissioned him to make a series of groundbreaking mixes. On one of which he got to mesh his own futuristic vision with that of Stanley Kubrick on ‘Dave’ by Station Rose. The other closes this collection and is another of his most accessible works, with the best bassline, ‘What Use’ by the legendary ’70s San Francisco band, Tuxedomoon. In 2011 he also produced a darkly atmospheric and relentlessly mechanical interpretation of DJ Stingray’s ‘The Sadist’. In 2003, another of his best production efforts, again aimed off-squarely at yet another form of mutant dance floor, came out of a total revamp of an untitled track by The Advent. Fittingly this was originally included on Recreations, an album where artists were invited to do what Heinrich Mueller does best.

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Heinrich Mueller – False Vacuum [WEME313.20]