Ultra Random Analog Orchestra is a new project by Brendon Moeller. Starting by sculpting an audio collage in realtime, using a eurorack modular system, Brendon Moeller keeps randomness at the front of his methodology. Whether inputting found samples or designing sounds from scratch using oscillators and/or noise sources, he begins haphazardly sequencing, filtering, modulating and arranging the randomness. A spirit of experimentation and spontaneity drives these productions.
Third Ear presents a new Brendon Moeller project … Ultra Random Analog Orchestra. The project kicks off with 13 tracks released on vinyl over 3 individually released 12″ and a digital album with 16 tracks. The music ranges from deep, wide-screen Techno to Ambient and beatless, that pushes the limits of the sonic palette. Brendon says, “the ability to sculpt an audio collage in realtime employing techniques of randomness is one of my favorite pursuits using a Eurorack modular system.”
Astonishingly, almost 14 years have passed since “hard, grooving” techno and house fusionist Olivier Ducreux released his debut album as Shonky, Time Zero. Now he is releasing his second album “On The Run” on Third Ear Recordings. Shonky has a signature hypnotic, hard grooving sound, characterised by punishing beats laced with detailed polyrhythms and elusive motifs.
“Klirrfaktor” is Berlin-based producer Hanno Leichtmann’s second release as Gesetz Der Oktaven, once again on Third Ear. Gesetz Dr Oktavn is strongly influenced by ’80s bands Liaisons Dangereuses, CH BB, and sporadically DAF but goes more in the direction of Techno and Electro. As before, the musical instruments and equipment define the project and the sound. Hanno used a drum machine, a MiniMoog sequenced by a TB 303, a vintage Drum Synth and six effect combinations for the delay / reverb tracks, all though a large Soundtracs desk from the 1980s with 16 channels and 6 Aux Sends for effects. Once again, all the track titles are old or obsolete studio/audio terms.
Benjamin Brunn’s follow up to his highly regarded A Sun Life album on Third Ear. The Plastic Album is, like it’s predecessor once again bursting with fat, glistening, gorgeous sounds. Brunn’s sound is instantly recognizable; the Nord Modular synth and Roland 808 which feature on all his performances. Yet, he’s sounding as fresh, as enigmatic and as soulful as ever.
“It’s very direct, danceable club music, anchored stylistically between Electro, Techno and Industrial/NewWave, strongly influenced by ’80s acts Liaisons Dangereuses, CH BB, sporadically, DAF and the Consumed /Concept period of Richie Hawtin.” is how Hanno Leichtmann describes his new project Gesetz Der Oktaven. “The name ‘Gesetz Der Oktaven’ was chosen because I wanted something very German sounding, as we say ‘sperrig’, something technical, scientific. All the track titles are very old skool or obsolete studio/audio terms. “I wanted a completely new set-up, so I got a large Soundtracs desk from the 80s with 16 channels and, crucially 6 Aux Sends for effects.” He continues, “The large number of aux sends was essential for the project. I used a drum machine, a MiniMoog sequenced by a TB 303, a vintage Drum Synth and six 6 effect combinations for the delay / reverb tracks. All very old-skool and in real time with no plugins. It took months of trial and error but the result is a very beautiful high-quality vintage studio sound.”
In 2011, Julia Thompson (DJ Black B1tch) gave me a TDK SA90 tape of a spontaneous live jam by Insync recorded in her flat in Forest Hill, South London in March 1991. She had found it in a drawer when clearing out stuff. She gave it to me to listen to simply thinking I might be interested in hearing it. Of course I was, particularly because the date on the tape immediately told me that the session was recorded more than a year before the release of Insync’s debut, the seminal Storm on Irdial Discs. In fact Storm was recorded before this session but not released for more than a year after it. The A side of the cassette is a live jam comprising a bass-line/repeating melody and one other four-note motif. Other than that, Lee Purkis rinses a Yamaha SH101, SPX90, Roland 909 drum machine and some delays, to create a 43 minute journey that passes through beautiful elegiac ambient passages to crashing drums that had me nodding my head to the point that I had to force myself to sit still because of the shooting pains in my neck. Insync was accompanied by Paul Chivers aka Ramjack. Ramjack was playing an Ensoniq Mirage containing samples of himself playing various percussion instruments. I listened a few times to see if there were four 7+ minute sections that could be released as an ep. I thought there were, and here they are. Lee Purkis gave his permission for Third Ear to release the cuts, and the whole jam (available as 3eep201409). Next I contacted Stefan Betke at Scape Mastering to ask if he would listen to the tape to assess whether he could create a master that would sound good enough on a big sound system. Together we decided that he could. The sound quality of these cuts is a testament to Lee Perkis’ sound engineering and to Stefan Betke’s mastering. Judge for yourself. Guy McCreery.
Third Ear’s Detroit Beatdown series was instrumental in redefining the perception of Detroit electronic music abroad. Now we come to the final Detroit Beatdown release. Four Detroit artists giving us as good an ep as any of the releases in the series. The tracks by Mike Clark and Rick Wade rank amongst their best, for sure. DJ-T1000, a Detroit producer and DJ known for some of the city’s hardest Techno, surprises with a stripped-back groove that is pure electronic Funk. Wrapping up the ep is Scott Ferguson’s A Groove, a heavy skanking groove with that classic Beatdown rawness.
Exit Earth is Patrik Skoog’s first solo album under his own name. He has released on Drumcode as Patrik Skoog, but it is as Agaric that he is best known. As Agaric he has released tracks on his We Are label and on Josh Wink’s Ovum Recordings (the album Who Made Up The Rules in 2011). As Agaric, Patrik inhabited a more Housier planet. With Exit Earth he has produced one of 2013’s best Techno albums. Exit Earth is a Techno album. Purely electronic. It is intentionally forward thinking, not retrospective. It is inspired by the twin space crafts Voyager 1 and 2 sent out by NASA in the late 70s on interstellar missions, which up to and beyond the very day of recording this album have been exploring the planetary systems of Jupiter, Saturn and the outer reaches of our solar system. Third Ear Recordings is proud to release Exit Earth. It is imaginative. It is beautifully written, played and produced. It reminds us how much we love Techno.
Benjamin Brunn has been honing his distinctive and original sound over a series of intermittent releases. His use of the Nord Modular synth is one of the defining characteristics of his sound. He uses the instrument in a wide-ranging and original way, accompanied by a Roland TR707 drum machine. “A Sun Life” was not conceived as a piece of work with a theme. Over a period of two years, Benjamin Brunn sent tracks to Third Ear. Slowly the album began to take shape and become A Sun Life, an album full of different vibes, different grooves, different flows. “A Sun Life” shows Benjamin Brunn achieving something like a perfection of his sound. All the tracks have a fluidity and viscosity, whether like water or oil or honey .. air or sunlight. They start, flow and grow, shift and shimmer, their latent power held in some kind of check. Then they dissipate and fade.
Third Ear presents a rare solo record by Benjamin Brunn, with a warm, chord-driven take on house music that’s impossible to resist, and easy to get lost in.
Norman Talley’s “The Journey” gets two deep slow-mo remixes from Scott Grooves and The Panther.
After releasing an album on Fine Art, Fabrice Lig brings this great Third Ear release with remixes by Underground Resistance, Timeline (Mike Banks and Jon Dixon), Luke Slater, Marco Passarani and Fluxion!
The Hipodrome Of Music 