VA – Five Years On Parole: What’s Happening [UV030]

October 6, 2015October 20, 2023 hipodromechinaski, derive, house, iron curtis, june, panthera krause, sneaker, techno, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

Believe it or not but Uncanny Valley looks back on five years of releasing records this summer. Instead of just turning into the typical Greatest hits-routine the label heads Albrecht, Carl, Conrad and Philipp decided to look back and forth. So, besides a record that unleashes four tracks from the vaults of these five years there will be a record with new material too. Here’s “Uncanny Valley: Five Years On Parole – what’s happening”. Tracks by Chinaski, Derive (Sneaker and June), Panthera Krause and Iron Curtis.

Leibniz & Credit 00 – Basement Toolz Vol. II [RAT005]

September 14, 2015June 29, 2021 hipodromeacid, alexander dorn, credit 00, house, leibniz, rat life records, techno, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

LEIBIZ/CREDIT 00 - Basement Toolz Vol II

Leibniz and Credit 00 team up for more Basement Toolz on RAT5. Three home made Bangers to rock every party like its Octoberfest all over again.

Perm – Shtum 008 [SHTUM008]

July 20, 2015October 20, 2023 hipodromeperm, shtum records, techno, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

Leipzig’s Perm delivers a fine quality Techno EP on shtum with a nice versatile selection ranging from harder and jacking to deep and atmospheric. Deep Acid driven Techno tracks that will stand out in big dark basements.

Credit 00 – Party Beats [UV028]

June 19, 2015June 29, 2021 hipodromealexander dorn, credit 00, house, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

CREDIT 00 - Party Beats

Here are some plain and simple cuts by yours truly Credit 00 that push just the right buttons to make people move. The tracks were made exclusively for his live set but they are too good to keep them back. Without superfluous frills these four bangers scream “Party” in every note but as usual with Credit 00 there’s also a melancholic side somewhere behind those tricky beats.

Olivia – UV Podcast 029

June 8, 2015June 5, 2015 hipodromedisco, electro, house, interview, olivia, podcast, techno, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

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The Pagan Rites – Every Mauser & Browning [RAT004]

May 21, 2015January 12, 2022 hipodromedj city, electro, johan norling, karl lihagen, new wave, rat life records, synth pop, the pagan rites, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

PAGAN RITES, The - Every Mauser & Browning

Rat Life returns with The Pagan Rites on Catalog Number 4. Little is known about the band from Sweden, first Signals were received in 2010 when they submitted their track 03 to the IFM Demo Contest. In October last year Rat Life sent out a submarine to search the Swedish coast line for the small Hut where the duo records their songs (Apologies to the Swedish authorities at this point, who confused our research with a Russian military threat). All four tracks are packed with bittersweet melancholia, reflecting the neverending darkness of cold Scandinavian winter, still the midnight sun is always in sight on the horizon.

Jacob Korn – EP2 [UV029]

March 28, 2015October 20, 2023 hipodromehouse, jacob korn, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

After EP1 in summer 2014, Jacob Korn continues the series with the aptly titled “EP2”, a collection of tracks that underline Jacob’s talent to produce Dance Music with appeal for both the main floors as well as Deep House connoisseurs. On “Bingoparty” Jacob combines elegiac synths with powerful drumming. The reduced instrumentation and subtle progression will surely set dancers in a state of trance. “4 You” is not less moving with its catchy bass line, swirling synths and well matured vocals. On the flipside “Blue Hours” is a subtler but not less thrilling approach that indeed would be working perfectly as a tribute to the short timed period before sunrise. You can almost smell spring when listening to the track. Finally, “Patternwirtschaft (Drums)” aims at DJs who are looking for drum tools and like to have fun with a good ole’ Tom- and Clap-heavy tune.

Uncanny Valley x Rat Life @ Institut fuer Zukunft (Leipzig) 27.03.2015

March 16, 2015March 14, 2015 hipodromecredit 00, cuthead, institut fuer zukunft, jacob stoy, joel alter, mick wills, rat life records, traxx, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

leipzig

Jaures – Shtum 006 [SHTUM006]

February 15, 2015October 20, 2023 hipodromehouse, jaures, shtum records, techno, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

With the sixth record, shtum continues to introduce fresh artists with different perceptions on what Techno is about. “Detitled” starts a trip to the dirty corners of your city. The track is loaded with punchy drum attacks and despite its dusty basses and synths, it doesn’t lose its slightly melancholic vibe. “Davos” runs in the same vein with Jaures squeezing floating sounds out of their machines for a wild ride through the urban jungle. On the flip side “Nascent” starts gloomy and uncompromising before it builds up slowly until Jaures’ rusty trademark synths are revealed. Finally, you’ll get a “Reprise” to highlight all their sound research elements.

Credit 00 – Basement Toolz Vol. 1 [RAT003]

December 8, 2014June 29, 2021 hipodromealexander dorn, credit 00, edits, house, rat life records, techno, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

CREDIT 00 - Basement Toolz Vol 1

Three is the number, Basement Toolz the titel. Once again Rat Life Records is taking Mickey on a night out to the sewer. Here are two tracks made by Credit 00 with a borrowed TR 909 drum machine. Side A is called Korg the Groove, as the title already reveals, it’s inspired by Aril Brikha’s classic Detroit Techno cut. On the Flip side you will find 909ish, one drum machine and one synthesizer, which is not much but all you need and more, plus there is extra noise on the clap to amplify your face slapping pleasure.

VA – Uncanny Vacation [UVAC001]

December 5, 2014August 22, 2023 hipodromedmx krew, drvg cvltvre, electro, house, jacob korn, permanent vacation, sandrow m, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

Uncanny Valley and Permanent Vacation are joining forces for an Uncanny Vacation! There has always been a lively exchange between Dresden and Munich and both labels are known for releasing a wide variety of music so it was only natural to team up for a joint release. The record starts off with Permanent Vacation-regular and UK-veteran DMX Krew and his “Astro Logical” which is as sharp and crisp as Electro can go. The bass line strikes hard but he also squeezes some great melancholic synth lines out of his machines. After that, Uncanny Valley’s Sandrow M finally gives access to the much in demand live version of “Prayervan”, a tune that everybody has been singing along during his live sets. On the flipside, Jacob Korn hands in “Eieiei” which rises on a percussion-heavy drum basement to a discoid House stomper thanks to an irresistible sample straight from an obscure flea market find. Drvg Cvltvre delivers a tropical House jam. “See You Again” is riding on a funky Disco bass line and creates a warm and cosy atmosphere with a whole bag of sound ideas.

Cuthead – Total Sellout [UVLP002]

October 12, 2014May 10, 2023 hipodromealbum, cuthead, hip-hop, house, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

Cuthead got known to the wider public via his releases on Uncanny Valley but his roots reach way back before the label’s start. There was a time when Cuthead and his brothers from another mother threw wild parties at abandoned industrial locations or in the woods around Dresden. The crew, which was known as Kunst:stoff Breakz, also established a label where Cuthead released two albums and one EP as free downloads between 2006 and 2010. Over the years the calls for vinyl versions of those early joints were getting louder and so Uncanny Valley decided to give the best tracks from that era a new life on physical sound carriers and start the ”Total Sellout”. Through refinement and rearrangement 51 tracks were boiled down to a selection of 18 and ended up as an album full of catchy bass lines, heavy beats and sampling excesses. Among the tracks are party starters like the strings-infiltrated ”Scissorhands”, ”The Poncho” or the ever devastating ”Iron Lung” which still kicks like Dubstep has never faded. Since Cuthead has always been heavily influenced by Rap music, there are of course lots of great Hip Hop beats on ”Total Sellout”. Either in the form of funky sample studies like ”Painquilizer” and ”VibraSkit” or in true fashion with Raps by crew member Alibi on ”Hidden Track”. Also included on the album are ”Rock My Soul” and ”All Night Long”, some early examples of Cuthead’s knack for well tempered and super catchy House tracks, while the double-bass driven ”Rythmus ’78” shows another jazzy side of him. Once again, the artwork was conceived and designed by Till Hohmann who already did a brilliant job on last year’s ”Everlasting Sunday”.

Jacob Korn – Shtum 005 [SHTUM005]

September 19, 2014October 20, 2023 hipodromejacob korn, shtum records, techno, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

Jacob Korn makes his debut on Uncanny Valley’s sub label Shtum, to celebrate his old but not forgotten love for dark and bleepy Techno. The tracks’ origins date back to the 1990s when Jacob used to work with a MS-DOS based software sequencer called FastTracker. Imagine programming beats with Excel and look at the graphic interface on the A-side label of the record to get an idea of the workflow back then. Nevertheless, the tracks did not loose any of its intensity.

Jacob Stoy – Teilstuck [UV023]

September 17, 2014October 20, 2023 hipodromedeep house, jacob stoy, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

“Teilstueck” (German for part or segment) is the next excerpt of Jacob Stoy’s ongoing attempt to translate his surroundings into music. It’s his second EP for Uncanny Valley and is even more multifaceted than his debut “Redenswart” from 2012. With “OMG” you’ll get the feeling that something sublime will happen right from the beginning. It’s one of those tracks whereby time stands still until a mighty synth-line unfolds in all its glory. “CFM” comes in the same musical vein with a similar and slightly melancholic bass-synth dominating the drumming. By far more cheerful is “MKM”. Based on a catchy bass line foundation, Jacob Stoy showcases wonderful synth-effects and sound with the beautifully oscillated pad making the cut. This is House music for machine lovers. The flipside starts with “HIM” and probably the most floor-friendly track on the record. The slowly but steadily rising organ chords prepare things and when the carefully targeted percussion elements come in, it feels like summer will never end. In contrast, “QFL” lives from its mysterious atmosphere and is very good example for Jacob Stoy’s preference to use Electronica-like sounds for his House Music. The record is rounded up with “HHM” and a little nod towards past times when he used to play in a Jazz band. With its Delay effects, a fuzzy guitar and a great bass melody it’s not far away from Krautrock either.

VA – Rat Life 2 [RAT002]

May 21, 2014October 12, 2017 hipodromeautonervous, edits, industrial, mick wills, neue wohnkultur, new wave, rat life records, techno, traxx, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

Imagine the early 80ies, cold war is on its peak, you are a young lad in american occupied Germany and don’t feel like joining the army. What you gonna do? There is not much choice. you could crash your dads car into the next bridge and get invalided out or you just move to the island of west berlin and buy a drum machine.  ”Neue Wohnkultur” is one of those bands started by renegades hiding from military service in the american sector of the german capital. Writing songs about what its like to be a soldier is definitely more fun than taking extended field trips with the comrades to the country side. “Wir sind Soldaten, Wir sind Soldaten!” M.o.m.O. Cut it! So here we are, decades later, the wall came down, east and west germans are shopping peacefully together, you are reading the press text of some record label called Rat Life. Does all this make any sense? Well you are the customer, it’s your choice, you could click your mouse now and skip to the next item before i tell you about the flip side of this record which is nothing but a repetitive loop goin on for 9 minutes. You might say “Enfant Terrible (M.W. Cut)” is not a big pleasure for home listening but its on you to make it interesting, you could mix it with your dads old records or crab a mic and rap over it  (please don’t rap over it.

VA – Uncanny Valley 20 [UVCD020]

March 21, 2014June 29, 2021 hipodromecompilation, credit 00, house, jacob korn, k-alexi shelby, sandrow m, techno, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

VARIOUS - Uncanny Valley 20

It’s time to celebrate! At catalogue number 20 Uncanny Valley extends its compilation-concept to 12 tracks spread over three records (or as a bundle if you prefer digital). The tracks will also be released as a CD compilation. With new music by label-regulars like Jacob Korn, Cuthead and Credit 00, friends like RVDS & K’Alexi or Filburt and fresh talents like Goetterkreis & Steve Kasper it is an exciting ride along the winding roads through the Uncanny Valley. The three records are visually linked with distinctive artwork by the ever-reliable Paul Waak.

Yør – Shtum 003 [SHTUM003]

February 6, 2014October 20, 2023 hipodromeshtum records, techno, uncanny valley, yørLeave a comment

Shtum continues its trip through dark and gritty territories with its third record by Yor. And what he delivers is pure Techno-bliss. “Nachtwache” starts things off rather groovy with its Tom-heavy beats and rising synths. Following up, “Ritus” is driven by a hypnotic chord delay and makes an advanced Techno-track you can’t resist on the dance floor. On the flipside it gets even more bewitching. “Agony” develops a never ending suction over its 8 minute length. Finally, “Under The Influence” is no less mesmerizing but more playful Techno. It’s a track that feels like a storm is coming.

Cuthead – Resteessen [UV019+] FREE ALBUM

January 19, 2014January 17, 2014 hipodromealbum, cuthead, deep house, downtempo, free download, free tracks, hip-hop, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

UV019+ / Cuthead - Resteessen cover art

“When we selected music for Cuthead’s Everlasting Sunday LP we had to leave out several great tracks due to the limited space on the record. So Cuthead decided to give it away for free as digital only album via our bandcamp site. Enjoy!”

Cuthead – Everlasting Sunday [UV019]

November 16, 2013May 10, 2023 hipodromealbum, cuthead, deep house, hip-hop, uncanny valley1 Comment

Cuthead returns with the long awaited follow-up to his “Brother EP”. His new record “Everlasting Sunday” surely fulfils some dreams as it is packed with no less than nine tracks. Three catchy House tunes on the A-Side and six Hip-Hop-jams on the B-side make for a very extended EP or a mini-album. Right at the beginning we start with the sample-heavy “Maputo Jam”, a tune in classical Cuthead-manner with its irresistible drumming full of stumbling blocks and layers of sweet synth-melodies. “Nautic Walking” is a straighter House track with a guitar line and clapping samples but that bass line quickly reminds you whom you’re listening to. “Minerals” starts off pretty deeply before evolving from a jazzy House affair into an almost orchestral tune with opulent strings. The flipside is an extensive expression of Cuthead’s inexhaustible love for Hip-Hop. There is feel-good material like “Everlasting Sunday” and “Deep Shadows” as well as banging joints like “Calculator Watch” with all the typical Cuthead-trademarks: sick bass work, stammering drumming and imaginative sampling.

Credit 00 – UV Podcast 015

October 9, 2013September 27, 2023 hipodromealexander dorn, credit 00, house, interview, podcast, techno, uncanny valleyLeave a comment

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