Shonky debuts on Wicked Bass with ‘The Way It Goes’, an EP of spooky and minimalistic house/techno.
Shonky – The Way It Goes [WB029]
wicked bass
Wulffius – In The Pines Crowns [WB018]
Wicked Bass label announce it’s 10th vinyl release with a debut from Wuffius, a Ukrainian producer from Crimea. “In The Pines Crowns” EP comes with three original tracks which unveil the inspired beauty of the peninsula’s nature via his psychedelic house beats.
Raw M.T. – Abductions EP [WB016]
For his comeback release on Ukraine’s Wicked Bass label, the gloomy producer hiding behind the alias Raw M.T. presents another set of trippy, yet noticeably simplified masterpieces of 90’s E-werk informed analog techno. ‘Falling Into Nowhere’ with its melancholic xylo drops and Twin Peaks infused pads takes us to a setting of descending sadness, while random peak leads and swinging hats on ‘Abductions’ and ‘Essense’, in contrast, contribute to a much more dancefloor-friendly and optimistic picture. Three fine cuts that will work both at peak and afterparty time.
Manuel Gonzales – Filth EP [WB015]
Wicked Bass label presents a new release by newly emergent Detroit talent Manuel Gonzales, aka MGUN. Opener ‘Mono Port’ is a sludgy, dirty track with scuzzy ambiance, grainy white noise and plenty of grit obscuring buried deep kick drums and raw synth patterns. Second track ‘Frosted Lakes’ is a just as knackered sounding bit of whacked out techno. Broken kick drums trudge below spiralling synths, static interference and the general imperfect buzz and hum of analogue gear and it builds into a loopy banger that will blow minds as well as speakers. Last is ‘Chip Implemented’, another dystopian bit of depraved sounding techno with groaning synths, hurried drums and plenty of stormy winds blowing across its face. This is hugely textured, darkly cerebral music that manages to be minimal in design yet maximal in impact from start to finish.
Innershades – Gravure EP [WB013]
Rising Belgian producer Innershades returns to Ukrainian label Wicked Bass for a second 12″ of the year. Given the fact That Girl, his debut EP for Wicked Bass was so popular it’s no surprise to see Innershades back and he’s laid down some serious productions. Lead track “Granuere” is banging through acid heavy techno in suitably grotty fashion, which contrasts nicely with the more electro-indebted ruffstep of “A Night To Forget”. Here Innershade’s quickly established rep for mnulti-layered synths shines, as it does on the chunky, whistle laden “Never-ending Summer” This latter track is giving a bustling house makeover from that man Dexter which sounds equally contemporary and redolent of a 90s R&S B Side.
Innershades – That Girl [WICKEDBASS011]
That Girl, produced by Innershades, opens with a repeated voice sample and a nostalgic pad, just to drop one minute later into one of the rawest hard hitting house tracks you’ll see around in a while. Hotflush’s Locked Groove gives the original track an acidic twist halved with his signature top-class deep house production skills. As if that isn’t enough, the B-side is followed by a simple-yet-effective remix from Ukraine’s very own Vakula who provides what seems a purely energetic techno cut right up to the point when the killer snare comes in.
Raw M.T. – Raw Music Theory EP [WB012]
Our new release ”Raw Music Theory EP” is the debut for the young but very talented Italian producer Raw M.T. The opening tune, ”Walkman Is Dead” does, in fact, sound a bit like dismay over a broken piece of domestic electronics. As if the original wasn’t weird enough, it is backed with L.I.E.S’ very own Greg Beato’s remix that would easily make it into one of these fashionable screwed up mixes that everyone seems to enjoy so much these days. Keeping it so lo-fi it nearly crosses the line of DJ-unfriendliness, Greg stretches the original synths, delivering something on the unexpected-yet-welcome border of trance, speed garage and powerhouse. On the flip, a more laid-back and relaxed ”Sara”, possibly dedicated to a special one, takes us all the way back to the Drexciya times.
The Hipodrome Of Music 