quête:faster

White Vinyl

This is "Altair", a collection of kaleidoscopic post-breakcore on Love Love Records from veteran french surrealist Ruby My Dear. Presented with artwork by TAPT on white vinyl.

The lights are out and a strange alien force surrounds the periphery of your hearing.. The sound of a haunting music box flickering in the darkness draws you closer but as you begin to approach everything explodes into dank crossbreed DnB rhythms that punch you in the gut and send you flying. As the bombardment of breaks momentarily subside you realise you've been beamed aboard the mothership and are now surrounded by unknown and indescribable visions.

You are given a brief moment to contemplate before your legs are swept from underneath you by a flurry of amens that would fry the minds of the hungriest of junglist's epicures. Journeying deeper into the heart of the beast you become aware of distant and immense rumbles but are stopped in your tracks by grinding brutal machinery rising up on all sides. As quickly as it appeared it starts to collapse and you are plunged into near darkness once again.

Pulses of light slowly begin to stab rhythmically from behind clouds and you feel yourself begin to move faster and faster through a void that is now streaked by a spectrum of colour. Floating debris starts re-arranging around you at light speed and every fiber of your being is simultaneously stimulated with needle-like accuracy. As the last string plucks play out the darkness falls away and the cover artwork comes back into focus. You immediately leave wherever you are and encourage someone else to experience this music.

15 years ago in a basement in the Bronx, I attended a bunch of sessions with my long time collaborator and friend, Ray West. Ray is a lifelong DJ and home producer, and only in 2012 did he begin to release music via his well-respected underground label, Red Apples 45. He had a main studio but also this much smaller room in the back which I dubbed “Studio B” in the tradition of any multi-room recording facility who would have a second “B” or third “C” room, and the name stuck. Despite the much lower-level quality equipment in that room, like a Yamaha MiniDisc board burning mixes realtime to CD-R, there was a certain vibe to it that inspired creativity, and a simplicity that encouraged faster working methods. One of the groups that worked there was called Results. Their philosophy was whatever happened in the moment was meant to be on tape and they didn’t spend hours perfecting it. This is rather opposite to how I work in the studio and especially on my own material, of which I can be thorough to the point of finishing less than I’d like. Through working there I realized the potential of having a smaller, simpler second setup, one that was not related to my work as an engineer, or my artist career as a performing electronic musician and techno producer.


Fast forward to 2016 and I would have both a professional studio outside of the home and enough spare gear to make a smaller studio based around a 4-track cassette recorder in my living room. This was a place where I could make whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, without the disturbances of clients, the chaos of 30th St., or any genre restrictions that I might place on myself in the big studio. I spent some time tracking down a functioning Akai MG614, the holy grail of 4-track recorders. It’s a large machine, making even the MPC3000 look small on the table next to it. With no computer, things were focused. I went through a couple of variations of the setup in my living room beginning with an MPC1000, DSI Evolver, Sonic Potions LXR, Bastl Microgranny, and a variety of classic effects that I didn’t keep in the rack at Butcha Sound like the Yamaha SPX90 and Ensoniq DP-4, plus a bunch of pedals and eventually a Korg Karma keyboard. Then I had the good sense to bring home the Emu SP1200 I was borrowing from The Martinez Brothers. Eventually I brought home the MPC3000 as well. Another thing I kept connected was a Zoom field recorder that captured sirens, street noises, and me playing the upright piano in my apartment live to tape. Results. These recordings were made in Hell’s Kitchen from July 2016 - May 2017 with the window open and the sounds of my Manhattan block inspiring the takes. — Phil Moffa 2019

French wielder of exotic machine music Epsilove debuts a full EP of sensuous, melodic electro on Dekmantel. Formerly one-half of Syracuse, Isabelle Maitre depicts a vision of daring, yet euphoric vocal-led, dreamy electro that oscillates with sturdier, warehouse sounds full of heaving 808s, and experimental qualities.

‘Time is the longest distance’ preaches the qualities that brought Antinote’s Epsilove to the distinguished status she has today. It is the sound of chic dancers, shuffling-together leisurely under neon lights, pressing against each other along to nostalgic acid basslines, interstellar synths, and dreamy, cinematic vocals. Rich with harmony, emotion, and cold-wave sensuality. ’Sea Snakes’ pulses faster under a Drexciyan dream-state, painting kaleidoscopic motifs, as the 808 rattles out multi-paced tempos, driving levels of uncompromising Detroit velocities, through to Lynchian-mirror-world listlessness. It’s an acid-acid test of colourful, pulsing electro.

On the remixes are fellow Parisian’s Ali Bobo (Bruits De La Passion) and Shelter (Bigwax Records), who rework ‘Time is the longest distance’ into something more sinister, reflecting the dystopic IDM aesthetics of early Rephlex Records with playful, darkened electronics. The more elusive pairing of French producer HAJJ (Dawn Records) and Lastrack (BFDM) meanwhile, team up to turn ‘Sea Snakes’ into something that harkens towards the world of Warp-like experimental and progressive contemporary post-trap, and breakbeats.

"À dix mètres sous moi, l'eau invisible. Entre l'eau et la brume, pas de frontière, la brume aussi lourde que l'eau, l'eau aussi irréelle que la brume. Passage dans un autre monde, transition par une osmose où toute forme ancienne est désagrégée et dissoute.” Raymond Abellio, Heureux les Pacifiques (1946)

After S3A's "Pages" double album earlier this year we asked some of our friends to re-interpret and re-construct their favorite original track off the album and deliver these fine remixes. We aimed to have a nice variety in styles on this record and hope you enjoy these tunes as much as we do!
Starting off with the live disco funk of "Lorenz Rhode" who sets the tone for a class dance floor EP and followed by the soulful deep house vibes of French master "Art Of Tones" aka "Llorca" who delivered 3 different mixes to this release. The main mix is on the vinyl and there are two bonus mixes added to the digital release, a "Beats" and a "Dub" version. Ending this brilliant first side is London's newcomer "Dampé" with that deep and jazzy electronica approach we got to love him for on his first debut Dirt Crew Recordings release.

On the flip we pick up the pace and present you the faster dancefloor tracks of Amsterdam's "Nachtbraker" with his freaky hallucinating sounds placed atop of one of these irresistible bass lines only he can come up with and leading towards an "end with a bang" in best Detroit ghetto house style by our own Icelandic fire "Felix Leifur".

Each artist perfectly transported his own unique styles into these tracks and we hope this release with its broad approach will serve any dance floor to its best!

Durban gqom ambassador DJ Lag and London-based Okzharp combine over four club heavy tracks rooted in their long-term long-distance connection, the EP’s title originating from the Durban nickname for the local clubs where much early gqom-style music was played. Opener ‘Now What’ layers a wooden percussion scraper with a ticking cow bell and chants. Set at a slightly faster pace than most gqom, the track harbours a dark energy at its core generated by a low rumbling background synth and pitch shifting claps.

‘Steam One’ - inspired by DJ Lag’s set at Hyperdub’s club night Ø after he brought the heavy steam room vibe - has a slow and entrancing build up with a subtle melody layering on stabbing syncopated kicks, leading up to awoozy synth breakdown. “We were inspired by that moment in the club when things get hazy and bendy and glowy. It has South Durban via South London DNA, so inevitably there's a heavy kwai-gqom vibe with a grimey funky London twist running through it”. ‘Nyusa’ opens with a grinding acidicbass line overlaid with a metallic and gravelly melody with suppressed chants.

Sharp kicks drive the track leading up to a wobbly synth breakdown and back up synth stabs raising the energy. Finally, ‘Sambe’ pairs menacingstrings with a steel drum melody, displaying characteristics of both funky house and gqom in a subtle meeting of the two styles. ‘Steam Rooms’ is a collection of dancefloor heaters set to make the club sweat, the amalgamation of a London / Durban link up reflecting both producers environments and sound palettes for icey cold gqom tracks with funky house shadings.

Primarily based in Leeds, The Lewis Express is comprised of many of the musicians that have graced previous ATA releases: George Cooper, Piano (Abstract Orchestra) Neil Innes, Bass (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill), Sam Hobbs, Drums (Dread Supreme, Tony Burkill, Matthew Bourne) and Pete Williams, Percussion (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill).Recorded over an intense two-day session, 'Clap Your Hands' is heavily influenced by the classic soul jazz recordings of The Young Holt Trio / Young Holt Unlimited, and Ramsey Lewis, from who this group take their name. As with many of the classic Ramsey Lewis cuts this album was recorded live, capturing the rich inter-relationship between the players and leaving in some of that chunky room noise.

Claps your hands/Stomp Your feet was recorded during the sessions for the upcoming Album 'Clap Your Hands'. building on the template set by their eponymous debut album these tracks further explore the 60's soul-jazz of Ramsey lewis and Young-Holt and the latin boogaloo of Eddie Cano and Pete terrace. A-side 'Clap your Hands' opens with cowbell, handclaps and bass before drums and electric piano enter to carry the track onto the dancefloor. This is one for the Djs and it'll do the business in the clubs for sure, but, also perfect for a late night, sweaty house party - shoes off and beer in the sink. B-side 'Stomp Your Feet' is much more in the classic mod-jazz frame with a faster pace and funkier drums, but still with handclaps and electric piano to the foreground. Drummer Hobbs opens up 'Stomp Your Feet' in fine style, and The Lewis Express start to swing with a Ramsey-esque groover that's just made-to-measure for dancers. Everything comes together here, with a mid-60s Cadet record feel throughout. Both tracks were recorded live to tape and were recorded and mastered for a tougher sound perfectly suited for djs to fill a dancefloor.

READ CAREFULLY Blistering hardcore punk meets visceral drum and bass. Blastbeats, breakbeats, amen beats and kickdrums. A pure and perfect clash of styles and cultures, born from the same fiercely DIY, anti-authoritarian spirit that has shaped extreme music throughout the decades. This one goes from faster-than-the-speed-of-light-drums with screeching, feedbacking guitars to stomping 220 bpm dancefloor smashers on the flip of a coin.

Five tracks, two guitars, one bass guitar, one drumset, a fuckload of beats and synths. If this sounds too good to be true, that's because it is. We don't know what to tell you, this has never been done before.

For fans of: Minor Threat, Negative Approach, oldschool Amen infused Drum & Bass

We're very happy to announce that DrumTalk is back! He never fully went away, but we're excited to share the results as he ambles into different directions with slower tempos on one side, and faster on the other - while still sounding as vibrant as ever..

The story of Seattle's rise to global rock supremacy in the late 80s and early 90s begins with Green River. Made up of Jeff Ament (bass), Mark Arm (guitar/vocals), Bruce Fairweather (guitar), Stone Gossard (guitar) and Alex Shumway (drums), the
quintet put out three 12's and a 7' single during its brief existence.
Green River's influence on Seattle's music scene spread far and wide thanks to the members' dispersion into bands including Pearl Jam, Mudhoney and Love Battery, as well as the punk glam sludge rock songs they left behind. 'By '83, '84, there was
definitely a movement that was happening within hardcore, like Black Flag slowing down for My War,' says Arm. 'The Replacements and Butthole Surfers were rearing
their heads, and they're very different bands, but they're not hardcore - the Replacements are pretty much straight-up rock, and Butthole Surfers were God knows what. Sonic Youth's Bad Moon Rising was around, and a lot of really
interesting post-hardcore things were happening.'
Green River, formed in 1984, were part of that evolution, with a sound that straddled a lot of different genres - blues, punk, bloozy straight-ahead rock. The mini-LP 'Dry As A Bone' - which came out in 1987 - and the band's lone full-length
'Rehab Doll' - which came out in 1988 - were released as a single CD with a few bonus cuts, including their sneering cover of David Bowie's 'Queen Bitch' and their marauding version of Dead Boys' 'Ain't Nothin' to Do', in 1990 - but they've been
unavailable on vinyl for years.
Now, these slices of Seattle music history are not only back in print, they're accompanied by items from the vaults that had been forgotten about for decades.
'Dry As A Bone' was recorded at Jack Endino's Reciprocal Recording in 1986 and it shows the band in furious form, with Arm's yowl battling Fairweather and Gossard's
ferocious guitar playing on 'This Town' and 'Unwind' opening as a slow bluesy grind then jump-starting itself into a hyperactive chase. The deluxe edition includes Green
River's cuts from the crucial Seattle-scene compilation 'Deep Six', as well as long-lost songs that were recorded to the now-archaic format Betamax.
'Rehab Doll', recorded largely at Seattle's Steve Lawson Studios., bridges the gap between the taut, punky energy of 'Dry As A Bone' and the bigger drums and thicker
riffs that were coming to dominate rock in the late 80s. This new edition of 'Rehab Doll' includes a version of 'Swallow My Pride' recorded to 8-track at Endino's Reciprocal Recording, which features a more accurate depiction of how the band
sounded when they played live. 'When I listen to these mixes, I think, 'This is how we actually sounded - this is the kind of energy we had,'' says Shumway.
Green River's place in American music history is without question but these recordings paint a more complete picture of the band - and of rock in the mid to late 80s, when punk's faster-and-louder ideals had begun shape-shifting into other ideas.
CDs in digipack with 12-page booklet. 2LP formats in gatefold jacket with custom dust sleeve and digital download code.

Moscow Is The City Full Of Posh Decorations. Like A Black Hole, It's Gorging Clouds Of Chaotic Ideas. Madly Fast, It's Flooded With Shallow Hippies, Jealous Dealers And Susceptible Artists. Everyone Desires To Have Its Own Piece Of Luck, Looking For The Shortest Way To Some Easy Life. Most Of The Nomads Arrive From The Capital Suburbs And Other Big Cities Of Immensely Corrupted Russia. Everyone Can Tell A Tale From Outskirt. Senseless Rivalry And Art Falsity Together Make The Special Demands: Your Tale Has To Amaze, To Inculcate, You Must Do Something Notable, Freaky One And Truthful. To Dare To Let It. There Are No Any Rules. Your Voice Has No Matter, The Only Important Is A Sales Skill. The Local Scene Is Tired Of Identical Copying Outside World's Standards. Thereby The More Your Approach Is Unacceptable, The More Valued Is It. But The More It's Valued, The Faster It Will Depreciate. The Glossy Shell With Cheap Content Is The Way To Survive In Such A Tight Plexus Of Cruel Love, Substance Abuse And Electronic Music.

In 2006 Salvador Breed and Stijn van Beek met while studying Sound Design and Music Technology at the Utrecht School of the Arts. Ever since then the pair have been beavering away behind an arsenal of blinking banks in Amsterdam. The musical fruit of this twelve year friendship Breek. A partnership that smears the boundaries of styles and sounds with festive flare. For their vinyl debut, a candy coloured cornucopia of elements are swirled and whirled. Braindance, electronica and neo-classical are festooned with dubby tones and underground grit in a unique sound of diverse textures and deep tones. Faster works, like the swooping joy of "Yokai", are countered by more contemplative "Ama." "Hang" is a whimsical dreamscape of squirming acid lines, crisp drums and angular notes that combine to produce a brilliantly bright piece. "Mu-Onna" and "Oiwa" are more abstract works that melt vocals with sweet strings before the final piano swells and ambient rains of "Burabura." A daring and dynamic vinyl debut from this eccentric duo with stunning artwork from Warren du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones (Massive Attack, Bjork en UNCLE).

Joe Powers is from Edinburgh, far outside the network of the Grime capital of London. His caffeinated productions as Proc Fiskal are faster than usual, with many clocking in at 160bpm. 'The Highland Mob', his 2017 debut EP, opened up his music to open-eared footwork and drum'n'bass fans as well as the grime crowd. After following that up with a jungle-inflected EP on Cosmic Bridge, 'Insula' switches the feel and intention towards a personal, and melodic music with one foot in Grime, infused with often comic, often wistful recorded moments from his environment. He says 'I wanted to be aware of where the music is coming from, referencing things I'm presently experiencing, like making Grime, my Radar radio show, phone addiction, alcohol, my surroundings, girls, depression, positivity, being unemployed, being employed and hating it, my friends etc. Trying to be true to myself instead of relying on other peoples' nostalgia, and focusing on now.'

The record is a huge leap in vision, with delicate, pointillist melodies and intricate edits reminiscent of Grime producers such as Terror Danjah. It also resonates with Japanese video game music like that recently explored on the 'Diggin' In The Carts' compilation.

'I think I probably make tunes to get out emotions I don't express in day-to-day life. I used clips of my friends talking, drunk folk, and general Scottish life to preserve and represent what my experience is like right now, like a time capsule. Social media notification sounds are designed to release serotonin, which is what I'd like my music to do, to make me, and other people happy, and in using these manipulative noises in a positive way, I like to think I'm taking back the power of the manipulation.'

Proc Fiskal is adventurous and thoughtful as a producer, and at the young age of 21, his debut album is very advanced in its ideas and execution.

more talking all that jazz, more high aiming music by fumio itabashi: mule musiq is ready to release another record by the legendary japanese jazz pianist, born in ashikaga, tochigi in the year 1949.
this time his first solo record ever: the heavy jazzing 'nature', which has never been reissued on vinyl since its birth in 1979. it has been recorded at nippon columbia 1st studio, tokyo from march 13 to 15 in the year of its release.
it features itabashi making feverish love with the piano and sharing the studio with the great bass players hideaki mochizuki and koichi yamazaki, drummers kenichi kameyama and ryojiro furusawa, soprano saxophonist yoshio otomo and vibraphone wizard hiroshi hatsuyama.
they all joined him to perform his very own songs, composed by itabashi himself and produced by ryonosuke honmura, who also produced japanese jazz heroes like saxophonist keizo inoue during his career.
but enough background information. what counts is sound. it is fresh, propulsive, twitchy and melodi-ous from the first to the last tone. sometimes the instrumentalists play a classic solo in an overall deep modal jazz atmosphere that seems to be made for cats that love the good old stars and inventors - from john coltrane to mile davis, from thelonious monk to art blakey.
'nature' also shows how deep itabashi studied the history of the genre, while keeping his very own vision of jazz alive. the man that made his professional debut as a member of the sadao watanabe quintet in 1971 and that also was a member of the elvin jones jazz machine world tour from 1985 to 1987, plays the piano in all tempos: nervous high-flying quick, deeply blue blues style slow.
besides the traditional jazz flavours, you get a feeling of mind-expanding spiritual jazz, that grand mas-ters like pharaoh sanders or gary bartz turned into a sacred music genre. a master-class record in ravishing big city jazz music, adventurous, sometimes meditative, sometimes faster than the speed of light, always grooving with a bright, pure-toned sensibility and deeply soulful melodic imaginations.
it extends the jazz history with a fine balance between tradition and innovation. and it stays infectious all the time while sounding surprisingly fresh due to a lot of thrilling musical spontaneity that touches profoundly even though all notes have been written down by fumio itabashi before he and his combat-ants entered the studio.
and maybe that's the mystery of these timeless five at times epic recordings: all notes been written on paper but each musician had the freedom to dance with them in his very own unique way. so, turn the volume loud and get ready to be steamrolled by fumio itabashi's 'nature', an inebriant album that is talking all that jazz deeply!

Optimo Music don't generally do limited edition releases but when The Golden Filter did these extra mixes of 'End Of Times',

the A1 track off their recent EP we thought they were too good to remain in the digital domain so have pressed up a small run of 12' singles aimed specifically at DJs.
The original single version is a future synth classic. These new dub versions take it to the dancefloor and have been tried and tested around the world over the last few months. They are considerably extended, dubbed out and add extra dynamics & ecstatic synth power with hints of the original vocal. There is a slo mo version at 103 bpm and a faster version at 118bpm which means the track should work any time from warm up to peak set. There is also a Drone-Apella version included too.

MICK HARRIS (SCORN, QUOIT, PAINKILLER) returns after several years of hiatus with ten tracks of blasting landmine bass and interlocking shrapnel rhythms.I've been asked to write a press piece for the dark lord MICK HARRIS.Where does one even start Especially for someone with decades of releases over various solo projects, collaborations and pseudonyms, whether it's doing blast beats in the original NAPALM DEATH to crushing techno brutality as MONRELLA, or savage drum & bass as QUOIT. Then of course there's the mighty SCORN and his numerous collaborations with fellow luminaries such as JOHN ZORN and BILL LASWELL (in PAINKILLER).Rather than being tied to genres or scenes, MICK HARRIS is one of those producers who creates a whole sonic world uniquely of his own, in which varying tracks, styles and tempos take form, but yet in which everything sounds unmistakably characteristic of the creator. Needless to say his work has influenced legions of producers like SURGEON, REGIS, ONTAL, VATICAN SHADOW / PRURIENT, FAUSTEN, SHAPEDNOISE et al, and pretty much anyone in the world of powerfully dark, abrasive music you could name-drop. And yet after all this time, it is impressive that HARRIS still stands way above his successors and has never been surpassed in his own production/performance game.After a hiatus of several years, he is back with a new album under the guise of FRET.Working at a faster tempo than his SCORN material, the FRET project first surfaced years ago on the DOWNWARDS label, rooting it firmly in the dark, industrial and technoid world, and appeared more recently on Tresor (Kern mix by OBJEKT), maintaining the characteristic colossal bass-heaviness and textural depth.And now a full album on KARLRECORDS, Berlin. HARRIS fans will be delighted to know that despite the 130 bpm tempo, the newest FRET still resolutely avoids any straight four-on-the-floor kickdrums, every track lurches, stumbles, staggers and charges forth with beats in beautifully broken asymmetry.We get 10 tracks of crushing, percussive destroyers, each itself a storm of precision chaos, with colossal low-end frequencies that'll cause stampedes in the right circumstances. The classic HARRIS sound is there, searing waves of feedback distortion, intricate, interlocking rhythms and cold, abattoir atmospheres, especially track 6 "Stuck in the track at Salford Priors" which sounds like you're being continuously suspended in the air from multiple explosions all around, each kickdrum throwing you up in the air, the next one going off before you can fall completely back to the ground.The lazy-minded would probably lump it in with the term "techno", but the disciplined brutality, blasting landmine bass and interlocking shrapnel rhythms are clearly HARRIS' own trademark style, sitting somewhere between SCORN and QUOIT.The tracks appear deceptively chaotic on the surface, yet each is meticulously and masterfully composed with great attention to layering and detail. MICK HARRIS fans rejoice, the dark lord still remains at the top of his game.

(Derek Szeto / Fausten / Combat Recordings)

2022 Repress

HQ Gatefold, 3x12 140g Vinyl, black innersleeve, download code
EXTRAWELT are back! Although in fairness, they were never gone. On the contrary, since their first release on James Holden's Border Community Label dropped in 2005, Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe have been responsible for a plethora of classics including "Schöne Neue Extrawelt" and "In Aufruhr", their two seminal albums on Cocoon Recordings. The duo are one of the most booked live acts worldwide, commanding a huge fan base. Their performances are the stuff of legend, making them the absolute highlight at every club and festival they play. So it's with great pride and respect, that we can announce the release of Extrawelt's third album for Cocoon Recordings. "Fear Of An Extra Planet" completes the Cocoon trilogy and the excitement growing among their fans represents a new high in the history of EXTRAWELT!
Musically, of course, there's enormous pressure on EXTRAWELT to deliver, but this is dismissed with a playful disregard and they are clearly focused on the job in hand. The album title "Fear Of An Extra Planet" sounds cinematic, like some art-house science fiction film, without giving too much away.
However, from the first seconds of the opening track "Superposition", the album title makes 100% sense and sets the scene for the rest of the trip. We are immersed in wide open spaces and invited to explore dark and dusky worlds that transport us back to their Border Community years. Timeless and elegant, "Superposition" perfectly captures the epic, dream like quality that made James Holden's label so influential.
New Release Information Second up, "Gott ist Schrott" takes a much more minimalist approach with its retro 80s drum programming, monster bass lurking in the breaks and playful Rhodes/synth riffs that span the divide between early German techno and deep Detroit electro with a distinctive film soundtrack aesthetic. "Oddification" continues this theme, adding extra spice reminiscent of the techno-synth vibe of Detroit with a punchy, almost Prodigy-style breakbeat complete with shredded vocal samples that gives us a taste of what's in store. "Gentle Venom" then takes the breakbeat motif to the next stage. The main focus here is the classy sprinter of a bassline, peppered with a flurry of intricate and subtle effects and modulations, that immediately trigger an intense, movie-like 'in pursuit' feeling.
With - Das Grosse Flimmern" we cautiously approach the album's high point. It's still in keeping with the soundtrack aesthetics, but faster and with more urgency. Almost hypnotically, Extrawelt invade us with an energy and impetus that always radiates from their music. Next in line is "Silly Idol" and here Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe opt again for a more minimal tack, focusing even more intensely on the dance floor to reveal a pulsing, twisted heart to the album.
"Punch The Dragon" is the hidden gem of the collection, utilising and melting together the most bombastic and playful elements. This one is totally off the hook, a sensory overload in an acoustic widescreen format! Then we have the title track "Fear Of An Extra Planet" which perfectly sums up the album concept. It opens up like a film score, with minimal passages following dark sequences that morph into dreamy melodies, all grounded by cool, constantly alternating analogue drum patterns. If you're not listening closely, you might get the impression that three or four different titles are mixed together; such is the effortless flow of the album.
As we near our destination, "The Friendly Coroner" really does honour its name. The morbid charm of the title is captured by a fluid bassline and melodic arrangements that border on the absurd, until the funky drum beat finally drops. In our mind's eye we see a cheerful medical doctor removing his bloody gloves, hanging his smock in the closet and vibing out in his neon drenched workspace. And there we sit, glued to our cinema seat, submerged in the different textures EXTRAWELT have conjured up on "Fear Of An Extra Planet". Over the course of the last title, the strings usher in the final acknowledgments as the credits roll. The dramatic end of "2084" leaves us transfixed in front of a black screen in a large, dark room safe in the knowledge that we've just witnessed a science fiction epic.

Dalmata Daniel's next up is a collaboration with the Bristol-born - weirdo disco guy' Antoni Maiovvi and also a contribution of Heinrich Dressel who is an unavoidable column of Rome's electronic music scene.Maiovvi's Pleasure Model project is all about youth - replaced by Blade Runner-esque replicas. His first release under this moniker was - Kendo Dynamics' on 100% Silk in 2016. It aimed for presenting a persuasive world of fiber optic paranoia and technoid effacement.DD006 is the next level of the concept and the first time on vinyl. The tracks are driven by the characteristic haggard drum machine's sound on side A with a melancholic or dark synth themes what becomes a dreamy melody in the - Prism Riot' on side B. The remix by Heinrich Dressel is a turn back directly into the darkness, but it is faster and more like a film soundtrack with his own characteristics, of course. The whole EP has a strong vintage mood and sound.
It can be said that Update 1.1 is definitely dystopian, coming from the future of our past.

The first volume of the new remixes series is up next on BLD Tape Recordings. Original tracks previously released have been revisited by artists that support the label since the early days and give shape to this varied and solid 3 remixes EP.

On side A, Eric Cloutier blurs the line between Deep House and Techno with a signature Theorem remix of The Transpose layered with acid basslines and scuffled Dub chords.

Stojche pops up on B1 with an advanced Power House-ish vision of Crawling showcasing drums, chords and leads precisely crafted.

And on B2, Copenhagen-based Anastasia Kristensen delivers her take on Bubble Games bringing us into a trippy and faster dark mood charged by repetition and enigmatic pads.

02AM is an 4 track EP by the young producer Hekkla from Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
The first track is 'Sunset Strip', a slowly build house track that moves like the last waves of heat at the end of a hot summers day, walking home feeling satisfied, all ready for the night. 'Saturday Morning Sentimentality' is a hard to pinpoint track that sounds like the bastard son of a trio between the melancholic side of Cyndi Lauper, Alphaville and the echoes of a cheesy saturday morning cartoon theme song from the late 80's. On the other side 'Memories of Tau Ceti' feels like tumbling into space with only the memories left of a good time on an alien world, accelerating faster and faster but still enjoying it, even though you know that the vacuum of space will eventually kill you. Finishing with the hardest track 'No Math', because, boys and girls, it's no math...

Hand stamped artwork by Frank Koedood.

Repress

Hard Techno Acid, but not really Acidcore in the Hackney genre. Faster it is... This is more Obs:Cur / Hangars NL style : Raving 150/160 BPM. All tunes brings fresh solid sound and there is no bas surprise here !

140-gram 4xLP, heavyweight package including CD. One time pressing of 500 copies worldwide. The follow-up to highly acclaimed Sailing Off The Grid album

"Expect the story of life as a self-reinforcing structure that never reaches the perfect balance. The concept behind the album is to bring awareness that the balance is an illusion and that's why it's called 'At The Turn Of Equilibrium'. Petar Dundov

Petar Dundov, a stalwart of the Croatian scene and a fine purveyor of sophisticated melodic techno, has been a prominent and respected name within underground dance music for over two decades. Throughout his career, the gifted Croatian has achieved much praise and recognition through releasing no less than four acclaimed artist albums ('Sculptures 1-3' in 2001, 'Escapements' in 2008, 'Ideas From The Pond' in 2012 and 'Sailing Off The Grid' in 2013) and performing at some of the world's best clubs and festivals such as, I Love Techno (BE), EXIT (RS), Awakenings (NL), Berghain (DE), Womb (JP), Air (NL), Fuse (BE) and Space Ibiza (ES).

The inspirational eight-tracker, 'At The Turn Of Equilibrium', is Dundov's fifth long-player and encompasses all of the inimitable production qualities of his previous albums whilst exploring a broader set of moods and themes, delivering what feels like his most accomplished work to date. Dundov explains, "This time, in addition to using more sound textures I introduced parts with classical instruments like piano and strings. As the album is about life and how it evolves, from purely a physical body to a thinking person, the songs are sequenced from faster, simple-rhythmic, cyclic, body moving tracks to slower, more complex layered, beatless mind tracks."

The album's impassioned opener, 'Then Life', commences the release by taking us on a captivating journey of complex melodies and soothing ambient textures. The album continues by showcasing a wealth of hypnotic masterpieces such as the dark and slow-burning 'The Lattice', the thought-provoking 'Before It All Ends' and the Kraftwerk-esque 'Midnight Orchestra'.

Other highlights include, the Vangelis-influenced up-tempo groover 'Mist', the lush ambient soundscape 'New Hope', the uplifting and emotional 'Missing You' and the hugely stimulating synth-driven melodic work-of-genius 'Everlasting Love' which concludes the album.

'At The Turn Of Equilibrium' is a very absorbing and imaginative album that's been driven by Dundov's eternal quest of translating sound into emotion. Developed like a well-constructed DJ set, the album has not only been designed to invoke personal insight for music to be the catalyst for understanding but also make sense as a listen, highlighting Dundov's unparalleled talent, depth and versatility as a DJ/producer.

Plenty Headroom' EP is a twisted techno release from Kahuun on Scandinavian label PLOINK with remixes from anonymous Norwegian act Vakum and label boss Thomas Urv.
PLOINK started life as a club in Bergen where it has hosted the biggest techno parties in the region. 2014 saw it expand into an imprint, supporting Norwegian artists with releases from the likes of Vakum, Nordenstam, Christian Tilt and label founder Thomas Urv. Bergen producer Kahuun has been DJing across Europe for well over two decades now and saw his first 12' on Paper Recordings in 1999 followed by a string of releases on the likes of Hi Fi Terapi, Bagpak Records and Sex Tags UFO.
'Plenty Headroom' incorporates stabbing, abrasive pads that tumble downwards over a muted, staccato bass and a 4/4 beat. 'Enlargement' then gets more frantic with a faster tempo and galloping bounce, overlayed with punchy warm synth sounds. Thomas Urv's remix of 'Plenty Headroom' delivers the darkness one would expect from the PLOINK founder, underpinned by a crunchy, compressed sub bass line. Tying everything up Vakum's rendition demonstrates a heady buzzing synth that builds a tension over a pounding four to the floor.

Struments Records opens 2014 presenting ''Fire to the Empire'', third record in 12'' format from this Barcelona label. Following the special dedication referred to the local talent shown by the label in its two previous releases, in this occasion the reference is signed by Clip!, relevant artist in the Spanish electronic scene that, after a versatile and prolific 2013, shows in this publication a new coordinate of their chameleonic sound. Thereby opening the door to more visceral coordinates, opaque and less intense dance that exudes less kindness and infects the club atmosphere with light and dark. The set, consisting of three original songs (Fire, Ash and Bitch), and a remix of ''Ash'' by the British artist Kommune1, discovers on side A two descriptive and powerful snapshots of translucent clubber atmosphere, winding and unfiltered. Proper of the dance hours closer to twilight in the shadows and lights mergers into sensations. While on the B side, the artists pays tribute to the most evasive and escapist concept that music can evoke, forged between the rage of techno and the subtlety of house, when instinct takes control over any convention and presents itself as a purely physical experience between the listener and the sound. Closing the total minutes of the reference, Kommune1 prints cosmic and expansive notes to ''Ash'', as well as he brightens the original version. ''Fire'', the central tune that starts and gives name to this third reference of Struments Records responds to six minutes that shapes a direct and powerful presentation letter. In which you can acknowledge progressive melodic phases and raw vocals that serve as a growing force of initial contact. ''Ash'' continues the incursion between hard and chiaroscuro dynamic, printing analog rhythm coordinations. ''Bitch'' represents the exact balance and highlight of ''Fire Your Empire'' EP, sobriety in enviromental nuances, vocal flare and power high-flying shape a depth completely orientated to the dance floor that condenses much intention in a speech coherently aligned with the sound. Kommune1 sets ''Ash'' with an eye towards fantasy and space, using resources in the original maximalist melodies and rhythmic accelerating phases provide the remix to get faster.


DJ Support:

Alizzz (Mad Decent)
The EP is so well balanced. Loving that analog feeling. 'Fire' makes me
dream, I get in trance with the bass and those pads on 'Ash' and I want
to listen to 'Bitch' really loud in the Berghain. Much support.
Jorge Caiado (Balance/Groovement)
"Excellent and fresh EP!! All tracks are powerful and effective, can't
wait to play them. My favorite is "Bitch" but Kommune1 also did a good
alternative mix to "Ash". Keep them coming Struments!
Kresy (Hivern Discs)
"Great EP. Bitch is my favourite"
Broke One (RBMA/Magic Wire Recordings)
"Aweome EP"

The argentinian Gonzalo MD has just recently created a lot of buzz around his person with releases on the french
label Knotweed Records.
You can clearly hear that he has got his very own style of techno, his synths are very extensive and hypnotic
and his kickdrums are very sub-heavy.
The original of Northern Lights is the perfect example for those extensive synths.
Strck is has given his Remix his very own touch by using his typical loopy and ecstatic sounds.
Lee Holman converted the record into something faster and more hard hitting using the synths and highlighted bleeps.
on B2 and B3 we have two more of Gonzalos great original Records. Deep Purple is one hell of a banging, hypnotic
90s-Techno example while Modulat is pulsing rather deep using a lovely hatgroove.

BNJMN pops up with another splendid and relevant EP.. featuring a remix from Legowelt/Xosar combo, Xamiga. TIP!
Artistic inspiration can come in many forms. On his latest 12' for Rush Hour - his third for the label since 2012 - BNJMN was inspired by one of the wonders of nature, namely the curious combination of speed and grace that is the humble hummingbird.

'I was really interested in how hummingbirds have much faster wing speeds to other birds, so they can hover and fly slowly,' he explains. 'This seemed to tie in with some ideas I'd been playing around with, to create tracks that are fast and accelerated, but could also sound slow.'

'Hummingbird', the title track of an impressive four-track EP that's noticeably cleaner, crisper and sharper than his most recent outing for Rush Hour, 2012's Unknown 2, captures this idea perfectly. Propelled forwards by a lone, 140 BPM kick drum, its waves of crystalline synthesizers and picturesque melodies seem to gracefully hover above the stripped-back rhythm. It's intoxicating, exciting and calming in equal measure, whilst retaining BNJMN's usual dancefloor punch.

'At a club recently someone came up to me after I'd played 'Hummingbird' and said he didn't realise how fast he was dancing till afterwards,' BNJMN says. 'I was really pleased with that, because I'm fascinated with how the energy and tempo of a track can feel different depending on the environment you're in, and how you're feeling.'

He took the same approach with the EP's other original tracks. 'Slow Wave', with its relentless sequenced arpeggio, tumbling melodies and sludgy groove, performs the same trick of the ear, thanks in no small part to clever combinations of fast and slow elements. The melancholic 'CRVD', with its mournful chords and darting, techno-influenced grooves, is similarly schizophrenic.

The EP concludes with its most straightforward dancefloor moment, an inspired remix from Xamiga (AKA Xosar and Legowelt). Decidedly cosmic - like layered, melody-driven analogue techno beamed down from a distant galaxy - it delivers a deeper, hazier alternative to BNJMN's pin-sharp original.

with RV8, the osaka-based producer and musician AOKI takamasa continues his long-
term project that focuses on the modulation of rhythms and grooves. it began with his frst ep
‚rhythm variations' in 2009, released as part three of the unun-series. besides his collaboration
with raster-noton, he released records on several labels like commmons, progressive form
and op.disc, produced remixes for well-known musicians like ryuichi sakamoto or yoshihiro
hanno and played performances at, for example, elektra/montreal and club transmediale/
berlin, all in all making him a renowned producer in japan and beyond.
starting with a frework of bleeps and bops, already the very frst minutes of his new
record reveal aoki's preference for vibrating beats and likewise his playful approach to music,
generating a sound that is aiming at the dance foor.
like the frst ones, almost all tracks of the record are characterized by a constant modulation
of chords and lines that sometimes appears somehow hyperactive, but nevertheless results
in a natural fow that perfectly refects AOKI's laid-back attitude combined with his will to
produce danceable and funky music.
the fuent arrangement is only interrupted by the third track which forms a caesura by
being more reduced and slower. in contrast to this, the following tracks present a faster
tempo and an increased intensity; and whereas the frst tracks refect downbeat and r'n'b
infuences due to their broken beats and chunky sound, the later songs are characterized by
a more sleek and technoid style, incorporating dribbling basses, clappy sounding snares and
modulated voice snippets.
although all of the musical components are constantly broken down, modulated, and
rearranged, the overall sound of the record is dense and compact, featuring a groove made
up of numerous elements that are complexly intertwined. the eight tracks of the record ft
seamlessly together and create a composition that nearly functions like a dj set.
the album was mastered by yoshinori sunahara. needless to say that RV8 will be released
as cd and lp.
[A] a1 | rhythm variation 02 [B] a2 | rhythm variation 04 [C] a3 | rhythm variation 05 [D] b1 | rhythm variation 06 [E] b2 | rhythm variation 07

repressed ! Memoria has the pleasure to collaborate with one of the most established artists in Europe for her 15th release. The Parisian - Berliner DJ /producer Okain, after his very successful releases on various acclaimed labels such as Tsuba Records, Quartz Rec and Bpitch Control, joins Memoria with an EP entitled Welcome to the Hood.

Okain's music was incarnated in legendary Parisian clubs, home of some of France's finest inspirations. However, his fervent fascination with hip-hop, soul and jazz has highly contributed to his fresh dance floor creations.

The Frenchman has really received great admiration from the crowd all over the world with his intensive touring in Europe, USA, South America, Japan and China. Until this very moment, Okain has played at the biggest clubs like Cocorico, Fabric, the Rex Club and Watergate to name a few.

For this EP, his groovy upbeat music, diced with bits of old school flavor, stayed once again true to house and techno based roots. Samuel's productions explore the deeper side of tech house, with classic grooves and modern sound design that stands out due to its originality.

Welcome to the Hood (A Side) and Hot Garonne (B Side) really do speak for themselves, both of which flow well throughout the night, the second, slightly faster and darker than the first. The strings in B1 are unexpected; and bring a completely different feel to the track giving it real character and charm.

support:
anja schneider, gel abril, karotte, guti, luca agnelli, gary beck, valentino kanzyani, dubfire, bleed, florian meindl, yousef, jimpster, sandy huner, franco cinelli, hermanez, gel abril, mr. statik, nino santos, richie hawtin, claude vonstroke, joseph capriati, fil sonik, luca bacchetti, tania volcano, stacey pullen, arado, butch, wally lopez, danny howells, scuba, whebba, kaiserdisco, marko nastic, kiki, riva starr...

Away from the hypnotic mayhem of the floating roofscapes, we see fractured images cycling faster.
Just as clouds follow the wind, airy soundscapes track the low-end groundwork with grainy artifacts bursting in amongst the thick.
Lost in this surrounding ambience, the B side carves its way with a resonant materiality where shattering hi-hats pull you out of a hypnotic semi-dormant state.
(B2) enters a sound voyage, an intimate balance between gloomy atmospheres, dark sirens and repeated upcoming unidentified melodies, that play against the ceaseless motion of the hi-hat motive.