Beats News

Next in the compiler hotseat for seminal mix series ‘Back to Mine’ is the legendary DJ and producer Fatboy Slim. Having sold over 10 million records and embarked on a number of sold out arena tours, the esteemed record collector and all round great selector delves deep into his weighty collection at his home to create a heady journey of funk and soul. The collection opens with Dave Barker & Ansell Collins ‘Monkey Spanner’ – a reggae single released in 1971 from the Kingston based duo working for the infamous producer Lee “Scratch” Perry.

There are a few rare finds, Donal Leace ‘Today Won’t Come Again’, Wind ‘Grooving With Mr Bloe’ and George Rene ‘Smokey Joe’s La La’. And the most recognisable for many no doubt is Betty Chung’s 1968 classic ‘Bang Bang’ thanks to the vocals of the Nancy Sinatra cover being sampled in the Audio Bullys rework in 2005.

Repress der 2014er Reissue von Brian Enos Album "Nerve Net" (1992). Auf "Nerve Net" kehrte Eno zum mehr rockorientierten Sound zurück. An dem Album wirkten Robert Fripp, Robert Quine und John Paul Jones mit. Der beiliegende Downloadcode enthält das legendäre 'lost' Album "My Squelchy Life", das für September 1991 geplant war, dann aber zurückgezogen und zum Mythos wurde.

Cosmic library dub album by disrupt on the new Zonedog imprint, soaked in swirling synths, mind-altering loops and lushly textured polygons.

"The Recreation Room" follows up on the old SciFi idea of The Holodeck, a computer generated reality where space ship crews can get a break from the daily grind – a place where your mind can travel while your arse stays firmly on the couch. Disrupt is taking a closer look at the mechanics behind it, then messes with its deeper controls to optimize the simulation for an intense horizontal experience.

The VR-ready sequel to "Omega Station" (2018 on Jahtari) is a dubbed out piece of Sonic Fiction with a washed out nineties digitality, as seen through layers of tape all the way back to Black Ark – music from a future that already happened.

Discos Transgénero re-issue the Marnie Weber classic first solo LP, “Songs Hurt Me” originally from 1989. This seminal record was an important part of the Los Angeles post-punk performative art rock scene. Brooding synthesizers, heavy bass, strange melodies, and poetic lyrics lead you through an industrial journey. These songs were born from Weber’s earliest performance art characters: a deer, an old woman, a manic courtesan, and a butterfly. Songs Hurt Me was originally co-produced by Phillip Drucker AKA Jackson Del Ray of Savage Republic and 17 Pygmies fame.

Marnie is a pioneer in art rock from the 80’s in Los Angeles. She emerged early in the music scene as the bass player in the Party Boys, a formative and important Los Angeles post-punk downtown art scene band. During this period, the Party Boys performed shows with The Minute Men, Savage Republic, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fourwaycross, The Blue Daisies, Perry Farrell’s first band Psi Com, Camper Van Beethoven, and many more. Bruce Licher of Independent Project Records, whom Marnie met in art school, released the first Party Boys record. After performing with the Party Boys, Marnie went on to become a noted solo performative art musician in her own right. She has released five solo records and numerous group album releases.

As a visual artist Marnie created the cover of Sonic Youth’s A Thousand Leaves album – interesting to note Marnie is the hamster girl on the cover. She also designed posters for Sonic Youth and did a co-release of her second album with Thurston Moore on his label Ecstatic Peace. Expanding from her musical roots, Marnie exhibits artwork, films, sculptures, collages, sound installations, and costumes internationally in museums and galleries. She has had two extensive survey exhibitions of her artwork ­– most recently at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Geneva.

Songs Hurt Me was remastered by Mark Wheaton at Catasonic Studios Los Angeles using the original tapes for an unprecedented restoration of this historic album. Discos Transgénero has thoughtfully designed and pressed the reissued LPs in Germany. This unique edition of Songs Hurt Me is a limited release of 400 copies distributed worldwide.

Debut Release From The Upcoming Mexican Artist Alonso Rivero A.k.a. Noch

For their first release, Zurich-based label Unruh proudly present Sextant Part 1, comprising four tracks from the crew and their friends. First up is Panstarrs with ‘Pendulum’, a fierce slice of dark, semi-industrial electro, followed by the nagging synths and jacking drums of ‘Night Ride’ by Tachyon. The flip opens with ‘Mammoth Hunt’ by The Winky Wanky Wonky Woo, a shapeshifting behemoth of unhinged effects and pounding beats, before Robotron brings the EP to a blissful conclusion with ‘Baltik’.

Aethers Spring is a new project based out of Copenhagen. The music of Aethers Spring will manifest through three distinct personas, each with their own distinguishing sounds, styles and narratives. In this sense Aethers Spring is a Gesamtkunstwerk making use of multiple art forms to augment and enhance its musical output via visual and written work.

Aether's Spring begins with ""WATER: Dancing Moon"". A hypnotic and oneiric EP of electronica, it sits strikingly between heady nighttime listening and the converse territories of functional dance-floor music. Some kind of dream. Some kind of dance. Its story is told via the artwork of Frederick E. Woodward and Denis Chapon.

There is a rumble in the Alps. The animals are nervous and on the high plateaus, where the meadows are lush and green, some people might feel a cold shiver down their spines. The chamois know: With her second EP Viennese artist Conny Frischauf will deliver a masterpiece. On her 2018 debut »Effekt & Emotion« (International Major Label) she delved deep into a well-curated atlas. Whether in the desert or in the vast world of cosmic music and its companions - all is well wherever Frischauf goes. But now, on her sophomore EP - wittily named »Affekt & Tradition« - she will not only make her first appearance on Kame House, but also create an entirely new genre: Welcome to the »Alpen-Avantgarde«.

The opener »Halbzeit« opens both ear and mouth. Alphorns roar through the valleys, the wind blows soflty, sometimes harder through the hair, and gentle yodelling echoes from the other side of the mountain pass. It all sounds naive, funny almost, but in reality it is deeply intense and utterly touching. On »Wie du mir« the new avant-garde takes on the next step, intertwining slowly-crescendoing off-kilter synth lines, casual strings and the artist's lovely voice with so many other elements, creating a well-tempered climate that infuses bed linen and hair with a spring-like scent. The B-side-opener »Auf und Nieder« gently embraces the current trend of austro wave and opens up the entire wonderful world of 70s/80s underground jazz pop while visiting Vienna's Prater (or any other fair). Love awaits between cotton candy and subtle masquerade. If you haven't found your way around by then, Frischauf provides a »Kompass« at the end. The final piece of this gem takes you back to the topographical descriptions of love using alpine landscape imagery. Love is not necessarily a battlefield, but certainly a hike. »Weit Weit, Weit Weit, Weit Weit«!

2nd is the second album of Italian electronic music composer Giuseppe Ielasi under the Inventing Masks moniker. In comparison to the first Inventing Masks album from last year, 2nd is texturally much richer, even luxurious. Ielasis' generative beats evolved into polyrhythms that give IM2 an air of restrained funkiness, not unlike fellow composers Jan Jelinek or Andrew Pekler. It seems Giuseppe Ielasi enventually found his very own niche.

The Squirrels are back. Their second platter comes courtesy of KIT 'N C.L.A.W.S. (say it out loud), the cheekily-named collaborative project from Squirrels On Film co-founder Brian Hock and veteran San Francisco producer Kit Clayton, and just like the label's first record, it's a woozy, wobbly trip designed for dancefloors drifting between dimensions.
Savvy techno heads will recognize Kit Clayton's name from his decades of experience at the avant-garde of electronic music. In the late '90s, he and partners Tang Tran and Juan Mendez (now better known as Silent Servant) launched Cytrax, a groundbreaking minimal techno label that paved the way for the clicks 'n cuts sound of the early aughts. His debut album — Nek Sanalet, first released in 1999 on Stefan Betke's seminal label ~scape and reissued in 2015 — remains one of dub techno's most enduring documents. Meanwhile, Brian Hock moonlights as the drummer for deranged Bay Area post-punk outfit Bronze while recording murky electro-techno excursions as C.L.A.W.S.

Together as Kit 'n C.L.A.W.S., Clayton and Hock's sound signatures merge seamlessly. SOF 02 opens with "Urn of Stilled Sorrows," in which deep, dubby chords are painted against a spectral backdrop of flute and ghastly wind. Soon a chugging mid-tempo beat appears, and the record's magic becomes apparent: it's as atmospheric as it is irresistibly groovy. Next, "Mariners and Masts" showcases a rubbery acid squelch, setting it against a simple-but-unforgettable synthesizer melody. Last but not least is the pure mood of "The Skies Themselves," a deeply affecting haunted jam that eschews beats in favor of undulating, mesmerizing tones.

Squirrels on Film's second record highlights the strange and beautiful mystique of Bay Area electronic music, with much more to come — watch this space.

A pair of none-more-brooding, shockingly minimal 808-driven dreadnoughts released on a no-fuss, barely-any-info black label

Daumenbruch kurz vor dem 30. Geburtstag? Für Nils Frahm kein Hindernis, doch noch rechtzeitig neun intime Klavieraufnahmen einzuspielen und sie seinen Fans anlässlich seines Jubeltags online zur Verfügung zu stellen. Dabei gibt es für einen Pianisten wahrlich kaum eine schlechtere Nachricht als ein Daumenbruch. Frahm, der international längst ein Star der modernen Klassik ist und mit Zeitgenossen wie Olafur Arnalds, Peter Broderick und Efterklang kooperiert, ließ sich von dem Missgeschick (Sturz vom Hochbett) nicht beirren. Entgegen des Rats seines Arztes trainierte er die restlichen neun Finger und nahm peu á peu die vorliegenden neun kleinen Lieder auf. Als der Gips ab war, war das Album fertig. Die Musik ist mal wieder "ein Balsam" (BBC Music). Die LP erscheint inklusive eines Album-Download-Codes.

GOLF CHANNEL return with a limited session straight from the sex dungeon.
S&M never hurt so good...

After more than a decade at the forefront of the global club music scene withseveral celebrated albums and EPs under their belt, Peruvian duo DengueDengue Dengue's seminal 2014 Enchufada EP 'Serpiente Dorada' is still oneof the most impactful of their exciting career. Capturing the vitality of theirearly genre-defining work, where the traditional and hypnotic rhythms ofcumbia were modernised through a collage of electronic music styles,'Serpiente Dorada' is still at the top of their most played music on streamingplatforms to this day, and has motivated their fanbase to continuouslydemand a physical edition since its initial digital release. The wait is finallyover as in 2021, just as the band completed 10 years of activity, we arepressing a beautiful 12'' vinyl edition in black and gold colours, freshlyremastered for vinyl to give this essential release the quality it deserves. 'Serpiente Dorada' remains an absolutely infectious and colourful mixture ofglobal sounds, where genres and styles are used as a starting point on theirongoing hybrid exploration of the interaction between traditional LatinAmerican music and modern electronic music, where the total is much morethan the sum of its parts.

Second Installment of the Sameheads’ bi-annual vinyl compilation highlighting the Berlin based bar, club, playground, space, collective, cult, - whatever’s musical mavericks. An-i, Franz Scala, Alexander Arpeggio & Marlene Stark, Epsilove & Ohlandy, Anklepants and Umlaut are all featured at the top of their game. A unique-clutch of oddball bangers. Essential!

Frontmaschine is a french band created by Hérve and Louis. The alchemy of a father/son duo who experience with the ambiance, the sounds and the samples. Front 242 and D.A.F are their main influences. The music offered fluctuates from indus to old school, and from German to English vocals. Dark sounds (sounds of the 80s), rhythmed by rustic sequences, electronic drum sounds and samples such as machines, radio communication or metals. Frontmaschine “Wrong Fate” Ltd. Edition 12″ EP comes presented in a ONE-OFF truly limited edition of 200 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid RED vinyl. All tracks have been specially remastered for LONG CUT vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios (Germany).

The collaborative debut of American minimal techno pioneer Troy Pierce and Colombian audiovisual artist Natalia Escobar aka Poison Arrow was conceived in reverse: first they created a collection of shadowy surrealist videos, then wrote music inspired by them. This inverted process proved remarkably fruitful. Shatter is a simmering, slow-burn noir odyssey inspired by the Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus, traversing subtle shades of sleepwalker dub, metallic lament, broken beats, and erotic negative space. It's an effectively unsettling evocation of the legend's core theme: "There is nothing more complex than a shattered heart, or a heart that can't love." Considering their shared background trafficking in darkened dance floor modes, what's most striking about Pierce with Arrow's partnership is its rhythmic restraint. The album's 10 tracks seethe and shudder between glamor and gloom, with only occasional dread-steeped metronomes mapping the malaise to a grid. They speak of pursuing a "spatial approach" with this project, which manifests in the music's immersive design and patient execution, each mangled clang and rippling pool of bass allowed to reverberate its full flickering waveform. Guest appearances by austere techno producer Konrad Black ("Obsidian Glass") and drum n bass institution dBridge ("It's A Love Story, After All") flow seamlessly into the whole, subtle sculptural accents on a dimly lit descent through purgatories of longing and lust. But the shadows recede for the record's closing cut, "Narcissus," which swells elegiacally in a mass of devotional drones over a muted heartbeat, like Narcissus gazing upon his reflection in holy awe: elusive true beauty, finally beheld, by itself.

After releasing on Hot Haus records and Pitch Down, Rumore returns home to Discomaths with a collection of tropical beats and healing atmospheres. Cuts that are as deep and thought out, as they are danceable.

320 is the first release of a series of various artists which has deliberately put together Dead Husband, WLDV, Mynationshit and Cold Colors. In fact, just like in future compilations, this will always be a substantial premise for the label considering that these artists will always be esteemed and sometimes part of the Waste Editions family.

6 melodious pieces applauded by audiences across the country! This music embodies the nonsense of life during crucial times humanity is undergoing. We believe that digestion plays an highly important role in the well being of earthlings and balance; the immortality of sound within the cosmos of abnormal ideas and thoughts. This album says more than can be mentioned, we have no doubt that this record will do its duty in fulfilling its purpose in your mind While recording these songs, we light-hearted artists were able to combine our digested voices with the exact sentiments depicted in humankind’s pivotal moments of loneliness. We hereby create a soothing inner feeling in our listeners. This album says more than can be mentioned, we have no doubt that this record will do its duty in fulfilling its purpose in your mind. Vital Sales Points: 350 copies only- Follow up to the labels previous exotic waves of Scribble & Sjunne Ferger,

Roman Flügel is a magician. This statement is far from being a hyperbole. Just put the needle down on any record – I mean any! – of his ( collaborations included) since the early nineties and see for yourself: none of them are without that special effect. The magic works instantly. And as the thing with magic goes: it’s challenging to explain it. But I guess that is what makes it magic.

Eating Darkness is the title of his newest spell. Affected by the fundamental shock that any system got in 2020 – but not the result thereof – it is an album that could absorb it – as its name might suggest. Music and nightlife work hand in hand as escapism and as anchors or as the undercoat of social interactions. They enable people to deal with hardships as well as the burden and the joy of life. That is the starting point and hope of Eating Darkness: the outlook and invitation to enrich each and everyone’s existence.

Bound to the single LP format and reminiscent of a time with format limitations, the nine tracks are testament to Flügel’s weakness for the art of pop music with the use of little and especially short motifs. Furthermore equipped with a clear instrumentation and without any camouflage, Eating Darkness corresponds to his idea of a virtual band.

As it happens, the opener is called The Magic Briefcase. That sits not only well with my first sentence, but pretty much embodies the album and Roman Flügel’s apparatus in an alternative title: Crystal clear sounds and melodies bounce on and off the dance floor, living room and club are pulled together and transcendental moments take turns with the tangibility of reality. After all, that is how a real magician allures you.

After Edge of reality from DVLVCRVZ, Jupiter4 continue the Texas-Berlin connection signing DJ Akoza, owner of legendary DOOMSHOP records and known for being one of the sharpest beat makers on the scene right now. DOG U OUT EP is a remastered selection from recent works of the artist combined with 3 dance club music remixes from Cyan85, DJ Normal 4 and MUTANT JOE that goes from Electro, Detroit bass to Breaks and Jungle.

Repress

Released in August 2020 to much acclaim, as well as receiving many accolades as one of the best albums of 2020, Duval Timothy present Help (2021 edition).

This new and limited edition will be released independently by Duval Timothy’s Carrying Colour label, fashion brand and shop. It comes on 2 x 140g milky clear vinyl, with new 2 x 12" square posters and shrink-wrapped.

Help was recorded in London and Los Angeles, and reveals the artists' experience traversing the meshes of the music industry, mental health, YouTube self-help videos, and the healing he discovered through friendship and collaboration. Co-produced by Rodaidh McDonald (King Krule, The XX) and Marta Salogni (Bjork), with collaborations from Lil Silva, Melanie Faye, Vegyn, Desta Haile, Mr Mitch, Dave Okumo, and Twin Shadow amongst others.

Duval Timothy is a multidisciplinary artist, whose practise is centred around colour and involves the use of music, photography, textiles, painting, sculpture, design, cooking and video. In between delivering a celebrated cookbook for Penguin Books, and an interactive installation at Tate Modern Turbine Hall, Duval makes music, which is sampled by the likes of Solange and Loyle Carner and collaborates frequetly with cktrl, Vegyn, Kwes, and Mr Mitch.

New Orleans Based Artist Hirakish Is A Vanguard Visionary And A Show-stealing Hba Catwalk Star. His Evolving Practice Spans Music, Acting And Performance. Active In New Orleans, New York And La, He Recently Performed Live At Moma Ps1 For The Premiere Of "the Mean Of Life" A Film By Shane J Smith And Is Currently Working On A Project With Yves Tumor. 'black Velvet' Is A Look Inwards, At One's Own Struggle With Paradoxes Of Love, Sorrow, And Desire. The Four Tracks Move Effortlessly Through Romanticism, Suffering And Ecstasy. Awash With Blistering Guitars, Synths And Hard Hitting Vocals Laced With Fragile & Reckless Lyrics, Together Yield A Spiritual And Subtle Hallucinogenic Air. Hirakish And Co Have Created A Soulful Antidote With A Razor-sharp Sound Scape That Reincarnate The Soul. Hirakish Will Premiere A New Live Performance 'velvet Cafe' In London At Cafe Oto This Coming Fall With Nyx Unchained.

Harking back to the early 90’s Bleep & Bass era.. Yellow Machines brings you six tracks of the finest breaks, bleeps & bass tunes, This one is not to be missed, highly recommended.

More archival techno and deep electronics from Australian producer Tim Jackiw via Offworld Records. Limited release on orange translucent vinyl! TIP!
Unearthed from DAT tape sessions recorded in Adelaide between July-October 1996 and including two tracks previously released on a very limited 12" on Furthur Electronix, 'Endless Cycles' completes the trilogy of previous Offworld releases 'Science of Sound' and 'Still Tomorrow', reprising Tim's unique musical take on classic detroit-inspired techno and science fiction soundscapes.

This very special reissue celebrates the 21st anniversary of the release of Argentinian Juana Molina’s breakthrough album ‘Segundo’ in 2000.
It has been remastered from the original tapes, and augmented with a rich 32-page booklet recounting the eventful start of Juana’s musical career, and containing numerous notes, anecdotes, original drawings and previously unreleased pictures.
Contributors to the booklet include Bruce Springsteen’s producer Ron Aniello, Domino Recording’s Laurence Bell and David Byrne who, when he discovered the album, immediately invited Juana to open for him on his 2003 US tour.
‘Segundo’ started Juana Molina’s international trajectory as a musician. After dropping a highly-successful career as a TV comedian, she turned to music making. Regretting signing with a major company, who got her to record an over-produced debut album, she resolved to find her own direction in music.
The result was ‘Segundo’ that took 4 years to make involving sessions in Argentina and the USA.
Segundo’ finally came out on a small label in Argentina in 2000, found its way to Japan where it spectacularly took off, and was eventually picked up by the Domino label in 2003. Its reception set Juana Molina on course for performing around the globe, garnering a large, devoted fan base, and going on to record five more extraordinary studio albums.

On the A side Venezuelian / Bruxelles based artist Bear Bones, Lay Low (well known for his shamanic unstoppable live acts) brings us a faster than usual track. Turbo exotic beats, distorted bass and psychedelic waves. Lick that toad and enjoy the flight !

On the B side we celebrate the come back of High Wolf who was focused on his Black Zone Myth Chant alias those last years. After worldwide tours and more than 20 releases on labels like Not not fun, Sun Ark, Leaving Records or Consternation, Maxime P. woke up the wolf for some heavy looping beats. Is it slomo dub infused tribal house or the weirdest hardtechno you ever heard ? Only your legs have the answer.

Anarcho Amusements is a mini-album consisting of 9 diverse tracks produced between 2015-2018. It's an amusing - at times even

cheeky journey through multiple genres, tempo-ranges and sonic adventures. By altering between different sets of compositions,

samples and meta-tags Anarcho Amusements tries to give every sonic fiction it's distinct sound while still staying coherent. Nicola

Kazimir is a part of the collective Les Points based in Zürich. His art and music production is mostly based around topics like occultism,

rave culture and institutional-critique. Photo by Ivana Kojic.

Anarcho Amusements is a mini-album consisting of 9 diverse tracks produced between 2015-2018. It's an amusing - at times even

cheeky journey through multiple genres, tempo-ranges and sonic adventures. By altering between different sets of compositions,

samples and meta-tags Anarcho Amusements tries to give every sonic fiction it's distinct sound while still staying coherent. Nicola

Kazimir is a part of the collective Les Points based in Zürich. His art and music production is mostly based around topics like occultism,

rave culture and institutional-critique. Photo by Ivana Kojic.

Stiletti Ana, part of the dreamy sunbathed electronic duo “Jesse” and top tier in Finnish music production is releasing a new solo album, “I’m an arpeggiator” on Höga Nord Rekords. This album carries similarities to Jesse in both production and sounds but hides more ancient wisdom. A refined sound but with more edges left sharp and more of a mysterious vibe.

As the sound professor he is, Stiletti Ana takes you in a tour of his vast collection of vintage synthesisers and in centre of attention sits the arpeggiator (hence the album title) which gives the sound much of its repetitive character. Recorded in the legendary Haista II-studio outside Helsinki, “I’m an arpeggiator” channels the energies from the waters and forest surrounding the studio, giving the music its’s escapistic and romantic character.

This record is a transcendental trip down the paths of Boards of Canada and Manuel Göttsching, dedicated to the ancient Babylonian fishing god, Dagan.

* Clean Slate is the first release from Addremove on Swiss label Thrènes.

* There isn't a lot to say about Addremove himself or herself as he/she prefers to keep their identity unrevealed, at least for the moment, so lets concentrate on the music.

* Clean Slate consists of 5 original tracks and a remix from JK Flesh (project/alias of Justin Broadrick of Godflesh, Final and Jesu).

** Addremove is an electronic music project with a unique approach. The first EP is titled 'Clean Slate', and it is the second release on the outfit's own label, 'Thrènes'.
The sound of this production is lush, minimal, and dark, echoing influences as diverse as ambient music, experimental electronica, and darkwave.

** The EP features 6 tracks with eerie and industrial overtones, including opening number 'Letter From Police', which sets the mood with some pounding percussive samples and fuzzy synth lines. 'Lurk' is certainly one of the most striking tracks on this release - The melodic drones and bass synth lines create an all-embracing sonic landscape, while a sudden burst of glitchy beats breaks the pattern unexpectedly. This track almost make you feel like being on a spaceship, trying to escape a huge Mothership blasting out their most massive firepower on a chase at the edge of the Galaxy.
On tracks like 'When They Fall From The Sky', Addremove focuses on textures, slighting going for a more upbeat feel, while adding more sonic layers to the mix. The sound of this EP weaves in and out of dark minimalism, sonic drones and roomy percussion with a sparse, yet powerful feel.

** Most notably, the release also features a really cool remix curated by JK Flesh, who took his own spin on the track 'Crie'.
This project is the moniker behind Justin Broadrick, known for his work with acts such as Godflesh, Final, and Jesu.
On this remix, he set out to make a huge impact with his stylistic quirks and unique vision, igniting a whole new attitude to the track and recontextualizing its aesthetics. The remixed version remains dark and fuzzy, but while the original mix is more textural and haunting, JK Flesh added a true industrial vibe to the song, going for a powerful and uncompromising tone. The drums its hard past the point of saturation, and the side-chain swells crash in like waves of sonic grit. This cleverly arranged remix really adds something unique to the table.

Set for release in both physical and digital formats on October 13th, Clean Slate EP marks Addremove's first EP for Swiss-based record company Thrènes (which takes its name from the Greek word for funeral lament) and are a label dedicated to the release of tenebrous electronica and techno.

* Press / Promotion: Vision Music Promotion
** Text: Andrea Caccese

* Atheos is a ferocious new collection from Rotkeller, which sees the Swiss electronic duo (Laurent Schmidhäusler and Federico Sutera) double-down on the brooding energy of their previous releases with a renewed intensity—fusing bold electronic experimentalism to dense, maximalist techno.

* Whether on the slow-burn immensity of opener 'SW', the monolithic, doom-laden expanses of 'Malz' or the spellbinding surge of '17. October', Atheos showcases a dark melodic complexity from the duo—in part brought on by the use of both digital and analog recording techniques.

* While the mesmeric, choral melancholia of EP closer 'Godless'—its eerie and beguiling textures echoing all that has preceded it—offers-up ominously open-ended ending; solidifying Atheos as Rotkeller's most atmospheric and cohesive work to-date.

* As if that wasn't enough, EOMAC (Stroboscopic Artefacts, Killekill, Trilogy Tapes, Bedouin) caps Atheos off in style, with a savage edit of '17. October'. The remix that pushing Rotkeller's original track into new rhythmical directions—the glassy rhythms splintering like shards of light across an eternally eclipsed landscape.

Set for release in both physical and digital formats on May 5th, Atheos marks Rotkeller's first EP for Swiss-based record company Thrènes (which takes its name from the Greek word for funeral lament) and are a label dedicated to the release of tenebrous electronica and techno.

Repress!

Sea Urchin is the Berlin-based brainchild of the Italian Francesco Cavaliere and the Egyptian-Austrian Leila Hassan. Being core members of the underground, they already released a 7' in 2012 on D.A.S., a tape in 2014 on Stenze Quo, and Cavaliere recently released two solo-LP's on Hundebiss.Yaqaza is their long-awaited vinyl debut. The duo surprises with a multicoloured, mystic and intriguing collage of deconstructed pop hits, Italian music concrète, King Tubby-like dub and Algerian Rai.It is no coincidence that Yaqaza is Arabic for 'daydream, reverie'. The record is a virtual reality labyrinth in which you wander around sleepwalking, constantly opening new doors and sliding between tableaux vivants. The poetic vocals by Hassan, alternately in Arabic and English, is an absent guide that takes you to ethereal micro-cosmoses. Dubby baselines, a cold drum computer, analog electronics and subtle tape collages come together in an intriguing and wondrous web of unravelling side plots.

Hand stamped 10” white label from a new collaborative project between Paul Purgas (Emptyset) & artist and musician Imran Perretta. Working with South Asian sound archives AMRA explores diasporic echoes, archival disruption and Indian musical heritage, addressing themes of mythology, futurity and the trauma of partition.

Coming to the table with a fresh mutant sound, Darker Than Wax is proud to welcome Leeds-based artist Captain Over to our sonic universe with his Deep Blue EP. A solo project from one of the minds behind the band Paper Tiger, Captain Over represents a firm focus on dancefloor experimentation, blending the sounds of grime, broken beat, house, and LA beat music to create an entirely new beast. Much like the chess-playing supercomputer of the same name, ‘Deep Blue’ occupies a space between electronic weight and the human touch, fusing together icy digital synths borrowed from grime with off- kilter grooves and jazzy motifs.

Following a string of releases led by vocal tracks with grime MCs, ‘Deep Blue’ is the first fully instrumental offering from Captain Over, lending the artist a platform to make a strong statement about his creative vision and technical prowess. From the expansive arrangement of ‘4D’ to the duelling sci-fi synths on ‘Mind’s Eye’, the Deep Blue EP is a deeply creative yet functional record, signalling a bright future for the Captain Over project.