Techno News

Sweden's finest Kontra-Musik and Aniara Recordings join forces for atmospheric investigations into rhythm and sound.

Shxcxchcxsh's Rosten label welcomes fellow Swedish producer Sissel Wincent for a smashing vinyl EP, 'Assorted Lights'. 2018 was indeed a busy year for Sissel, having released her second EP on Peder Mannerfelt's imprint as well as collaborating on his new LP. She also made a remix for Fever Ray and took part of the infamous Shape platform roster. With 'Assorted Lights', she pursues her unique blend of minimalism, gabber and experimental sounds to greatest effect. Machines squeal, squeak and hiss in the most natural way conveying passion and emotions with energy from start to finish. Four dancefloor bangers that showcases Sissel Wincent's talent to create dark, odd, yet cosy atmospheres of her own and some of the freshest dance music around.

Line Explorations present its first release - a compilation consisting of six tracks by six national artists, producing under the names of T'iwu, HTL, PX, emme, AMSH and Mensaje Sanador, serving as a sampler for what's to come in the future on the label and the sounds the label will evoke such as techno, IDM, ambient, noise, drone and experimental vibrations from the further avant-garde,

The first track focuses on growing an organic and everyday sonic scape with the use of chords and melodies filled with light touch - reminiscent of clear skies and sunshine - which creates an ambient feel similar to that of daily vibrations of life as presented and explored by T'iwu.

HTL enhances the depth of the reflections of today's emotions one can feel by delving deeper into everyday surroundings and exploring the noise/drone side of the ambient musical styles by mixing melodic elements with the out of the ordinary effects which shock and ululate while shaping the musical texture into a darker and deeper atmosphere.

The following track, by PX, elevates the atmosphere into a more jovial soundscape full of '80's inspired electronica and sci-fi soundtracks. The beat rolls off and twists in a funky groove helping develop a danceable pace for the release.

On top of that, emme presents the fourth track - in the shape of techno meets breaks - where more classical elements of industrially influenced electronic music can be traced from yesteryears. The sounds engulf in warmly distorted melodic strings while flowing over and under the rhythmic structure.

In contrast, AMSH's ''Subway'' presents a downpour of heavy sounds, such as noise influenced synths and delayed infected percussion, along with field recording of trains help envision the movement of a manmade machine and its flow through the undergrounds of today's world.

The final piece, of the label's initial release, comes in the shape of a Mensaje Sanador or healing message. The track takes on the elements of the three titles that have preceded it and explores further the dynamics between current and classical sounds of the electronic dance music genres by delving deeper into sound synthesis, melodies and rhythm as to help one submerge further into exploring such sounds, their history and the future to come.

Limited retail edition in double transparent yellow vinyl.
Explosions in Slow Motion is the new album from Brock Van Wey's transcendent bvdub project.
Van Wey's previous n5MD album Heart- less found him harnessing the turmoil around him to create something vast, emotive, and brooding, yet somehow comforting, allowing you to cradle in its weight.
Months after Heartless' release Van Wey moved from turbulent times of his native California home to the chilling winter of Warsaw Poland. A divergence. Alone against the icy cold, confined to the indoors in search of protection against the world outside, Van Wey channeled, as he always does, his surroundings as they coalesced with his self-imposed aberration. The outcome of this move, and period of near total isolation, is Explosions in Slow Motion.
Featuring four long-form songs accompanied by four 'ember' vignettes, Explosions in Slow Motion is quite possibly Van Wey's most mournfully isolated work in his massive discography to date.
Filled with swelling arcs of spectres from the past appearing then slowly drift away. Foggy memories of friends, loved ones, and even adversaries seem to achingly sweep across Explosions in Slow Motion's eighty-minute runtime.
There is a forlorn thread of shrouded nostalgia throughout the album which by album's end leads to catharsis, acceptance and the finality of progres- sion.

After the praise for Morning Worship, released back in 2015 on Royal Oak, Portuguese duo Sabre returns to releases with the EP "Fora de Turf", pointing directly towards the dance floor. There is in "Fora de Turf" a certain idea of transient existence as a series of car journeys cruising the night with no clear sense of direction, recalling the gradual disappearance of public space and loss of community. The weight of Kraut references such as Kraftwerk's Autobahn or Stratosfear by Tangerine Dream is somehow clear in its alignment with a 1995 Carl Craig who had just released Landcruising

On the A side, 'Condor Sense' and 'Sem Terra'. The first one is a banger built around broken beats and repetitive synth chords that guide us through the drone landscapes on the background, very clearly marked by the 808's rhythms. The second one is anchored in a broken kick and on a growing acid line, punctuated by warm chords and some sliced pads that reminds us of the pulsating heart of the city of Detroit.

On the B side, "Condor Senses" and "Driving Bruno" got some sort of a gliding character. "Condor Senses" is the only track on the EP to accept the classic four-on-the-floor to guide some dubby chords along a quieter landscape where organic and natural sounds lurk. Is it dawn arriving No. On the last track of the album, "Driving Bruno," Sabre get in the car and step on the throttle, full speed, on a bassline that could resemble some synthwave releases if synthwave had been lucky enough to be born a decade earlier and in the center of the state of Michigan.

All Tracks Written And Produced By Varuna.

Tucked away in a shed in Portland, Best Available Technology continues to cultivate an unmistakable sound grown around a seemingly untiring exploration of the machines that he works with. Across 'Enginetics & Plasmalterations' his densely layered sonic design agglutinates with a healthy appreciation for the unplanned or unexpected, forming a polymorphic collection of tracks for the 6th release from 12th Isle. While more traditional means of classification have become increasingly insufficient, it wouldn't be unfair to suggest that the music on this record bears a mutated resemblance to stuttered Downtempo or the dubbier side of Techno and Bass, connected by way of tonal plasticity through drone-jams and intermittently skewed synth loops.

Despite the frustrating limits of language surrounding music, we're incredibly happy to welcome B.A.T. to the label with this release and would be well enough compacting the overview of it to the near molecular level by borrowing a phrase from the artist himself - Sonics Proper!

Athens, Greece resident and Vanila records owner ANFS lands on Horo for an EP of jagged, industrial tinged Techno. Breakbeats are hacked and repurposed into brutal shards, with 'Kounoupi's amen march adding a slowed down, vicious take on the infamous roll. 'Salepsa' is a propulsive call to the floor, robust and emphatic, with 'Dervisis' and 'Komena' bookending the EP with rattling menace.

'From Here to Eternity' is the first full length album from Canadian composer Kyle Bobby Dunn since his 2014 long play, 'Infinite Sadness'.

The use of processed guitar and his passion for cinematic swells reaches new realms that are markedly more ominous and dense than his previous long play. Kyle Bobby Dunn also recruited prominent ambient composers and a handful of his favorite musicians to arrange their own instrumentation for several works on this release that add multiple layers of mystery and intrigue of the human mind and heart. Artists that contributed to this effort are: Benoît Pioulard, Simon Scott, Loscil, Pan-American, Wayne Robert Thomas, Isaac Helsen, Mark Nelson, Robert Donne, Maryam Sirvan, and Michael Vincent Waller.

Kyle Bobby Dunn wanted this album to be very much about the eternal conflict with all human emotions and life circumstances and to somehow go even further than the concepts left behind on 'Infinite Sadness'. The moods and sounds range from angelic choral elements to motion picture soundtrack epics; permeating the skeletal system of the listener with a sense of boundaries and mortality. There are also moments that capture the dynamics of the artist performing in the live setting perfectly and were engineered meticulously by Matt Rogalsky and Kyle Bobby Dunn himself. Truly a difficult album of unending loss, confusion, pain, identity, disease and even death, but also include the most reflective and warm moments of his career to date.

With productions dating back to 1994, James Bernard has gained a cult following for his combination of atmospheric analog beats and modular synthesizers. His debut album, 'Atmospherics' is often heralded as a classic by the diggers who stumble across it, and James' 'Unreleased Works' are a hidden gem of early 90's electronica (if you're lucky enough to own a copy on CDR of course). James has been busy experimenting and refining his modular setup over the years, to the extent that a full album of beautiful music, created live in one take on a sunny afternoon, comes to life once more here on ASIP. 'Atwater', was performed live during a 2018 'Modular On The Spot' event, held in Los Angeles' North Atwater Park. With his custom analog modular rig, a small set of speakers and a generator, James took the afternoon audience on a glistening tour of the beautiful sounds to emerge from a Moog Mother 32, custom built filters and various Eurorack modular sequencers, modules and effects. After hearing James' set, ASIP proposed presenting the music in permanent form for everyone who missed that special day. James initially took the chance to recreate the set and edit versions ready for a release, but after careful consideration, it was decided to release the raw unedited live version of his set (mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri) forever cementing that special moment and irreplaceable emotion found in North Atwater Park that one afternoon.

Rotterdam based duo ARKVS release ''Oppression EP'' through the PRRUK black series. The result is an exciting package of futuristic techno sounds and searing drums. The duo has managed to find a perfectly executed trip throughout the different sides of ARKVS. While the general tone is darkish throughout, there are some uplifting atmospheres and hints of hope to be found in this package. While the title track is a thumping piece of dancefloor techno, the cinematic voyage ''Our Deepest Fear'' is a stand-out production of adventurous electronics. On the B-side we find ''Chose To Defy'', which is a tough work of dark techno and the somewhat more mellow ''Nonviolence'' on which an intrusive bassline is combined with some beautiful synth sounds.

For those who shine darkly......

During the transitional period in which Coil's primary leadership, Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson and John Balance, reorganized their creative direction by taking on new membership in the group through their inclusion of Drew McDowall, Coil took a drastic turn towards the metaphysical unknown.Employing the subtle handiwork of Coil's'real life'members, as well as the cleverlyguised aliases and spiritual collaborators, the band chose to filter their identity through a the nome de guerre, Black Light District,setting the precedent of Coil's future exploration of other worldy influence.

Recorded during the Winter of 1995/96, Black Light District reflects more on their formal avant-garde pursuits and academic interests rather than their industrial pedigree resume. Starting off with an obvious nod to John Cage with their introductory 'Unprepared Piano', the tone is prepared in exactly the same way... unpredictable. Conceptually abstract, Black Light District shows Coil's old guard disregarding the pop rhythms found on previous albums, such as Love Secret Domain,and fully embracing their experimental electronic trajectory. Subtle patterns of looping melancholy and malaise are placed delicately underneath ghostly electronic timbre. Approaching their creative method as something from the beyond, another realm in which sounds blur and performers seemingly appear from the ether.

Dais Records announces the official reissue of "Coil presents Black Light District -A Thousand Lights in a Darkened Room". Remastered by engineer Josh Bonati and supervised by Coil's Drew McDowall, the double LP vinyl release is packaged in a beautiful matte 24pt stock gatefold jacket Also available on digipack CD with booklet and digital.

Led By Nigel Ayers And Caroline K, The Band Was One Of The First To Use Tape Cutting, Avant-garde Art, And Underground Video Works To Create A Stage Experience That Was Being Cultivated By Like-minded Artists Like Throbbing Gristle, Spk And Cabaret Voltaire.

Originally Self Released In 1988 On Earthly Delights, Spiritflesh' Is A Masterpiece And A Major Reference For The Early Drone/dark Ambient Minds.

By The Time The Album Came Out, Nocturnal Emissions Had Already Produced Several Albums Of Electronic Music Which Varied From Noisy To Funky. Displaying His Usual Perversity, Nigel Chose To Ditch Electronic Dance Music Immediately Before The Acid House Revolution And Produce A Series Of Utterly Compelling Atmospheric Albums Which Are Often Referred To These Days As Being 'ambient Industrial'.

"spiritflesh" Was The First Offering By The New Shape Of Nocturnal Emissions. The Record 'came Out Of A Long, Hard Thinking, A Personal Examination Of My Own Motives For Working Within Music.' Nigel Ayers Played Church Harmonium, Chime And Music Box On The Record, And Used Samples Of Chimpanzees, Cattle, And African And European Wild Birds. While Generally Ambient, The Music Is Not Like Brian Eno's Work; It Is Atmospheric, But Impossible To Relegate To The Background.

'there's Always A Dangerous Intrusion Of The Real World Into Our Music,' Ayers Said. 'we're Looking Into The Relationship Between People And The Environment, The Kind Of Feedback Which Happens Between People And Locations. Underneath It All, This Planet Has Got Its Own Message.'

NON Worldwide co-founder Nkisi rolls out an instant modern classic with '7 Directions' for UIQ. A masterful debut album informed by African Cosmology and Congolese rhythms, it's aesthetically comparable with music ranging from Æ's 'Incunabula' to The Connection Machine's 'Painless', Lee
Gamble hyperprisms and William Bennett's Cut Hands, but ultimately it's peerless in the (hyper)modern field...
Specifically referencing the writings of Kongo scholar Dr Kimbwandende Kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau and the African Cosmology of the Bantu-Kongo, '7 Directions' is offered as a gateway to hallucinatory mindstates via aerobic mysticism. Ultimately it is focussed on the idea that rhythm has the capacity to modulate and experiment with conditions of perception, and to disrupt predetermined expectations, and does so in the belief that new movements of energy can determine collective behaviour and generate new possibilities for knowledge production and dissemination - perhaps even supposing rhythm's potential for premonitory pattern recognition.
We fully concur with Nkisi's notions about dance music's potential for transferring and conveying energy, both negative/ecstatic, abstract/intuitive, so it's a rare pleasure to hear her limn those ideas so beautifully, effectively and open-endedly thru '7 Directions'. In each part she inimitably unlocks and retunes the body's rhythmic anticipation with breathless batteries of incredible polyrhythms that arguably make the majority of Western dance styles sound like rote line dance music for folk with little imagination in their bones.
In each direction Nkisi's drums writhe and rattle in a simultaneously ancient/futuristic style - ancient because they explicitly reference percussive traditions way older than Western
civilization, and futuristic because they've never been presented in this way before, alloyed with cosmic synth pads that draw lines from Detroit to the Lowlands and back to source, way out in the
cosmos. But rather than closed systems for study and analysis, Nkisi's trax feel like living, bristling organisms or virulent systems that only become activated with user participation, where those
ideas can begin to take root, grow and mutate via kinesis.
Even if you don't dance in public and save '7 Directions' for your living room/bedroom/holosphere, listeners will get the best out of this album by putting something in themselves, by shutting their
eyes and dancing with it.

Although Itta (Vocals, Harmonium) and Marqido (Analog Synthesizers) have been regular fixtures in Seoul's experimental music community for years, the vinyl release of Spiritual reflects the growing international recognition of their singular sound, described by The Wire as 'meditative synthesized vistas.' Spiritual certainly embodies the meditative element of their music, layering hypnotic modular synth with Indian harmonium drone and Itta's transcendental vocals. This is more than functional music for the metaphysically curious, however. Perhaps more than any of their previous releases, Spiritual offers an open accessibility, owing at least partly to the channeling of krautrock-influenced rhythms. Tracks like 'Luft' and 'Morgen Tempel' wouldn't sound out of place in any DJ set with kraut or psychedelic leanings, while 'Barabonda' and 'Dodeuri' dig deep into a more meditative place, serving as perfect expressions of the album's title and intent. Fans of Neu!, Kraftwerk, Laraaji or Klaus Schulze might find themselves in a comfortable yet unexplored place.

Spiritual was originally released in 2017 as a limited-edition cassette of 250 copies, produced in collaboration with Seendosi, an arts enterprise in Seoul Euljiro district, the city's heart of printing, packaging and electronics manufacturing. The cassette sold out within a year of its production, prompting Extra Noir, who had previously released Tengger's 'Breathe In, Breathe Out' on their Extra Noir Vol. 1 compilation, to propose reissuing Spiritual on vinyl. Working with Seendosi once again, the result is a beautifully produced piece of work. Closely attentive to the band's vision, the gatefold sleeve features rich landscape motifs that evoke Tengger's commitment to earthly travel and the less accessible places beyond. Pressed onto clear vinyl, the design of Spiritual has been carefully constructed to reflect the entirely unique music within: heavy ephemerality, dense transcendence and grounded wanderlust.

36's music is often associated with and influenced by the futuristic, cyberpunk side of ambient music. His ability to transport and portray new worlds evident through his 2016 album for ASIP, 'The Infinity Room', or any of his self-released works. It's of no surprise then to see his return to ASIP take this exploration one-step further. However, instead of the more obvious themes that come with cyberpunk, such as technological fetishism or vapid aesthetics, Dennis has decided to focus on the isolation of individuals, using (and often abusing) technology as a means of escapism - a side of cyberpunk that often goes unnoticed when it comes to the musical depictions that come with it. Fade To Grey reflects on current social paradigms, where social media has become a weak substitute for human interaction. Rather than bringing people together, it often makes us feel lonelier than ever. As evident in the album's artwork, technology is shown to be far from benign. The soft, gentle elegance of watercolor is juxtaposed by the violent splatters of machinery. Every vice has its price. Considering the landscape of our own world right now, where a handful of companies control everything we consume, where convenience is more important than privacy, where personal choice is pre-determined by algorithms analyzing our behavior, and where the internet has become a battleground for influence and propaganda... It's not a stretch of the imagination to believe we're already witnessing our very own dystopia.

Kenneth Scott finally making his debut on Vakant, long overdue, such a great DJ and repeated guest at Vakant parties. Phew.. Remixes by The Exaltics, co-owner of acclaimed electro imprint Solar One Music, and Evigt Mörker of Northern Electronics fame. The Exaltics & Evigt Mörker Remix will only appear on the vinyl.

Vigorous dark drone techno.

Second release from Twin Womb after last year's incredible "Aeons Revolve" 12". 21 tracks, hand-numbered (very) limited edition cassette. Comes with sticker.

BENJAMIN FINGER, JAMES PLOTKIN and MIA ZABELKA craft a mesmerizing sonic world that buzzes and drones, glitches and slithers, eventually careening into unexplored musical territory.

"Pleasure-Voltage" was born in the mind (and studio) of BENJAMIN FINGER - a composer, electronic music producer, DJ, photographer and film-maker based in Oslo / Norway who in recent years has become quite a prolific artist, expanding his stylistic palette from piano miniatures and off-kilter pop experiments to lysergic, dream-like sound collages spiced with gentle warmth and sublime melody. These ingredients are also characteristic on this latest work where FINGER set the musical frame before passing it on to his inspired collaborators: MIA ZABELKA who for decades now has been involved in countless projects, be it as musician (violin / electronics), curator or founder of the international sound art centre klang.haus and who has worked with a.o. JOHN ZORN, FRED FRITH, ELECTRIC INDIGO, ROBIN RIMBAUD (SCANNER), DÄLEK or PHIL MINTON. And last but not least there's JAMES PLOTKIN who entered the scene with his first band OLD LADY DRIVERS (or OLD) on EARACHE in 1987 and later was a member of KHANATE (with a.o. STEPHEN O'MALLEY) while also exploring the areas of dark ambient and electronics by working with or remixing SCORN / MICK HARRIS, K.K: NULL and many more.

On "Pleasure-Voltage" which had its live-premiere at the REWIRE festival 2018, the trio craftsa mesmerizing sonic world that buzzes and drones, glitches and slithers, eventually careening into unexplored musical territory somewhere between ambient / drone / psychedelia.

After an excellent 12inch on Rosten label SSTROM drops his first full length Otider, which is by far the most diverse offering of the project encompassing elements of different genres and putting them in woolen and dense sonic textures. Otider could be loosely translated as un-times or non-times. It positions the tracks out of specific context and rather represents them as some rediscovered artifacts relating to personal experiences of the artist. Otider slightly distances SSTROM from techno label as the compositions elegantly drift between lush transparency and thick grooves of outsider/lo-fi house as in Kronofobi or Svvaren or sensitive, yet subtly monolith and mellow techno on Damm and I Huvudet. In Modernisten we can even trace echoes of coldwave/synth aesthetics with melancholic guitars sweeping over hypnotic rhythmic patterns, while closer Sov Nu introduces something which reminds a darker form of garage music with light synthpads constantly surfacing among raw mechanical beats. All the tracks were created over a relatively long period between 2010 and 2017 by employing the process where he let his hands work automatically without interference from his head. This freedom could be felt across the release, which juggles with different musical forms so lightly and organically, but at the same time maintains a coherent vision, which illustrates the vast scope and diversity of the artist.

Drawing In Sound is a live improvisation, created by sound artist Andreas Usenbenz and illustrator Christoph Lammers for the exhibition opening of "Wiese" ("meadow") by artist and curator Andreas Pytlik at Städtische Galerie Rosenheim in the spring of 2018.

Prior to the performance, the artists exchanged ideas, drawings and sound improvisations to find a way of approaching the topic of 'meadow' in the context of contemporary drawing and contemplative soundscapes. During the performance, illustrator and sound artist entered a dialogue: Usenbenz created subtle sound textures and phonographic collages of rustling hay, records, guitar sounds, field recordings, tapes and effect devices.

Lammers opened all senses to both space and sound. Reacting intuitively, focussing on the moment and with great physical effort he composed his images, formed structures from lines and shapes. Using charcoal, ink, brushes and his bare hands, he filled the 7 by 4 metre canvas, vigorously at times, then almost delicately, providing stimuli in turn picked up by Usenbenz. Ultimately, this "conversation" between the two artists gave rise to a different interpretation: Everything grows of its own accord.

Played and improvised by Andreas Usenbenz, using objects, lo-fi microphones, contact microphones, field recordings, guitar, ebow, looper, ipad, dictaphone, cassettes, tape loops, op 1, field kit. Drawn and performed on a 7 x 4 m canvas by Christoph Lammers, using different objects, ink, charcoal, brushes and his bare hands. Recorded live at Städtische Galerie Rosenheim. Additional sounds recorded and edited at home.

In February 2017 Moving Furniture Records released "1", the first LP by Radboud Mens and Matthijs Kouw. The album consists of two long drone tracks that make you forget music is a time-based art. Music that immerses you in a warm bath of frequencies that are evolving slowly around you, revealing you all sides and details of a sonic sculpture.

With this second release, which is simply titled "2", Mens and Kouw continue their exploration of long-form drone. By using precisely tuned analogue synthesis, Mens and Kouw create a rich tapestry of drones and slowly changing environments. To the careless listener, nothing much seems to happen. However, an attentive ear will reveal a rich variety of resonances and sonic artefacts. Starting as a deep and warm drone music both pieces gradually develop into a collage of textures and frequencies that are carefully moving in and out of the drone. This record is the second of a two-part album that was recorded live in the studio in December 2014, released in an edition of 300 LPs that are packaged in reversed sleeves and are provided with a digital download.

Matthijs Kouw is a sound artist exploring the relation between movement and stasis. Using a wide variety of source material that includes field recordings, amplified objects, software synthesis, and analog synthesis, Matthijs has worked on music for theatre, dance, and film, as well as sound installations. He has released music via various outlets, including IO Sound, erstwhile tape-label Grel and Moving Furniture Records. Matthijs lives in Utrecht (Netherlands), where he is slowly working on a new solo work.

Radboud Mens is a sound-artist, composer and sound designer who is working with sound since 1982. He started creating noise-machines in 1988. In the early 90's he attached contact-microphones to dog's brushes that he used to destroy vinyl records by scratch-playing them, boosting the signal through broken cassette- decks and recording the results. Currently, like for example for his album Cycle (2015), he builds his own acoustic instruments and sound-installations. These instruments and installations are played live through a computer for real-time processing and then recorded. The recordings are used in new compositions. Radboud Mens has worked with a broad variety of sound artists and composers, including Stephan Mathieu, Janek Schaefer and Timeblind, voice-artist Jaap Blonk, guitarist Dan Armstrong (as Fitness Landscape), Michel Banabila, Mark Poysden (as Alignment), Craig Ward (ex-Deus), and Matthijs Kouw. His music has been released by Staalplaat, Mutek_Rec, AudioNL, ERS, Bake Records, Noise Museum, Takashi Mobile, Tapu Records and Touch. In live situations he collaborated with video-artists such as Marco Douma, Remco Schuurbiers, Bas van Koolwijk and Jpech.

Abdulla all of a sudden appeared on the scene with his label... and a couple months later he pops by again with this 2nd twelve. Trippy deep gritty techno tracks from this guy thats clearly not aiming to be the next most popular producer in the Resident Advisor poll.

Anthony Linell's latest suite of tracks cruise and drift with their head up. With a dizzy palette of terse and winding melodies, 'Sculpting Energy' feels like another new avenue for Linell on his unbreakable run of EPs. Drone surveillance-style patterns remain intact this time around, hinting at the unmistakable frozen planes of his previous works, yet with the opening track there's the smack of bustling heat, as its title 'Therme' alludes to. The EP's closing piece, 'Vision of the Imminence', presents a familiar sullen theme. Perhaps the measure of his latest work's difference is in the modulating barbed wire-percussion and birdsong- synths that wrap the track's cold core

New Svreca 12" will appears on January 2019, completing an hiatus of almost 4 years from his last EP on Semantica. 'An Unfolding Portrait' is a collection of separate pieces shaping a complete work but continuously undefined.

"La Tène is back with a double invitation to its third full length LP.
The hurdy-gurdy/harmonium/percussions trio welcomes two bagpipes (cabrettes and 23' to be exact), and a combo of string instruments (12-string guitar and electric bass).

Beyond the instrumentation, we're looking at a gang of high esteemed guests: Jacques Puech, Louis Jacques, Guilhem Lacroux and Jérémie Sauvage, whom works are given their due credit (with the La Novià collective and its multiple variations, the France group, Super Parquet, the Standard-In-Fi label, etc.), are at ease with fuelling the traditional ball dance floor (literally in its wooden meaning) as well as questioning it, confortable with sparking dance moves as well as pushing instruments and their sound to their ultimate limits.

La Tène's music doesn't alter itself, it is always at the conjuncture between obsessive repetition and fragmented traditional music, hence developing a mineral depth on an obstinate pulse. Where one hears an instrument, its mirror unburdens until the confusion. One lies breathless, only whishing the end becomes an eternal resumption."

French duo Ligovskoi are to release Esam, their second artist album and first on Field Records. It features eight expertly crafted tracks that take the listener on a spacey and hypnotic journey towards inner bliss. Formed by Nikolai Azonov and Valerio Selig in 2010, Ligovskoi once again draw on a sound palette that includes samples, synths, vocals, feedback, guitar and field recordings that merge in a painterly and romantic form of music. It recalls vast landscapes, abstract patterns and poetic movement. The title 'Esam' refers to a small, isolated mountain located on the moon, and the album is a journey to a similarly otherworldly landscape absent of human life. It features free improvisations, repetitive patterns and experimental materials that convey a wide range of emotions and styles from weightless shiny atmospheres to dark, heavy and swarming textures, leading the listener to deep contemplation. 'We spend a lot of time exchanging thoughts and feelings about the experiences we had while creating and listening, like old friends looking at clouds and discussing the shapes they see. By publishing our music, we hope that listeners will recognise their own feelings and that they will understand or feel something in common with us.' From sombre musical landscapes made from lingering drones to more uplifting, light emitting tracks, this is a slow burning but high impact album. Tracks like 'Behaim' suspend you in comforting sound, the title track prompts inward reflection and the likes of 'Cortage' is the sound of being listen to the heavens. Esam is a transportive, thoughtful album that takes you deep into a unique musical world.

Having become mutual admirers of each others work; English of Cortini's Sonno and Cortini of English's Wilderness Of Mirrors, the pair were very pleased to receive an invitation to collaborate together.

Following a number of months exchanging compositional ideas and materials, Cortini and English met in Berlin several days ahead of the festival and commenced an intense period of rehearsal and arrangement. The resulting piece, Immediate Horizon, traces their shared interests in harmony and texture. It is a work that meditates on saturation and the ruptures that occur when harmonic elements are stacked. Immediate Horizon's five pieces swell and burst in a perpetual sense of pulse.

This LP is a live recording, made at the premiere of the piece, held at Kraftwerk in Berlin.

Aurora Borealis proudly presents the debut album from Maze & Lindholm, 'Where The Wolf Has Been Seen'.
Combining the talents of P.Maze, one half of noise/techno duo Orphan Swords, with fellow Brussels-based producer and musician Otto Lindholm, 'Where The Wolf Has Been Seen' is a meditative and claustrophobic work for electronics and double bass.
'Where The Wolf Has Been Seen' will be available on deluxe 180g black vinyl housed in a reverse board heavyweight sleeve with spot varnish and download code, limited to 300, in addition to limited CD and digital formats.
The four parts evolve and spread outwards, throbbing bass drones colliding with slowly bowed arcs of keening strings that make for a deeply immersive listening experience. 'Where The Wolf Has Been Seen' explores the boundaries of the modern classical and electronic disciplines, with slowly shifting and expanding compositions that thrive on the tension between.
Mastered by James Plotkin and cut for vinyl at The Carvery, East London. Cover photography by Solal Israel.
Otto Lindholm : Brussels-based producer evolving between drone music and modern classical , Otto Lindholm employs an array of loop pedals and electronic effects in partnership with his double bass to produce a range of rich and voluptuous tones, emotions, and elongated melodies. Otto Lindholm came to light in 2016 with his debut eponymous LP (Icarus), a "stunningly beautiful" record (FACT). His second LP 'Alter' (2017 Gizeh), was introduced on BBC6 by Mary Anne Hobbs as an "Extraordinary new LP. Deeply meditative". Early 2018, he opened the new Houndstooth compilation "In Death's Dream Kingdom". « The set opens with Otto Lindholm's Cain - all Ligeti / Xenakis style doom and dirge and cooling solar flares ». (THE WIRE) « Cain by Otto Lindholm with its tortured voices and shards of cello, is like William Blake soundtracked by Arthur Russell ». (MOJO). Upon invitation of Stuart Argabright, he has collaborated on the new Black Rain EP that is due on Blackest Ever Black at the end of this year.
P.Maze is half of the duo Orphan Swords. Described as 'a brutal hypnosis' by Ransom Note, Orphan Swords music has been released on Aurora Borealis, Desire Records, Clan Destine and Instruments Of Discipline. The duo has collaborated with Ike Yard, Helm, SHXCXCHCXSH, Emptyset, and many more. Earlier this year, Orphan Swords was invited to live score the Walter Van Beirendonck show at Fashion Week Paris. That meeting resulted into a techno-driven menacing album to be released in 2019. The art cover curated by Walter Van Beirendonck will present a painting of Wouter Steel. Next to the furious maximal output of Orphan Swords, P.Maze is exploring a quieter and much more minimal side. The collaboration with Otto Lindholm represents his first official output under that moniker. A solo debut album is in the works for 2019.

Peter Van Hoesen presents Uncovered 2008-2018 Vol 1-3 - a three-part, 52 track compilation documenting his sound over ten years of the beloved Time To Express imprint. Consisting of Peter's unreleased tracks, rediscovered sketches and material from his live shows, Uncovered offers a coherent overview of his creative process during this period, deconstructing his inimitable aesthetic across three distinct volumes. Of the three volumes, each one chronicles a different aspect of his sound. Volume 2 shows 19 tracks on display, varying from slow, bass-heavy sludgers to more melodic electronica. The tape is a transparent, ferro copy produced on high-end Tapematic copying machines. All copies are hand-numbered by the artist

Athens, Greece resident and Vanila records owner ANFS lands on Horo for an EP of jagged, industrial tinged Techno. Breakbeats are hacked and repurposed into brutal shards, with 'Kounoupi's amen march adding a slowed down, vicious take on the infamous roll. 'Salepsa' is a propulsive call to the floor, robust and emphatic, with 'Dervisis' and 'Komena' bookending the EP with rattling menace.

Formerly releasing exclusively for Pact Infernal's label Altar, one half of Pact Infernal steps forward as Nastika with the Black Sun EP. Nastika takes the fright to the floor in a more direct fashion than his work with Pact. Sinuous, eastern tinged waves wash over percussive stomps on 'Yajna' and 'Sati', while the matching Black Sun tunes mark out a unique stylistic territory somewhere between Techno and mysticism. With Black Sun, Nastika further refines his crucial musical accompaniment to the indelible works of Pact Infernal

Abstract deep pulsating and hypnotizing Nordic techno from Abdulla Rashim. Slowly building and well executed tracks that stand out! Small edition on his own ARR label! We can make some sonic links to groundbreaking labels such as Detroits Strobe label... dark and acid driven introvert techno tracks. Recommended!

Portland, Oregon resident Mary Sutton's solo debut materialized in the wake of a performance she gave at a clothing-optional soaking-pool sauna: 'I had never composed for synth before but wanted to make something people sitting motionless and naked in hot bubbly water would want to hear.'
It was while in this headspace that she reconnected with Satie's entrancing cyclical motifs, particularly the way 'he subtly spins melodic fragments, and pivots harmonies and phrases so the repetitions feel new and surprising yet soothingly familiar, as if casting a spell.'
The nine intuitive instrumentals comprising The Deep End accomplish exactly that, threading complementary shades of soft-hued hypnosis, dazed modal introspection, icy amusement park reverie, and lunar lullaby into a prismatic suite of contemplative melody and synthetic communion.
Sutton's songs are active rather than ambient yet their structure is more suggestive than scripted, full of lulls, asymmetries, and daydreams. Each track was written specifically to be played live on an analog synthesizer, with no overdubs or post-production wizardry. The sound of Saloli is one of warm-blooded wiring, turned on and tapped into, emotive and electric, storied machines speaking through all too human hands.

The third solo record by Skymn further articulates the width of his artistry by taking us on a melancholic night ride across retro-futuristic skylines and dimly lit neon roads.

The record has received early support from artists such as Claudio PRC, Deepbass, Ness, Svreca, Artefakt, Etapp Kyle, I/Y, Iori, Jonas Kopp, Kwartz, Rasmus Hedlund, Samuli Kemppi, Takaaki Itoh, Eric Cloutier, Conrad van Orton and S100 to name a few.

Perfect excursion from layered old school breaks, melodic transportation to uplifting raw Techno and slightly darker Ambient notes. Weapon!