Techno News

Fear is the vilest of human emotions - it weakens and corrupts, leaving mistrust and paranoia in its wake. In Against the Dying Light, Swarm Intelligence embraces and wields fear, all the while breathing life into its rival: hope. To explore these concepts, Swarm Intelligence turned to horror films for inspiration - choosing dissonance and atonality to create sinister and unsettling melodies, as well as Foley techniques to produce disturbing, unnatural sounds. The results are at times vicious and abrasive, at others acquiescent and almost mournful. Swarm Intelligence's Against the Dying Light marks the first, full-length album on Voitax. With moments of seething tension, unrestrained fury and dejection, as well as glimmers of hope - this record may have its roots in industrial techno, but ultimately it defies classification.

Dread technicians Pact Infernal debut on their own Altar Label with 4 all new haunted constructions

2020 has been a terrible year for everyone. However, it has also been the year in which some projects have had time to develop. This is the case of Tactil, responsible for the fourth Antimatter refelease. This new tandem is born from the collaboration between the artists from Madrid, Kawn and F-on. Deeply influenced by projects from 90´s like Porter Ricks, Jetone, Gas or Thomas Köner, "1-4" means the first ep from this duo. Drones, wrinkled textures and field recording meet long and progressive rhythmical sequences, complex delays, long reverbs and LFO modulations to shape their distinctive sound.

Laurine Frost's debut album 'LENA' reinterpretates Dostoyevsky's surreal novel and presents an utopistic self-revelation that leads to an exquisite musical journey. A weird collage of jazz and dub-fusions as an extension of wonky polyrhythmic patterns and the organic abstraction of bass-heavy drums, breaks and percussions. Call it as electronica, IDM or techno – anyhow, you are wrong. This album doesn't seem to fit into any genre. Laurine Frost tends to master his story-telling skills by inviting the listener to 13 imaginary scenes that can be approached, heard and understood from different points of view. A living and stirring masterpiece that is independent from time and actual trends.

Four outstanding electronica excursions by the Rotterdam via Australia producer Nadia Struiwigh, on her debut on the Rotterdam based label Nous'klaer Audio. A first taste of what's to come: An LP of 9 tracks will follow later in 2021.

In a Greek mythology, the river STYX is the connection to the underworld, but also one of the few river goddesses. According to the myth, the river STYX represents the border between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. The souls of the dead hoping at the riverbank to crossing into the Underworld so as not to remain there forever.

The second release of the label Unterland defines the Stygian sound with its mystic and underworldly tone. Additionally, the artwork underlines the musically interpretation also in a visual way. The image was created by talented photo artists Salar Kheradpejouh. His identity thrives on cinematic vision and matches perfectly to interpret the Stygian sound artistically.

Unterland 02 is a Various Artists EP by Monoloc and Jonas Landwehr. With his dark production the young artist gained the attention of Monoloc already 1.5 years ago, who then started to followed him closely as an artists as well as his creations. For Monoloc it was clear that he wants to publish Jonas' music on his new arising label. Jonas Landwehr delivers three melancholic Dub Techno production, which are mostly influenced by his stay in the taiwanese capital Taipeh.

Monoloc continues to determine the Stygian sound with three further productions. Strong atmospheric plains, which are characterized by various cinematic sound elements.

David Vunk's mini album vinyl debut on the most legendary cult The Hague recordlabel Bunker records! Expect the true techno acid!

Inhabited Shadows” is the new album by pioneering, Berlin-based techno artist Headless Horseman. This is his most daring and emotional release to date: the culmination of live performance, studio experimentation, and global exploration.

A total sonic experience, “Inhabited Shadows” takes listeners on a deeply personal journey through Headless Horseman’s creative brain. Dark industrial synths and broken beats form the spinal chord. A spirit of lightness and compassion guides the way forward.

From its opening, the album sets hard edges and metallic surfaces against dense and delicate textures. A-tonal figures and percussive attacks merge with melodic flights and soulful rhythms. Classical counterpoint and cinematic soundscapes conspire together. The result is discordant joy.

Headless Horseman’s vitality comes from his determination to remain open and vulnerable as an artist. “Inhabited Shadows”, recorded over eight months in 2019, reflects a period of intensive growth. Each of its nine tracks ventures into uncharted territory, embracing many moods, changing climates, old ghosts, and new risks.

“Over years of trials and tribulations, music has been the antidote”, says Headless Horseman. “I’ve learned to live in shadows and darkness. Now I’m chipping off pieces of my shell and portraying directly how I feel without compromise. I still inhabit shadows, but I can move back and forth between darkness and light.”

Tape / Cassette

"No Contact" documents the last nine years of live actions from O/H, the duo of David Foster (Huren, Teste, etc.) and Rich Oddie (Orphx, Eschaton, etc.) with recordings from performances in Japan, Russia, Holland, and Canada.

Limited edition of 99 copies on pink C74 cassettes.

Strahinja Arbutina is fast becoming one of those artists you need to keep your eye on. With his first vinyl release on New York's industrial label Bank last year, he has no issue with making your ears bleed. Here he dons 4 tracks for Vivod and they're all brutal. First off is Way Ahead, straight up 4/4 industrial techno. A2 is the aptly named Croatian Households, more of a broken piece but still haunting in its rhythmic neg dynamics. B1 is Labud Loop, probably the most accessible track of the 4 as it's nearer to straight up techno, fans of Levon Vincent will like. Closing the ep is K stands For... with a slow burning break beat and vocals screaming incomprehensibly, awesome track, awesome ep. This is the hardest one for Vivod so far surely!

Zoom is Thessa Torsing's first full-length album as upsammy. Since 2017, she has developed a signature style in front of listeners eyes and ears: hers is a mesh of airy tones, tender melodies and highly technical drum patterns which wrap around the body of the song like colourful thread around a metallic spindle. Zoom, a refinement of her sound and an expansion of its ambition, is evidently electronic yet seems to float some way off beyond the glow of a screen. Zoom is upsammy's most comprehensive release to date, something she remarks is "a closer and truer look into my work right now"

Across the 11 tracks on Zoom, which has early support from Ben UFO, Lena Willikens, and Call Super, are moments that sharpen your focus then throw you off guard. On "It Drips," a chunky beat conjures the image of a stomping machine. Not so – within seconds a gentle frosting of notes begins to emerge atop the song before a lead melody yawns into view. This technique recurs on "In A Shade", where buzzy static around the margins of the track and a robust low-end are merely the sediment for the song to grow into another form altogether. Using only an Analog Rytm drum machine, Ableton, some modular kit and field recordings to achieve such a wide palette of sounds, the album reflects the excitement of its maker throughout the production process.

The title is an invocation for people to look a little closer at their surroundings and replenish their stock of wonder: "People can be consumed by really big or 'fantastical' things in life, but don't see the small things that have great emotional, artistic or even spiritual value." The packaging of the release contains reminders of the everyday – from associated imagery, a poster, text and videos, all compiled, photographed, and executed by upsammy, to a limited clear vinyl pressing as part of Dekmantel's physical release.

"Minor Planets completes a trilogy of cosmically themed electro-acoustic albums by UK and Berlin based trio Twinkle3, 15 years in the making. This third installment is once again all about the unique synergies the group discover in combining free group improvisation with studio and musique-concrete techniques. The group's combined love of everything from Lee Perry to Noh Theatre via Karlheinz Stockhausen and King Sunny Ade lead them to respond musically to create a single universe where they all coexist and interact. Aleatoric analogue sequencing, chamber-like acoustic improvisation and dub treatments become distilled into a distinct and emotive narrative that takes us on an exhilarating hyperspace cruise to the outer reaches.

Clive Bell is a virtuoso of the Shakuhachi. His aesthetic takes us on a timbral journey between noise and pitch, expressed and phrased rhythmically by the contour of human breath. This creates a perfect context and focus for a music that moves seamlessly between rhythm, suspension, time modulated analogue states, dissonance and melody. Richard Scott and David Ross share a background in acoustic free improvisation and have pioneered new approaches to rhythm using self-designed analogue systems. On Minor Planets these seemingly paradoxical orthodoxies cross-pollinate in a spirit of wonder and optimism to produce original and experimental music that is both life affirming and uplifting.

Album artwork by Benjmain Kilchhofer captures the feeling of peering through the vacuum of space and catching a rare glimpse of the mysterious alien biomes, fossils, and silhouettes cast by dwarf planets, asteroids, Kuiper belt, and other trans-Neptunian objects."

"Minor Planets completes a trilogy of cosmically themed electro-acoustic albums by UK and Berlin based trio Twinkle3, 15 years in the making. This third installment is once again all about the unique synergies the group discover in combining free group improvisation with studio and musique-concrete techniques. The group's combined love of everything from Lee Perry to Noh Theatre via Karlheinz Stockhausen and King Sunny Ade lead them to respond musically to create a single universe where they all coexist and interact. Aleatoric analogue sequencing, chamber-like acoustic improvisation and dub treatments become distilled into a distinct and emotive narrative that takes us on an exhilarating hyperspace cruise to the outer reaches.

Clive Bell is a virtuoso of the Shakuhachi. His aesthetic takes us on a timbral journey between noise and pitch, expressed and phrased rhythmically by the contour of human breath. This creates a perfect context and focus for a music that moves seamlessly between rhythm, suspension, time modulated analogue states, dissonance and melody. Richard Scott and David Ross share a background in acoustic free improvisation and have pioneered new approaches to rhythm using self-designed analogue systems. On Minor Planets these seemingly paradoxical orthodoxies cross-pollinate in a spirit of wonder and optimism to produce original and experimental music that is both life affirming and uplifting.

Album artwork by Benjmain Kilchhofer captures the feeling of peering through the vacuum of space and catching a rare glimpse of the mysterious alien biomes, fossils, and silhouettes cast by dwarf planets, asteroids, Kuiper belt, and other trans-Neptunian objects."

Odopt once defined their music as 'peak time bangers with a twist', and it's easy to grasp why. Their tracks have the kind of propulsive energy that can send any dancefloor into a frenzy, but the way they build them couldn't be further of the usual big room schematics. In their universe, the sounds are strange, the samples obscure and the structures unexpected. Risky music made to be felt, not thought. EBM if the E stood for experimental. A big part of this vision was cultivated at the Denis Simachev Bar in Moscow, a 'punk and kitschy' spot where Grisha and Ivan spent countless nights playing music, inviting friends to perform and testing all their new productions. The bar was, in their own words, 'the heart of a city'. The nucleus of their Moscow. Sadly, it closed its doors last April after 12 years. 'Sociopath EP' is a sort of sonic testament of the venue. Its three tracks seek to capture the spirit of a place that served as a huge inspiration for the Odopt's sound, and listening to them it's easy to understand what made it so special, even if one has never been there. Dark and eccentric, but ultimately playful. Weird and obsessive, but in a liberating way. Music that speaks of a space and vice-versa. The memory of the Denis Simachev Bar is safe. But not only in these tracks: also in one of the unique visions in today's dance music. The EP comes housed in a sleeve by Alicia Carrera

In collaboration with Brooklyn-based artist RDO/ATK, Sophia Saze makes her long-awaited return to her Dusk & Haze imprint with four slamming cuts on a release entitled ‘Stalker’.

Born in Tbilisi and now residing in Philadelphia after years living a nomadic lifestyle, Sophia Saze began her creative journey in her formative years with classical music and dance training. With a solid and natural musical foundation, Sophia became engulfed by electronic music leading to the launch of her Dusk & Haze imprint in 2017, before dropping a remix of Heathered Pearls on Ghostly International and the release of her much lauded debut album on Kingdoms. ‘Stalker’ sees her team up with old friend RDO/ATK who has been soaking up the dancefloor since the early 90s. With much of his influence stemming from the early east coast rave and club scene, his sound maintains a homage to the past without getting stuck in it. A sucker for a dirty 303, a breakneck amen, or a crushed 909, RDO/ATK’s style spans across genres from jungle to acid to broken beat and everything in-between.

The EP kicks off with a dynamic, jungle roller entitled ‘Stalker’ featuring old-school, amen breaks, stirring yet intriguing synths and hefty bass shatters balancing styles of glitch and funk together with pure class whilst ‘Fucking Crazy B’ lays focus on cold, syncopated grooves, chopped up shrieks and screams from a video of a traumatic personal incident and shimmering pads moving into ominous territories.

On the flip, ‘Talk To You In Your Brain’ delivers relentless kicks and spiralling acid squelches peppered with chilling vocal samples and frazzled fx that pulsates strikingly throughout until ‘Acid B’ rounds off proceedings with an effervescent, warehouse techno cut as the electrifying modulations bounce gracefully off the menacing percussion and slashing, 303 tones.

LFO, Peel Session, 20/10/90: Brennend gesuchte "Peel Session", aufgenommen kurz nach LFO's erstem Single-Release auf Warp, inklusive anderweitig ungehörte Tracks.

Zur Sommersonnenwende 2019 nahm Warp den Onlineradiosender NTS für ein ganzes Wochenende in Beschlag, um die Feiern zu seinem 30-jährigen Jubiläum zu eröffnen. Über 100 Stunden Programm mit Mixsets, Dokus, Live-Performances und Sessions des gesamten Warp-Artistrosters von Aphex Twin über Brian Eno bis Kelela samt Gästen wie Ryuichi Sakamoto wurden von hunderttausenden Fans weltweit live verfolgt. Jetzt knüpft Warp mit der Veröffentlichung der "WXAXRXP Sessions" an diesen Event an, einer Serie aus zehn 12" Vinylen mit Radiosessions aus 30 Jahren Labelgeschichte, von frühen Peel Sessions bis zum diesjährigen WXAXRXP x NTS Wochenende, allesamt in höchster Audio- und Design-Qualität. Feat. Boards Of Canada, Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus, Bibio, Oneohtrix Point Never, Mount Kimbie, u.v.a.

Patrick Conway is made of snips and snails and puppy tails. This is his second offering for the ESP Institute. On side A, Hypersocial removes our minds from the daily online cesspool and pulls up emotions we haven’t felt for almost a year. We lost a Summer of dancing together en masse in clubs, fields, warehouses and pubs, but with this beautiful reminder of what true social synergy and collective ecstasy can physically feel like, the Bristolian by way of Berlin hits the nail right on the head (with a little help from his friends Quantum Thomas & Hoyahelper). Lush strings? Tick. Balmy chord progression? Tick. Ethereal vocal chops? Walloping bassline? Infectious rhythm? Goosebumps? Tears of joy? Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick! On the flip-side, Safety Test is surely the tougher counterpart, the warm fuzzies are traded for a ten ton bag of grit. Here, Patrick foreshadows a sonic approach we’ll hear lot more of with his debut album early next year; a combination of abrasive rhythms, processed scraps, a grab bag of stabbing bleeps and bloops, distant car alarms, ballistic fax machines, and an arsenal of low frequencies so brutal your woofers will require jumper cables. So, a heroic slab for both a block party in your brain and sunset in your soul, these two songs will bring back the Summer you just lost.

Whtie Vinyl

Freund der Familie invite Christopher Rau, Pole, Roger Gerressen and Van Bonn to remixes cuts from their 2018 ‘Panorama’ EP this February.
Leipzig, Germany’s Freund der Familie, the producer and label name, has long been respected in the world of raw, underground house and techno. The past decade has seen the founders Klaus Rakete & Mirko Hunger unveil a number of releases under the alias,
exploring a wide range of styles influenced by dub, leftfield electronica and much more.
Here the label revisits the ‘Panorama’ EP from a few years back, welcoming remixes from some esteemed artists in the industry.
Christopher Rau returns on remix duties following his take on Symbian for FDF005 and also FDFALFA01, this time round Rau delivers a hazy take on ‘PRS’ driven by raw analogue drums, woozy synths and winding subs. Dub master and Scape mastering head
honcho Pole steps up next with his take on ‘CRM’, delivering a typically intricate twist employing expansive swells, snappy percussion and swirling low end tones.
Irenic boss Roger Gerressen delivers his take on ‘PRS’ next, taking a more groove-driven feel with stripped-back drums, ethereal pad textures and crisp bass stabs before Van Bonn wraps up the package, reworking ‘CRM’ with a heavily swung drum groove,
menacing synth flutters and a dynamic, ever-evolving feel.

For the ninth instalment of the Konstrukt Series it is Samuel van Dijk's moniker Mohlao that graces the spot with a five track minimalistic exploration of the deep electronic realm. Targeting the fiction of a journey through metropolitan areas during nightfall, Mohlao's sound gives us comfort and stimulates our dream-state awareness. The environments that appear are real, yet we are more than passive observers.

Lady Neptune is a state of euphoria. Lady Neptune isn’t real, Lady Neptune is a reality.

Originally formulated in London as a performing alter-ego for nascent singer-songwriter and fashion student Moema Meade, Lady Neptune has been an ongoing work that has evolved from distorted guitar dirges, bass-heavy synth pop music into its current Hi NRG 4am experimental Gabber nadir. New Gorbals Gabber is monstrous and glorious. Informed by goblinzed cave dwelling nu metal aesthetics, cheap ‘n’ nasty instrumentation but above all, peeking like an elvin proboscis around the corner of your mind, is an unstoppable knack for hooks that elevates these compositions to channels for new planes of ecstasy.

Mostly performed live using an Electribe sampler/sequencer with synths, New Gorbals Gabber feels like a live recording at the rave in the final circle of Dante’s Inferno. How much fun does that sound? We’re talking Lucifer’s Manumission, Hanger 666. Meade-as-Neptune is an impish presence, Jekyll and Hyding from dirt-eating goblin to glacial pop supernova Number 1 Angel. Revolution’s bass riff and obscure crowd samples build with a arpeggiated bass synth that swirls around the Hardcore beat, threatening a Bloody Fist-style production yet staying within a dub sound world, heavy delays fading out into the first Pop moment. Twizt introduces Lady Neptune’s vocal processing technique and an unashamed, massive trance synth riff that reeks of foam parties and festivals no one pays into. It falls into Number 1, which borrows from PC Music tropes for a breakneck treatise on self-confidence. It feels deceptively simple, but the music is so intuitive and perfectly executed – mostly honed by playing parties and raves around Glasgow, the drops tease and fall off, it’s just so relentless. Relentlessly, unstoppably, powerfully fun.

Sonic Light is one of 3 big moments on the E.P. Like all great pop music it tears you apart and puts you back together in its own image, it’s so immediate it makes you wonder why music can’t be louder, why can’t you listen to it twice at the same time. Just as you’re waiting for the next chorus it’s finished. Wait, is it only just one chorus for under 2 minutes? Perfect. The worst thing about this music is that it eviscerates you and then leaves you scattered, needing to go out and feel the darkness, feel the fresh hell course through ya and out again. Get 2 Know U is the sound of hell falling away, the final big moment, it’s Sandstorm or SOPHIE, pumped up and angelic, everyone isn’t a star, they’re an angel for someone, for themselves. Why can’t we – that’s every living thing - listen to this song infinity times at the same time, blowing up our consciousness so we merge with all infinity. Lady Neptune, it’s good to know you.

Celebrating Osiris' 50th release in two parts, label head Simon Shreeve unveils 'Deep Summer' as the first: a downtempo, vocal-led track with a pace and laid-back vibe not usually associated with his Mønic alias. On the B side, a remix from none other than Burial offers a distinctly smokier take on the track, full of percussive melodies that weave into surprisingly major-chord territory towards the end of the song's ten minutes. This is a release that sees both artists pushing their respective music's preconceptions.

Brainwaltzera returns to FILM. The shrouded producer continues to demonstrate a breadth of skill as both a musician and engineer, with another collection of deep and textured recordings for the FILM label, intended as an Epi-Log' to the artist's debut album Poly-Ana. Continuing the exploration of crystalline IDM, proto-Electro, Ambient and other curious strains of left-field music, Brainwaltzera looks out across a colourful and varied sonic landscape, drawing on a wealth of classic influences all the while maintaining that unique and instantly recognisable finish. Low slung 4/4 opener Triangulate Dither (fairytall Version) hinges on fathoms deep synth work, moving about a playful hook that operates in stark contrast to the track's heavy, tape distorted finish. Laif Of Smit touches on new territory - a nod to contemporary Beats production, complete with pitch shifted vocal and heady, warping bassline - before beatless recording (take 2) brings the listener back into a more familiar space: a beautiful ambient segue reminiscent of the producer's earlier productions on the label. Countdempops showcases Brainwaltzera's simple yet effective drum work - a perfectly executed, emotive cut centred around a dusty break. Bad Endgar focuses more on the high frequencies - a crisp, clean Electro production, featuring those signature sliding synths now a characteristic of the producer's music. Uptempo closer Dropp on Gminor rounds off the EP with a kind of Folk meets Footwork piece that lifts the record's final notes into a tentatively more euphoric state. Heavy on atmosphere, rich in inherent musicality and beautifully executed - the Brainwaltzera journey continues with another solid offering on the FILM label.

Etapp Kyle returns to Ostgut Ton with Nolove, a project encompassing a four-track EP, short film and forthcoming web exhibition focusing on Western Ukraine. Specifically, the music and artwork home in on the cities of Kamianets-Podilskyi and Chernivtsi in Bukovina, where Etapp Kyle grew up and developed his interest in electronic music. Although now part of Ukraine, Bukovina had previously been part of Moldova, the Habsburg Empire, the Russian Empire, Romania and the Soviet Union. Its turbulent history and position on the border of Romania and Moldova have resulted in an extremely varied tapestry of cultural influence, as featured in the video for title track “Nolove”. There, youth, fashion, music culture sit side-by-side next to religion, violence and war – and larger political struggles. The EP gives shape to the musical developments Etapp Kyle has made in both the studio and DJ booth since the release of 2017's Alpha, his latest 12" for Ostgut Ton. In contrast, Nolove's four tracks are minimalistic, detailed electronic ventures inspired by personal reflections on Chernivtsi and Ukrainian cultural identity. Forward-facing in rhythm and melody, the EP offers meticulously-produced leftfield dancefloor impressions of the region’s past, present and future.

Etapp Kyle kehrt mit Nolove zurück zu Ostgut Ton – und einem neuen Projekt, das eine vier- Track-EP, einen Kurzfilm und eine Online-Ausstellung mit Fokus auf die Westukraine umfasst. Genauer gesagt beziehen sich die Musik und das Artwork auf die Städte Kamjanez-Podilskyj und Czernowitz in der Bukowina, wo Etapp Kyle aufwuchs und sein Interesse an elektronischer Musik entwickelte. Während die Bukowina heute Teil der Ukraine ist, gehörte es vormals zum ehemaligen Fürstentum Moldau, der Habsburgermonarchie, dem russischen Kaiserreich, dem Königreich Rumänien und der Sovietunion. Jene turbulente Geschichte und geografische Lage an der Grenze von Rumänien und Moldawien führte zu einer extrem facettenreichen Geschichte an kulturellem Einfluss, wie der Kurzfilm zum Stück „Nolove“ zeigt. Jugend-, Mode- und Musikkultur existieren dort Seit’ an Seit’ mit Religion, Gewalt und Krieg – als auch größeren politischen Anstrengungen. Diese EP zeigt die musikalische und künstlerische Entwicklung von Etapp Kyle, die er im Studio und in der DJ-Booth seit Veröffentlichung seiner letzten 12” EP Alpha (Ostgut Ton, 2017) gemacht hat. Die vier Stücke auf Nolove sind minimalistische, detailreiche elektronische Explorationen inspiriert von persönlichen Erinnerungen an Czernowitz und der kulturellen Identität der Ukraine. Vorwärtsdenkend in Rhythmus und Melodie finden sich auf der EP sorgfältig ausproduzierte Dancefloorminiaturen regionaler Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft.

After 6 cassettes Tapes Sublimating is back with their first vinyl EP: 'Venus' by Altered Natives. After releasing his excellent 8th album last year Danny still hasn't run out of ideas. Four tracks telling four stories in different scenes with the whole thing tied together by the tale-teller's trademark sounds and atmosphere with contribution from Budapest's AIWA on the closing track.
Opener 'Venus' is a journey itself. Taking you deeper and deeper to a menacing dungeon second by second. It is dark there. You get lost and unsure what is going to happen. Panic kicks in and you feel something is coming when suddenly... Catharsis. After a while you can open your eyes and get back on your feet. 'Acid Reign' is the most earthly of the four scenes. Everything seems clear for a minute, but then it slowly takes you away, losing your head again. Next scene: leaving the planet, outside the Earth orbit. 'Protohype' is floating in space. It is beautiful up there, but also scary and haunting. Finally AIWA takes you a few lightyears away, when everything becomes blurry and even less familiar. Silence. You only hear your heartbeat, when suddenly the drama continues. Be careful, no escaping this.

Repress

Finally, Regis lets his rhythmic noise opus out into the world, a bruising and hauntingly absorbing album - his first since 2001 - dispatched on his pivotal label; Downwards.
On a masterful twenty-year followup to ‘Penetration’, Karl O’Connor yields a definitive solo LP that distills his passions for sonic brutalism and bastardised Chicago tracks with syncopated UK swagger and reverberating warehouse ballistics. Its lip-bitingly gripping effect is testament to a resounding reputation as one of Industrial music’s most influential producers, and sees the artist bring his own influences - from Test Department to Jeff Mills - into line with his potent palette of narcotised tones.
Recorded in Berlin with Einstürzende Neubauten’s producer/engineer Boris Wilsdorf, the album’s supple, spartan, and rhythmic gymnastics notably benefit from acres of icy room to roll around and lash out. Snagged around muscular bassline revs, and caressed with keys and vocals by postpunk catalyst Annie Hogan (whose recent turn for Downwards was a total revelation), the 9 tracks
portray Regis at his leanest and most mesmerising, which is all the more impressive coming from an artist who’s deliberately held his line through club music’s mutations for more than 30 years.
Between the razor-sharp electro of ‘Everything is Ahead of Us’, and the pure voodoo of ‘Calling Down A Curse’, he sharply carves a uniquely UK and shark-eyed style that lets on to influence from tech-step D&B and dark garage rolige as much as Test Department’s seminal ‘Beating The Retreat’ or 23 Skidoo and ‘Crackdown’-era Cabaret Voltaire.
Highlights such as the swingeing 11 minutes of swordplay drums and bubbling acid in ‘The Sun Rose Pure’, and the straightjacketed funk of ‘I See Fire’ epitomise the rudeness at play, and together with the viscerally personalised sound design virtues of ‘Another Kind of Love’, the immaculate noirish vignette ‘Alone of All Her Sex’, and the lush tristesse evoked by ‘Eros in Tangiers’, this album effectively defines Regis as peerless in his field, and is essential to fans of the artist’s solo classics and with British Murder Boys, Sandwell District, Ugandan Speed Trials and CUB.

Repress

Transparent Red & Black Mixed Vinyl

After 3 years SNTS releases on his label SNTS Records a 4-track EP , getting back to his initial and characteristic sound. Textures, voices, percussions and an intense melancholy surround every track.

Secretly in the making for 25 years, 1995 marks point zero for this native electronic side project from Rico Puestel (Cocoon Recordings, TAU, Exhibition).

Back in the days, the basic idea of pure electronic song writing, the project name "Tetzlaff" as well as tidbits of first melodic themes, motivs and lyrical notes came into being - followed by a roller coaster ride of emotions, amendments, rejections and the dreadful search for the equipment (in the days before eBay) to make it sound the way it should.

"Reisen", illuminating two perspectives and homages to travelling, is the vanguard single, performing within the prospective shadows of what's to come...

Experimental sounds to DJ Tool or to listen... Mr Law is an avid Jamaican music collector, responsible of the technical production of old-school dancehall weaponry such as NJD Dub Siren and Lickshot machine, that you can fully experience on this sound-effect/library 7″ blending noise, ragga and 8 Bit.

Ludwig A.F. returns to his own Exo Recordings International this spring with a fresh four-track EP in the shape of 'Blissful Lie'. The fourth instalment on the imprint sees the artist introduce his name change, shortening it to simply Ludwig A.F. The whole release, but particularly the A1 ,,Blissful Lie" is very inspired by classical music. It further explores the trademark feeling of Ludwig's sound: celebratory and happy but melancholic and introverted at the same time. It works with contradictions, hand crafted sound design elements intertwined with bombastic emotional atmospheres. Title-cut 'Blissful Lie' leads on the package, fusing ethereal pad textures and bumpy breaks with choppy bass plucks and cinematic arpeggios and strings to create a contemporary spin on classic IDM tropes. 'Weightless' follows next - a tripped out, high octane electronica workout employing elongated bass drones, syncopated rhythms and dynamically evolving acid-tinged synth licks. 'Psychiflux' opens the flip side, laying focus on glitched out percussion, vocal stutters, eerie atmospherics and weighty low-end hits before 'Cloud Walker' rounds out the release on a deeper tip, dropping the tempo and fusing soft pad swells and resonant tones with metallic synth chimes and stripped-back drums.

In a year of global shift and continuous changes, Figure takes a leap of faith and extends its catalog by introducing a completely new compilation series to the label. The Open Space series will feature forward-thinking Electronica and Ambient from a well-curated list of seasoned producers. Compositions that invite to let the mind wander, weaving stories, and conjuring up emotions.
While these softer genres have already played a respected role in former Figure releases, for the first time in the label’s history they are now being given the center stage. Volume 1 sets the mark by providing producers whom we’ve come to love for their dancefloor-centric output with an open space to showcase another side of their skillset. Open Space remains open to various strains of Electronica and Ambient, ranging from the introspective synth-monologues (Sebastian Muellaert / Kirilik), drony dub-experimentalism (Moritz Von Oswald), alive and breathing takes on the genre (JakoJako), to singular compositions which slowly build their own lasting narrative and thus develop a genuine, emotive quality (John Beltran / Tin Man ). Len Faki himself proves the artistic breadth of Open Space, sharing a powerful and conscious message through a rare and delicate moment of him exploring the form of spoken words. Other contributions include Jesper Dahlbäck as The Persuader, Luke Slater as 7th Plain, or Ralf Hildenbeutel - a former production partner of Sven Väth and now a successful composer of film soundtracks. Unfairly reduced to background music, it is not the kind of Ambient featured on the Open Space series. It is an engaging body of music, bonded by its contemplative, enveloping nature. Open Space bands together an array of fascinatingly skilled producers, finally given the opportunity to present some of their most creative and emotional material yet to date.

Varuna returns to their homebase with a heavy double pack of sci-fi techno jams. Over the course of five tracks they explore a lively space in between murky slo-mo techno and tripped out ambient mutations.

proper mixed bag this one.. soothing, grinding, banging, and disturbing!
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New York City by way of Miami, Alex Suarez delivers his debut lp the eight track "Autogolpe" for L.I.E.S. Autogolpe, is a term for military coup initiated by a dictator to take control of an existing government and Suarez uses this loose idea to create the sonic equivialent of the pain, strife, oppression, isolation, and joyous freedom associated with said act. Musically he expands on his prior releases for Bank and Primitive Languages as heavy industrialized sonic beatings sit next to somber passages, oil drum slow beat tribal clangers provide a back drop for screams shooting out of the dark. Musically it paints a distorted picture of world in decline, an exile from another land and arrivial to anothers in chaos or the clinging hope of something better on the other side.

Transversales Disques is very glad to announce the release of the never released before piece Un Monde Lacéré by electroacoustic music pioneer Pierre Henry. This piece is a special tribute to Jacques Villeglé and his work. It is the world opening performance of this
opus, recorded in studio Son/Ré. Pierre Henry was born in 1927 In Paris. He started studying music as early as the age of seven. In 1944, guided by Olivier Messiaen, he imagined and started composing music for the future. His meeting with Pierre Schaeffer was crucial for his creation. Inventing new technical composition processes which in time have become widely used on a large scale, he has constantly given this music a far reaching power no one expected at the start. He
has also invented his own sound, as easily distinguishable as the sound of the most famous jazz musician.

The Anticipatory Organization is an energetic EP that could only be the work of The Sun God. There are three rousing tracks to stir the attention. The Things We Don't Know is a mesmerising key driven journey. It features gorgeous keyed sparkles, washing waves of acid and clopped beats. The Disbelief Habit is driven by a strong melody that really grabs you and won't let go. This is accompanied by a strong bassline, focused keys and closely held percussion. The Achievement Factory rounds off the EP with another distinctive musical effort that marches straight into the middle of the dancefloor. Punishing percussion and an in-step cavernous bassline are joined by loose acid and riffing keys. Once more, The Sun God delivers as only he can.

Farron continues the Shaw Cuts odyssey with his "Five Element Ninjas" EP, echoing the story of the relentless fight against the elite ninjas with their special skills in different elements: gold, wood, water, fire and earth.

The tale begins with a duel between two rival masters to determine which of their martial arts schools reign supreme. Master Zeng's students are superior by far and win every battle, but Master Hong has an ace up his sleeve. He announces a challenge with the mysterious Five Element ninjas. "Liquid Shorts" and its gigantic drums and menacing spirit spurs on the strongest students facing the challenge. Weapons collide, blows rain down, limbs get chopped. The students are not aware of the strength of the ninjutsu technique. None survive the battle.

Hong's plan to completely destroy Zeng's school moves to the next phase. He sends female spy Senji to Zeng's temple. She secretly makes a map and smuggles it back to her master. In the dead of night the silent ninja offense on the temple takes place, accompanied by the rushing rhythmics and emotive synths of "Contaship". But the assault came too unexpectedly and only one student, Hao, escapes the violence. He returns to his old ninja master to complete the training he began years ago. He joins three other students who want to aid him in his quest for revenge. "Brooklyn Banks" and its eclectic groove, rough chords and dynamic percussion help the students to quickly learn the secret ninjutsu techniques.

Now well-trained and aware of the ninjas' trickery, Hao and his fellow students set off to take revenge. "It's Only 4 Life" sets the sentimental tone for vendetta. The gold and wood ninjas are taken out with ease by the dizzying drumming, the water ninjas cut down to size by staggering hi-hats combined with erratic percussive elements and swooning pads, finally claiming victory over the fire and earth ninjas. Only the leader of the ninjas remains. Escalation! Stay tuned to know the fate of the last man standing...

The wait is over, RMD debuts in Analogical Force. Self-control, calmness, composure, serenity, self-possession, imperturbability, placidness. Only for the real heads!