Techno News

In Celebration Of Mumdance's Massive 'shared Meanings' Mix, This Sampler 12' Revolves Exclusive Highlights Including Mumdance & Logos' Seminal 'teachers' Alongside Zingers From Nkisi, Peder Mannerfelt, Caterina Barbieri And Space Afrika
On A Dance Tip, Mumdance & Logos Pay Tribute To A Chicago Convention On 'teachers', Listing A Roll-Call Of Influential Uk Artists, Djs, Labels And Clubs In A Style Most Famously Deployed By Daft Punk, While Nkisi Comes Fiercely Correct With The Swingeing Congolese Techno Rolige Of 'kinega', And Peder Mannerfelt Does His Inimitable, Mutant Rave Thing On 'over My Face'. But They're Only One Aspect Of The 12', Leaving The Plonging Modular Navigation Of 'molecular Illusion' By Caterina Barbieri, And The Golden Ambient Deliquescence Of Space Afrika's Piece To Speak To The Contrasts And Breath Of Mumdance's Mix And His Lushly Dark Vision Of Modern Dance
Music.

With a string of resonating releases and progressively improvised live-shows, ANNANAN have been expanding and refining their stylistic range across gritty Acid psychedelia, explosive, dark-waving Electro and a raw blend of Techno and House that is as fierce as it is fragile. The duo's first album on their own imprint MACHINE JAZZ does take all of this into account - and yet it's crucially different to everything else they've put out so far. - You' is a captivating electronic pop adventure, an experimental amalgam aligning Anne Ghost's polymorphic lead vocals with Tom Aaron's vast and versatile analogue productions in unexpected ways. Dominated by reduced rhythms and a carefully crafted melodic shape, the result of this dialogic fusion are irresistible, forceful songs that draw from diverse contemporary and traditional sources: you'll even hear Trap fragments, an R&B trained voice, reminiscences of the Knife as well as cinematic synth excursions. While exhibiting a broad set of moods, claims and longings, the LP attains emotive poignancy from beginning to end through its bold openness. Annanan's first album is stripped down, immediate and full of surprises - but don't you worry, there's no lack in bang either!










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After their highly acclaimed debut album »Decadent yet Depraved«, Berlin and LA-based producers Belief Defect invited a variety of artists to join their »Remixed« project. The following 12' EP is a first four-track release of this project. The original tracks of the album are only an approximate starting point for »Remixed«. In contrast to »Decadent yet Depraved«, largely conceived in song structures, this EP is about transferring the pieces back into abstract space, and each remixer does it in his very own way. Alessandro Cortini's one-take live recording is a lesson in classical ambient music. Telefon Tel Aviv's remix is timelessly modern and extremely delicate sound design. Rather opposite concepts are coming from Surachai's brutal pattern design and Kangding Ray's expressive and analogously saturated repetitions for the dance floor.

Enigmatic Berlin label MASK return in 2019 with a vinyl only release consisting of four eccentric cuts entitled 'Hunter'. The mysterious German label maintains its reputation of providing quality, esoteric music by anonymous artists with a focus on analogue sound design and modulated oddities. 'Hunter' is the result of the first take of a live recording coming from a duo who have been playing together for over a decade. The A1 kicks off with lo-fi drum programming, emphatic leads and stabbing bass shoots before the A2 throws down sharp 303 bleeps, angelic pads and resonating kicks creating a euphoric ambience throughout. On the flip uplifting synth work, shuffling percussion and crunchy oscillations take the focus until chugged out experimentation becomes ever present in the final track as it harmoniously balances sweeping elements, growling tones and sonic obscurities.

ADULT. '20 years ODD.'
Over the course of the last two decades, Detroit-based duo ADULT. (Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller) have released six albums and nineteen EPs and singles across some of our favorite labels: Mute, Ghostly International, Thrill Jockey, Clone Records, Third Man Records, and their own label, the revered Ersatz Audio. November 1998 marked their first release: the five-song 12" 'Dispassionate Furniture'. This September, twenty years later, Dais Records is proud to announce ADULT.'s seventh full length album: THIS BEHAVIOR.
The album began as 23 demos written and recorded in a remote cabin in the woods of Northern Michigan during the dead of winter. In total isolation, and with a reduced amount of gear (a modified version of their live setup) on the cabin's kitchen table, the duo were completely immersed in an incessant inescapable studio of their own making - looping, repetitive analogue sequences grinding away day and night. At the end of the intense demo session, a handful of peers were enlisted by the band for the difficult task of paring down the demos into the final album.

The result is 10 tracks of uncompromising dark electronics, showcasing ADULT.'s return to aggressive and energetic dancefloor mastery. Album opener 'This Behavior' alongside the follow-up 'Violent Shakes' (which ascends into synths wailing like warning sirens over Kuperus's commanding vocals) set the stage for an on-edge listen, while the heartbreaking 'Silent Exchange' unfolds as a beautiful sad synth dirge.  'Perversions of Humankind' breaks the mood - driving the listener into a slow and low groove before the frantic album midpoint of 'Irregular Pleasure'. 'Does The Body Know' is the album's post-punk anthem, with irresistible singalong 'we're out of order - we're undefined!' The latter half of the album drives forward with 'On The Edge (You Put Me...)' and 'Lick Out The Content', refusing rest and demanding movement and response. 'Everything & Nothing' emerges slowly from sparkling synth textures, snowballing with nervous energy into an acid techno stomper before the album comes to a close on the icy landscape of 'In All The Debris', a goose-bump inducing slow electronic mantra that closes the curtain on a massive album.

Artist statement on the album's writing process:
'It's confounding how often we negate the importance of disconnecting, getting weird, getting lost. Discomfort and joy intertwined. Day to day, theatrical self-presentation set to rest in our frantic social world. Public becomes private, almost too private. Looking out into frozen woods as you deliver your vocals. For who For what Taking walks along icy shorelines as you try to overcome writer's block, as you try to overcome yourself. Not seeing anyone for days and weeks on end. Overwhelming thoughts and feelings come rushing in; anxiety, fear, purpose, banality, futility of task, power structures, power struggles, pointlessness, collapse.You're faced to face yourself. Your awareness is heightened. You are neither here nor there. You are in a liminal state As you work in this isolated cabin your windows become mirrors.'

"Are we distortions. Are we distortions, perversions of humankind.Are we distortions. Are we distortions, twisted somewhere in time."

Vactrol Park are Kyle Martin and Guido Zen. Besides responsible for 2 unforgettable eps on ESP Institute in 2015 & 2016 under this alias, Kyle and Guido are prolific producers, with Kyle being part of Spectral Empire (alongside Black Merlin), as well as half of Land of Light (with Johnny Nash) and more, while Guido has been producing under the alias of Brain Machine amongst others. Since Malka Tuti has been a fan of all of the above, it is no surprise the duo found its way into the ever growing family. With an LP scheduled later in 2018, this EP, self titled, is a door into the sound of Vactrol Park and its evolution - ever deeper, abstract, and mature. Always clear, coherent and flowing, never boring. Expect big things from this duo, as their live show, incorporating self-built modular synths and effects is destined for greatness....

Following a split tape with Ondness on Discrepant's imprint Sucata Tapes , Serpente returns to Tormenta Electrica after its debut with 'Rituais 101' . A circular suite in four interchangeable parts, 'A Noiva ' projects itself as a gateway into off kilter hypnosis summoned from ecstatic polyrhythms, jungle debris, dub tactics and the occasional 4/4 thump via free jazz streams of consciousness. A drawn out percussion workout around the communal fire. Come along. We're here.

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.

George Thompson also known as Black Merlin has finally come to forgather with the prophetic spheres of Die Orakel. His three-track EP called 'Kode' comes with simple yet intriguing and hypnotic modular textures in loopy arrangements.

Vaal announces the release of debut album 'Nosferatu' via new label Pale Blue Dot.

A dark, cinematic triumph, title track 'Nosferatu' was the first song to be released from the record, following a huge few years of touring and underground releases, including one of 2016's most ubiquitous tracks 'Wander To Hell' and 'Monument' on Afterlife.

Vaal has established a sterling reputation as one of the key members of the Afterlife family. Steadily cultivating a strong identity and sound, merging a crossover of techno and breaks, traces of 'Bachian' melodies and UK rave culture.

Phreax was a project born out of the friendship of Ade Pressly and Guy Buss, two rockers-turned-ravers by the acid house and balearic explosion of late 80's London. The pair started off as dancers, frequenting Spiral Tribe's countryside raves, Colin Dale and Colin Faber's Knowledge at SW1 Club and the Drum Club at Soundshaft. Inspired by this new sonic palette, drum kits were traded for drum machines and the guys pieced together a studio with gear acquired from the then-defunct BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Between 1995 and 1997 Phreax penned three 12's of wonky, experimental techno for Charlie Hall's M.C. Projects imprint. The last, 1997's Jitterballz EP, was the culmination of their hardware explorations. Fusing Moog synth lines with classic Roland drum boxes and the complexity of arrangement allowed by Cubase, Ade and Guy forged a heady but floor-functional record that still stands out as a monument to techno experimentalism. Wafting synths, eerie melody and complex beat programming combine to form a refreshingly unselfconscious and timeless recording. Over twenty years later we are happy to again present this fantastic EP to the dance floors of 2018.

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.

FFT returns with his follow up EP to the impressive debut 'fft1' that was released on Uncertainty Principle. 'in-side' showcases FFT's refined approach to producing electronic music which rewards the listener with precise and dynamic songs. Whether you hear it in headphones, at home or on a dance floor, in-side makes for a compelling listening experience. The low frequency tremors and formant wizardry of Feil1.3-2 open up the record, giving way to the avalanche of sub-bass and fidgeting percussion of in-side 5(7) on side A. On the reverse, the glimmering, high-tech electronica of ohld 3 shifts into a more emotive mode. The two parts of orr din recall the best and most atmospheric sci-fi soundtracks and complete an immaculately produced EP.

Bearing traces from his earlier synth ambient project Sansernes Rus as well as his previous engagement in the danish noise and techno scene, this debut EP operates on the fringes of percussive techno, melodic ambient, and bass music with nods to several other styles including IDM and millenium trance. In other words Safe Following Distance' reflects a very adventurous approach to music making, offering four individually strong tracks out of which each one draws upon inspiration from different genres while contributing to an overall aesthetic perspective.

Thomas Hessler, Kas:st, Pär Grindvik, Glos, PVNV and Intimate Silence boss Silent-One team up for six alleviating, ambient cuts entitled 'Traces'.

The Stuttgart based label have been making rapid progression within the beatless techno community since establishing themselves back in 2016. In addition to releasing ambient soundscapes to the highest standard they hold a regular radio show on Rinse France which acts as a firm reflection for their intricate, drone- based sounds. 'Traces' includes tracks from a new wave of promising techno names who offered earlier contributions on the label including PVNV, Glos and boss Silent-One, as well as IMF's Thomas Hessler, French duo and Flyance label chiefs KAS:ST and Swedish figurehead Pär Grindvik.

Hessler's 'Pearl' kicks off with warm pads, winding synth progression and delicate atmospheres before Kas:st's 'Are We Alone In The Universe' delivers levitating ambience through tranquil chords, angelic leads and resonating stabs. Silent One's 'Snakes' then patiently deploys growling tones wonderfully balanced with tense waves of shimmering low end.

Pär Grindvik lightens things up with 'FZ Kolarbo' which fuses uplifting elements and mellifluous notes with alluring charm whilst twisting melodies and euphoric modulations become ever present in PVNV's emotive builder 'Squal'. Glos' 'Silk (Figurine)' then finishes things off by balancing calming voices, healing harmonics and trance-inducing softness.

Rebar continue their geography-infused musical journey with the second EP, Lost in New York City. While the first release unveiled the majestic anthropophony of the Japanese capital, this release is centered around the city of New York. As in the previous offering, the three tracks all pertain to different styles, exploring different facets of techno, while carrying the common soundprint of the American metropolis. The first cut unveils a mesmerizing techno construction, while the second makes for a groovy interlude, rounded up by rolling techno in the third track. A mysterious and compelling affair, released on vinyl and digital at exactly one year from the inaugural opener.

It's been 6 years since ALTZ.P released their debut single 'Dodop' in 2012 from a label 'Crue-l', which Kenji Takimi presides over. They've produced the black fat tight band sound, which is exotic and toxic but sharmanic and heavenly. Pulseman, the singular genius, has a perfect command of vibration frequency originating the groove. His minimalism and the Middle East disco beats by the drummer, Mau (ex-NEWEST MODEL), and the bass player, Shake Yoshimura, are intersecting organically. The one and only sound view of ALTZ, the star that shines on the scene, is spiritually colored by the shrine maiden chorus girls, Maririns, whose names are all Mari. Their psychedelic power of language in the soulful chorus is interesting. Also, 21CH (ex-DAMAGE) is performing the synthesizer as a guest player.

Solar Phenomena keeps up a busy schedule with the third EP of 2018. This one comes from cult UK artist Duckett who's past collaborations include Tom Demac, Grimes Adhesif and Leif. Recently he has served up solo EPs for labels like Galdoors, UntilMyHeartStops and Wisdom Teeth. Mixing up elements of IDM, techno and ambient, he is a sculptor of timeless tracks that come from another world.

'Could I Pulverise A Leg' opens up the EP with trippy synths falling down the face of the track, with minimal drums and corrugated bass racing below. It's the sound of space travel in turbulent times. 'Cycling Is Crushed Inside A Moment He Forgot' is more sparse, with watery keys and curious melodies drifting about above another barely there groove. It's heavenly, celestial stuff that places you in a microbial world of neon colours and beautifully alien sounds. 'Flex' is more for the club, with broken mechanical drums and fractured vocal sounds all grinding together to make for something truly new and original sounding. 'Risks' then rounds out the EP with edgy ambience and coarse hits, swirling pads and an ominous suspense that keeps you engaged throughout. It rounds out a hugely inventive EP.

2018 played host to a bumper crop of sounds from some of Philly's grittiest, including Great Circles mainstays M//R and Chaperone. To close out the year that was, we are pleased to present Heckadecimal's 'Murder Tape.'

A Minneapolis-based producer and acid auteur, Heckadecimal has been a fixture within the vibrant Midwestern electronic music community for nearly 20 years. Founder of the legendary 'Anti-human' events and co-curator of the ever-prolific Always Human Tapes imprint - alongside Ryan Wurst and Peter Lansky - Heckadecimal's reputation is one of unrelenting creativity and tireless advocacy for sonic experimentation. His work has found its way to light via a slew of pseudonyms and stage monikers, including The Worm, noface and Wonder Sirens.

In short - Heckadecimal lives and breathes the sonic matter that he leaves pouring out of studio monitors, busted bar systems and finely tuned rave stacks, wherever his travels take him.
Live performance lies at the core of Heckadecimal's practice. When he stormed through Inciting HQ in Philly earlier this summer, he took command over an arsenal of hardware that reminded us of how Octave One or Shawn Rudiman might show up. These were machines that he had lived with; touched with custom modifications, hand-drawn stickers and pockmarks incurred in battle, one got the sense that the gear was a personal extension of the artist.

Perhaps it's a bit maudlin, but we feel a certain kinship with this project. Indeed, these tracks at times feel very much of a piece with the gnarled tonalities in which our stable typically traffics; all low-slung riddims that reach at equal lengths towards mutated IDM aesthetics and post-Packard Plant techno extrusions. These are future perfect grooves that glide along under the vast Midwestern sky, providing a fertile communication conduit with the City of Brotherly Love.

Give thanks for acid. Great Circles will see you in the New Year..

Very LIMITED album discs available now:

This is the first album Oscar Mulero has released under his own name, after two acclaimed LPs under the moniker Trolley Route. Well known for his skills as a hard-edged, raw and floor-orientated techno dj, his productions go far beyond, digging deep into the intricate landscape of intelligent techno, floating moods, reminiscent atmospheres, harmony and detail.

Grey Fades To Green is the affirmation of his maturity as a producer, using both hardware and software in the pursuit of a highly coherent and diverse album.

The concept is split into two parts: The Grey and The Green, each one with its own character. The first part is rougher and meant for the dance floor, although pays full attention to detail and complexity. The second part is quieter, has a slower pace and is best enjoyed at home.

In The Green Oscar goes deep into the intellectual side of techno music and is heavily influenced by the post rave sound emerging from the UK in the nineties: Aphex Twin, Gescom, B12, Plaid, Autechre.. but with a contemporary approach.

This part of the album brings you melodies, harmonies, endless atmospheres, and hours of studio work. Each sound has been carefully constructed, nothing is left to chance: Every stereo panning, every change to the synth's parameters has been meticulously designed for your listening pleasure; just what you want when you listen to techno on headphones. Futuristic music made with the utmost care.

'Last Regrets' shows how melancholic harmonies can be a perfect match for abstract beats and a dub-step reminiscence. A fine piece of sci-fi techno.

'Grey Fades To Green' makes a clean break by offering us an industrial drum'n' bass piece with a techno approach that mutates as the minutes tick by. A dub-step melodic track. Futuristic breakbeat for the decades to come.

The final track of The Green, 'Silent Air', picks up the homage to the intelligent techno sound of the beginning and returns to random grooves, crunchy samples, impossible hi-hats and massive synthesizer and step sequencer routines. A perfect ending to this sound journey from the heart of the dance floor to the core of your mind.

A mature work that confirms Oscar Mulero as one of the most qualified studio animals on the techno landscape.

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

Another side of Pom Pom.

For over 18 years, Spectral Sound, the dance music imprint of Ghostly International, has thrived at the forefront of techno and house. It has been a source of support for numerous DJs and producers during that time, from Matthew Dear and Benoit & Sergio to Avalon Emerson and Hieroglyphic Being. Now, Spectral brings the past alongside the present with its latest release, a compilation that offers a vibrant cross-section of the current moment in underground dance music. Despite the wide-ranging selections on Spectral 139, a throughline of classic style and infectious energy emerges from the up-and-coming and established artists alike. Rising talents such as Minimal Violence, Russell E.L. Butler, and Earth Trax x Newborn Jr. bring unique perspectives to their hardware-centric productions. Veteran producers bring their own edge as well: D'Marc Cantu blows the roof off with the outsized funk of "Regularly People," and Nigil Caenaan's "January's End," a low-key Detroit classic from the late '90s, closes Spectral 139 with a whirlwind of manic rhythms and sedate synths. Gunnar Haslam opens the tracklist with his acidic mindbender, "Versione Antica." And Ghostly regulars like Tadd Mullinix, who drops a lush JTC remix of his new X-Altera alias, and Matrixxman, who collaborates with Riccardo Limiti on the cavernous "Inferno," tie everything back to the label's roots. The double-12" compilation, as well as each individual single, features original work by Los Angeles-based artist Nina Hartmann. Her designs have appeared on releases from labels such as Ascetic House and Big Love, and the pieces for Spectral 139 continue to develop her cryptic aesthetic. The marriage of Hartmann's striking, high-contrast symbols with such bold dance music speaks to a collection that aims to stand out.

The latest episode on Piezo's no nonsense, hand stamped and heart warmed Ansia label has arrived! ANSIA003 is the follow up to his early 2018 'Parrots EP' and for this release the Milanese producer has enlisted 3 other disparate yet like minded artists to let loose on this monster 4 tracker. StabUdown Productions (James Donadio aka Prostitutes) kicks it off with the opener 'FyeRRR!' A deadly burst of blown out ragga replete with an arsenal of kicks and vocal cut up shrapnel. Next up label head Piezo drops 'OiOiOi', a masterwork of electro gated basslines, jungle breaks and absurd delay feedbacks. A perfect continuation of the surrealistic/abstract path started by tunes like 'All My Money' on 'Parrots EP'. Fresh off his Lobster Theremin's album, Kreggo/G-23 (Super Rhythm Trax, Secret Rave, Art-Aud) delivers 'Ligeti': a flat out mover with it's skittering percussion and deep haunted stabs hovering around the supernatural subs. It all finishes up with Bristol's Facta, whose releases on Idle Hands, Livity Sound and his own excellent Wisdom Teeth really needs little introduction. 'Not Now' is an elastic, low gravity heavy hitter that snakes through bass bins and before you know it, you're completely wrapped.

Duckett returns to Wisdom Teeth with another otherworldly four-tracker of melodic, trippin' house-n-techno. While recent outings on Berceuse Heroique and Solar Phenomena have showcased the more abstract edges of his sound, Corde Raide Vers Nulle Part comprises a collection of the Welsh producer's most melodious work to date. Throughout, the tracks are driven by snaking FM basslines, shimmering video game synths and tonal drums, creating a record that will appeal equally to fans of golden era Night Slugs, bleeping minimal techno, and the compositional electronica of labels like RVNG International and Latency.

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.

Extreme dark electronic compilation about the human suffering at the battle of stalingrad in '43 with a.o. Duracel, Syncom Data, Franck Sarrio, Orgue Electronique, Rude 66, etc.

Techno Thriller joins the Unknown Precept fam with a brand new mini-album. The first following the release of their eponymous full-length album a couple of months ago. Based in Brussels, although now relocating themselves in Marseille, France, the four-handed formation has steadily been crafting cybernated Gothic music over the past years. Recorded a few months back while drawing its inspiration from dark dungeons and occult folklore, not without evocative titles, Enfant de Sodome feels as muscular and thrilling as their live performances usually imply. Compelling murky synthpunk and industrial machinery colliding in fervor and howls. Free falling tumultuous bass lines lacerated by ominous muffled groans. Bone-bending primitive techno music catapulted over the walls in the most urgent fashion. At the end, it very much feels like trying to dance on some sort of cryptic electronic body music in a heavy chain-mail.

Killer, bittered SM Electronic salvos from the early '00s, pinning down a thistly Prurient and a rare sacrifice by Texan noise maker R Mason a.k.a. Autoerotichrist.Prurient's 'Beheading of St. John the Baptist' is an eviscerated noise prayer or 'black medieval
grind' recorded in 2001, Providence, moving through the stations in the style of 'Mater Dolorosa' and his 7' with Mindflayer Cult.
AWOL since 2004, Autoerotichrist is the alias of R. Mason, who did a classic trio of 7's in the '90s with Richard Ramirez, Japanese Torture Comedy Hour and Incapacitants. His A-side 'Benediction' sounds like a death metal track recorded down a plughole from the next floor.

All things come from and return to the same source - such is the theory of Monism; an ancient philosophy, but also accounting for the music of Jeroen Search. Dictated by an ethos of exclusively recording live takes and the only ever editing happening while a tune is being created, each finished track is imbued with that unique magic of the moment. Such too is the nature of Monism, Search's first LP in over two decades of electronic explorations and personal as well as artistic growth. As with any of his music that has been released so far, the tracks on here hold a timeless quality, existing within their own frame of reference than - that is their immediate experience. Across a carefully arranged course, the album naturally unravels its many ideas, ranging from moments of pensive ambient pieces to thick washes of dub echo and layers of modulated synths, all while providing an endless array of hypnotizing bare-bone grooves in the process. A true Figure mainstay, Jeroen Search upholds his artistic relevancy without any reinventing or switching up the formula - rather by simply keeping true to his accomplished craft.

Dutch label Field Records is back with another special album project, this time from Japanese producer ENA aka Yu Asaeda. Bridge is an introspective soundtrack for a documentary also called Bridge - out this Spring - which is about the Dejima bridge, a reconstructed symbol of the Dutch-Japanese trading history in Nagasaki, Japan. The album finds the producer stepping outside of his usual remit of dark ambient and experimental music, and instead comprises ten shorter tracks that touch on abstract and rhythmic sounds that define the essence of Japanese culture. Although he has worked with the director before, this is ENA's first Original Sound Track and finds him freely inspired by the movie and heading in exciting and unknown directions. Hugely atmospheric throughout, there is hypnotic repetition of sounds, strange audio design and a mixture of melancholic moods with more dreamy synths. Sometimes gloopy rhythms gently ripple beneath soothing harmonies and at others times a micro-rhythm appears through the constantly shifting and evolving found sound loops. It's a compelling and unusual album that seamlessly mixes human emotions with a mechanical sense of industry.

Dj feedback:

Mano le Tough (Permanent Vacation): "Amazing sound"

Inverted Audio: "Subconsciously affecting, emotionally invigorating work here. Loving this."

DJ Mag LA: "This album shows that the of ENA sounds are an overflowing line that perfectly combines human emotions. Feel is the perfect word to define the entire album."

Samuli Kemppi (Deep Space Helsinki): "Really really good album. Thank you."

Eric Cloutier (The Bunker NY): "absolutely brilliant."


Philip Sherburne (Pitchfork): "Really interesting stuff here, looking forward to delving into it."

Amandra (Semantica): "Love it ! Thx"

Nihad Tule (Sloboda): "perfect cinematic scapes, thanks!"

Breach (Aus Music): "super enjoyable on a lot of levels and so warm. "

Jonas Kopp (Tresor): "love it ! thanks."

Mosca (Not So Much): "First two tracks are enough for me to know I'm into this"

Fugal (BleeD): "<3"

natural/electronic.system. (Tikita): "This is a great release. Thanks!!"

Roger Gerressen (Yoyaku / Sushitech): "lovely"

Maarten Mittendorff (Indigo Aera): "Amazing all over!!! <3 ENA... really out of the box organic evolving music. Big up Field for releasing this beautifull music!"

Albert van Abbe (VANABBE / No Comment): "This is just great! Suburb travel music, thanks!"

Simo Cell (Livity Sound): "Yes this is brilliant ! "

Efdemin (Dial): "Great textures and sounds. Really interesting work!"

Clouds (Electric Deluxe): "wow this is dope!"

Zadig (Construct Re-Form): "Need to check quietly but i know i already love it. Beautiful ... Thanks !! "

Voiski (Super95): "really beautiful bridge music "

FRAK are back on track with this dreamy album with deep dark hypnotic slow rhythmic tracks. This is experimental analog and haunting dancemusic at slow BPMs which gives you a glimpse of swedish smalltown dystopia in all its glory. The A1 track might give the impression that this is a romantic record and the A side in general will make big city people feel the urge to move to small towns again, but on the B-side it just gets darker and weirder (the smalltown kinda reveals its ugly underbelly) and it all ends with a track that would make the taped nipples fake fetishists in techno city shiver. I could say you need a mask to play this out, but lets not take it that far. For old fans of FRAK this record both delivers (A-side) and challenges (B-side). Me, I want doubles. -Joakim Cosmo

Freedom To Spend's first catalog wide deep dive into an artist's career focuses on four albums from Rimarimba, beginning with 1983's Below The Horizon, followed by 1984's On Dry Land, 1985's In The Woods, and finally, the once-imagined, now-realized assembly of 1988's Light Metabolism Number Prague.

Somewhere out there around the turn of the 1980s, to the left of the post-punk crew, to the right of the minimalists, and surfacing with a friendlier face than the dour industrialists of the time - there existed, seemingly unbidden, an entire, networked, tape-trading community; a community that crossed continents and oceans, that relied on the postal service to do its bidding; a community full of humble visionaries and lost, misunderstood, or just plain ignored home steeped genius.

Exploring that thicket of weirdness in the UK wild, you'd likely stumble across labels like Cordelia, Hamster, and Unlikely; compilations like the should-be-legendary Obscure Independent Classics series, or the Real Time cassettes; and inexplicable one-offs like The Deep Freeze Mice, Jody & The Creams, R. Stevie Moore, Leven Signs, Jung Analysts, and Rimarimba.

Rimarimba was the project of Robert Cox, based in Felixstowe, on the seaside in Suffolk, UK. Rimarimba was not Cox's first entry into the world of recorded music, but was the first time he explored, most perceptively, the parameters of a particular musical mode: one where minimalism is removed from its 'high-art' mantle, Cox inveigling its practices in amongst the doit-yourself creativity of a burgeoning and beguiling underground, letting the music breathe - and most importantly, letting it play, gifting it with imagination.

The first in the Rimarimba series, 1983's Below The Horizon, feature Cox in exploratory mode, figuring out exactly how to make his music. There's a pleasure in hearing how he feels out the parameters of his aesthetic, here - there's a boxy minimalism, slightly clunky and charming with it, that reflects the home-spun, improvisatory tenor of the compositions. It's ambitious music, though, wanting to do the most and the best it can with its limited resources. Cox himself admits to not being 'pre-wired' to making this music, but that only makes it more compelling: 'Were I to be properly musical, it wouldn't actually work as well in some ways; it'd be just another album of contemporary clattery music.'

On October 5, Freedom To Spend will offer Below the Horizon in a one-time edition of 750 copies, followed On Dry Land and In The Woods on January 8, 2019 and February 22, respectively. Each album features artwork reinterpreted from its original edition by Will Work For Good, and accompanying abstracts by Jon Dale.

In the Pacific there was another Atlantis, connecting Japan to what is now known as the United States. Swim with us through ancient caves and discover a secret that has been hidden from human eyes for thousands of years... Long thought lost Maiovvi productions from the early Berlin days remixed and remastered and made available for the first time.

Repress!

If Osiris' recent releases have represented a rope that bridges the chasm that exists between various bass-heavy electronic sub-genres, this compilation of brand new material might just be the bricks-and-mortar upgrade to that bridge that marries them all into one cohesive vision. Proceedings kick off with Overlook's menacing take on Jungle — almost eight minutes of sustained preternatural tension in the shape of 'Former Self '.

Pessimist continues the journey with the sprawling 'Indigo', and moves away from his trademark pace to set the scene with repetitive, delayed stabs in the dark. Three tracks in, label boss Simon Shreeve steps into the ring, in his first outing as Mønic this year, to unveil the appropriately titled 'Stampede' — a marching, ferocious melding of industrial beats and distorted growl, pushed along by frenetic hi-hats before spiralling off the edge into a feedback-laden pit.

To close, Mønic teams up with Grebenstein. Picture the former's take on sepulchral atmospherics, married with the latter's mangled electronics, and you'll have a good indication of what to expect from this meeting of minds. 'Cutting The Ties That Bind' sees those hats return in the distance, but slows the pace for a largely ambient conclusion to this unique blends of musical ideas.

Spazio Disponibile welcomes Valentino Mora for a new EP featuring four tracks of rhythmic exploration. Boss of the IDO label and known for his atmospheric deep techno sets, he brings a richly infused palette to his music. The four tracks on 'Transmagnetic' are steep in moody atmospheres, with exquisite sound design colouring in the grooves which range from dark and eerie to more subtly uplifting and enlightened. Icy synths, abstract motifs and a sense of paranoia and tension characterise each one, with barely-there drums all working to sink you into a trance.