CCO Vinilo y CD

Review: Florin Buchel's work as Contra Communem Opinionem has bridged the gap between seemingly disparate labels like Lux Rec, Mathematics, Drumpoet Community and Photic Fields without missing a beat. More recently, he's funnelled the CCO output through his own label Silum to bring us some EPs of dazzling hardware tech house with ample melodic content to keep the dark clouds at bay. 'Atmospheric Inversion' toys with jazzy discord, but the vibe is primarily soulful and synth-driven, while 'Atmospheric Extinction' heads wholeheartedly towards uplifting chord sequences to get your hair standing on end. 'Atmospheric Pressure' takes a snappier, techier approach but the tools and signal chains are the same, so the pervading warmth of the tracks maintains. This is house music which instinctively connects back to the gritty strain of machine soul pioneered in Detroit - if you're always searching for that quality in your club tracks you won't want to overlook this one.

Review: Oceanic Zones is a brand new album on a brand new label. CCO is the artist and the fledgling label is Silum which is brought to us from the Liechtenstein Alps via Zurich. This is a stylish electro outing with elastic chords and silky pads that all, we are told, explore 'the layers of the sea.' The A-side is the more cheerful and represents the light-flowed upper regions of the ocean while the flip side is where things get darker and more menacing, as you would expect as you head down to the ocean floor.

Review: CCO (short for Contra Communem Opinionem, fact fans) is the primary recording alias of Florin Buchel, a Swiss producer who has racked up releases on countless well-regarded labels (Drumpoet Community, Lux Rec and Photic Fields included) over the last 13 years. Permanent Revolution, his latest far-sighted, analogue-rich EP, sees him return to Berlin's Omega Man imprint with a follow-up to last year's excellent The Transformation Problem. Like its predecessor, the EP's five tracks blend elements from classic styles - Drexciya, acid house, Larry Heard-ish deep house, beatbox electro, Head High style piano techno, Motor City futurism and so on - with cheery melodies and emotive aural textures. The result is a set of superbly colourful, musically detailed cuts with a genuinely timely, far-sighted feel.

Review: Florin Buechel aka Contra Communem Opinionem first appeared on our radar a few years back with some killer EPs on Swiss electro imprint Lux Rec - in particular the collaboration with label boss Daniele Cosmo as Savage Grounds in 2016. Here he presents new Berlin label Omega Men's third installment, serving up yet more gritty analogue machine exploits on "The Transformation Problem". Hear that legendary Roland silver box hard at work throughout the four-tracker: we're loving the soaring resonance and glide of frantic opener "Dead Labor", the dystopian noir vibe of electro jam "Necessary Labor" and our pick of the bunch that is neon-lit exhilarator "Living Labor". Tip!

Review: Music for Cosmonauts marks a triumphant return to Swiss imprint Lux Recordings for Florin Buchel under the Contra Communem Opinionem banner and this 12" is also that extra bit special (we've come to expect this from Lux). Buchel was invited to play a fully live analogue set at Zurich club Zukunft back in January and so impressed were Lux Rec, the label requested he re-enact the set and record it to tape. The resultant 60 minute jam of Roland manipulation was subsequently edited down into the two excerpts mastered by Ruud Lekx of Rude 66 fame which are spread across this clear slab of vinyl. The B Side 25 minute long excerpt has "toilet break necessity" written all over it, and the fact Lux enlisted Acidicted's Adalberto to provide some screen printed LP artwork is further evidence of how special they wanted this to be.

Review: MSQ 001 mysteriously divided into bright and dark sides of the universe. On the A-side (the bright one) you will find intergalactic jack groove represented by Contra Communem Opionem aka CCO (Zurich) and made acid trip together with the cosmic rider Andreas Gehm (Coln). the dark B-side accepts the challenge from imperfect planet's chastener Umwelt (Lyon) and a major black hole instigator Moralez (St. Petersburg). mastering is done on the international space station under the guidance of Alden Tyrell (Amsterdam). annals of the universe available only in the form of a physical plastic 12'' carrier in a limited edition of 300 copies...

Review: To date the Electronic Leatherette releases have featured a whole spread of noirish synth brandishing producers on two split 12"s, including Heinrich Dressel and Plant43. This third trip out into the grubby climes of the wave-inspired scene comes courtesy of Exhausted Modern and CCO, both of whom know a thing or two about channeling sinister monosynths and brittle drum machine rhythms that bridge the gap between the DIY 80s and these hardware abundant times. Exhausted Modern's "Loss Of Self-Identity" is especially strong, while CCO's "Serendipity " struts with a satisfyingly deep and nagging acid twist.

Review: Music producers do tend to be rare breeds, so it's not a surprise to hear of a label series exploring the theme. 'Uncommon Species II' is the second installment of the series from the Swiss label Phantom Island, bringing together various artists for five curios centring on oddball future disco, nu-disco, and re-edits. Highlights include the dream-pop-Balearic Kejeblos Remix of Moreeats' 'Forever Fun' - in which a rogue male vocal seductively implores us to light his fire - and CCO's 'Cyanea' - a standout acid disco number. Frankly, though, all the tracks here are unusual bangers, packed with extra additions that only a rare breed of artist could add.

Review: It feels as if Zurich label Lux Rec might finally be getting the wider recognition they deserve for releasing some fine electronic music from both local Swiss artists and more established names. This conceptual compilation will surely help nudge them further towards the spotlight, as the likes of Villa Abo, Echo 106, Drvg Clvtvre and Lux Rec boss Daniele Cosmo all toy with the concept of light. Borft boss Jan Svensson definitely occupies a place of incandescence with his opening Villa Abo contribution, the hypnotic "Luminous" and further highlights come from CCO, and Echo 106 whose "Blackness" sounds like the sort of crazed acid you'd hear in a Hauff set.