Juno Recommends Leftfield August 2018

Review: Since Deepchord helped launch Astral Industries with the sublime "Lanterns" double-album in 2014, the London label has gone on to become a reliable source of dreamy ambient techno and blissful, otherworldly ambience (for proof, check out the releases from Waveform Transmission, the Chi Factory and Heavenly Music Corporation). Predictably, Deepchord's return to the imprint is every bit as wonderful as you'd expect. While naturally underpinned by restless dub techno rhythms and wrapped in Rod Modell's usual densely layered aural textures, the two tracks that make up Immersions are far wavier and more ambient-focused than much of the Detroit producer's work. And, yes, both tracks are exceedingly immersive. You shouldn't need a second invitation to dive right in.

Review: One of the deepest reaching projects from the multifaceted Vibraphone stable resurfaces for an extended trip through ambient sonics that marks possibly the most daring departure on the esteemed Italian label to date. The harmonious tones undulating throughout Sketches From Space are instant soothers, taking the odd cue from techno but defiantly beatless and meditative. It's a surprising addition to the long and winding Vibraphone story, but also feels like one of the strongest steps forward the resurgent label has taken since returning to the fray. Just try sinking into "Lagrangian Point L4" and you'll see exactly what we mean.

Review: The latest transmission from Emotional Response's ever-essential Schleissen series takes a trip to the Fourth World with Jon Keliehor on the A side. There's no denying the influence of Jon Hassell on tracks like opener "Serpent In The Sky," but Keliehor channels those exotic notions into some truly captivating music that is all his own. From chiming tones to purposeful percussion, his sound is a rich and evocative one, beautifully recorded and artfully composed. On the other side, Lord Of The Isles indulges his ambient side to great effect with no less than seven vignettes of varying moods and energies, all played out through delicately handled synthesisers.

Review: Laurel Halo's latest release was apparently inspired by her recent film score work for Amsterdam-based arts collective Metahaven. Certainly, it's a largely becalmed and beguiling collection, experimental in ethos but also cinematic in tone. It contains a sextet of instrumental pieces that vary in style and tone from the loopy, otherworldly creepiness of "The Sick Mind" and droning "Supine", where ambient chords and manipulated cello notes combine to create a druggy soundscape, to the slowly unfurling, widescreen epics that open and close the mini-album. These, particularly "Raw Silk Uncut Wood" are intensely picturesque and beautiful, with Halo subtly shifting between epic ambient passages and the kind of sweeping, string-laden musical movements that mark out the finest cinematic compositions.

Review: Tel-Aviv label Malka Tuti, ran by Asaf Samuel and Katzele, is an imprint too often overlooked and underrated, even for its iconic aesthetic and single-mindedness. However, we don't mean that to say they are predictable - far from it. The label has constantly provided us with new artists and new forms of experimental dance, with this latest EP from Die Orangen providing even more food for the ears. The duo haven't put out too much music, as of yet, but their mystical shade of techno sounds full of interesting influences and ethereal nuances, much like the opening rhythm of "Yaranabe (live version)", along with the stuttering, off-kilter tribalism of Tapan's version of "Metal Man". The Gordon Pohl 'Reimagination' of "Mersey River" comes in two parts, culminating in a deep and dubby rhythmic dance with an ambient stance. Strong. Tipped.

Review: After its debut on the short-lived eponymous imprint eight years ago, CUB aka Regis and Osiris Musik boss Simon Shreeve return with more splintered and texturised industrial techno workouts on the former's Downwards imprint - and it has certainly been worth the wait. Both "Seeing From Above" and "Primitive Sleep" feature O'Connor's industrial strength breakbeats and tunnelling basslines, which were a trademark similarly on his Sandwell District and Ugandan Speed Trials projects. This combined with Shreeve's fine execution of tension and atmosphere, as heard on his brutalist releases as Monic. Speaking of which, the introspective IDM on B side cut "Informal Beauty" is further testament to this.

Review: Ikue Asazaki's music dates back to the early 00s, when the Japanese polymath was making spiritual folk music with an electronic edge for major labels like Sony, Universal and CBS. She has taken a turn for the unexpected over the last few years, dropping singles on much lesser-known labels with an underground following. Japan's own Mule Musiq is a perfect example, and this new EP houses her music incredibly well. "Yoisura Bushi" is a spectacularly hypnotic affair, with piano keys and Asazaki's voice colliding magnificently, blending into one solitary wall of sound; the Kuniyuki remix replaces the lonesome stagger of the piano for similarly desolate landscapes made of percussion.

Review: Since bursting onto the scene via a series of bustling, bass-heavy and dancefloor-focused 12" singles at the turn of the decade, Pariah (AKA late developer Arthur Cayzar) has been surprisingly quiet. It turns out he was ridden with angst about the music he was making and unsure of which direction to take. As this long-awaited - and, we should add, rather brilliant - debut album proves, he's final found inner peace. "Here From Where We Are" is, first and foremost, a home listening album. It contains gentle, evocative and slowly shifting electronic soundscapes that largely look towards ambient, neo-classical, drone and dub techno for inspiration. There's no speaker-busting sub-bass explosions or riotous peak-time rhythms, just becalmed and stunningly beautiful compositions that are in turns spellbinding, melancholic and hugely poignant.

Review: 2003's Radio Amor has been one of our personal Tim Hecker favourites. For an artist who has released and collaborated on so much timeless ambient music, it is a bold statement. But, it is also a calculated one. The fact that it hasn't been reissued on vinyl since its original drop does have an effect, of course, but it's also one of Hecker's most pensive works, with its tunes lingering mid-air with a confidence that is rarely heard in ambient and drone these days. For instance, the sinister tension of "Spectral" reigns supreme over most other tracks of its ilk, but the majority of its quality rests in propensity to blend different emotions thanks to disparate sounds and an inhuman build up of energy. Highly recommended.

Review: Having released on labels like 1080p or Common Edit, the talented Khotin feels like a natural addition to Canada's Pacific Rhythm imprint. But, we want to make it crystal clear that it is his music that has won him the spot on the label, and given him the chance to release his fourth studio album, another majestic collection of ambient experiments that spread out much further than the innocuous drones we're used to hearing nowadays. In fact, "New Tab" is our favourite electronic release of July 2018, much of that decision resting on the fact that this is enchanting and seductive from the first moments, never letting our minds stray too far. We like to call it 'rhythmic drone', where the looseness and abstract nature of synthesizers is propelled into motion by subtle percussive elements and enchanting vocal samples. Sick!

Review: Optimo Trax 015 sees label boss JD Twitch indulge his love of cult Australian DIY act Severed Heads with a trio of dub version culled from the B-sides of their 1980s 12" output. Titled quite artfully Big Saints Reward (1987 - 90 dubs), perennial Twitch favourite "Greater Reward" features prominently with the Dub version accompanied by an all new "Piano Power Edit" from the Optimo man which takes full advantage of the glorious keys that characterise the track. Complementing these, the B-side houses "Big Car (Crash dub)" and "All Saints Day (Saints Dub Day)" which add further credence to the notion Severed Heads are one of the most important acts in the formation of club music as we know it today. A superb record!

Review: Niko Schabel and Tom Wieland make for a wonderful duo when it comes to explorative rock music. Between them, they have collaborated with legendary groups like Embryo, 7 Samurai and Les Gammas, but their objective as a duo is to explore the world in search of new and exciting rhythms. En Route To Thailand is their debut album under this alias, and its ten tracks must make it into the best of 2018 - and we're only in July. Slow-burning beats that hint at house music are wrapped around marvelous swarms of poly-rhythms and otherworldly sounds, some of them native to Thailand and others totally created in the minds of the two artists. It is indescribable music with the power to change styles and visions for artists beyond the 'kraut' space. Future house.

Review: Going back even further into their chest of treasures, all the way back to 1995, Klaus Schulze and Pete Namlook's The Dark Side Of The Moog project is here with a reissue of its third instalment, from 1995, and it's crazy for us to think that we have two certified legends on our charts, across several reissues of the mother series, which should most certainly be purchased in unison. This is the source in terms of ambient and drone, perhaps even surpassing some of the work done by Brian Eno across his own illustrious career. This collection of words is shorthand for "purchase now!".

Review: Klaus Schulze and Peter Namlook's The Dark Side Of The Moog Vol 4, receives a timely update on vinyl, having only been reissued a handful of times since its first release, all the way back in a tech-heavy, sci-fi-centric 1996. Much like the second volume, which should be bought in conjuction with this opener, you'll be stuck to find any better sources of ambient or drone on these charts particularly for its explorative nature. Yes, the modern kids might verge further into the heart of the rave, but this music has a way of lifting the soul that's rarely matched and unfailingly inimitable. Led by images of time and space, the legendary duo's music is truly capable of tele-transporting you into a higher state of consciousness; the best thing about it is how rich and fresh it sounds upon each new listen. Highly recommended.

Review: Expertly crafted both technically and musically (in the label's own words) 12th Isle are more than excited to present their fifth instalment by Aarhus based duo Palta & Ti aka Natal & Milan Zaks. They collaborate for the second time since their first EP together on Gravity Graffiti last year. The Palta Og Ti Pa Den Tolvte O EP is a nice trip if we do say so ourselves. From the deep tribal atmospherica of "Pa Hovedet I Seng" (calling to mind Porn Sword Tobacco & SVN's Recording sessions) or the beatless cosmic experience of "Forarets Skorhed" which is perfect for those moments of travelling without moving. More great stuff from this terrific label after standout releases by Ramzi, Cru Server and X.Y.R. in recent times.

Review: Rather unexpectedly, the third CVX release, to date, comes through on Berceuse Heroique, an imprint which seems to be following and replicating just about any genre or sub-culture form the past, making it a perfect example of post-post-modernism in action. Zibaldone III of CVX, a serious previously restricted to the Laura Lies In label, is undoubtedly a wild and wicked concoction of nebulous sonics that are all driven by a toxic, merciless percussion which spews from all angles with a certain mechanical fashion. It's an honourable third edition of the series, and we hope this marks a beginning of a new dawn for CVX. Wicked style.

Review: Indonesian imprint DIVISI62 returns with yet more sounds from their sonic exploration project Uwalmassa consisting of five killer segments of percussion, each one of them full of rhythm and mystique, and perfectly attuned to today's fascination with hypnotic drums. The thought process behind 'Bumi Uthiri' is to provide an alternative study on Javanese gamelan composition and to experiment with its known and unknown structures. It is a deconstructed interpretation of a musical tradition that aims to stretch boundaries, but nevertheless, adhere to its core essence. There is now other way to describe this music other than 'sick', especially for the fact that it is playable across any dancefloor, to any crowd wishing to be levitated; the secret is knowing when to offer it. Highly recommended.

Review: The West Mineral imprint is shaping up to be one of the hottest prospects in experimental music this year, with the label dropping three killer records to crown their debut. The latest comes from Pontiac Streator and Ulla Straus, two young artists who have begun to collaborate magnificently, delving into the deeper, more intricate side of percussion, bass, and improvisation. Chat is truly killer throughout, weaving away amid sporadic drums and a washed out bass, often sounding much like the constructions of a dub tune, and there are four parts to it. Part 1 rolls its drums out hither and dither, alongside a flurry of dread bass, whereas Part 2 is much more freeform in aesthetic, its drums bouncing with the help of delay and echo. "Chat Three" teases the crowds with a subtle infusion of something reminiscent of techno, and "Chat 4" ties things off with a cinematic drum roll that confirms just how serious this duo is. Recommended.

Review: Cabaret Du Ciel are a sight for sore eyes around these parts! We're talking rare-as-hen's-teeth material here, and the sort of percussive ambient music that has opened the genre up to a new generation. Their debut album, from 1992, is entitled Skies In The Mirror and has undoubtedly stood the test of time - often sounding more fresh and innovative than plenty of music made these days. Italy's Hybride Sentimento has relaunched this magnificent LP, which takes you on a voyage of dusty percussion loops, ominous cold waves, and all sorts of otherworldly sonics. As a matter of fact, it also verges onto the dance spectrum, with tunes like "Hanging Wave" sounding more cutting-edge than the deepest, most twisted techno being made. If you're into doom, ambient, darkwave, or anything of that ilk then this is tailor-made for you. And, of course, it comes warmly recommended, too!