Electro Recommendations September 2013

Review: Edward Upton gets busy on CPU for their 100th release. The result? Another essential schooling in retro futurism that kicks off with seriously funky intent as "Binary Neutron Star" jitters and jives with an uptempo rhythm pattern and an insatiable analogue bassline. Further on we're treated to cold-but-emotive Kraftwerkian nuances on "Zaibatsu", we're taken down the tempo ladder to a Black Strobe-meets-Balearica groove on "EPR Phenomena" and shoved into an old Spectrum 48K for a dash of nostalgic 8-bit game tomfoolery. Take flight today...

Review: He might be pushing 50, but Coz Littler certainly knows how to brew up a good noise or two. Fusing analogue with digital, space rock with breakbeats, ambient with electro and shoving them all through myriad fuzzy effects units, one blast on his album (his fourth as Chop) is a genre / planet jumping trip that's impossible to tire of. Highlights include the alien space radio dial twisting glitcher "The Electronic Brain" the somnambulant Orbesque textures of "Feedback" and the breakbeat mentalism of "Bow Down To The Mutant". Get illuminated today!

Review: James T. Cotton, Gosub and Versalife all feature on the third and penultimate instalment of Cultivated Electronics' World Electronix series. Established last summer, the series allowed the London based Cultivated Electronics the chance to champion contemporary electro from an international cast, with The Exaltics, prolific Finnish producers Morphology and Abstract Forms label chief Deixis included on the previous two volumes. This 12" is by far the most high profile however, with Nation alumnus James T Cotton turning in a tough analogue dreamer "In Transit" under the recently shorn down JTC banner, continuing the form shown on full EPs for Killekill, Hoya Hoya and newcomers Ansatz this year. Alongside this are contributions from Boris Bunnik's Versalife project, the Miami-based Shad T. Scott aka Gosub, and a collaboration between CE label head Sync 24 and Dublin based electro producer DeFeKT.

Review: Australian imprint Thug Records have already showed themselves to be one of the more interesting house music labels this year with releases from Ben Cenac (aka Dream 2 Science), DJ Sotofett's "DIGGI-DUBBI-TRIPP-MIXES" of material from Nick Anthony Simoncino and Mark Rogers, and most recently a split release from the aforementioned Simnocino and LIES stalwart Steve Summers. Their latest releases sees Thug expand their remit further into the realm of ghetto house, with an EP from veteran Chi-town producer DJ Slugo; born Thomas Kendricks, the producer is one of the privileged few to have released on the hallowed Chicago institution Dance Mania back in the label's 90s heyday. By no means inactive since then, the producer's style, like much of his contemporaries has moved into the realms of faster juke styles, though the filthy nature of his lyrical content remains. The relentless "Booty Clap" is a real highlight here!

Review: The fifth EP in Carsten Nicolai and Olaf Bender's Diamond Version series sees the duo continue their hard-edged series of techno abstractions. "The Future of Memory" opens with relentless broken beats and subsonic blips, while stripped to just a few elements, while "Operate At Your Optimum" sees lumbering drums pile up against one another as great blasts of fuzzy noise collide with depth charged bass licks. If there are any doubts that EP 5 twitches and crackles with an unpredictability and rawness, then check "Sense & Simplicity" or "Make Believe". Both feature a humming sound that could be coming from a live mic left lying on a studio floor while glitchy percussive slivers and bursts of noise crawl like diseased rodents over the duo's jittery, pared back drums and electronic rhythms.

Review: Although Emile Facey has been producing as Plant 43 for roughly six years, the UK producer appears to be in a rich vein of form right now. Having debuted in impressive fashion on Dutch label Frustrated funk earlier this year, Plant 43 resurfaces on Semantica with this equally worthy five track 12" The Sentient City Awakens. No stranger to Svreca's label having first graced Semantica last year, this record will please Plant 43 fans no end, with "Inward Stream" and "Hydro Subway" showing equal reverence to melody and booming percussion that few other current electro practitioners can match. Concluding production "Frond Of Stars" is beautifully epic.

Review: Also known as CN and 030303, Norwegian noisemaker EOD lays out a bountiful breakbeat spread that celebrates electronica's most formative phases without ever coming across as overly nostalgic or sentimental. Highlights include the early Orbital/Black Strobisms of "Track 2", the Inner City-style synth evangelism of "Track 5" and the thumping, psychedelic deep-space hypno bass belches of "Track 7". Explosive!

Review: Formed out of the Glasgow club night of the near same name, Wrong Island Communications launches in wonderful fashion with this eponymously titled record from M O O N. The awkward to type on a keyboard M O O N is the artist name of 18 year old Bostonian Stephen Gilarde who counts as his uncle the grizzly head of all things DFA Mr James Murphy! Having self released this four track EP digitally last year, Wrong Island subsequently licensed the material to launch their label as well as snaring two further EPs from Gilarde that are due for release over the next twelve months. Recorded on some brand new second hand material gifted to him by the Juan Maclean, Gilarde's compositional talent is obvious from the Syclops in anti gravity mode stylings of opening track "Paris". The deranged punk funk of "Hydrogen" is as good as anything his uncle signed to DFA in their pomp. Limited to 100 copies, this debut Wrong Island transmission is made all the more special by a picture sleeve designed by Madison McKenna and an A4 insert detailing the label's future plans.

Review: Whilst there's some justification to the criticism that acid house is one dimensional in the hands of most producers, there are still certain labels and artists who prove ingenuity is still possible to achieve when relying on the humble Roland 303. Andreas Tilliander's TM404 LP for Kontra earlier this year is an obvious example, whilst Absurd's Acid Test series has also provided a platform for Tin Man, Dozzy and Pepe Bradock to introduce some new ideas into the field. Dutch label 030303 has been pioneering this approach for some time and return here with a sequel to the compilation with which they launched in 2009. This second installment showcases artists both well-known artists and obscure, with the likes of DMX Krew, Lunar Disko regular Automatic Tasty, Jared Wilson and Dutch veterans Dexter and Drvg Cvltvre joined by Cosmic Force, Jonny 3 Snares and the amusingly monikered Roy Of The Ravers. The latter's "Acid Hors D'oeuvre" is one of many lysergic highlights on this double LP offering.