Juno Recommends Electro February 2021

Review: If you can feel a chill in the air it must mean there's more arcane sorcery being cooked up in the Blind Allies labs. This Latvian label are surely providing some of the strongest strains of pitch-black underground electro from lesser known operators in the machine funk catacombs. On this new various artists 12", White Mane Horse and Deputy Bender fire off sleek and sinister rhythms while UHU has a little tongue in cheek fun behind the veil of icy whispered vocals and nervy bleeps on "No Body Knows Electro". Theory Of Noise sound taut and robotic, Olloy keeps things plush but noirish, Rnbws fires off a high-definition sound and Theory Of Noise returns for the simply brilliant "Mission".

Review: In its 20th year, Ralph Lawson's Leeds based label has done a fine job of revamping its sound and its roster. After many years of being hugely and tastefully eclectic, there seems to have been a real focus on electro this year with the boss himself serving up masterful mixes of such sounds for his on going radio shows. 214 keeps up the good work with a nice deep offering here. 'Alpenglow' is all muted sci-fi synth sand jittery beats to get you going then 'Exposure To Wind' keeps you afloat between distant planets. 'Quick Start' is a turbocharged workout with lovely bubbling bass and 'The Night's Shift' then gets slow, sludgy, and superb.

Review: Alex Jann continues to be a vital force within the contemporary electro scene. Following standout spots on Unknown To The Unknown, DMK and Censor over the past couple of years, he now lands on Burnski's Infiltrate label with some especially taut, heads-down gear for those looking to stretch out the dynamics of their machine funk DJ sets. 'Moderated Lies' is a snappy, eerie workout with a rasping snare and nagging low-end synth hook, while 'The Least Resistance' works deeper dimensions of texture and atmosphere around a snaking beat. 'Propeller' is a more malevolent affair that ups the tempo and fires off a more snarling, acidic sound palette. 'Logicphrenia' revels in the richest sound design of the EP, sounding like an orchestra of malfunctioning machines locked into a serious groove. That's a good thing, obviously.

Review: Macedonian producer Stojche joins the Infiltrate stable for a bout of classy, moody electro with bags of personality hot on the heels of his Urban Chaos LP for Tangible Assets. 'Trauma' builds towards an emotive crescendo, while 'Phobia' twitches in a more dystopian framework that rushes at a formidable tempo. 'Thug Life' keeps things edgy with razor-sharp lead lines that shimmer and shudder around the hard-stepping beat. 'Conflict' rounds things out with a more melancholic mood shaped out by choice chords that drape themselves over the snap of the snare and rapid hats.

Review: Dark Entries is pleased to announce a deluxe reissue of Sexual Harrassment's 1983 opus I Need A Freak. Lynn Tolliver, DJ/Program Director at Cleveland's WZAK, adopted the pseudonym David Payton in order to keep his musical endeavors separate from his public persona. Sexual Harrassment (misspelled deliberately) was formed as a concept band, with members selected based on appearance and choreographic skill rather than musical ability. Tolliver's explicit lyrics focused on the central themes of desire and sexual relations. Working at a studio in Akron, he recorded an album of quirky-yet-lurid electro funk, which was released on Heat Records. Tolliver remarks, "I learned as a youngster, sex sells! The things that are rated the worst - violence, horror and sex - are the things people want to see or hear about." I Need a Freak was a surprise hit, selling over 100,000 copies.

Review: Emile Facey returns on Plant43, not to be confused with bleep43.com, where he also happens to be graphic designer, illustrator and co-founder. Get your fix of futurist electro beats on his new Storm Control EP, with the same quality that has garnered releases on Shipwrec, Central Processing Unit and AC Records in recent times. Exploring the same opulent realms of electro as Detroit pioneers Dopplereffekt on the title track, there's also the ethereal science fiction of 'Hydraulic Machines' and ending with the dreamlike qualities of ambient electro epic 'Sparks In The Grey Light'..

Review: Aussie producer Jensen Interceptor is back. Although he definitely had a ton of releases in 2019, last year was quite tame in comparison yet there were some terrific releases on Who's Susan, Pinkman and for homeboys International Chrome. He kicks off 2021 with this wicked three tracker on Unknown To The Unknown sub label Dance Trax, and this is number 19 in the series. Features the homage to our favourite '80s punk film 'The Repo Man' on which you can actually imagine Emilio Estevez driving an alien space car into the stratosphere. Elsewhere, you can wiggle away at hyperspeed to the breakneck electro funk of 'Wireframe' or the dystopian bass attack of 'Afterflare'.

Review: To kick off 2021, Motor City veteran DJ Nasty has decided to don one of his most popular alternative aliases, Detroit's Filthiest, and deliver an EP of nails-hard electro on Bass Agenda Recordings. He begins in typically energetic mode on 'Programmed To Kill' - a rolling fusion of punchy beats, fizzing bass, sci-fi synths and electrofunk flourishes - before opting for warped bass, ghetto-tech beats and crystalline melodies on 'Dark Shadows'. Over on the reverse, 'Critical Condition' adds spacey, Steel City style bleeps and intergalactic stabs to a pounding electro rhythm, while 'Scared To Death' is an ultra-aggressive beast that genuinely delivers on the promise of its title.

Review: Cultivated Electronics klick off their 2021 schedule in fantastic fashion here with a new Ep from the legendary electronic innovator DMX Krew. He has a high rate of release but the quality levels never drop and so it is that this is another vital 12" for lovers of electro funk. It marks his first solo outing on the label and features plenty of his usual sonic wizardry. 'Overseer' ducks and dives through the cosmos on nimble kicks and between shattered melodies, and 'Plashingers' keeps up the pace with a darker, more techno leaning sound. 'Vacuum Surfers' is a pixelated melodic party in the sky and 'Diaspora' allows a little room to breath as it explores slower tempos.

Review: We might be into a New Year, but still electro remains one of the most dominate sounds in the underground. Analogical Force kick off their campaign for 2021 with a new double 12" from RTR that reaches far and wide. It opens with a fascinating fusion of jungle and electro that is lit up with pixelate melodies and then take sin ambient, liquid electro funk and flurries of IDM drums that leave you breathless. It's an adventurous and original record that peaks many times over, but 'S80' and its rubbery bassline is a standout for us.

Review: DJ Godfather doesn't muck about when laying down his hardcore electro beats. Everything about
'Detroit Electro Ghetto Tech' is captured in the title - it's sleazy, restless and brillaint, from the slick drum programming to the edgy chords via the menacing spoken words. Here it gets served up on various different versions, complete with scratching, and is a perfect tool for adventurous DJs. For us, the darker, more stripped back version 2 is the standout with its haunting pads and smeared acid. The acappella is also hella useful, though.

Review: Adi wrote the music on this new album between Bogota in Columbia and Lima in Peru from 2018 to 2020. A slower pace of life last year thanks to the pandemic and lack of touring really allowed her to hone the record into some that is meticulous and moving from start to finish. It ebbs and flows with the many different emotions we have all felt in the last 12 months and take sin deep, pensive electro like the opener as well as more gorgeously thoughtful and melodic grooves such as 'Break It Down For You.' 'May 1 Loop 111' gets more turbulent for those more angsty moments in the club.

Review: Estonian label Gestalt continues its good work here with a new offering from Bobo, which starts off his two part series following a stellar debut release on Manchester label Jerk It last year. This is melodic, rich electro filled with musicality that glistens and gleans on the rather haunting opener. 'Never' then marries a tech house hi hat with nice broken beats and deep pads for pensive dancing and 'Experience' gets more unhinged in a world of broken mirrors and darkened bass. 'Eftirsja' is an elegant ambient closer to leave you feeling cleansed.

Review: Pervert's Analogical Force label and Furthur Electronix have teamed up to start off this new anonymous series, about which we know nothing other than it is high quality. The music is IDM infused electro with plenty of well crafted synth sounds bursting with energy and glistening with cosmic light. 'Ospakr' really twists and turns you inside out, while 'Axiom12' is a little more smooth and atmospheric. After the high speed and corrugated bass funk of 'Herald' comes closer 'HRcLFR' with its melancholic chords and frazzled bass undercurrent. These are useful tracks and kick off what is sure to be a fine series on this evidence.