Juno Recommends Leftfield September 2018

Review: Ten Days Of Blue is John Beltran's second LP to date, from a distant-not-so-distant 1996, when a rush of neo-techno - on an intelligent tip - began to rush over the scene. The opening "Flex" is one of the greatest of its kind, a near 7 minute voyage of sparse drums, heavy bass and a level of euphoria that is close to match anywhere else. The truth is, however, that every tune on here is absolute fire, from the gentle IDM waves of "Collage Of Dream", the jazzed-out percussion of "Gutaris Breeze (6000km To Amsterdam)" and, of course, the knifty, pseudo d&b of "Ten Days Of Blue". There is so much more to explore, too, including the totally innovative techno of "Venim & Wonder". This gear really does sound like it was made the other day. Warmly recommended.

Review: Since donning the Broken English Club alias in 2014, British techno veteran Oliver Ho has been rather prolific. White Rats, his third full-length under the pseudonym, appears almost a year to the day from the release of its predecessor. Like that set (The English Beach), the album sees Ho explore his industrial and EBM influences, serving up nine fuzzy, intoxicating and distorting cuts of refreshingly high quality. There are moody and percussive dancefloor workouts, of course - see "Funny Games", the acid-fired "Let's Play" and metallic "God Man Dog" - but also a high number of clandestine soundscapes that sit somewhere between Cabaret Voltaire's ambient excursions and some of Throbbing Gristle's more notable beat-free compositions.

Review: Glasgow based 12th Isle present some experimental cinema sonics by Vladimir Karpov. Electroacoustic research practice and shadowy wind instruments come together to form this unique interpretation of the mythical city of gold. Utilising rare, half forgotten Soviet era synthesisers, Karpov creates immersive soundscapes under the name XYR. The Formanta mini keytar and the Alisa 1377 lend Karpov's music strange, seldom heard atmospheres which the St. Petersburg native then combines with field recordings, toy percussion and wood flute to further build upon his utopian narratives. Part concept album, part nod to Popol Vuh, his attempt to channel the thematics of the ancient tale of the Muisca people through his modest home studio.

Review: Raul Lovisoni and Francesco Messina's seminal LP from 1979 Prati Bagnati Del Monte Analogo not only introduced the world to the work of two gifted composers, but is also notable for being produced by electronic pioneer Franco Battiato. Both central figures within the Italian avant-garde, they were part of a generation of artists who contributed to a radical rethinking of musical practices and composition. They reveal Minimalism as it's rarely known: with delicate melodies, subtle harmonic interplay and incorporating diverse creative traditions - slowly giving way to an ever-expanding open space. Skirting the outer edges of ambient, new age and experimental music, the LP has a transformative beauty unlike anything else.

Review: Following on from their compilation EP of last year, Music From Memory return with another six tracks from Dutch musician Hubertus Baars aka Richenel. A somewhat illustrious figure in Dutch pop history with his flamboyant appearance, La Diferencia is a repackaged version of the original cassette release. It's a zeitgeist of the heady punk and squatter scene of Amsterdam in 1982, set against a backdrop of drugs and social unrest. It reflects a unique mix of punk aesthetics, with a synthesized bedroom funkiness. As well as having one of the more exceptional male voices to come out of the country, Richenel would go on to become a successful recording artist in the Netherlands before moving to Spain later in his career.

Review: Mohammad Reza Mortazavi was properly introduced to us alongside Burnt Friedman, on a Nonplace 12" that came out last year. The only memory we have of that was that it was the dog's bollocks, bringing through Reza's immersive 'Tombak' drum style together with Friedman's own love for percussion. The Iranian artist returns with a new EP for Padre Himalaya, a young imprint with a clear vision, and it's all about his minimalistic drum flex across these five tracks. Much like Friedman's music, Reza has a knack for turning something so simple into something dangerously hypnotic, and this EP has a propensity to lift you away onto a different planet thanks to the awesome power of the drum. Magnificent.

Review: Berlin-based leftfield house duo Nummer has decided to launch another label, Natural Selections. To kick things off, they've secured the sixth album from hard-to-pigeonhole experimentalist Marble. It's a wonderfully fluid and otherworldly album, all told, with the storied producer variously combining elements of Jon Hassell style Fourth World ambience, waves of blissful electronics, heady tropical percussion, far-out soundscapes, pitched-down samples, near Balearic movements and humid headiness in a variety of weird and wonderful ways. The result is a set that not only demands repeat plays, but also rewards those who give it the attention it so clearly deserves.

Review: Erased Tapes founder Robert Raths has stated that the objective of 1+1=X was to create a zeitgeist that captured the value of experimenting and reacting to each other as artists. In real time and in the same confines. It marks the tenth anniversary for the imprint, with this collection of exclusive songs from every artist on the label. Originally released on vinyl for Record Store Day 2018 back in April, this features all the original tracks, where they share instruments and each others' capabilities during a residency at Vox-Ton studio in Berlin. Highlights include label staple Nils Frahm's melancholic "Frau Dehlholm", Kiasmos teaming up with Hogni Egilsson on the emotional deep house of "Zebra" and the always impressive Peter Broderick on the bittersweet symphony of "The Perpetual Glow".

Review: Since leaving his hardcore metal drummer past behind, Olafur Arnalds has gone on to become one of the most lauded composers and producers of his generation, balancing experimental work that blends neo-classical movements with most rock and abstract electronics, with acclaimed work for film and television. Re:member is the Icelander's first album since working on the Broadchurch soundtrack and undeniably his most high profile release to date. It's also fiendishly cutting edge, utilizing specially created software to trigger new sequences (as well as randomized electronic feedback) on two pianos chained to his primary instrument. These elements, naturally mixed with strings, live percussion and the multi-instrumentalist's own considered electronics, combine to create a mesmerizing and thoroughly absorbing album.

Review: Since Emeralds disbanded earlier in the decade, Steve Hauschildt has impressed with a serious of largely overlooked albums on Kranky that showcased his innate ability to craft distinctly melodic music that sits somewhere between IDM, slowly shifting ambient, droning soundscapes and more ethereal home listening techno. Dissolvi, his first album for Ghostly International, could well be his most accomplished solo work to date. While it explores similar sonic territory to previous full-length releases, the set is bolder, more atmospheric and, at times, intensely beautiful. While undoubtedly fresh, those with long memories will note audible nods to ambient and deep techno greats of the early 1990s, including Jonah Sharp (Spacetime Continuum), Pete Namlook and, most obviously, Boards of Canada. In a word: timeless.

Review: A lucid, dynamic, atmospheric trip through consciousness, incorporating an incredible range of texture, tone, and three-dimensional space. This is a glimpse into the most emotive, most personal of Dead Fader's extensive work. There are delicate moments of introspection, furtive agitation, and exuberance, all tightly interwoven into a singular, enthralling whole.

Review: El Deux is the Swiss electro-pop trio of Gutze Gautschi (guitar, vocals), Steno Onetz (bass), Martin Kraft (vocals, drum machine). Formed circa 1981 in Aarau by Gutze and Steno who played together in punk/New Wave band Fresh Color aka Frische Farbe featuring a pre-Yello Dieter Meier. Gutze's minimal electronic compositions did not fit the concept of Fresh Color, so they formed a new project with their live mixer, Martin Kraft, on vocals. The group was quite successful with many concerts, mainly in southern Germany and various TV appearances in Germany and abroad. Between April/September 1982 they recorded and mixed their debut album 'Nur Fur Madchen' in 15 days at Powerplay Studios, Zurich. The LP was released later that year on Gold Records. Influences at that time were of course the NDW "Neue Deutsche Welle'' movement and also from Gutze's time as a musician & guitarist since 1965. Their step up for recording was a Moog Prodigy, Korg Rhythm 55 (KR-55), Simmons Drums, Casiotone 202, Guitar and Bass. We've added a bonus track "Video King" that was originally released as a follow up single in 1984 before the group disbanded. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The record is housed in an exact replica of the original jacket and includes an insert with photos and lyrics.

Review: The dissociative electronic designs of incognito American producer Topdown Dialectic originated as a set of software strategies, rather than compositions in the traditional sense. The recordings are captures and edits of various nonlinear sound-systems, shifting conditions, and reactions to internal changes. Despite such a conceptual basis the music is hyper-sensory, evocative, and emotive, meshing the impossible sonic geometries of early UK warehouse bleeps and IDM stutters with the gritty spatial abstraction of Basic Channel to chart dynamic and diaphanous electronic topographies, at once decentralized, parallel, and environmental.

The eight identical-length tracks comprising this self-titled vinyl debut demonstrate the breadth of the Topdown sound world: shuddering, circuitous, textural, kinetic. Algorithmic arrhythmias phase and pulse and oscillate, chopped voice samples flutter within buffering static, peripheral melodic fragments glitch and glide in and out of time. It's an aesthetic both autonomous and expressive, impersonal and inscrutable, in keeping with artist's roots as a central operative in revered anonymous cassette collective, Aught. This is compelling, composite music, instigated as much as created, like obscure machinations occurring deep in the labyrinth of a server somewhere.

Review: As you see this, you're probably expecting a reissue of a 70s LP, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Tangerine Dream, one of the most mythical bands to come out of Germany in the early 70s, is still in operation and they're current line-up consists of Thorsten Quaeschning, Ulrich Schnauss and Hoshiko Yamane, who recorded a series of live gigs that took place in 2017, both in Budapest and Hong Kong. These two sides of vinyl are the result: "Blue Arctic Danube" opens up the A-side with a swarm of monumental drones and electronic effects, crystal-clear in the composition and together making an unforgettable soundscape; on the B-side, "Gladiatonial Dragon", recorded in Hong Kong, is a much more detailed piece of music, turning the drones and effects into beatless grooves that paint a fine picture of the sort of band that TD have become. We think they're sick. Don't miss this!

Review: Cold Beat is a San Francisco-based quartet fronted by Hannah Lew (synths, vocals) with Kyle King (synths, guitar), Luciano Talpini Aita (synths) and Sean Monaghan (guitar). Formed in 2013 the band has released three albums and two EPs. 'A Simple Reflection' is a 7-song collection of Eurythmics covers, yet feels just as personal as any of their original material. While digging through a collection of 12?s for her record shop Contact Records, Lew stumbled across the earliest Eurythmics B-sides and was floored. This lead to the discovery of their debut album 'In The Garden'. Annie Lennox's abstract and poetic lyrics really struck a chord with Hannah. What had started out as a single cover quickly snowballed into a full blown obsession. The synth and drum programming resonated with her songwriting process, so reimagining them was very creatively fulfilling. The covers on this EP are simultaneously dynamic and atmospheric post-punk that plays to Lew's ethereal vocals and King's crystalline guitar. All songs have been mixed by Mikey Young (Total Control) and mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The record is housed in a jacket designed by Eloise Leigh, which features pink and purple clouds that evoke a dreamy softness and DIY playfulness and photos Lew in her best Lennox-inspired drag. Each copy includes a postcard with photos and notes. "Sometimes a song seems to sing just for you, as if someone knows your most inner thoughts and feelings and has found a way to describe them effortlessly" - Hannah Lew

Review: Polaroid were an Italian post-punk/new wave band, formed in Turin in 1981. The original lineup of the band consisted of Marcello Zavatto (voice, guitar), Massimo Vagnarelli (bass, drum-machine), Evandro Fornasier (guitar), Claudio Vagnarelli (synthersizer) and Marco Farano (Drums). Polaroid made their debut with the cassette 6-track EP 'Senza Respiro', self-released in 1984. Influenced by Bauhaus, Joy Division, The Cure, Pere Ubu as well as Chic and Talking Heads. The music was dark and cold, but also melodic especially with regards to guitars and voices. At the end of 1984 the band added vocalist Michele Cantoblundo while drummer Marco left and was replaced by a Roland TR-909. With Michele began a period of very dark and poetic music, influenced also by bands like Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and The Sisters of Mercy. The band peacefully broke-up in 1987. This vinyl re-issue of 'Senza Respiro' contains all 6 original songs with 4 bonus tracks from the band's later period. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The record is housed in custom jacket designed by Eloise Leigh and includes 4 polaroid sized postcards with photos notes and lyrics.

Review: CS + Kreme are the duo of Melbournians Conrad Standish (Standish/Carlyon) and Sam Karmel of Bum Creek and F ingers (Blackest Ever Black), serving up some sexy late night instrumentals on the Cold Shoulder 12". The A side features the spooky mood lighting of "Eyes On Ceiling" awash in sombre and celestial FM synth tones, while on the flip we have smooth saxophone-led ambient of "Husk". This fine record follows up releases by the pair on Vancouver's Total Stasis and The Hague's Wichelroede (R.I.P.)

Review: There's a heart-warming tale behind "The Garden of Unearthly Delights", the debut album from the "proudly independent and unsigned" sound explorer Die Hexen. This limited-edition vinyl version was funded thanks to a crowd-funding campaign initiated by the producer some 18 months ago. It's great that he secured the funding, because as debut albums go, it's rather good. Informed by John Carpenter style horror soundtracks, deep space ambient, experimental electronica, drone and neo-classical, the album is packed with emotive and atmospheric soundscapes capable of rousing the senses. There aren't many copies floating round, so move fast to avoid disappointment.

Review: Female duo Group A return to our charts after that wicked 12" for Mannequin, and this time it's courtesy of one of our favourite boutique labels, the unstoppable Kashual Plastik, from the heart of Berlin's Kottbusser Tor. Much like the rest of their material, and much like the rest of the label's catalogue, this is taking wacky electronics to their very limits, tearing them down and rebuilding them with a distinctive air of industrial know-how. In fact, this is bold-faced techno, built and shaped by a plethora of instruments that goe way beyond the normal confines of a standard studio. You can hear Group A in each one of these tracks; they are like representations of themselves. We love it. TIP!!!