Review: Some 18 months on from the launch of his Better Together Records imprint, Sydneysider Chech is finally ready to deliver another expansive EP. Standing six tracks deep, Gemini Era tends towards the loved-up, saucer-eyed and gently psychedelic, with colourful melodic motifs aplenty and tons of audible references to early progressive house, ambient house and ambient techno. There's plenty to admire, from the spacey, analogue-rich dreaminess of 'XTC' and 'Gemini Era', to the low-tempo ambient techno head-nod of 'Slowride (93 Theme)' and the dusty, piano-rich deep house of 'Interstate (M1 Mix)'. Elsewhere, 'Jia's Dance' sees the Aussie explorer wrap vintage New Jersey garage-house sounds around a punchy breakbeat, while 'Birds of Prey' is a dubby chunk of sunset-ready dancefloor bliss.
Review: Between Stations is branching out with a new series of edits that take trance classics and rework them for modern floors. 'Track 1' is a slow start with percolating drums and fizzing synth energy all suggesting big drama is ahead. 'Track 2' is a speedy sound that takes off to the stars on lush synths full of subtle euphoria and nice pitched-up vocals. 'Track 3' cases down with more astral synths and star-gazing pads over hyperactive drums. Lovely stuff.
Review: This new one from Cyberlife might be rooted in techno but it is closer day a much wider world of sounds. The opener for instance rides on a nice loopy minimal rhythm you might find the likes of Batu or Pev' crafting. It comes with a lovely and dubby low end and then 'Endless Waiting' gets a little more light, with sci-fi sound effects fizzing about the mix as a dystopian automated groove takes you onwards with a hint of ancient tribal ritual to it. 'Reflexive Perspective' brings the sort of synths you'd find in some IDM over cavernous low ends and sombre, sustained chords and 'Backpropagation' shuts down with a watery and languid rhythm full of celestial depth.
Review: Following a surprisingly extended hiatus of three years, the admirable Earthly Measures imprint is ready to unleash the fourth volume in their Earthly Tapes series. This time round, they've not only chosen to showcase the work of more female artists, but also producers and musicians with "native roots connected to five countries in South America and Europe". Musically, it furthers the label's "electronica plus nature" ethos, flitting between deliciously dubbed-out ambient chuggers (Manu Ela), Latin-tinged slow motion dub disco (Barda), percussion-rich wooziness (Shigara), locked-in low-slung house hypnotism (Sahale & Samarana), tropical house sunshine (Carla Velenti) and chugging Balearic dreaminess (NoN Project).
Review: DJ and producer Gratts returns to his own imprint with the third instalment of the "Balearic but bumpin'" trilogy. Here, the Belgian puts forward a captivating piece of organic, Body & Soul NY inspired deep house, assisted by Cata Mansikka-aho on vocals. As always, an instrumental is provided for maximum nightclub daydreaming. On the flipside, British duo Faze Action up the energy levels with an equally musical disco version that hits in all the right spots. Artwork once again by Mads Cooke.
Review: The artwork for this new 12" from the System 108 label is eccentric enough to make you want to check out the music even if you don't know the artists. It's the sort of cover that suggests the music will be left of centre and quirky and that it is. 'Sao Januario' is a deep and lazy groove with sunny chords and jazzy keys that take you to the global south. 'Sunny Villa On A Distant Planet' is a twisted disco cut with house leaning drums and big cowbells under intergalactic synth lines. 'Rolando Nascer Do Sol' then rides a crisp electro breakout to keep you on your toes and 'OWL WCS' slows down for a cuddly back-to-mine style closer.
Review: Fresh, warm and spontaneous - brainwave research center's eight track debut album is everything that electronic music sometimes forgets to be. Recorded and produced in the back of Smith's synthesizer/electronic repair shop, Specs Sales & Repair, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the project is a joint collaboration between NYC-based house/techno producer, Chase Smith (W.T. Records, Apartment, is/Was), & documentary filmmaker, Christa Majoras (School of Visual Arts).
Described as a distillation of influences from experimentalism of Steve Reich, Laurie Spiegel and Black Dice, the 90s ambient techno of The Orb and Pete Namlook/Fax and more motorik flavours like Kraftwerk, Suicide, Manual Gottsching, it's a gentle but lively affair from the Art Of Noise-esque 'ah ah ah ah ah' and bubbling jam 'Bird Brain' to the epic arpeggios v guitar closer 'Day Dreaming'. This is first of four releases that the artist has planned, but there's certainly enough here to get your teeth into for now.
Review: The sublime music of Kaoro Inoue is the subject of this essential new compilation on Mysticisms. Inoue describes himself as an "extreme music lover" and has been for more than 30 years. His Chari Chari alias is all about self-expression and the music here has previously only been available digitally. It fuses ambient, house and techno soundscapes across four sides of vinyl with a deeply spiritual outlook and soul-soothing sound. Organic percussion, traditional instruments and new age moods all colour the deeply enticing grooves.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.