Altered Sense Vinilo y CD

Review: 
Furthur Electronix sub label Altered Sense presents a new release by Bot1500 aka Shinichi Kobayashi, who returns to the label family after 2019's English Beach EP. Fittingly titled 'Euphoria', across three versions we hear Kobayashi's impressive take on intelligent, Motor City inspired techno. The contemplative futurist soul of 'Euphoria 7' transforms on part 3, which really calls to mind the heyday of early '90s IDM on seminal imprints such as Warp and Peacefrog. On the flip, part 1 bridges the gap between the two previously heard versions, picking up the pace again but backed by a foggy lo-fi house rhythm. It proves to be the perfect backdrop for the track's melancholic yet bittersweet expression. Breathtaking.

Review: Over the last couple of years, music journalist-turned-producer Ben Murphy has notched up a number of must-check releases as BufoBufo, including EPs on Art of Dark, Emotec, PARTOUT and Fina White, and a solid LP on Altered Sense. Here he returns to the latter imprint with a fine four-tracker. He begins by dousing a shuffling breakbeat in IDM chords, rubbery electronic bass and acid lines aplenty on the deep and hazy 'Comet', before channelling the spirit of 1990 'bleep and breaks' on the sub-heavy 'Sun Pillar'. He's back to his dreamy, deep house-with-breakbeats best on the impeccably atmospheric, sunset-ready 'Viridian', before opting for a more glassy-eyed, sci-fi-sounding flex on EP highlight 'Weatherworker'.

Review: Standby for the first transmission from the Altered States label, which is a new Furthur Electronix off shoot label dealing in limited hand stamped pressings. It's a cosmic adventure that rides on undulating bass pushes, with far-sighted chords bringing that forlorn sense of melancholic that makes Detroit house music so well loved. 'Altered Sense' is a popping electro cut with smooth drum funk and comforting chords, while the flip is more unhinged as it rolls through rugged betas on 'Gatwick Runner' then manic melodic patterns and glitchy hits on 'Last Chances.'

Review: Chicago's Sam McQueen was a sometime collaborator with Detroit legend John Beltran on the Indio project, which gives you a fairly good idea of where he comes from artistically - think 'hi-tech soul'. His new EP Moments In Time comes out on Furthur Electronix sub label Altered Sense, and it sure is a fitting home for McQueen's sonic aesthetic. From the majestic arrangement of the title track and its glassy-eyed feelings, more melancholic and bittersweet undertones are to be experienced on the evocative "Exhale" while "Manifest Our Destiny" provides the sort of Motor City drama that would make even Carl Craig stand up and notice.

Review: Finnish twosome Morphology has released some incredible records over the years - mostly of the intergalactic electro time - but we'd wager few are as sonically sparkling, life-affirming or pleasingly melodious as their latest two-tracker. 'Destroit', the A-side cut, is simply sublime: a far-sighted, futuristic fusion of crunchy, Chicago-influenced machine drums - all snappy snares, tough kicks and fizzing cymbals arranged into a delicious post-electro rhythm - intergalactic chords and bright, breezy electronic melodies that tap into the sci-fi sounds of purist Motor City techno. The duo opts for a warmer and woozier, acid-flecked sound on flipside 'Distance', a classic-sounding chunk of deep ambient techno tailor-made for late nights and early mornings.

Review: From Ransom Note and Gestalt to Further Electronix, Placid One has been laying out an impressive repertoire of deep diving techno and electro steeped in the tropes of machine soul and rendered with a mature touch on the production. This double 12" for Altered Sense finds some breakbeat qualities slipping into the foundations of the tracks, albeit smudged under a heavy blanket of pads and woozy synth lines. There's an endless vista of harmonically enriched goodness to savour here - dance music with an emphasis on restoration rather than annihilation.

Review: Sergio Garcia aka Uf0 follows up last year's Arp Is Better Than Line full length for Furthur Electronix sublabel Altered Sense with this extended EP full of emotive, widescreen, retro techno expressions. This one is titled the Horazie EP and features the sunset breaks of 'Vera Smile', before the emotive hi-tech soul of 'Karma Has No Deadline', right through to the sublime and melodic affair that is 'El Cortijo De Severiano' that's perfect for those upcoming summer vibes. Closing it out is the glassy-eyed and bittersweet electro exploration of the title track. All-in-all a brilliant release.

Review: Previous EPs on Altered Sense showcased the work of individual producers including Cignol, Moy and Sam McQueen. This time round the Further Electronix offshoot has decided to flip the script by offering two tracks apiece from Versalife and Hexagone. The latter handles side A, first delivering the tough, lo-fi Afro-electro sweatiness of 'Isotope' before unleashing the star-fall synthesizer melodies, deep space chords and bubbly post-iDM beats of 'Shimmer'. Over on side B Versalife is in predictably fine form. The long-serving Dutch producer hits the ground running with 'Alpha', where crystalline melodies and frankly filthy TB-303 acid lines dance around a crunchy electro groove, before offering up some mutant electro-funk in the shape of killer closing cut 'Kurzweil'.

Review: White Rose debut on Altered Sense with Prime Frequency, a versatile and vital EP. It distills acid, electro and braindance into powerful tracks with a distinctly UK edge, as well as a nice retro nod and subtle sense of rave nostalgia. The opener is the sort of dark, mysterious tune you want to hear in a warehouse at 5am, and then the late night freakiness builds through the trippy melodies and ice cold beats of 'Champion Sound,' zoned out rhythms of 'Bradford Bass' and post-rave sounds of ''Steel Subsonics.' These are inventive sounds that make a big mark in smart ways.