The Untold Stories Vinilo y CD

Review: Leading minimal label The Untold Stories are at it again, and after their star turn from STL recently they've now invited down another legend in the shape of Franco Cinelli. The original is classic Cinelli, pivoting around crisp, clean percussive lines and the bare essential atmospherics. Nektar Agu steps up for a remix that continues the minimalist theme, but adds some looming bass tones into the mix that pushes the track into a dubbier headspace. It's another slab of refined, stripped down tackle for the reductionist dancefloor, as you would expect from The Untold Stories.

Review: The Untold Stories shine a light on another lesser known practitioner from the field of adventurous minimal techno. Sebastian Eduardo has been previously spotted on Crosiere Musique and Kommuna Tapes, so you can be assured of his quality, but this EP makes the perfect opportunity to hear just how rich his sound is. "Twelve D Soul Connection" shimmers with deft synth interplay and a dense fabric of crooked percussion. "UI Enhancement" channels the spirit of old-skool micro house to great effect, and then "Lyhne's Death (But The Flowers Are Laughing)" brings a tougher techno undercurrent to the trippy pings and wavy pads that dart around the top of the mix. The whole record is a richly detailed trip well worth your attention.

Review: The second of the UNTLD Protagonist Series, by Furz, savours the spirit of Alfred Tailor, an influential figure in the development of the bright young artist, whose first EP is strong and smooth, with raw energy, sultry and primal. The title track is remixed by Laurine Frost, who inspired by the South American hypnosis of the artist, takes it further, developing the dialogue and deepening the percussive structure, whilst maintaining the mystique and spirit of Alfred Tailor. The second original work on the record, entitled 'Torino Soul' is an ode to the automobile of Alfred Tailor, it opens serenely as if racing through the valleys of Cordoba's horizon, scenery rushing by on a hot day. Amidst this, the mechanical metal of the engine revolves in it place, as we are rushed forward, and the voice heard a memory both of the machine and the man, Alfred Tailor.

Review: Steadily building up a prominent identity in the bustling minimal house and techno thoroughfare, The Untold Stories return with one of their signature various artist compilations to present some lesser known practitioners of the hypnotic groove. Jerome C gets a rugged angle on the swing to his beats on "An Intelligible Scrawl", while Volta Cab nods to a classic Tobias jam with "Street Knowledge". MD Wallholz's "Ein Bisschen Ruhe" is a shivering slice of experimental electro, and Jonas Sella brings an unhinged French flavour to proceedings, but truthfully every jam on this solidly packed release has its own distinct character that fits into the meandering tale the label is unfurling.

Review: Hailing from Argentina but deeply connected to the European way of crafting beats, Nektar Agu follows up on excellent appearances on Tied, Delight_Rec and Osmosis to drop this stunning three tracker for The Untold Stories. The original mix of "Seiya" is a haunting, engrossing piece embellished by Cossmos' expressive keys that saunter over the top of crisp minimal rhythms. Pheek then remixes the track and turns in one of his understated masterclasses, keeping the core feel of the source material while presenting a smooth, subtle listening experience. "Progression Minor 251" gives Agu a chance to show off more of his production chops, with Cossmos once again flexing some magic keys over the top of the slender drums.

Review: Canadian minimal standard-bearer Pheek is the fifth artist to sign up for The Untold Stories Protagonist series, and he's packing some of the crispest grooves he's laid down in some time. "Lonely Wolf" is everything a minimal house track should be, with a crackling, shuffling beat and layers of subtle orchestration building into a soul-stirring groover. "Father" however takes a more abstract route into off-kilter percussion and exotic found sounds specifically arranged to tickle the mind. That leaves it to "The Logical Question To Come Is Yet To Be Defined" to dominate the B-side in a 16-minute trip that moves through all manner of moods and moments.

Review: The Untold Stories: Protagonist Series. Records dedicated to the stories of some venerable but unsung historical figures. The first of the Protagonist Series was created by Sil, and gives a glimpse into the spirit of the first such figure: Tadeush Konrad. Sil, the pseudonym of Kirill Sylantev, who is more widely known for his work in the duo Easy Changes, now begins solo productions. For the UNTLDPRO series his work dedicated to Tadeush Konrad is of confident vibe, with much swing and rich with soulful flashes from times past. This work is then remixed by Ztrl and Hubble. First comes the Ztrl remix, with energetic bass and a wealth of tones interrelating to great hypnotic effect. Then on the B-side Hubble's remix, an extended work, a floating journey of warm organic sounds, concludes the story and the spirit of Tadeush Konrad.

Review: Always a prolific force operating on his own terms, Stephen Laubner makes his first appearance of 2017 with a release on the ever-growing Untold Stories label. Renbual Nahpets finds Laubner in a dubby frame of mind, especially on lead track "Sunny Park Chill" which sports some of his trademark grainy techno chords lingering in space surrounded by field recordings and subtle ripples of rhythm. "The Mountain Dub" meanwhile whips up a taut, rugged house groove with shimmering delays on the synth tones that only STL could be responsible for. Cleymoore uses the B side to lay out a remix of the latter track, turning it into a long and winding minimal track thick with detail.

Review: Billy Meier, the third record in The Untold Stories Protagonist EP Series, is by Suokas, and includes a remix by Alka Rex. The works stem from the remote town of Petrozavodsk in Russia, where the artist Suokas lives a life of diligent focus. The album is dedicated to Billy Meier whose extensive writings and transcriptions document his contact with extraterrestrial beings, largely from a civilisation called Plejaren located a fraction of a second shifted from our own dimension. His works are devoted to widening consciousness and challenge what we conventionally accept as true. Similarly inspired, Suokas says my music is about things that cannot be proven by conventional methods.

Review: Chapter II of the The Untold Stories, begins with The Beat Circle, a new project of Denis Kaznacheev and Ol, an epic work of attitude, an anthem for a new beat generation, filling the whole Aside with groovy sliding bases, crisp clean cut claps, eccentric electric interactions, rich moments of imagination: decaying tones come as if some great engine then arrives to take the dancers further on their journey. B1 by Cleymoore & Marx a much deeper darker sounding track, again reminiscent of railroads, a great unstoppable motion, this time through a dense dub sounding atmosphere, a slow strong swing, grooves and rattles with a great momentum. The second record begins with another new collaboration coming out of the UNTLD project this time Laurine Frost with Denis Kaznacheev, together to be known as Syud, another extended work, rich in plot, mysterious tones lay constant behind a highly charged percussive performance, to and from moments of great serene beauty. The Dside begins with a Sobamonk track of strong rolling bases, warm and light tones, and intricately arranged percussion. Finally the Chapter comes to an end with a work by Ztrl in which we are lead by a dark and shifting force in a track of similarly shifty character.

Review: The Untold Stories returns with another double vinyl collection, this time divided into two chapters: Chapter III and Chapter IV. All begins with an extended work by Denis Kaznacheev. Then tracks by Vlad Caia and Kaitaro complete the first record. The second record, Chapter IV, begins with a warm and laid-back work by Ivan Lopez, followed by a distinct Andrey Zots remix. The final side, begins with a track both playful and eccentric by Zefzeed, and the chapter is complete with an ethereal lightness from Verrina & Ventura. So as a collection, 3 darker moodier tracks on the black Chapter III record, and four lighter tracks on the transparent yellow record of Chapter IV, make for another exciting release from The Untold Stories.

Review: The Untold Stories record series, a new project steeped in spirituality, shares its first offering: a double 12" collection of single works by artists in moments of much magic, featuring: Easy Changes, Jonas Sella, Marteaux, Cesare Marchese, Howl Ensemble, Laurine Frost & Andrey Zots, Rainer, and DoubtingThomas. 8 tracks aflush with strong primal rhythms and distinct spirit, sure to enliven and move. A shared tone of natural warmth exists throughout this release of bold character, beginning with the jaunty groove of 'Aralon' by Easy Changes, followed by DoubtingThomas with a more mystical story of love lost in 'Adelaide'. B1 by Jonas Sella; is the simply irresistible 'Le monde de six lances'. Followed by Marteaux with a laid back and confident vibe, traversing through a dream filled state in 'Let it float'. The second record begins with a Laurine Frost & Andrey Zots track filled with trade mark touches of brass, rolling percussion, and futuristic bursts giving release, all in an unusual and satisfying mob style. Then 'Sixes & Sevens' by Cesare Marchese, a momentous rhythm of strong stances, with serene moments amidst a tribal percussion. The collection comes to its end with two mysterious, and slightly darker works by Howl Ensemble (Giovanni Verrina, Germano Ventura, Gabriele Carassio) and Rainer.

Review: Having launched with a various artists double pack last year, The Untold Series returns with a new release that retains this approach, as well the yellow and black vinyl colour scheme, "respectively representing the sun and the darkness". Entitled Chapter 1, this double vinyl release features eight new artists whose productions still fall under the banner of spirituality that seems integral to The Untold Series. Very much an international collection, South American Furz commences proceedings with the Latinised minimalist "420error" and from here Chapter 1 runs the gamut of minimal techno with particular highlights coming from Andrey Zots and exercise in broken techno abstraction, Pheek's playful "Interne", and the Villalobos-esque "Regarde Le Ciel" from Suburbs. Here's to further chapters please!