Review: Basel-based experimental labels Amenthia Recordings and A Walking Contradiction join forces for their first collaborative release here in the form of the Flash Crash/Hack Crash EP. Both labels are known for pushing boundaries within their close-knit creative circles and this one features Agonis' heavy stepper and Konduku's whirlpool of low frequencies on the Amenthia side, while Lemont continues the low-end, tripped-out vibe. Varuna represents A Walking Contradiction and delivers swampy, slow-motion sounds in their signature style. This release embodies both labels' commitment to daring, unconventional electronic sounds.
Art Fact - "Rain In The South" (Francesco Farfa & Hamsa remix) (7:17)
Hamsa & Luca Piermattei - "Mystic Perc" (6:05)
Roberto Manolio - "Blue Yes" (6:40)
Review: Musek return for another V/A release, flaunting their artists' variegated hitmaking capacities. Fronting the release is a wonderful rework of Stockholm trio Art Fact's 'Rain In The South' from 1989, to which Francesco Farfa and Hamsa bring extra electronic-bodyweight to an originally dripping synth tune. A mystical mood is continually proferred across 'Mystic Perc' through to 'Blue Yes' by Roberto Manolio, traversing chime tinglings, acid breaks and dreamy vocals: "pretty blue eyes... you're mesmerised... don't look to hard... you may never come back from that..."
Review: Well Curated is a series of releases and parties that - in its own words - "reflects the ethnomusicology of the last 50 years of music" - and aims to reach into all genres, merging classic styles and breaking down barriers. Steve Spacek occupies the A-side with the breezy broken beat and soul-in-space of 'Alone In Da Sun', while Lukid's 'Hair Of The Dog' is a more intense counterpart, with wobbling sub-bass and swirling, surging atmospherics hovering above.
Review: Fearsome techni-techno through the Swiss futurists ENMODA, whose modus operandi is to actively promote and advocate for the local Swiss scene. With chilling textures and an ear for material, sonic grit, a cloister of ten producers are heard going full Eski-mode here, for the first instalment in their yearly compilation, Alpine Express Volume 1. Aptly described as a set of "dancefloor hurters", this is a record that proves the mid-European enclave still have their ears to the ground: pree the classic trance-techno of Marcism's 'Echo' or Ermatik's 'Funk Alt Delight', The Chronics' restlessly fight-or-flight revenant, 'Sonic Memory', and/or TIS' closing jit-tech piano weapon 'I Don't Mind'.
Review: White Fetish X, the latest release by enigmatic collaboration between Dataintrang and Luke Eargoggle on the Italian label Pareidolia Recordings, is a hypnotic and eerie exploration of the dark side of electronica. The album's six tracks veritably pulsate with a sinister energy, blending elements of EBM, electro clash, and sci-fi to create a truly unique and unsettling soundscape. 'Starting Shift' sets the tone with its menacing EBM stomp and early techno sound, while 'Mann Gegen Mann' ups the ante with its sinister electroclash beats. The title track is a hypnotic and eerie soundscape, with its sci-fi synths and demented, horror-like atmosphere. 'Radiowelt' is a heavy electro track with a pulsing body funk rhythm, while 'Audio Warrior' closes the album out with its dark and evil-sounding but funky bassline. Overall, White Fetish X is a challenging and rewarding listen for fans of dark electronica. Its sinister soundscapes and hypnotic rhythms create a truly unique and unsettling experience that will stay with you long after the final track has faded out.
Zarate-Fix & DJ Sotofett - "Dub State Looped" (8:15)
DJ Sotofett - "My Spirit Is Looped" (0:28)
Ronny Nyheim - "EXP" (DJ Sotofett Lockmix) (2:03)
DJ Sotofett - "Hats Loop 1" (0:37)
DJ Sotofett - "Stab Loop 1" (0:26)
DJ Sotofett - "Beater Loop 1" (1:08)
L.A.2000 & DJ Sotofett - "1st Wave Fusion" (9:49)
DJ Sotofett - "Preparation Looped" (0:33)
Review: The wonderfully idiosyncratic DJ Sottofett is back with more of his leftfield magic alongside Ronny Nyheim, Zarate_Fix and LA 2000. This outing on WANIA is a special release with alternative mixes and non-album tracks from the upcoming WANIA mk1 double album. 'Dubquartz' opens up with rattling dub techno, 'Dub State Looped' is a slow motion and heavyweight dub with rusty chords and then comes a seizes of loose for adventurous DJ fun such as the scratchy vocal of 'My Spirit Is Looped' and frosted hi-hats of 'Hats Loop 1'. '1st Wave Fusion' is the standout with its cinematic synths and widescreen grooves.
Review: Luigi Tozzi and Feral join forces on Aube Rouge for a seriously deep outing. The pair cook up four collaborative tracks that are sure to appeal to fans of techno stylists like Dozzy and Neel, such is the deftness of the designs and the heady, hypnotic nature of the rhythms. 'Neon' is first and is all sub-aquatic sound and rolling drums. 'Enigma' keeps you in a hypnotic state with subtle bell loops over pulsing drums and bass and the flip is no less involving: 'Third Eye' is minimal, ambient laced deep techno sophistication and 'Trip No Trip' rounds out with a little more propulsion but no less a cinematic design.
Review: Slip on your Speedos and prepare for a dip in the warm waters of Swimtrax, which debuts here with an EP from Mark Lando that immediately suggests this label is going to be one to watch. First up are the gorging acid lines and rubbery bass rumbles of 'Formation', a mutant techno sound heavy on the low end. 'Scope' picks up the pace with speedy but no less slick kicks and icy hi hats while a mysterious and gloopy synth lingers in the foreground. The flipside offers the psychedelic lines of minimalist masterpiece 'The Salk Zone' and comic tech of 'In This Light.'
Review: Neil Landstrumm is one of the UK's most underrated but high-achieving artists if you ask us. He's done it all over the years and has been pivotal to a number of different in-between sounds flourishing into scenes. Here he lands on a fellow UK institution in Swamp 81, once a home to cutting-edge bass and now offering an outlet for Landstrumm to explore the cosmos. He does so with his usual mix of quirky sound designs and heavy grooves on 'Minimoo' which is both serious body music but also playful and charming. 'Aintgotnojob' is a twisted juke-inspired B-side with reverberating low ends and tightly looped vocal phrasings that melt the mind.
Review: Lawrence's Epiphany Remixes, a release from the German record label Giegling, presents four distinct interpretations of the title track. Each remixer brings a unique approach to the original piece, resulting in a diverse and captivating soundscape. Zoe Polanski's version transforms the track into a crystallized melody, creating a cold yet beautiful atmosphere. Lowtec's remix explores deep techno, delivering a smooth and dreamy ambiance with a touch of sadness. M Pittman Ladder's interpretation adds a gritty, chunky bassline, while Tobias' remix elevates the tempo, creating a pulsating and mechanical percussion elements. These remixes showcase the versatility of Lawrence's original composition, demonstrating how different artists can reinterpret and reshape it to create new and engaging experiences.
Review: Short Attention Records makes a welcome return here with a new drop of wax that fits the label head into its roots in deep techno sound worlds. This one takes the form of a various artists' EP crafted with an intake feel for cosy floors and who better to kick off in that vibe than the revered Lawrence whose 'Hawser' is a groovy and melodious track. Next, New Jersey don Joey Anderson sets a slow and deep tone with 'Human Kind' which has moody vocals and Japanese artist Takuya Matsumoto follows with 'Three Flowers', a more potent and driving cut with a fine acid bassline. Rounding off the EP is 'Desired Spring' by R/K, a loop-driven deep house gem designed for both listening and dancing.
Review: Fresh, cruddy electro dreamatics from mysterious production outfit Lazer Worshippers here, joining the Atmosphere label to stake their claim to their very own 'theme'. A name like Lazer Worshippers gives off vibes of a apparent machine cult with a penchant for building sonic monuments to our AI-mech overlords. The music is similarly vaunting and numinous, with its synthetic choirs and trilling arps dancing between the left and rights like heavenly visions of a mechanized future. B-siders 'On A Rise' and 'Free Flight' are just as teary-eyed, yet bleepy, recalling the entrancing, oldskool breaksy trance work of Spooky or Digital Justice.
Review: LDS takes no prisoners on this blistering new techno workout for Exos' Planet X & X/OZ labels. Opener 'Karplusfunk' is a 100-mile-an-hour assault with caustic hit hats over clipped, kinetic drums. Manic synth lines ride up and down and the energy levels are off the chart. 'Mvoper FM' is slightly paired back but is still warp-speed icy techno to take dance floors on a white knuckle ride through the cosmos. The Exos remix of 'LD5' has snares that sound like sheet metal blowing in the wind while solar clouds peel off the groove. The flip side offers two more cuts of head-melting techno experimentalism.
Review: Lea Porcelain, the new wave retroverts from Frankfurt am Main could very well be the next big thing that you've never heard of. The original version of "Loose Life" itself is quite difficult to locate on the interwebs but we're sure it's hard to compete with local legend Roman Flugel's slow burning remix on offer here. Darmstadt's finest Benedikt Frey is onboard too, giving "Similar Familiar" a makeover that's as unique as pretty much all his other work: part techno, part cosmic or even industrial. It's brooding, wall of sound guitars and vocals drowned in reverb battle it out against pounding 909 snare attacks and screeching synth leads. Awesome!
Lewis Fautzi & Norbak - "Code Of Deception" (5:17)
Oscar Mulero - "Zw System" (5:20)
Temudo - "Niiv" (6:29)
Kessell - "Time Domain" (5:11)
Review: Faut Section's Perception Series is back with a second sizzling installment of freshly made techno. Lewis Fautzi & Norbak pair off to open up with 'Code Of Deception', a barreling cut with icy hi hats and taught bass twangs full of dusty factory floor menace. Oscar Mulero offers one of his signature loop-techno rollers in 'Zw System' Temudo then rattles walls with the mysterious bass rumbles of 'Niiv'. Completing what is an EP that is as varied as it is vital is Kessell with the dubby broken techno beats of 'Time Domain' which has fizzing synths cracking like static on a 90s TV screen.
Review: The Mannequin label strikes another perfect techno pose here with LFT aka Johannes Haas stepping up to lay it down. Opener 'I Want To Be A Witch' is a pummelling drum assault with heavy funk in its rhythms and darkness in the tortured vocals. 'No More Tears' is a gehtto-fried double-time workout with more well treated, reverb heavy vocals and unrelenting drums and 'Horst Du Das' is a dark wave, EBM and industrial post-punk techno fusion full of straight-ahead energy and warehouse grit and grime. That scuzzy lo-fi aesthetic continues through the snarled vocals and fizzing drum machine sounds of 'Panzer Tanz', percolating synths of 'Voodoo Dues' and menacing atmosphere of The Hacker's remix.
Review: French producer Lingo launches their imprint Lingo Tools with a decisive helmer, 'Lingo Tools 001'. Landing somewhere squarely between breakbeat, hip house and jam-out acid propulsions, we're first met with 'Push Da' System' - which brings a finger-on-the-button, Beastie Boys-styled vocal line to a stabbing rave blow-cutter - while 'Never Say Never' moves straighter and buzzier. B-sider 'The New Sound' finds confidence in transitory quadruple claps and injunctions to usher in the new sonic world order; finally, 'Moonwalk Like Me' prostrates itself on an astral geyser of sound, with a central arp-ing, melodic tessellation showering off the tune like meteoric detritus.
Review: LNS and DJ Sotofett explore a new direction on their latest EP, 'The Reformer,' released on Tresor Records. Moving away from their debut album, the duo fuses digital artifacts, scanner sounds, and vocoder voices with melodic colors that radiate across cold electro landscapes. The opening track, 'Reform,' takes a deep dive into the electro sound, while 'Plexistorm' blends synthesised strings with arpeggiated acidic bleeps. 'Electric Terraforming' uncovers charged energy sources for life on another planet, and '909 The Controller' features washes of dub over a skipping beat, with a slow, rippling melody and percolating synths. The vinyl version includes exclusive locked grooves by DJ Sotofett.
Review: What better way to open your New Year that with a heart swelling soulful house tune that cannot fail to swell you with emotion. Gerald Mitchell aka Los Hermanos's 'Another Day' is just that, a sweet coming together of acoustic string work, a perfect soul sample that is dusty and aching, and claps and kicks that roll for days. From the gospel tones of the opener we head to the electric techno-jazz of 'Binary Funk Infusion' featuring Bob Rogue its finally on to 'The Billy Love Experience (Let Love Live)', a jazzy house workout with Sun-Ra synths and noodling Rhdoes that are utterly life affirming.
Review: Rawax's Motor City Edition series is back with more tech from Detroit and this time it is Los Hermanos at the buttons. Gerald Mitchell opens up the 12" with 'Two Feet Up' which brings warm and soul-infused techno vibes and some lush strong stabs. 'Remember Detroit' is a just as deep cut with slick drums and sci-fi melodies rippling throughout the arrangement and then the flipside ups the energy levels with the more twitchy and synapse-firing 'Central Nervous Systems' complete with plenty of busy melodies. Things chill out a little for the closer, 'Path Of Tranquility', which showcases some lush melodies and serene synth strings.
Review: Los Hermanos returns with 'Remember Detroit,' a stellar addition to the Rawax Motor City Edition. Los Hermanos is known for creating big Detroit hits like 'Quetzal' and 'Birth of 3000'. 'Two Feet Up' is a straightforward Detroit techno anthem, big and emotional with soaring strings. A truly amazing track. 'Remember Detroit' captures the city's whimsical spirit with class and fun. 'Central Nervous Systems' channels Inner City's upbeat house energy, bringing pure, dancefloor joy. The EP's highlight might just be 'Path Of Tranquility,' a jazzy, mellow track that exudes smoothness and bliss, rounding off a diverse and complete release. Los Hermanos expertly encapsulates Detroit's rich musical heritage while pushing forward with fresh, invigorating sounds.
Review: Reality Hacked Part 2 collects three more heavyweight remixes of key tracks from Lost Souls Of Saturn’s most recent album Reality. Among such jewels are the serene vocal lilts and trembling percs of UNKLE’s ‘Click’ remix, on which Lvv Gvn soars across the track in awestruck wonderment, and the playful wibbles and stark rhythms of Hessle Audio’s Pangaea on his version of the same. This second 12” in the Reality Hacked series rounds off on a heavy-set dubby take on ‘Scram City’ by Echologist.
Review: First surfacing back in 2006 on UK IDM label SCSI-AV, the Lost Trax project has allegedly been a platform for any number of artists to produce under the cloak of anonymity, all identity shorn so the focus remains on the music. After a clutch of 12"s for Tabernacle at the turn of the decade, Lost Trax was reactivated last year with a contribution to a Shipwrec 12" and now migrates to Rotterdam's finest, Frustrated Funk. On the opening title track, "Life Out Of Balance," Lost Trax display a nervous fidgety energy and a looseness in execution that will sound quite thrilling on the dancefloor, whilst "It's You" is a muddy yet heavenly cut that will appeal to fans of Terekke. Closer "Out From Under" finds crystalline electro rhythms caked in thick tape hiss too.
Review: Frustrated Funk is one of the very many labels out of the Netherlands that offers up house and techno music with a through line to the Chicago and Detroit foundations. It is top tackle with a timeless edge and that proves to be true again with this one from Lost Trax. '23' is both dreamy and cancerous but groovy. 'And Or' is more wonky with mad acid, 'It's All Good' is a downbeat synth interlude, 'Grib' is lo-fi and experimental with Omar S style aesthetics and 'The Watcher' closes with more dusty and brilliant depths.
Review: One year after dropping back in 2023, Jennifer Loveless's bonafide anthem 'Pleasure' is back in the form of three thrilling reworks and a dub mix which expand its appeal into new realms. Parisian maestro Bambounou kicks things off with a jackin' remix bursting with energy while Lisbon-based veteran and Ibiza favourite tINI follows and offers up a bass-heavy electro-inspired rendition nodding to old-school vibes. Jennifer Loveless and label heads Sleep D close the EP with an 'Indubm-3ntal mix' which is a hypnotic, dubbed-out techno journey layered with deep and atmospheric textures. Together, these fresh interpretations are primed to ignite dancefloors once more.
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