Leftfield / Experimental Recommendations March 2014

Review: Coming from a classical piano background, Nils Frahm has certainly turned into one dark dude! Having already released plenty of works on a myriad of labels, he lands on London-based Erase Tapes with what is probably one of his wildest pieces of music to date. Spanning 12 tracks in total, Frahm goes from joyful odes to the piano over to psychedelic synth improvisations to what sound like intricate tape manipulations, nutty drum-machine programming and a bag full o'field recordings. If you're into the idea of Tchaikovsky on some serious amounts of stimulants then look no further, this guy is shaping the way pianos are played...

Review: After debuting on Clement Meyer's Get The Curse label in late 2012 with the Slow Dance EP, Parisian producer Low Jack has gradually been drawn to the darker hues of the techno spectrum. Following releases for Delsin and In Paradisum, Low Jack now presents his most high-profile - and most experimental - release to date, with Garifuna Variations on L.I.E.S. The genesis of Garifuna Variations dates back to last summer when Low Jack was commissioned to participate in a live performance by Parisian museum Quai Branly. Invited to use the institution's vast library of music, Low Jack based his live set around recordings of the Garifuna people of Honduras, and despite him having no plans to use the music beyond the performance a live recording subsequently piqued the interest of L.I.E.S. boss Ron Morelli. Coaxed into recreating the performance at his studio, the results are described by the label as "rhythmic, tense, and hypnotic electronic music that lives in a grey area many are unwilling to step into."

Review: Jon Hopkins is a bit of a legend, really. He's contributed to works by artist as diverse as Brian Eno and Coldplay amongst others, while always continuing to push the boundaries with his own solo-work. This time all you techno freaks are in for a special treat because the Domino label has really pushed the buttons on this one. UK bass-filtered techno pioneers, Pangaea, Karenn and Objekt all put in a surprise appearance on remixing his infamous "Collider" track. In that line of order, The Hessle Audio co-founder goes straighter than usual thanks to a rickety 4/4 stomp that's nothing short of sublime and probably a pleasure to play out on the floor. Pariah and Blawan give us a taste of their Karenn project and as expected, they go in real hard without even any shred of mercy on the kicks, whilst Berlin-based Objekt rewires the original into a broken, nasty, ripping bundle of kicks and licks.

Review: For some reason, the world's foremost ambient explorers have always been prolific. Take the sadly departed Pete Namlook, who released 10 albums in 1994 alone. Brock Van Wey is cut from similar cloth. It was only last week that he delivered an album under his BVDub pseudonym; here, he returns to his given name for a similarly tactile, two-CD voyage into the world of beatless dreamscapes. The Namlook comparisons are understandable; like the once mighty German, Van Wey specializes in creating sprawling pieces based around gradual shifts in long, drawn out chords, slowly shifting melodies (check the Satie-inspired "Can't Go Home Without You"), delay-laden instruments and epic atmospherics. When he gets it right - as he does on Home - there are few greater exponents of the art of ambient.

Review: Having launched in impressive fashion with a reissue of some Greek fire walking music that was complemented well by remixes from Pete Swanson and Vatican Shadow, a second release on the archival minded KEMAL arrives and it's just as good! The focus here is Skew-Whiff, the album inspired by the works of Mark Rothko that celebrated English drummer and experimental musician Charles Hayward released on the Belgian label Sub Rosa in 1990. Taking the title of Smell Of Metal, this second KEMAL release lifts two of the five compositions from Hayward's album and they come accompanied by remixes from Optimo's JD Twitch and Future Times captain Maxmillion Dunbar, with the latter a particularly inspired choice.

Review: Lank-haired Norse producer Magnus August Hoiberg, better known as Cashmere Cat, signs to the Luckyme label having made his name through Brussels imprint Pelican Fly and a raft of Jersey Club style remixes of LDR, 2 Chainz and Jeremih. A union with the revered Edinburgh label makes perfect sense given the mutated forms of hiphop/club hybridism pioneered by Luckyme over recent years and Cashmere Cat's Wedding Bells EP represents a fine debut. As opening track "With Me" suggests, Hoiberg has an innate talent for snaking club rhythms and delicate melodic, almost poppy touches, whilst "Wedding Bells" is reminiscent of the sort of music Jim Blake was making under the Harmonimix guise. Expect to hear this everywhere!

Review: The final entry into Finders Keepers' "bygone supernatural psychedelic cinema scores" sub-label Finders Kreepers sees another pair of unique tracks dug out of obscurity. George Dunning & The Brothers Candoli's "Zodiac Blues" comes from a South American only 7? dedicated to the nightclub music of The Brothers Candoli in Richard Quine's Bell Book And Candle, while Gianfranco Reverberi's "Orgiastic Ritual" is the theme from Renato Polselli's Reincarnation Of Isobel, an piece of breathy lounge music with spectral flamenco touches.

Review: Eerie electronic explorer Martin Jenkins' reputation has been growing for some time. Since making his debut with the self-released Black Mill Tape Vol 1 in 2010, Jenkins' Pye Corner Audio productions have become must-have items for those seeking evocative soundscapes, tense textures, rough synthesizer sketches and creepy analogue tones. Here, he pitches up on acclaimed experimental label Type to tell the story so far. Collecting together tracks from his first four self-released albums, Black Mil Tapes Vol 1-4 should be essential listening for anyone with even the tiniest interest in ambient. In turns both intensely unsettling and pleasingly calming (see the dreamy goodness of the softly rhythmic "Toward Light"), it's a wonderfully vivid and enjoyable collection.

Review: This is the second release and second album for the Gilga series which seems to be proliferating on Felix K's Hidden Hawaii label. The first LP came from Legowelt, last year's uber-rare and slept-on Gilga 1, and for all we know Gilga 2 could come from the Dutchman too if we base our findings on the Danny Wolfers-esque track names. Synths and musicality play a big role right across Gilga 2 with dubsteppy drums and other elements effecting tracks like "Reversed Shell" and "These Are My Thoughts", while there's a Livity Sound-feel to "Purple Jude". For something a littler deeper and rhythmic check out "Maschine Series" and "Slow Depression", while "Harmony Korine (Happy Jungle mix)" ends the LP on a trippy note. Gilga 2 is intriguing machine-made music to say the least.

Review: There should be more than a few techno fans getting rather excited right now. You see, Donato Dozzy and Nuel's Aquaplano Sessions is something of a "holy grail" for tribal-influenced minimal techno collectors. Originally released over two 12" singles on the short-lived Aquaplano label in 2008 and 2009, the material has long been held in high regard - so much so, in fact, that copies of the original vinyl pressings are extremely hard to find. This reissue from Spectrum Spools is great news for anyone who missed out first time round. While there are some immaculate deeper moments (see the becalmed dreaminess of "Aqua 8"), it's the robust, aggressive, bass-heavy and occasionally intense tracks that really stand out.

Review: It's nice to see TV music scores being pressed onto vinyl in an age of computerised music. It's even nicer to see this specific score being officially released because it really transmits a mood of its own and one that's wrapped in a smoky, 50s kinda vibe. Mad Men has been one of the most successful American TV shows next to The Wire and Breaking Bad, and we always thought the music was blisteringly good! David Carbonara delivers an ethereal mixture of ambient, jazz and improv, making this a worthy addition to any collector's discography. Red vinyl, too!

Review: A respected figure within the world of visual arts, which has seen him exhibit in numerous galleries across the world over the last two decades, Russell Haswell is perhaps best known for his prolific work in the realm of experimental noise. Brandishing a discography that dips back into the late '90s and features a raft of releases across Editions Mego, iDEAL and Warp. Haswell's latest solo album comes courtesy of Powell's increasingly essential Diagonal Records imprint, and sees a shift towards more overtly rhythmic material, with influences including Autechre, Aphex Twin, Adrian Sherwood and Napalm Death. As you'd expect, it's a bracing affair, and one that does a better job than most at connecting the dots between techno and noise.

Review: Another week, another fine looking soundtrack reissued on Spencer Hickman's excellent Death Waltz Recording Co. This time it's Forbidden Planet, the first of two OSTs lovingly remastered and reproduced in conjunction with iconic B-Movie producer Roger Corman with Slumber Party Massacre due in the near future. Unavailable since the film's release in 1982, Susan Justin's musical score for Forbidden Planet is typically ahead of the curve, mixing electronic influences with a splash of eighties New Wave - see "Mutation" for the most explicitly brilliant example of this! housed in a heavyweight case bound tip on sleeve with exclusive artwork by Kimberley Holladay, Death Waltz also include a poster and booklet featuring exclusive all new liner notes from composer Susan Justin Director Allan Holzman and artist Kimberley Holladay.

Review: All-round legend Cut Chemist puts together a tight little showcase of some of the greatest tracks by French synth outfits Vox Populi! And Pacific 231. In fact, it makes complete sense because these guys were basically churning out hip-hops beats even before the term was coined. Cutting and overdubbing reel-to-reel machines, this record was light-years ahead of its time and still sounds like something strange and wonderful these days. Twenty track altogether and all of the absolute rippers, you can almost hear the tape-head being cut a re-looped. A pleasure for the hardcore coldwavers out there.

Review: Second instalment of the inimitable Don't DJ series coming at you like a steam-roller. Diskant has been known to put out some of the oddest and most illest polymorphic techno equations, but this last EP goes one step beyond into total chaos. Subtly mixing flurries of noise with hypnotising slices of organic percussion, all four tracks are as singular as they are fun and seductive. If you're into your techno that's a bit messed up and toyed with, look no further. Warmly recommended..

Review: The Tru West collective debuted in quite distinct fashion with last year's 12" The Decline Of Western Civilisation Part One really solidifying them as a ragtag of musicians working samplers, modular synths, clarinet and tape dubs. Indeed, the music veered so successfully between moments of uneasy calm and abrasive noise through the fluid process of live jams, that it remained chief in your memory despite the B Side presence of a two part DJ Sotofett remix. Returning here with The DOWC Part 2, it's fair to say Tru West haven't lost any of their experimental tendencies - indeed both the original tracks here sound like a duel between the clarinet and an increasing wall of grotty feedback. Superb remixes from Mass Prod and Harmonious Thelonius too.

Review: Ninja Tune's album schedule this year is shaping up to be it's most intriguing for some years, with this debut LP from Illum Sphere arriving after that Actress LP, a Junglist set from Lee Bannon and perhaps most surprisingly, there is a new LP from Kelis (yes that Kelis) due on the label. Part of Manchester's famed Hoya:Hoya collective, former RBMA academy graduate Illum Sphere has been producing his uniquely skewed brand of bass-fuelled experimental dance music since 2009 for a number of labels, including 3024, Brownswood and Tectonic, with last year's Birthday single on Young Turks providing his most high profile release until this debut album. Entitled Ghosts Of Then And Now, the thirteen track set is heavily cinematic in the way it unfurls and feels like IIlum Sphere was trying to craft a real album as opposed to a bunch of tracks.