Review: Acid Sessions Vol. 3 is another white-knuckle journey into the world of acid with five top talents in the field all pushing their own limits. Acidulant opens with "Serpentacid' featuring hypnotic 303 grooves and relentless energy, then Sarufaromeo & Papaverhof deliver 'Acid Nihonshu' which blends atmospheric depth with chaotic acid vibes. G303 takes you beyond with 'Live Long and Prosper,' an interstellar anthem filled with cosmic acid and resonant grooves. Paul Renard closes with 'SO36' which is all about the fat rhythms and powerful dancefloor drive. Long live acid is what we say.
Review: Yay Recordings closes out another solid 12 months with a various artists' EP that showcases right where the label is at. Heavy Mental kicks off with 'Dabro', a colourful and loopy house jaunt for sunny days. Twowi's 'Metaverse' takes off to the cosmos on lithe electro rhythms with ice-cold beats and widescreen pads. Parchi Pubblici & Lucretio's 'Aladdin Sane' brings some wonky deep tech vibes with of-balance drums and muffled spoken words and Rinaldo Makaj closes down with a fresh party sound perfect for cosy floors. There's plenty of variety here, which makes this a great addition to your bag.
Review: EC Underground is back with more inquisitors of low-end heavy sounds on Bass Scene Investigation vol 1 and again digs deep into the worlds of electro, techno, breakbeat and IDM. The compilation kicks off with the skittish percussive patterns of Illektrolab's 'Making Heads Dip', then heads into moody ground with ADJ, Pablo Funk brings some menacing synth work and Errorbeauty gets all weird and trippy with some mad electronics. Francois Dillinger offers a dystopian electro sound full of irresistibly jacked-up drums. A fine investigation indeed.
Review: Kumquat returns with their second release, his time a various artists' EP packed with sleek tracks perfect for all sorts of movers and shakers. Four standout artists from the legendary French party scene deliver an irresistible blend of wonk and bounce across four groovy cuts. Noiro keeps it slinky and minimal on 'Yougoslash' then Belic & Mani get more stark and twisted with their tech sounds on 'The Flow.' Rancel's sound is laden with a libidinous sax line over clipped and crisp beats and Paradise City Breakers close down with the future tech of 'Mentalist.'
Review: Simone de Kunovich and Pancratio join forces on the 'Memory Card EP,' a captivating three-track release that marries retro video game nostalgia with cutting-edge electronic music. Inspired by early PlayStation 1 adventures, the duo masterfully weaves samples from obscure games into their compositions, crafting a sound that is both minimalist and evocative of 32-bit textures. Whether it's setting the mood in the mellow early hours or energising a peak-time crowd, this EP equips DJs with versatile tracks that promise to electrify any dancefloor. With its unique blend of exuberance and nostalgia, the 'Memory Card EP' is a must-have for enthusiasts looking to add both depth and dynamism to their sets.
Review: Pauli brings some class to this tense and effective new EP on Shoyu, a young new label that has already made some great moves with its first two releases. 'FirstH' pairs a driving ow end with some nice sparring synth work and killer bass. 'Bodyrise' is another perfectly reduced sound with effective drums, sleek cosmic synths and a rasping bassline to counterpoint the smooth pads. Add in two more blends of physical drums and emotive synth pens and you have some smart and classy cuts for knowing dancefloors.
Thromboembambino (Legowelt Lost In A Valley remix) (5:51)
Review: Under the PDQB alias, Sascha Dornhofer has deliberately crafted an enigmatic persona - a move that has allowed him to explore different underground electronic styles while building an audience of curious followers. On his latest EP, he continues this trend, first serving up an analogue-rich, mind-mangling slab of '80s horror soundtrack-infused 'Giallo' disco rich in loose-sounding machine drums, throbbing sequenced bass and spiralling melodies ('Cychochloride'), before opting for a weirder, darker and more angular proto-techno sound on the even more inspired 'Thromboembambino'. Legowelt handles remix duties in his usual confident and eccentric manner. 'Cychochloride' is re-imagined as a cheery and decidedly intergalactic electro workout, while 'Thromboembambinio' becomes a raw, acid-speckled shuffle through sprightly synth sounds and urgent post-electro beats.
Review: Fear-E's Posh End Music celebrates its tenth release with an EP of ceiling-shakers by musical wizard Ben Pest. 'Worst Behaviour' is a restless splurge of overdriven but still tasteful energy, moving through five ultimate wompers of a kind of electrified techno we rarely hear. Ben Pest's style, honed since 2009, is entirely his own. First there's the VIP version of 'Strict Saws' and the follow-up 'Beta T', both of which reserve ample mix space for an overwompy kick drum, Pest's trademark stinger. The former track especially clips the zero level, hearing said kicks bleed out the sound around it, flooding it into a fully crunch-steeped stupor. 'Withoutta Moa' and '1996' follow similarly pressurific principles, the latter of which commands a special sort of apnea, resembling a strangled French house. Then 'Weight For It' closes on notes of maximised squelch and crossrythmic evac alarm sounds, as we're dragged into successive states of terrifying suspense.
Review: UK-based Jules von Daniken is Phase O'Matic and he takes charge of the third outing from Reheat with his typically assured hand. 'Access Denies (K9 mix)' is warped cyborg tech with gremlins in machines, gurgling acid and flat, firm drums making for a marching beat. 'Plastic Memory' has a more electro-feel to it with some snappy kick and hits retro 80s synth nostalgia. 'Recollect' is a sci-fi techno stomper with reverb-heavy bass and 'There's More Of Them Than There Is Of Us' closes with another intergalactic techno sound that comes from a distant planet with rueful pads and chugging low ends.
Review: Two distinctive tracks that balance industrial and techno grit and dancefloor energy. Side-1's 'Territorial Discrepancy' kicks things off with a driving beat layered over EBM influences and rave-inspired keyboard stabs. Its catchy rhythm and raw energy make it a surefire crowd-pleaser for peak-time sets. On Side-2, 'Notions Of Ceremony' takes a more experimental turn, blending techno grooves with a danceable, vocal-infused vibe. The track's unique character evokes comparisons to early Severed Heads and Underworld, combining fun, depth and innovation into a seamless whole. With its sharp production and bold creativity, this ia memorable addition to the techno landscape.
Review: The first release on this label came - as far we can tell, anyway - all the way back in 2022. Three years on, the second is another effective club weapon, this time with an electro twist. Pop Panic's 'Your Body' has mad heavy drums and maximal synth lines perfect for nice loud plays. Aut Zebel's 'Flipped Smile' takes off on a jacked up acid groove for peak time plays and DJ GLC lays in some high speed retro-future synth euphoria on 'Trance Dance' for emotional plays. G Punx shuts down with the gritted-teeth grooves and slamming bass of 'Electro Baked' for menacing plays.
Review: Prince De Takicardie delivers a new four-track set of tachycardial heart-racers as reinforcements to his own Prince's Castle, which is both a label and a proverbial princely citadel. This is also the Barceloni producer's second edition to the powered 'Force Bleu' EP series, matched colourfully by the equally propulsive 'Force Rouge' counterpart, for which there have also been two records so far. Increasing in both pace and intensity, this raw and jammy follow-up reaches its crescendo at the rough 15-minute mark with the hypnotic 'EX-ecute (Execution Mix)', which conclusively yields to mesmeric acid and mystical three-tone entrainments, contrasting the first three track's relative utilitarian sense.
Review: Parchi Pubblici is an Italian hardware specialist who usually makes music by doing one-take recordings. This is his debut vinyl EP and it features four original tracks with the first three designed as peak-time club anthems, all powered by roaring analogue machines. These tracks are built to make dancefloors sweat and they surely will. The title, 'Pressed Trouble', perfectly encapsulates the EP's energy. 'Clogged Key' is all bleeping synths and rugged low ends, 'Cautela (feat Delia Derbyshire)' is more funky and bouncy, 'Error504' is acid laced and dirty and 'HTSG' is lit up by superb synth arps and cosmic adventuring.
Review: Oyster Ass return with their Italian brothers for a third round of mind-bending techno. This EP is a retreat into altered worldsirigidly organised, timeless and often inescapable trance-like states. Public Request and WAS take charge of the correction, guiding listeners through a sonic landscape of hypnotic rhythms and disorienting soundscapes. 'C'MON' by Public Request sets the tone with its pulsating energy and infectious groove, while WAS's 'Spoon My' dives deep into a hypnotic abyss. 'Ego' and 'Tunnel' further explore the depths of this sonic odyssey, each track offering a unique perspective on the theme of mind-body dislocation. This is one for those who like their techno with a touch of the surreal and a healthy dose of sonic exploration.
Review: Banging electrobass from Spain's Masa Series, mooting six of their roster artists for an incendiary exercise in grit and vibrancy. Having already invited a slew of artists for individual releases, the Cluster series here aims more at collectivity. All the tracks here nail the label's signature smushing of heavily heat-glued sound, moving between everything from electro to breaks, landing somewhere in the synaesthetic register of an earthen sonic purply-brown. The highlight here, though, has to be Anna Kost's 'Conjunction', which breaks this general rule through a fast dubstep-ish 150BPM exploration in nervous respiratory pad design and glance-off percs, making for a bracing potential set intro.
Review: A quick piping of ultrafast space-techno comes as a six-track aural electro-techno drip, courtesy of Berlin's Mechatronica Music. The second in their 'Constellations' series of V/A EPs, this is an exodic exultation, charting top farings from the likes of Umwelt, Ben Pest and Viikatory. Umwelt's opening charge 'Stellar Oscillations' is a warpsped drive back to the retrofuture, with punctured stabs and fractal chord efferents propelling a lengthy trance crissing 'cross the milky way. Pest's 'Shodan' takes a detour, recharging at an interstellar traction substation specialising in sputtery, kilowatted electro. And 'Be Scared Of Clowns' is the titular highlight by Prz & Ori bringing a different spaceship to the same docking bay; it is the comparative Borg cube to the A3's Romulan craft, lessening any residual humanity for a shocking laserdesign B cut.
Review: Pancratio's A Run of Streams delves into the "state of flux"-those moments when everything flows effortlessly. Blending downtempo, deep house and acid house elements, it's a raw, unfiltered expression of the artist's journey that encourages you to connect with your own moments of spontaneity. Each track is crafted in real time using Pancratio's signature hands-on, organic production style and this method fosters natural emotion and spontaneity so gives the album a distinctive warmth and authenticity. A Run of Streams is a deeply physical and immersive listen that shows off Pancratio's unique sound.
Review: Dark Entries welcomes back the Brussels brothers Jean-Marc and Pierre Pauly for this superb collection of B-sides and unreleased tracks. Formed in 1981, Parade Ground pioneered a more emotional take on their homeland's signature electronic body music sound by blending drum machines icy synths and guitars with Jean-Marc's powerful vocals. The Hidden Side spans 1982 to 1989 and explores their cold, dark aesthetic from menacing coldwave tracks to danceable cuts like 'Hollywood (The Sexiest Fish') to magically melancholic freakouts like 'Looking Through Keyholes'.
Review: Parade Ground is the Belgian duo of brothers Jean-Marc and Pierre Pauly and they formed this project in 1981 as a way of blending post-punk, coldwave and electronic body music. The Golden Years compiles their influential singles and rare tracks from 1982-1988 and it's a great window into their world of sleek synths, skeletal guitars and expressive, evocative vocals. Collaborating with Front 242's Daniel B. and Patrick Codenys, Parade Ground released seminal works like Moan On The Sly and Man In A Trance and later they worked with Wire's Colin Newman on Dual Perspective. This remastered album includes a press kit with lyrics and photos which chronicle their lasting impact on Belgian electronic music.
Review: We really can't find out much info about pdqb but the producer behind the name is said to have gone mad after being possessed by an alien parasite, and his whereabouts are unknown. Synaptic Cliffs however has a bunch of music to release from him starting with this. The tracks "were created with the NCO6.27 for test subjects with brain implants" and the music combines dark, playful techno, electro, industrial, chiptunes, IDM and electronica into moody cuts with a unique energy and clout for the club.
Review: The cultured tech house auteur that is Julian Perez returns with another cultured new EP that pushes boundaries while staying rooted in the sonic ethos of Girada Unlimited. More than just a collection of tracks, these sounds explore energy, emotion and movement with Perez's evolving artistry at their core. His take on deep grooves with hypnotic textures stands him apart once more from the zippy synth kinetics of 'Pressurah' to the drum funk of 'Es Un Disparate' via two different, equally fresh versions of 'Alpha R'.
Review: After debuting on Hospital Productions in 2017, Scanning Backwards was the sophomore album from Phase Fatale back in 2020 on Ostgut. To mark its fifth birthday it gets reissued here and still sounds as good as new. Payne blends post-punk, noise and shoegaze influences into broken rhythms and slow-burning, textured soundscapes that merge sonic warfare with functional dance music. This album drew from historical and fictional narratives to explore sound as a form of power and Each track reflects Berghain's influence as both a space and instrument. It's powerful stuff in more ways than one.
Review: When it first hit stores in 2007, Kushbush - the fourth album by industrial noiseniks turned psychedelic techno twosome Plateau (AKA Skinny Puppy's Kevin Compton and studio buddy Phil Western) - was only released on CD. This, then, marks the set's first appearance on vinyl. In keeping with the duo's chosen themes of "altered states and introspection" (the project was initially inspired by their love of cannabis and desire to see it legalised in their native Canada), the album sees the pair blend the growling intensity of Nine Inch Nails (and Compton's other industrial punk band, Download) and the full-throttle dancefloor assault of acid-fired techno with snapshots of picturesque melancholia, the far-sighted futurism of 1990s IDM, and the wide-eyed, tripped-out electronic psychedelia of ambient techno.
Review: Swiss DJ Princess P presents a new selector's compilation and journey, spanning over a decade's worth of rare lo-fi, post-rocky and indietronic builds, all awash with the blanket buzzes of tape and saturation. Sporting liner notes from Optimo's JD Twitch, this is a wonderfully rare case of a properly yet individually released mix album. The music spans West Coast US dance music, industrial, and kitsch pop effusions from 1980 to the present, sporting a wide array of "file under" tags including rave, retro, space rock, cosmic, introspective, minimal, acid, ambient, and transcendental (to name only a few essential keywords). The full gamut of dreaminess is laid down here, peaking at the Natalie Beridze lo-fi breaks cut 'Forever Has No Shadow'.
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