CYGNUS レコード& CD

Review: Texan stalwart Cygnus debuts for Science Cult with four new ones in a genre he terms 'cyberfunk', which sounds to us to essentially mean funky electro - but with a completely otherworldly finesse to it, as if the project come from a future time when humans are not the dominant species. Three originals lean more towards electro on the relaxing side, with 'Get Your Feet On The Floor' saying it all: "sit back and relax, it's time to dance, get your feet on the floor, it's time to kick back". Relaxing and dancing at the same time? Well, this track is good for both. 'My Style' is the hardest one on there, and gets a further stompage from exalted legends The Exaltics.

Review: Electro stalwarts Central Processing Unit look to Texan electro maestro Phillip Washington aka Cygnus for their latest 12" offering. In return, the studio wizard cooks up the sort of interplanetary sounds you would expect: 'Bad RGB Controller' sounds just like a malfunctioning bit of digital machinery. 'CPU Records' is a cyborg love song with talkbox vocals and crunchy drum hits, then '
Float Back To The Surface' gets even more frosted with its brushed metal drums and synths. Closer 'Throwing Shade' carries on in the same frosty aesthetic but with a nice corrugated bassline bumping down low.

Review: We're always eager to hear any new material from Texan electro expert Phillip Washington aka Cygnus. His latest release titled Come On Let's Get It inaugurates Lost Control 2097, the new label of the long running Manchester/Berlin based party run by Black Eyes, that holds an NTS Radio residency under the same name. From the bleepy Motor City influenced electro funk of the title track, he then shift's bears on the deep and heady Dopplereffekt vibes of 'Manchester'. On the flip, it's all about the doomy and bass driven bombardment of 'Soi Boi' with a rather intimidating vocal delivery atop sounding like a Decepticon.

Review: Fundamental Records, the electro music label behind the 808 Box, Electric Eclectics and Music for The Other People Place project starts with a new project and new label called Electro Records and has made something of a statement with its first release, not only opting for a striking clear and white splatter patterned slab of wax, but also by securing the services of sometime CPU, Craigie Knowes and Biosoft Record producer Phillip Washington aka Cygnus. Do not forget Fundamental Records is the home of the Dallas producer with a full album in 2016, several EPs and tracks for the 808 Box and Electric Eclectics and the project MACHINE FUNK!... a triple album released only a few months ago. Cygnus rarely disappoints, and we can safely say he's delivered the goods here too. For proof, check the robotic, vocoder-laden deep space shuffle of "Hologram Killer", the lilting melodies and emotive, starry synths of "She Work All Night" and the canny combination of bubbly acid house and deep electro tropes that is "Hologram People". Elsewhere, "Cyberian Nights" doffs a cap to original '80s electro crew Twilight 22 and closing cut "Satisfaction" flits between crunchy dancefloor aggression and drifting-through-space deepness

Review: Texas-based electro stalwart Cygnus first appeared on Craigie Knowes back in 2018 via a contribution to the Scottish label's third annual "War Child Fundraiser" release. Here he returns to the imprint for a label debut proper that also marks the prolific producer's first outing of 2020. There's much to enjoy amongst the five tracks, from the rumbling bass, 1990 style bleeps and gentle electro beats of "Ebony Starlight", to the sludgy experimental analogue wonkiness of "Metroid C64" and the bustling sci-fi funk of "Votoms". Arguably best of all though is "Connection Error", a delightfully positive, melodious and emotive club electro jam that's guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Review: Back in 2012, C.P. Smith's Central Processing Unit label launched via a fine EP from Texas-based producer Philip Washington AKA Cygnus. Having continued their relationship via an album and further EPs, it would be fair to say that the American is one of the Sheffield label's most significant acts. "Deep Analysis" is Washington's first release on CPU for four years and delivers a sextet of high-grade electro cuts. There's much to admire throughout, from the bustling computer beats and deep space chords of "Decent Of Man" and the angry vocoder vocals of bona-fide club-rocker "Sheffield Bleep", to the Drexciya style intensity of the title track and bubbly brilliance of EP opener "Her Majesty (The Universe)".

Review: Texas-based Philip Washington goes by the name of Cygnus when he's in the mood to make high-tec electro and sci-fi techno in his studio. Although the man doesn't possess a vast catalogue, the material that he's released through Central Processing Unit has been always of the highest calibre. Taking inspiration from the sounds of Kraftwerk and USA's Motor City - no need to actually spell the name out at this point - his mechanical brand of dance music is both musical and cutting-edge. His latest CPU release contains four cerebral rollers: on the A-side, "Radical User Interfaces" is a deep and complex journey into metallic electronics, while "Nexus Telecoms" verges onto slightly more docile terrains thanks to its winding synths; the B-side features the heavier and nastier "Arcade Killers", while "Electronic Slaves" has something more in common with fast-paced deep house tune. Beautiful, the lot of them.

Review: Could there be a new techno sound emerging from the depths of the Texas desert? Kind of like the Vancouver house sound, but a bit grainer and dustier? Perhaps, yes, and Texas Recordings Underground might just be the ticket. It's a five-person lockdown here, and the emergent Cygnus delivers to stone cold electro chillers in "Make The Brain Relax" and "Pink Lipstick"; not your ordinary kind of electro, something in between Drexciya and the house sound of Chicago - excellent. We also have ERP aka Convextion with "Tandy Center", a rolling, cybernetic techno-morph; Vectorvision with the dripping synths of "Beta Cloud", and "Goron" by Textasy, a metallic, drum-led piece with an eerie vibe. A total winner, and something of a regional debut from the US! Keep it comin'.

Review: If icy, robotic club electro is your thing, we'd recommend picking up this multi-artist EP from Luke Eargoggle's Stilleben Records imprint. Cygnus kicks things off with the sleazy hustle of "Download Her", a decidedly wonky but on-point number that comes complete with Egyptian Lover style spoken word vocals, before Kuldaboli delivers a funky, weighty and stripped-back club rocker rich in twisted acid bass, mind-altering noises and robotic club beats. Over on side B, Rodney weighs in with the up-tempo deep space rumble of "This Isn't Something I Want Anymore", whose acid style bassline is funky as hell (and twice as hot), while Naoamm channels the spirit of both Kraftwerk and Drexciya on the bleep-laden heaviness of "Telecommunication".