SHOAL レコード& CD

Review: Limping on Clouds is an EP that has come about after a deep collaboration between Polygonia and Shoal. The A-side features individual tracks from each artist starting with Shoal's 'Majola' which opens with layered breaks and a deep, rolling bass. It is followed by Polygonia's 'Repeat,' which is rich with kinetic energy, rhythmic layers and ethereal vocal samples. The B-side then features a superb coming together of the two and a great blend of their styles on 'Pendulum,' which is a lush ambient track with a subtle organic rhythm. The EP closes on a downtempo note with the title track enveloping you in a dreamy and atmospheric soundscape that perfectly complements the record's overall mood.

Review: The note with this new collection from Fur:ther Sessions is a quote by the Latin thinker Cicero. "We must live to enjoy the freedom that can benefit our friends and harm no one." It is certainly something to ponder while you get lost in the deeply immersive techno that comes with it. Psyk'scaptly titled 'Static Drift' does fizz with a microscopic sense of electrical activity while Shoal's deep, speedy, meditative 'Backflash' swirls with cosmic waves. Blazej Malinowski's 'Beyond The Veil Of Sleep' has a darker core thanks to the twisted synth phrases that worm their way all through the middle and Save Your Atoll then allows a little melodic light to shine into his hallucinogenic roller 'Psyop.' Smart stuff for both head and heel.

Review: The Nowhere label continues to go somewhere with another deep, transportative techno release that sounds both ancient and ritualistic but also futuristic. Shoal is behind the sublime and supple beats, starting with 'Bygne Drums' which is a dubby roller that locks you into a mindful state. 'Never Endings' then gets more upright and driving but is no less warm and cuddly in its rich bass and smeared synths. 'Nacreous' has a prying bassline and more freaky synth textures adding some edge while 'Morning Float' is minimal and dubby house with ghostly pads and glitchy textures.

Review: For their 12th EP, the Oblique Music crew call upon a bunch of friends who have "spent many hours together in the studio, booth and kitchen." Despite that, this is the first time the artists have all been on the same relate together, and what a fine one it is. The techno they all serve up is deep and hypnotic, with Shoal kicking off with layers of silky drums and underlapping pads that lock you in perfect loops. Ben Buitendijk explores more trippy sound designs and drunken rhythms on 'Zero Dawn' and there are more rugged loops and woodpecker hits on Koen Hoets's 'Essence.' Vand bangs it out to close in the most intense but still serene fashion of all.

Review: Voal is Shoal and Vand and is already a stamp of quality off this one EP alone if you like your techno deep. 'Carpet Crawler' is a great name for a track that is all about bendy bass and warped, low lying synth lines that creep like snakes thorough the undergrowth. 'Luficer' then has a more hiccupping deep tech rhythm that is embellished with spooky and watery sound effects. 'Saffron' is another mind melting trip through bendy techno brilliance and last of all, 'Take My Hand' slows things down and strips things back to more expert atmospherics.