Leftfield / Experimental Recommendations February 2015

Review: Ukranian house mystic Mikhaylo Vityk returns with a suitably epic new Vakula LP, A Voyage To Arcturus, issued through his own Leleka label. Those with a more considered grasp of literary matters will no doubt recognise that Vityk has taken titular inspiration from A Voyage To Arcturus, the 1920 novel penned by Scottish writer David Lindsay with each of the sixteen tracks also named after chapters from the book too. By his own admission, this is more of an imaginary soundtrack than outright album, and as a result there is little here one could call deep house. Spending some time with it does however confirm what a singular talent the Ukrainian is!

Review: Just four months after the release of the long-awaited Syro, Richard D. James has dropped an EP of all-new material, more than making up for his 13 years of radio silence. Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments Pt 2 is an album comprised of music that's just that, making for one of the most unique collection of Aphex Twin tracks of James's entire career. From intricate piano miniatures to almost jazz-inspired drum rhythms, it's essential listening for those willing to delve deep into the strange sonic world of the producer.

Review: ** REPRESS ** Having released just one seminal 12" on Chain Reaction back in 2001, Shinichi Atobe was tracked down by Demdike Stare only to be found with a vast vault of unreleased material. This double-pack release brings together some cherry-picked morsels from this haul, shedding fresh light on the mysterious and alluring sound of an almost forgotten Japanese producer. There are more obtuse noise and industrial moments such as "Free Access Zone 4", while other moments are full of sweet and crisp house grooves with wistful atmospherics. The diversity on offer is quite something, but whatever style is tackled, Shinichi Atobe brings a haunting quality to bear on his music.

Review: A new year brings a third S.A.M. release on his own Delaphine label from Samuel Andre Madsen and a noted change in approach from the Danish producer. Whereas the two previous S.A.M. 12"s have seen Madsen explore the more minimal and dubby strains of techno with aplomb, this third record sees him retain the sense of atmosphere but discard with the need for any rhythmic backbone. It's telling that both tracks here are quite exquisite ambient journeys, suggesting Madsen is currently in the midst of an inspirational production patch. If you need some ambience to set the tone for a mix both tracks here fit the bill perfectly, with the orchestral touches of the B-side our personal favourite.

Review: Oh yes, Exitab's Proto Sites series delivers its third instalment and it's nothing but vibes thanks to a collaboration between Hungary's Imre Kiss and Slovakia's fledgling artist, Casi Cada Minuto. The former has appeared on London's Lobster Theremin while the latter has remained within Exitab's catalogue for the time being. Three tracks from each artist, all of them exploring the furthest ranges of techno and electronica. Casi Cada Minuto's contributions can only be described as ambient stunners thanks to their watery textures and sparse soundscapes, while Imre Kiss' cuts are undeniably more club-friendly, but only just about! "Dis Slo" is arguably the winner of the lot, bringing forth a twitchy beat jam filled with airy sonics and just the right level of grit.

Review: Liaisons Dangereuses self-titled debut album was not an immediate success on its' release in 1981, but its' influence would spread far and wide. Almost entirely made up of synthesized rhythms, chords and melodies - with the addition of stylish vocals from all three band members - it would help define the "electronic body music sound". It quickly became a big record in both Detroit and Chicago, inadvertently helping to inspire the nascent techno and house scenes. Listening again to this reissue, it's amazing how well the music as aged. While heavy on stylish posturing, it still sounds thrillingly futuristic and alien. It should be an essential purchase for anyone with even the smallest interest in the history and development of electronic music.

Review: ** REPRESS ** On 2012's Luxury Problems, Andy Stott delivered his most rewarding work yet - an impeccable exploration of the twin attractions of lightness and darkness that was near impossible to pigeonhole. Faith In Strangers, that album's belated follow-up, is similarly minded. Peppered with audible references to his many inspirations - field recordings, found sounds, dub techno, IDM, ambient, post-dubstep and trip-hop, in particular - it's a set that quietly drifts between sludgy dreaminess and pin-sharp late night horror. As such, it's an inspired set, with Stott's use of odd instrumentation and the evocative vocals of Alison Skidmore significantly enhancing the experience.

Review: Antoni Maiovvi, a Bristol born artist of no fixed European abode, has been infiltrating strains of Obscure Disco, Synth Disco and Italo-Disco for several years now, but if feels as if the wider world is finally ready to embrace his gothic vision. As the Giallo Disco label he runs with Vercetti Technicolour grows, so does a creative partnership with Umberto for Death Waltz Originals, and now we have Avrokosm. Some six tracks long, Avrokosm is a fine debut for Amanda Brown's Not-Not-Fun label, charting new levels of Maiovvian mysticism and dancefloor pleasure - see "Road Worn" and "Afternoon Youth" for the most compelling examples of this latter facet. The sci landscape sleeve artwork from Annita Rivera is superb too!

Review: Well, Domestica have certainly kicked-off 2015 in fine style thanks to a succession of ultra-rare, ultra-amazing reissues from the sort of niche scenes that have been lost in time. SM Nurse, for instance, was a Dutch band who gained great popularity throughout the 80's in Holland but never truly exported their sounds outside of the Low Countries. Hometape Recordings 1981-1983 is a stunning voyage into experimentalism and sonic hedonism. It's not quite clear where the lines between techno, indie rock and post-punk separate, and we love this LP just for that. Each track contains remnants of machine-drum dance music, lo-fi rock and noisy beat music. We particularly love "Heimwereker" as it could have easily been released this week in a box of new techno 12"s from the likes of LIES, Nation etc. Recommended!

Review: There's not much to say about a reissue of such an essential album. Lovingly repressed on heavyweight vinyl, this is a rare chance to own one of Aphex's finest moments in the golden format. After the fluffiness of Selected Ambient Works Vol 1, this album makes a polar opposite in its sheer drama. From achingly sweet melodic moments to utterly terrifying drones, scrapes and clangs, this triple-vinyl epic is a pinnacle of sound design with soul. If you're not already familiar with it, waste no time in delving into the somnambulant wonders this album holds.

Review: ** REPRESS ** Sacred Summits is a new joint endeavour from Lindsay Todd and Stuart Leath, the men responsible for two of the most interesting UK label empires in Firecracker Recordings and Emotional Response/Rescue/Especiale. Launched with an open-ended remit to unearthing "the best and weirdest" sounds, Sacred Summit promises to be one of the most interesting new labels going forth and given the aesthetic standards held by Todd and Leath you know their records will look lovely too. That's certainly the case here with the focus on Mexican multi-instrumentalist Luis Perez, specifically his LP Ipan In Xiktli Metztli which was originally released in limited quantities in 1981 and commands a fair price amongst the dusty fingered vinyl speculators. The five tracks offer some insight into Perez's ongoing modern music experiments with his vast array of pre-Columbian and ethnographic wind and percussion instruments and tape-based delay units and analogue synthesisers. Fascinating stuff.

Review: Project Mooncircle come through utterly correct with their unsurprisingly on-point artistic direction! Debutant Monsoonsiren is a welcomed addition to the rest of the catalogue - which contains prized names such as My Panda Shall Fly - and his moody, abstract touch is the perfect compliment to the chilly mood of January-February. It's not all downhill, though, and tracks like "Glasstables" or "Maso" contain just enough sunlight to render them soothing and thoroughly meditative. Jump in and immerse yourself.

Review: Brandishing a dark sound that draws from electronics and string based instruments and adds a touch of the crepuscular to finish, the Lupine fancying OAKE have become a most suitable act for the current iteration of Karl O'Connor's Downwards label. First emerging on DNS early last year with the Offenbarung EP, the Berlin duo have subsequently committed another EP of claustrophobic electronics to the label as well as contributing to the rather fine Halha compilation. One of the final Downwards acts of 2014 is to issue Auferstehung, an 11 track debut album from OAKE which offers the pair more of a canvas to work with. With a title that translates as "resurrection" and a rather opaque theme that apparently "marks an end and a beginning at the same time," there is plenty that is open to interpretation about Auferstehung, and the album is largely free of any techno aspirations. Instead OAKE elect to coax you deeper into their web of sonic paranoia, which at times is a joyously crushing experience.

Review: First surfacing at the same time as Mount Kimbie, James Blake et al, South Londoner Klaus could have succumbed to the "post dubstep" pigeonholing some lazy types would have classed him under but instead he's forged his own unique path. Forgoing the spotlight in favour of issuing material through his own low key Tanum label seems to have creatively freed up Klaus on the basis of the two 12"s he's released in the past two years. Tele is his third 12" on Tanum and the 40 minutes worth of music are perhaps the most advanced sonics from Klaus yet, aligning him with outliers such as Dynamo Dreesen and SVN.

Review: Both the Club No No label and it's owner, Bergen-based artist Snorre Magnar Solberg, look to be compelling additions to the strange cluster of artists gravitating around the axis of sonic oddness that is Acido, Sex Tags and SUED. After a fine record on the latter in cahoots with SVN, Solberg returns with a second Club No No release that will pique the interest of any self professed SUED/Sex Tags nut. Both SVN and DJ Sotofett feature, each taking a side to collaborate with Solberg with some truly trippy results! The A-side houses four tracks from Solberg and Sotofett, all untitled, and they seem to segue into one another, with the results a transference of mood that is wholly mind-bending. Much the same can be said about the sole, longform collaboration between Solberg and SVN on the B-side, , an extended slab of freeform electronics which is reminiscent of the excellent Pod Blotz in one of her more contemplative moods.