Leftfield / Experimental Recommendations Best Of 2014

Review: It's rare that an electronic album is the biggest album of the year, or at least the most hyped. That's certainly the case with Syro, Richard D James first official release under his Aphex Twin moniker for some 13 years. So, is it in any good? For starters, it sounds like an Aphex Twin album. Listen through to the 12 tracks, and many of his familiar staples are present - the "Digeridoo" era rave breakbeats, the mangled synth-funk mash-ups, the intoxicating ambient-era melodies, the warped basslines and the skittish drill & bass style rhythms. There's madness, beauty and intensity in spades. In other words, it's an Aphex Twin album, and - as so many have pointed out since the album's release was announced - there's no-one else quite like Richard D James.

Review: What can we say about Matthew Herbert? Well, for starters, he's one of the most eclectic artists to have blossomed from the UK house and techno scene. In fact, his sound is ever-so-difficult to pin down and categorise. Part 6, the latest four-tracker to surface on his own Accidental imprint, is Herbert at his most daring, where lo-fi beats and gnarly, whacked-out techno feature on the same 12". The glitchy, processed female vocals featuring on "Manny" are so far away from the minimalistica of "My DJ", that it's hard to tell what exactly goes on inside Herbert's mind. What we can tell, however, is that he's on top form and once again reaffirming his status as one of the most creative minds in dance music.

Review: Boom! Finally another reissue of Boards Of Canada's seminal Hi Scores LP from 1996! Along with the likes of Aphex Twin, LFO and Squarepusher, these guys have helped to define how we see electronic music today and this particular LP is arguably their most complete when it comes to the dancefloor. The title track is a twisted, floaty bindle of breaks and beats, but it doesn't end there. Tracks like "Nlogax" are inherently Detroitian in nature thanks to the bleepy drum machines inside, and all we can say is that if you haven't laid hands on this album yet, you shouldn't miss the opportunity to cop it now. It's still so relevant and contemporary, it hurts.

Review: Arriving with some truly mind bending artwork from controversial guro manga artist Shintaro Kago, the new Flying Lotus album You're Dead! Is quite alot to take in upon first listen. Some nineteen tracks deep, Steven Ellison uses all the available space to draw you deep into the afterlife as he sees it, veering through heavily psychedelic jazz passages and next level beat explorations that demand you pay full attention. The iconic Herbie Hancock leads a high profile cast of contributing artists to Fly Lo's fifth studio LP and his most ambitious to date with Kendrick Lamar, Captain Murphy, Snoop Dogg, Angel Deradoorian, Thundercat and Niki Randa also adding to what is a transcendental listening experience.

Review: A second and no less dashing record from Thomas Bullock's long delayed STD Records surfaces and is a real mind bender! Apparently limited to just 333 copies, both "German In The Jungle" and "Be Me" will appeal to the more adventurous selectors out there, with the former production the sort of track you might find in a set from the likes of Powell, Cherrystones or Bankhead - though probably in original form given their digging pedigree! A dense collage of booming drum rhythms, harmonic breathing and treated vocals, "German In The Jungle" rarely shifts below the intense gear before ending all too abruptly. "Be Me" is no less mental, with ragged synth lines pinballing around the gaps between a rather unmixable polyrhythmic back bone.

Review: In line with the timely reappraisal of all things R&S related, the resurgent Apollo have seen the opportunity to bring one of their most celebrated records back for another round. Aphex Twin's ambient recordings mature magnificently with age, sounding ever richer and more emotive as the rest of electronic music continues to play catch up all around. From the gentle breakbeats of "Xtal" to the aquatic techno lure of "Tha", the airy rave of "Pulsewidth" to the heartwrenching composition of "Ageispolis", every track is a perennial example of how far ambient techno could reach even back then. It's just that no-one quite had the arm-span of Richard D. James.

Review: Hailing from somewhere in Spain, Mystic & Quantum is a new label created to show stories of "adventures, magic, science" and they launch in quite auspicious fashion with an album length foray through analogue experimentation from one of England's finest DMX Krew. One of numerous handles taken by Edward Upton, Standing Stones finds the DMX Krew sound in particularly contemplative mood across a variety of tempos and can be viewed as an extension of the approach he took on last year's Reith Tracks LP for Rush Hour's No Label. However whereas that release saw Upton take inspiration from his surroundings on an Austrian farm, Standing Stones draws it's creative juices from the mysterious pillars of stone that have stood across Western Europe for centuries. The accompanying silk screened artwork - which is quite lovely - extends the theme. Whether you engage conceptually or just focus on the music, this is another rewarding set from the master DMX Krew!

Review: We've been waiting anxiously for this one and it's finally landed - not only on our shelves but also on our office turntable, where it's spinning around endlessly and hypnotising us into a state of total folly. Kompakt has always had a knack for signing the right record at the right time and this debut LP from Vermont aka Marcus Worgull and Motor City Drum Ensemble's Danilo Plessow is an absolute winner! The album is basically any synth lover's paradise, where sparse but rhythmic melodies glide in and out of foreboding tunnels and more docile landscapes. We're especially pleased with Plessow's impressive step into more experimental, Krautrocky territories and really putting his synth collection to work here.

Review: ** Diagonal Repress ** Since Powell last appeared on his own Diagonal Records label back in 2012 with Body Music, his unique mulch of post-punk textures, industrial techno and jerky no wave beats has taken the world by storm, seeing releases on The Death of Rave and Mute's Liberation Technologies imprint. While Powell's sound to date has been characterised by frenetic, seizure-inducing rhythms, Club Music sees Powell bring things down to a more mixable tempo. "So We Went Electric" is the closest thing to straight techno he's made, though the frazzled textures sound like more Evol than Regis, while the pumped up monosynths that drive "No U Turn" are anchored by an underlying beat and guitar shreds that sound as if they could have come from an old Neptunes beat left to rust. Finally, the Russell Haswell collaboration "Maniac" is as crazed as its name suggests, a shrewd piece of contorted midtempo noise-funk which combines the raw power of both producers brilliantly.

Review: Yes, the sonic explorer known as Sam Shackleton returns with some new material on his Woe To The Septic Heart label! Hardly the most prolific of artists in the aftermath of Skull Disco shutting down, the Berlin-based Shackleton has nonetheless maintained and developed his own very singular music vision across releases for Honest Jon's Perlon and Woe To The Septic Heart. This latter label has arguably seen some of the producer's most striking work, experimenting with bright psychedelic tones mirroring the vivid artwork from longstanding visual collaborator Zeke Clough that adorn the label's sleeves. Following up his last release - and most bulging statement yet - in the shape of the much coveted Music For The Quiet Hour/The Drawbar Organ box set was always going to be tough. Instead of matching it, Shackleton has opted for something smaller in scope, with Freezing Opening Thawing a three-track 12? that still retains the brighter explorations of his recent work whilst moving away from sample based material. Essential Sonics!

Review: Having released over fifty records since their foundation back in 2009, Dark Entries use the widened exposure afforded by that excellent Patrick Cowley compilation released in the last quarter of 2013 as a springboard to launch a new dedicated 12" series. Retaining their archival approach, the first release focuses on the short-lived Italian act Victrola; formed as a four piece combo in Messina, Victrola slimmed down to the synthesizer and guitar-based duo Antonio "Eze" Cuscina and Carlo Smeriglio and moved to the fertile music scene growing in early 80s Florence. In 1983, the pair issued their one record-shaped contribution to the early 80s Italian synth scene in the shape of Maritime Tatami, a two-track 12? issued on the Electric Eye label. Recorded using the Roland TR303 and TR606 at a time when these models had only been made available, so this reissue of Maritime Tatami from Dark Entries offers a chance for people to assess a slice of analogue experimentation at its most nascent.

Review: Diggers everywhere rejoiced when Echovolt Records boss Ilias Pitsios and celebrated selector Tako Reyenga of Redlight Records fame got together to form Into The Light, with their inaugural compilation of Greek Electronic Music, Classics & Rarities a sublime introduction to a world of lesser known musical excellence. Into the Light return with an eagerly awaited second release that narrows the focus to Vangelis Katsoulis, a man daubed the 'king of Greek electronics'. The Athens born Katsoulis was one of the artists featured on that 2012 compilation and remains active today across numerous disciplines. As the full title alludes, The Sleeping Beauties focuses on the late '80s period when Katsoulis was beginning to increasingly incorporate electronics in his compositions, with material from his Tchaikovsky riffing 1988 album The Slipping Beauties featuring on the collection along with four unreleased works, two of which Katsoulis recorded last year. Fans of poignant electronics should check this!

Review: 2013 was a good year for Mr Natalizia. Breaking out of his musical (comfort) zone and touring schedule as one half of Kompakt Records stars Walls, a deeper side to his music oeuvre was shown on the excellent Not Waving debut, Umwelt, before then going on to compile the killer "Mutazione" compilation of Italian New Wave 1980-1988 for Strut Records. Spanning 9 tracks Human Capabilities takes the sound of Umwelt and the subsequent super limited cassette only "reinterpretations" of Redacted and mixes harder percussive tracks alongside explorations of melody through ambient pieces that close each side. On titles Mathematical Man, Double Blind and Defensive Function, industrial and kosmische percussion is pushed to the fore, while Power Source Above Beam Line is the closest thing to a club track Alessio has produced outside of Walls. However, it's the more melodic Future Rain, Etosha Pan Aderci and the closing Satie homage, Conscious/Subliminal that a new side to the project can be heard. Having been named after a This Heat song, Not Waving is developing beyond that to go as far as the album title suggests. With a pressing of just 400 copies before more new music comes from Not Waving, plus material due from Walls and the planned return of guitar based side-project, Banjo Or Freakout, all coming later this year, 2014 looks to be a more exciting year for Mr Natalizia than ever before.

Review: Although now better known for their respective solo work, and the latter's involvement with Sean Canty as Demdike Stare, Andy Stott (pictured above) and Miles Whittaker's Millie & Andrea project stands as one of Modern Love's more unique projects. Releasing a string of 12? singles on Modern Love sub-label Daphne from 2008-2010, the duo's music under the name experimented with various combinations of 2-step, jungle, grime, dub techno and footwork across five 12? singles. Now they return with Drop the Vowels, which makes complete sense given underground music's renewed fascination with all things revolving around the hardcore continuum. Just as wide ranging as previous material, with the LP covers the kind of tectonic mood pieces and wiry noise techno as Stott and Whittaker's recent solo material whilst delivering some of the most straight-up dancefloor material Modern Love has put out in years. Without doubt one of the albums of the year.

Review: Continuing the current vogue for surprise albums issued with the minimum of fanfare we now have Teenage Tapes, a mini-LP from LIES artist Delroy Edwards consisting of production originating from his youth and more recent fare. Those expecting the grizzled ghetto house tools of Delroy's output for Ron Morelli and his own LA Club Resources label will be disappointed, with this eight track release of untitled productions taking on more of an experimental note. Issued via The Death Of Rave label, previously responsible for excellent releases from Powell and Kareem, Teenage Tapes will appeal to fans of Minimal Wave, Diagonal or Gooiland Electro with the fare ranging from frazzled synth experiments to flexing primitive EBM brutalism and unsettling noise.

Review: If you've followed Mica Levi's work over the years as part of avant pop act Micachu & The Shapes, you'll know the London-based musician is a unique talent. It was apparent on their debut album Jewellery and has been demonstrated again and again (see the 2011 live LP Chopped & Screwed recorded with the London Sinfonietta for the most compelling example) Levi's work on the soundtrack for Under The Skin has rightly been praised, with her original score a crucial element of Jonathan Glazer's critically acclaimed Scarlett Johansson vehicle. Removed of the film and pressed on vinyl here, Levi's compositions sound all the more captivating in isolation and they should hopefully open all manner of interesting doors for the musician.

Review: David Kennedy aka Pearson Sound is not one for releasing music a-la LIES, preferring instead to hold off until he's got something really special. The Hessle Audio co-founder come through with a delicious and conniving little 7" on his self-titled label, in what seems like a prolongation of some of his earlier work. Without a beat in sight, Kennedy delivers the good anyway and creates two lovely grooved out thin air....or rather, out of gorgeous synth manipulations. This is one for the heads and come recommended...

Review: The latest release from Into The Light demonstrates once again few can match Tako Reyenga of Redlight Records fame and his Echovolt counterpart Ilias Pitsios when it comes showcasing the sublime musical pioneers of '70s and '80s Greece. Much like last year's Vangelis Katsoulis retrospective, the focus of the latest Into The Light release falls on another artist to feature on their classic debut compilation in the shape of George Theodorakis. Son of Mikis, the legendary composer responsible for scoring Zorba The Greek and Serpico, Theodorakis issued only a limited amount of music over a 20 year period, but was known for his intense studio habits which resulted in a vast archive of unreleased material. Much of that features on The Rules of the Game: Original Studio Recordings (1978-1995), with the 16 tracks rolling deeper into the new age synthesizer vibe of the two Theodorakis compositions that featured on the label's debut compilation.

Review: After last year's brooding 7", Regis and Silent Servant return to Minimal Wave with their Sandra Electronics project and to be honest, we couldn't be more excited. Hearing what these two techno leviathans are up to in their more industrial modes is both a privilege and a pleasure to the ear-drums. Exploring the genre-less corners of coldwave and post-punk, this six-track EP is probably one if this year's hottest releases so far. From the crisp, metallic drum twists of "It Slipped Her Mind" to the almost Middle-Eastern sounds of "Protection Now!", and the noisy, Gristle-like bounce of "Publicity (demo)", it's a total winner in our books. You also get a live version of "Want Need", where the duo culminate into total insanity and tie things off in fine style. Are these two going to concentrate on this kind of stuff form now one? We hope so, this is it. Highly recommended.

Review: Having a debut that managed to possibly be the most regularly outed track by Andrew Weatherall as he dug deep to discover the sound that resonated as A Love From Outer Space, while at the same time seemingly slipping under the radar of practically everyone else and disappearing in to relative cult obscurity is some mean feat.
Unperturbed that the odd(disco)ball that was the acidic genius of Morodor In Milan was shamefully overlooked, Maurice & Charles have again taken time out from their daytime media and art enriched lives to hunker down and offer up another take on their twisted idea of what makes people groove. In Sofa Love, their ode to the marvels and pitfalls of the mega-city, bubbling 303 again underpins a twisted lyrical journey. Set against crashing percussion, this is their peaen to la Metropole. Ably supporting it is a driving, rhythmic workout from our own Jamie Paton, taking the original and stripping everything back to jack like it should. If that frightens off the less adventurous, then I,Carpenter will perhaps offer a respite. An off-kilter, acid-funk nod to the experimentations of Eno & Byrne, this quirky gem makes you wonder, why did no-one use that sample before? To end comes a solo debut from Soft Rock's Piers Harrison. His drum heavy remix straightens things up and lets the story unfold.

Review: It's been a little while since Lee Gamble graced us with some fresh abstractions in his otherworldly sound enclave, and so his return to PAN is a thoroughly welcome one. Ahead of a new long player later in the year this EP finds Gamble drifting through plumes of ambient electronica tropes, with "Kali Wave" coming on like a beautiful fusion of breakbeats and dub techno. "Mimas Skank" has a glitchier modus operandi, but not at the expense of some catchy melodic threads and a steady ticking groove. "Girl Drop" however jettisons the beats for a marvelous display of reverb management, which leaves you feeling well practiced in the art of aural disembodiment.

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: Minimal Wave sister label Cititrax have been teasing fans with the prospect of a Further Reductions album from Shawn O'Sullivan and Katie Rose and the six tracks on Woodwork more than live up to expectations! Although O'Sullivan will be known to most for his industrial leaning techno productions for labels like Avian, L.I.E.S. and The Corner, the Further Reductions collaboration with Katie Rose dates back as far as 2008, formed to explore a vocal-led, contemporary take on the minimal wave sound. According to Cititrax, Woodwork combines the influences of classic techno and early house to create "super lush and atmospheric tracks that work both on and off the dance floor." There's something XTRMNTR era Primal Scream about "High End Basics" whilst "Void Of Course" sounds like gloopy acid house slowed down to a deathly crawl, the rest you should experience for yourself!

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: [Emotional] Especial call time on their first series of releases and do so in style, taking a detour to San Francisco for a 12" that features reworks of latter-day synth experimentalists Inhalt. The specific focus here is Occupations, last year's EP for the killer Dark Entries label which showed a distinct progression in the Inhalt sound to capture a contemporary take on synth wave/cold wave/dark wave (delete as appropriate). Simulacra features reworks from Emotional experts Timothy J Fairplay and 'Glasgow's answer to Dopplereffekt' Scott Fraser along with their close ally Black Merlin, whilst US duo Valis offer a Stateside interpretation. The result is a remix EP that celebrates the ideas of Especial: to take influences of 80s New Wave, Synth Pop, Electro, Proto-House and the occasional touch of Disco and mold them into an up-to-date vision that respects but runs parallel to the modern obsession with all things House and forges it's own way.

Review: The combination of Richard H. Kirk and Minimal Wave was never going to disappoint, but the four tracks on this Never Lose Your Shadow 12" are still very special! Digging deep through the archives of the Cabaret Voltaire front man, Veronica Vasicka presents a quartet of solo recordings that have never been committed to wax before. The highlight is undoubtedly the A Side title track, a lolloping ten minute track of hypnotic industrial action made all the more memorable by Kirk's acerbic intonations about "the blind leading the blind". If you've caught a Vasicka DJ set recently you will have probably lost yourself to these ten minutes. On the flip are three tracks recorded in the same late '70s period which are distinctly more experimental in tone and just as vital.

Review: Blackest Ever Black have instinctively steered towards the industrio-noise domain over the last few years, but the Young Echo crew of Bristolians Vessel - a Juno HQ favourite - El Kid and Jabu team up for a raucous excursion into deeper, bassier territories. This isn't dub music per se; it's more an introspective into the powers of the low-end...All geared up for soundsystem destruction, of course. Seriously though, these are some heavy cuts which mark both the development of a fascinating collaboration and a welcomed breath of fresh air from a label which usually only likes to breathe noxious fumes.

Review: Nothing but gorgeousness seems to characterise the work of the Minimal Wave imprint over the recent years. It's a label that is both unpredictable and continuously elegant in its choice of reissues. This time, it's a wonderful unearthing of Soma Holidays cult-hit, Shake Your Molecules. The Franco-American duo was part of Brooklyn's clique of artists throughout the 1980's, and although their sound is firmly representative of that era, the tracks are still ridiculously fresh and seductive both in their melodies and vocals. The title track is a sort of synth-pop tune gone wrong in a good way, where drugged-up lyrics meets morphing synths and metallic drum machines, whereas the Dub cut could easily be played in most techno DJ sets these days. On the B-side, we have the charming, atmospheric glow of "Too Many People" and "Art Dimension", the top pick in our opinion and one which is screaming to be be remixed into a contemporary house tune.

Review: Ahead of two albums worth of Severed Heads reissues on the excellent Medical Records, their West Coast compadres Dark Entries present a 12" edition of what is perhaps the band's most iconic track. One of three records due this month to celebrate Dark Entries fifth anniversary, this 12" is themed around "Dead Eyes Opened", perhaps Severed Heads' most iconic track and presented here in extended 12" mix version. Anyone with a passing interest in primitive electronics should be more than familiar with "Dead Eyes Opened" which sounds remarkably ahead of it's time even today. Both the B Side tracks from the original 1984 pressing make the cut too and Dark Entries have done a wonderful job in replicating the artwork too.

Review: Belfast's sex lies magnetic transposes it's latest tape release onto double wax, a dissonant collection of Willie Burns guises, a compilation of sounds falling in and around ambient, claustrophobic psychedelia, dark electronica and 4 a.m basement house.