Review: Finnish underground icon Sasu Ripatti returns under his most frequently used pseudonym, Vladislav Delay, for another bout of Dancefloor Classics. The series has already established a loyal following, and the fourth episode is enough to explain why, even if you've not encountered any of the preceding instalments. Music for imagined dancefloors is how the official release information puts it, it quickly becomes clear just how vivid that imagination is. Throwing down a string of footwork inspired cuts, the four tracks here are frantically upbeat and packed with filthy, jacking potential. But they're also deep, at times ghostly - or at least a little eerie - and ground in a desire not just to make people move, but also push sounds forward into new territories. Never an easy line to tread, the overall results hit as hard as the beats themselves.
Porter Brook - "Three Things You Can Watch Forever" (5:58)
Ayu - "Light & Reflection" (4:51)
Atavic - "Subconscious" (5:30)
Tammo Hesselink & DYL - "Accent Award" (5:10)
Plebeian - "Gowanus" (5:05)
Review: Aaron J's Sure Thing kicks on towards its tenth release with a superb new 12" packed with fresh techno jams. Myriad different mods, grooves and tempos are on offer here starting with the puling rhythmic depths of Vardae's 'Pahlevan' then moving on to Kick21's 'Bright Interface', a dark and haunting low-end wobbler. Atavic's 'Subconscious' is a heady one with ambient cosmic pads over deeply hurried, supple rhythms then while Tammo Hesselink & DYL combine to mesmeric effect on the carefully curated broken beat brilliance of 'Accent Award.' A forward-thinking EP for sure.
Review: Originally hailing from The Isle of Wight but now based in West Norwood, South London, Vertical Cat has been releasing tunes since 2001 on imprints like Smallfish, Vice and his own rather wonderfully named Achingly Responsive, but now finds himself delivering seven varied creations for Chicago's Kimochi Sound to issue via the kind of hand-numbered, limited edition run that's sure to get trainspotters salivating like Pavlov's dogs. From the jazz-inflected phrasing, subtle phasing and jiggly sub-bass of 'Go Willy-nilly' to the Mills-esque thumpfunk of 'Oh You Mucky Bugger!', there's a bit of everything here, but every last moment is delivered with quality and clearly perceptible personality. You've also got to love outro track 'I'm Leaving', which soundtracks an awkward call to HR with some nicely cheeky, perky exotica.
Review: Recorded in Essaouira, Morocco, Pedro Vian and Maalem Nabob Soudani present an exercise in melding the traditional and unorthodox, the old and new, the abstract and the direct, the exotic and, well, something even more exotic. Rooted in the Gnawa sound, but leaning heavily into deep electronic worlds, EMS AKS Synthi and buchla meet the qrebeb and guimbiri, everything contrasting yet complementing. The result is this intoxicating brew that transports you to the North African coastline on which this collection was conceived and captured, and then onto somewhere that's almost beyond the terrestrial. Close your eyes, allow the hypnotic looped musical phrases and organic aesthetic of the recording itself to wash over you, through, and around your body. Something to truly get lost in and a fantastic example of cross-pollination done properly.
Review: Vladislav Delay can manipulate sound like few others. Where he gets his ideas from is anyone's guess but we're presented with a laid more of them here in the first of five EPs in a series. This one finds the man born Sasu Ripatti deconstructing his soundscapes into whirring machines, metallic textures and chopped dup dubs. It is sound art as much as club music but will still work on the more adventurous dance floors out there. 'Three-Room Problem' in particular is an eerie and unsettling piece but one that leaves you wanting more.
Review: Sasu Ripatti continues to plunge into techno abstraction through his Hide Behind The Silence series. It's but one outlet for the seemingly constant stream of innovative sound emerging from the Finnish pioneer's studio, and on this fourth 10" he's offering up more compelling studies in noise, texture, rhythm and space. 'Death Of A Bassdrum' seems to take aim at techno by burying a 4/4 kick under a twitchy, uncomfortable bed of scuffs and scrapes, while 'Post-Mortem' diverts into space-building sonics where found sounds and artful reverb create a vibrant, three-dimensional space to explore with your mind's eye.
Regal Worm vs The Amorphous Androgynous - "Gunter & His Evil Soul Sacrifice Orchestra Play Back Mass A Gogo"
Cobalt Chapel - "Hymortality" (part 1)
The Amorphous Androgynous - "Physically I'm Here, Mentally Far, Far Away" (Excerpt)
Higher Peaks - "In Madness Reigns"
Cobalt Chapel - "Hymortality" (part 2)
Las Trompas De Falopium - "Somos Inmortales Nos Persuadimosi"
Stoned Freshwaters - "Everything Is Easy With A Little Persuasion"
Atomic Simao - "Gravity Bong"
Richard E Further Out - "Our Dominion"
Steve Cobby’s Sweet Jesus - "The Persuader"
The Amorphous Androgynous - "Synthony On A Theme Of Mortality" (part 2)
The Flying White Dots - "Counting Down The Time" (part 2)
The Cuckoo Clocks - "Tomorrow, Time & Immortality"
Review: This set from the Future Sound of London's psychedelic rock-inspired Amorphous Androgynous project is extremely hard to pin down, thanks in no small part to its' boundary-blurring format. Officially a set of remixes of one song - 'We Persuade Ourselves We Are Immortal' - the album is formatted as a seamless, mixtape style musical journey in which recurring musical themes (think melodies, choral vocals, lyrical phrases and orchestral arrangements) slip in and out of ambient soundscapes, dub-influenced electronic beats, psych-rock workouts, crackly samples, field recordings and Lord knows what else. It features a stunningly epic cast of guest musicians, producers, remixes and obscure psychedelic bands, with the result being a brilliant collaborative work that sounds a little like a 21st century rock opera.
Bendik Giske - "Fantas For Saxophone & Voice" (7:16)
Kali Malone - "Fantas For Two Organs" (10:23)
Walter Zanetti - "Fantas For Electric Guitar" (7:30)
Jay Mitta - "Singeli Fantas" (12:11)
Baseck - "Fantas Hardcore" (4:46)
Carlo Maria - "Fantas Resynthesized For 808 & 202" (7:32)
Kara-Lis Coverdale - "Fantas Morbida" (7:53)
Review: Caterina Barbieri is an Italian modular goddess. Her 2019 album Ecstatic Computation was opened up by the majestic 'Fantas' and now it gets a whole new lease of life with this bumper package of variations. Each artist was personally chosen by Caterina and told to do whatever they wanted with the source material. The results are beguiling from the off with Evelyn Saylor, Lyra Pramuk, Annie Garlid & Stine Janvin going for a loopy, multi-layered vocal version that is constantly ascending to heaven. There is more calm from Kali Malon who keeps it strictly ambient and Carlo Maria approximates peak time melodic techno but from a much more artistic rather than narcotic point of view.
The Baka Forest People Of South East Cameroon - "Liquindi 2"
Carl Oesterhelt/Johannes Enders - "Divertimento Fur Tenorsaxophon Und Kleines Ensemble" (part 4)
Four Tet - "0181" (excerpt)
Gene Autry - "You're The Only Star" (Nils Frahm '78 recording)
Boards Of Canada - "In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country"
Bibio - "It Was Willow"
Dictaphone - "Peaks"
Vladimir Horowitz - "The Flight Of The Bumble Bee"
Miles Davis - "Concierto De Aranjuez"
Victor Silvester - "It's The Talk Of The Town" (Nils Frahm '78 recording)
System - "SK20"
Rhythm & Sound - "Mango Drive"
Miles Davis - "Generique"
Dinu Lipatti - "O Herr Bleibet Meine Freunde, BWV 147"
Colin Stetson - "The Righteous Wrath Of An Honorable Man"
Penguin Cafe Orchestra - "Cutting Branches For A Temporary Shelter"
Nina Simone - "Who Knows Where The Time Goes"
Nina Jurisch - "Cleo The Cat" (exclusive track)
Dub Tractor - "Cirkel"
The Gentlemen Losers - "Honey Bunch"
Nils Frahm - "Them" (solo piano edit - exclusive version)
Cillian Murphy - "In The Morning" (exclusive spoken word piece)
Review: Given the evocative, emotion-rich nature of his solo piano compositions, Nils Frahm seems a smart choice to mix the latest installment of the long-running Late Night Tales series. He predictably does a fine job, too, putting together an atmospheric, slowly evolving soundscape that variously takes in Four Tet, Boards of Canada, spooky world music (The Beka Forest People of South East Cameroon), crackly 1930s ballads (Gene Autry, recorded from an old 78rpm disc), hazy downtempo jazz (Dictaphone, Miles Davis), Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and the out-there dub textures of Rhythm & Sound. Throw in a few of his immaculate compositions, and you have an alluring late night treat.
Russell Haswell - "Heavy Handed Sunset (Autechre Form Conversion)"
Viviankrist - "Creatures"
Powell Tillmans - "Stairwell"
NHK - "Binah"
Russell Haswell - "Hypersonic"
Review: Diagonal celebrates its 13th anniversary with a 4x12" release, highlighting both long-time label artists and notable collaborators. LP1 kicks off with a dark, atmospheric remix of Russell Haswell's 'Heavy Handed Sunset' by Autechre, transforming their 2016 version into something more intense. Label boss Powell joins forces with Turner Prize winner Wolfgang Tillmans for a quirky pop experiment, while NHK and Viviankrist deliver moments of striking beauty. Russell Haswell's nod to Cybotron rounds out the set, embodying the boundary-pushing, eclectic spirit that Diagonal has championed for over a decade.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - "Who I Am & Why Am I Where I Am" (5:23)
Beatrice Dillon - "Workaround Two" (4:22)
Hot Chip - "Worlds Within Worlds" (5:40)
Daniel Blumberg - "The Bomb" (4:59)
Nils Frahm - "Ode" (4:22)
Hot Chip - "None Of These Things" (4:16)
Neil Taylor - "Finnegan's Wake" (Exclusive Spoken Word Piece - Excerpt) (2:01)
Review: The long running Late Night Tales mix series could have almost been invented for times like these, when the nights are drawing in and we're all being encouraged to stay home. What better way to pass an evening than in the company of one of pop and electronic music's most charismatic bands as they take us on a personal trip through their record collection. Next to tracks from the band themselves. there are retro-future lullabies, jangling synth disco cuts and passages of new age ambience that are all tender and inviting.
Jean-Michel Jarre X Armin Van Buuren - "Epica Maxima" (5:16)
Jean-Michel Jarre X Nina Kraviz - "Sex In The Machine" (take 2) (5:04)
Jean-Michel Jarre X NSDOS - "Zeitgeist" (take 2) (5:08)
Jean-Michel Jarre X Irene Dresel - "Zeitgeist Botanica" (5:45)
Review: He might be in the autumn of his career but Jean Michel Jarre remains an innovator in the field of electronic music. His last album in 2022, Oxymore, was another pioneering exploration of rhythm and sound that has now been reworked alongside a series of collaborators all picked by the man himself. The nine-track selection brings wholly new perspectives to the originals which he calls "a vibrant collection of musical dialogues." An immediate standout for us is the track with Nina Kraviz which is crunchy, distorted minimal techno, while 'Epica Extension' with Brian Eno is laced up with otherworldly melodies. A great work from a mix of great artists.
Jean-Michel Jarre X Martin Gore - "Brutalism" (take 2)
Jean-Michel Jarre X Brian Eno - "Epica Extension"
Jean-Michel Jarre X Deathpact - "Brutalism" (reprise)
Jean-Michel Jarre X French79 - "Epica" (take 2)
Jean-Michel Jarre X Adiescar Chase - "Synthy Sisters" (take 2)
Jean-Michel Jarre X Armin Van Buuren - "Epica Maxima"
Jean-Michel Jarre X Nina Kraviz - "Sex In The Machine" (take 2)
Jean-Michel Jarre X NSDOS - "Zeitgeist" (take 2)
Jean-Michel Jarre X Irene Dresel - "Zeitgeist Botanica"
Review: Second time around for Jean-Michel Jarre's 2022 album Oxymore, a loving tribute to French composer and 'music concrete' pioneer Pierre Henry. As the title suggests, this version features new remixes of album tracks (all of which feature sounds originally created by Henry) by a disparate group of musical talents. That makes for an interesting mix of interpretations, with armin Van Buuren's sizable trance translation of 'Epica' rubbing shoulders with a trippy, off-kilter electro take on 'Sex In The Machine' by Nina Kraviz, a moody Martin Gore interpretation of 'Brutalism', Irene Dresel's raw techno revision of 'Zeitgeist Botanica', and ambient pioneer Brian Eno putting his spin on 'Epica'.
Review: If you've got even the slightest interest in the cutting edge, synthesizer-heavy Tokyo scene of the 1980s, this killer compilation from Japanese music crate-digger Nick Luscombe and Wewantsounds is simply essential. It features tracks plucked from the vaults of cult labels Nippon Columbia and Better Days, with Luscombe offering up inspired selections that variously touch on deep synth-pop, electro, post-punk experimentation, jazz-funk, ambient and what would now be classic as Balearica. It's such a good collection that we're finding picking highlights difficult, though our current faves include the disco-tinged punk-funk of Juicy Fruits' 'Jenie Gets Angry', the slow-motion jazz-funk of Yumi Murata, Chiko Asamoto's smooth and sensual synth-pop, and the synth-reggae eccentricity of Akira Sakata.
Radiohead - "Reckoner" (Maribou State remix) (7:13)
Maribou State - "Strange Habits" (feat Youssef Dayes) (4:45)
Shire Tea - "Gentlemen's Whistle Club" (5:27)
Hailu Mergia - "Yefkir Engurguro" (6:15)
Review: Their famous mix series might be gone but fabric continue to offer fantastic physical products in the form of their own Presents serve. It is Maribou State who take care of this one and are a fine fit having plated the club many times in their early years. They use it as a chance to serve up a sweaty, peak time mix that draws on sounds you might not necessarily hear in the club itself. It features some of their own new music in the form of "Mother", "Strange Habits" and a rework of Radiohead's "Reckoner".
African Head Charge - "No, Don't Follow Fashion" (5:44)
Keith Hudson - "Nuh Skin Up" (7:13)
Smokin Cheeba - "When I Was A Youth" (5:54)
The Wad - "15 Inches" (9:00)
Idjut Boys & Laj - "Foolin' (Beatin On Dave)" (7:00)
JBB Et Soprann - "Tibi Lap" (5:54)
Review: Unusually, Optimo's JD Twitch and Jonny Wilkes have taken the unusual step of not announcing the tracklist for their two-part 25th anniversary compilation ahead of release. Ordering, then, requires a leap of faith, but given the sheer breadth, diversity and quality of the music they've been playing over the last quarter of a decade, there's no doubt we're in safe hands. It's not a 'best of Optimo anthems' collection, or merely a bunch of peak-time favourites; instead, we're promised a mixture of unusual warm-up favourites and confirmed dancefloor workouts in a wide range of style that have long been favourites of the two Glasgow-based DJs - many of which will, inevitably, be slept-on, forgotten or under-appreciated gems.
Faze Action - "Good Lovin'" (Special Disco mix) (6:10)
Hannah Holland - "Ekotypic" (4:17)
Divine - "Shake It Up" (6:07)
XS 5 - "I Need More" (extended dance version) (6:00)
Liquid Liquid - "Optimo" (2:43)
Review: Optimo's JD Twitch and Jonny Wilkes, undoubtedly the UK's most fearless and on-point 'anything goes' DJs, have spent a quarter of a decade building trust with their audience. You can never tell what they might play when you turn up at one of their events, but you know it will be inspired, high-quality, and most likely make you want to dance. With their two-part 25th anniversary compilation (this is part two), they've taken a similar approach, keeping the track-list under wraps until release day while promising a mix of oddball warm-up favourites and floor-focused tracks they love and have played at various points since the start of the century. Given their track record, we can expect forgotten gems, left-of-centre anti-anthems, and unusual party-starting delights.
Review: Never one to sit still, Sasha used the change in mindset that came with the lockdown to inspire his approach to music. LUZoSCURA (which means light and dark) is the new compilation that has resulted having evolved from the playlist of the same name. It's packed with new music from the man himself as well as newer names and more established artists. There are floaty, synth heavy ambient pieces like the 'Yin/Yang' opener, lush melodic electronic grooves from QRTR, symphonic garage cuts from MJ Cole and crunchy old breakbeats with more than a hint of Renaissance from Because Of Art.
Massonix - "Just A Little Bit More" (Electro instrumental mix)
Elsi Curry - "U Make Me Feel" (Running Water aka Workhouse mix)
Soul Family Sensation - "I Don't Even Know If I Should Call You Baby" (Marshall Jefferson Symphony mix)
BBG - "Snappiness" (7" edit)
The Aloof - "Never Get Out The Boat" (The Flying mix)
Moodswings - "Spiritual High" (The Moodfood Megamix)
Review: Ace Records continue their series of compilations from Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, tapping into unique niches of British music culture under titles like English Weather and The Tears Of Technology to arrive at this latest joint, Fell From The Sun. This is a specific trip into the downtempo, after hours sounds prevalent in 1990-1991, as the acid house wave broke and Balearic selector ethics seeped into studio practice. The selections are absolutely on point, from The Orb's majestic remix of Primal Scream's 'Higher Than The Sun' to Saint Etienne's own moody roller, 'Speedwell'. It's bouncy and boundlessly optimistic as well as being supremely chill, absolutely of its time but still ringing with an eternal charm that feels ready for a revival. Let this compilation be your guide.
A Song & A Photo Novela (Simo Cell Fabulous Santa edit)
Dawn Is Temporal (Beat Detectives Dawn Redub)
Milk In Water (Grim Lusk's dub version)
Rushing Into Water (Joakim's Elemental edit)
Tristeros Empire (Ido Plumes Blazer Quest mix)
Make Friends (Froid dub rework)
Review: Detlef Weinreich's latest release as Tolouse Low Trax is something of a curio, albeit one that's predictably impressive and off-kilter. It's a compilation that boasts some of his own cuts, alongside edits and reworks by friends of tracks described by Bueau B as "hits that never took the charts by storm". Check first 'Subghosts (Tolouse Low Trax Rework)', a bizarre but brilliant fusion of modular electronics and head-nodding organic instrumentation, before admiring the sparse, hard-to-pigeonhole electronic experimentation of Simo Cell's edit of 'A Song and a Photo Novella', the Autechre-esque beats of 'Down Is Temporal (Beat Detectives Dawn Rerub)', and Joakim's club-ready revision of 'Rushing Into Water'. Further inspired excursions are provided by Ido Plumes (the throbbing techno psychedelia of 'Tristoeros Empire') and Froid (the trippy IDM digi-dub of 'Make Friends').
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