Back catalogue: Experimental/Electronic

Review: The seventh in this series of 7" singles is by Bristol and Avon's Kinlaw and Franco Franco and it is a rare mix of sounds with R&B, Italian rap and twisted basslines all defining the tracks. 'Crocs On The Plough' is industrial and experimental in its production - earth-shattering bass, police sirens, and soot-black synths, but background chords bring light as the vocals are delivered with guttural rawness. On the flip, the OSVMVSM version slows things right down to a crawl and the distorted synths and crunchy textures take on even more otherworld character.

Review: Heavyweight heroes Kode9 and Burial are no stranger to working together having done so to great success on FABRICLIVE 100 back in 2018. They don't actually collaborate on this one, though, instead serving up one side each of a new 12" for Fabric. As experimental artists with a penchant for drawn from the UK hardcore continuum you roughly know what to expect - fresh rhythms, emotive sounds designs, compelling rhythms. The 140g 12" comes in both limited edition and standard black vinyl versions, and both have bespoke 3D design with the fabric logo printed on reverse board heavyweight card.

Review: It almost seems redundant, writing something about the latest fabric Originals release. If you could think of a more enticing double-header for fans of bass, Leftfield techno, and UK-hued alternative electronic music then we want to hear it, with both producers here moving well beyond cult status and into the world of households names in homes well beyond their original audiences. And yet, remarkably, neither have strayed too far from where they initially set stalls. Hyperdub boss Kode 9 proves this first, with the sightly dizzying 'Infirmary'. Born from a combination of loose, open, galloping UKF and organic techno, with its foundations rooted in footwork, it's a bounding high-energy body mover that refuses to quit. Flip it and find Burial edging closer to 'dance music' than many might be used to, although it's a deep, moody interpretation packed with the spellbinding vocal flourishes of a mutant garage and suppressed, fidgety drums so subtle they're close to background noise.

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: Legendary video game soundtrack-er Motorhiro Kawashima is best known for his efforts on the iconic Streets of Rage 2 and 3 titles. The latter is remembered as one of the hardest to define scores of all time, certainly in terms of a playable titles, and even 30 years on still amazes and baffles anyone who encounters it. Less well known are the artist's solo and standalone efforts, which came much later. Acrobatizm and Prepared Wave were the first two of those records, and emerged in the pre-pandemic late-noughties. Both draw heavily on the glitch and leftfield experimental techno worlds, which were in rude health at the time, doubling down on staccato rhythms and mind-blowing arpeggiation, with the punchiness and jerky vibes more than nod to the glory days of 8-bit gaming.

Review: It was in 1998 that pioneering Canadian musician levin Key released his solo debut Music For Cats. Artoffact Records reissued it on vinyl back in 2014 and now they do so again but this time on gatefold pink and blue splattered vinyl double album. It's a unique work that blends classical, glitch, and noise-driven pieces, featuring collaborations with artists like Dwayne Goettel, Genesis P.Orridge, Philth, and Mark Spybey. 'Music Fur Cats' showcases Key's songwriting depth, followed by 'Wind On Small Paws' with its electro-industrial sci-fi vibe. 'Meteorite' offers glitchy beats. Familiar tracks like 'Bird', 'Blotter', and 'Greenhouse Gasses' provide accessible listening, albeit experimental. 'Music For Cats' is gritty and against the grain, yet melodic. While not mainstream, it's an intriguing, well-crafted release, appealing to experimental electronic enthusiasts and completists alike.

Review: After the success of their 2021 release 'The Bent Bow Must Wait to Be Released', musician, writer and filmmaker Sunik Kim is back with more brilliance. This time this second crucial album comes as two side-ing pieces that pair playful synth innovation with "a touch of slapstick humour, a la Henry Cow." It has been crafted using MIDI instrumentation and is about the art of fining beauty and order in chaos. Complex structures and regularly breaking rhythms intertwine with harsh clusters of keys and sweeping orchestral manoeuvres all making this as intense as it is rewarding.

Review: Given that he's been delivering DIY releases as Kitchen Cynics since the late 1980s, it can be to know where to start with Alan Davidson's vast back catalogue. Happily, the Trilogy Tapes has come up with a solution: Beads Upon an Abacus, a career retrospective compiled by Jack Murphy that offers an excellent introduction to the Aberdeen-based artist's distinctive work. It's well worth checking, too, because Davidson's trademark style -a lo-fi and hissing blend of rudimentary electronics, hazy folk revivalism, layered guitar-scapes and oddly traditional instrument choices - is never less than invigorating, alluring and hugely entertaining. If you've yet to bathe in his unique musical explorations, don't sleep on this fine compilation.

Review: Over the past four years and under his Tyresta alias, Nick Turner has been integral to operations at PITP's sister label, Fallen Moon Recordings. His meticulous curation for FMR showcases top-tier sound collages and experimental electronic music and that dedication shines in Lia Kohl and Daniel Wyche's latest release, 'Movie Candy. It's a captivating exploration of free-spirited electronic music that seamlessly blends cello, guitar, synths, voice, field recordings, and electronic treatments into a record that brims with both nostalgia and innovation. Wyche describes it as an homage to the obscure ephemera of films-like the allure of candy wrappers and the mesmerising cinema carpets-forging vivid memories that linger and evolve through time.

Review: South Korean-born and Toronto-based musician Jessica Chao aka Korea Town Acid spans the divide between disparate musical cultures with her new record Metamorphosis. It is a collaborative work with DESIIRE from Toronto, Korean pianist and rapper Pianwooo, as well as Seoul rapper PNSB, LA producer Dreamdave and New Jersey MC, L.J The Alien. Glitch, home, jungle, boom bap and trap are all distilled into the 10 tracks, with sultry grooves next to more dark and stark instrumentals, often with carefully deployed raps and whispers elevating each tune above mere ear chewing gum status.

Review: Everyone's favourite robotic pioneers have embraced the art of the remix plenty over their lengthy career. As well as taking fresh approaches to their own material, they've invited others to mess with the legacy of one of the most important electronic acts of all time. It's no mean feat to remix a Kraftwerk track, but as such the roll call on this compilation is reliably heavyweight. As well as their own 'Kling Klang' remixes of tracks like 'Robotnik' and 'Expo 2000', you can find legends like DJ Rolando, Orbital, Francois K and Hot Chip tackling classic and some lesser known tracks across three slabs of wax.

Review: The seminal musicians who have graced King Biscuit Time on US radio are too many to count, but who's complaining when so much gold material can be dusted down and given a fresh pressing. They surely don't come more momentous than this - German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk captured in 1975 as they were in the midst of progressing from their warm, organic kosmische roots towards the game-changing synthesis they're eternally treasured for. 'Autobahn' is of course the big hit here, stretching out over the A side as it should, but don't overlook the wonderful 'Kometenmelodie' and two-part 'Morgenspaziergang', all demonstrating Schneider, Hutter et al as the extraordinary visionaries they were.

Review: Recorded in 1981, Turning Japanese captures Kraftwerk at the absolute height of their creative dominance, but sometime before their true induction into the household name superstar category of artists. Still representing a very forward thinking, boundary pushing and - as a result - specialist sound, this nine-track live recording feels like yesterday's tomorrow.
Opening with a stunning neo-classical synth overture, we're then taken on a journey through the mind of the man machine, an industrial yet somehow strangely human proto-electro world that is defined by order and structure, while still allowing for enough funk and groove to make sure feet, hips and more move seemingly of their own volition. Perhaps not the most insightful take on the pioneering German band - nothing here that hasn't been said before - nevertheless we hope it goes someway to describing how precise, refined and overwhelmingly infectious they can be on stage.

Review: Kraftwerk's 1975 performance at Fairfield Hall in Croydon is the stuff of legend. Finally it is available as a high quality audio pressing that allows you to relive all its glorious futurism. The show was broadcast on radio as part of a short tour of the UK that came after the release of the German computer music pioneer's hugely popular Autobahn. It features tracks from that album as well as 'Die Sonne, Der Mond, Die Sterne' and 'Showroom Dummies.' A real piece of electronic music history that will spice up any collection.

Review: The Udacha label might have been away for a while but is now back with a vengeance. First up for this return is a new long player by the mighty fine Kurvenschreiber quarter, which is made up of Sergey Komarov, Vlad Dobrovolski, Ilya Sadovski and Alexey Grachev. These sound artists have been excelling in their field for some 10 years now and use synths as well as found sound objects to create their work. Magnetic tape loops, various instruments, pre-recorded loops, shortwave radios, transformers and much more give rise to this unique record which mixes up Boolean jazz, kurventronika and post-rock.

Review: Leipzig has a lot to answer for. The East German city has a very hushed reputation for being the place Berlin once was, albeit on a far smaller scale, but the sprawl is nonetheless changing at a rapid rate. So while you're still likely to find an abundance of squat parties, exceptional but internationally unsung club spaces, and memorable dive bars, some institutions are vanishing. The 'off-space' Kardamom is sadly one of the more recent losses.

Just before the place disappeared, though, Travel By Goods boss Arthur Boto Conley decided to bring together Kassem Mosse and Mix Mup for a live performance that would form this album, circa 2019. Comprised of on-the-fly remixes from the label's back catalogue, it's a grainy, sample-heavy, often off-centre and off-beat deep dive into collages of sounds, drums, loops, hooks and ideas. Basically, you'll wish you were at the show, but that's a feeling you'll have to put up with.

Review: Mount Kimbie's journey of self discovery continues with the next instalment in the MK3.5 series. Whether this really is a new era for the pair, or not is of course besides the point - Kai Campos and Dom Maker have displayed real evolution on the road to get their two-man project to this point, and at this point it really shows.

Dom's side is an altogether more colourful and varied affair in the sense it opens with sultry piano-driven late night drinks electronica via 'dvd', featuring the perfectly suited vocal cuts of Choker, before edging into rainier territory with 'in your eyes', welcoming everyone's favourite UK MC with loads to say, slowthai, and Danny Brown . Sparse but technically astute, Campos opens his lot with clubbier tones, namely the muffled crunch-house of 'Q', quickly moving through broken filter bass ('Quartz'), and warm, laidback beats ('Satellite'), among other vague descriptions.