DUB Holland レコード& CD

Review: Alberta Balsam's elevated strain of electro is finding a comfortable footing, building on the impact of her Higher Dreams EP for Dekmantel in 2021 to now land on another Dutch label, DUB. Weighing in with six tracks, this is more of a mini-album than a single, giving Aniek de Rooij plenty of space to stretch out and show what her sound is all about. There's a satisfying blend of braindance-minded studio trickery and electro immediacy at play here, with a pervasive dark shroud hanging over the musical composition. The influence of Rephlex alumni isn't far behind, but de Rooij runs ahead with her influences as fuel, creating her own signature in the intricate drum programming and spellbinding synthesis that shapes out these magnificent constructions.

Review: Marco Bernardi's "Square Bells EP" is limited to 300 copies! Don't miss this DUB Records release.

Review: 
A remix EP of tracks from the Calgary-native DJ & producer, 'Exshaw' was Ford looking for techno inspiration outdoors, as opposed to the dark and sweaty clubs of Berlin (where he was living at the time). This 5 track spectacular sees 5 DJs take the intricate sounds of 'Exshaw' for a spin. 'Honeyhole' is a layered, transcendental masterpiece by DJ Stingray, 'Kaki' from Alden Tyrell lends itself to the eerie and experimental nature of 'Exshaw', that moment when you are alone in the dark and you look across your shoulder just to make sure you aren't being followed. 'Maxwell' by Sansibar brings the tone straight back to the physical, reflecting on the European techno scene and it's synthetic hard-hitting style. 'D614G' is a progressive and ethereal electro experience from Monolith, leaning far left into the natural tones of 'Exshaw' with a crescendo that evokes the work of A.G. Cook and other producers who build soft instrumental into a grand crescendo that feels like floating. 'Kaki' by Zenker Brothers is the ankle weight that brings you crashing down, a heady and lucid hardcore experience that is Zenkerian in every sense of the word in its forward-thinking idea of what dance music can be.

Review: Ryan James Ford has become a reliable source of club-ready electronic music in recent years, with frequent outings on DUB, Clone and his own SHUT imprint all attracting support from DJs who like their techno strong but slightly off-kilter. He's in fine form on his first EP of 2023 too. First up is the celestial techno brilliance of 'ASMR (Tulsa Mix)', where chiming melodies and spacey synth sounds tumble down over over a non-stop bassline and energy-packed beats. The lo-fi techno moodiness of 'Eggplant (Stretched)' follows - all red-lined beats, low-register lead lines and ghostly electronic motifs - before Ford opens side B with his 21st century interpretation of bleep techno, 'A83'. The delay-laden, minor key-heavy drum funk of 'Nie Toasty (909 Mix)' completes a fine package.

Review: Avantgarde electronica from the Funcken brothers. Deep adventures in to the world of modern experimentation.. Artwork by Delta!

Review:  Having spent the last few years producing music for video games and advertisements, Dutch IDM veteran Kettel returns with his first album for three years. It's as colourful, melodious and entertaining as you'd expect, with obvious nods to the likes of Plaid, Boards of Canada, Biosphere and Aphex Twin. These 1990s inspirations are combined with subtle nods towards movie soundtracks, soaring neo-classical movements (see the immersive "Here Comes The Gang"), twisted acid, and - on the delightful "Mousefort" - dusty trip-hop and dubbed-out jazz. These various influences are expertly combined to create something distinctive, kaleidoscopic, and impressively widescreen in scope.

Review: A few years back, Dutch IDM producer Kettel was beginning to build up a head of steam. He's been a little quieter in recent times, devoting most of his time to composing music for video games. Wingtip is his first album for three years, and reminds us what we've been missing. It's a colourful concoction, full of tracks that doff an oversized cap to the likes of Plaid, Boards of Canada, Biosphere and Aphex Twin. These 1990s inspirations are fused with a broader palette of influences, including neo-classical (see the superb "Here Comes The Gang"), movie soundtracks, twisted acid, and - on the standout "Mousefort" - fuzzy trip-hop and dusty jazz. The resultant set is distinctive, kaleidoscopic, and impressively widescreen in scope.

Review: Kettel brings back the warm human touch in electronic music which is a welcome distraction during this laptop revolution.

Review: While this EP from Canadian twosome M.S.L may well be brand new, the sounds they're championing reverberate with the echoes of a bygone age, specifically the early-to-mid-90s heyday of the I.D.M scene. Opener "2020" for example wraps intergalactic, braindance style lead lines and early Aphex Twin chords around a bubbly, acid-flecked ambient techno rhythm, while the whistling "Stormtech" bubbles and spits impressively while doffing a cap towards both Orbital and Detroit electro. Elsewhere, "Sundials" is a glistening supernova of far-out synthesizer melodies and bustling machine drums, while "Riviere Rouge" is a psychedelic techno number rich in bittersweet chords and poignant melodies.

Review: Given that Aleksi Perala has self-released a phenomenal amount of music based around "the Colundi Sequence" - a custom musical scale that boasts 127 frequencies chosen "via experimentation and philosophy" - it can be hard for newcomers to know where to start. We'd suggest this hand picked collection of project highlights, which is Perala's second such compilation. As you'd expect, it contains some seriously good electronica, IDM and ambient music, all with unfathomable titles. While largely positive and jaunty in tone, Perala finds space to include the ghostly, piano-fired bliss of "UKR74R1512020", the frankly chilling drone antics of "UK74R1407020" and the spaced-out techno paranoia of "GBBVT1337202".

Review: It has been a while... but here is a new DUB release on vinyl. And it couldn't have been sweeter then this we think! Dijf Sanders who released his critical acclaimed album gets remix treatment by Kettel and Marco Bernardi. Kettel did deliver an a superb remix of 'Swamp Boulevard' which can easily compete with any Plaid remix (We know its not about competition... but it ain't easy telling you how good this is ;-) This is all about beauty and pushing the right buttons. He did an excellent job and we already played this to death in our office...and still can't get enough of his remix. On the flip side Marco Bernardi made his smooth dancefloor mix. Hi-tech and soulful in a kind of Basic Channel meets Derrick May meets Autechre style. Great techno as we can't hear enough! Marco Bernardi also delivered his trade mark Frustrated Funk electro mix. Hi-tech cut-up vocals and beats which slowly morphs in fucked up, but rocking electro beat. He processed the vocals in such way that it sounds like if Dijf Sanders has been locked in a washing machine with a mic. Something different but really cool as you might expect from Clone sub label DUB recordings!

Review: Rated in several top lists of 2005! Still going strong this great album! Dijf sings, plays the guitar, and programs the electronica, Jon Birdsong (the former trumpetist of Beck) plays trumpet and the bass is played by Benjamin Dousselaere. Those who already know Dijf know that he's a guy who can't be pigeonholed very easily. From moody jazzy tracks to crazy songwriter electronica.

Review: Rated in several top lists of 2005! Still going strong this great album! Dijf sings, plays the guitar, and programs the electronica, Jon Birdsong (the former trumpetist of Beck) plays trumpet and the bass is played by Benjamin Dousselaere. Those who already know Dijf know that he's a guy who can't be pigeonholed very easily. From moody jazzy tracks to crazy songwriter electronica.

Review: Classic trained musician from Antwerp drops his first LP. Beautiful electronics which lean toward every other musical style you can imagine. No typical category, just sweet music.

Review: Classic trained musician from Antwerp drops his first LP. Beautiful electronics which lean toward every other musical style you can imagine. No typical category, just sweet music.

Review: 4 brilliant tracks maybe best described as sweet indie-tronix with strange but nice vocals mixed with abstract electronical structures. Tip!