DUB Holland レコード& CD

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: 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".