Exalt レコード& CD

Review: Long-serving duo Morphology are the proud owners of one of the most on-point discographies in electro and IDM, though it should be noted that their releases have become far more sporadic in recent years. Here the Finnish pair make their first appearance on Exalt Records and, as expected, they've delivered a terrific EP. The headline attraction is undoubtedly "Quallia", a fine fusion of fizzing, Middle Eastern-influenced melodies, chugging bass, yearning string sounds and off-kilter electro drums. This is remixed twice on the flip. First John Shima gives the track a dreamy, sunrise-ready spin in his effortlessly emotive trademark style, before B12 man Steve Rutter re-imagines it as a melancholic slab of deep electro beauty. A fine EP is completed by "Flatlands", a melodic electro number with a subtly stargazing finish.

Review: B12 man Steven Rutter rounds off another successful year in style via that most rare of items: an ambient and IDM focused seven-inch single. Presented on yellow vinyl, the "Light From The Dark EP" is every bit as essential as the veteran producer's other 2019 releases. A-side "In The Darkness" sets the tone, with Rutter placing spaced-out, slowly unfurling synthesizer melodies over a bed of rumbling field recordings, creepy rhythmic electronics and trippy, mind-altering effects. This is ambient music for altered minds and should probably be listened to at around five in the morning. Flipside "The Sands Of Time" is equally as evocative and atmospheric, with Rutter joining the dots between ambient, IDM and trippy dub techno.

Review: Following last year's fine outing on Further Electronix (the "You Said" EP) as Scan One, veteran producer Jude Greenaway dons the truncated SCN1 alias for a first outing on Exalt. Appearing on a vibrant orange seven-inch single, the two-track affair is joyously retro-futurist and undeniably saucer-eyed in tone. A-side "2020" sets the tone, with Greenaway expertly combining crunchy hardcore/hip-house style breakbeats, bleeping electronic motifs, bubbly bass and ghostly chords. As its title suggests, "Sunrise" is an altogether more saucer-eyed affair. It too features breakbeats, but they're a little more relaxed to fit with Greenaway's gorgeous deep house chords and the kind of sun-kissed, IDM style electronic melodies often found on Boards of Canada records.