Mord レコード& CD

Review: The rather prolific Senoid Recordings label head Kike Pravda steps up to Dutch label Nord here with a bumper double pack of his searing techno. These are direct-to-dance floor tunes with nary an ambient interlude or synth-laden intro in sight. 'Octane' gets right to business with wonky synths and industrial darkness, 'Dark Flares' is a more fizzing wall of sound and elsewhere 'Fractals' rattles the walls with its monstrous subs. There is some pent-up synth energy to 'The Unknown' and 'Strange Forces' is a dense and intense roller full of menace and paranoia.

Review: Quelza dropped a superb double pack in the form of their Les Malicieuses EP on More and now comes back with more deep techno brilliance. This is another bumper eight tack offering of well-crafted rhythms and deft atmospheres. 'And Suddenly, I Was Reborn' is an icy and unsettling opener with slithering synths and minimal drum sounds then 'La Rive' is quick, slick and ghostly in its vibes. There are also hi-fidelity and dubby cuts like 'Souviens Toi D'Oublier' gorgeously hypnotic pieces like 'He Didn't Say A Word' which float in space and rock back on forth on heady loops. An artful, impactful selection from Quelza.

Review: This quadruple-vinyl extravaganza gathers together parts 30 to 33 in Rotterdam imprint Mord's Herdersmat series, which has been offering up intense, lo-fi and mind-bending takes on industrial techno since 2015. From track one - a buzzing and stomping effort from SHXCXCHCXSH - it's full-throttle almost all the way, with the compilation's warehouse-ready highlights including Temudo & Ribe's wonky, pitch-black 'Rite', the panicked, paranoid intensity of Razbibriga's 'Cicada', the arpeggio-driven mind-melt of Kaiser's 'And Yet Again', and the almost unfeasibly lo-fi fusion of Isolee-esque electronic motifs and distorted drums that is 'Confusion' by Anthony Doria. No-holds-barred industrial techno for those who seek darkness rather than light.