Warp レコード& CD

Review: While his AR antics and massive stage shows might be a far cry from the subversive rave culture he came up in, Aphex Twin remains one of the most fascinating and gifted electronic dance music producers of his generation. Get past the fanfare and bluster, and it's still an incredibly exciting prospect to be opening up a new box of his charms, and he's as generous as he's ever been on this new four-track EP. As a key architect of the braindance sound (whether he likes the tag or not), Richard D. James demonstrates his gift for uncanny emotionality and dexterous drum programming on the lead single 'Blackbox Life Recorder 21f', hitting a spot not too far from the realm of his last album Syro and The Tuss material. With a lush fold-out sleeve to house it all in, it's another fine addition to the canon of a true cult phenomenon.

Review: Straddling the worlds of dancefloor techno and leftfield experimentation - very often in the same track - The Black Dog aka Black Dog Productions was made up of Ed Handley, Andy Turner and Ken Downie, and on this one the trio appear in various combinations under various guises such as Atypic, I.A.O, Close Up Over, Balil, Xeper, Discordian Popes and Plaid. They released Bytes 30 years ago this year, the third album in Warp's Artificial Intelligence series and this anniversary repress comes on gatefold double vinyl with original artwork. It has been re-cut for the occasion and is as immersive and widescreen now as it ever was.

Review: The Black Dog were one of the core early Warp acts, and their Spanners album - the third full length of their career at the time - is one of their best. Despite its roots in the early IDM scene, the album managed to climb to number 30 in the UK charts back when it arrived in January 1995. It's a great mix of unexpected experimental oddness and dancefloor rhythms that makes for a superb trip through what was then the modern world. Pitchfork have rated it one of the 50 best IDM albums ever and this reissue reminds us why.

Review: Following on from 2019's super groovy, Q-Tip executively produced Uknowhatimsayink and this year's Scaring The Hoes collaboration with JPEGMAFIA, alternative hip-hop wizard Danny Brown has announced his highly anticipated new solo full-length Quaranta (Spanish for 40). Billed as a "spiritual bookend" to 2011's XXX released in tandem with the celebration of Brown's turning 30, the new album boasts both an impressive array of producers such as Alchemist, Quelle Chris and Skywlk, as well as featured artists like MIKE, Bruiser Wolf, and Kassa Overall, while lyrically and sonically detailing the animated MC's unique and chaotic rise over the past two decades.

Review: Serving as follow up to the acclaimed 2019 ludicrously groovy, Q-Tip executively produced Uknowhatimsayin? as well as 2023's Scaring The Hoes collaborative album with JPEGMAFIA, alt hip-hop hero Danny Brown has unveiled details of his much hyped new solo full-length Quaranta (Spanish for 40). Billed as a "spiritual bookend" to 2011's career-defining XXX, which was released in tandem with Brown's turning 30, the new record boasts both an impressive array of producers such as Alchemist, Quelle Chris and Skywlk, as well as featured artists like MIKE, Bruiser Wolf, and Kassa Overall, while lyrically and sonically delving into the animated MC's uniquely poignant and chaotic ascension over the past two decades.

Review: Richie Hawtin's early music was undoubtedly a product of his surroundings in Windsor (the Canadian one) and Detroit, but over time a more European dimension to his sound emerged which naturally aligned with the developments taking place at Warp. When the Artificial Intelligence series came together, Hawtin's approach was certainly tipped more towards techno in the American sense of the word, but his pointillist beats and synth sequences on Dimension Intrusion slotted in comfortably between Speedy J, Polygon Window and Autechre. Not just a horizontal home listening affair, there's plenty of rave teeth to tracks like 'F.U.' and 'Substance Abuse', as he demonstrated his gift for telling vivid, narcotic stories with the 303 and 909. Now, the album has finally remastered and reissued, sounding the best it ever has and released alongside a new edition of Speedy J's equally seminal Ginger.

Review: Warp continue to expand their horizons (as they always have done), enlisting the the help of musician, MC, singer, producer and drummer Kassa Overall. Kassa is an innovator in the world of leftfield jazz and rap, blending the styles to dazzling extents and working with the likes of Vijay Iyer, Theo Croker, Geri Allen and Yoko Ono in the process. Animals is his third album, exploring questions ranging from humanity to race to freedom - the sound is slinky and smooth, with Kassa's vocal lines ranging from the autotuned to the unaffected. His backings, meanwhile, are both rhythmically free to constrained, with a looseness that recalls a more upbeat Lonnie Holley. Just one glance at its featuring artists, too, should be enough to tell you of the musical ecosystem Kassa emerges from - the LP contains cameos from a rather endless rank: Danny Brown, Wiki, Nick Hakim, Laura Mvula, Francis and the Lights, Lil B and Shabazz Palaces (just in case you were wondering about Kassa's credibility).

Review: Among the many hot takes about the recent London romance film Rye Lane is that it is the UK's Amelie, contributing further to the continued coolification of South London's Peckham, in which the film is set. Whatever your take on the film is, it's certainly far less controversial to consider its stellar soundtrack work by Kwesi Sey aka Kwes, a longtime fixture of London's musical spirit. A curveball compared to his wholly original releases with Warp, Kwes took a detour here, in part taking on the image of his collaborator Mica Levi by debuting his first ever soundtrack. Quirky, pink and full of the ideal spirit of the film, Kwes' chosen sound is unfiltered, opting for ear-to-the-ground neo-soul motifs and clear-eyed ballads written with his friends Tirzah and Sampha.

Review: Kelly Moran, a New York pianist and composer, is releasing a new LP titled Moves In The Field. This will be her first solo album since 2018's Ultraviolet. The new album heavily utilises the Yamaha Disklavier player piano, which allows Moran to record her performances and have the piano play them back on its own. This instrument has allowed her to explore new possibilities in her music, creating intricate chords and patterns that would be impossible to play by hand. The album consists of ten tracks, including 'Sodalis (II),' which features beautiful and angelic melodies, and 'Butterfly Phase,' which is more introspective and personal. Moran's exploration of the Disklavier's capabilities has resulted in a unique and captivating musical experience that showcases her creativity and technical prowess.

Review: Mount Kimbie demonstrate their expansive ability to metamorphose over time, with the Sunset Violent being their first record (the follow up to 2022's MK 3.5: Die Cuts I City Planning) to document their efforts as a quartet, as opposed to the simple duo project of Dominic Maker and Kai Campos. Now with composer Andrea Balency-Bearn and Marc Pell (Good Sad Happy Bad), the project brings an ever-so-slightly more conceptual slant to the mix, with the album centring thematically on the UFO sightings of the Yucca Valley, California, and the interplay between the literal desert in that part of the world, and the figurative desert of London (where the album was completed). As ever, the likes of 'Fishbrain' and 'Boxing' deliver indie-electronic buildups, as driving as they are infectious, mixed with the distinctly sepia-textured moods and performative tastes of London's finest (King Krule among them).

Review: Given his recent stint producing The Weeknd, you might have been expecting a drastic turn towards the mainstream on this LP, but Again is as complex and challenging a listen as ever, spanning everything from Mingus-in-space double bass reflection to walls of blazing, My Bloody Valentine-style guitar textures. It's the kind of album that'll take a few listens to really get your head around, but it's more than worth it, a proper trip.

Review: Daniel Lopatin is not a new name to clued-in electronic fans at all, the American MIDI magician has been operating under the alias Oneohtrix Point Never for almost a decade and a half at this point. From working the keys for The Weeknd, going back and forth with artistic adoration to Caroline Polachek and having the late Ryuichi Sakamoto's official stamp of approval, OPN is just as impressive in the shadows as he is in the light. Again is the follow-up record to fan favourite Magic and his main focus after serving as executive producer for The Weeknd's 80s synth-wave smash 'Dawn FM'. A pared-back rollout has given way to just one single, album closer 'A Barely Lit Path'. Pretty-as-can-be strings bend the knee to blasts of digitised noise, the two dancing back and forth with one another across the rollercoaster six-minute runtime. Grandiose operatics and revered choir vocals glide over a swelling string section, pinned together with a throbbing electronic rhythm patch before collapsing into emptiness. It is majestic, emotional and nothing less than to be expected from OPN.

Review: Warp continues to comb back through the landmark Artificial Intelligence series with this landmark record from Jochem Paap, aka Speedy J. Alongside a tandem reissue of Richie Hawtin's F.U.S.E. album Dimension Intrusion, this remastered edition of Ginger takes us back into the heart of early 90s techno innovation, when new ideas were developing globally at a rate of knots. Paap had already established himself in the harder end of the techno pool, but Ginger flipped the script with an immersive, meditative exploration of minimalism and melodic structure. Amongst the eternal classics are some dazzling miniatures deemed 'Fills' which make for some of the most compelling listening on this seminal slice of early 90s techno.

Review: Not too many artists can create a buzz quite like when word spreads of a new album more than Squarepusher. Dostrotime is the first album for Tom Jenkinson in nearly four years, one of his longest breaks between albums. Proceeding the album release, the video for the hardcore acid banger Wendorlan has been making the rounds on the internet. If this is any indication of the rest of the album, then expect some serious heat. Audio samples have been tightly secured to protect leaks online until the release date. This album will be spread over a 2x12 and nicely packaged in gatefold form and no doubt contain some great gallops through the genre spectrum like only Squarepusher can do.

Review: Squid return to Warp with O Monolith, amping up the indie festival favourites' new penchant for fast, hardcore jangle-jams peppered with electronic glitchings and odd subject matters. Bright Green Field laid the formula at our feet, but we're certain it'll be O Monolith that best represents Ollie Judge and co.'s newly impassioned, kooky sound. Still, the playful song structures and exclaimed vocals remain present. New highlights like 'Undergrowth' capture it best: raucous blary horn sections, frightening choruses, and a sound that evokes that of a hellish circus, all make this one a rather enigmatic, intelligent listen. We'd expect nothing less from Squid.

Review: This massive anthology box set compiles all five volumes of the Stereolab Switched On series: 94 non-album tracks and sought after deep cuts by the group. Beginning with the original Switched On compilation LP from 1992, the series that ensued - though entirely comprised of deep cuts - still makes for a comprehensive jaunt through the Anglo-French auteurs' oeuvre, which never once lets up on quality. Every track here could've appeared on a full-length, so it's a testament to the band's work ethic that they simply had this much material to follow up with. Warp's comprehensive new 8xCD includes experimental highlights such as the original weirdo-chanson 'Plastic Mile', an Autechre remix of 'Refractions In The Plastic Pulse' and the stripped back 'XXXOOO', among many other gemstones.

Review: Art-rock auteur Yves Tumor occupies a headspace like no other, putting experimental noise, r&b and glam rock together in a bold, ever-escalating fusion, showing off a flair for simply making powerful Frankensteins out of their favourite styles. Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) adds yet once more this pot: it's a glistening, richly detailed, arguably ultimate expression of their vision, mixing such far-flung influences as My Bloody Valentine, Prince and The Smashing Pumpkins into a deep affector for the Gen Z-eitgeist.

Review: Yves Tumor's capacity to constantly stylistically evolve between each album once more makes itself evident on Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume. Everything from goth-pop to experimental noise rock (usual styles for Yves Tumor) crop up here, hammering home ther increasingly crazed world after a directional shift following the EP 'Heaven To A Tortured Mind'.