Review: The Opal label continues to establish itself in the electro realm with a second searing new release. This one comes from Cruz and is a full throttle outing that opens with 'Marine's Odissey', a journeying cut with searching synths and coruscated low ends. 'Tecnologica' has an even more rugged mix of raw drums and kicks and bumping basslines that never allow you to settle. There is increased turbulence on 'Los Misterios' with its zippy low ends and squelchy bass all firing every synapse in your brain then 'Los Finales Annunciados' shuts down with knick-snapping snares and alien sounds bringing the whole thing to life.
Review: Candido aka. Luis Schiebeler lays down eight darkwave / Italo numbers for Spain's Oraculo Records as part of their extended EPs series - Megabreakz. The seventh addition to the sonic saga is a hearty, circuit-bent dancefloor haunter, marking the 'inaugural chapter of a two-part epic' by Candido, which promises a journey spanning everything from EBM to new beat to rave breaks. Wherever you place 'Mechanical Dances Part 1' on this vast stylistic continuum, the fact remains that Candido's approach to the post-industrial dance form is as psyche-imprinting as it is floor-denting, often nodding to the profound (sometimes dissociative) experiences common to frequenting such a scene. Peppered throughout - if you know where to find them - are repetitive lyrical mantras, alluding to everything from OOB experiences to controversial French psychoanalysts.
Review: This enigmatic recording, ahead of its time upon release, features Caroline K's pioneering approach to analog synth music and sample experimentation. Tracks like 'The Happening World' demonstrate her focus on dark ambient and drone music, while 'Animal Lattice' offers a haunting juxtaposition of high and low notes, reminiscent of early Dead Can Dance. 'Between The Spaces' explores a range of atmospheres, from new age to dungeon synth, with ethereal undertones. Caroline K's use of background noises and found sounds adds depth and texture to compositions like 'Leaving,' leaving a lasting impression on listeners. Now Wait For Last Year remains a lasting legacy to Caroline K's innovative spirit and her enduring influence on ambient, dark ambient, and electronic music. This brilliant trip into experimental ambience will impress everyone from soundtrack lovers to those who are into darker electronics.
Review: Imagine a world where the pioneers of hip-hop and electro reign supreme, their sounds echoing through the neon-lit streets of a futuristic metropolis. This is the world that Clipping creates, their music a heady blend of gritty beats, razor-sharp rhymes and dystopian soundscapes. 'Dominator' and 'Change the Channel' set the tone with their raw energy and infectious hooks, while 'Run It' and 'Go' showcase the group's lyrical dexterity and knack for crafting intricate rhymes that weave tales of technology, alienation and social unrest. Collaborations with Aesop Rock, Nels Cline and Cartel Madras add further depth and dimension to the album's sonic tapestry, each artist bringing their unique flavour to the mix. Tracks like 'Simple Degradation' and 'Mood Organ' delve into the darker corners of this dystopian world, exploring the anxieties and uncertainties of a future dominated by technology. It's not for the faint of heart, but it is a thrilling ride through a world of futuristic sounds and thought-provoking lyrics.
Review: Fresh from releasing a swathe of conceptual full-lengths, Los Angeles threesome Clipping have returned to their hip-hop roots via a mixtape style album reflective of their hip-hop roots. Of course, this is not hip-hop in the classical sense. According to the accompany sleeve notes, Dead Channel Sky is a collection of cuts focused on the present, dually inspired by the histories of cyberpunk and hip-hop. In practice, that means fast-flowing and lyrically dextrous rhymes, of course, but also beats that variously sample, chop up or reference everything from 90s rave classics, the rock-rave big beat antics of the Prodigy and Nine Inch Nails stail industrial grit, to TB-303-laden acid house, the dark and doomy trip-hop of Mezzanine-era Massive Attack, drum and bass and experimental electronica.
Review: For its 30th release, Persephonic Sirens has this arresting new album from Codex Empire across four sides of vinyl. It explores a brave new techno world where dystopian nightmares collide with club-ready grooves and textural synth work defines each track. 'With Fire I Carve' is a blistering sound with nervy, edgy synth tension, 'Alsatia The Lower' is a hard techno monster with screwy synths and flat-footed drums and 'Transient Phantom' is a tunnelling sound with stark sound designs and an atmosphere that is pregnant with darkness and unease.
Moon's Milk Or Under An Unquiet Skull (part 1) (8:07)
Moon's Milk Or Under An Unquiet Skull (part 2) (7:56)
Bee Stings (4:51)
Glowworms/Waveforms (5:42)
Summer Substructures (5:04)
A Warning From The Sun (For Fritz) (8:02)
Regel (1:15)
Rosa Decidua (4:53)
Switches (4:43)
The Auto-Asphyxiating Hierophant (5:57)
Amethyst Deceivers (6:17)
A White Rainbow (8:51)
North (3:48)
Magnetic North (7:23)
Christmas Is Now Drawing Near (4:57)
Copal (16:45)
Bankside (6:48)
The Coppice Meat (10:48)
U Pel (Incense Offering) (12:33)
Review: Originally released as a double CD in 2002, Moon's Milk (In Four Phases) is a collection of four EPs Coil issued seasonally in 1998 via their Eskaton imprint. Featuring John Balance, Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson, Drew McDowall, and William Breeze, it was recorded in their Chiswick, London home studio before they relocated to Weston-Super-Mare. This pivotal work has long been considered a high point in Coil's discography, though it was never reissued or pressed on vinyl at the time. Arranged around the equinoxes and solstices, Moon's Milk captures Coil's deep dive into improvisation, ritualistic sound design and mystical atmospheres and stands proud as a testament to their individuality.
Review: As we hapless reviewers make our way through these five new experimental LPs by Current 93, we cannot help but feel increasing torment and terror at the figures portrayed on the front covers of each record: hand-painted by David Tibet himself (the artist has increasingly indulged such formal solo trend-buckings through his own Cashen's Gap imprint in recent years) they appear like sleep paralytic demons or the ghosts of cancelled English folk yore. All the records are apparently ritually connected to a recent string of live appearances between London and Hastings, and Tibet's penchant for demonologic peerage titles such as GreenSleeve Drakon and Gnostic Sketch - blurring a sense of self-referentiality and occult otherworldliness - leave us bewildered and slack-jawed.
Review: Dawn Yawns is one of five new 12" records released at the same time, documenting one or two - if not more - furtive live sets performed by Current 93 (David Tibet) between London and Hastings in early 2025. On this quintet of new transmissions, dream and daylight are heard in grisly merger, on the back of an umbral awakening from a polar slumber, where the blood moon never sets, known to C93 fans only as the "Menstrual Night". Be warned, however, these eerie recordings have a sure capacity to mark the soul in unprecedented ways.
Review: English experimental group, Current 93, was founded in 1982 by David Tibet and set out to explore industrial music with abrasive tape loops, droning noises and distorted vocals. As Real As ScareCrows is a haunting new chapter in Tibet's arcane vision, and it was released alongside four other LPs to mark recent Channellings in London and Hastings. Ritualistic and esoteric, the album feels like a spectral transmission or "ScareCrow scaring crows away after Menstrual Night," as Tibet describes it. It's a deeply unsettling and bleakly poetic work that is unmistakably C93 in its mood and mystique. Each copy includes a signed risograph print of Tibet's painting, making it as much an art object as a musical release. A beautifully eerie offering from one of Britain's most enduring and enigmatic cult acts.
Review: Moony Tunes is one of five new 12" LPs recently unveiled by David Tibet aka. Current 93, mad witch doctor of the post-80s industrial continuum. An ever-morphing project, Current 93 always implies motifs of apocalyptic folk, dream logic, and esoteric revelations, and this volume, subtitled Preparing To Sleep In Menstrual Night, feels like a whispered dispatch from the edge of sleep and symbol. True to C93's nature, it resists easy description, lullabying eerily through hoveringly attentive drones and spellcasting vocals. Each pressing includes a riso print of Tibet's painting Moony Toons, hand-signed in pencil, thus hand-stamping an album best received as a kind of ritual, and shaped by the occult aurae of Tibet's performances in London and Hastings earlier this year.
Review: Another of five LPs by Current 93 (David Tibet) through his own audio-esoterica label Cashen's Gap, this brilliant yellow and green hued LP nods to the universally recognised colour of earth-ground wire, and comes in the wake of a recent two part set of "channellings" (live performances) in both London and Hastings. As ever, Tibet steers the dream ship through surreal poetics and creaking soundscapes, and offers us a risograph print of his artwork, titled MayBe Skeletal RainBow, or perhaps Building The RainBow PainBow Preparing For Menstrual Night (we're not sure).
The Mystical Body Of Christ In Chorazaim (The Great In The Small) (19:49)
Review: The reissue of Current 93's Nature Unveiled brings back an iconic album that first captivated listeners with its avant-garde sound. This album features two striking tracks: 'Ach Golgotha (Maldoror Is Dead)' and 'The Mystical Body Of Christ In Chorazaim (The Great In The Small).' 'Ach Golgotha (Maldoror Is Dead)' stands out as an irreverent celebration of orthodox liturgical rites, inspired by the demon Maldoror, a creation of French poet Lautreamont. This track, with its dark and mystical aura, reflects the early influences on Tibet, including the magician Aleister Crowley. Fans appreciate the eerie and otherworldly appeal of this piece, which retains its power and impact decades later. 'The Mystical Body Of Christ In Chorazaim (The Great In The Small)' complements the first track with its own haunting soundscapes. The album's ability to transport listeners to a realm of fantastic nightmares underscores Current 93's lasting influence in the experimental music scene. Pressed on picture disc, this version is extra special for collectors who look for unique music and packaging.
Review: Current 93's latest album, Sketches of My Nightmares, is a collection of fractured musical scribblings that evoke a sense of dreamlike wonder and disorientation. The album is a tapestry of skittering sounds, strange tape loops, and other outlandish noises that weave together to create a haunting and evocative atmosphere. One of the highlights of Sketches of My Nightmares is Tibet's haunting vocals. His voice is both ethereal and powerful, conveying a sense of vulnerability and longing. The lyrics, which are often cryptic and enigmatic, add to the album's dreamlike quality. Overall, Sketches of My Nightmares is a masterpiece of avant-garde music. It is a record that is both challenging and rewarding, and one that will leave a lasting impression on the listener.
Christus Christus (The Shells Have Cracked) (9:46)
Falling Back In Fields Of Rape (8:00)
From Broken Cross, Locusts (4:42)
Raio No Terrasu (Jesus Wept) (5:44)
St Peter's Keys All Bloody (11:17)
Review: Embarking on a series of new Current 93 reissues via his own label Cashen's Gap, David Tibet here reminisces on the very second LP to be released under the moniker, Dogs Blood Rising. Said to have been "reeling in the weeks - which felt like years - after my first Current 93 album, I had started on the difficult second album" (Dogs Blood Rising) after "having been asked to appear on both Top Of The Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test 93 times in the same week". Cult mythologising aside, this five-track sonic gorgonesquerie is a fantastic primer in early occult industrial music, leading on the iconoclastic canto 'Christus Christus' and ending on the chamber-effected monologue 'St. Peters Keys All Bloody'. The songs cast implicit scorn on the popular imaginaria that insist that heaven and hell are divided; Tibet is keen to collapse them into one, devising a new sonic eschatology all unto his own.
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