Review: Artificial Owl Recordings welcomes aboard New Yorkers Satoshi Tomiie and Naotake Gunji for the label's fifth release; a recording of their collaborative A_A project and live show, which first came to light at the Fridman Gallery in Manhattan. A_A, an ongoing audio project, explores the visceral tension between floor-centric ambient electronica and improvised sound/audio performance. Here, found and object-activated sounds fire a collective dub trigger, producing a distinctly somatic regrounding across five original works.
Review: A aka Mika Vainio's 'Fermionit' is a significant release from the late Finnish producer, who passed away in 2017. Originally featured in a Belgium Detuned 6x12 boxset just before his death, the track received critical acclaim from collectors and fans. Now, it returns to Mika's own Sahko label for a well-deserved 12" release. 'Fermionit' embodies the essence of Finnish techno with its minimalistic, cold and stark sound. The track's passive-aggressive edge showcases Vainio's signature style, blending raw, unfiltered textures with a profound sense of depth. This release not only honors Vainio's legacy but also offers a chance for new listeners to experience the pure DNA of Finnish techno. An essential listen for fans of minimalist and avant-garde electronic music.
Review: Basel-based experimental labels Amenthia Recordings and A Walking Contradiction join forces for their first collaborative release here in the form of the Flash Crash/Hack Crash EP. Both labels are known for pushing boundaries within their close-knit creative circles and this one features Agonis' heavy stepper and Konduku's whirlpool of low frequencies on the Amenthia side, while Lemont continues the low-end, tripped-out vibe. Varuna represents A Walking Contradiction and delivers swampy, slow-motion sounds in their signature style. This release embodies both labels' commitment to daring, unconventional electronic sounds.
Review: The Alex Santos Orchestra is a self-described "orchestra" orchestrated for the express purpose of sanctifying one Alex Santos' lifelong love for jazz and Latin music. Following the much loved 'Alex Santos Y Su Orquesta', 2021's next step in Latinizing said quasi-conceptual ensemble, we've now landed in the project's live ambit. 'The Alex Santos Orchestra On Tour' captures just two live highlights from a much more recent outing (given the mystification surrounding the project, this may or may not have happened). Whatever the case, these recordings span both potentialities, retaining something of a highly-strung Hammond organ come upfront-drumkit drama on the B-side, 'Mr Clean', and an equally stirring version of the main theme from 'The Godfather' on the A.
Review: After years in the vault, Andrea & Alexander are now set to shine in the real world once more. This nostalgic project founded by Andrea Noce and Alexander Arpeggio in 2014 was revitalised in 2023. Initially a live setup of synths and drum machines, it evolved into a collection of songs with minimal-wave grooves and haunting lyrics in English and German, kinda reminiscent of Siouxsie Sioux and Gudrun Gut. Following a breakup, both pursued solo careers, with Andrea releasing music internationally and Alexander launching a label. Now, their timeless recordings have come back to public attention and arrive in the form of this vibrant album.
Review: Asymetric80 is a really versatile producer. He's proven that with several fresh EPs in recent years on a range of different labels and they have explored everything from menacing electro to dark techno via industrial and noise. This new outing on Oraculo somewhat blends all that together into something new and fresh. 'Rara Avis' opens with stomping drums and EBM synths, 'Instant Manifesto' is a metallic techno workout and 'Plenary Indulgence' layers up scuzzy noise and gothic designs into something stark and strobe-lit. 'Innocent Stigmanta' and 'Internal Tears' bring more late night terror.
Review: Few artists have had such a global impact on electronic music than Thomas Bangalter, the legendary DJ, producer and songwriter who is best known as one-half of the former dance titans Daft Punk. He has many more skills up his sleeve though as he has proven since leading the duo. One is writing soundtracks such as this one, Chiroptera, for Acte 2: Retour a la Caverne, which was a JR creation with choreography from Damien Jalet. It was performed in Paris in front of the Opera de Paris (Opera Garnier) on November 12th, 2023 and involved more than 150 dancers. You can now relive it musically with this limited 12".
Review: The icy techno sounds of Cologne's Barnt make their way across Europe here to Studio Barnhus's Swedish bunker. Across five fresh cuts, he brings plenty of experimental flair but also some playful rhythms to a forward-thinking EP that sounds like little else. 'Aqua Melopella' is an unsettling opener with glistening synths scurrying like ants over a sparse rhythm, 'Aqua Breeze' establishes a marching beat and 'Aqua Bass' brings twanging synths and frosted loops that keep you on your toes. 'Millennium Silver' is another tune blend of dystopian synth sounds and distorted lines that speak of human destruction and last of all 'Millennium Melopella' offers moments of ambient reflection.
Review: Black Dot lands on Italo Moderni with a cult-futuristic gem, 'Love At Glance', with vocals by Le Chocolat Noir and production acoutrements hardware wizard Christian Kroupa. Three obscure killer-bangers come primed and ready for the future deco dancefloor, ending not least on an epic remix by Marcel Dettmann. But first there's 'Losing Game', across which a self-affirming spoken word narration is heard in full force, followed by 'Obey' and 'Insatiable', the latter of which is an especially excitable hip electro/industrial cut designed to quell excuses and reignite passions.
Review: Cetu Javu's reissue of 'Situations' pays homage to a classic synth-pop gem originally released in 1988. This release features an extended version of the titular track, expanding on its infectious melodies and nostalgic electronic beats. The Razormaid mix, skillfully edited by Joseph Watt, adds a fresh dimension with its sleek production and dynamic arrangements, making it a standout remix for fans and collectors alike. Side-2 treats listeners to Quien La Sabia,' a beloved track from their debut album, showcasing the band's enduring appeal among synth-pop enthusiasts. Overall, this reissue from ZYX Germany underscores Cetu Javu's timeless sound, blending disco influences with distinctive synth-pop aesthetics that continue to resonate decades later.
Review: Marie Davidson's latest single 'Y.A.A.M.' is a poignant critique of power dynamics in the music industry - favouring authenticity and passion in a world that thrives on branding and transactional relationships - out of which the Canadian artist finds fuel to fan the driving flames of existential industrial electro-techno. The track opens with a juddering, in-between-4x4-and-2-step electro beat, which lasts for over a minute before Davidson takes up the mic: "do you follow me?". What ensues is an imperfect list of music industry quibbles, which flow over the monstrously huge backing - "entrepreneurs, influencers, producers, managers / nothing for you and me" - in stark but gallows-comedic contrast to the plea to relocate our arses to the dancefloor. In Davidson's own words, the track was inspired by a haughty, lecturing email from a music industry insider: "I took the opportunity to write down how I felt about the words," she recalls, "and the overall tone of arrogance of what I had just been sent quickly, I found myself having a bit too much fun."
Review: DJ Stingray 313's 'INDUSTRY 4.0' is a contemporary dazzler from the enigmatic techno artist. Seemingly at once a lament of - and an embrace of - the modern manufacturing concepts that impact and even construct humanity's contemporary self-concept, this techniciously high-octane new EP wrenches our modern psyches by the collective ear and abrades it like an existential rasp. 'Large Language Model' pummels our sono-somas with jagged electrobass hellpits and the occasional robotic voice interjection - "machine learning" - while the second act, 'Multi Functional Robotics' and 'Sensor Data', moves even less predictably, exuding aneurysms of wonky mindmelt toplines turned assembly lines gone maliciously sentient turned rogue. The music plays back like a forbidden dossier of infohazards; terrifying AI trade secrets you weren't meant to see or hear.
Review: The artist himself admits that The Glory Days EP marks a new era for Alan Johnson after a decade of sporadic releases. Building on last year's Stillness EP, this release features entirely new music which has been made over the past two years as the creative process has been refined and moved towards a simpler storytelling approach. Assembled for the YUKU label, the EP showcases a shift in sound that blends past influences with new experimentation and danceable, glossy playfulness. Divided into two distinct moods, it reflects both a nod to a chaotic past and a glimpse into the future with earthed low ends and kinetic rhythms run through with fizzy electronics and menacing moods.
Review: KANZ's artist alias, when reversed, becomes ZNAK, meaning "SIGN" in Bulgarian. He hails from Lyulin, a district known for breeding either crime or art, and thankfully Kaloyan embodies the latter. This outing on MELMAK is opened with '25% Personality (with Dickie)' which is deep and atmospheric dub techno. 'Low Orbit' is just as deep but more driving with some pad laced beauty up top, 'Trench Music' then brings frosty Berlin dub techno vibes, 'Dub Tool A' has conscious vocal mutterings and 'Splais' is a slow motion gem for late night contemplation. 'Kopriva (Opa Kanz Rerub)' is a spine-tingling closer with angelic vocals.
Review: Mariachiara Troianiello is the creative mind behind Katatonic Silentio and here she continues to explore spatial and sound design while also blending diverse forms of dub and instinctively weaving stories through her music. Her tracks and live sets are known for their meditative quality, with each transition serving a deeper, intentional purpose. That plays out here on her new EP Axis of Light, on which Troianiello presents five pieces where the drops and transitions flow seamlessly and gradually reveal hidden layers and meanings as the journey unfolds.
Review: It's hard to argue with how much work Koreless, AKA Lewis Roberts, has put into things. Born in Bangor, Wales, but based in Glasgow - currently the most exciting UK city for electronic music production - it took a decade from his debut EP, 4D, to his first album, during which time he participated in the sorely-missed Red Bull Music Academy programme, collaborated with Sampha, performed on Boiler Room TV, embedded himself within the Young Turks camp, wrote with FKA Twigs, and was credited by David Byrne. That's a lot to unpack, so while the bubble wrap is unloaded let's skip to right here, right now. Deceltica is a particularly Koreless collection of tracks, from the opening warning sirens and haunting melodic chimes of 'Seven', to the robot breaks of the title number, and 'Drumhell''s near-reprise of the opening track, a kind of outro to that intro, it's all very good. Then you get fellow Welshman and resident at Manchester's beloved Bakk Heia party, Jorg Kunning, proving why he's up there with the most technically brilliant beat makers.
Review: This is a very special gold vinyl version of the soundtrack for the tokusatsu science fiction superhero television series Spectreman. It ran in the early 70s and had three seasons in all with a cult following who will go nuts to finally have these sounds on wax all these many decades later. It has one Japanese side and one American side and is the work of Ricardo Cruz and Kunio Miyauchi. Instrumentals and the theme song all feature to make this a real retro classic.
Review: Ever reticent contemporary ambient techno artist Nthng shares 'Two People', their latest EP to hit the shelves. Building on their always wordless sound - one native to a certain "mysterious" corner of the techno world, one that implies that words are insufficient in capturing both breadth and depth of sound - 'Two People' is a minimally stirring EP, one that relies on the bare associations of just two visual indicators of theme: snow, unity. Imprinted on the planar white surface shown on the front cover is a lowercase trace of the title track, which, in sound, hears a vocal recollective of a baby's gurgle, and a lonesome pad lilt that only ever so much as teases a movement, ghosted by the absence of (and so haunted by the promise of) a beat. When beats do interpellate the scape, they do with the textural quality of stalactites, breaking and dropping to the floor in step on both 'Echo Trak' and 'In Statik'. Nthng's filtrated percussion and long-release tails serve to dust the surface snow off many ambered, glaciered memories, preserved in the unspelunked caves of an antarctic psyche. Closer 'Don't Be Scared' plods forth, steppers style, with the stridency of an epiphanic polar walkabout, its swells contrasting to the many radiophonic FX peppering the mix: they give the sense of the odd "do you read me?", grounding the far-yonder miracle pads in telecommunicated reassurances from the outpost.
Review: Objekt reintroduces 'Ganzfeld' on his new Kapsela label, marking a decade since its release. The track, originally the B-side to 'Hypnagogia' on Leisure System in 2014, stood out in the electro/IDM landscape with its 147bpm tempo and blend of deep drum patterns and an energetic bass solo. Despite its unconventional speed, 'Ganzfeld' quickly gained recognition, including Resident Advisor's Track of the Year. Ten years on, Objekt's decision to reissue feels well-timed. The musical world has evolved, with genres shifting and new producers expanding on Objekt's work. This reissue presents 'Ganzfeld' to a new generation of listeners. It features remixes that extend the track's scope: Djrum offers a ten-minute multi-genre exploration, Piezo builds tension at 80bpm before doubling the tempo, and Ulla deconstructs the original into an ambient landscape. The reissue of 'Ganzfeld' affirms its ongoing relevance in electro and IDM. These remixes showcase the track's adaptability across different styles and eras. As Objekt launches Kapsela, 'Ganzfeld' serves as a link between his past work and future directions in electronic music.
You Are In The Embrace Of The History (Iti remix) (8:00)
You Are In The Embrace Of The History (Kuniyuki Takahashi remix) (7:19)
Review: Rafet's You Are In The Embrace Of The History is a thought-provoking debut released on Research Records, where Daniel Rafet Grima delves into ambient and drone music with a sense of reverence for ancestral memory. Side-1 begins with the title track, a piece that carries an air of longing and introspection. The atmosphere is rich with layers of ambient sound and chamber music depths. The next song featuring DGrima, adds another dimension with its haunting, immersive quality. On Side-2, Iti's remix introduces a delicate piano melody and a subtle beat, infusing the original with a fresh, creative energy. In contrast, Kuniyuki Takahashi's remix takes a more abstract approach, deconstructing the track into an intriguing exploration of sound and texture. You Are In The Embrace Of The History is a meditative and deeply reflective work that resonates with both beauty and depth.
Review: The celebrated 'Live from Studio S2' performance is now available on vinyl once more featuring all four tracks from the session, including the unreleased 'Hawaii Oslo' and 'Glass'. Premiered on the Gondwana Records YouTube channel back in 2021, this session has since picked up over three million views and captivated fans worldwide in the process. It was recorded this session at the Berlinale Film Festival's EFM sessions in Studio S2 in Warsaw, where Hania Rani had previously recorded for her debut album Esja. The set includes new arrangements of beloved tracks that are all sumptuous and beautiful.
Review: Second Tension invites us into a singular world of industrial tech menace with the new yellow-marbled EP on Persephonic Sirens. Right from the off there is a heavy metal feel with screeched and snarling vocals over screen baselines and flashy trance synths. 'Lust From The Eyes Drips' is lit up with searing laser-like synths over ragged, squared-off drums and bass and 'No Rejoicings Of Joy Shall Ever Be Tasted' is another white knuckle, teeth-gritted stomper. 'Punishments Of Tainted Light' rounds out with more machine gun synths and hellish vocals for a dark and thrilling experience.
Review: The visionary electronic explorer that is Steve Spacek returns with a limited edition 7" release on his new label, SPA. It gets the full treatment with a full picture sleeve and he says there are no plans for a repress so this is your one and only chance to own SPA001. Opener 'Could It Be Your Luv' offers a gentle, soothing half-time rhythm that evokes a love bruk vibe that he says was inspired by the ethereal nights at the legendary Plastic People. The B-side cut 'Dancing In The Light' features a unique clippety-clop, horse-step rhythm that blends a futuristic lovers' rock style with bright synths and bold bass topped with a heartfelt vocal. It's designed for dancefloors that appreciate a one-foot skank.
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