ECHOLOGIST - Storming Heaven LR - Prologue

A diamond in the rough, Echologist aka Brendon Moeller, is undoubtedly one of the most prolific and hard working techno artists in the world. His output has certainly left its trademark on the electronic music world. His 10th album, ‘Storming Heaven’ is a unique sound experience that is flooded with deep emotion. Prologue as a label are always in the pursuit for new and inspired electronic music and this album is no exception. ‘Storming Heaven’ is a fully immersive experience that aims to explore the sonic depths and worlds of synthetic sound that will resonate on many levels. Brendon's intention for the album was to push himself beyond his comfort zone, beyond his previous work, to create an album with a distinct and unique voice. While it reflects ideas from composers that inspired him, he has attempted to personalize and interpret these influences, creating something idiosyncratic and nostalgic. ‘The Frequency Of Love’, the first track shows us what humans can do with machines, and the perfect way to start a journey into this masterpiece. Prologue present this album to you with pride and excitement - dive in and enjoy the sound of an artist in full bloom.


Tracklist:

01. The Frequency Of Love
02. Next Exit
03. Guilty Pleasures
04. Tricks Of The Shade
05. Storming Heaven
06. Even If And Especially When
07. Deep Fried
08. Lost
09. Down The Rabbit Hole
10. M13 + DPO
11. Stepping Out
12. Goodbye
13. Destabilize (Digital Bonus)
14. 77 (Digital Bonus)

Tale Of Us and Vaal - Concor - Life And Death

After the sensation caused by its last release, Life and Death comes back strong with another battle cry into the darkness. With a prized new member of the family, Vaal, joining forces with a Life and Death mainstay, Tale of Us, the stage is set for another epic EP from the forward thinking label.
On the A side Concor grabs the listener with its immediate sense of urgency and a beckoning, slightly exotic melody. As it slowly twists and turns, moving ever more insistently towards its peak it propels the listener to a distant exotic land, as a throbbing beat and cymbals accentuate and elevate the tension. Already a mainstay of the few DJs lucky enough to get their hands on it early, this is sure to be one that will lodge itself deeply into the collective unconscious as we make the long march thru winter and back to summer again.
Over on the B side comes Seahnak, an equally beautiful piece of music that manages to present its intricate melody without ever letting its energy dip. Gothic and yet regal at the same time, as the lead synth shoots out the gate, it takes us on a surprising journey as it pushes the limits of what we might expect from dance music while raising our expectations of it in the process.

Tracklist:

A - Tale Of Us & Vaal - Concor
B - Vaal - Seahnak

REBOOT - Deep V - Deep Vibes Recordings

Sascha Dive and Christian Schölzel’s Deep Vibes label drops Reboot’s new six-track LP, ‘Deep_V’ – a musical tribute and homage to Frank’s late younger brother who used the moniker - in February 2014.
Reboot AKA Frank Heinrich has appeared across some heavy hitting labels in his time namely, Cadenza, Cocoon Recordings, Moon Harbour and Ricardo Villalobos’ Sei Es Drum, with a steady stream of material being released since his debut single back in 2008.
The album itself was written and worked on all over the world drawing on exclusive field recordings from various locations and finally finished using Frank’s collection of analogue gear back home in his studio in Offenbach, Germany.
The depth to ‘Deep_V’ derives from Heinrich’s polished production ability and curiosity to explore numerous sounds and rhythms from all corners of music - something that has been the keystone behind his familiar tribal and percussive sound throughout his career. ‘Banging Ear Drums’ with its deep afro-futurist groove and South American inspired melodies is the ideal example of Reboot melting down different elements of music into one track with such suave subtlety. Equally ‘Harsh Time For Kids’ infuses a multitude of components throughout a bubbly somewhat house-ier groove with rippling drums and hypnotic beats.
On the duskier side of things ‘Tortoise’ is a long languid cut back affair while ‘How Province Saved The Funk’ is a dark organic exploration through bleeps and whirring atmospherics. ‘Tantric Behaviours’ stands out as a drum heavy piece of work with it’s low-slung sultry beat, along with ‘Che Meloni’(really fun title for all the italians) where Frank develops his distinctive kick patterns into dominance constructing a dynamic record with driving energy.
The six tracks on ‘Deep_V’ are intricately produced compositions, each with a purposeful arrangement – cultivated to simmer on low heat to draw out the delivery of those understated crowning moments that require quality headphones, speakers or a live setting to really appreciate. ‘Deep_V’ is another stellar addition to Reboot’s back catalogue and as expected an incredible body of work.
Reboot’s ‘Deep_V’ is out on Deep Vibes, 3rd February 2014 on CD/LP/Digital formats…



Tracklist LP:

A1 Tortoise
B1 Harsh Time For Kids
C1 Che Meloni
D1 Banging Ear Drums

Tracklist CD:

1. Tortoise
2. Harsh Time For Kids
3. Che Meloni
4. Banging Ear Drums
5. Tantric Behaviours
6. How Province Saved The Funk

MODERN DEEP LEFT QUARTET - Ditch Pig - Wagon Repair Ltd

The Modern Deep Left Quartet is back. Well actually, it never really went away, but due to contractual obligations they had been releasing as Cobblestone Jazz the past few years. So its high time that the projects are re-branded as originally intended, and this release marks that foray into quirky techno and mid tempo goodness.
On the A side we have the synth stab orchestra known as Ditch Pig. It is direct and to the point, pushing onward and upward with a refined relentlessness.
On the flip we first find Harry the Käse Man, a mid-tempo slice of future funk. A chugging beat meets splashes of twanged out blips and quirky pads resulting in a welcome departure from the quartets normal direction.
Rounding out the release on B2 is Silent Samba, a quirky and obtuse groove sprinkled with a little cheekiness and a touch of the abstract. It's a great representation of the odd free form jams the quartet loves to imbibe in.


Tracklist:

A1 - Ditch Pig
B1 - Harry the Käse Man
B2 - Silent Samba

VARIOUS ARTISTS - BPM001 Mixed By Art Department - No. 19 Music

BPM and No.19 Music are proud to announce the release of the first official compilation album from Mexico’s hugely successful annual electronic music festival, compiled & mixed by the one and only Art Department. The compilation is the first chapter in a planned series that will see 2 editions a year from some of the festival’s favourite artists and who better to kick things off than BPM linchpins Art Department, who draw on their close bond with the event to deliver something truly special. Released in late January, the magical selection will showcase the sorts of sounds and styles you will encounter at the much-loved cultural event that is BPM, all expertly mixed by the hugely influential duo of Jonny White & Kenny Glasgow.
The BPM Festival itself has become a go-to place for the finest artists and most clued-up clubbers each New Year. Playing out on Playa Del Carmen’s world-class beaches, it’s a place to relax and recuperate in the company of some of house, techno and electro’s essential artists and has been a key date on the dance music calendar for Art Department & No.19 Music for many years. The mix kicks off with a brace of tracks from German producer Oskar Offerman and sets off a wonderfully deep-seated groove in the process. From there it’s a perfectly programmed and tightly woven selection that touches on deftly tousled house from Deniz Kurtel, tracky tech from Boris Horel and plenty of celestial melodies of the sort that have you looking to the sky. A certain highlight of the mix is the Mind Against 909 Remix of Art Department’s own timeless anthem, ‘Sun Comes UP, whilst other No 19. Music stars such as Eric Volta and Louie Fresco also appear with essential and unique offerings that really stand out. There are also some fine artists from a wider sphere enlisted, namely Canadian techno maestro Mathew Jonson with his excellent remix of VCMG, Swiss men Ripperton and Deetron and Innervisions associate Marcus Worgull. Of course nothing will compare with being at the festival itself, but the captivating BPM001 mixed by Art Department is about as close as you will get to the experience without leaving the comfort of your own hood.

Tracklist

01. Oskar Offerman - You Said Party, I Said Maybe (Dub)
02. Oskar Offerman & Edward - What Have We Become
03. Maher Daniel & Jon Charnis - Lonely Stars In Open Skies (Luca Bacchetti Remix)
04. Tenwalls - Requiem
05. Deetron - Character
06. Deniz Kurtel - Deepression
07. Boris Horel - Wild Combinations
08. Baikal - Why Don't Ya (Ripperton Remix)
09. Louie Fresco - Arabian Sexcapade
10. Art Department - Sun Comes Up (Mind Against 909 Remix)
11. Eric Volta - Love Your Illusion
12. VCMG - Single Blip  (Mathew Jonson Remix)
13. Marcus Worgull & Peter Pardeike - Lenoix
14. Eric Volta featuring Gretz - Blood Burgundy (My Eyes Are Open)

The BPM Festival 2014
January 3 - 12, 2014
Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico
www.thebpmfestival.com

About The BPM Festival

The BPM Festival will make its return to Playa del Carmen, Mexico for the seventh edition on January 3-12, 2014. With the dramatic increase in size and abundance of talent the festival has to offer, BPM has rapidly established itself as an essential music destination on the global festival circuit.  This year’s programming brings over 250+ artists and multiple day & night events throughout the ten-day festival, culminating in what will be the most paramount edition of BPM yet.  Set along the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the turquoise blue waters of the Mayan Riviera and endless stretches of beaches provide the perfect backdrop for the ten-day celebration of dance music in one of the most captivating holiday hotspots on the globe. BPM fans can also take a break from the festivities and enjoy a mixture of activities from water sports and eco tourism, to venturing off the beaten path to explore Mayan ruins and archeological sites. The festival’s locale provides a remarkable opportunity for industry professionals, artists, and dance music enthusiasts alike; to indulge in the finest the scene has to offer.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - I Robots presents The Balance Ep - Opilec Music

Back in July, Balance Recordings boss and deep house pioneer Chez Damier licensed three tracks from Opilec Music to release on vinyl on his own imprint. Now the Opilec Music label is digitally re-releasing the EP with a very special extra track, meaning that I-Robots, Jordan Fields, Federico Gandin and proto-house come Italo disco stalwarts Klein & M.B.O will all appear on the release.
First up is I-Robots – ‘Streets Of Dongguan’ (previously released on We Are Opilec...! Vol.II). This track is inspired and dedicated to Dongguan, Huang Jiang, a city in China where I-Robots has a second home and a daughter called Barbie. It’s a low-slung bit of house funk, with the organic pitter-patter of congas interacting with a dubby bass guitar riff. Over the top are vocals recorded in the street in Huhang Jiang in the summer 2012. The voice is a poor street seller trying to sell insect poisons whilst driving a bicycle and it is a subtle addition that has a big impact.
Next up is Jordan Fields with ‘Pink Lilies’ (taken from the forthcoming Jordan Fields album The Sound Of Chicago 1986-1991 - The Lost Trax, also on this label.) It is a lost track from the late 80s/early 90s and has a classic Dance Mania/Trax sound, with pinging drums and mournful synth lines coming together in raw house fashion.
Then comes Federico Gandin with ‘A Sonic Day On The Milky Way’ (which was first released on his debut album, Legion Of The Lost Dream). Derrick May is a big fan of the album and always plays tracks from it in his DJ sets, as well as recently including one track in his Heartbeat mix compilation. Also I-Robots included two Gandin tracks in his Movement Torino compilations.. The track is a dense bit of house with scattered drums and many different rhythmic elect’s from wooden sounding percussion to glowing synths and it really works listeners into a controlled frenzy in some style.
Finally, the extra special inclusion is Klein & M.B.O. – ‘Last Call’ (I-Robots Reconstruction Take II) which is taken from a forthcoming release that will also include another Reconstruction from I-Robots and an exclusive Gene Hunt Chicago remix as well as a Headman/Robi Insinna rework and the original and unreleased version. This I-Robots Reconstruction is inspired by the early Chicago house sound and comes with rough and ready drums, bleepy, heady melodies and plenty of thick, gravelly baselines. It’s a classic and sympathetic remix that nods its hat to house history at the same time as looking to the future.
Once again this is a carefully considered and hugely cultured package from the ever on point Opilec Music label that offers some essential sounds for fans of proper house music.
The artwork for this release is provided by talented Japanese artist Tamami Saito who is working alongside the label to provide unique covers for a selection of Opilec’s records.


Tracklist:

1. I-Robots – Streets Of Dongguan
2. Jordan Fields – Pink Lilies
3. Federico Gandin – A Sonic Day On The Milky Way
4. Klein & M.B.O. – Last Call (I-Robots Reconstruction Take II)

FABIO MONESI / JORDAN FIELDS - Split Groove Ep Part 3 - Wilson Records

For the third installment from the Wilson Records Split Grooves epic, we see the “new school” of Fabio Monesi featuring the “classic school” of the Chicago house producer Jordan Fields, a guy with a career that was shaped by the early days of breakdancing, boom-boxes, and ’80s house.
Fabio Monesi’s evolution into an artist of his own accord is becoming increasingly more apparent with this all out analog fatale of the old school on the A side ‘Warmest Bump (Hissman mix) and Black Brother’ Two cuts on fresh wax throwing down some ruthless hard hi hattin’ action.
Released on a coloured vinyl, you can’t say we don’t spoil you.

Tracklist:

A1 - Fabio Monesi - The Warmest Bump (Hissman Mix)
A2 - Fabio Monesi - Black Brother
B1 - Jordan Fields - Yeah (1992 Dub)
B2 - Jordan Fields - Feelin Music (1991)

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Selected - Compiled By Fred P - SoulPeople Music

Boards, the newest addition to SoulPeople Music is a space where forward thinking music is encouraged. Curated by Fred himself the sub label already has a couple impressive releases under its belt. These releases are reflections of Fred's ideals prior to becoming a globe trotting selector of some of the finest underground dance music around. In his own words Fred says: "In the early days it was difficult to afford more than one or two records. I would buy compilations because the value was greater and I was exposed to artist that I might not have known about otherwise .When I think of compilations I think of mix the vibe, soul of science, trust the dj and of course dj kicks. I learned a great deal from these series over the years and developed my own ideas based on what I love to hear thus Selected was born."
Keeping with the aesthetic of SPM yet different from Earth Tones, Fred's yearly compilation series, "Selected" focuses purely on the vibration and mood of who's compiling that given project. Fred P naturally takes us on a journey with deep spacey and etheric grooves. From the opening of DeepJust AQuaBeaT Interpretation to the murky dense and electrifying moodiness of Ryo Murakami's Midnight Sun evokes a state of mind for otherworldliness. Yet the journey continues with Lapien's floor pleaser My Obsession and closes with a track from one of Fred's side projects sound destinations.
It's a reshaped dub of a jazz tune entitled N.Y. Based on a video of Fred riding in a cab coming home after a long tour. This tune is surely a high point with depth and feeling completing what is a amazing maiden voyage into new levels of deepness as only captain P can deliver. True to his sound and vision, be it his personal productions, reshapes, collaborative projects, video works and dj sets world wide, Fred present "Selected" with the same mantra;
Peace, love and sound...


Tracklist:

01. - DeepJust AquaBeat - Interpretation
02. - Bassik Grooove - Synthetic Ocean
03. - Bobby O' Donnell - The Shards Of Our Childhood
04. - Ryo Murakami - Midnight Sun
05. - Lapien - My Obsession
06. - We Are MAM - Roots Underground
07. - Orion 70 - Enki
08. - Fred P - Selected Dub

FRANCIS HARRIS - Minutes Of Sleep - Scissor and Thread

On "Minutes of Sleep," Scissor and Thread label founder Francis Harris continues to grapple with the subjects of memory, loss and profound grief that suffused his critically acclaimed debut "Leland" (2012), an album length requiem composed for his father. Writing this time in tribute to his mother who sadly passed the following year, Harris revisits deeply personal territory on "Minutes of Sleep" with newfound perspective, heightened confidence and a markedly refined approach, yielding a noticeably matured and eloquent statement which transcends sorrowful brooding and rumination. It was through recording "Leland" that Harris first broke from his decade long preoccupation with solitary electronic music production. Seeking to infuse his formal compositions with emotional content, Harris employed the singular talents of Danish vocalist Gry Bagøien, trumpeter Greg Paulus (No Regular Play) and cellist Emil Abramyan, each of whom provided truly inspiring passages throughout that album. All three return on "Minutes of Sleep" along with Léah Lazonick on piano, session player Brendan Golle on keys and Harris' childhood mate Gabe Hedrick on guitar. Harris even contributed to the sessions himself with some solid guitar and piano work, evidencing the direction his career has taken since the release of "Leland" and that project's rekindling of his passion for instrumentation, collaboration and performance. Despite the familiar presence of Bagøien's uniquely childlike blues delivery, Paulus' heartbreakingly august trumpet or Abramyan's plaintiff cello, it is the conceptual basis of Harris' songwriting and his emphasis on painstaking production processes that impart "Minutes of Sleep" with structural integrity and aesthetic continuity. Across the ten song opus, Harris works organic and synthetic elements into his compositional framework, relying less than ever on percussive elements to define his moods whilst solidifying his signature blend of house, modern classical, shoe-gaze and noise. Working with engineer Bill Skibbe at the famed Keyclub Recordings on Sly Stone's original Flickinger console, Harris drenches the tracks in analogue effects, adding tape saturation for good measure by running the final mix through a vintage multi-track. The result is a constantly warm yet intense, almost tangible sonic atmosphere that rises and falls subtly like breath with the pacing of the music.


Tracklist:

01. - Hems
02. - Dangerdream
03. - Radiofreeze
04. - Lean Back
05. - You Can Always Leave
06. - Me To Drift
07. - What She Had
08. - Blues News
09. - New Rain
10. - Minutes Of Sleep
11. Dangerdream How Che Guevaras Death and Bob Dylans Life Militarized Brigate Rosse (Terre Thaemlite Remix)

MUNK and REBOLLEDO - Surf Smurf - Gomma Records

The Gomma label has put together a new killer combination for their next EP in the form of Pachanga Boys' Rebolledo and label boss MUNK, and when two freaks like these meet for music the end result is always going to be a magical masterpiece. This pairing might sound unusual to some, but it comes quite naturally given that Rebolledo has been a Munk fan since the beginning, often dropping the label’s records in his sets, whilst Mathias has DJ’ed a lot in Mexico at Rebolledo's club Topaz de Luxe. And so to the music – in their own words, ‘Surf Smurf’ is “a dirty sixties surf rock song gone electronic; like a David Lynch soundtrack for a movie he does in 2030.” There are in fact two versions – one from Munk that is full of dirty rockabilly vibes, whacking great guitar licks and grubby hand claps. It builds a well swung groove and keeps you locked there for almost six minutes as all sorts of drums and electric guitars bursts in and out of the chaotic mix. Full of analogue vibes and charm a plenty, it’s a seriously fun track of the sort DJ Harvey would love.
Rebolledo on the other hand offers a 12-minute dub techno orgy that builds around the basic guitar lick and rattles and ripples in all directions. It’s epic and enthralling, taking you on a real journey via its ramshackle drums and would no doubt perfectly fit into a set from someone like Trentemoller. Finally, ‘Got It Baby’ is warm but dirty, sordid yet sexy with its raw claps, squealing acid and organic piano lines all knotting up with each other before the vocal cries arrive and really set the thing on fire – dancefloors will erupt when this one gets dropped, guaranteed.

Tracklist

1. Surf Smurf (Munk Version)
2. Surf Smurf (Rebolledo Version)
3. Got It Baby (Munk’s Bonus Track)

WILL AZADA - Clichè - CGI Records

After exploring over 6 hours worth of unreleased original material from the relentlessly prolific and ever expanding production catalog of Will Azada, CGI is extremely proud to present these 3 stand-out cuts that represent a depth of production skill and aesthetic range unparalleled in today's over-saturated dance music landscape. Confronting the clichés head-on, Azada breathes new life into tried-and-true templates of jacking, industrial funk and synth-y groovers with his remarkable ear for arrangement and sense of movement, masterfully exploiting the infinitely renewable resource of subtle variations that he continuously unfolds throughout the tracks' durations. The material runs the gamut from the stark, throbbing, industrial workout "The Whip" to the melody-driven, synth-fueled ecstasy of "Michalski's Theme" and the chord-driven, vocal-chopped house of "Cliché." The fact that an EP this unique and diverse can also feel so unified is a testament to the vision on display here.


Tracklist:

01. Clichè
02. Michalski's Theme
03. The Whip

SYNKRO - Lost Here - Apollo Records

Close your eyes and breathe deeply with this one, as Synkro returns for his third release on Apollo with four new productions of affecting, midnight electronica. Joe McBride's ear for inimitable melodies has always fit his intricate percussion patterns like a glove. On the Lost Here EP, however, the Synkro project has been elevated to a new level with subtle flourishes of pop structure and two standout vocal performances by Robert Manos. Lost Here ascends to the clouds, hovering on cavernous chords that wrap Manos' words in a cocoon of eyes-down emotion as scissoring rhythms flit underneath. Touching down again, In My Arms calls on circadian rhythms and oscillating layers of synthesizer to create a dreamlike environment, isolating Manos' song in an antechamber of space and sound. The B side slinks in with a playful bass riff on Nights of Pleasure, underpinning celestial waves of chimes, tones, and chords before Fading Lights suspends each element in zero-gravity as a pure, heat-treated distillation of the Synkro sound.
Although still maintaining a presence in the wider bass music sphere, Synkro showcased his diversity in tempo, structure and new sound with the superlative ‘Reservoir’ bw ‘Just Say’ on Box Clever & ‘Angels VIP’ bw ‘Good Loving’ on Smokin' Sessions. Major support for Synkro music has come from names like dBridge, Instra:mental, ASC, Chris Coco, Giles Peterson, Brendon Moeller, Mary Anne Hobbs, London Electricity, Kasra & many more. This has displayed a maturation of his sound & style, and with material of various tempos scheduled for release on respected labels labels such as Exit, Autonomic, Brownswood Recordings, Blackout Music, Critical, Warm Communications, Pushing Red, Mindset, Box Clever any many more, it has become increasingly obvious that this will be the year when Synkro takes his deserved place amongst the luminaries of the electronic music world. Synkro's musical career has already seen him DJing everywhere from Manchester to Poland, London to Belgium, and Cardiff to the USA, and it is inevitable there will be many more stamps in Synkro's passport by the end of this year as he takes his new sound to the world.


Tracklist:

A1 - Lost Here
A2 - In My Arms
B1 - Nights Of Pleasure
B2 - Fading Lights

Podcast #19 - Alex Dolby

It was May 2002 and Alex Dolby made his entrance on the clubbing scene with "Psiko Garden", his first release, which will become immediatly a worldwide hit. The release attracted attention in no time at all, it become a hit played by famous djs worldwide so that Sasha decided to make a remix.
Alex Dolby began churning out one hit after another, as "Hazy Way" and "Obsessive Sound", up to release his first album, "Psiko Garden", in 2006 on the label Global Underground.
From here on, Alex Dolby has undertaken a complete change music, managing to assert itself and is currently becoming one of the most recognized and talent producers of the scene techno and tech house. He initiated important collaborations with artists such as Timo Maas and Santos, with whom he worked in the label Rockets and Ponies, and its release were published on labels like Viva Music, Bedrock and Cocoon compilation of Adam Beyer.
During this years, Alex Dolby has traveled extensively performing in top clubs of the world: Ministry of Sound London, Dc10 Ibiza, Pacha Buenos Aires, Magazzini Generali Milan, Sazae Osaka, Brancaleone Rome, Cafè D'Anvers Belgium and many others.
2013 is a crucial year for the career of Alex Dolby and January is the month in which his club was opened in Frosinone, Affekt, closely related to the techno sounds.
The artistic program has shown immediately of the highest order, and the club has been able to show for the first time in the history of the area/country, artists such as Norman Nodge, Tommy Four Seven, Shifted, Markantonio, Marco Faraone, Chris Tietjen and Len Faki .
The work of Alex Dolby did not stop here, but wanted to create a label, Affekt Recordings, which rotates 360 degrees around at his club and that embraces fully underground techno sounds.
On Affekt Recordings released two Ep, called Viral Ep and Modular Ep, which were played and supported by artists like Danny Tenaglia, Dave Clark, Ben Sims, Dubfire, Joseph Capriati, Alan Fitzpatrick and many others.
His mind is always looking to create new musical forms, trying to understand and interpret the changing times and with them the musical tastes of people.

Sit back buckle up and listen to this podcast exclusive for our blog.
Enjoy

 

CC / GOLDEN DONNA - CGI001 - CGI Records

CGI Records is proud to present the long overdue vinyl debut of Cc, one of the most talented DJs and producers currently working outside of the limelight. This release follows 'Up Wind', his outstanding 2012 digital EP for JASS, and precedes his forthcoming debut 12” EP for Proper Trax. Designed to appeal to DJs and house fans seeking hard, funky, and effective club weapons, Cc’s sound is informed by years spent honing his skills in clubs in Chicago (as heard on the funky and direct house workout of “Calvino Italo”) and as a resident DJ for No Pain In Pop in London (the UK Garage rhythms adapted to Cc’s own deep and distinct sonic palette on “Shackles”). Cc now holds it down in the Southern states as a resident at Atlanta’s HUNGER club night and Savannah’s Cape Fear. The flip-side of the record contains 2 tracks by Golden Donna, an incredibly unique and talented producer who is following up last year’s stunning debut LP for Not Not Fun with two deep, moving, and melodic cuts of some extremely adventurous and almost ambient electro. Rich, pronounced melodic textures encourage deep introspection as they collide with uncommonly fresh rhythms, making this a workout for the mind as well as the body.
Edition of 500 copies mastered by Dietrich Schoenemann


Tracklist:

01. Cc - Calvino Italo
02. Cc - Shackles
03. Golden Donna - Colditz
04. Golden Donna - Soft Escape II

DEBUKAS - I Am Machinery - 2020 Vision

2020Vision drops the ‘I Am Machinery’ L.P this December by rising British producer Debukas. An
eleven track collection of rich analogue sounds, raw rhythms and cosseting melodies.
‘’He’s a one-man synth orchestra, that Debukas. Those beautiful layers of yearning vocals, the Detroit strings, the coruscating hi-hats and drums that speak of years at the altar of house and techno’s venerated gods. I Am Machinery is somewhat apt. Debukas was born in 2011, though the seeds of it were sewn much earlier. Echoes of its influences go back to Gary Numan singles, teenage forays into the world of Junos and Casios, 808 State and early Warp, Transmat and Metroplex, Arthur Russell and Gino Soccio. It’s all there in the primordial Celtic soup that comprises Debukas. John
Clark was born somewhat earlier. You may or may not have heard about some of his previous exploits. He had a brief dalliance with pop infamy in Japan. There was a series of bands large and small and collaborations so brief John is still not sure they really happened. I Am Machinery is one of the most complete electronic albums you’ll hear this year – or any other, for that matter. Those years spent toiling in bands has given him a mean ear for the killer hook, just as the hours spent in Rubadub Records in Glasgow provided him with the inspiration. This is neither house music not techno, though you can certainly dance to it. Debukas has taken the basic building blocks of those genres and somehow repurposed them to produce music that is vocal-based without featuring formal songs (it feels at times as though he’s sampled himself from some obscure found-sound album). When he hits his stride, you can almost imagine – in some far off, alternative universe, maybe – Debukas on Top Of The Pops performing, say, ‘Some Days’. If you’ve been lucky enough to come across his EPs for 2020Vision, you will have heard and appreciated his unique style; it sounds like nothing else on the roster yet fits perfectly among it all. I Am Machinery is a step further; a step forward. The sound has received a slight polish though one that comes from confidence in a sure direction rather than songs with a needless sheen. And here’s confidence for you, some of the best material from the EPs has been ditched so the album has a flow, as if all of these songs were conceived to only live together communally on I Am Machinery, like brothers and sisters, or even prisoners (of soul).
On ‘Tape Symphony’, one of the newest songs, Debukas woos us with some white soul, edged with those glittery synths and an unrelenting bass figure. ‘Hold Back The Sea’, technically just a simple house groove, is imbued with his trademark multi-layered vocals which rends it startlingly and unintentionally similar to Frankie Goes To Hollywood – bizarrely, I know, but it just totally works. I Am Machinery is that rare thing: a great electronic album. It’s where man meets machinery and they have some right old rumpy-pumpy in front of everyone. This is Debukas’s lovechild. Plug in, tune in, blast off.’’
Debukas’ ‘I Am Machinery’ is out on 2020Vision December 2013.


Tracklist:

1. I Am Machinery
2. Hold Back The Sea
3. How Did You Find Me
4. Shake
5. Love Plant
6. Rings
7. South
8. Minus
9. Knowledge
10. Some Days
11. Tape Symphony

JEROME - CGI002 - CGI Records

Having devoted the better part of two decades tearing apart music from every conceivable angle and putting it back together as only he can, the wanderer also known as JEROME releases his debut EP with CGI Records. Not much is known about this lazy magnet but his sound is indeed magnetic. JEROME has constructed some of the tuffest house abstractions using only what will fit in the backseat of his '81 Rabbit. Huge round bass lines ground the unrestrained dubby house experiments happening around it. By capturing an improvised performance, we are gifted a hypnotic and moving dancefloor experience that only occurs in the heat of the moment. Massive 20+ minute live takes were sent to CGI Records HQ, edited down and the two most powerful cuts were chosen for pressing on this special limited edition hand-stamped white label.


Tracklist:

A1 - 4B
A2 - 5

INDIGO - Storm Ep - Samurai Red Seal

Manchester's Liam Blackburn aka Indigo is an artist devoted to sound and its effects on our lives. Now signed to R&S offshoot 'Apollo', he joins Samurai Red Seal for a guest appearance after his debut for our camp with the popular (and now sold out) 'Reaching The Source' vinyl EP for Samurai Horo and a contribution to our 'Scope' LP, also on Samurai Horo. The 'Storm' EP showcases the focused menace the Indigo style is capable of, with tightly wound musical energy bursting through the cracks on title track 'Storm' and 'Volta'. 'Spirit Of The Winds' (with Versa) lets the energy unwind slightly more with a powerful, but ultimately subtle showcase of breakbeats, while 'Condition' submerges the listener in a sumptuous bed of reverb and production finesse. Now working on his debut LP for Apollo in 2014, the 'Storm' EP is a mouth-watering collection that puts Indigo again at the front of an innovative pack of producers working in and around 170 bpm electronica.


Tracklist:

01. Volta
02. Spirit Of The Winds (Indigo & Versa)
03. Storm
04. Condition

He/aT - A Terrible Misunderstanding - He/aT

“Killer Techno” - Hardwax (on He/aT 001)
He/aT (pronounced “Heat”) is a new project from an established UK producer. This is the second He/aT EP to date, following on from the “A Death In The Family EP” release earlier this summer. Limited to a vinyl-only pressing of 500 (which sold out immediately), it was not repressed, bringing He/aT to the attention of the techno community. “A Terrible Misunderstanding EP” contains 4 tracks of fresh, raw, bass-heavy techno; as tempered and toughened as it is controlled, as melodic as it is intricate. This EP continues to build upon the rich history of proper techno from middle England, and also unfolds the next chapter in the rise of He/aT.


Tracklist:

A1   - A Terrible Misunderstanding 
A2   - In Various States Of Undress

AA1 - We Made Our Excuses And Left
AA2 - For The High Jump

BEN SIMS - Fabric 73 - Fabric Records

 Prolific, eclectic, and always evolving, Ben Sims' name has been synonymous with quality techno for nearly two decades. His enviable career path mirrors the history of twenty years of popular music in the UK, drifting from hip-hop and reggae into the early days of pirate radio, the peak of acid house, and pummeling hardcore. Sims has always been a precocious listener – in his early teens he would DJ his school's disco parties prior to gaining a reputation as an advanced talent on the rave and club circuit – and his experience is reflected in the timelessness of the selections on Fabric 73. Beholden to no specific era or genre beyond the power of their pure transportive grooves, on Fabric 73 Sims showcases the restlessly creative selections that continue to make him an essential and inspiring DJ for advanced techno listeners worldwide. Born in Essex, Sims' childhood was soundtracked by reggae, ska, and radio chart music. After being exposed to electro and hearing local kids dancing to a ghettoblaster in a nearby park, Sims got hooked on hip-hop and bought his first turntable setup at the age of 10. Even now, his DJing is influenced by the sampladelic energy of hip-hop, frenetic cutups plucked from their surroundings and repurposed in enhanced form. The ideal of a swaggering MC and the voice as percussive instrument also remains an influence, evident in his canny deployment of exhilarating microsamples in typically instrumental templates. Fabric 73 is full of this vocal detail, with samples folded, creased, and crammed into the spirited techno in a way that suggests a raucous party inside the tunes themselves, and not just occurring amongst those listening. Sims' molecular mixing has a piercing immediacy that doesn't lose sight of musicality, making for an engrossing and impressively fluid listening experience. Heavily influenced by what Sims calls the “perfect and elusive” environment of Fabric's Room 2, his long-awaited contribution to the Fabric series matches that industrial setting and the depth of experience possible in a dark, sweaty, peaktime room. "Fabric already plays a special role in my life as an DJ as it's one of fave places to play but now the mix CD takes it to the next level. I'm very happy and excited to be a part of the series and cement our relationship further. "
Ben Sims Fabric 73 was mixed live in sections, with Sims then poring over details, adding edits, and stitching the various parts together in Ableton to form a master mix. Sims' longevity reflects familiarity with a vast trove of techno's musical history, but this mix showcases his ever-evolving tastes, containing predominantly new and unreleased material as well as favourites from 2013. Fabric 73 is a cratedigger's dream, with no fewer than eighteen unreleased tracks and a number of Sims' famed edits, used as transitional bridges but delivering an emotional and percussive wallop that far outstrips their simplicity. In an attempt to make initial listens as immediate as possible, Sims has even refrained from playing out certain unreleased tracks until the CD's official release date. The beginning of the mix suggests a hush falling over a packed room, Sims taking the decks to the sound of twinkling arpeggios before catapulting into slinky techno. There is an immediate emphasis on granular shifts in tone and timbre, reflecting Sims' superhuman mixing prowess (the mix was recorded on three Pioneer CDJ2000s). Alden Tyrell's “Wurk It” is a jacking and disorienting early peak along with Sims' forthcoming remix of Floorplan, the alias of techno legend Robert Hood. Sims' world is one where the jittery club workouts of L-Vis 1990 rub comfortably against the psychedelic techno of Truncate, and his own Fokus Group alias project sits sandwiched between an unhinged Surgeon remix and newcomers Clouds. Sims allows the mix to artfully disintegrate and rebuild, delving into percussive detail and chordal warmth rarely heard in such assaultive techno. Taking cues from his heroes Jeff Mills and Robert Hood, Sims' mixing is thrusting and minimal without sacrificing thick detail. The tunes are foreboding but also plain fun, as in Sandrien's snide and funky “I Left My Girlfriend In A Club.” There are numerous spiralling rabbit holes and gnashing elemental minimalism, whether it's the 303 purity in a Sims edit of Donnie Tempo's “Tazmanian Virus” or any variety of disembodied whoops, coughs, come-ons, and other vocal tics. A series of Sims' edits and unreleased originals bring the mix to a storming end, with Paul Woolford's “Broken Dreams” establishing a connection to Fabric's in-house Houndstooth label. Drawing on a rich and unparalleled musical history, Ben Sims' Fabric 73 is as much autobiography as it is vision of an uncompromising musical future.

Tracklist:


01 Joton GS
01 [Mastertraxx]
02 Kryptic Minds & Paul Mac Icon
[Tactical]
03 Kirk Degiorgio Dread
[Machine]
04 Alden Tyrell Wurk
It [Clone Jack For Daze]
05 Ben Sims The
Little Jam (Edit) [Theory]
06 Floorplan Higher
(Ben Sims Remix) [MPlant]
07 Gingy & Bordello All
Day (Robert Hood Remix) [Turbo]
08 Dimi Angélis & Jeroen Search Monopole
(Sims JFF Edit) [A&S]
09 Tripeo Kienokki
(Edit) [Theory]
10 Benjamin Damage Recursion
[50WEAPONS]
11 Ben Sims Raise
Your Hands (Mr G Remix) [Theory]
12 Mark Broom 133
[Beard Man]
13 MDL vs JR Belmont
(Edit) [Theory]
14 Marcel Dettmann Corebox
(James Ruskin Blueprint Mix) [MDR]
15 Mark Ambrose Shooting
Stars (Fokus Group Remix Edit) [Theory]
16 Robert Hood Moveable
Parts (Untitled 1 Mark
Broom Edit) [MPlant]
17 Ben Sims Break
Glass (Sims Remix Edit) [Theory]
18 LVis
1990 SDS5000
[Clone Jack For Daze]
19 Sandrien I
Left My Girlfriend In A Club (Edit) [Theory]
20 J Tijn U
U U [WNCL ]
21 Nphonix Tactix
(Sims JFF Edit) [Audio Culture]
22 Mike Dehnert Eigenzeit
[Fachwerk]
23 Ben Sims Break
Glass (LVis
1990 Dance System Remix Edit) [Theory]
24 LVis
1990 Wires
[Clone Jack For Daze]
25 Donnie Tempo Tazmanian
Virus (Sims JFF Edit) [moreaboutmusic]
26 Chicago Skyway Fall
Down (Sims JFF Edit) [unreleased]
27 Chicago Skyway Ride
3 (Sims JFF Edit) [unreleased]
28 Truncate Room
Mode [Truncate]
29 Truncate Model
1 [Truncate]
30 Paul Mac Grind
Returns (Ritzi Lee Remix) [Stimulus]
31 Ben Sims Samurai
(Edit) [Theory]
32 Julien H Mulder Symmetric
Timeline (Sims JFF Edit) [Färden]
33 Rod 90'
s (Edit) [unreleased]
34 Ben Sims Something
(Sims Beats Mix Edit) [Theory]
35 Terrence Dixon Minimalism
A1 (Ben Klock Remix) [Sino / Technorient]
36 Ø [Phase] Distracted
[Token / N.E.W.S.]
37 Ben Sims Dream
State (Edit) [Theory]
38 Ben Sims Raw
Hide [Theory]
39 Pfirter Ahora
(Sims JFF Edit) [Mindtrip]
40 Ben Sims Neurosis
(Surgeon Remix Edit) [Theory]
41 Clouds Chained
To A Dead Camel [Overlee Assembly]
42 Fokus Group Nut
Nut [Pennyroyal]
43 Ben Sims Joyrider
(Trevino Remix Edit) [Theory]
44 Special Request Broken
Dreams [Houndstooth]

PINK SKULL - Huitlacoche - My Favorite Robot Records

My Favorite Robot serves up another unique and uncompromising release from Pink Skull, this time in the form of an exclusive vinyl release, months ahead of its digital companion. Energetic analogue forms that are simultaneously playful and moody define the sound of their latest full length Huitlacoche.
Huitlacoche, the group's fourth release, sees its first full length foray with a new pared down line up of Julian Grefe, Justin Geller, and Joe Lentini. Days on end spent tethered to their synths have yielded a purely electronic record; in a way, a return to their roots and a serious step forward.
This line-up has recently made waves with their EPs for MFRR, Throne of Blood, and Days of Being Wild, with each garnering attention across the globe.
The title track kicks off with a serious raw groover, whose ticking, machine made percussion lays down a strong foundation for the dance floor whilst the synth frippery completely takes one's mind away to another place.
'Trans Gender Express' continues in the same vein with molten acid lines set off by gentle, ambient synthscapes. 'Perfect Suites' is a deeper, more elastic affair offering up sublime and surreal synth work that conjures up images of otherworldly perfection.
‘Mutant Comfort' is a trippy melodic free-fall and 'Burmese Engines' is a beatless trip through inner space. All of the releases conjure up the ghosts of synth pioneers past, from warm ambient to proto industrial - all the while keeping their attention focused on the future… and it's all hugely captivating.


Tracklist:

A1 - Huitlacoche
A2 - Trans Gender Express
A3 - Perfect Suites
B1 – Ryryryry
B2 - Mutant Comfort
B3 - Burmese Engines

ABSTRAXION - Break Of Lights - Biologic Records

28 year old French producer Harold Boué aka Abstraxion releases his debut LP ‘Break of Lights’ for the label pairing of Biologic/Have A Killer Time in December 2013.
Based in London and Marseille, Abstraxion’s material has so far won plaudits from Erol Alkan, Simian Mobile Disco, James Holden and Caribou’s Dan Snaith. Full of melancholic reveries and hybrid explorations, Break of Lights reveals Abstraxion to be a standout producer and true obsessive to his craft. “The most important thing for me in this record was finding my own sounds and combinations to build a whole new world,” says the producer of his first long player. “I wanted my album to be coherent and reflect what my project is about so that people could get into that timeless spaceship. Break of Lights, consequently, abounds with texturally rich, rapturous gems and thoughtful meditations on the passage of time. Album opener “White Rain,” featuring the whispered vocals of Parisian artist Chloé, winds plaintive guitar around modular synths and Abstraxion’s own ghostly vocalizations. “Moon” bubbles with blinking synths and blip-and-bleep effects that, in a titular nod, flash celestially. “Every Night I’m Lying” marries tremendous beats with gorgeous vocals from Danish singer Astrid Engberg. Possibly the most hypnotic track here, "Around Me," warms with sonorous synths that speak like beautifully indecipherable utterances. And “Les Histoires,” dedicated to the producer’s father, emerges with half-recalled conversations from childhood, then drifts – as if via time – through spectral keyboards that filter past like memories.
Abstraxion co-manage the label Biologic Records with DJ, producer DC Salas. After putting out a series of EPs, he released the singles “Jus Acid” and “Jaipur's Elephant” on Different Records in 2011 and 2012, respectively. He has also released music on Marketing Music. Always a singular character with an ear for sound, he has built a music studio in Marseille with old analogic instruments. He spends his time there making electronic music that is as explorative and organic as possible. “I’ve built a system in my studio where I can spontaneously compose with all my instruments," he says. "That way, in the end, the track has the same warmth of feeling as the room during the recording process itself.”


Tracklist:

01. White Rain feat. Chloé
02. Moon
03. Every Night I'm Lying feat. Astrid Engberg
04. Rising
05. Goodbye
06. Around Me
07. Break Of Lights (Album Version)
08. Yards
09. We Used To
10. Les Histoires

TONY LIONNI - Just A Little More - Madhouse Records

Three years after his debut album, British born producer Tony Lionni is to release his second album, Just A Little More, this time on Kerri Chandler’s hugely influential Madhouse Records.
Lionni’s career dates back to the middle of the last decade, but he has continually served up classic house cuts on labels like Keith Worthy’s Aesthetic Audio, German techno stable Ostgut Ton and Freerange Records. His sound veers from deep and moody techno to more uplifting and piano laced house and that production range and dexterity is something that again characterises all 13 tracks of his exceptional new album.
One single from the album has already been heard on plenty of dancefloors after Chandler first aired it on Radio 1 back in early 2013. That sultry single is ‘Take Me With You’ featuring Rachel Fraser and is one of a few collaborations. Others include the organic deep house and rippling chords of ‘Time Stands Still’ featuring seminal Chicago house vocalist Robert Owens, whilst the elastic beats and twinkly melodies of ‘Do You Believe’ features talented Manchester vocalist Maria Marcial.
Elsewhere on the album Lionni explores hugely musical house sounds with lush sweeping strings on ‘Black Orchid’, jazz tinged and chord laced atmospheres on the mid-tempo delight that is ‘Lost Souls’ and more driven beats on tracks like ‘When 2 R In Love’.
Of course as well as offering plenty of great material for DJs, this is an album so musical and carefully thought out it also works on headphones and at home. This is an album that makes you feel good without resorting to the usual tired tropes, and retains plenty of class from start to finish. Few people are making house music as emotionally honest and artistically accomplished as this nowadays, but once again Lionni proves he is a master of his form.


Tracklist:

1. Just A Little More
2. Black Orchid
3. Time Stands Still (feat. Robert Owens)
4. Take Me With You (feat. Rachel Fraser)
5. Lost Souls
6. Keep Me Hanging On
7. Can’t Help Myself
8. Don’t Let Go
9. Do You Believe (feat Maria Marcial)
10. Shelter From The Rain
11. When 2 R In Love (Deluxe Digital Only)
12. Shining Bright (Deluxe Digital Only)
13. Positive Vibration (Deluxe Digital Only)

NINA KRAVIZ - MR Jones - Rekids

Nina Kraviz returns to Rekids with her first release of original material since 2012's self-titled debut album. The Mr Jones EP sees her unveiling material originally made in 2008 - presented on the digital release in original and updated 2013 versions - alongside brand new productions and a collaboration with Detroit's Luke Hess, offering a great way to hear how the the producer's music has evolved over time. The Mr Jones EP features some of my very first tracks and brand new ones: 'Mr Jones' is about a person who is always looking for truth around him and brave enough to always say what he thinks - it was originally made in Moscow in 2008, which I revisited this year and now releasing as both a new 2013 version, with the untouched 2008 version featured on the digital release known as the 'Home Listening Mix', for which I think it is better suited. It was made by a combination of my vocals recorded in real time over a few takes, which then went through different FX, tones and machines to create a kind of voodoo feeling that was unique to the very special Moscow morning on which it was recorded.
'Sheer' is one of my first approaches to making a techno track in 2008. All the vocals featured are my own - I made a few different mixdowns of the track, one of which is available on the digital release with a different structure and mastering. 'Black White' is another earlier track: a stranger-sounding one I began making in a Miami hotel room some time ago - maybe some of that scenario has made it into the track... 'Desire' and 'Remember' are brand new tracks: 'Desire' was freshly made in my Berlin studio one month ago, while 'Remember' is my collaboration with Luke Hess, produced and recorded by us both in Luke's Detroit studio earlier this year, where I convinced him to get on the mic too - it's inspired by a very old poem and about very deep true feelings of one person to another, and a moment when one suddenly forgets the other...


Tracklist:

01: Desire
02: Mr Jones (Original 2008 Home Listening Mix)
03: Mr Jones (Mix 1)
04: Mr Jones (Mix 2)
05: Remember (Epic Moment Mix) [*With Luke Hess]
06: Remember [*With Luke Hess]
07: Black White
08: So Wrong
09: Sheer
10: Sheer (Too Much Going On Neurotic Mix)

BOOT and TAX - Acido EP - Optimo Trax

The next two Optimo Trax releases are from Milan. This first one is four HOT tracks from two self-effacing Milanese maestros. "Acido" is already shaping up to be a club classic and never fails to cause a commotion; it has been thoroughly road tested throughout summer 2013. The other tracks cover all idiosyncratic bases from high grade Sleaze Funk to Spaghetti Western infused low slung house.


Tracklist:

A1 - Acido
A2 - Egon

AA1 - The Simone
AA2 - Comprendes

TRUS'ME - Somebody (Mosca Remix) - Prime Numbers

Prime Numbers highlight the most hyped Trus'me track from his 'Treat Me Right' album released earlier this year. 'Somebody' is an insistent, throbbing production championed by many a dj in 2013 including Daniel Bell, MCDE, Deetron, Ben Klock, Bicep, Nina Kraviz & Guy Gerber.
Hypnotic acid bass pulses under shifting cymbals & claps with jacked-up, penetrating snare breakdowns. Simple, classic & effective.
Following his recent excursion on the Ann Aimee imprint Mosca remixes for the flip. Dropping the tempo he indulges in a smouldering bass heavy affair, stripping the minimal original even further back & subtly crafting the parts to create a spacious, heads- down groove.
A masterful rework.


Tracklist:

 A1 - TRUS'ME - Somebody (Original)
 B1 - TRUS'ME - Somebody (Mosca Remix)

DUSTY KID - III - Isolade

Dusty Kid's third album is a cinematic experience of almost 2 hours listening conceived as a single piece of music, like a wall of bricks that strictly belong to each other to give the whole album a well defined story. The album, mixed by using few different vintage consoles and recording everything on a reel-to-reel tape in order to get a more alive and lofi result, moves towards a very underground feeling. There are no easy-listening melodies (don't expect in fact any "America" or "Lynchesque", any "Kore" or "Chentu Mizas") but it rather sounds like a saga of dirty, confused, delirious, sometimes bizzare and ridiculous, very dark techno moments.
"III" might remind of a noir-horror-fantasy movie to watch with eyes closed and where the listener is the main character who can play like in a 'shoot-em-up game made of many levels. The sinister calm of the opening, made of the leftfield acid ambient landscapes and industrial noises of the first 4 tracks, preannounces that something is going to happen and leads the listener into a further level of the game where entrance is initially restrained by a man at the door "He Won't Let You In".
Once got through listener is taken onto a further level and enters the "Leather Bears Cinematic Suite". The 5-tracks "suite" is a deep journey into the 90's techno with its first track "Doom" being an almost metallurgical hell as the listener climbs the stairs that will lead him into the main scene. From now on what the listener will see is just what he would expect to see there...the title of the "suite" says it all! "Pandemonium" and "Dark Room" really seem to drive the listener inside a wonderfully painted idea of what's going on in there.
As the listener takes the "Exit 12", that with its lofi and dark mix perfectly describes the feeling after a night spent in the "suite" and echoes of "Flashback" from the previous night still echoing in his confused and distorted mind, the journey goes even more deeply into the 90's techno. "Yota Wave" is in fact a skillfully grotesque recreation of a futuristic techno trance experimentalism of the early Plus 8 Records. Level after level listener goes on in the game and while "In The Wood" sounds like a track recorded from the radio with a poor quality cassette, the triad "Prelude"-"Omega Y" and "Omega X" just seems to be a track coming out from another track which comes from another track like in a concentric way. "Escape" follows in the same key as the previous triad with a flying ethereal athmosphere followed by a massive tribal anthem as "Idklip" explodes while the listener approaches the final level of the game. "Ending", a simple pronounced piano note that lays on a tender carpet of soffused strings and far reverbs leads the listener to the light at the end of this journey.


Tracklist:

01. Crepuscolaris
02. Far
03. Sandalyon
04. Raww Oohmm
05. He Won't Let You In
06. Level I : Doom
07. Level II : Flames
08. Level III : Pandemonium
09. Level IV : Darkroom
10. Level V : Exit 12
11. Flashback
12. Yota Wave
13. Antares
14. In The Wood
15. Prelude
16. Omega Y
17. Omega X
18. Escape
19. Idklip
20. Ending

OM UNIT - Threads - Civil Music

Threads is the debut album from London producer Om Unit,  released on Civil Music in October 2013. While this is a debut full length for Om Unit, real name Jim Coles, it is in fact the producer’s fourth studio album, following from work in the 2000s under the name 2tall. Having reset the clock on his artistic output in 2010, Coles has spent the past three years refining a unique sound as Om Unit via collaborations with Machinedrum on Planet Mu, releases on Goldie’s Metalheadz, dBridge’s Exit Records and Civil Music, his own Cosmic Bridge label and the short-lived Phillip D. Kick alias that fleshed out the links between Chicago’s footwork, jungle and slow/fast. The confluence of all this work takes full flight on Threads. Across its fifteen tracks Threads articulates Om Unit’s musical journey from his beginnings to the present. It references his hip hop background, in the swung out, hypnotic headnod of ‘Wall of Light’ and the positive message of ‘Just Sayin’’, a collaboration with the mysterious Gone The Hero, (who will be stepping out of the shadows on Jneiro Jarel’s Label Who imprint in 2014,) and touches on the music that has impacted him in recent years such as dubstep, the bassweight of which anchors the album. Dubstep’s influence is most obvious in the eyes-down roller ‘Nagual’ and the deeply emotive ‘The Silence’ featuring vocalist Jinadu. There are also hints of slow-mo house’s chug, a sound Coles first experimented with upon taking the Om Unit name. It’s this slow groove that drives the spellbinding ‘Patients’ featuring Young Echo’s MC Jabu, who gives life to the beat with poetic raps, and it’s also central to the 2013 reworking of ‘The Corridor’, a track from the first Om Unit release. Here Coles slows the original’s key elements down even further while managing to keep all the slow moving, hypnotic magic of the original. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the album is grounded in Coles’ junglistic roots, a relationship that has driven much of his recent output and DJ work. Here it takes on its most refined form yet, equally apparent throughout but obviously manifested on the most dancefloor friendly tracks: ‘Jaguar’, ‘Wicker and Pearl’ and ‘Governer’s Bay’. These three tracks close the album but not before one more parting shot, the deeply meaningful ‘The Road’ featuring London’s urban poet, and legend, Charlie Dark. A key part of the Threads experience is how the tracklisting presents the music, balancing introspective and energetic moments, instrumental and vocal. While stand out moments can be picked, as they are sure to, Threads is an album that works best when the listener lets him or herself be guided by its creator. It is perhaps cliché for a label to claim that their next release is a standout, or even a classic, record yet Coles’ maturation as a producer over the past decade has allowed him to synthesize all these influences and references into something coherent and unique that takes the listener on a personal yet accessible journey. As such Threads truly feels like it has that classic potential. “The road is selfish and the road can be hard, the road can be long, the road can be far / The road will mean struggle, the road will leave scars, the road requires wisdom, the road requires truth / The road will never care about the fire in the booth” – Charlie Dark, from Om Unit - Threads LP, track 15 ‘The Road’


Tracklist:

01. Folding Shadows
02. The Silence
03. Healing Rain
04. Jus Sayin'
05. Drift Interlude
06. Reverse Logic
07. Corridor 2013
08. Nagual
09. Patients
10. Deep Sea Pyramid
11. Wall Of Light
12. Jaguar
13. Wicker And Pearl
14. Governer's Bay
15. The Road

SHIFTED - Under A Single Banner LR - Bed Of Nails

It’s been a busy couple of years for the producer behind the Shifted project. On top of an extremely well received album for the Mote Evolver label, the producer has edged further out into the fringes of electronic music under a number of aliases, taking in noise/ambient variants as ‘Covered in Sand’, as well as more distorted, technofied productions under the Alexander Lewis moniker, a sound described by the Blackest Ever Black label as “S-M Techno”.
His new album as Shifted, ‘Under a Single Banner’ finds the producer converging these strands into a lucid re- imagining of Techno, starting off from the toughened, purist templates honed down by the likes of Sandwell District and Marcel Dettmann, and stretching out into more textured, sometimes noisy, often introverted and melancholy signatures.
It’s a perfect fit for Bed of Nails, a label that’s given a platform for the more direct dance-floor mutations of Dominick Fernow’s own productions as Vatican Shadow, Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement and Christian Cosmos, as well as familiar Hospital Productions affiliates such as Kris Lapke under the ‘Bronze Age’ guise.
There’s a rich and earthy warmth to ‘Under a Single Banner’ that’s perhaps at odds with the puerile fixation on all things noisey at the fringes of Techno these days, but for the most part, the tension and momentum keeps the album definitively aimed at the floor without ever resting on its laurels.


Tracklist:

01. Core Of Stone
02. Chrome, Canopy & Bursting Heart
03. Suspended Inside
04. Under A Single Banner
05. Burning Tyres
06. Pulse Incomplete
07. Contract 0
08. Story Of Aurea
09. Wash Over Me