Friday, April 30, 2021
Thursday, April 29, 2021
Sonicus Cronicius Vol 1 - Radioactive Man (Asking For Trouble)
Title: Sonicus Cronicius Vol 1
Artist: Radioactive Man
Label: Asking For Trouble
Cat Number: AFT008
Genre: Electro Live Jams
A1: Unsaid
A2: Born In The USB
Here we have couple of sexy beasts. Both tracks weigh in at a respectable seven minutes each, gave a live feel and still manage to sound impressively synthetic enough to suggest that they are distant enough to have lives of their own. ‘Unsaid’ is a low end throb with a smattering of miscellaneous motifs flung over the top. There are elements of electro, drum and base and hardcore thrown into the mix, and it works very well indeed. ‘Born In The USB’ is a more brooding soundtrack to a drive through decay and unreality. It’s also the best track title of the year so far. Lovely stuff!
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Expression Directe - Maelstrom (Cultivated Electronics)
Title: Expression Directe
Artist: Maelstrom
Label: Cultivated Electronics
Cat Number: CELTD05
Genre: Electronics
A1: Expression Directe
A2: TBX72
B1: Fixed Base Operator
B2: Squawk
A purveyor of fine funk is what Maelstrom is, certainly so on the evidence of this EP. The title track has vocoders, saying something evocative and in European tones. This is always a win in electro circles, even if the tune itself doesn’t evoke Kraftwerk with its deliberate, occasionally fidgety groove. ‘TBX72’ grinds out an industrial electro message with its synthesised skid and overarching and sinister bells, and when it suddenly loosens up just past the mid point everything comes together. ‘Fixed Base Operator’ goes for the funk jugular with emphatic results, while ‘Squawk’ takes things down a notch pace-wise, but ratchets up the intensity. This is an eminently playable EP that covers one of my favourite sectors of the electro spectrum. Which is nice.
Tuesday, April 27, 2021
Espirito - Violet (Naive)
Title: Espirito
Artist: Violet
Label: Naive
Cat Number: NAIVE014
Genre: House
1: Espirito
2: After Forever
3: Psyche
4: Psyche (Eris Drew Remix)
An interesting and varied Ep from Violet which encompasses elements of tribal house, garage, breakbeats and, smothered over the top, a healthy dose of transcendentalism. Both ‘Espirito’ and ‘After Forever’ fall into the tribal category, with the former having a fuller sound than the more minimal, but percussively propelled approach of the latter. Both tunes are devilishly effective though and master builders. ‘Psyche’ goes into more woozy territory, its breakbeats creating tension alongside dense, spaced out rave injections. Eris Drew’s remix is an inventive interpretation which doesn’t stray too far from the intentions of the original, but sees it function on another separate layer of consciousness, reconfiguring it for a parallel world.
Monday, April 26, 2021
Any Port In A Storm
I suppose if I put it down here I’m less likely to forget it. I’m also less likely to do it, according to the rules of “Substitution”. I’ve got to start sometime though, so here we go. I’ve been thinking about writing on the topic of the ubiquity of underground dance music and how necessary it is outside of the club. This is something that I, as someone who doesn’t go to clubs any more, (not necessarily because I don’t want to), but who constantly listen to house and techno, has a big stake in. Is this music so specialised that it greatly depreciates in value when not in its natural setting? Does it have as much relevance when listened to on headphones pottering around the supermarket as in a sweaty warehouse?
It’s often the case that dance music DJs, or artists, will be heard to say that they don’t listen to their product when at home, or not at work. It’s also sometimes perceived that this is mentioned as something derogatory, and presents the music as limited in scope. Listening to music has never been more of an individual activity than since March 2020 and the first COVID lockdown. Clubs, bars and live music venues were amongst the first places to be under the cosh and, at the time of writing this, they still are. This doesn’t seem to have seen a slowdown in underground dance music production though, far from it. The period in question has, on the contrary, seen all relevant genres continuing to flourish and be sold. Bandcamp has played its part with “Bandcamp Fridays” which, on the first Friday of each month eliminates fees typically charged to musicians who sell music on the site. This has seen more punters than normal spending on this day and has, consequently, seen an increase in purchases.
Bandcamp has become a musical oasis. Due to its online presence it probably gets stereotyped as somewhere to buy digital only, but all formats are available on it. It is a particularly good place to pick up vinyl limited editions, as a lot of labels release these on Bandcamp only. Analogical Force is an example of this, making a quickly snapped up coloured vinyl pressing available at the steady pace of once a month. Another label which has profited in this way is Furthur Electronix. This label seems to sell out before its releases are announced due to having a loyal following of vigilant collectors. While most of the music coming out on these labels could be labelled as dance floor friendly, the nature of each release has insured that they are objects of desire in and of themselves.
I have noticed no slowing down in vinyl purchasing since the beginning of the pandemic. (Insert data) However, this could be an illusion. I wait to be corrected.
Nor less activity on social media from artists, promoters, radio or journalists. At the beginning there was some talk of DJs and artists having to change career, and some frank admissions of such things happening. However, records are still coming out, websites are still publishing content and social media is still thriving in spite of the absence of clubs from huge parts of the world. There has obviously been some reconfiguration of priorities, but life seems to be going on outside of the environment for which it was intended.
As already mentioned, I haven’t been clubbing properly for a good few years. However, I couldn’t live without electronic dance music, more specifically house and techno. I listen to it and think about it every day. I write about it a few times a week, (mostly reviews at the moment), for my blog. Something which started to accompany a radio show in 2004. It is incredibly adaptable though. So watch this space.
Sunday, April 25, 2021
Saturday, April 24, 2021
ALFOS EBS 22 - Sean Johnston (23-04-2021)
Tassilo_Vanhœfen_-_Laterna_Magica_(Original_Mix)
Desert feat. Manuel Sirotti (Vocal) Enzo Elia
Eddie C - Dubbing Into Darkness
Statues_-_Lessons_(Coyote_Remix)
Ilya Santana_Undercover girl
Ever Changing Bubbles (Deep88 Dub Mix) DJ Rocca, Leo Almunia
THAT THING MIND FAIR MASTER
Raz & Afla - Benwa Marafi - (Afrozone001)
Serpent Strut (feat. David Harks) (40 Thieves Mix Parts 1 & 2) David Harks, Jack Cutter
Eddie C - Ama Zone [m] 24bit
Alvaro Cabana - We Must To Sail, Sir
Kyle Reinhard Vanbergen, Charlotte C.
The Summerisle Trio Willow's Song
Righteous Red Berets (Luke Vibert Remix) Felix Laband
The Riddle (John Talabot Remix) Silly Boy Blue
Liquid Perception DC Salas
Assimilation (Crooked Man Remix) Róisín Murphy
Beatrice Dahl's Jungle Fever
A Better Way Andy & Sasa
Feels Like Love Lanowa
Jack Butters - Full Panic Mode [Cotton Bud Master]
R _ R Time
Bats (Parissior Remix) Ivan de la Rouch
4.44 (Original Mix) Sau Poler
Mishell_-_Dont_Talk_Boy_(Original_Mix)
Beam Me Up (Kim Ann Foxman's Beam Me To The Basement Mix) Midnight Magic
Mr BC Fleshdance
Dancefloor Dreams - Heidi Hoven
Woolfy vs Projections Graffiti Fonta
Mecca Funk (Dave Aju Remix) Shaboom
Mystic Thug - This Island Earth
Transcendence (Daniel Monaco Remix) Armonics
Unanswered Amtrac, The Juan Maclean
EXPRESSIONS MAX JONES REMIX DID VIRGO
Arco (Danceapella) NY Graffiti
Glok That Time Of Night (Hardway Bros Meet Monkton Uptown)
Juno Cuts A Caper (Original Mix) Lukas Lehmann
Mystic Thug - Mystic Thug
Poison Lips (extended) Vitalic
Breaker (Original Mix) Posthuman
Rockers Revenge and Alan Dixon-Walkin' On Sunshine (Alan Dixon Love Attack Remix)
Been A Long Time (John Course Extended Remix) The Fog
Bowery 559 (Each Other remix) Peter Invasion & Gregor Habicht
You My Love Anushka
Beam Me Up (Prins Thomas Diskomiks) Midnight Magic
Dada Glitter Mameen 3
Beam Me Up (Each Other Remix) Midnight Magic
Skankamode Pim Secle & Pelzensers
Cyence_-_Pulsate_(Original_Mix)
22BB (Original Mix) Jordan Nocturne
Sex Fiend (Pete Herbert Remix) Andy & Sasa
Dj Play My Favourite Song Andy & Sasa
Vice Raxon
MR. TOPHAT_KETAMINE BOOGIE_M
I Rise (Danny Krivit Extended Vocal Dub Edit) Emilie Nana
Kate_Stein_-_Mystic_Saddle_Ranch_(Original_Mix)
Altitude Peter Invasion & Gregor Habicht
Suicidal World (Agents Of Time Remix) Damon Jee
REES - Infant Hercules
Mesopotamia Dea
Philly C Inside (Original Mix) Llewellyn
Make A Wish [m8] Vince Watson
Paradise (Siren Remix) Siren
The Darkness That You Fear (Original Mix) The Chemical Brothers
Panda LA Kena
ALFOS Secret Library Exhibit
Friday, April 23, 2021
All The Bleeps - V/A (Fun In The Murky)
Title: All The Bleeps
Artist: V/A
Label: Fun In The Murky
Cat Number: 500
Genre: Techno
A1: Sane – Anger
A2: Jerome Hill – League Against Jazz
B1: Johan Platt – Forged Jack
B2: Ben Pest – Tilt Lock
C1: Norman Muller – Bamm Im Mond
C2: Luke’s Anger – Sloth Father
D1: Tobias Schmidt – Le Interrupteur
E1: Neil Landstrumm – Cleo Satan
E2: TSR, Kosmonaut J – Can’t Stop Thinking
F1: Joe Farr – To See Her
F2: Paul Birken – Perpendicular Provider
G1: Sugar Experiment Station – Dumbiedykes
G2: Tobias Schmidt – Speak
H1: Joseph Garber – We Not The Wack Yeah
H2: World News – Black Cat
So, having considered myself an electronic music afficianado for such a long time, and having also chaired a radio show myself for a while, I’m ashamed to say that this is the first time I’ve ever come across Bleep Radio and it’s host Trevor Wilkes. This huge compilation is a product of his show. So I’m going to be lazy now and cut and paste the accompanying press:
To coincide with the 500th episode of Bleep Radio, Canadian radio host and dedicated vinyl collector Trevor Wilkes has compiled a 15 track compilation in respect of the artists who feed his inspiration to broadcast weekly and relentlessly for the last 17 years.
“This release isn't just a milestone, it’s an open love letter to all of you whose music I play and will continue to play and support.” - Trevor Wilkes
Since 2003 Trevor Wilkes has been committedly streaming weekly from his techno bunker in Canada - connecting with the European techno scene through mixing his collection of gritty four four. Taking lead from the school of techno set out by Cristian Vogel, Neil Landstrumm and their peers Bleep Radio has been a foundational stronghold for supporting and celebrating wonky techno and it’s diverging parts, with a clear focus on off-kilter, ruff around the edges and hard hitting records. His support for this sound has brought him over to the UK frequently appearing on line ups for Jerome Hill’s institutional Don’t parties.
A self-confessed data geek - since starting the show he has trended his tracklists for some years and used this as the formula to curate this compilation release. Accurately representing the most played throughout the lifespan of Bleep Radio - Bleep500 brings together some of the most accomplished figures in his sound.
Sane, Jerome Hill, Johan Platt, Ben Pest, Norman Müller, Luke’s Anger, Tobias Schmidt, Neil Landstrumm, TSR Feat. Kosmonaut J, JoeFarr, Paul Birken, SES, Tobias Schmidt, Joseph Garber and World News all form the line up for this release sharing previously unreleased tracks.
All The Bleeps will be released as a quad pack 12” vinyl distributed by Vinyl Future. It will also have a limited release sold exclusively by Isope. Limited to 50 this edition will also contain a cassette tape with Bleep 500 tracks mixed by Nox and Cedex, a sticker sheet of graphic artist Ed Twist’s artwork in addition to the vinyl package.
It’s unsung heroes like Trevor, for whom playing this music and curating a show is a massive labour of love, who now need our support more than ever. I’m sure he would welcome this, but I’m also positive that whether he gets it or not, it won’t stop him doing his show and playing the music he loves. This huge compilation has been expertly selected with each track being wonderfully representative of the genre, and speaking as someone who has wanted to get back into the radio game for a while now, it’s inspiring to come across little pockets of resistance like this. I think resistance is an appropriate description because we’ve recently seen with the demise of Trim Sweeney’s ‘Beats In Space’ that specialised stations are fair game for homogenisation and onrushing blandness. There can never be too many stations playing specialist music, and irrespective of the size of their audiences, they all matter.
Thursday, April 22, 2021
The Crescent EP - Ste Roberts (Hypercolour)
Title: The Crescent EP
Artist: Ste Roberts
Label: Hypercolour
Cat Number: HYPE089
Genre: House
1: The Crescent
2: Victor’s Mezcal
3: The Hiding Spot
Releases like this are the backbone of many a set, but they don’t always hit the spot, which I guess is subjective. In any case, ‘The Crescent’ is one of those tracks which is built for easy draping and layering. Throughout its 9 minute length a steady momentum is kept up, alongside an understated funk, the like of which invites embellishment but is also able to maintain its own profile if none is forthcoming. And although ‘Victor’s Mezcal’ is a denser drive, it does something similar except for the breakdown. ‘The Hiding Spot’ marks the almost inevitable appearance of break beats, which isn’t a bad thing when paired with an undulating siren. An understated but very effective release which is definitely more than the sum of its parts.
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Monday, April 19, 2021
The Dark Horse EP - Alphonse (Hypercolour)
Title: The Dark Horse EP
Artist: Alphonse
Label: Hypercolour
Cat Number: HYPE088
Genre: Rave Niches
1: Be There (feat. Be Atwell)
2: Jee Hee Cee
3: D-Scape
4: Universal Luv
What with the current obsession with breakbeats running deep, one is always on the lookout for that certain something. Alphonse, who last saw action on Hypercolour with 2018s ‘Better Weather EP’, shows that he is definitely capable of providing such an experience with this diverse release which artfully caters for a variety of niches that oscillate within a range of associated tropes. ‘D Scape’ is a piece of sublimated acid house; ‘Jee Hee Cee’ and ‘Be There’ both pop from the same pod. The former a sunshine fusion of arching breaks accompanied by synthetic pan pipes, the latter more muscular and soaring. ‘Universal Luv’ rounds off the quartet in the shape of whimsical hardcore drum and bass.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Invisible College - Mr BC (tici taci)
Title: Invisible College
Artist: Mr. BC
Label: tici taci
Cat Number: ticitaci067
Genre: Cross Pollinated Disco Deployment
1: Shabash
2: Sleeping Demon
3: Chutzpah
4: Yen Again
5: Brandolini’s Law
6: Pronghorn
7: Lydian Stingray
8: The Invisible College
9: 313 BC
10: In A Rut
As might be expected, Mr. BC’s debut long player for tici taci stays close to the label’s signature sound. The tracks therein artfully mix a variety of styles: notably Italo, low slung bass driven rock often coupled with the jangle of guitars acid, and an overriding cinematic sense of the idea that it’s on the dance floor where we can best appreciate such sonic gymnastics. The bpms also chug at a pace which allows for more reflective and expressive shape throwing. This is relevant because this is obviously a piece of work that came together over the last 12 months and might not have been properly road tested yet, whatever the intentions of the brains behind it. In any case, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t pass anything thrown at it with flying colours. And I don’t think it loses any of its power simply because I’ve been listening to it sauntering down the aisles of Aldi as opposed to anywhere possibly more appropriate. Is it an album or a collection of tracks is the rhetorical question with considerable mileage in such a context. What is clear is that there is a range of musical dexterity on show, the like of which can only be the result of masterful manipulation by the artist in question. ‘Shabash’ and ‘Sleeping Demon’ are amongst the more driving compositions and kick things off with gusto. ‘Chutzpah’ and ‘Yen Again’ are synthetic disco nirvana and subtle funk minimalism respectively. ‘Pronghorn’ has a post-punk gothic underbelly, ‘313 BC’ is understated acid of the best sort, while ‘In A Rut’ builds on its predecessor’s spaced out textures by protracting the pervasive vibe. My favourite track at the moment though, is ‘Lydian Stingray’, which carries within it such an eighties disco pervasion that I’m really not sure what decade it is anymore. This is, in short, a great piece of work that, were it cross sectioned, would render visible more sonic and stylistic intersections than have actually existed over the last 40 years.
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Monday, April 12, 2021
Rindler Horizon - T/Error (LDI Records)
Title: Rindler Horizon
Artist: T/Error
Label: LDI Records
Cat Number: LDI001
Genre: Electro
A1: Tachyonic Antitelephone
A2: FutureVision
A3: All The Clocks In The World
B1: Gravitational Field
B2: Soylent Green
B3: Ultraviolet Storm Radiations
B4: Rindler Coordinates
The Rindler Horizon is an imaginary zone which inhabits electro’s Kuiper Belt. And within this area there is a strong predilection for the type of sparse machine funk that can both destabilise and drive. The seven tracks here each contribute to soundtracking the listeners out of body experience in this eloquently evoked hinterland which like that which has inspired it, exists only in the minds eye as an unreal and unattainable location beyond what is visible or known. The tracks herein are all great, and combined as a linear listening experience they are even better. I love electro with a concept, no matter how well-worn, and this makes all the right noises at all the right times with dollops of extra-terrestrial menace.
Friday, April 09, 2021
Into The Future EP - Kino Moderno (Saisai)
Title: Into The Future EP
Artist: Kino Moderno
Label: Saisei
Cat Number: SAIS001
Genre: Techno
A1: Into The Future (Original Mix)
A2: Acid Water
B1: Eclipse -Live Mix- (Extended Re-Edit)
B2: The Globe
This is good value. Four tracks of intricate, expansive sound design which cover a wide range of bases and are unified by a subtle syncopation. Start as you mean to go on, even though what I’ve just written might be better placed as a summarising sentence. Electro/breaks make their presence felt on ‘Into The Future (Original Mix)’ and ‘ Acid Water’, the latter with some eponymous flourishes. Both tracks have a dense, richness and a real organic vitality. This feeling spreads across the whole release, endowing it with a lush fluidity. There’s a lot going on here, and great skill in managing to keep it from sounding crowded and over produced. ‘Eclipse -Live Mix- (Extended Re-Edit)’ and ‘The Globe’ each go their own respective ways. The former a lively gallop with spaced-out keys embellishing dampened breakbeats, the latter an almost ambient slowed beat bonanza, dominated by spoken word and a wonky symphonic backing straight out of the golden age of psychedelia. There is so much to like here.
Thursday, April 08, 2021
The Driving Rain - Nico (Midnight Shift)
Title: The Driving Rain
Artist: Nico
Label: Midnight Shift
Cat Number: MNSX022
Genre: Techno
A1: The Driving Rain
A2: Wolfram
B1: Elements
B2: Wolfram (Dub)
This is my first encounter with Nico, aka Nicolas Guerrero a musician from Mexico City, and it’s a favourable one. The music that has herein been composed seems to span a region of subtle frequency modulation, one inhabited by rapid eye movement and intense rhythmic compression. What I specifically like about this release is its concision and consequent poetry. Each individual composition is a rhythmic excursion into a percussive netherworld, the landscape of which adapts to its pwn specific syncopation. ‘Elements’ metamorphosises into occasional unrestraint, but aside from these fleeting glimpses of disorder, the result is a strange blend between tranquility and what lies beneath, perhaps best crystallised on ‘Wolfram (Dub)’.
Wednesday, April 07, 2021
Tuesday, April 06, 2021
Hiber-Nation - Ara-U (No Static/Automatic)
Title: Hiber-Nation EP
Artist: Ara-U
Label: No Static/Automatic
Cat Number: NSA002
Genre: Electro
1: 2028
2: Viral XKP
3: Battle Royale
4: Hiber-Nation
Ara-U’s ‘Hiber-Nation EP’ is comprised of an engaging quartet of tunes which throb, menace and enchant in relatively equal measure. Each composition pulses with analogue energy and evokes its chosen theme dynamically and vividly. I suppose any track called ‘Viral XKP’ is going to be scrutinised more than most, and so it is both by name and nature that this releases best intentions are summarised. There’s a sense of creeping paranoia throughout these grooves which is epitomised by the arching overload flanking the beats on ‘Battle Royale’. ‘2028’ similarly employs dense atmospherics to enhance the threat of the unknown. The title track breaks ranks by sublimating the vibe into an electro sludge. All in all a great EP which carries more than a whiff of UR.
