Monday, January 31, 2022
Hidden Intention EP - Anika Kunst (Symbolism)
Title: Hidden Intention EP
Artist: Anika Kunst
Label: Symbolism
Cat Number: SYMDIGI014
Genre: Techno
1: Detox
2: Addictions
3: Hidden Intention
4: No Stress
Anika Kunst is a new name to me, but Symbolism and Ben Sims are not. So I have no sense of trepidation when embarking on this latest listening experience. Having said that, I would still like to be surprised to a certain extent. It has to be said that everything is as it should be. Four tracks of hard edged techno which, in spite of their pace, still have enough funk to fill the void. Clearly taking cues from Mills and Hood respectively; ‘Addictions’ and ‘Hidden Intention’ are crisp, detailed workouts with more than a hint of disorientation. ‘Detox’ does the invertebrate scuttle very well, and ‘No Stress’ is a powerful warp powered drive into a metaphorical black hole.
Sunday, January 30, 2022
Friday, January 28, 2022
Track Of The Day: Don't Scandalise Mine - Sugar Bear (Coslit Records)
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Homegrown Dubs - Bluetrain (Lempuyang)
Title: Homegrown Dubs
Artist: Steve O’Sullivan
Label: Lempuyang
Cat Number: lempuyang01
Genre: Dub Techno
01: Bubble Up
02: Go With The Flow
03: Two Foot Terrorist
04: Straight To The Back
Dub techno doesn’t always hit the spot, and to the untrained ear can seem to be the easy option. In the hands of a virtuoso however, it can elicit hitherto unknown pleasures. Steve O’Sullivan has been at the coalface longer than most and has honed his craft to perfection, so any release of his deserves your attention. This is the first release on a new label named after an area on Bali famous for its temples, monikertastic! ‘Go With The Flow’ and ‘Two Foot Terrorist’ are tracks of uptempo, chasmic excellence. Both have energy and depth to spare, they also both feel very clean and pill friendly. Both ‘Bubble Up’ and ‘Straight To The Back’ are two sides of the same coin; the latter bringing the former up to speed by deploying an energetic pattern of beats to support ominous, razor sharp dub stabs. This is very good indeed and an object lesson in how to speak within more than one dimension using the language of spatial manipulation.
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Monday, January 24, 2022
Hardcore Rubble - Tim Reaper (Sneaker Social Club)
Title: Hardcore & Rubble
Artist: Tim Reaper
Label: Sneaker Social Club
Cat Number: SNKR033
Genre: Hardcore
1: Outer Realms
2: Heavy Duty
3: Agony Tonight
4: Bulletproof
The tunes put out by Sneaker Social Club inhabit more than one parallel world. And this release from Tim Reaper is the soundtrack to the voyage through a black hole. ‘Outer Realms’ is frenetic drum and bass which is elevated from ordinariness by the sheer amount of activity within its grooves. It’s deep, Kuyper Belt madness. ‘Heavy Duty’ initially feels like the score for a fever dream, until it bursts out all guns blazing. ‘Agony Tonight’ provides some much needed levity in the form of an animated hardcore/dancehall rave up, while ‘Bulletproof’ manifests the skittish, cartoon side of hardcore underpinned with multiple low end frequencies. It’s a madly imaginative release that fires on all fronts.
Sunday, January 23, 2022
Saturday, January 22, 2022
Friday, January 21, 2022
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Hurrican Kick - DJ Badshape (Defrostatica Records)
Title: Hurrican Kick
Artist: DJ Badshape
Label: Defrostatica Records
Cat Number: DEFR006
Genre: Techno/Drum & Bass
1: Hurrican Kick (feat. Stormskater)
2: PMS (I am tired)
DJ Badshape and Defrostatica Records are products of ye olde worlde eastern bloc; straight outta Leipzig. Home of Lokomotive, birthplace of Wagner and, on this evidence, determined to make their marks with an uncompromising take on techno and drum and bass. There’s not that much that hasn’t already been done as far as these fraternal genres are concerned. However, Badshape still manages to wring out some original riddims from the sonic mangle. ‘PMS (I Am Tired)’ is a steady stomper which thrusts its way through the rave-soaked nether regions of your mind and carries a melancholic message (I have no idea what is being said throuout though). ‘Hurrican Kick (feat. Stormskater)’ is a sparse drum and bass excursion that features the spoken word imperatives of Stormskater. It whirrs around your mind like a pissed off eagle, until it’s had enough and perches. Both good tunes and fifty shades of black.
