The 12' you're about to read a few lines about is a laconic introduction to the music of an elusive new musician on Antinote. Biographical details about him would probably not help comprehend his music and might even seem slightly contradictory with the music itself, as Reigi / Haipa has been produced in Reims - at least, it would have been much more accommodating if the capital of Champagne was located somewhere in-between Sheffield and London...
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Indeed, at first listen, Slowglide's music seems deeply rooted in a very British history of dance music. Reigi, on the A-side, unfolds a cavernous syncopated kick on which relies a compressed, flangered, smart but somehow handcrafted sound with an extra Kraftwerkian treatment (the obsessive robotic arigato gozaimasu' and the pocket calculator' bleeping melodic line), enlightened by discreet synth waves appearing in the middle of the track.
Haipa, the atmospheric B-side, is an even stronger throwback to a time when Intelligent Dance Music was ruling over electronic music, the likes of Aphex Twin and his fellow Warp-affiliates were about to be crowned kings and Ghost In The Shell was establishing itself as one of the most culturally significant pictures of the late past century.
Slowglide's music is not backward-looking, though. There's something that relevantly resonates with today's diffracted musical landscape, as the French producer gathers and updates bits and pieces from a thirty-andsomething yearlong history of electronic dance music. The result is probably Bass Music', something that one might have been tempted to describe as the future of Dance Music' a few decades ago - to quote these prophetic words written many times. It's probably not, but these two songs are certainly fresh and futuristic.
quête:anti war
Gabber Eleganza was born as a curated blog archive in 2011, an open research about rave subcultures mainly focused on the gabber and post-rave aestethic. The central ambition of the web archive was to become a source of research material on different topics: contemporary folklore, suburban euphoria and post-rave phenomena, revaluing a denigrated subculture through a new cultural lens.Over the years, the magnitude of the project has reached individuals far beyond the hardcore scene. Alberto Guerrini, the Italy and Berlin based founder, has since taken his project offline by producing zines, radio podcasts and garments. He currently tours as a DJ act or with a live performance dubbed The Hakke Show - an old-skool rave/hardcore DJ set with gabber dancers performing onstage: fast, air cutting moves, powerful thanks to their primitive intensity.In the past year Guerrini has brought the Hakke show to festivals: Club to Club (Turin), Resonate (Belgrade), performed as a DJ alongside Lorenzo Senni (Warp Records) and toured cities including Oval Space in London, Niebo in Warsaw, Janus/Berghain in Berlin, Ex Dogana in Rome, Empty Gallery in Hong Kong, etc. Guerrini has hosted radio shows on three London stations: RinseFM, NTS and Radar Radio.
Three clean-cut anthems for the studio debut of Gabber Eleganza, the anticipated new form for the archival and performative project created by Alberto Guerrini in 2011. Now updating the contemporary folklore with his analog grit. Try not to get your attention diverted once again. And keep calm under pressure.First volume of the Never Sleep series. Limited edition vinyl. Includes DL card.
- A1: Carnal Mind Feat. Ras Tweed
- A2: No Sound Feat. Drs
- A3: Spellbound
- A4: Dont Look Back Feat. Darrison
- B1: Bricks Feat. Stapleton
- B2: Punisher
- B3: High Times Feat. Mc Fats
- B4: Nigh Prowler Feat. Inja
- C1: Holding On Feat. Lady Chann
- C2: Da Sickening Feat. Jeru The Damaja & T.r.a.c
- C3: Real Friends Feat. Fox
- C4: We Still Burn Feat. Mc Fava
- D1: Glass House Feat. Collette Warren
- D2: Astronaut
- D3: La Dolce Vita (The Good Life) Feat. Mc Conrad
* Brazilian producer L-Side releases his highly anticipated new album 'Carnal Mind' on the 6th April.
* Featuring American rapper Jeru The Damaja, British rapper DRS, dancehall/grime artist Lady Chann, and drum and bass vocalists MC Fats, MC Darrison and MC Conrad, the release is via the legendary drum and bass record label, V Recordings.
* Taking his influence from Hip Hop artists such as Jazz Liberatorz, The Pharcyde and Tribe Called Quest, L-Side is making his mark in the world of raw dancefloor focused drum and bass. Originally producing hip-hop beats before branching into Drum and Bass, he is known for his meticulous mix of upfront and aggressive sounds merged with funk and soul styles, forging a flawlessly fresh take on drum and bass.
* Leonardo de Jesus Silva, aka L-Side, began his career as a DJ and Producer in 2008 and the Sao Paulo born producer has gone on to cement himself as one of the most formidable producers to hail from the flourishing and highly respected Brazilian drum and bass scene, which is home to some of the most inventive and funkiest contributors to drum & bass this century.
* As a nation bursting at the seams with prolific and highly talented producers, L-Side has managed to emerge as one of the most exceptional and 'Carnal Mind' proves the point.
* 'Holding On' ft. Lady Chann, is a dark, brooding, half time number, full of menacing atmosphere - infusing elements of dancehall and grime, complemented perfectly by Lady Chann's ferocious, trademark vocal delivery while tracks like 'High Times' unleash unrelenting breakbeat right from the gate. Pulsating synths add momentum, channelling subterranean depths as MC Fats patois-tinged vocals ride overhead. The dark storm clouds clear briefly, allowing celestial pads to momentarily reset the atmosphere before hurling the listener straight back into the thick of it.
* Having released music on such labels as Philly Blunt, Chronic, Celsius and Soul Deep, his music has been supported by DJs from around the world, including DJ Marky, Bryan Gee, LTJ Bukem, Bailey and Doc Scott, while new single 'Holding On' received it's first official play from Mista Jam on BBC Radio 1Xtra.
* In addition to his solo recordings, L-Side has collaborated with fellow V producers, Subsid, Andrezz and Critycal Dub among others.
* The legendary drum and bass record label, V Recordings, was set up in 1993 by Jumpin' Jack Frost and Bryan Gee. Few record labels can claim to have changed the face of their respective scene. Celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2018, since its birth, the label has released over 100 cuts from the likes of Marky & XRS, Krust and Die, Adam F, Lemon D, Scorpio, Dillinja and Roni Size
Alien Ensemble's trombone man Mathias Goetz caused quite a splash when he released his eponymous debut LP under his Le Millipede moniker back in 2015: The multi-instrumentalist's initial offering was clearly something else, impossible to grasp, a musical vessel beyond genre, beyond style or era, seemingly beyond space and time even, a vessel that carried an almost cosmic kind of song-craft - music with no fixed stamp of origin, though it did somehow feel like an Alien Transistor release. Followed by remix album Mirror Mirror, which comprised reworks by 1115, Protein, LeRoy, Olaf Opal, and Saroos, to name a few, it's now time for album #2: The Sun Has No Money.Let's face it: There's nothing as majestic as the sun. At least not in our world. If it runs out of juice one day, it's game over: The End. Light's out. For everyone. At that point, it wouldn't even matter if you're rich or poor. We're all equal under the sun. Same level. And yeah, this might not be major news, but then again... we're talking about the sun. The sun! Guess it's about time to acknowledge its power and superiority, right In fact, you can feel it on your bicycle: pedaling at night, when it's on duty in other hemispheres, and you're working hard at the dynamo, sweating, you can actually feel how powerful it is. In the end you get off the bike all recharged, a tune on your lips - and somehow feeling like a miniature version of the sun yourself. And whenever you feel like that, that's exactly the right moment to grab a melodica and get to work.Following an initial warm-up round sans electricity, this new album soon begins to glow: Mathias Goetz aka Le Millipede doesn't need pedals, he boosts circulation by single-handedly* playing tons and tons of different instruments - it actually feels like thousands, easily. And thus begins a show that has countless levels to it: There are various sonic illusions... and yet Le Millipede doesn't hide anything: He's also willing to show the inner workings, the actual recording process and everything else. In short: he goes meta. Makes songs about making songs. That's right: why not use all these beautiful means to address the issue of money It's not the sun that casts shadows, all it does is recharge, fuel: growth & thriving, that's the sun's area of responsibility. And yet there came a man whose plan was simple: steal the fruit from your garden, only to sell it right back to you, for money. We can hear the sea gulls crying in the distance, as somebody is throwing breadcrumbs up into the wind that carries their voices...It's not the sun that casts shadows - all it does is radiate light. And yet there came a time when someone blocked those rays of light. Now if you're some kind of Diogenes, you'll simply say, Move at least a little out of the sun.' But if you're a teacher, you'll maybe light up your pipe and use that to lighten up. What matters is that the percussion parts, in this case, resemble some serious musique concréte. The sun doesn't know shadows - all it knows, is itself. And yet somebody entered the picture and built an entire city. A city full of streets, so that houses can cast shadows into these avenues. Plus, there's music in the streets, music originally written inside the walls of said houses.One of those streets is known as the Tin Pan Alley: a place that got its name from a music writer who compared the sound of so many pianos to the banging of tin pans. That sound: that's one side of the road that is this album. Some of these melodies appear to be shadows of earlier tunes, dating back to, say, 1898 or even before that, melodies that were first registered in the Tin Pan Alley publishers' offices back in 1912 or 1917. We actually get to see this Alley at that point in time. We see the ropes, the workings. How things come together, the actual act of creation. Suddenly, we can hear the shadows!
Okay, so one side of this street is America. The US of A. The opposite side: Russia. And smack dab in the middle: Europe. A pothole in the center. All the back-and-forth that occurs between these two poles ultimately depends on the movement of the sun. Night and day, taking turns, commuting in and out of sight. We get to meet Prokofiew's and Scriabin's ghost, among other spirits, reframed and published by Le Millipede's own imaginary label imprint on the historic Tin Pan Alley. Indeed there are moments on this album when Le Millipede seems to be playing Scriabin's clavier a` lumie`res (tastiera per luce), when his performance seems to be based on synesthesia, a wild cross-pollination of colors and sounds. In case you didn't know this: In the States, Prokofiew goes by the name Brian Wilson, and Scriabin's also known as Sun Ra - yet another guy who's usually broke, but gets to spend a lot of time out in the sun. Together, these assorted protagonists ask the people of the Antilles for Mutabor dance-tokens and send postcards to Moondog in Germany, right back into the darkness. On the postcards you can see people dancing the Biguine...Firing foreign fossil fuels from all pipes (Brennelementsteuer!), Le Millipede controls the very center of this hustle and bustle: going as far as to employ some southern Chopped & Screwed styles, he's 100% current and zeitgeisty! Houston, we've got a problem: there's some kind of myriapod, centi- or millipede on the loose! Well, give me another sip of lean, sizzurp, dirty Sprite, and on goes the journey in the Pullman coach. Let's follow the sun! Keep on moving, keep things motorik! Here comes the Trans-Eureka-Express. Cherish the backpacking days! A piercing rhapsody of sound (bohrende Rhapsodie), we'll remember them fondly! And thus things move on, the sun, the days, the earth: rise, set, action, round and round... onwards eternally. The sun: the biggest loop known to mankind. As if it was some kind of sonic Rube Goldberg contraption, time seems to be stretching out while listening to that hmmm. After all: time is a lot (a lot!) more than just money. And yeah, the sun is the real big shot on (or rather: above) Planet Earth. Le Millipede's live line-up also includes Markus & Micha Acher (The Notwist etc.), Nico Sierig (Joasihno), and Manuela Rzytki (G. Rag & die Landlergschwister, Kamerakino etc.).
*sole exception: Evi Keglmaier (Zwirbeldirn, Hochzeitskapelle) plays the viola. Words/sun worship: Pico Be
- A1: Retrato De Um Forro
- A2: A Casa De Anita
- A3: Rio Antigo
- A4: Sereia Do Mar
- A5: Xeêm
- A6: Quem Vem Lá
- A7: Forrozinho Moderno
- A8: Vocé Passa, Eu Acho Graça
- B1: Xaxando Com Garibaldi
- B2: Não Interessa Não
- B3: Os Camarões
- B4: Se Quiser Valer
- B5: Camarão No Oriente
- B6: De Serra Em Serra
- B7: A Cigana Ihe Enganou
- B8: Fim De Festa
Camarão - The Imaginary Soundtrack to a Brazilian Western Movie 1964 - 1974
In 1960 we received an invitation to play in Recife, a wonderful, exciting and dangerous place, often described as a social jungle'.
The Forró party took place at Caxangá´s neighbourhood theatre, on the first floor, with its high ceilings, wooden floors and balconies, the place was perfect for these kinds of events. When all the windows were wide open, there would be a wonderful breeze during the hot tropical evenings.
Since everyone was looking for amusement, the place was packed on weekends. People from all corners of society would arrive nicely dressed, animated and chatting loudly over the sound of clinking glasses.
Pernambuco´s Cachaça, considered by many, especially by the locals, to be the best in the country, had started flowing generously and the popular sugar cane based alcohol lives up to its reputation.
We always had a few shots to warm up before performing and by the time the place was packed we were already in a very good mood.
Our local cachaça had loosened the bodies and minds of everyone in the room, people started to pair off and twirl around to the sound of forró music, smiling and sliding their feet off the floor - a reflex picked up from dancing in rural villages to avoid kicking up the dust'.
It is Melodies International's greatest pleasure to bring forth its latest reissue comprising two stripped-back, reflective pieces of US folk soul.
Largely forgotten for the past forty-odd years, Bobby Wright (now Abu Talib)'s "Blood Of An American" and "Everyone Should Have His Day" resurface as politically-infused works that shine bright and still hold meaning to this day.
The 60s and 70s constituted an exceptional era for its unique blend of popular culture and political radicalism. Household names such as Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye and Gil Scott-Heron used art to express their discontent with the current state of affairs, namely the US government's involvement in warfare and their inability to deal with critical social issues of the time. Though not a musician, Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay Jr) was advocating a similar anti-government stance in the boxing ring, and his objection to serving in the Vietnam War sealed his status as an icon for the wider counterculture generation.
Meanwhile in Queens, New York City, Abu used to work several jobs as a construction worker and cab driver - but still found time to play with his band in clubs for $100 a night to support his family. Against the backdrop of international conflict and violence, most of his surroundings failed to listen to how he felt. However, he considered music to be the greatest form of communication with the world and it was his belief that a positive message should be spread to future generations.
After one band member was killed in Vietnam and another went into the service, Abu resolved to pick up his guitar and record these songs as a duet in 1974 with his bassist - the only other remaining band member. Combining guitar, bass and a voice that quavers with emotion he self-released the record in 1974, one which holds its own alongside the all-time greats.
These songs of introspection remind us of the beauty there is in simplicity and how moving art can be when the feelings expressed come from the heart. MEL009 will be released in its original 7" format alongside a 16-page Melozine, featuring words from Abu Talib, social studies professor Paul Rekret and much more.
Just a few months after its first release, Nitsa Traxx comes back with a very special 12'.
The project started with a file exchange between Eduardo de La Calle and Ferenc. They decided to work each track on their own side using only a few isolated sounds from the other. This way none of the tracks could never be treated as a full original, but proper remixes of tracks that never existed, building an uncanny, almost dreamlike emotion.
A Side is for Ferenc's 'Parón Largo', where synthetic strings are omnipresent and time and space unbends, evolving to an anticlimax where an eerie vocal and the longest possible drop are the leading trademark. A never ending and emotional standstill that goes deeper than the Mariana Trench.
Eduardo De La Calle uses his distinctive signature sound in the B Side. 'Cloaking Tech D Fly D' is an obsessive yet beautiful track that reminds us of the Somewhere in Detroit series. This is a mental and heart-warming tribute to the Motor City sound that just a producer like Eduardo could do.
Next releases are on the corner already, and we can't wait to share them with you.
- 1: Wall Of Glass
- 2: Bold
- 3: Greedy Soul
- 4: Paper Crown
- 5: For What It's Worth
- 6: When I'm In Need
- 7: You Better Run
- 8: I Get By
- 9: Chinatown
- 10: Come Back To Me
- 11: Universal Gleam
- 12: I've All I Need
After the phenomenal reaction to his solo track 'Wall of Glass' and the emotional scenes that accompanied his first solo shows, Liam Gallagher can now announce that his eagerly anticipated debut album 'As You Were' will be released on October 6th on Warner Bros. Records.
I didn't want to be reinventing anything or going off on a space jazz odyssey,' says Liam. It's the Lennon 'Cold Turkey' vibe, The Stones, the classics. But done my way, now.'
The album's cover features an iconic new portrait of Liam which was taken by the influential photographer, fashion designer and creative director Hedi Slimane.
This is NovaMute's first release since MOTOR (Bryan Black and Oly Grasset) over ten years ago. The Release will be 3 weeks available as VINYL ONLY.
Nova Mute, a subsidiary of Mute (Depeche Mode, Goldfrapp, New Order, Liars, Erasure, Moby), began in 1992 as a response to the growing demand for techno releases in the UK. Originally presenting white labels and imports, NovaMute went on to release records by Plastikman, Speedy J, Juan Atkins, Luke Slater and Joey Beltram to name a few, this is Nova Mute's first release since over ten years ago
Nicolas Bougaïeff presents his new EP on seminal British imprint NovaMute. As a producer he harbours a diverse musical background, having studied in a conservatoire setting whilst foraying into anti-authoritarian rave culture. He is also a respected lecturer, regularly teaching masterclasses in composition and speaking at global events such as Mutek and Ableton Loop - the results of which come to life in the inquisitive spirit of his productions. Cognitive Resonance explores elements of psytrance, gabber and techno through a compositional lens, drawing on the artist's love for avant-garde forms and long-standing relationship with the electronic music community. The title track lays out long, expansive phrases and warped crescendos to create a disorienting structure, whilst distant harmonies, distorted kick drums and shattering effects merge into a hypnotic form on 'Truthful Hyperbole'. Lastly, 'Fake News' mangles our sense of rhythmic familiarity, disrupting the 4/4 beat with a complex metre and sinister melody. This is NovaMute's first release since MOTOR (Bryan Black and Oly Grasset) over ten years ago. T as well as forging invaluable links with labels such as Tresor and Probe, which allowed them to license rare tracks for a wider audience. Forthcoming releases on NovaMute will include EP's from Terence Fixmer and Charlotte de Witte.
Airhead has put out some great music this year. Kicking off with the radiophonic ice of 'Kazzt' for Mumdance's Different Circles and just recently the low slung 'Cristobal' on PS Records his production chops get bolder by the minute. It's no surprise seeing as he spent much of the previous year producing key tracks for the incredible
"1-800 Dinosaur Presents Trim" album alongside Bullion and Boothroyd as well as regularly touring and writing with long-time musical partner James Blake.
Back with another 12" on Hemlock, his first since 2014's rolling 'October / Macondo' this time the sound is dustier, warmer, but packing twice the punch all the while retaining his signature understated wild-man groove. Both tracks are capable on dancefloor whilst richly layered, packed with detail and arranged for maximum connectivity with contemporary beat styles such as House, Techno and Breaks.
WHAT HAPPENED TO RICKY Martin Shaded is the twisted Latin stepper you didn't know you needed, so much, right now. Polished drums dug into a tweaky sci-fi soundbed make way for the curveball drop not every DJ will be able to style out... but those brave few that do will reap the reward.
"Captain, we have an incoming transmission." By now, Antipolo will be on the long-range scanners of a several fleets in this sector and is finally ready for replication and deployment. Beaming out to the far reaches of the dancefloor we have bass, breakbeats and synth hooks but not as we know it, together forming an advanced composite bond of extreme strength and malleability.
Im Hauptfokus des Albums 'Ore' sind Drums, umspielt von elektronisch manipulierten Texturen und akustischen Details.
Über die Jahre hat Belfi eine Soundwelt kreiert, die gleichermaßen ein Drum Set-up mit elektronischen Komponenten vereint.
Es war ein langer Weg, die Akustik seines Saari Drumkits zu entwickeln, bis es seinen Ansprüchen genügte.
In perfekter Symbiose stehen die elektronischen Elemente des Nord Modular und Samplers.
Beide Welten vereinen sich auf Ore. Belfi ist bekannt für seine energetischen und charismatischen Auftritte. Solo, sowie als Teil seiner unzähligen Kollaborationen. 2016 war er mit Nonkeen auf Tour, der dreiköpfigen Band von Nils Frahm. Belfi war schnell das Highlight der Shows, nachdem sie das London Barbican Centre ausverkauft hatten. Mit seinem beeindruckenden und explosiven Drum Soli, wurde dies ein unvergesslicher Moment.
Production powerhouse Mefjus and Critical label boss Kasra team up for their much anticipated debut single release. A single that swoops from heads down warehouse atmosphere to raw funk. Featured in the sets of Noisia, Camo & Krooked and more.
Released on limited edition 12" vinyl and download.
Summer has not officially kicked in yet but Antinote's new addition to its roster will sure soundtrack perfectly its upcoming warm nights: encapsulating the teenage dream of an endless summer, 18 RAYS is the moniker behind which some of the label's most steady fixtures gave a try at recording music together, somewhere straight in the heart of Paris' 18th arrondissement.
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Nico Motte, Zaltan & Raphaël Top-Secret have been friends way before each of them occasionally played his part in the Parisian label and it is mainly out of this friendship that they conceived 18 RAYS, a vessel to finally give life to the band they dreamed of in their teenage years. It is safe to say that 18 RAYS has been in their mind for quite a while, but it was only last winter, after a couple of bottles of natural wine on a hazy evening, that they decided that it was time to give it a real go and to pick up the instrument each learned years ago: the guitar, the bass and
the drums.
Produced by Nico Motte - the man behind all the artworks of the label - the trio spent 5 weeks between Synth City (Motte's studio) and Red Bull Studio in Paris working on these 4 songs, each sitting somewhere between some sort of timeless and somehow aquatic dream pop and blurred visions of an eerie grunge sound, that probably
never was.
That being said, the genesis of 18 RAYS might explain why their debut EP turns out to be such an intimate affair: while it took its members down memory lane, the listener will embark on an ethereal trip, taking him to a parallel universe in which the sounds of Cocteau Twins,
REPRESSED !!
Growing Bin Records is incredibly happy to bring you the vinyl edition of Moon B's Lifeworld - previously released on tape by the Vancouver based cassette label 1080p.
Chopped, grainy subcontinental film aural motifs paired with other slankness on Moon B's latest. After a brief
pause since his PPU releases, Wes Gray returns with a remapped take on his distinctly dusty and groovy samplefocused
synth funk.Gray has worked towards his particular sweet spot of retrofuturism, and Lifeworld's segues between antiquity
and contemporary g-funk benefit from extremely rich, filmic moods and a general knack for basking in warmth and sincerity rather than obscurity.
- A1: Domenique Dumont - 371
- A2: Stéphane Laporte - Timbuktu
- A3: Raphael Top-Secret - Maurilia
- B1: Antoine Kogut & Nico Motte - Jungle Dweller
- B2: Inoue Shirabe - Warm & Easy
- B3: Nico Motte - Cap De Creus
- C1: Iueke - Giza
- C2: Tolouse Low Trax - Raut
- C3: Leonardo Martelli - 03 23 (Notte)
- D1: Geena - Metromind
- D2: Natsukashii
- D3: The Simplists - Ambiance 9
- D4: Alek Lee Featuring Or Edry & Yovav - Plastic
5th Birthday comp featuring a host of artistst who've graced the label over the perioid.. Exclusives from Tolouse Lowtrax, Geena, Iueke, Domenique Dumont, . Inoue Shirabe, Raphael Top-Secret and more... Gatefold Sleeve. TIP!
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Made of 14 sketches - each reflecting one of the many shades of the label's catalogue - Five years of Loving Notes features new names as well as those of artists who have been involved with the label since it's very beginning, like Geena or Iueke - responsible for the first 12' released on Antinote.
The music on this compilation covers a wide spectrum of moods and atmospheres, from the dark and raw excursions from Tolouse Low Trax or Iueke to the lush instrumental crafted by Nico Motte and Syracuse's Antoine Kogut; however as the listener gets deeper into the compilation, the whole of the tunes, sitting side by side on the records, start to make sense as they all seem to point towards the same direction. If one should try isolating a common trait from all these songs, one might come to the conclusion that it lies in the way they all speak directly to the listener's emotional receptors, unvarnished and without abusing of producer's 'tricks'.
We'll let the tricky question mentioned before in your hands once you will have been through this 63-minute long testimony of exclusive music by the artists who have been shaping Antinote's sound for five years; from the opening Latvian arabesques from Domenique Dumont to the Pink-Floyd-ian ending from the latest addition to the label, Alek Lee, via Leonardo Martelli's smoggy electro and Raphael Top Secret's ominous talk-over.
Certain sounds inspire us, certain sounds move us, and certain sounds simply propel us deeply and immediately into a place where everything else becomes irrelevant. The latter is the vein of sonic manipulation that can be found on "What One Sees", Sta an Linzatti's latest workout for Chronicle. A prelude
to a forthcoming album, Linzatti has once again shown his incredibly ability to morph time and space to his liking. From the pressure cooking low end in "Brink of Collapse" to the dissonant twilight zone antics of "Just A Thought", Sta an works his way through inner space nding the perfect balance of tension and release, discord and resolve. The resolve comes during moments like "Nobody Observes The Ordinary" and "Passing Ceres", which harmonize subtle yet intricate patterns with chimerical synthwork. It's a vast feat, and a warning bell for the incoming musical architecture that we are so grateful to share with you.
Next installment of Rex Ilusivi archive uncoverings - This time a live concert from SNP (srpsko narodno pozoriste / serbian national theatre) in Novi Sad, Serbia. Again it's a sublime masterclass in layering and mixing from the much revered King Of Illusion. TIP!
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'To this day Rex Ilusivii remains an enigma of the global music culture, caught between late cold war electronic spheres, classic and the power of found sound. A musician from the Southeast European counterculture, whose art today seems to be the worldly intelligence of the modern age. Listening to the early music of Mitar Subotic sounds like catching the future even tough you know here sounds the past. How can somebody be light years ahead of most of his contemporaries in terms of individuality and uncompromising vision, creating such musical narratives with a feeling for outernational space' It must have been the signs of his time in Yugoslavia, that lead him to compositions in which two or more antithetic forces fight each other for the cause of an unheard harmony that melts industrial, sample art, Musique concr'te and ambient. His 'Koncert SNP' from 1983 demonstrates his ingeniousness to the core ' about 38 minutes of experiment and appeal that move playful between demonstrative frankness and seductive sensuality. You hear pulsating synthesizer bliss, widescreen sample art full of Bosch-like images and elusively drama catchiness that absorbs deep. So deep that words can't express their meaning. Only notes can spell out the score. Listening to his live recording several times without a break reveals also a story arc of literary transcendence. And as transcendence is something beyond speech, the music of Rex Ilusivii can't be narrowed down in phrases. Only one thing must be recommended: surrender to it and it will surrender to you.
Michael Leuffen in June 2016
Chances are you've already danced to one of his sets at Panorama Bar - Matthew Styles has been a regular guest DJ at the club for several years -, but you've probably also come across at least one record with music that went through the Englishman's meticulous hands. While Matthew has released great but small numbers of 12"es on various labels since 2007, his credits in mixing, engineering and mastering exceed his solo discography by far.
With the Metro EP we're finally offering a full solo release by Matthew Styles on Ostgut Ton, accounting for his consistent productional finesse, especially with his original track "Liquid Sky" (on Nick Höppner's Panorama Bar 04, 2012) and his 'Dub Mix' of Dinky's "Planes" (on Ostgut Ton / Zehn, 2015).
"I've never worked on a sequential set of songs that came out on the same record," Matthew commented on this 12". As with his productional approach in general, the Metro EP has a certain timelessness: "One piece is from 8 years ago, one from 3 years ago and another from around the time of the recent birth of my second son. I'll leave it up to the listener to guess which is which."
The eponymous "Metro" on A is an elated seven-minute, trippy, meandering analogue synth exploration in House and Cosmic Disco. "Wave 6" opens the flipside with a simple yet beguiling melody: 6 notes dancing completely beatless in 5/4 time, meandering repetitively and escalating towards a blissful - yet only anticipated - climax. "Border" on B2 is a solid addition to the long history of Dub Techno - smooth, steady, super layed back, but also offering many colorful melodic elements.
(de) Gut möglich, dass du schon einmal zu einem seiner DJ-Sets in der Panorama Bar getanzt hast - Matthew Styles spielt seit Jahren regelmäßig am Wriezener Bahnhof -, aber sicherlich hast du wenigstens eine Platte gehört, die vorher durch die akribischen Hände des Engländers gegangen ist. Obwohl Matthew seit 2007 tolle aber wenige 12"es auf verschiedenen Labels veröffentlicht hat, übertreffen seine Credits als Mixer, Engineer und in Mastering seine Solodiskografie bei weitem.
Mit der Metro EP hat Ostgut Ton nun endlich ein volles Solorelease von Matthew Styles im Angebot, das seiner konsistenten Produktionfinesse - besonders bei seinem Track "Liquid Sky" (auf Nick Höppners Panorama Bar 04, 2012) und seinem 'Dub Mix' von Dinkys "Planes" (auf Ostgut Ton / Zehn, 2015) - Rechnung trägt.
"Ich habe noch nie aufeinanderfolgend Stücke produziert, die dann auf derselben Platte erschienen wären", kommentierte Matthew diese 12". Wie generell bei seinen Produktionen besticht die Metro EP durch eine gewisse Zeitlosigkeit: "Ein Stück ist acht Jahre alt, eines von vor drei Jahren, ein anderes von kurz nach der Geburt meines zweiten Sohnes. Die zeitliche Einordnung möchte ich dem Hörer überlassen."
Das gleichbetitelte "Metro" auf A ist eine beschwingte 7-minütige, trippige, mäandernde Analog-Synth-Erkundung in House und Cosmic Disco. "Wave 6" beginnt die B-Seite mit einer einfachen aber betörenden Melodie: 6 Noten tanzen beatbefreit im 5/4-Takt, treiben repetitiv und ansteigend auf einen beseelten - aber nur erhofften - Höhepunkt zu. "Border" auf B2 ist eine solide Dreingabe zur langen Geschichte von Dub Techno: sanft, stetig, super entspannt, aber mit vielen melodischen Elementen.
Originally released via Ascetic House in 2015, Vereker's Grace tape owes much to the canon of vintage anti-music, exploring catharsis via a transgression of traditional compositional & technical values. Working with the same thematic concerns of much of the more leftfield additions to the Avian catalogue - in it's more subdued moments, anxiety & dissafection; in it's more high energy - pure hysteria - the recording pairs basic synthesis with warped vocals in the same manner as Industrial progenitors Throbbing Gristle and Steven Stapleton (Nurse With Wound).
The reduced palette & crushed production aesthetic creates a powerful immediacy, with a twisted musicality being drawn - at times, kicking and screaming, out of the depths of the mix. Like much of Vereker's best work on labels like LIES & Berceuse Heroique, elements warp & twist uncomfortably within the tight confines of a reduced dynamic spectrum - creating a dark, heady energy.
scetic House, the predominantly cassette only label, has seen appearances from LA's Silent Servant, Northern Electronics' Varg & Avian's own Shifted - under his Covered In Sand alias
Consider this a warning - tearing out of 2015 on the gale of our compilation with the legendary duo of Jeroen Search and Dimi Angeli´s carrying us on their winds into 2016, Chronicle steps into the eye of the hurricane for its second release this year, by the mighty Mike Storm. A xture in the Dutch techno scene since the late '90s, it was when Michael de Winde moved to hardware live sets that he found his true inspiration, continuing to this day
to use only analogue equipment in his restless search for techno perfection. Consistently released since 2012, initially on Subsist, a label notable for
early work of SHXCXCHCXSH and Stanislav Tolkachev, he then moved on
to respected underground sources such as Ars Mechanica, Orbis Records, and Belief System, where he released his 2014 album 'Pulsars'. Supported by Mills, A&S, Arnaud Le Texier, Tadeo, Antigone, and others, we are proud to give Mike Storm the twelfth entry in the series with 'Where the WolvesCome From'.
It begins 'At Certain Points', channeling the jazzy mid-2000s Mills of his most abstract era with subtle string swells, cosmic bleep patterns and equally subtle Detroit-style percussion lls. 'The Day We See' moves into morning, with its complex, melodic bass gures and shimmering strings taking
the nocturnal intro into morning following a tense lead line that enters.
Again referencing Detroit but falling closer to the dystopian feelings of contemporary Terrence Dixon, 'New Light' is an exercise in tension between taught drum lines, dissonant keyboards, and a metallic sequence pattern. Stripping down for the hunt, the title track stalks more aggressively, razor- sharp hats and growling bass accelerating as the predator closes in on its prey, an eerie forest wind bringing terror in its path until the final struggle.




















