Suche:face

On August 16, Toronto-based musician and producer David Psutka aka ACT! (fka Egyptrixx / Anamai / Ceramic TL) will release his latest project ‘Face to Face, Day by Day’ for his own Halocline Trance imprint.

This is is Psutka’s third album proper as ACT! following the release of the “sonic mixtape” ‘Universalist’ in 2018 and the augmented reality soundtrack ‘Grey Matter AR’ in 2021; a series of Snapchat filters created by artist Karen Vanderborght and soundtracked by ACT! which explored the poetic and existential potential of AR and social media.

“Aesthetic accidents in the periphery of the ‘work’ can be the message. In 2018, at an Egyptrixx concert at Bagni Misteriosi de Teatro Franco Parenti - a gorgeous, sprawling outdoor pool theatre in Milan - I had a clarifying moment. Gigs around then had mostly been in pummelling, dark music venues, so I wasn't prepared for this expansive space (and the thoughtful work of the organisers who had layered sheets of plastic film on the pool to parallel eco-materialist themes from a previous album). It was the midday soundcheck that struck me most - brittle digital sounds from the set echoed off the colonial Milanese facades and ricocheted down the Via Carlo Botta, pinging off buildings in the distance and clashing with the noise of traffic, tourists and whatever else. It was a strange, collisionist moment, and a reminder that my essential approach to music is, above all, a preoccupation with the materiality of sound. 

Everything on Face to Face, Day by Day began as an improvisation. Openness to accidents and the emotional complexity that comes from centering them in composition has become important to my work, and helps the music go beyond the possibility of what is playable, imaginable. I also wanted to channel adventurous solo pop records of the 1970’s and 80’s, like Yasuaki Shimizu, Jon + Vangelis and Stevie Wonder. These came from an interesting era in commercial music as studio production techniques became increasingly formalised as compositional devices, like AMS RMX16 percussion sounds and early digital stereo effects. 

Like many musicians, I’ve been travelling and performing less since the pandemic and as a result, have wanted studio sessions to feel more collaborative and improvisational. There were great writing and recording sessions for this album. Vox, synth, sax and guitar jams - much of what ended up on the record isn’t edited much, if at all. I jammed a sm57 into Colin Fisher’s sax bell and created feedback loops using various preamps and distortion units. The clunky sounds were sampled and used as percussion elements. I also had a great synth jam session with Jeremy Greenspan at Barton Building Studio in Hamilton, which was recorded by filmmaker Liz Adler. 

I’ve had a few months to sit with this album and see clear throughlines connecting it to previous projects. There are aspects of the experiential and structuralist sound design ideas from the EGYPTRIXX records; and also some arrangement tricks borrowed from ANAMAI - specifically, the use of interruptionist sound events. Perhaps most of all, it feels connected to the Ceramic TL + Ipek Gorgun record ‘Perfect Lung’ and its splattered take on musical complexity. “ (David Psutka)

In addition to ACT!, Psutka has released music with numerous projects including Anamai, Egyptrixx and Ceramic TL, he has collaborated widely with artists such as Junior Boys, Ipek Gorgun, and Kuedo as well as Jessy Lanza (2016) and an official remix for Massive Attack’s ‘Hymn of the Big Wheel (2012). The contributions on this album, from Robin Dann and Ben Gunning, reflect the deeply collaborative nature of the Halocline Trance label and the Toronto creative scene more broadly.

Many of Psutka’s releases have received critical acclaim from media outlets such as Pitchfork, Exclaim, The Quietus and Resident Advisor. As a live performer, he has toured extensively including performing at Sonar Festival, Roskilde, Mutek, MOMA PS1 Warm-UP and CTM Festival. He’s also presented sound installations at various institutions such as Galeria Civica Commune di Modena, and Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).

In 2015, Psutka launched Halocline Trance as a home for his various sound projects, events and collaborations. Now a creative collective and label, it has grown to include a diverse array of artists including Casey MQ, Xuan Ye, Myst Milano, Colin Fisher and others. The label is described as “genre-agnostic” and conceptually open, supporting work across a wide spectrum of creative fields including soundtrack recording, AR design and traditional artist albums. Their impeccable roster also includes, theorist/improviser Eldritch Priest, and AR/VR artist Karen Vanderborght. In recent years, Halocline Trance has established itself as a platform that facilitates many of Canada’s most exciting creative music projects. Many of the releases have received critical acclaim from outlets including Pitchfork, Exclaim, Bandcamp and Resident Advisor.

Leif Maine and Jackson Mathod are thrilled to announce the August release of their album, "Volte-Face", with a single of the same name. This collaboration marks a bold new chapter in contemporary jazz, blending traditional and modern elements with great artistry and a willingness to explore many genres on one project.

"Volte-Face"is a sonic journey that showcases Maine's innovative compositions and Mathod's masterful trumpet performances. The album features a rich tapestry of sounds, from soulful melodies to intricate improvisations, capturing the essence of their dynamic synergy. Each track is meticulously crafted, promising an immersive listening experience for audiophiles and jazz enthusiasts alike.

Volte Face, the single, features rapper and Washington DC transplant (born and raised in NY), J Scienide. J has been around the great in underground Hip Hop. He shared a manager with the late and great MF DOOM, released and recorded with D-Styles from the World Famous Beat Junkies/ Invisibl Skratch Piklz, worked with super producer Daringer (Griselda Records/Action Bronson). He is regularly supported by FunkMaster Flex, Peter Rosenberg, Dj Premier, Dj House Shoes, Statik Selektah and many more.

This album was a self imposed ambitious project for us. Something to kick in the creative flow. The last few years, having been a challenging time in general, felt like a good time for a pivot. The last two albums were so guitar and keyboard centric, I wanted a weird and fun set of parameters for us to work with. I demo’d everything at home on cassette 4 track (harkening back to simpler times) using drum loops, and just had at it 'til I had a pile of “songs”. Tom and I chose one sound each using synths and created a range of 3 octaves of that sample, then loaded them into Roland SPD-SX samplers and learned the transcribed songs using drum sticks. The idea was to change the way we wrote and to have 4 people along the front of the stage essentially playing percussion. So no guitar, no keys. As we were recording I kept thinking how the sounds, when paired up, sounded a bit like brass. So, we added a saxophone horn section to round out the horniness of the sound with a bit of reedy bell tones. Thanks to Cansfis Foote & Brad Caulkins on tenor and Baritone saxophones :) Sort of a Dexy’s Midnight Runners meets Von LMO meets The Flesh Eaters meets the Screamers kinda punk junk. Poppy and hooky, heavy at times.. Sort of vacuous and maybe a bit sci-fi in sound. Boneheaded in riff and heady in lyrics. Recorded at Stu-Stu-Studio by me on 8 track 1/4” tape . So pretty hot and raw. Lots to write about today. A lot of these lyrics were taken from things people said in passing about taking on life right now that stuck with me. Things that made me reflect. Things that made me laugh. Things that made me WTF. Some folks are kind, genuine & give you love and energy. Some are greedy manipulative ghouls who hang off your veins. You must be strong, composed and take care of yourself. Be self aware and check your mind for cracks. Learn to relax and be well. There are moments of beauty and redemption. Its not all bad news and there’s always hope. People continue to surprise me one way or another. Anyhow, Hope you enjoy and good luck out there. — John Dwyer

Für das vierte blutrünstige Album der Band und das erste für 20 Buck Spin, nachdem sie sich in den letzten Jahren im Death Metal-Underground immer mehr einen Namen gemacht haben, präsentiert Fulci "Duck Face Killings", eine Hommage an einen von Lucios abscheulichsten und meist geschmähten Filmen, "The New York Ripper".

Musikalisch entfesseln Fulci eine Flut von fesselnd grausamen Riffs, blutigem Gemetzel, mörderischen Schlägen, tiefen, gutturalen Gesangsmustern und unheimlichen Intros und Zwischenspielen. Das Songwriting der Band ist bewusst darauf fixiert, die brutalste und schärfste Musik zu kreieren, die möglich ist, um die extreme Grausamkeit des Films zu vermitteln, wobei man sich einen Soundtrack für den grausamsten und zynischsten Slasher-Film aller Zeiten vorstellt.

Was für den einen Müll ist, ist für den anderen ein Schatz, und so ist es auch bei einem so schäbigen und abscheulichen Film wie "The New York Ripper". In Duck Face Killings" leuchtet Fulcis brutale Darstellung der gewalttätigen Welt seines Mentors wie der Schimmer von Blut unter den Straßenlaternen von New York, schockierend und wild. Eine Hommage an den kontroversen Meister in all seiner dekadenten und degenerierten Pracht.

- Die mit Spannung erwartete 4. LP der italienischen Lucio Fulci-Fanatiker, basierend auf seinem Film 'The New York Ripper'.
- Cover-Artwork von Wes Benscoter (Autopsy, Sinister, Mortician, Broken Hope, Nile)
- Gastauftritte von Lord Goat von Non Phixion und Sherwood Webber von Skinless
- Komplette US Devastation in the Nation Tour im November / Dezember 2024 mit Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Mortiferum und mehr.

FFO: Cannibal Corpse (TOTM, The Bleeding), Dying Fetus, early Madball, Merauder, Mortician, Skinless, 100 Demons, Goblin, Giorgio Moroder, Devourment, Suffocation, Slayer, Crowbar, Bolt Thrower, Immolation, Non Phixion, Franco Micalizzi, Monstrosity

Für das vierte blutrünstige Album der Band und das erste für 20 Buck Spin, nachdem sie sich in den letzten Jahren im Death Metal-Underground immer mehr einen Namen gemacht haben, präsentiert Fulci "Duck Face Killings", eine Hommage an einen von Lucios abscheulichsten und meist geschmähten Filmen, "The New York Ripper".

Musikalisch entfesseln Fulci eine Flut von fesselnd grausamen Riffs, blutigem Gemetzel, mörderischen Schlägen, tiefen, gutturalen Gesangsmustern und unheimlichen Intros und Zwischenspielen. Das Songwriting der Band ist bewusst darauf fixiert, die brutalste und schärfste Musik zu kreieren, die möglich ist, um die extreme Grausamkeit des Films zu vermitteln, wobei man sich einen Soundtrack für den grausamsten und zynischsten Slasher-Film aller Zeiten vorstellt.

Was für den einen Müll ist, ist für den anderen ein Schatz, und so ist es auch bei einem so schäbigen und abscheulichen Film wie "The New York Ripper". In Duck Face Killings" leuchtet Fulcis brutale Darstellung der gewalttätigen Welt seines Mentors wie der Schimmer von Blut unter den Straßenlaternen von New York, schockierend und wild. Eine Hommage an den kontroversen Meister in all seiner dekadenten und degenerierten Pracht.

- Die mit Spannung erwartete 4. LP der italienischen Lucio Fulci-Fanatiker, basierend auf seinem Film 'The New York Ripper'.
- Cover-Artwork von Wes Benscoter (Autopsy, Sinister, Mortician, Broken Hope, Nile)
- Gastauftritte von Lord Goat von Non Phixion und Sherwood Webber von Skinless
- Komplette US Devastation in the Nation Tour im November / Dezember 2024 mit Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Mortiferum und mehr.

FFO: Cannibal Corpse (TOTM, The Bleeding), Dying Fetus, early Madball, Merauder, Mortician, Skinless, 100 Demons, Goblin, Giorgio Moroder, Devourment, Suffocation, Slayer, Crowbar, Bolt Thrower, Immolation, Non Phixion, Franco Micalizzi, Monstrosity

This album was a self imposed ambitious project for us. Something to kick in the creative flow. The last few years, having been a challenging time in general, felt like a good time for a pivot. The last two albums were so guitar and keyboard centric, I wanted a weird and fun set of parameters for us to work with. I demo’d everything at home on cassette 4 track (harkening back to simpler times) using drum loops, and just had at it 'til I had a pile of “songs”. Tom and I chose one sound each using synths and created a range of 3 octaves of that sample, then loaded them into Roland SPD-SX samplers and learned the transcribed songs using drum sticks. The idea was to change the way we wrote and to have 4 people along the front of the stage essentially playing percussion. So no guitar, no keys. As we were recording I kept thinking how the sounds, when paired up, sounded a bit like brass. So, we added a saxophone horn section to round out the horniness of the sound with a bit of reedy bell tones. Thanks to Cansfis Foote & Brad Caulkins on tenor and Baritone saxophones :) Sort of a Dexy’s Midnight Runners meets Von LMO meets The Flesh Eaters meets the Screamers kinda punk junk. Poppy and hooky, heavy at times.. Sort of vacuous and maybe a bit sci-fi in sound. Boneheaded in riff and heady in lyrics. Recorded at Stu-Stu-Studio by me on 8 track 1/4” tape . So pretty hot and raw. Lots to write about today. A lot of these lyrics were taken from things people said in passing about taking on life right now that stuck with me. Things that made me reflect. Things that made me laugh. Things that made me WTF. Some folks are kind, genuine & give you love and energy. Some are greedy manipulative ghouls who hang off your veins. You must be strong, composed and take care of yourself. Be self aware and check your mind for cracks. Learn to relax and be well. There are moments of beauty and redemption. Its not all bad news and there’s always hope. People continue to surprise me one way or another. Anyhow, Hope you enjoy and good luck out there. — John Dwyer

2024 Repress

Mutual Rytm is back with more searing techno, this time in the form of a welcome return to wax from venerated Aussie mainstay Shane Yates, aka Alpharisc.

Melbourne's Alpharisc has been making music since 1993, initially with humble tools like the Commodore 64 and Amiga 500, before putting together and building a growing collection of hardware. He has always maintained a somewhat reclusive character since breaking through with the city's renowned Wetmusik party and label collective following the release of his first EP in 1999 and has always kept a nostalgic touch in his music alongside his signature Alpharisc sound. Following a string of digital EPs on the likes of Future Retro Music, this is his first vinyl 12" in two decades as he returns to Mutual Rytm following his appearance on the Federation Of Rytm II compilation, serving up his bustling 'Ram Face' EP.

The powerful 'Formation Filter' opens up with a powerful techno groove built from rock-solid kicks and rumbling bass that will rattle walls. Snares and synth rolls peel off the drums as they race onwards and grow ever wilder and more intense for maximum destruction. 'Circus Fear' is another stylish linear workout with lithe synth details and loopy drums peppered with coarse claps and hits to up the ante, while 'Hot Morning' brings even more fire with its big, churning percussive clatter and supersized hi-hats racing along over more bulky beats.

Things get more unhinged with the hard-edged 'Ram Face', which has pummelling drums and scraping hits forming a barrage of industrialised sound; a lead from a SID chip will bring a smile to those who are familiar with its sound playing a hypnotic lead over the top. The final track on wax, 'The Old One', builds up cosmic tension, haunting synth lines and howling solar winds into another peak time techno weapon. As always with the label, a digital bonus cut 'Hairyman' provides a special treat and delivers another frosty techno roller with pent-up energy and compelling drum programming.

Joe Nora exemplifies Californian cool from the bay to LA. With a wide production palette that varies from dusty instrumental and alternative hip hop to breezy indie R&B, his range falls under a vibe that only he personifies. On his forthcoming album, Puzzle Face delves into the journey of navigating confusion and rebuilding oneself after facing adversity.

Castle Face present Dan Rincon’s (OSEES, Wild Thing, Apache, Personal and the Pizzas) premier solo release Spotlight City.

Artificial landscapes and melodies comprised of Moog Grandmother, Mellotron and a kinky Modular system span from beautiful and lilting to haunting and etherial. The album was a years long learning experience of getting all components and ingredients to link arms and blend comfortably. Wrangling was part of the process. Strings soaring and sines weaving. Sometimes in the atmosphere, sometimes in the Earth’s core, sometimes flanked by neon blur as it hums & weave patterns through a world imagined in vintage sci-fi pulp.

“I was listening to a lot of solo Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler records while writing this record and I’d say that both have been hugely inspirational on what I want to do as a solo recording artist. The way both of those of those artist pushed the early, chaotic electronic music into something more melodic is really inspiring to me, it’s not that dissimilar than trying to get melodies out of a modular synthesizer.”

An absolute necessary slab for anyone a fan of CF, OSEES, Popol Vuh soundtracks , 8 bit video game accompaniment & 80s Tangerine Dream. Burn one and burn out.

Nomal edition, with a 20cmx20cm Photo

Limited edition with Art Photo poster BARYTA 350g Paper. 30cmx30cm Ultra-Hi Def and Download code

Limited edition with Photo poster 260g 30cmx30cm Hi Def and Download code

On the outskirts of Bratislava, in the pulsating shadows of a refinery's burning chimneys, on the plot of a family house, there stood a small shack. Initially, it housed trials in domestic mushroom growing. Later, after a makeshift acoustic touch-up - lining the walls with old cardboard egg cartons - it became a shelter for music. Sensitive, evocative, nostalgic, lo-fi music by a man named Cadillac Face.

Today we would probably use the term 'safe space', but back then it was (in Cadillac's words) kutica, a cubbyhole. He hid there from a world that ached. Here, Cadillac secretly smoked, sang, and composed. And tried not to go crazy from anxiety. He wrote music unlike anything during his time.

Here, he struggled. With sound (unable to adjust it to his liking), with instruments (which he couldn't bring himself to play), with the world (with which, understandably, he was at odds).

Cadillac Face was a man who didn't belong here.

He wrote and sang in English (in a post-socialist and early-capitalist Slovakia, when command of English was no matter of course); he also wrote in Slovak (blogs and diaries, which, due to a stream-of-consciousness and surrealist style, were as incomprehensible as they were immersive and intimate); gave advice to teenagers (to their quasi-banal questions on talking forums about relationships, life and adolescence, where they were often met with ridicule and mockery); he composed electronic and noise music (at a time when no one had a clue what the abbreviation DAW meant).

This Cadillac's compilation album is not aiming to compete with/replicate Noizy Days - a compilation of Cadillac's contributions to the project Noize Konspiracy. Underground compilations circulated through a local proto-social network. Borderline music without rules - open but often inaccessible. There, Cadillac contributed mostly with experimental-electronic compositions. Noizy Days was compiled by Ďuro Ďurček, one of the initiators of Noize Konspiracy. Both Ďuro and Cadillac have been dead for years.

Songs For The Trees is a selection from Cadillac's songwriting. The most intimate of his intimate recordings. Cadillac at his most fragile, brittle, and quiet. The most romantic, the most tormented, the most painful and direct of his songs I know.

Cadillac became an anthropomorphic grotesque tree. Neither broadleaf nor conifer. Or perhaps it's a candle slowly incinerating – bored, sad, playing the guitar. A tragicomedy. Sometimes it kindles what it doesn't mean to, and it can't put itself out. Or can it?

Acerbic returns after some triumphant Acid releases on Acid Artists In Action/Triple A (aaa011) and Hydraulix labels with a 4 track Acid Techno masterpiece on the legendary Stay Up Forever imprint.

12" official vinyl reissue of Ronnie Dyson' 1983 disco-boogie classic!

The folks at Castle Face dig a good trance. Hypnosis, mesmerization, and brain trickery are some of their favorite results of deep listening and it is a suggestive, ritualistic and dreamlike vibe that Bronze ooze like pheromones all over their excellent new record. Absolute Compliance is a truly hypnogogic group of tunes from Bronze on their best and weirdest behavior and it hits all Castle Face’s favorite things about them immediately and repeatedly: insistently strange synth voicings emanating from Miles Friction’s mad scientist’s lab worth of equipment, controlled by a homemade-looking oversized knob; Brian Hock’s throbbing, woolly, hall-of-mirror grooves; and above it all Rob Spector’s thousand yard croon, the vaguely familiar touchstone amongst these Lynchian, mutated surroundings—these are songs of dreams and nightmares, hidden rituals observed, futuristic coliseum entertainments displaced in time, sci-fi jams of an uncertain future. Bronze are one-of-a kind great and if unfamiliar, go find their other records (including their great live record for Castle Face) and get caught up. They are real-deal weirdo kings of San Francisco and their spell is not easily dissipated once cast.

Twin giant towers of amps grinding out minimal beat bloop, the transient sound molecules smell of burning gear and the floor of the pit—this is organic, electronic music at its finest. Dance? Why not. Freak out? For sure. Brothers from a different mother (Bjorn Copeland and Aaron Warren) à la two-thirds of Black Dice have come together with this fantastic debut Flaccid Mojo for us. These are mean beat vipers, spitting and tumescent on the abattoir floor.

I would call it drug music, but I’m not sure what drugs these humans consume. Stem cell and adrenal gland cocktails I’m guessing. Futuristic and primal it is, beats from the Thunder-Dome, fight music for fuckers. I’ve seen them on two separate occasions blow the power for an entire building. Baller move, boys. Produced perfectly by Chris Coady (look him up to be impressed). This record is a burning car in a field and I love it.

For fans of Black Dice, Container, Whitehouse, Negativland, Ralph Records, minimal beats à la Profan, vintage Japanese noise, Severed Heads, windburn and chapped lips. (John Dwyer)

Los Angeles emcee Pawz One announces the 10th year anniversary release of his "Face The Facts" album on vinyl. The album is Pawz One's first solo album and was originally released in 2014 on vinyl, CD and digital formats. The first edition vinyl was sold out quickly back in 2014. Now the special edition vinyl is available on red and black vinyl, and new artwork.

Featuring a combination of gritty and smooth production from Los Angeles producers Default & Breeze that embody the genuine golden-era style. Heavyweight guests such as Rakaa Iriscience of Dilated Peoples, Ras Kass, Termanology, 2Mex and Masta Ace all make solid appearances throughout the album.














[n] 14: The Luv (Remix) [feat. Masta Ace & Ariano]

Los Angeles emcee Pawz One announces the 10th year anniversary release of his "Face The Facts" album on vinyl. The album is Pawz One's first solo album and was originally released in 2014 on vinyl, CD and digital formats. The first edition vinyl was sold out quickly back in 2014. Now the special edition vinyl is available on red and black vinyl, and new artwork.

Featuring a combination of gritty and smooth production from Los Angeles producers Default & Breeze that embody the genuine golden-era style. Heavyweight guests such as Rakaa Iriscience of Dilated Peoples, Ras Kass, Termanology, 2Mex and Masta Ace all make solid appearances throughout the album.














[n] 14: The Luv (Remix) [feat. Masta Ace & Ariano]