Techno News

After 31 years, the Serious Beats compilation era comes to an end. The very last edition, Serious Beats 100, arrives as 3 Vinyl Box Sets (including 5 vinyls per box).

Some of the most legendary club tracks of the past decades have made the cut, and are now bundled into a true collector's item for everyone who's heart is beating to the rhythm of house music.

After 31 years, the Serious Beats compilation era comes to an end. The very last edition, Serious Beats 100, arrives as 3 Vinyl Box Sets (including 5 vinyls per box).

Some of the most legendary club tracks of the past decades have made the cut, and are now bundled into a true collector's item for everyone who's heart is beating to the rhythm of house music.

This new volume of the Electronic Music Anthology is dedicated to Techno.

Legowelt returns to L.I.E.S.Records with a new album full of ultra-RAW hypnagogic lo-fi electrofunk. Classic, murky, cold as ice Hague-style slammers from the king of Smack. These eight tracks go back to the essence of the Legowelt sound, cutting through the noise of modern dance music charlatans, taking them to school with his undeniable signature stamped all over this release. A dancefloor classic in the making.

Repress

One of the very first releases out of the mighty Space Teddy's catalog established in the early nineties by Dr. Motte already founding member of the global recognized event The Love Parade.

"When You Feel It/Pump The Bass" is a four-track EP with two original versions plus two additional remixes of the same tracks, written and performed by DJ Jonzon and Cosmic Baby both seminal DJs of the German underground scene and musicians fascinated the synth-style of Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream.

The reissue is fully restored from the original source.

Repress!

Higher Intelligence Agency was founded in 1992 by Bobby Bird during the heady days of Birmingham's legendary Oscillate nights, where he improvised & performed live, developing HIA's signature sound, as well being a resident selector . In 1993 HIA released the ambient dub classic 'Colourform' LP on Beyond Records.

This record is a reissue of HIA's 1993 Ambient Dub classic 'Colourform' album, originally released on Beyond Records, now re issued on Headphone as 2 x 12" vinyl, with a fresh new cut by the legendary mastering engineer & elecronic music producer Stefan Betke (Pole / Scape Mastering). Colourform received critical acclaim and favourable reviews on its release, and continues to be widely played to this day, with new generations discovering the music of HIA via digital platforms as well as through occaisional live HIA performances. These have included perfromance at the Detroit Electronic Music festival in 2007, at Beyond The Tracks Festival Birmingham 2017 , O.Z.O.R.A. festival Hungary 2018, and Oscillate Club 2019. More live dates are planned for 2020, including at Houghton Festival, Glastonbury and O.Z.O.R.A.


Reviews:

Tony Corbin – Echoes 1993:

"Beyond Records' Ambient Dub Compilations have provided us with some of the countries most innovative and exciting electronic dance music over the last couple of years, not least from the Higher Intelligence Agency whose 'Speedlearn' single caused more than a ripple in ambient/trance circles earlier this year. The said single, in all its minimalistic hypnodub glory, is included on this, their debut set, as is 'Ketamine Entity', the ridiculously catchy ascending bass riff and trippy echoed beat highlights the groups dub sensibility….the album is quite a low tempo affair which actually adds to its intensity, particularly on tracks such as 'Influx' and 'Conoid Tone' which contain sounds that remind me of the Future Sound Of London. However HIA's identity is firmly maintained through their liberal use of spiraling 303 style sequences. A brave and bright debut".

Calvin Bush - Burning Bush 1993:

"Colourform sweeps you up and trans-ports you across broad vistas of shimmering ambience via their heavenly slow acid grooves and hypnotic melodies, with plenty of space to just step in and explore. The perfect horizonless soundscape for the mentally unshackled listener".

Benn Wilmot NME 1993:

"Inevitably there can only be one criteria for judging an album like 'Colourform', and that is whether it moves the listener into a state of bliss. Painstakingly constructed without sacrificing spontaneity or soft pedalling on their basic shuddering groove, 'Colourform' is always intelligent and undeniably high. Based on their finely honed live set, it builds from the bassy rumblings of 'Delta' and 'Speedlearn' upwards and onwards, slowly gathering pace until the double climax of 'Re Echo and 'Ketamine Entity'. That state of bliss is comfortably attained "

Monnom Black presents Legacy, an introspective look through the storied career of legendary German electronic artist, Thomas P. Heckmann. For the 1st time ever, Heckmann pulls together a lifetime compilation looking back through his multiple alias' and timeless tracks in one release, including those of Knarz, Age, Heckmann, Skydiver, Spectral Emotions, Purple Plejade, and the infamous DRAX (which celebrates it's 30th anniversary this year)

The release consists of a total of 23 tracks, 17 of them slated across 3 slabs of vinyl with 6 digital bonuses containing the best of Heckmann's underground hits like; Himmel Und Hoelle, Tanzmaschine, Teufelswerk and EBM1, as well as his more unknown gems like Chiswick Days and Parnophelia.

Heckman has flexed his prowess across multiple shades of electronic genres throughout his career, but it's his contributions to Industrial, EBM-Techno, Acid, and Experimental that has earned him his notoriety, and it was in 1994 when he dropped an acid-tinged 'Amphetamine' as DRAX LTD. II that shot him into being recognised as a global super power to be reckoned with.

The German producer released his latest studio album "Body Music" in 2018 on Monnom Black, and later featured on The World of Monnom Black compilations. He now returns to celebrate his Legacy with this special release!

the next tracks from the movie

finally repressed !!

One of the best record ever. No waste... all tunes are greats and incredible legends... They are engrave in all early memories... Here is a 2020 remastered version, with a full 45 RPM cut and a loud bloody dynamics !!! FAT !

Zur Feier des 25-jährigen Jubiläums hat Music on Vinyl in Zusammenarbeit mit Armada Music und Armin van Buuren erstmals alle drei Versionen von „Communication“ auf einer 12“ Vinyl verewigt. Diese Jubiläums-Auflage von 1.000 Exemplaren ist auf TRANSLUCENT PURPLE Vinyl erhältlich.

Splatter Vinyl Repress!

Another legendary R&S classic repressed in very limited numbers only on a one-sided 12" vinyl. The original 1992 release from Dutch producer Jaydee was a 10 minute long Hammond organ workout - many remixes over the years but you cant surpass the original!!!

Face Four is the comeback of Two Phase U in a full EP format, continuing the Face saga started in 2019.

This time the 4 track collection is a trip through different styles and moods, with music ranging from gentle, warm-uppers to main hour bangers. Dark dystopian statements alongside hopeful harmonies and invigorating vocal samples.

Full of golden-era stylistic sound references and the characteristic dynamic grooves of Two Phase U's rythmical approach.

Jon Hopkins war lange ein Phantom der internationalen Elektronik- und Produzentenszene: Während seiner oft unbemerkten Zusammenarbeiten mit Künstlern wie Coldplay, Brian Eno und King Creosote sammelte er in den letzten zehn Jahren Ideen, die er 2013 endlich in Form seines vierten Soloalbums "Immunity" veröffentlicht, welches Ende Mai auf Domino erscheint. Vom ersten Moment, in dem die Bässe leise aus den Boxen blubbern, es aus allen Ecken britzelt, gluckst, zirpt, blingt, schlurft, schleift und atmet, entwickelt sich "Immunity" zu einem starken und vielschichtigen Album, vollgepackt mit den besten Sounds, die Hopkins je produziert hat. Tipp!

repressed !

The second album from 2007 with great guest features by Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Siriusmo, TTC (Big Dada), Otto Von Schirach, Puppetmastaz, the group Maximo Park and the song "Let Your Love Grow" by Moderat feat. Paul St. Hilaire (from Rhythm & Sound w/ Tikiman fame)!

Original info from 2007:
After their homage to their moms and the digestion of piled up experiences of their musical freshmen years, the artsand-crafts duo Modeselektor will now release their second album “Happy Birthday”. The record is once again a description of the state of mind of the little buggers from Berlin-Wedding. The constant state of mind is definately clear: hanging out together all the time. Not only professionally (tours, studio ...), but now even more in their privat lives too. Because, smart asses will have reasoned already, both will become fathers very soon, almost simultaneously. Happy Birthday! But back to their labor-pains: After 111 slashings and burnings of the dancefloor from Sydney to Iceland last year and driven by the ungovernable spirit of gold-diggers, Gernot and Szary holed up at their mobile airstream caravan recording studio in order to give birth to “Happy Birthday”. The conditions of production were - and no flattering here - adverse. But thanks to digital transfer technology and a mild winter in Berlin, all came together nicely in the end. Thank God, because the album is supposed to release Modeselektor’s Monkey of Success, its joy and energy and was supposed to also be a celebration of themselves - yeah!

Limited expanded 4 x LP Boxset edition, including 2 double gatefold records; one of the original album and one of remixes and rarities
Includes an exclusive 60 page hardback 12” x 12” book, documenting Orbital’s story and history Also features a 12” Slipmat, and 3 printed repro A6 flyers, randomly placed throughout the book

With “Sandstones” Insect O. presents a new 3 track release of his craftfull dub techno sound. But there is always more to discover.

For the opening track “Sandstones” he used field recordings that he took at the sandstone mountains of Saxony Switzerland National Park while hiking during the pandemic. Back in the studio he layered it on top of spicy chords, beautiful pads and a shuffling groove. But it is this melancholic organ that gives big emotions to the track.

The second track is named after a famous little bass synthesizer. “Volca Dub” was recorded 10 years ago.

It was sitting on the hard drive, waiting for the perfect moment to get finished
and released. The chords of the Korg Volca Bass are heavily modulated and tranched into swirling tape delays with a rumbling sub bass underneath. Just like dub should sound.
The final track “Everlasting” he recorded live in one take on his modular synthesizer.

It starts with the rolling bassline by a Buchla inspired dual oscillator. A dreamy melody and melancholic chords are fading in. Filter pings are providing clicky drums while white noise from the Moog DFAM is playing a polyrhythmic snare.

Pitch shifting echoes and a dreamy reverb are gluing the sounds together. It makes you remember the past and think about the
future. Just like memories do.