Techno News

Next up on the Kyiv-based label Kashtan comes from a very promising Ukrainian artist Monoconda.

Oleksandr Filonenko aka Monoconda is a Kyiv based multi-instrumentalist, music composer, sound producer and a live performer. While making music for commercials, theater and public places, Monoconda started to release his own electronic music in 2018 with an album called "Alphabet". His second release, "Low Light" was recorded during the pandemic isolation, and was named as one of the best records of the year by top Ukrainian musical journalists. There was much music recorded after that, alone and in collaboration with different musicians, but the pandemic and the war have made the release process somehow impossible or at least quite a hard quest. But the music is always being done, cause that's what he is here for.

The main concept of the Kyiv label Kashtan is to identify and carefully choose the pearls of Ukrainian electronic music, which are not defined and limited by genre definitions. This playing with genres has been released through the album "Horizon" by musician Monoconda.

Introducing the next installment (tenth 12″), the label’s owners debut with a new project inspired by their dark influences.

The secret project K.T.S. is presented in the second TensalLTD reference, "Insurreccion" is a double vinyl limited edition, containing 8 tracks that run from acid breakbeat to techno or electro with the spirit of the early 90s permeating all the way.

In the vast musical archive that is Roman Flügel’s discography, Ro70 holds a special place. Written, performed and produced between January and July 1995, it is his debut album as a full-fledged solo artist. Enquired and inspired by a certain David Moufang from Heidelberg, who used to share a classroom with Jörn Elling Wuttke at the SAE Institute and revealed himself to be an Acid Jesus fan and also of the Roman IV 12“ project, it seemed like a good fit for his (and Jonas Grossmann’s) Source Records label.
In the days before file sharing that meant going back and forth with various DATs in his mom’s Volkswagen Polo Fox for actual listening sessions between Darmstadt and Heidelberg. The time was as special and idiosyncratic one as was the sound of Source Records and of course Ro 70 itself. While the rave-olution was ready to eat its kids with the commercial outlook of former underground phenomena looked bright and the scene’s prophecy seemed grim, enterprises like Source and artist like Roman Flügel were defying any competition out of those corners with their own means.
Listening back to the ten tracks of Ro 70, it proves them, their taste and artistic vision right. Probably still being put into the ambient, downtempo, electronica or chill out sections of most record shops, this music could have been made, relished and cherished anytime between 1995 and now. Made in Roman’s home studio in his parent’s house or in the Klangfabrik studio in Egelsbach, this was made for before or after the rave – or for people who din’t want to have to do anything with it at all. His signature is all over it. Well balanced soundscapes with an almost uncanny presence and clarity. Bittersweet symphonies that doesn’t seem to be in an inferior position to modern classical or electronic studies.
It is also a very personal testament to a time in the artists’s life that was ready to get caught in the maelstrom of the oscillating techno city called Frankfurt am Main and its halcyon days between the Delirium record shop, Sven Väth’s marathon sets, the early days of the label triumvirate Playhouse, Klang & Ongaku. In a musical journal without lyrics, those memories will have to stay pantomimic and private. All for the better, that we can at least still listen to them.

Back In stock!

Switch on your receiver and tune in to Far Out Radio Systems for another essential transmission. A lengthy one this time, since On Boolean Plains is the debut album of this Belgium production unit. Station master of Far Out Radio Systems is the Genk based producer Thomas Neyens, who keeps a cinemascope view on electronic music and has previously released on the SoHaSo- label as Kiani & His Legion.

On Boolean Plains takes you back to the IDM hey days of labels like Warp and Skam, back when the Artificial Intelligence-series got praise from electronic music lovers around the globe. Neyens manages to reshape that magic and make it his own, thanks to more than a handful of intricate melodies and the occasional distorted beat. Edgy electronic dance music about a world in distress. It will bring you both comfort and concern.

The title track is a melancholic Bola-esque affair, with beautiful gloomy strings, eerie breakbeats and enough space to hide yourself in. But you will also find beautiful ambient bliss (‘Beta Ceti’), bleepy techno with a firm nod to Plastikman (‘Queen of the Streets’) and soothing percussive house (‘Do We Have a Cosmic Connection’), a track that will lure you to that sweet spot on the dancefloor. While Neyens knows his classics, On Boolean Plains is not a retro album. Far from. It’s both a personal leap from what was to what will be AND an imprint of current affairs. Hence titles like ‘Theme For The Lockdown’ and ‘Tears in Code’.

Far Out Radio Systems truly lives up to it's name. Strong vibes in every direction.

Repress

Shadowax's debut EP on TRIP Nikolai Reptile is a fun-filled package of effervescent techno and mutant bass jams.

For the third release label decided to spoil you with a four-track record from various artists that can trigger caustic dreams.

For his first solo release on Knotweed, Argentinian producer DYING comes up with four emotionally charged tracks.

We are celebrating 10 years of Knotweed Records, exploring different shades of techno.

12“ TRANSPARENT BLUE VINYL + POSTER + DOWNLOAD

Continuing its tradition of genre bending output, Veyl comes forth with one of its most innovative releases to date. 'Still III' is a collaboration between Supreme Low (Jerome Tcherneyan of Years of Denial) and New York-based MC, Sensational, who has been pushing hip hop’s boundaries for over 30 years. Tcherneyan first saw Sensational in France in 1999 while meeting in New York in 2001. The two quickly connected and kept in touch throughout the years when they finally got the chance to record material together in London in
2016.
With beats created mainly using an SP1200 (a sampler associated with hip hop golden's age and raw Techno), Fuzz/Distortion pedals and dub units like Echoes/Spring Reverb, psychedelic modulations such as Chorus/Flanger/Phaser and a modular synth, Sensational’s rhymes were totally improvised on the spot in a 3 a.m. studio session under heavy influence. The result is a powerful fusion of sound and style that shatters all expectations and delivers an audio vehicle bridging past, present and future.
While not lending itself to categorisation, 'Still III' packs Narcotic beats, llbient, Dub, Noise Rap, Bass terrorist, Freak Style, Raw poetry and more into an 8 track release which is unlike anything out right now.
Joining on the release are Tcherneyan collaborators Broken English Club, who appears on the ominous opener, 'Doomed' as well as Years of Denial co-conspirator Barkosina, who, as always, mystifies with her
vocal presence on 'The World'. Also appearing, Meanad Veyl remixing 'Everybody Ready' and Belgian pioneer hypnsokull finishes off the release in perfect fashion with a remix of 'Raw Shit'.

limited to 100 copies!

Returning to the Ransom Note Records offshoot, Insult To Injury boss and rising star Timothy Clerkin presents four prime cuts of rave meatiness. Showing off his chops, Timothy’s distinctive Acid sound collides head on with Jungle and Breakbeat elements, put through the mincer to form an EP of epic dance floor destroyers.

Limited edition of 82 only made 12″ colored vinyl copies + numbered print.

The 2nd output on ROBOTRON’s lo-fi label BOOTSEKTOR represents the very first recordings by adalbert c. kupietz as INTERFUNK. created in 1997 on a MS-DOS 8/16 bit tracker under heavy influence by the west coast sound of holland. doomy, dark and moody – the soundtrack of “THE MAN BEHIND THE SCREEN”.

At only eighteen years old, Paris DJ and producer u.r.trax has a C.V that would make most seasoned selectors blush. Blending the innocence of youth with a ferocious production palette, the emerging techno star has already played Concrete, Dehors Brut, and La Toilette, and has released on Hector Oaks Kaos label, having become infatuated with the sound at a young age - even visiting Tresor at just fourteen!

From death comes rebirth, and on ‘Dying Generation' u.r.trax flies the flag for future-gazing doof with its twisting, left-field turns and throbbing noise. An instant Berlin classic. The glitch and suspense of ‘What Was On Their Mind’ melts into the raver’s core; alarm bells ring, heartbeats race and eyes widen on its six-minute journey.

The headsy vibes on ‘You Are Your Own Distraction’ is a welcome switch-up, its punchy kicks and bouncy aesthetic inviting the listener to dance as weird as they want, before the techno tradition is dropped in favour of a hefty cut of electro flavour, molding the artists own vocals with her production for a “Miss Kitten 2.0” vibe.

Galaxial atmospherics, horror-synths and anxious energy bow us out on ‘Race Against Time’, completing the package with a furious digi-only rework from MRD.

The police are now using special forces to locate and defeat Chemistry Radio... The agents from the B.P.D. (Berlin Poser Department) are detaining all those found in possession of acid and electro records. And for those in possession of atmospheric drum and bass, they have a licence to kill.

Chemistry Radio leads the resistance via their transmissions, and along with their artists, they are taking you back underground.

"The strongest affection and utmost zeal should promote the studies concerned with the most beautiful objects. This is the discipline that deals with the universe's divine revolutions, the stars' motions, sizes, distances, risings and settings... for what is more beautiful than heaven?" - Copernicus.

Paul Wise aka Placid is the driving force behind ‘We’re Going Deep’ – a thriving online community and record label that’s showing no signs of letting up as we glide towards the end of 2021.

Sticking to the trusted format of 4 tracks of high grade electronic explorations per EP, all sourced from equally excellent artists. WGD 005 fires its way into orbit on Side A with the opening chimes of Australian producer Tim Jackiw’s ‘Urban theory’. A purist slice of machine driven techno-soul that plots a cosmic trajectory through sharp FM bass tones, powerful kick and driving 303 - all drawn together through sparkling rings of chorded melody. As the rattle of metallic snares and searing acid rise, the track unleashes at warp speed: bringing sheer delight. Followed by the expansive talents of 030303 hitman Böhm, ‘The Search’ meanders deeper into interstellar fields with a jam packed full of melancholia, making full use of minimal machine elements for a maximal sound.

Welcoming another original purveyor of electronic music from Australia to Side B, the legendary Biz straddles the line effortlessly between IDM and Electro with the wonderfully uplifting air of ‘Meltdown’. Stacked full of low-end and glistening solar frequencies, his take on the deep space sound will definitely have fans of Automatic Tasty, Moy and Cignol phoning home. Last but not least, Yorkshireman Al Bradley plots a course back towards inner space, serving up a slow acid bubbler that’s text book in terms of restraint and poise – perfect for those orbital moments as you near your final destination.

Blue Marbled Vinyl Repress

After we 'Escaped from Andromeda' we are now facing 'The Space Gate'. Join us on this second Electro-Acid adventure!

Two producers we love present their versus EP, johnfaustus vs Serge Geyzel. Familiar faces with the Acid Smile!

A1 - Rukkus - johnfaustus
We have set course to the Space Gate. Still the enemy is on our tail. Following us into space!

A2 - Phoebé - johnfaustus
Machines, machines, machines! We will need them to complete the journey.

B1 - Falling Down The Cliff - Serge Geyzel
Asteroid field we have to cross. Enjoy the ride!

B2 - Alone Together - Serge Geyzel
Are we finally alone and isn't somebody still in pursuit? We can escape and make it, together. Final destination: The Space Gate. Off to freedom!

B3 - Palindrome - Serge Geyzel
What is that tiny dot on our HF Radar? Hey wait, radar is a palindrome.

Noamm, the darkest entity on Planet Earth delivers an extraordinary album full of analog sequences and surgical drums. Haunting electro at its best! Warning: the content included in the track Necro Science maybe disturbing or traumatizing for some audiences. This track includes sounds and voices sampled directly from the autopsy room.