Techno News

Moscow based Ivan Karasev aka Torn inked his Samurai affiliation in 2017 with his first-ever solo vinyl release on Shiro, a sub-label for highlighting new artists.

In the 5 years that have passed since this release, the Torn name has progressed into a widescreen sonic project leaving an indelible mark not only on DnB but also reaching into the outer edges of the underground Techno scene.

Electronic icons from across the ages come together to contribute to a stunning new package that features Grammy winner Midge Ure and cult house artists Ame on a record inspired by legendary Kraftwerk drummer Wolfgang Flür.

This project came about when Midge Ure was performing with his group Band Electronica in Dusseldorf in 2020. Wolfgang Flur was in the audience and later asked Ure to join a new project he was working on. A few days later, with thoughts of Wolfgang's pioneering electronic drumming, the role Dusseldorf has played in the scene, and the beat which makes the world move, Midge Ure wrote 'Das Beat'. Whilst Wolfgang went on to record his own version of the song for his LP, Ure laid down ‘Das Beat’ with Band Electronica in its original form.

Ultravox and Visage legend Midge Ure played a pivotal role in the world of electronic music and here gives credit to those that inspired him, Wolfgang Flür among them. Says Midge of the new record, "'Das Beat' is a nod of thanks to the people who created the inspirational sounds and music I heard in the clubs in the late seventies and early eighties."

'Das Beat' is an archetypal piece of European electronic music. This superb single nods to the heritage of the genre through the proudly stark synth sounds of the 80s, right through electro-pop and modern techno. The clean, crisp vocals nod to Midge's knack for pop songwriting as they muse on the enduring appeal of electronic beats. Finishing it in style are the sleek Kraftwerk-esque melodies that are filled with a subtle sense of hope.

Remixing the record is German duo Âme. Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann have fomented their own deeply emotive house sound over the last 15 years. They run the influential Innervisions label and constantly drive the scene forward with their widely-influenced sounds, whilst bringing DJ and Live sets to the world's best events. Their excellent remix fills out the sound for the club, with chunky broken drums bouncing beneath visceral acid, big hits locking you into the groove and a vocal that brings a standout retro-future flourish. The remix also comes with an alternative ‘Dub version’.

Following last year’s ‘Pleasure Machine’ EP on 10PILLSMATE, Posthuman return on their own imprint Balkan Vinyl with more acid-fuelled electro and rave. On remix duties are WTCHCRFT (New York City), DJ Karawai (Berlin) and LDLDN (London) taking the tracks into more purist electro, techno, and house directions.

Picking up DJ support from Erol Alkan, Superdefekt, Anja Schneider, Art-D-Fact, Colin Dale, Addison Groove, Emerald, Vladimir Ivkovic, Alienata, Black Cadmium, Giant Swan, Rob Hall, Luigi Di Venere, Wavefold, Éclair Fifi, Chrissy, John Barera, Bored Lord, ASOK, Jossy Mitsu, Mystic Bill, India Jordan, Nyra, Nikki Nair, Shedbug, Etch, Jason Kendig, Josh Wink, Andrea, Ian DPM, & loads more

Paris-based producer Alexandre Bazin returns to Umor Rex with another side to his music approach. If in Full Moon (Umor Rex 2016) he explored the analog electronic music merged with classical minimalism, in this new work, Bazin dives into totally rhythmic terrains while maintaining his devotion to electronic exploration and acoustic drums. Four Steps even rubs shoulders without discretion with techno music and the dancefloor, and retains his refined obsession with melody and structure.

In these pieces, Bazin lends space to electronic soundscapes, experimentation, and computer programming, everything derived from precise compositions. With melodies created with Buchla Music Easel, EMS Synthi, among other instruments, Four Steps –through the drone and ambient music– crosses roads with elegant and infinite techno loops. The album is a 4 track EP released in vinyl 12" in 45 rpm, finely mastered by John Tejada with a focal point in harmonics and dimension, offering an exquisite hi-fidelity experience even for the digital lossless audience.

Alexandre Bazin has been a member of the France GRM (Groupe de Recherches Musicales) since 2005.

Composed & mixed by Alexandre Bazin at Château Rouge. Drums in Four Steps III by François Desmoulins. Mastered by John Tejada in Sherman Oaks. Artwork & photos by Daniel Castrejón in Mexico City.

BLIQ's latest instalment is by prolific Chicago artist Ike Release & long-standing label friend Iron Curtis on the remix duties. "111118 & Wmpwmp" are hardware driven, pitched-down jungle juxtapositions, instilled with soul. On the flip, Signal 2 Signal Remix by Iron Curtis on "Leisure Devices" triggers an electrified excursion into the old school, with the original score laying an immersive experience with emotions powered by the machines.

3 electro techno at the ecletroswing frontier... Funkyest than ever !
And one speeder at the Electro tribe "electribe" Ixindamix style...

Assumed pumpin sound !

BIG !

On a sultry summer evening last summer, Brussels producer Victor De Roo performed solo on the debut evening of WOODBLOCKS, a series of live concerts at Parc Royal hosted by Kiosk Radio.

We’ve decided to bring out the live recording of this very special evening on cassette as the second release on our label offshoot Kiosk Recs.

Credit 00 links back up with Mechatronica, this time in their White series, to manifest a lawless mirage of digital dread, paranoid energy and hallucinatory desire. Limited to 500 copies, no repress.

Ian Lambert's long-awaited debut EP on Analogical Force has been many months in the making and the wait was absolutely worth it. 'Coordinate EP' embodies a masterpiece of structured chaos sculpted by intricate acid lines, playful melodies, heavy breakbeats and razor sharp glitches executed with expert precision signature to his programist-driven sound. This record embarks on a cerebral journey and leaves you eager for more. Fans of Phoenecia, Aphex Twin, Richard Devine, Dwaallicht will surely enjoy. Daed is a welcome addition to Analogical Force.

Pink Vkinyl

Dylan Dylan joins the Shall Not Fade with her debut album Euphoria.

On his sophomore album “ITSAME” on FILM, Brainwaltzera navigates the turbulent waters of personal crossroads with cautious optimism for an uncertain future.
Drawing comparisons with his debut full-length Poly-Ana , an equally introspective album that explores broader conceptual themes, the artist hesitantly describes the new record as a very personal affair. Acting as a kind of “journal” of the last four years of his life, each of
the 17 tracks directly relate to events and experiences that transpired during their composition

Jessy Lanza has always made music that perfectly suits the mood - whether it's the heads-down trance of the dancefloor or that hazy, post-club bliss. It's no surprise for an artist that takes electronic music's most intoxicating sensibilities and effortlessly reimagines them as experimental pop and R&B. The Canadian singer, producer and DJ from Hamilton, Ontario, has trodden an inspiring path which led to 2013's boldly minimalist debut Pull My Hair Back, released on revered UK label Hyperdub. Gorgeously complex follow-ups Oh No - shortlisted for Canada's prestigious Polaris Prize - and 2020's All the Time crowned her as a singular talent in the left-of-pop sphere. It's with this genre-bending approach that Jessy Lanza presents her entry for the DJ-Kicks series - a sprawling, club-indebted odyssey that draws you in closer and closer with each listen. Recorded this summer, the mix is an incisive snapshot of her emotional landscape during the past 18 months. In 2020, with nothing but a van, a few personal belongings and her musical gear, Lanza and her partner relocated from New York City to the Bay Area to ride out the pandemic. A change of scenery, buoyed by the slower pace of their new home, gave her a fresh perspective during a worldwide screeching halt. Jessy Lanza's DJ-Kicks mix also arrives as a divine stroke of timing. As the world slowly starts to re-open, it's a portal into the ecstatic energy of the dancefloor; an emblem of genuine healing - both personal and communal - that transports listeners to a state of pure euphoria.

Doing exactly what it says on the tin - a tough four track electro set from Mustafa Ali under the N.A.D. moniker. TIP!

A true unsung hero of mid 90's techno, Nurmad Jusat aka Nuron helped cement the UK sound that became synonymous with labels like Likemind, B12 and A.R.T With his original releases long out of print and selling for serious money on Discogs, Likemind finally gives fans what they've asking for for so long. 8 of his most sought after tracks, remastered and repackaged in the form of a 2 x 12" compilation. For a truly breathtaking snapshot of 90's UK electronica, look no further.

Much to our delight, the newest Dom Trojga offering comes from Olivia. The Unsound Festival resi-dent and We Are Radar crew co-founder is undoubtedly one of Poland's most beloved DJs, with deep crates and a singular musical vision spanning electro, techno, industrial, EBM, Italo, and wave music. She had been active on the underground circuit, both locally and internationally, for over a decade before she moved to distill her style into her own recordings. After well-received releases on K-Hole Trax and Pinkman Records comes New Life EP, dedicated to her newborn daughter. As un-compromising as ever, and refusing to adhere to the norms of more conventional dance music, the material is teeming with - well - life, and displays a subtle, non-linear playfulness often lost on techno and EBM music these days. Whether it is the constantly building title track, raging "Laser", housed-up "Hidden Gem" or the mutant-disco of "Magic Walk", the record's squelching 303s, wild drum pro-gramming and unhinged synths take you where you need to be! The cover was designed by the 3D artist and photographer Ma?gorzata Pawi?ska. Dom Trojga - live anew!

The drawbridge finally comes down, and The Mail Coif’s “Medieval Ditties Compendium” label takes physical shape in the form
a heavyweight 7" available June 2019. We are big fans of the output of this man ( Jackson Bailey aka Tapes), and this is honestly
some of our favourite material to date! Goblin Wizard Cauldron Spell marks the start of The Mail Coif's quest into Fantastical
Territory both familiar and unknown: an LP of Ditties is set to follow later this Year.

"Hear ye hear ye!

It is time to feast ye on succulent cuts of wildest fanfare as he of The Mail Coif bringeth forth arcane ear-curling wonderment!
Know this, when the hen suckles the dusty teats of a moon-drunk serpent so shall appear the first 7" from the prophetic Medieval Ditties Compendium!

Meet we at the ritual grounds for conjuring, with Maiden's Mirror in hand, 10,000 barbarian souls cast to the void for Goblin Wizard Cauldron Spell!
Hearken thee and Stay the clatter of thy chainmail, churlish knave, these 2 lays will cleave through the musical miasma to free thy mind maiden from boredom eternal!

So Heft thy horse at the heavens, shuck off thy cursed rags and bring forth gold nuggets, for these dungeon dirges are set to raze temples and summon beasts unfathomable!

M.D.C

"

Bézier returns to Dark Entries with Valencia, a six track rumination on memory, geography, and transmutation. Multi-instrumentalist Robert Yang’s Bézier project has appeared on Dark Entries many times over the last decade, most recently with the 2018 LP Parler Musique. Says Yang, “What started as a project to investigate the love of the sound and scenery while living in San Francisco quickly developed into a passionate search for interlocking melodies and driving rhythms.”
On Valencia, Bézier invokes twinned places. The Valencia Street of San Francisco is channeled, which was the center of the city’s vibrant new wave scene in the 1980s.

But also echoed is Valencia, Spain, and La Ruta del Bakalao aka La Ruta Destroy, the Spanish clubbing scene throughout the 80s and 90s famed for its aggressive and synthetic sounds. Valencia is a darker record for Yang, exploring themes of submission and catharsis with nods to SF’s gay leather bars of the 70s and 80s. The high BPM salvos of “Valencia” and “Scrupulous” capture the frantic energy of Bakalao and Valencian wave acts like Última Emoción. Elsewhere Yang mines the dreamy space disco and Hi-NRG sounds they’re known for, like on the brooding “Past the Marshes” or the anthemic “Reservoir”, which features their partner Len.Leo on vocals. Bézier deftly navigates past and present, light and dark, pain and pleasure, the stasis of memory and the flux of time.

Valencia was mastered by Alex Michalski, with EQ for vinyl done by George Horn. Gwenaël Rattke designed the sleeve, which features an 80’s punk zine-esque geometric grid pattern mirroring San Francisco street maps. Also included is a 5x7 postcard with notes.

Edition Akasha launches with 'Forest Beams' by Eira Haul, proudly presenting a sonic crosscut of the Berlin artist's captivating take on UK textures and tempos, fused by a visceral feel for bright melodic touches.

Dark is the forest and deep, and overhead
Hang stars like seeds of light
In vain, though not since they were sown was bred
Anything more bright.

Edition Akasha launches with 'Forest Beams' by Eira Haul, proudly presenting a sonic crosscut of the Berlin artist's captivating take on UK textures and tempos, fused by a visceral feel for bright melodic touches.

As the rude bass stepper 'Forest Beams' rubs shoulders with the jovial, off-kilter techno of 'Oak', and the trance trip 'Cosmic Body' takes flight towards the introspective halftimer 'Kilim', euphoria and melancholy waltz in harmony atop soaring beats throughout this nod to Akasha Festival's Forest floor. At midpoint, Tornado Wallace compliments the tour de force that is EDAK001 with his 'Lights Off Mix' of 'Oak' - a cheeky balearic breakbeat rendition bringing summer firmly into focus.

Spanish producer Aiken give us a complete bomb floors techno vibes.
3 Original songs for the pure techno lovers plus a brilliant electro remix done for the master of The Exaltics.

As a young person growing up in West Yorkshire, my experiences of true underground clubbing became intertwined with names such as Back to Basics, 20/20 Vision and Carl Finlow. That period in the early 2000's became a life-affirming time for my young self.

Frequent trips to Back to Basics, then held at the Mint Club helped forge my outlook on electronic music and how it should be played in a club environment. I would often hear stories about ""the Farm"" and the late night parties and studio sessions. The anecdotes and tales of US icons recording in the countryside with the local guys provided only a small insight into the creativity and fun that must have gone on during those years. Cut to now in 2017, whilst looking back to those times more than fifteen years ago, I can proudly say that the dots have been joined and the connections now formally established.

I'm immensely proud to say that Carl Finlow, the understated king of British electro, and I, have put together a selection of his works that provides a themed snapshot into his musical history. The music I have chosen with Carl may not be all of his biggest tracks but it is the music that is special to me. The selection has a vibe, one that is deep and emotive, music for the head as well as the feet - Hope you hear it in the same way (...)