Techno News

The first Electronic Emergencies release of 2021 is by Chris & Nogi, founders of the legendary Shoc Corridor. It reflects our love for minimal wave, simply called new wave back in the days. Released as a 10-inch, 'Autumn Rituals and Refugees' consists of eight tracks taken from 4-track-cassette tapes recorded in 1985-1988. Three of these are collaborations with avant-garde voice artist Sharon Gal. The original tapes, which had to endure a journey from London via Israel to South Africa, were beautifully restored by Ruud Lekx, who was able to retain the original sound and atmosphere. The cover art of 'Autumn Rituals and Refugees' was designed by Niels Vrijdag, exhibiting the DIY-mentality and modern living-fantasy of the music from the eighties.

Conversion aka Jorge Caiado takes a second imposing stride into the world of purposeful electro and techno. The three stepping workouts on the A use exemplary harmonies and sound design to convey a complex emotional tone, both ruminative and decisive. Flip things over and we are dropped straight into the middle of a peak-time floor, the driving energy of straight kick and bouncing bassline pushed ever further by swelling strings here or acid stabs there. It's a thrilling move, so come along for the ride. Early support from Fred P, Marco Zenker, Ciel and Anna Wall.

After the success of the 2 Late 4 Love EP, Roy Of The Ravers returns to Emotional Response with a double LP with a deeper perspective, experimenting in ambient and drone textures, lucid techno travails and acid interludes.

Recorded between 1997 and 2017, the album was pieced together over the last six months after Roy's archives were first feared lost and then found. Approached by the label to release a follow up with something more introspective and personal, it was discovered that a recent move to a new studio had led to over 20 years of music being misplaced after it was believed they were mistakenly dropped at a local charity store. However, deep in a box of what were thought to be patch cables were in fact the decades worth of hard drives and here presented, is a sample of those lost recordings.

The nature of the music is introspection, eschewing the acid beats and white noise for a personal encounter between man and machine. The orchestral opening of the title track gives way to the submarine beats, pulsing TB303 and gliding hats of Robinson College 10 to set the outlook to come. Even with the scattering A Dim And Distant Past waking lulled senses, the melodies and feel all lead to a pause and reflect rather than jump and shout.

This is continued with the haunting drives of Bounce Erec and Oriental X0X-Press; the twisted, warped jams of The Weber Traum Boat Pt.3, Ichi and Roland Corp Labs 05; and the beautiful, heartfelt odes in Sade Lost Theme, The Clock House Pt.2 and closer, Nemesis '01. The album's melodic nature hums and shines as CS (6x8) appears as much a centre piece as a alternative consideration to the acid tinged, club bangs of Roy's releases to date.
A surprise package maybe, but in the rolling, word of mouth phenomena that was Emotinium II, all this and more was sensed and so White Sunrise Music II, spreading across 12 songs of contrasting moods, is a further affirmation that there is something good and worthy of exploration.

On his third album as Trickfinger, John Frusciante makes the jump from Acid Test to its leftfield sub-label, Avenue 66, to unleash the full scope of his vision. On She Smiles Because She Presses The Button, the legendary, LA-based cult figure, presents his most diverse yet cohesive album to date.



Frusciante has the melodic and programming chops to jump from style to style while sounding only like himself. "Amb" is the welcome middle-ground between Balearic and IDM while "Brise” with its quick syncopations and rhythmic groove provide a contrasting fabric. Elsewhere, JF caroms through electro and pastoral, "intelligent" ambient. The common thread through this quixotic journey are his trademark, timeless melodies.



For years now, Frusciante has immersed himself in machines, learning tracker programs, synths and drum machines inside and out, applying the same, tireless approach he's exhibited throughout his career. On She Smiles Because She Presses The Button, this period of intense study leads intense creative liberation.

After closing the first part of Fundamental Records' experiment called Music for The Other People Place, the second part begins. Music for The Other People Place. Experiment 2. A special and highly limited electro / electronics project (tributed to James Stinson), produced by different artists that will remain anonymous, if they choose to...

The Modulator, AKA Freddy Fresh is back on his historical label EMF !! Dancefloor and mental acid Electronic Music... So called Techno

Fantastic new singel by Vaal with another heavily banged out Baikal rework in his typical tribalhouse style...A full winner this new 12inch on Afterlife. If i had to think about a picture of the music, Caspar David Friedrich would come to my mind.

London imprint Drifted Records bring the heat with their second solo output in the catalogue. DR002 - Spirals EP, written by Dublin born, Berlin based wiz ‘New Members’, displays a distinct voyage of the beloved 90s era with a modern innovation.

Side A showcases the heavy, rolling drum patterns, airy dub chords and cleverly placed hats that you wanna’ be hearing at 4am on a packed dance floor, with both ‘Spirals’ and ‘Mythos’.

Flipping the record gives us something else entirely. B1 offers a silky, screw-faced stomper ‘No Mind’, which features samples from the great Alan Watts. Followed by a timeless edition to round off this latest instalment, B2 gifts us a gorgeous and percussive Jungle number entitled ‘Secrets’.

Mostly an electro scientific mini album with some downtempo touches influenced by Jeroen Brandjes and Natasja Hagemeier. The Stolen Tracks, an unknown artist, presents us a mini album in which he denounces the insane state of the human soul, which was lost by using the science on top it all

The Italian Fuzz Dance! Just said almost everything about the global dance music scene. One of the most prominent labels to connect the old Continent to the new Continent. For many top players it is considered the blueprint of Italo-disco, for many others the beginning of the House sound. Some of the records on its catalogue are merely timeless and in the history forever. And "Plastic Love" is definitely one of those.

First up is Nehuen, an Argentinian born but Barcelona based artist who is notorious for his abrasive dance floor workouts on I Love Acid, BNR Trax and the Classicworks label he co-owns with Cardopusher. Cardopusher is, of course, a true electronic legend from Venezuela. His dizzyingly diverse sound takes in rave, acid, electro, techno and house influences and distills them into hugely
Raw and energetic new forms.

Nehuen's Psyops Part One kicks off with the excellent title track, which contorts acid and electro into a writhing monster filled with dark energy. The visceral 'Toxic' is built on slapping hits and spangled basslines that will tie you in knots as the bumping drums drive things forward. The late-night menace continues on 'Bailar', with tight synth arps layered up in robotic forms over clunky drums that are industrial and futuristic in equal measure. Last but not least, the eerie 'Desire' strikes a more twisted note with double kicks juddering beneath echoing hits. It's pure, filthy, brilliant body music.

Cardopusher kicks off Part Two with the fantastic 'Disobedience' (feat. Lbeeze) a slow-motion drum workout that is like dark disco mangled through a psychedelic filter, with robotic vocals and stiff arp
jerking your body. 'Abyss Antidote' is then a flurry of drum breaks and electro bass, frazzled synths and whipping hits that keep you on the edge of your seat. Darkness abounds on the gritty 'Initial Decay' (ft. Lbeeze), which layers up taught drums and hits with spraying synths that come from a dystopian planet.

Closing out this epic mini-series is 'Mutant Brain', a cyborg techno meltdown with manic acid for
company.

These are devilishly distorted tracks from two of the best producers around.

Repress!

LP2 continues his exploration of emotive, dreamy atmospheres, soaked with rich pads and otherworldly arpeggios, juxtaposing it with hectic drum machines, deep bass lines and unusual sampling - evoking industrial music. It’s a slightly warmer and in a way more soothing album than LP1, but at the same time more dance-oriented as well, at some point reminiscent of Earth Trax’s early deep house singles. It’s a fascinating insight in world building, extending the author’s ideas from previous records (either as Earth Trax or Bartosz Kruczyński downtempo releases) much further and treating them more as a starting point rather than reusing them. LP2 again features the gorgeous photography of Kasia Zacharko and design of Kaja Kukuła.

Rotterdam's local player Gamma Intel returns to Pinkman with his signature slowbeat electro bizz. Menacing with militant kicks and filthy curling baselines that go straight to one's stomach when ingested, 'Generatie Desinteresse' inspects the blas? youth of the concrete jungle. Inspired by the boundless pursuit of pleasure, numbed minds & ever-changing cities, the six tracker takes you to the place where anxiety is always lurking for its prey, even if the veil of indifference sets the simmering turmoil off the heat for a moment.

Orange Vinyl

Second release of the DreamWalker series by Mystic & Quantum Records. This time, a new adventure of Ochre with artwork by Guy Warley. An EP full of shimmering electronics, crunchy, crispy beats and sweeping melancholic melodies. Limited to 300 copies, colored vinyl.

DSP welcomes back the prolific one-man-machine from Malta… Keith Farrugia AKA Sound Synthesis for the first solo EP on the imprint. ‘Memory Sequence’ Depicts a cerebral journey into the depths of cognitive recall.

The record opens with ‘Electric Flux’. Acidic Electro reminiscent of the cold futurism of early Detroit Electro with an informed shift in perspective that pushes things further forward.

The A-side concludes with the mysterious, arp laced ‘Melodija’. A heartfelt example of Sound Synthesis’ depth and individualism when it comes to the deeper side of Electro.

‘A3B0L3’ takes things in a more playful direction on the flip. Smooth chords, soulful drum programming and lysergic elements of Keith’s futuristic funk leave a vivid impression on the soul.

The final statement on the record ‘Melody Chords’ Takes us on a ride of self-reflection, emotional depth and melodic distinction. Leaving the mind in a state of profound clarity upon it's resolve.

The third release on Raw Basics is a collaborative effort from Basic Rhythm and the inimitable Lamont.

On the A side we have Hard Shoulder. Starting with an electro groove and meditative synth line, pausing for a moment to drop in a head nodding bass stab to accentuate the percussion before bringing in a gritty percussive roll and flair evoking Detroit and Chicago but with a contemporary twist. Hard Shoulder is a modern electro roller with energy to spare.

On the B side is Spring Back, a deeper more melodic affair that opens with a distorted chime melody, bringing to mind children nursery rhymes, before stripping back to clear simple percussion and bass stab. The track rolls along, dipping in and out of the melody line and playing with the time signature, before bringing in a deep sub bass and switching the groove up. This is space age bass music!

2x12"

Atzen.

Acte Majeur is a project from Alexandre Gande AKA Le Syndicate Electronique, French cold wave and electro pioneer on Libertine X, new label series from Libertine Records dedicated to a more experimental electro, industrial and wavey sounds.