quête:man machine

If you can judge an artist's quality by the company they keep, then FaltyDL is up there with the best of them. The label history of the producer known to his friends as Drew Lustman reads like a "who's who" of 21st century electronic music imprints - Ninja Tune, Unknown to the Unknown, Planet Mu, Studio Barnhus, the list goes on.

WithIn the Wake of Wolves, we can now add Central Processing Unit to this illustrious roster. The Sheffield label joins the party at a notable juncture - while FaltyDL has kept up an impressive clip of releases throughout his career,In the Wake of Wolvesis both the NYC-based producer's first LP for two years and his first full-length release away from his own Blueberry Records for almost a decade.

In the Wake of Wolvesproves to be both a great match for CPU and also further evidence of the label's burgeoning sonic palette. While CPU has built its reputation on top quality electro joints, recent releases have delivered adventurous electronica experiments (Proswell'sPeople Are Giving And Receiving Thanks At Incredible Speeds), hard-wired breakbeat techno (Baby T'sI Against I) and golden-age synth explorations (twenty-fifth anniversary reissues of Bochum Welt'sDesktop RoboticsandFeelings on a Screen, both of which first emerged via the legendary Rephlex Records).In the Wake of Wolvestakes things further still - this is a brilliantly genre-voracious record, one which marries the rhythmic cut-and-thrust that we have long known FaltyDL for with all manner of adventurous stylistic choices.

Those familiar with the FaltyDL experience will recognise the trademark blend of synthetic grit and harmonious softness in album opener 'I Need You'. This could pass for Four Tet or even Hannah Diamond at points, the steady build of pulsing synths and looped vocals recalling a more mysterious version of the PC Music sound. 'I Need You' stands shoulder-to-shoulder with any of FaltyDL's other great atmospheric album openers - no small feat given the competition. 'Further', the following number, is yin to 'I Need You's yang. This is a pulsating track which gleefully skitters between machine-funk, tubing darkside bass and breakcore-adjacent drum programming, all of which is peppered with some genuinely beautiful work in the higher synths.

'Further' sets the scene for several of the more club-facing cuts here. 'Minds Protection' similarly features all manner of strange percussive sounds to surprise the ear, and it also boasts a thrilling mid-section in which the bottom falls out the track to incorporate a short snippet of blown-out junglism. With its tunnelling low-end and clattering drums, 'Full Spectrum' kicks off a delightful run of grime-influenced joints which take cues from Mr. Mitch, Logos and many of those other producers who took the Eski sound to exciting new places in the 2010s. 'Forget Me Not', the album's longest track which is placed three spots from the end, feels like the record's climactic point - a pitter-patter post-house joint that has a hint of Caribou in its DNA, it'll take the clubs by storm.

But as much as FaltyDL may consistently bring the heat in terms of the beat programming, the thing which has long marked Lustman out as a special talent is the musicality of his compositions. No matter how much drums clatter or bass bangs, FaltyDL always hooks the ear back in with a sonorous synth or pleasing nugget of melody. Nowhere is this more apparent than onIn the Wake of Wolves' more weightless numbers, each startling in their prettiness. 'Half Spectrum' is a new-era beat track packed full of ear candy; the keening keys of 'GasGas' are potent with feeling; and on the album's closer, the evocatively-titled 'Mila Stans In A Meadow For The First Time Eating Strawberries', we get a gorgeous synth vignette that joins the dots between the modern mastery of Yung Sherman and the most emotionally affecting moments of Aphex's Twin's catalogue.

At once wistful and hopeful, archival and futuristic, FaltyDL's brilliantly unpredictableIn the Wake of Wolvesis a feather in the cap for both this seasoned producer and the Central Processing Unit label.

RIYL: AFX, Bochum Welt, Mark Fell, Mrs Jynx, Boards of Canada

A bit more than half a decade on from his widely acclaimed debut Vanishing Points from 2018, Swiss guitarist, composer, and improv musician Manuel Troller releases his new record Halcyon Future. A rhythmically dense and ambiguous, yet joyful ride for unstable times, a plea for warmth and hopeful resistance.

Troller’s mode of incorporating, zooming in, and expanding on small elements from improvised sessions creates a multilayered work of driving rhythms and abstract, vibrating textures. Opening with Halcyon Future I’s distinctive open pulse, this first piece guides us through subtle harmonic shifts that are almost unrecognizable as they take place over extended time, overlapping and creating a sense of ambiguity until the piece reaches an almost optimistic level with Mario Hänni’s unexpected introduction of driving acoustic drums. Relentlessly and with increasing excitement, heavy electronic 80s bass drums and an armada of layered hi-hats push them on, leading to the all-incorporating melodic finale.

The two long pieces Halcyon Future I and Halcyon Future II focus on forward momentum. In between them stands DNA, a purposely directionless contemplation on emotion as such. It is raw, naked, and confrontational, with a tender and subtly changing chord progression creating intimacy and proximity, abstraction and warmth, like a beautifully vibrant hologram for the listener to walk around in.

The B-side with its 20-minute Halcyon Future II features playful futuristic guitars, enhancing and challenging the stereo image that Troller is already well-known for. As it’s given time to develop and take root, the ever-varying guitar interactions densify and the staccato patterns jump out of the speakers with joy, creating excitement and building momentum. Compared to Side A, things turn to a slightly more complex rhythmical, melodic, and harmonic feel here. There are easy references, such as Manuel Göttsching’s E2-E4 or Pat Metheny performing Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint, but Troller goes a different and very much more concrete way. Although the piece has been recorded in various places and through a long process of overdubbing, there is an astonishingly strong live feel to it, from beginning to the end, from the slow rise to the full spectrum and the almost krautrock-like finale. Improvisers Hans Koch on soprano saxophone and Michael Flury on heavily fuzzed trombone join in, while Troller and Mario Hänni on many guitars, bass, drum machines, and acoustic drums provide a joyous driving entity, not giving up until it all breaks down again. There is overkill and brute force, though never without depth and a vision of future.

In the musical scope of Halcyon Future, there is no need for an absolute definition of things. A continuously changing interpretation of repetitive and variable elements fading in and out of focus tells a story of an excited sense of acceptance. Feelings of transcendence stem from Troller’s layering of constantly shifting rhythmic structures with unforeseen improvised harmonic changes. Drum machine parts overlayed with acoustic drums shift between musical modes, anchoring the album on the verge of a jazz-influenced, motorik, post-ECM balearic plateau. Abstract textural elements gently swirl around and behind all that is rhythm, providing a submissive counterpoint. As with much of Troller’s work, Halcyon Future is an album that unfolds slowly, revealing more of its richness, detail, and subtle beauty at each listen.

Halcyon Future is a joint release by three:four records and meakusma.

The phenomenal three-piece band includes members of Oranssi Pazuzu, K-X-P, Grave Pleasures and Aavikko


Svart Records is proud to release the debut album, I, from Haunted Plasma, a powerhouse of futuristic synth in symbiosis with the super violent atmospherics of kosmische Black Metal. Haunted Plasma is “man meets machine” in a cybernetic wasteland, set to a conceptual backdrop of William Gibson and Phillip K. Dick style mind-melt. The highly evolved creatives at the heart of Haunted Plasma’s sound, cite Terry Riley, Massive Attack, a contemporary take on Krautrock hypnosis, psychedelic Black Metal and 90s Techno, resulting in an orgy of mutant sound.



The phantoms at the beating nucleus of this unearthly machine are Juho Vanhanen (Oranssi Pazuzu, Grave Pleasures), Timo Kaukolampi (K-X-P, Op:l Bastards) and Tomi Leppänen (Circle, Aavikko, K-X-P), transmitting a music form evolved from a life of redefining sonic boundaries in their respective projects. Also featuring guest vocals from Mat McNerney (Hexvessel, Carpenter Brut, Grave Pleasures/Beastmilk), Pauliina Lindell (Vuono, Dust Mountain) and Ringa Manner (Ruusut, The Hearing). Haunted Plasma promises an extraterrestrial experience from some of the foremost contemporary musicians at the heart of the Finnish heavy and avant-garde musical underworld.



Haunted Plasma reveals:

“We are liberated futurists, embracing free-form and natural composition, mirroring the merciless forces of cosmic creation. We have a motto to stay true to our feelings, to spawn a sound that’s never been heard before. Servants of music. Energizing, radical and pure”


The first single from Haunted Plasma’s cascading debut, Reverse Engineer, is a creepy, slowly erupting, synthetic nightmare, of a downloaded being waking up in the wrong future. Ghostly vocals demand the listener to “give us what we want” in an Orwellian glimpse into the current dystopia we live in, where information is controlled, and thoughts are bought and sold. As McNerney intones the words “technology of power” he describes the threat of a malevolent and omnipresent artificial intelligence, as much as describing the oppressive and electromagnetic sonar pulse of Haunted Plasma’s sound itself. Psychedelic guitar hypnosis from Vanhanen snakes around Kaukolampi’s molten and morphing synths, while Leppänen’s uncanny man/machine rhythms pull our strings and animate their other-worldly mechanisms. Have a look at the official visualiser of "Reverse Engineer" on the Svart YouTube channel here


Culminating in the full-blown fast Krautrock of the final self-titled track, oozing with blistering noise elements and enigmatic vocals from Ringa Manner, the album's journey reaches its zenith, taking you to unknown territories on a Kubrikian space trip. I is a rare record of talented musicians coming together to create a completely new sound, which is entirely their own, boldly glowing, where no light has shone before. From the dreamy psychedelia of Echoes to the discombobulated Spectral Embrace, Haunted Plasma is a willful force of deliberate sound contortion.


Whether you want to give in to Haunted Plasma’s sound or not, you are being watched, you are being recorded and your every move is monitored. Haunted Plasma will enter your system on the 31st of May 2024. Turn on your phantom circuits and be prepared for an interdimensional excursion into Haunted Plasma’s alien dreams.

The debut album from Haunted Plasma will be packaged in a beautiful tip-on sleeve, swirling fog artwork, complete with 12” booklet and pressed on 3 exclusive vinyl colours: 300 copies on Standard Black Wax, 500 copies in Amber + Black Smoke and 200 copies of Svart exclusive Turquoise/Black Marble. The album will also be available on CD and digital platforms.

FREQ Records is the record label accompanying the manga "FREQ," created by Nicola Kazimir, illustrated by goodnewsforbadguys, and written by the legendary Dai Sato, who has written scripts for Ergo Proxy, Eureka Seven, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, among many others.

The setting of Freq's lore unfolds in a futuristic realm where the influence of sound frequencies governs all aspects of life. In this world, everything from traffic and AR visuals to electricity, warfare, and of course, music, is orchestrated through the manipulation and extraction of sound frequencies. The narrative unfolds within the sprawling expanse of Rephlex, a vast city featuring diverse districts, factions, and social classes.

FREQ001, called Super FREQ, is composed by none other than Machine Girl, known for their breakcore-inspired sonic adventures and highly energetic live shows. For this EP, we might get a compositional glimpse of how Machine Girl will sound in the future.

This product is a Record Store Day exclusive title and is not available to pre-order.

To buy in-store: 8am, 20/04/2024 (Record Store Day).
To buy online: 8pm, 22/04/2024. (Subject to availability).
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Manhattan Fire is a collection of demos from prolific Brooklyn outfit The Men, revealing early versions of the tracks that would go on to make up their 2023 LP New York City – described by Pitchfork as “an unpretentious garage-punk racket … summoning the snottiest ghosts of the city’s punk past.”

Recorded in mono and with a drum machine by founding members Mark Perro and Nick Chiericozzi over lockdown in late 2020 – before being shelved for the full-band, live-to-tape affair of the final LP – Manhattan Fire shows a new side to those songs that's even more primitive and rough around the edges, as well as previously unheard tracks that never made it onto the album.

Immerse yourself in the legendary atmosphere of Studio 54 in 1980 with this collector’s vinyl by James Brown. Let yourself be carried away by unforgettable hits like “Sex Machine,” “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” and many more. These iconic grooves will transport you back to the golden age of disco music. A must-have for any funk enthusiast and James Brown legend.

COBRA THE IMPALER is now a well-oiled killing machine, ready to take on anything that comes on its path. Taking strong cues from the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, COBRA THE IMPALER forges together larger-than-life grooves and spirited guitar leads with enchanting clean vocal harmonies and razor-sharp screams. Effortlessly flowing from breakneck riffs to tasteful melodic breaks, the band makes strong use of stylistic elements from groove, thrash, and classic heavy metal. Like many legendary metal acts from the 90s, COBRA THE IMPALER marries brute force with meticulous attention to detail, amounting to an unstoppable advance and an enticing experience diverse in punishment. 'Karma Collision' is an exercise in empowerment as well as a show of subtle restraint. Defiant to the end, COBRA THE IMPALER deliver a blatantly guitar-powered album full of huge riffs and equally huge choruses that instantly nestle themselves in your mind. Proving themselves as masters of melody as well as destruction, COBRA THE IMPALER hits hard while forcing an inescapable headlock, delivering salvation to those who worship, but certain punishment for those who dare to stray. For fans of Mastodon, Gojira, Baroness, Megadeth

DJ Support: Danny Howard, Annie Mac, Mistajam, Pete Tong, Charlie Hedges, Kraak & Smaak, Maxinne, Todd Terry, Alex Preston, Full Intention, GW Harrison, DJ Rae, Rudimental, Alaia & Gallo, Illyus & Barrientos, Johan S, David Penn, Sam Divine, Riva Starr, Claptone, Nice7, Dario D’Attis, Mousse T, S-Man, Huxley, KC Lights, Friend Within, Dombresky, Gorgon City, Chris Lake, Format:B, Pirupa, TCTS, Alan Fitzpatrick, Low Steppa, Mat.Joe, Raumakustik, Eskuche

Leading the charge with the next Toolroom Trax vinyl series is Mark Knight’s remix on a euphoric dance anthem from Dave Spoon (aka Shadowchild) & Nick Reach Up who update Elaine Mai & MuRli's track 'Ready'. An underground House work-out that's been tried & tested on the dancefloor throughout 2023 and inspired by the euphoric House sound of the 90's, Mark’s mix makes use of the original's hypnotic vocal, combined with driving bass and big euphoric synths. House heavy-weight CASSIMM lands back on our Trax vinyl series with another essential club cut 'Wanna Feel Something'. The Italian, London based hit machine rose to new heights in 2023 with a Beatport House #1 'LOVE DESIRE' on Claptone's Golden Recordings, and chart-topping releases on Toolroom, Spinnin', Myth Of NYX and more. Full of fun, funk and house goodness, CASSIMM yet again delivers another irresistible party starter! Label favourite, Crusy steps up on remix duties for this next offering and a milestone 300th release for the label with an updated mix of Superchumbo & Victoria Wilson James’ ‘The Revolution’. An influential anthem from 2001 'The Revolution' spent over two decades in clubland since icon Danny Tenaglia originally broke the record at the infamous WMC Miami, later going on to recieve support from global superstars such as Pete Tong, X-Press 2, Roger Sanchez and more. Crusy’s signature drums, percussion and grooves drive through

that Latin influenced energy throughout. Last but definitely not least, James Hurr and Electro pioneer Arthur Baker team up with their unique blend of underground house and 80's hip-hop in new club controller, 'Powder In The Nose'. This collaboration marks a triumphant return for James Hurr on Trax who has previously released successful club cuts on the label, and an exciting debut for Arthur Baker, an artist who needs no introduction. The Boston-born producer is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of the Electro genre, with a career spanning over four decades. Baker's unique sound, which fuses elements of hip-hop, funk, and electronic music, has made him a household name and a highly sought-after collaborator. Together, Hurr and Baker are a powerhouse duo, with their combined expertise and passion for dance music 'Powder In The Nose' is nothing short of spectacular.

ountless radio plays on Radio 1 from Danny Howard, Sarah Storie, Pete Tong Other notable radio plays – Kiss FM, Toolroom Radio, Sirius XM, Data Transmission Radio, Radio 1 Dance Anthems, Radio 1 Party Anthems, Rinse FM, Select Radio, Tomorrowland Radio

Sophie Lloyd is one of the most prolific guitarists on the world wide web, a trailblazer who is redefining the concept of a "bedroom" guitarist. A talented composer and accomplished musician, Sophie graduated from the prestigious BIMM in 2018 with a First Class Honours BMus in Popular Music Performance, honing and refining a talent she has nurtured since childhood. Since then, she has amassed the kind of following that even the guitar gods she grew up idolizing would be envious of, with a reach surpassing 3 million followers across her social channels, built through a steady stream of sharing her talent via guitar "shredleys", covers and her own original material. In addition to her own content, Sophie's talent and popularity has led to collaborations with brands such as Amazon Prime, Hard Rock Cafe, LiveNation and Harley Davidson, her own Guitar course on Truefire and a stunning performance at Paris Fashion Week for Redemption Brand Clothing. She has also released her own signature guitar, becoming the first female artist to do so for exclusive Californian Guitar maker KIESEL.

Most recently, Sophie could be seen shredding on stage as guitarist for multi-platinum recording artist Machine Gun Kelly on his recent Mainstream Sellout World Tour, which included sold out shows at legendary venues such Madison Square Garden in New York and Wembley Arena in London.

At 27 Years Old, Sophie Lloyd is just getting started, with the upcoming release of her debut solo album. The first few songs have already been released to rapturous reception, including "Fall Of Man (Feat. Matthew K Heafy)", "Do Or Die (Feat. Nathan James)", "Lost (Feat. Cole Rolland)" and "Runaway (Feat. Michael Starr)" with some more exciting names including Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Chris Robertson (Black Stone Cherry), Tyler Connolly (Theory Of A Deadman) and Brandon Saller (Atreyu) all appearing.

The current lineup of New Haven's long running Mountain Movers (guitarist/vocalist Dan Greene, bassist Rick Omonte, guitarist Kr yssi Battalene, & drummer Ross Menze) have been playing together for over a decade now, making their recorded debut on a slew of singles released from 2011-2013, but it wasn't until 2015's "Death Magic" (released on New Haven label Safety Meeting) that the potential of that iteration of the group became clear; Mountain Movers are a force of nature. The camaraderie & sensitivity to each others playing has only grown over time, cr ystallizing on the group's trio of albums for Trouble In Mind; 2017's eponymous "Mountain Movers" served as a reintroduction of the group to a larger audience, while 2018's "Pink Skies" raged like a group confident in its strengths, and 2020's prescient "World What World" - written & recorded before the world shut down - slightly shifted focus away from the jams & back toward the weight of guitarist/songwriter Dan Greene's poetic tales of magical realism. The band's ninth album "Walking After Dark" finds a happy medium between both aspects of the band's strengths; Greene's lyrical compositions and the group's long-form improvised jams. To those that are tuned in, that feeling of communion is evident in the Movers' playing. The members swap & cycle effortlessly through instruments without missing a beat, utilizing the downtime of lockdown to write & record every jam in their practice space. Those piles of tapes would eventually get edited & sequenced into "Walking After Dark", a tour-de-force double-album that balances fried, stony brilliance with outré excursions of experimental serenity. Consider the opening track "Bodega On My Mind" that ambles in like a road-worn traveller, its lysergic folk strums peppered with acidic lead lines from Battalene's Telecaster, eventually giving way to "The Sun Shines On The Moon, where the group's sizzling guitars are buoyed by Omonte's pillowy bass & Menze's percussion. From there on out, tracks like "Factory Dream" give the listener a taste of The Movers' modus operandi here; a mixture of (more) traditional song craft interspersed between long-form, improvised pieces of modern psychedelia. The group shuffles through instruments; synths, drum machines, auto-harp, various forms of percussion (and whatever else was laying around) as well as the trad guitar/bass/drums configuration to craft a suite of songs that - while not necessarily similar in composition - feel unified in their overall sonic scope. Tracks like the 14-minute "Reclamation Yard", whose deep-space electronic pulse is juxtaposed against side C opener "See The City "s persistent acoustic strum that showcase similar ideas of the `spirituality ' of losing ones self in repetition, but executed differently. In many ways "Walking After Dark"s duality feels like a merger of "On The Beach"-era Neil Young & the collective freak-outs of Amon Düül, taking inspiration in the `incorporeality ' of free music and lacing it with Greene's hazy, haunting lyricism and is an exciting step forward for a band that's already a few steps ahead. "Walking After Dark" is released on black double-vinyl in a full color gatefold jacket & includes an insert with artwork & lyrics by member Dan Greene.

“Depas strikes a fine balance between raw energy and subtle melodic hooks.” (DMY) “Throughout the pounding track Midnight Ride, the Italian beat smith expertly blends lush synths with intricate rhythmic components and gritty bass.” (EDM com)

“Depas' approach to techno is a veritable melting pot of influences, blending sounds from the 80s and 90s with contemporary symphonic and cinematic elements.” (Magnetic Mag)

Following his recent ‘Rave The Planet’ EP at the end of February, Milanese hard techno producer Maike Depas is back with a brand-new release on well-renowned label The Innovation Studio. His newest EP is named ‘The Age Of Chaos’ and features a five-track banger arsenal – including a special remix by Italo-American producer Matasism, which was also included in his recent BPtich Control mixtape.

“This EP is the result my own experience throughout an inner dystopic reality, where energy-ridden sounds and epics all collide into a very personal version of the hard techno legacy I’m devoted to.”

‘No Redemption’ is a proper big-room belter, with explosive drop divided by a big break and a statuesque vocal that feels like a claim: “Techno is my only drug”. Same goes for ‘Tesseract’ and it’s rave-like atmosphere and hypnotic hook. ‘Dystopia’ is pure groove and makes the listener dive into a distorted and futuristic metaverse, while ‘Cyber Attack’ and its remix include synthetic vocals tha aim to symbolize an artificial imposition: man against machine, fiction against reality.

‘The Age Of Chaos’ will be available from April 19th via The Innovation Studio.

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Rami Gabriel has been a motive force in rock n' roll, jazz, Arabic, and experimental music communities across North America for over twenty years. In that time, he has released numerous projects across genres and under many names. On his debut LP for Sooper Records, Rami trips all the breakers. In his own name and voice for the first time, That's what I been sayin' is not so much a debut as a conflagration in Rami Gabriel's worldly underground. Drawing on Punk, Krautrock, Dub, No Wave, and lo- fi, the territory occupied by That's what I been sayin' is astringent, minimal, and buzzing with the sound of machines dancing in the wind. "I'm used to putting out records based on genre," says Rami of his multiple endeavors. "I was listening to one of the `70s Brian Eno records where he took his experimental work and his songs and put it all together, and I was thinking, `Why don't I try to put all the different ways I've been working for the last couple years onto one record?'" That's what I been sayin' ignites this vision with an album that ranges from the motorik-driven krautrock of "Like a monk" to the unexpected trance-like pairing of "Buzuq synth." That's what I been sayin' is a furnace of Rami's insuppressible impulses, where he undertakes to ask and answer: what is left of punk but making do with what is at hand? At times direct and scorching, at others meditative and wandering, That's what I been sayin' compresses Rami's understanding as a composer, musician, and singer into a restless, 11-track love letter to the underground. For Fans of The Fall, Haruomi Hosono, Brian Eno, and Scientist.

030/313 – Berlin/Detroit, the fundamental techno union. Now Carhartt WIP, whose roots can be traced to Detroit, Michigan, join forces with Tresor for a collaboration that celebrates the enduring spirit of two music metropolises. Referencing the early 90s compilations like “Tresor II – A Techno Alliance”, they present a 12” mini compilation with exclusive material from both cities.
The compilation opens with “I.D.L.E.”, a lost Model 500 track, of essential funk that touches the techno soul of The Motorcity, with trippy melodies and cosmic drilling traversing electrified Mojo freeways. It’s followed by another true Detroiter: Ectomorph’s “Searching (Live At Globus)”, a first extract from their live set at Globus in 2021, which BMG and Erika played on borrowed equipment after Erika’s case was lost on a flight. The A-Side stays in Detroit and finishes with “Your Body”, an exclusive track by AMX, also known as The AM, one of Detroit’s freshest funk techno sensations. She carries on the mentorship mindset by having learned from two of the greatest: D.I.E. and Scan 7. “Your Body” is a classic techno feel swinger, where subtle chords meet drum machine funk in the spirit of early Detroit techno.
DJ Stingray 313 opens the B-Side with a bang. Precisely hacked techno, full of dark funk and that special industrial jack, that the man in the mask has made his own. A total “Dynamic Instability”. Magic & furious. The thrill continues with “Metal Goat”, by JakoJako, one of Berlin’s brightest synth sensations. She provides an introspective grower that slowly evolves into a fast-paced techno grinder, laden with micro shifts and magic twists. The final tune comes from Erik Jabari, a newcomer from the 030 zone, emerging from the Hard Wax peers with haunting modular synth techno–a feverish minimalistic trip of motorized kicks. DJ Pete performed as spiritual guidance on this one. It’s floor proven. An overall cachet of “030313” - the small compilation with a huge techno heart.

Der neueste Titel in der Veröffentlichungsreihe der Steve Hackett-Vinyl-Editionen ist sein 15. Studioalbum "Feedback 86". Das Album erscheint hiermit zum allerersten Mal auf Vinyl! Es ist eine Sammlung von Songs aus dem Jahr 1986, von denen einige ursprünglich für ein zweites GTR-Album gedacht waren, und enthält Auftritte von Brian May (Queen), Bonnie Tyler, Chris Thompson (Manfred Mann's Earth Band) sowie den Marillion-Mitgliedern Ian Mosley und Pete Trewavas. Diese Veröffentlichung wurde speziell für Vinyl neu gemastert und kommt als Gatefold 180g Black LP.

An anthology of the intensely arresting work of Robert Fesler (1936-2023), revealing many of his compositions (1975-1987) created with his self-built synthesizers, with as pinnacle the μP RPF78. All music composed and recorded by Robert Fesler at his home on rue Cour Boisacq in Bierges, Belgium. Except one, all tracks are previously unreleased.

With profound simplicity and devotion, Fesler paints a hermetic inner world with strong emotions of confronting solitude, sensual alienation and traumatic angst. His music was as much a therapeutic treatment as an artistic expression. Fesler quotes, »Building my synthesizers and working with them enabled me to sublimate my anxieties.« Most tracks were played and recorded real time, often with two synthesizers (the Synthese 756 and the μP RPF78), capturing the heat of the moment in one take, without multitracking. The austere and reductionist approach reinforces the overall spirit of his work, resulting in an engaging, mysterious solitary journey. It’s quite incredible how one person can put so much technical cerebral content in the development of a machine and use it in such an emotional way.

The music of Robert Fesler might be considered as very Belgian. To situate it within a close entourage, one can say it has: The endurance of Baudouin Oosterlynck The purity of Dominique Lawalree The mysticism of Arsène Souffriau

Travis Stewarts Reise zur Entstehung von „3FOR82“ begann passenderweise am 4. März. An seinem 41. Geburtstag, am 4. März letzten Jahres, wagte er sich in den Joshua Tree National Park in Kalifornien, um Klarheit und Inspiration für sein nunmehr elftes Studioalbum als Machinedrum zu finden. Zwölf hochintensive, nachdenkliche Tracks, die die Nadel zwischen seinem vergangenen, gegenwärtigen und zukünftigen Ich spannen.

Angesichts der Tatsache, dass Ninja Tune eines der Lieblingslabels des jungen Travis Stewart war, spricht dies für ein Mantra, das die Platte leitet: Nostalgie durch eine zeitgenössische Linse zu betrachten. In den stillen Weiten des Joshua Tree durchforstete Machinedrum alte Festplatten mit seinen Beats aus den späten 90er Jahren: Viele von ihnen wurden mit ‚Impulse Tracker‘ erstellt, einem groben Freeware-Programm, das fast ein Vierteljahrhundert lang unangetastet blieb. Nachdem er einen DOS-Emulator gefunden hatte, auf dem ‚Impulse Tracker‘ lief, nahm er sich selbst auf, wie er diese Beats spielte, um „3FOR82“ zu bauen: Sample für Sample erstellte er originale Sound-Datenbanken, die in eine eigene Bibliothek eingespeist werden konnten und „3FOR82“ einen unverwechselbaren Klang verliehen. Ausgewählte Zitate werden als Monologe oder Samples in die Musik eingeflochten - der Opener von „3FOR82“, „Oracle“, beginnt mit Reflexionen von Aja Monet über das Tanzen allein. Auf der Leadsingle, „ZOOM“ erzählt Tinashé von jugendlicher Lust auf der Tanzfläche; an einer Stelle in „KILL_U“ erinnert Tanerélle mit ihren beruhigenden Tönen daran, dass man manchmal „verloren ist und dann wieder gefunden wird, und dass man so viel erreichen kann.“; in „U_WANT“ sagt sich KUCKA selbst, dass „es bessere Tage geben wird“, während ROZET in „RISE“ riffet, dass sie „vom Boden in den Himmel wachsen wird.“. Die Wirkung, die das Thema auf „3FOR82“ hat, ist zart und eindringlich und verbindet diese Stränge von R&B, Pop, Jazz und Drum & Bass miteinander.

Done and dusted! That could have been the motto of the WPBH series back when it started as an offshoot for sample-based house experiments by the core We Play House Recordings crew.
However, according to Discogs WPBH is NOT a real label, so who are we to invent mottos for imaginary labels?

But as we digress the music hits us hard and straight up. Uit De Hoogte brings us rawness...and then some. A touch of Dance Mania, a hint of smoothness, a dose of drum machine magic and a whole lot of attitude. Five tracks to stir up your dancefloor, your body and your soul. On a label that does not exist... How underground can one get?!

Coming up on WPH & related further in the year will be new material by Red D on his Red Basics outlet, more WPH U.S. Series and possibly also some stuff they don’t yet know about themselves.

"Du reitest über die Zwickauer Hügel nach Nordosten. Die Lederzügel schneiden sich in deine gefrorenen Hände, während sich heiss-saurer Sod nach oben brennt. Metaphysischer Katerschweiss sticht sich Pore für Pore durch deine Haut, durch ein verblasstes Sargtattoo auf dem Unterarm. Die müden Füße in den NVA-Stiefeln deines Vaters umklammern die Flanken eines dampfenden, grauen Appaloosa, oder ist es doch nur die frisierte Simson S51? Egal, denn eigentlich ist es deine ur-eigene Mind-Machine, in der du dem Ruf der Leere folgend durch die Ruinen der Selbsterkenntnis irrst. Nach Chemnitz - dem San Francisco des ganz kleinen Mannes. Erwarten wird dich dort allerdings nicht Bernd Spier's einfältige Flowertime, sondern Asbest, Eternit und vor allem die Risse, die sich durch ebendiesen ziehen. Genau da verdichten sich die Songs auf L'Appel du Vide's erstem Full-Length "Metro" jedem Leerstand trotzend zu einem 9 Stories hohen Monolithen aus Post-Punk, Death-Rock, Synth- und Darkwave, der einen - einmal erklommen - über jene Genregrenzen hinwegschauen lässt. Ein schwarz-schimmernder Jengaturm aus (East-)German Angst und kompromissloser Innenschau. So viel aufrichtiger wankend, als ein Campino im einstudierten Seitwärts-Taumeltanz der Mitte der Gesellschaft weismachen will, führt er dich weg von den tief hängenden Früchten des epigonalen (Post-)Punkswindles. Hin zu den aufgehenden Blüten echter Musikliebhaberei. Man hat sich festgebissen und ist drangeblieben, hat geschürft und sortiert, die Linernotes gelesen und vor allem eins: den vielen Platten zugehört. Die Schubladen aufgemacht und offen gelassen. Sänger René klagt sich ohne Allüren, zeigefingerfrei und immun gegen jedes Zeitgeistgeheische ins zunächst eigene Herz. Die Gitarre sägt, klirrt und kreischt vor Hunger und ist doch satt. Die Rhythm-Section knurrt und scheppert und bumst sich geradeaus in den Abyss, aus dem auch analoge Synths hier und da auftauchen um kurz Luft zu schnappen. Überhaupt kann man die Instrumente atmen hören, so ehrlich ist der Sound. Gitarrist Flatty hat die Band Anfang 2023 im Studio Gloom, Chemnitz aufgenommen. Doch da ist nicht nur Sachsen und die zu oft beschworenen, modrigen Wurzeln der Hängengebliebenen. Da ist Detroit, Frisco und Los Angeles. Manchester, New York und Portland. Und genau so wie Poison Idea's "Feel the Darkness" (um dann doch mal eine Reminiszenz zu bemühen) beginnt, endet "Metro" nach 37 Minuten Spielzeit - mit nacktem Piano. Dazwischen: eine Verwandtschaft in Wucht und Haltung, nur ohne Metal- und Gepose. Just Power and Void. Und in der Satteltasche ein altes Foto vom Meer, körnig, schwarz weiss und doch alle Farben widerspiegelnd.

Manchester’s multifarious sound organiser Andrew Hargreaves (Tape Loop Orchestra, The Boats, Beppu) channels key touchstones of Glenn Branca’s microtonal minimalism, the paranormal, and DIY amateur broadcasting with some of his most enigmatic, intuitive recordings to date.

‘Drones In The Air’ finds Hargreaves deep in a new phase of vibrational investigation where the sentimentality of prior eras gives way to more abstract conceptual processes. Utilising a bunch of oscillators and the Lyra-8, an “organismic analog synthesiser”, plus pedals, Hargreaves works within just intonation tuning systems - or more precisely “intuitive intonation” - to just-about harness a microtonal flux of clashing, beating frequencies, but the project is more about ceding a certain amount of freedom to the machines and allowing aural alchemy to occur, prompting a spectrum of harmonic colours and rich timbral overtones distinguished from previous tape loop-based works.

Comparative to “Glenn Branca’s micro-tonal workouts if he had worked with oscillators instead of guitars”, the result also variously evoke mysteries of The Conet Project, the oceanic feel of Éliane Radigue compositions, and early ambient works by Terre Thaemlitz in their sound sensitivity and scope. In ‘The Sun is Afraid’ he mesmerises with glistening microtones that develop a coarser traction, interrupted by shortwave radio comms and resolving into phantasmic noise gauze that speaks to his long-standing fascinations with entropic decay and the sounds between sounds. ‘Your Hands Are Shaking’ follows with a stealthier approach to coaxing a hallucinatory drone mass inflated by ether voices and thickening up into a sinister gloam redolent of NWW’s ’Soliloquy for Lilith’.

December 2012 I showed up totally exhausted in Vancouver BC after touring stupidly and relentlessly for however many straight months and got a job at a call centre raising money for the Red Cross. It was a scent free office but one time this woman cooked a piece of fish in the microwave for 10 minutes on low and hot boxed the whole office - we got sent home early no pay. There was the other woman I named the Call Centre Coltrane because her pitch and routine usually involved improvised flights of fancy that went off in both directions at once somehow landing back down with a credit card number and a donation. I used to sleep under the desk. I was there a few months and at the time I reconnected with John Brennan who I had played with briefly in Montreal at the Mutek Festival. In Montreal John was running an experimental music night at a burrito shop downtown called Garbage Night. While in Vancouver I began connecting with the music scene there and would go hang out with the Shearing Pinx lads who I think lived with Sydney the bass player at the time. I knew Nic and Jer from an AIDS Wolf Tour and was so stoked to get to know them both better. I really fell in love with that era of Vancouver's music scene.
Fast Forward to today. 2024
Actually it was the dying days of 2023 but you get it and John asks if I'll sit in with Earth Ball and I keep thinking about Earth Balance, the vegan butter everyone eats here. I brought my aching bones and my ipads on the beautiful ferry named the Queen of Oak Bay and out to Nanaimo BC, home of the nanaimo bar (a dessert treat - special to this region - that seems to be more popularly found under the weird glass sneeze guards in office building deli's out east in Ontario.... anyhoops ). No one in Nanaimo wants to talk to me about the famous treat. I asked a couple of people. Silence. Nanaimo is like London, Ontario but more fried and by the sea. The town is filled with blown out old sea dawgs with tin coffee pots and loose leaf tobacco, then there's the usual streetfolk you find in this part of the Canadian Pacific Northwest and a bunch of bohemians who I guess have left Vancouver behind - that fine city having become uninhabitable for those not making over 100k a year. And then up the way are all the retirees.
Yup Nanaimo is a strange one. They mined the shit out of this region and Nanaimo is surely haunted by those buried in mining shafts or maimed by the heavy machinery or blown up by accident in the explosives store house. And when Earth Ball fire up the amps in Izzy and Jer's basement you can hear the voices of the ghosts hum through electrical lines and out the speakers, Kellen's hued feedback, Izy's sturdy basslines, Jer's paperbag guitar tone and rumble pack zaps, Liam's (aka the Kid) sheets of sound and Brennen's multidirectional drums.
You wouldn't guess Earth Ball was auto-composing and from what my rat brain can tell - the lyrics are improvised too...Improvising lyrics and singing them is the hardest thing to do in all of music.. Izzy and Jer are pros. And their attitudes are pro too.
The live show is scorched and without naming names they've been known to make headliners nervous. Lucky ones will get to see them live as they tour this beast of a record entitled ‘It’s Yours’ (out May 17th on Upset The Rhythm) and I hope I'm one of them.
But now you, fan of fun but totally fucked up music, have the opportunity to Ball with them thanks to Upset The Rhythm. Enjoy
-Alex Moskos, Montreal QC, Feb 2024