quête:patterns

Japanese vocal performer Hatis Noit will release her enigmatic EP Illogical Dance via Erased Tapes worldwide on 23rd March 2018.
The arresting 4-track record creates unique song-worlds with transcendent vocal interpretations that at once deconstruct and recombine Western Classical, Japanese folk and nature's own ambience atmosphere. Illogical Dance also features Björk-collaborators Matmos, who were so impressed with Hatis Noit's recordings, they volunteered to edit the lead track Illogical Lullaby.

Hailing from the distant Shiretoko, a small town in Hokkaido, which is the largest island in north Japan, Hatis Noit's accomplished range is astonishingly self-taught, inspired by everything she could find from Gagaku — Japanese classical music — and operatic styles, Bulgarian and Gregorian chanting, to avant-garde and pop vocalists. The sounds she created on Illogical Dance, co-produced by Haruhisa Tanaka and Matmos, bring to mind the experimental vocal patterns of Meredith Monk with the attentive production of Holly Herndon.

It was at the age of 16, during a trek in Nepal to the Buddha's birthplace, when she realised singing was her calling. While staying at a women's temple in Lumbini, one morning on a walk Hatis Noit heard someone singing. On further investigation it was a female monk singing Buddhist chants, alone. The sound moved her so intensely she was instantly aware of the visceral power of the human voice, a primal and instinctive instrument that connects us to the very essence of humanity, nature and our universe.

The name Hatis Noit itself is taken from Japanese folklore, meaning the stem of the lotus flower. The lotus represents the living world, while its root the spirit world, therefore Hatis Noit is what connects the two. For Hatis Noit, music represents the same netherworld with its ability to move and transport us to the other side, the past, a memory, our subconscious. It is the same for Illogical Dance, a set of transformative songs that taps into our most primal instincts.

The human voice is our oldest, most primal yet most powerful instrument. I use it to describe nature's many sounds, a language that isn't logical. Yet it forms a beautiful conversation that isn't restricted to words like the human language is. I want my music to remind us of that.' — Hatis Noit

Wanting to interpret and mimic the sounds Hatis Noit hears in nature, Illogical Dance is as unpredictable, beautiful and mysterious as the world around us. Each track is made up from multi layers of vocals, all improvised and without words, before being carefully pieced together. Astonishingly no samples are used throughout, even the sound of crushing leaves came from Hatis Noit's own vocal chords.

The result is a stunning array of sound sculptures that see her switching between multiple styles with great ease. From the sweet operatics on Illogical Lullaby, the manipulated vocal loops duplicating electronic production on Anagram c.i.y. to the primordial chanting call to arms of Angelus Novus, a 10-minute odyssey that features whispering and leaves crunching, it showcases Hatis Noit's full range and introduces a truly original artist.

Previously only available in Japan, Illogical Dance will receive a worldwide release on 23rd March 2018 including a first edition on 12' vinyl. After participating in a ceremony for memorial and appreciation tailored to the withdrawal of the evacuation area in Fukushima on 31st March 2017, Hatis Noit collaborated with renowned visual artist Nobumichi Asai on a project titled INORI (prayer) which they premiered live as part of an Erased Tapes showcase at Mutek Japan in Tokyo.

Having recently moved to London and performed a first string of UK shows, followed by a special live performance at the Milan Fashion Week and Mutek Japan appearance, Peter Broderick has invited Hatis Noit to support him at the Jazz Cafe on April 15th. She's also been announced as part of this year's Sea Change Festival line-up, and asked to participate in a workshop with the London Contemporary Orchestra.

His latest release I KNOW from Elypsia Records is a quintet of Detroit inspired remixes of the song 'I Know'. Inspired by Kevin Saunderson, his original TECHNO MIX (7:06) is a hardcore and high energy track with intensity to match the wildest of crowds. The EP also contains 3 remixes of the track, each exposing and accentuating the brilliant aspects of his complex tune. It begins with the LUCIEN FOORT REMIX (6:41), a lively big room hit with a punch fit for an epic Saturday night. UK MIX (6:46) follows with subtle electric melo-dies and rhythmic drum and bass patterns that give listeners the feel of wonder and excitement under a clear starry sky. With a clean and gravitating groove BIT FLOAT REMIX (7:42) would fit perfectly in any Ibiza party with flair and style. This release is a masterpiece of its own and nothing less than the product of a man who was born with beats and melodies ingrained in his soul. For Orlando Voorn, making music is more than a way of life, it's a necessity. From the early age of 9 his natural intuitions became apparent when his drum teacher told his parents he could play everything that was shown to him, even though he had no ability to read a score. He began to DJ at the age of 12, and 3 years later won the World Mixing Championships of 1983 at just 15 years old. Steve Clisby, from the popular American band 'American Gypsies', recognized Voorn's ability and taught him chord structures, which gave him the tools to begin composing tracks using keys and bass. His artistry then took off, making a name for him-self with his vibrant dance tracks under the alias 'Frequency". Today, he's known as one of the Netherland's most inventive and ingenious producers in the world of electronic dance music. Having produced a wide variety of music under a number of monikers including 'Fix', 'Format', 'Urban Nature' and 'X-it', his diverse ability stems

First release for the Italian label Alley Version is a split built up of rugged jackin' patterns and brutalist house jams, all recorded on tape by Mituo Shiomi and Drum Machine. Limited to 200 copies.

Bergen is the next, and natural step in the expanding career of Dutch producer Tom Trago. The acclaimed producer behind Voyage Direct will release his fourth LP, with the label and crew he's built a close relationship with over the past ten years - Dekmantel. With a new studio and approach to music, Bergen is Trago sounding at his very finest, returning to his roots with a focussed, and dedicated production ethos.
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'If you change your environment, your music will also change with you,' Trago reflects on the new album. A staple in the Amsterdam club scene, Tom Trago has been a familiar face at the Dekmantel events for over ten years. 'I was even playing Dekmantel parties, before they were even called Dekmantel,' he states. Tom Trago's collaboration with Dekmantel has allowed him the space to grow and finish his most accomplished, and honest album to date. Bergen is an LP that connects his legacy, family, and commitment to dance music in one resplendent package.


Having relocated from Amsterdam, Tom Trago set up his new studio in the coastal town of Bergen, located in the northern Netherlands. Recorded in his family house, with the sea at one side, and the countryside to the other, the resultant record is a craftful piece of art, full of space, and the classic machine-driven, house music aesthetic that has come to represent Trago's sound. Bergen was made with the aim of re-creating a global-music sound, along with the music that has influenced him throughout his life, with a new approach influenced by Trago's immediate natural environment. 'I would take long walks in-between tracks,' explains Tom about the music making process, "and the creative ideas would happen in the forest."

The spacey-passively-paced LP intro 'Bergen' was the first to be picked up by Dekmantel's Casper Tielrooij, who upon hearing the track stated - 'now we are talking album business'. Yet it was the electro- orientated 'Zeeweg' that became the template for the rest of the record. 'The LP was built around this track,' Trago states. The b-boy electro vibe, with its melodramatic synth melody was influenced by the road that leads to his scenic retreat - with slow, steady curves, and a gentle, upward trajectory, Zeeweg and its album namesake, twist and turn in fluid synchronicity. 'The Creation of Lalibela' plays on this world music vibe, with ethereal and fun key patterns, influenced by the work of Mulatu Astatke. 'Always be with you' is one of the LP's standout tracks, epitomising the new album's country settings, and featuring his girlfriend on vocals; it swings at a steady, up-beat pace, rich with harmony, colour and melody. Elsewhere on the album, Trago sticks to his dance floor roots, 'Faith Belongs to Us' is moulded in a Chicago-to- Amsterdam house style, while album closer 'Working Machines' plays with resonance and atmospherics, creating a moody, pulsing yet stylish rhythm.

Having been raised in a musically-driven, and open-spirited household in which the producer grew up learning the piano, it didn't take long for Tom Trago to be indoctrinated into the new school of Amsterdam producers. Studying at a private jazz school while still a teenager, Trago would eventually come to cross paths with the hip-hop loving Dutch duo Rednose Distrikt, who left a permanent imprint on his approach to music. 'They showed me a world of music making using the MPC,' Trago says. 15 years later, the Dutch producer still sticks to this template. Looking to recreate this production approach that influenced him from the very beginning, Trago stripped down his studio to a simple setup with just a few, key 'weapons of choice'. Removing the computer from the setup, the MPC 2000 XL once again became the heart of the music making process. Bergen's analogue tools lend to its organic sound, one honed and crafted by its natural surroundings, and matured approach by one of the Netherland's most accomplished producers.

Guber releases his first EP on Paris based label Beat X Changers at the intersection of Ambiant and mental UK Bass music. The whole project is held by alternation of Slope / Release of sub-frequency and obsessional loop that dye each tracks. Anisotropic Expression is a first work that could be seen here as an draft representation of the behavior of surrounding matter. Non musical influences therefore are brought here by the the study of properties of materials expressed in a musical statement. Raw obsessional patterns, evolving and rolling out over the headroom could be seen as the emulation of many deformation models. Shaping of stereo and arrangement have been handled with the help of the sound engineer & producer X_1 leading to home or club-listening experience as well. Guber is been into music by listening & playing some music of the 70's and trash-metal that drove him straight to UK Bass music. Since there he is only focusing on spontaneous creation showing faithfull perception of thoughts, leading to a higher level of singularity.

* The Timespan was a regular artist on the famous Kniteforce subsidiary label, Remix Records. One of Luna-C's many aliases, The Timespan has always been on a mission to make simple, effective hardcore. This EP takes that formula and applies the years of knowledge gained since 1994 to make something that sounds...almost the same as it would in 1994. Only better. Full on pianos, running break beats, happy vocals, hip hop snippets and hectic stab patterns, this EP was made almost entirely on hardware rather than software. The result is that it contains not only the ideas of the old skool, but the warm analogue soundscapes from that era. It also features a 'revisit' by label mate Cru-l-t of the Timespan's classic track 'Music' - an updated and rebuilt from the ground up version of that tune.

Club / DJ Support
Billy Bunter, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Bustin, Sc@r, Doughboy, Saiyan, Dave Skywalker and many others

Black Truffle is pleased to make Oren Ambarchi's Grapes from The Estate available once more on vinyl. Originally released on CD on Touch in 2004 and reissued on Southern Lord as a limited double LP in 2006 during Ambarchi's tenure as a member of Sunn O))), Grapes from the Estate was a landmark release for Ambarchi, seeing him expand his sonic palette beyond the clipped, bass-heavy electric guitar tones he was known for at that point. Incorporating subtle layers of strings, keyboards, percussion over a bedrock of his signature guitar tones, in retrospect this album can be seen as the beginning of a broadening and evolution in Ambarchi's work that would lead to his acclaimed, densely layered epics for Editions Mego, Quixotism (2014) and Hubris (2016). Beginning with the shuddering pure tones of opener 'Corkscrew', which looks back to previous guitar-only releases such as Suspension (2001), the album's next two pieces show a progressive broadening of the instrumental palette and a corresponding move away from textural abstraction and sustained tones towards more traditional notions of musicality. This reached its high point on the album's third piece, the fifteen-minute long 'Remedios The Beauty', where guitars, both acoustic and electric, strings, piano, and bells build from a murmur to an interlockinging web of repeating melodic patterns over gently swinging brushed snare and cymbals. The epic closer, 'Stars Aligned, Webs Spun', returns us to a space populated only by the electric guitar, but unlike everything Ambarchi had produced up until this point in his career, the piece has a liquid, psychedelic edge that looks forward to the shimmering harmonics of his more recent work. As Brendan Walls wrote at the time of the original release, this is 'another outpouring of personal, intimate and enduring music from Oren Ambarchi'. Presented in a stunning gatefold sleeve featuring the original artwork and design by Jon Wozencroft. Redesigned by Stephen O'Malley Remastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin.

DsorDNE (pronounced Disordine) is a project from Torino, Italy that evolved as group out of the electronic experimental post punk project Novostj in 1987. At the core of DsorDNE is Marco Milanesio, musical engineer and co-founder of the HAX record label, joined by a revolving cast of musicians. Their spectrum ranged from experimental to structured electro-poetry and Soundtrack like instrumental electronic music. In 1987 they released their first track on a split-single with The Legendary Pink Dots. Between 1987 and 1994 they released 6 full length albums, 3 split-EPs and appeared on various cassette compilations. à Un Sole (Itâs a Sun) was the groupâs only vinyl full length originally released in 1990 on HAX. Itâs 8 tracks of electro-beat poetry and experimentation recorded between July 1989 and January 1990 by Marco Milanesio (music) and Roberta Ongaro (vocals) with guests Claudio Burdese (guitar), Danilo Beltrame (guitar) and Cristiana Bauducco (vocals). The album is broken up into two distinct halves. Side A contains four chunks of hard hitting, percussive patterns and rushing bass sequences. Dark, moody female vocals force their monologues through the machinery in their native Italian tongue. The traditional song structure is carefully avoided by giving lyrics equal opportunities be they recited, half-sung, whispered or spoken. Side B displays moodier moments, less savage attacks and subtler sensuality, veering towards the more melodic and existential. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The record is housed in an exact replica of the original jacket featuring a black and white drawing with silver metallic spot color housed in a clear PVC plastic cover with a three color screen-printed design. Each copy includes a 11x11❠double-sided lyrics sheet with English translations as well an 8x11❠sheet with original press notes from 1990 by Marco Pustianaz.

Ever since the early 90s, The Mover has set the standard for apocalyptic melodramatic techno and has been praised as one of the leading artists of Planet Core Productions. His distinct tone and memorable production expertise, causes one to leave the world behind. In 2018 he returns with - Undetected Act From The Gloom Chamber', an album which implies all the goodness and fears he is renowned for. Eight masterpieces carrying the authentic excitement that you would expect from the Mover in a timeless fashion. Shifting between electro beats and classic old school techno patterns, the album sets a moody tone. The release is filled with magnificent bass lines and dark-dreamy pads that leave the mind in a trance. Muscular drums and authentic synth-lines paired with the unmistakable Mover signature, makes this assembly of gems an outstanding masterpiece.

Leonid Nevermind is back with a new sophisticated detroit house EP. 4 groovy soulful tracks with storytelling titles, hazy vocal elements, slapping funky basslines and bluesy piano patterns enswathing with mysterious chords and thrilling lucid melodies.

Feedback:
Anton Zap: Independent sound, another great record by Leo!
Move D: Very nice! Really cool!
DJ QU: Super nice EP. Feeling it!
Delta Funktionen: High-quality fresh stuff! Very happy to hear it!
Laurent Garnier: Many thanks for the great release. I love the mood of
the 4 tracks very much.
Duplex: This EP is a gem!
Brendon Moeller:´Inner Hub´ and ´Poetry of the Heart´ for me! Dope.
Marco Shuttle: Nice sound, ´Inner Hub´ is the one I like best :)
John Heckle: This is great, liking all 4 of these, thanks.
Or:la: Sounding nice
Dubbyman: It sounds powerful and nothing conventional!
Nocow: Good sound, go on!
Dasha Redkina: Good music
Jelly Roll Soul: "Poetry Of The Heart" is great!
André Kronert: it's a very nice record. Love it

The second Modugroove installment from the 100Hz studio is a mixture of live improvised session recordings and arranged music taken also from live studio recordings. 2 tracks are collaboration projects with good friends of mine who happen to be great artists. We have 1 from Richard Rogers aka Black Booby and myself and 1 from Julian Giles and me aka Junction Chaos. This 4 track Ep spans several styles of music from deep Techno to graceful and emotive string dance. The focus of the EP and the label is the unusual, trying to not use usual drum patterns and 4 beat structures,

Repress

Zodiak Commune Records continues the Insectum serie with a brand new EP from Acidupdub called "Longhorn Beetle". He specially made this 4-tracker in various styles of techno and acid.

A1. War of The Worlds
This track is a perfect dj tool. Very nice progressive acid techno floor filler with heavy energy on the 303 patterns. This beat goes on!

A2. Coffee Spliff
A mysterious opening on this one. The punchy kick will make a perfect minimal techno track out of it. Let the dreamy atmosphere take over.

B1. Dark Summer
On the b-side you can notice the energy is building up. The reverb on the acid sweep creates lots of space around you. High quality acid techno.

B2. Zodiak Prophecy
He ends this journey with an uptempo acid techno piece with a dark progressive touch. The delay on the 303 glues the whole track together. This prophecy is fulfilled.

The electronic sonic inventors Tyndall pulled out all the stops for their second album. Armed with an impressive array of analogue synthesizers, they unleashed the full force of their experimentalist ambitions, weaving synth pop, repetitive bass patterns, laminar sounds and carefree melodies into a unique amalgam of the Duesseldorf and Berlin Schools.

Joe Lewandowski is another treasure discovered by the rising label Deep & Roll. The A side reminds us some 90's house diamonds: 'Where is' contains mesmerizing gospel vocals calling for love. 'Powa' has a more groovy vibe with patterns that bring us back to Chicago.
The B side opens with 'I Need To', a track recorded with Jazz singer Lili B. It shows a more melancholic and deep side of the Parisian DJ. The last track 'Lourd' explores the other influences of Joe Lewandowski with an Italo-Disco and leftfield techno feeling.

Strap yourselves in as Post Pluto takes flight with French duo, RBDP, on their fresh self-titled EP. The record features four tracks of high altitude cruisers, soaring through the elements of acid, deep house, breaks and dubbed out synths. We depart the
troposphere with "Acid R", a mellow and low-end fusion of dubby textures and acidic lines. "Like Dat" follows, with moody pads, percussive grooves and celestial tones. On the flip, "St San" takes the record into an acidic journey of 303 sequences and saturated 707 drum patterns, with a sublime zero-gravity remix by Red Ember Records bossman Ewan Jansen.

Jan Ketel is back on Tieffrequent with his second solo EP. No razzmatazz, just pure deepness on 4 tracks combined with his passion for Soul and Hip Hop. Bliss!!
On the A-Side the - 30 Seconds Of Yeah EP flows in with a hopeful and wide opener called - Blue Horses . The use of a raw and steady bassline sourrounded by harmonic and melodic elements and the clearly structured drum arrangement makes it a deep going groover. The titletrack - 30 Seconds Of Yeah is a snotty rhythm based pattern with a puncturing bassguitar slap wrapped in a deep pad...but there's a lil' suprise...you will hear and see :-)
The B-side starts with - Come Home , a stomping beat with a coating chord sequence and some straight hidrum patterns. After the break it changes completely and wondrously transform into an emotional deephouse beauty. - Around Tha Corner represents a dusty sound without compromises. The bassline-kickdrum pattern and the repeating deepchord push it from start to finish...one for the basements.
Jan Ketel's - 30 Seconds Of Yeah EP tells little stories containing unexpected twists. It is a very musical record full of warm chords, versatile percussion and phat beats...but always focussed on the main aspects of deephouse music. Can you feel it

Restive Plaggona recently released a brand new studio effort - a full-length album featuring 10 original tracks and a
remix from Ancestral Voices, with a dark and melancholic twist, as the title of the project might imply. Connected by a commonality of despair, nostalgia and desolation, Restive Plaggona elevated these elements into its maturity. At its core, each track has a soul-stirring significance, and is embalmed by titles that fringes on a political dimension.

* Opening number 'Intimacy is Violence' does a remarkable job capturing the vibe of the album, serving as a great
introduction. The track has a very industrial tone, with a strong cinematic feel to it. The following track, 'Rote Zora,' follows suit with a more percussive and colorful arrangement, with a more substantial focus on rhythmic patterns.

* 'Cut Off From Modern Society' its combination of dark atmospheres, lush melodies, and glitchy beats. 'Sudden Burst of Safety' is another excellent track worth mentioning, due to its stadium-sized drums and saturated sounds, adding an
aggressive feel to the music. All in all, the album is a real sonic journey, begging to be enjoyed from start to finish!

* Set for release in both physical and digital formats on December 15th, Silently Hopelessly marks Restive Plaggona's first LP for Swiss-based record company Thrènes (which takes its name from the Greek word for funeral lament) and are a label dedicated to the release of tenebrous electronica and techno.

Text: Masscomm & Andrea Caccese

The music of Giuseppe Leonardi moves through the brain in psychedelic and playful ways. Young Giuseppe prepared his shamanic amalgamation of percussion, athmosperes and synth patterns some summers ago in the catacombs of Vienna. Machine sounds from a glittering future. He shifts his instruments out of the timezone and takes us on a trip in his cosy dinghy.

The title track "Empty Dancefloor" combines a thumping kick drum, stuttering hats and mesmeric chords, a combination that prove to be the perfect backing track to a captivating synth solo. It's extremely difficult not to find yourself lost in this enchanting track. Fracture" is a track where Skygaze really showcases his ability to combine broken beat, complex drum patterns with bewitching chords, magical marimbas and a curious bassline.
It is a track that really keeps you guessing throughout and one that can really add variety to any DJ set.
First up on remix duties is Jonna, who has put his own stamp on "Empty Dancefloor".
jonna is a DJ, Producer & one of the Label owners of City Fly Records, his sets are prominently House but take in influences from Disco, Techno, Hip-Hop, Funk, Jazz... Basically any music with Soul.
His first artist EP dropped early 2016 on 'Shadeleaf Music' & featured the incredibly talented Erik Rico on vocals with remixes by Atlanta's Kai Alce. The EP achieved great success & Sold Out in the first Month & was supported by heavyweight's Recloose, Derrick Carter, Jimpster & Osunlade to name a few.
Collab Singles (with Samwell) 'Henry Western' Featuring Lady Blacktronika followed on City Fly which was supported heavily on BBC 6 Music, that followed by 'Alright' on 'Future Society', a compilation curated by Seven Davis Jr on R2 Records and more recently the Luke Soloman Edit of 'Through The Night' again on Shadeleaf Music.
He has been busy in the studio since with a release on Secret Crunch (Austria) & 2 EP's forthcoming on Marcel Vogel's excellent Intimate Friends (NL).
The remix of "Empty Dancefloor" is one that is done in the unmistakable Jonna style, it's got groove! By chopping and changing the chords from the original, Jonna has created an entirely new melody, which when combined with rolling bongos and punchy bassline, you can't help but tap your feet.
The all too familiar synth solo from the original resonates throughout and pulls the track together, creating a guaranteed hit on any dance floor. Last, but certainly not least is Chicago based, Garrett David. The Smart Bar Resident has taken time out from his A&R / House buying duties at the famous Gramaphone Records to conjure up a bumping, yet dreamy remix of "Fracture".
He has previous releases on labels including Distant Hawaii, Residual Recordings, Night Sea Journey as well as his own imprint Stripped & Chewed and has really brought some Chicago flavours to the table with this one.

The band project Drums Off Chaos was one of the central and on-going projects of the recently deceased drummer Jaki Liebezeit (who is normally associated first and foremost with the Cologne-based band CAN). In the early 1980s he had initiated an - at first - loose collective of drummers, who created a rhythmic concept on the basis of simple, strictly binding codes that enabled expansive improvisations.

Over the years the ensemble became smaller and refined its collaboration marked by repetitive patterns and their variation. You have to play monotonous,' a membr of the audience had already told Liebezeit in the 1960s. He took this to heart and there was hardly any other formation where he could bring this concept to life as regularly and with as much inspiration as in Drums Off Chaos.
During a development spanning more than three decades, this extra-ordinary band, which never saw itself as such, made numerous recordings but rarely any releases. However, in the last few months of his life Jaki Liebezeit, with colleagues Reiner Linke, Maf Retter and Manos Tsangaris, earmarked some tracks for imminent release on vinyl and CD - on different compilations. Liebezeit's death is all the more reason to go ahead with this plan.