Since Interstellar Space, John Coltrane's posthumously released duo album with Rashied Ali, the combination of sax and drums has received an aura of sublime spiritual ambition. It is where tireless truth seekers come together to aim for something transcendental. Something too big for words. Of course, a lot has happened in the meantime.
The available options - philosophically, stylistically, temperamentally - are endless. Musicians are aware of those historical turning points, yet they also try to add their own twists and interpretations. Some of them succeed. One of reed player Mattias De Craene's many projects - MDC III - is a project involving drums and saxophone. A striking difference: De Craene invited two drummers (Simon Segers, Lennert Jacobs), that have been active in the worlds of jazz, pop, free improvisation and experimental music. They are the ideal foil for De Craene's vision, which seems to exclude no opposites. While the use of a recorder, electronics and percussion steers the music beyond the classic acoustic limitations, the result becomes strikingly rich with contrasts. What is abstract and introspective the first moment can switch - gradually or abruptly - to moments of fierce ecstasy the next.
The music feels free (free from limitations, free to choose its own logic), but also invites. Shifting moods and textures are combined with intricate rhythmical patterns, as the drummers lock together in dense, complex and/or ritualistic grooves. A minimal pulse, accompanied by murmuring hisses of brushes and a serenading sax is contrasted with moments of exuberance. The result is many things at once, but despite these wildly varying colors, sounds, textures, rhythms and moods, they are all linked, part of a generous, iridescent whole.
The trance-inducing trio MDCIII is back. And that equals yet another delicious load of modular drums, wildly processed saxophone sounds, improvisation & pulsating grooves.
After their first EP, MDCIII ft. Sylvie Kreusch, and their subsequent first (internationally) acclaimed album 'Dreamhatcher', the 'double drums' saxophone trio with Mattias De Craene, Simon Segers & Lennert Jacobs is all set to show what angle rock 'n roll can really come from. On their new album 'Drawn In Dusk' (release: end of September via W.E.R.F records) the trio delivers a whole new palette of sounds that are just as mystical, energetic and wild as 'Dreamhatcher'.
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2023 Repress
Francesco De Luca, Dj and producer based in Berlin launches his label under his new alias "Deluka" with Echoes EP. The three tracks of the record are emblazoned with his signature, pairing of light and deep sounds with atmospheric textures and hypnotism.
The second track is a remix from the talented producer from Spain "Orbe" that gave a very high grade of modern character but maintained the freshness from the original track but mixed up with new and sophisticated elements.
Fresh from DOTT’s “Puppy Luv EP” and Rudoh’s “Vinland In Space EP”, Jugaar Records is back and this time with a full-length, double-pack vinyl, and digital compilation bringing together friends from Asia and Europe. The record is testament to the healthy place the Asian electronic music landscape finds itself in and those intrepid producers who are willing to explore new scenes and sounds. It's energy-crew from the off - with UK beatmaker Joe Koshin’s “Astro Wax”, a techy electro work-out that conjures images of futuristic cityscapes and dense urban mazes. Up next, Pakistan-born and label co-boss Rudoh maintains the electro vibe with cut-up hip-hop vocals sprinkled on top of a pulsating bassline in his “KOF”. His records are being picked up by global tastemakers from Emerald to Roza Terenzi to DJ Masda. Don’t sleep!
Moving to the B-side, German-born, London mainstay Voigtmann shuffles and deals a steppy drum pattern and intricate synth-work, with a bassline drenched in that particular brand of funk to get the party going even at the most ungodly hour. Observatory resident Nic Ford closes this disk with an ambient excursion that summons spiritual rave voices from the deep laid atop a lilting synth loop. It’s typical of his ambient performances which have gained much notoriety in Vietnam of late.
Opening the second record is Egyptian gem Hassan Abou Alam whose recent outings on Naïve and Banoffee Pies have gained him much and well-deserved attention. Here, his “Gloom” combines twinkling IDM modes with heavy sub bass experiments primed to stop the most idiosyncratic dancefloors in their tracks. Up on C2, the Version, 3024 and Phonica Records graduate Yak adds breaks to the equation. His “Disk Full” brings together a haunting gated synth and razor-sharp beat programming to devastating effect. Melbourne based, Salt Mines Records honcho Shedbug concludes this side with his hopeful “A Lil Piece” whose soaring synth line will hit all the right emotional chords at all the right times.
On the final side Bangkokian Chalo reminds us why he is one of the masters of this increasingly fully formed scene. His Depth Charge is a muggy dub-laden, electro jam capable of rattling the weightiest sound systems in some of the most twisted raves at the end of some of the darkest Sois. The record is completed by New Delhi linchpin and Boxout.fm resident Monophonik, whose techno/electro “Tumbi” journeys out of the night into a euphoric sunrise moment that will be setting the dancefloors alight come festival season.
- A1: Psalm 34 4
- A2: Metatron, Archangel Of Kether
- A3: Raziel, Archangel Of Chokmah
- A4: Tzadkiel, Archangel Of Chesed
- A5: Tzaphkiel, Archangel Of Binah
- A6: Kamael, Archangel Of Geburah
- A7: Gabriel, Archangel Of Yesod
- A8: Michael, Archangel Of Hod
- B1: Raphael, Archangel Of Tiphareth
- B2: Haniel, Archangel Of Netzach
- B3: The Sun
- B4: Sandalphon, Archangel Of Malkuth
- B5: Anu/Enlil/Enki (The Way Of Anu) (The Way Of Anu)
John Bence can be described as a Savant in the world of Avant-Garde classical composition, and puts his mastery on full display in his newest release with Thrill Jockey. Archangels is a deep dive into the world and soundscape that Bence carefully crafts to offer a glimpse of the divine. Raised in Bristol"s burgeoning underground electronic music scene and a graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, John Bence manages to employ compositional complexity to manifest potent emotions. Bence"s acclaimed early works focused on the human experience, charting the composer"s own experiences with addiction and alcoholism in both stark minimalism and caustic noise eruptions. Having written Archangels two years into his recovery, Bence deftly threads together gauzy electronic atmospheres, brooding orchestral passages, and minimalist piano meditations Throughout his work, he manages to finely sew together Gregorian chant, orchestral arrangements, rippling synthesizers, and field recordings to reveal new surprises at every turn. Archangels is a compelling addition to contemporary composition by an artist unbound by classical traditions.
- A1: Approach 1' 52
- A2: Omaggio A Fellini 1' 50
- A3: Pipes 4' 05
- A4: Orgal 3' 38
- A5: Babbel 3' 54
- A6: Yaya 4' 21
- B1: Ba Loon 3' 17
- B2: Clocking 3' 37
- B3: Wail 8' 34
- B4: Bottom 3' 34
- B5: Feeder 1' 36
- C1: Spindrift 3' 35
- C2: Surfer 4' 00
- C3: Low Roller 3' 24
- C4: Still 4' 56
- C5: Beating 3' 51
- D1: Picolo 5' 41
- D2: Wire 2' 07
- D3: Knock 6' 21
- D4: Wah 3' 02
- D5: Aah 1' 40
Tod Dockstader's Aerial series, an electronic/drone masterpiece, is cherished among fans of the artist's work and this second volume is available in an audiophile quality double LP edition.
Tod Dockstader's Aerial series is sourced from his life long passion for shortwave radio. Dockstader collected over 90 hours of recordings, made at night, and comprised of cross signals and fragments plucked from the atmosphere.
Opening with airwave drones, Dockstader gradually allows elements to slowly come and go, summoning an ominous atmosphere of ethereal cloud clouds. Malignant placidity continues, giving the feeling of eavesdropping upon late-night audio activity not unlike discovering number stations while sweeping the dials. These sounds pull you in as their density and rhythms come and go.
Backward voices, deep echoing choruses of conversations flowing under the surface, ocean sounds, pulsing electro-rhythms, all seem to be created via the collaging of many hours of source recordings. A masterwork of collage and juxtaposition by an overlooked pioneer of American electronic music.
Artwork by John Brien (Imprec) is inspired by the propagation of shortwave radio signals throughout the earth's atmosphere.
"This return of Dockstader is something to cherish, not just because his output has been so limited and scarce but because what we do have is so intriguing, persuasive and cliche-free; the music of an inspired explorer who trails in nobody's slipstream." The Wire
"One of the great figures of musique concrete composition." Dusted
The Aerial project
I've written before of my interest in shortwave radio, in the notes to the Quatermass CD. Also, in the notes to the Omniphony CD (which has my first "Aerial" mix, "Past Prelude," in it), I mentioned "The Aerial Etudes," which was my working title for what became the three CDs you have. And, at the end of an interview with Chris Cutler (which can be found in the "Unofficial TD Website"), the piece I mentioned I was starting to work on at the time became Aerial.) When I was very young, people got most of their entertainment from radio. They called it "playing the radio," as if it were a musical instrument. That's what I've tried to do in this piece. About this time, a few people encouraged me to look into using a computer for this work.
I'd never used one, but I saw it would allow me to keep my mixes digital - no more transfer losses. So, at the end of 2001, I got a computer and an editing program for it, and spent what seemed a long time learning it. I began selecting mixes and loading them into the computer in late March, 2002. Out of the 580, I selected 90 "best" mixes - eventually reduced to 59, the ones on the CDs. Finally, in assembling the CDs, I followed David Myers' suggestion to allow each piece to flow into the next - making a continuous journey to the end. Tod Dockstader, 14 september 2003
About Tod Dockstader: Dockstader moved to New York in 1958 and became a self-taught sound engineer and sound effects specialist and apprenticed as a recording engineer at Gotham Recording Studios. It was around this time that he started to use his off-work hours to experiment with mixing and manipulating sounds on magnetic tape (musique concrète). By 1960 he had amassed enough material to assemble his first record Eight Electronic Pieces which was released on the Folkways label in 1961 (this would later be used in the soundtrack of Fellini’s Satyricon). The last of the eight pieces was later re-worked into his first stereo piece. In 1961 he applied to use the facilities at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center and was denied access by Vladimir Ussachevsky. Ussachevsky’s official reason was the “overstrained” scheduling of the studios, although many suspect that Dockstader’s lack of academic training was a factor in the decision. He continued to create music throughout the first half of the 60s, working principally with tape manipulation effects. His last piece at Gotham was Four Telemetry Tapes in 1965, after which he left to work as an audio-visual designer on the Air Canada Pavillion at Montreal’s Expo ‘67. It was around this time in 1966 that some of Dockstader’s pieces were released on three Owl L.P.s, and his work became known to a larger audience. He achieved modest recognition and radio play alongside the likes of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Edgard Varèse, and John Cage.
Andreas Koeper is a German contemporary/experimental composer and drummer with a background in Philosophy and Art history. “Niemand Tanzt” was originally released in 1989 and in the past years it has become a sought after obscurity amongst diggers ever since Chee Shimizu put it on the radar after unearthing it throughout inspection rounds in Berlin record stores. Although the A-side might have been the essence of the single at the time, it's the B-side's “Pink Rhythm” that puts this release on the map for DJs, the track's gradient from an empty half tempo to rich 4 on the floor patterns serves any well versed DJ as an on-ramp for new gears to be put into place as the track grows into various ramifications of Andreas' studio production techniques: playful percussive elements, provocative guitar riffs over a solid rhythm section. Freshly remastered by manmade in Berlin.
Pocketmoth offers the second volume of its home-grown 'POCKET' v/a series, showcasing the diverse sounds of Brisbane/Meanjin. Featuring four-club ready numbers from a talented crop of local characters, the release explores slick future garage, hypnotic electro and stomping breakbeat.
POCKET 2: a mainstay in the record bag.
BEC returns to Second State with another earth-shattering release containing four raw & atmospheric cuts.
The Berlin by way of Brighton producer BEC has been a member of the Second State family since her first release with the label in 2016. Since then, BEC has dropped 4 EP’s with the Berlin imprint, and regularly appears at the likes of Awakenings, Amnesia, Warehouse Project, Fabrik, Watergate & Burning Man to name a few.
Title track ‘Solitude’ opens with a sharp, rounded kick and crafty drumwork. Metallic swipes and rave stabs are injected to build tension, along with a choppy vocal and bubbling element. Punchy arrangements and rave stabs bring this track to rave territory at moments, before hauling back into the deepness of the cut. Next up is ‘Process Don’t Resist’, easing us in with a crackling bass and a solitary hi-hat, soon joined by buoyant claps and a muffled kick that submerges listeners into a different dimension. Darker, swiping elements are introduced with metallic textures, with the claps becoming more erratic as the track unfolds. An indiscernible vocal gives way to a jarring breakdown halfway through, sending shockwaves through the listener before submerging back into the hysteria.
‘Coming’ follows and initially appears as a break from the heaviness of the previous productions, before transforming into a high-octane stomper. A booming kick, bleeps and spiking vocal build the intensity as the track drives forward and hoover noise wavers menacingly. The vocal and kick bounce in unison towards the close, with a final cry towards the end. The finale is dark, mysterious and entrancing with ‘Fear Parade’. An authoritative female voice utters ‘not afraid’ under a myriad of shakers, howls and vicious synth swipes. The sample gradually takes over with the track building to crescendo, allowing shakers to come to the forefront along with eerie howls and a new, more robotic vocal that utters the initial phrase repeatedly until close in an effort to encourage listeners.
A vibrant and powerful performer, Danny Toeman seamlessly blends the classic vibes of Funk and Soul's golden age with his own inimitable London edge that modernises his work, giving it a fresh 'neo-vintage' flavour.
His gravel tones combined with an altitude-defying falsetto set him apart, creating a sound oozing with character and emotion. With his backing band 'The Love Explosion', Danny Toeman stages an electrifying show filled to the brim with feel-good funky soul, designed to make everyone get on up! Born in London, Danny was well acquainted with the Soul, Funk, and Rhythm and Blues of artists such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles from an early age, before graduating onto the hard hitting Souther Soul of artists like Wilson Pickett and Bobby Womack, and the refined uptown Philly Soul of artists like the O'Jays and the Spinners. A guitarist since the age of seven, and a singer before that, he grabbed any opportunity to perform his songs on stage for an audience. Danny Toeman truly set out to on his musical career after graduating University (where he won the regions official Battle of the Bands contest). Soon after, he was in demand as a supporting act for a number of great Soul artists, including Charles Bradley of Daptone, Michael Kiwanuka, Queen of Rare Groove Betty Wright, and 4-time Grammy winner Robert Cray. Around the same time, Danny's music reached a worldwide audience when a song of his was discovered on Soundcloud by scouts, and placed on the in-store playlists of Abercrombie & Fitch. Since then, his music has appeared in film and television shows around the world, most notably Saturday Night Live (NBC). Danny continued to perform nonstop around the UK, occasionally travelling to continental Europe for appearances. From 2019-2021, he hosted and promoted a series of headline shows at the famous Pizza Express Jazz Club, which garnered sold out crowds every night. The pinnacle of the support slots came in 2019, when Danny was chosen as the primary support act for Kool and the Gang at their o2 Arena show in London, in front of 10,000 spectators.
In Mid-2020, as the world was shutting down, Danny was approached by LRK Records to release his track 'She's Got Something About Her' on vinyl.
Within 3 months of release, the disc completely sold out due to demand, taking the European Soul Scene by storm. It garnered multiple radio plays, including from BBC 6 Music's Craig Charles, and veteran BBC DJ Robert Elms pronounced it 'his new favourite song'.
In 2022, Danny received his first spin on BBC Radio 2 for the single, 'Shake the Blues Outta Your Shoes', and was chosen out of thousands of competitors by industry professionals to act as the opening act for the legendary Diana Ross at one of her rare UK performances!
As the world starts to open up, Danny looks forward to releasing more new music, and taking his show across Europe and around the World.
Limited edition 45. Only 300 copies pressed.
Originally Re Eff (pronounced Ri Èf) was a bunch of texts. One hundred and fifty pages that Julien Gasc wrote by trying his hand at the art of cut-up: a literary and political act of counter-fiction based on William Burroughs’s method. It was also Julien Gasc’s response to the isolation of 2020, while he was seeking refuge in the Southwest of France, with time as far as the eye could see, and a piano.
For a long while, it hadn’t been about songs, but about expressing the indescribable by cutting randomly from books and his own notes, attempting to fleetingly strike a balance, find a beauty, a happy accident. Incidentally, it was almost by accident, while recycling a piece that he’d composed for steel guitar pedal, that Julien Gasc sketched the first draft of “Ce soir les bouteilles dansent” (“Tonight the Bottles Are Dancing”). This was combined with a version of “Rosario Bléfari”, recorded on an inexpensive Casio synthesizer. These were Re Eff’s baby steps.
While everything was at a standstill, in stasis, Julien Gasc wanted to send a group message to some friends, to his family, a message from a confinee to those who weren’t answering, friend or foe, imaginary or otherwise. It was this collective recipient that he nicknamed Re Eff. The name comes from “re” (re-) and “effacer” (erase), words found during a cut-up and transformed into ri èf for added euphony, like a facetious grief (grievance, reproach in French) without the “g”.
Like its title, a kind of serious joke, the album is one long interplay between humour and gravitas, sense and nonsense, shadow and light, aiming to fully describe feelings in terms of their ambiguous and contradictory elements.
Through a return to regular piano practice, calm recovered at a holiday resort town, and literary experimentations, to which he added transcribed dreams, as in “La scie de la vision modern” (“The Saw of Modern Vision”), Julien Gasc composed ten demos on his computer. These demos were then rerecorded at Syd Kemp’s Haha Sound studio in London, in December 2021. The mix was completed there again, in February 2022, by Syd and Julian.
Play to play and write to write, those are the keywords of Re Eff, in which memories are freely combined (“À travers le regard de l’indienne” / “Through the Amazon’s Eyes”), the theme of enclosure and passion (“Amour velours” / “Velvet Love”), melodrama ("Délivrance"), and romantic novella (“Tout ne peut pas nécessairement donner quelque chose” / “Not Everything Leads to Something”). Music resolutely oriented towards the piano, towards bold and filmic harmonic movements that make a successful form of lyrical poetry possible. Because all in all, by singing about current events – his own and those of the world – in an elegiac tone, like bards, Julien Gasc was gradually transformed from pop singer into poet.
FAST DE is the new band of Dutch composer and bassist Daniël Eskens. With a musical background in various indie and jazz-facing acts such as Jo Goes Hunting, Opera Alaska, and Karsu, years spent composing and experimenting in his studio gradually led to the creation of FAST DE. A diverse array of influences—Billy Strayhorn to Soulwax, Bela Bartok to Brian Wilson—culminates in a sound that is refreshingly unique, bridging electronic, jazz, psychedelic, and alternative pop. In its live setup, the band configuration consists of Dario Trapani on guitar, Jimmi Hueting on drums, and Daniël Eskens on bass and synthesizer. With its debut album Sight Inside on the horizons, FAST DE invites you into its kaleidoscopic world of complex rhythms, spirited improv, and playful melodies—a colorful choreograph in sound.
Dave Lee teamed up with Omar. A gifted, prolific artist, Omar learned his craft classically, playing the trumpet, piano, bass guitar and percussion. A former principal percussionist of the Kent Youth Orchestra and later a graduate of the Guildhall School Of Music, Omar was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to music.
'Starlight' is a gorgeous, mid-tempo dance record, with Omar’s silky vocals backed up with rich production: soaring live strings, groove-laden clav and a warm bassline creating a heady, inviting atmosphere. Almost viscerally life-affirming and unashamedly positive. This is an exclusive 7” version.
On the B side, Destiny II featuring Aria Lyric - I'm Here For This. An uptempo boogie synth filled track in the spirit of Leroy Burgess’s 80’s offerings. Written by Dave Lee, Audrey Martells & broken beat don Kaidi Tatham. An exclusive new track not part of the album Produced with Love II.
White Vinyl
Greyscale's most personal release and perhaps the most important for label owner grad_u aka Aleksandr Martinkevič. Earlier this year, Alex was diagnosed with cancer. Certainly a horrible thing to hear and there has definitely been some low moments in certain stages of the journey. At just 36 years old, many of us are shocked that such a young person can develop cancer. After some research he found out that younger and younger people are randomly getting cancer studies show. An alarming trend to learn about. However, there has also been a lot of other learning and different new levels of appreciation for the simple things in life as a new higher level of inspiration in making music has manifested. And this new release encapsulates that. Alex has also felt a duty to make things better for others. Focusing on what can be improved as he wants to highlight research, treatment and the overall communication of this disease to more people in the electronic music scene. Part of the proceeds from this new album will be donated to the National Cancer Institute in his homeland of Lithuania.
Alex wants everyone to know that catching these signs early and getting regular checkups are your best chance at beating cancer. Thankfully Alex did this also and his treatments have gone well. Alex plans still stay steadfast with his label and his life. Simplifying things with the love from his family and friends, focusing on his hobbies
along with making sure he makes his health his #1 personal priority.
The name for this full length release is titled 'T2NO'. grad_u's most introspective work yet features 8 emotional tracks overall. The honesty expressed in this album is blunt and to the point. These tracks take you on an audio journey thru grad_u as he expresses his feelings thru the entire process in each stage.
Beginning with two wonderful ambient tracks named 'Genetic Mutation' & 'Carcinogen'. In the opener, Chords rain over you as a beautiful ambient melody peeks out underneath it followed by a more stark and hazy field of interference. From the gentle opener to the more tension filled follower, the personal journey of grad_u is
developing before your ears. The b-side of 'Neoplasm' is a bit more somber but also has a ray of light in it.
Introspective as it can get, this is a true journey through an uncertain future. 'MRI scan' needs no explanation....
The second half of the album begins the understanding of what grad_u was going thru. 'Malignant Transformation' gives off that feeling of the human body working thru the science. Fight or flight becomes the theme for this track. 'Adenocarcinoma' almost gives off the sound of cells rebuilding themselves. Sci-fi meets real life in this epic battle. 'Resection' continues this scientific sounding reflection on the body healing with sounds of movement and time. As if the body is working itself out. Lastly and triumphantly comes the closing
track 'Waking up to a New Life'....
The emotional journey of this album isn't for the faint of heart. It leaves nothing to the imagination. It works thru all the emotions that can come with such and life changing event like having cancer. We want to thank grad_u for sharing his story with us. This story can happen to anyone...
"I would like to take this opportunity to express my great gratitude to doctors A. Dulskas, G. Jurevičienė, V. Sidorov and all staff in Abdominal Surgery and Oncology Department at NCI. Thank you for your expert care and for saving my life.
Also, big big thank you my family and closest friends for all their love and support during this difficult period of time and always being there for me."
Special thanks to Lithuanian Council for Culture, associations AGATA and LATGA for support of this special project.
Part of proceeds from the album will be donated to National Cancer Institute, Lithuania
Akae Beka's inimitable style, developed over decades performing with St. Croix based band Midnite and countless recordings (including 2014 iTunes reggae album of the year BEAUTY FOR ASHES and RIDE TRU). At the point of his untimely passing in 2019, he had released over 70LP's. He is without a doubt one of the most prolific reggae artists ever known and his quanity is always matched with quality, with his albums consistently featuring in the top 10 on the billboard charts reggae LPs.
A unique contribution to the sea of Akae Beka titles, this LP showcases Vaughn Benjamin in a stripped back, raw accoustic fashion. An LP which will not be easily confined to any one genre, but for the fans of Vaughns uniquly rich, deep, textrued songwriting, uncompromising devotion to RasTafari and soulful healing melodies an absolute must have!
The Tel-Aviv centered Yotam Avni officially joined forces with Stroboscopic Artefacts last year, turning in a sensual an invigorating entry for the Monad series. Thanks to his personalized fusion of esoteric and worldly sound elements, Avni immediately made a case to deliver more work to the label, and now he has done so with 'Perlude to Dybbuk,' the second in a new series of S.A. releases to feature the Oblique Artefacts visual team's distinct, elegant portrayals of scanned foliage. As with Avni's previous Monad contribution, the new Perlude to Dybbuk makes references - both in title and in sonic content - to the ancient Hebrew folklore of his homeland (a 'dybbuk' being a kind of limbonic spirit attaching itself to the body of a living human until it has successfully reached its final destination). However, the atmospheric, rather than overt, use of these references gives this record a level of dignity and quality as well as a premonitory feeling that hovers over the proceedings.The opening 'Avka (New Life)' opens with the twin stimuli of chthonic, rolling percussion and ambience that has become a modern Stroboscopic tradition, but ever so gradually deviates from the realm of the easily anticipated. Some of the surprises to be found here are sharp, organic drum fills and sighing strings that have an uncanny vocal quality to them. By the time a surgically clipped acid synth sample comes into the mix, the track has reached a simmering level of excitement and the listener's imagination will have license to reside in a virtual world seamlessly combining elements both ancient and futuristic.Dybbuk' temporarily situates listeners back in brutal modernity, with the first sounds heard being something like insistently slicing helicopter blades. Avni merely uses this as the foundation, though, for a genuinely unique construction whose shamanic beats, throttled horn and undertow of frenzied electronics combine to give the feeling of being menaced and eventually overtaken by a spirit entity. This piece shows just what Avni is capable when operating in a more aggressive, 'post-industrial' mode, and the result stands up with some of the best exponents of that genre.The finale 'Modern Matters' is the most readily club-friendly selection from the disc. This potent, floor-shaking and perspiration-inducing number superimposes resonant vocals from traditional Middle Eastern folk song onto this alchemical mixture of machine oil and sweat, and provides a romantic flair without resorting to naïve, touristic 'ethno-techno.' Avni's skillful dedication to counterpoint, and determination to make a finished form is more than the sum of its parts, shines through here and throughout the duration of this record.
- A1: Soichi Terada - Saturday Love Sunday
- A2: Shinichiro Yokota - Do It Again
- A3: Soichi Terada - Sun Showered
- B1: Soichi Terada & Manabu Nagayama - Low Tension (Alternative Version)
- B2: Soichi Terada - Hohai Beats
- B3: Soichi Terada - Good Morning
- C1: Soichi Terada - Cpm
- C2: Soichi Terada - Rising Sun Up
- C3: Shinichiro Yokota - We Came Together
- D1: Soichi Terada - Voices From Beyond
- D2: Soichi Terada - Purple Haze (Edit)
- D3: Soichi Terada - Binary Rondo
Compiled by Hunee, 'Sounds from the Far East' features eccentric and highly sought after material by legendary Japanese house producer Soichi Terada and fellow producer Shinichiro Yokota!
Soichi Terada is an adventurous music multi-talent and over all a good sport. Born in the Sixties, Terada majored in computer science and electronic organ; not being able to find a label for his eccentric compositions, he founded Far East Recording soon after his graduation, in 1989.
"Sounds From The Far East" shines new light on Soichi Terada's label and work, and consists of material that was originally released in the early Nineties. Next to Terada's music, Hunee also selected a few tracks by fellow artist Shinichiro Yokota, included in this compilation, and the incredible Paradise Garage gem that is 'Sunshower', by Terada and Nami Shimada.
The concluding chapter of Jamaica Suk’s 17-track ‘Uncertain Landscape’ series arrives with a bang, with another four explosive tracks to round it off.
Milton Bradley — aka Alien Rain — begins proceedings with a hammering assault in the form of ‘Driving Force’. Detuned, ravey synths produce a cacophonous barrage of sound as the rubbery kick groove intones more hardcore vibes. There’s a touch of John Carpenter vibes in the spooky arpeggios that permeate the more stripped back sections. Bone-crushing groove abounds throughout.
Italy’s Kill Ref delivers a distorted thumper on ‘Subbaculta’, slowly eeking out a rasping groove from the underbelly of his pummeling drums. The track keeps building throughout, the shuffling rhythm
bolstering some seriously raw machine funk in the latter half that emerges almost imperceptibly.
The ringmaster herself, Jamaica Suk, makes her contribution to the series on ‘Escape’. She conjures up a tripped-out soundscape where layers stack in potent combination. Squelchy acid licks do battle
with the stomping bass groove and heavily-reverbered sustained textures. It sounds as if there are monsters loose in the speakers.
Nicolas Bougaïeff closes this momentous four-part release with his second contribution, ‘Nocturne 3’. Rocking a stuttered kick pattern, it revolves around grunting swathes of industrial noise, on-beat
clap patterns and all manner of weird and wonderful sounds that pitch-bend, tweak and freak to delightful levels of intensity. It’s a very well arranged and sequenced track that keeps you guessing.
Berlin techno bastion Jamaica Suk’s generous ‘Uncertain Landscape’ series continues with the third part of this weighty 17-track release serving up another quartet of rugged grooves.
early 2000s techno, he brings it up to date with pummeling bass and kicks and taut percussive loops
Surface’ chugging along at an unhurried pace. Resonant metallic sounds chime over the stuttering overdriven edges emerge, gentle screeches and hisses forced into existence.
Techno royalty Oliver Deutschmann pitches in next with the pacey contrast of ‘Hunting’. Its manic tempo is contrasted by its comparative lightness of touch, with the acidic theme continuing. The
Parallax Records boss and Berghain and Concrete guests Pharaoh and Yogg provide the closing salvo, an experimental cut by the name of ‘Betelgeuse’. Broken beats underpin glitchy textures and
Our second analysis of frequencies from the void above resulted in a transmission which appears to be the legacy of an ancient intelligence. FTVA02 consists of four cuts by prolific producer Eliaz, where he presents his braided take on electro and acid house.
On the A-Side the record opens with Visitore, a slow and deep acid track which lifts off gradually. With Second Start on the A2, we have a dark and moody electro cut where the drums and textures morph seamlessly with each other.
The B-Side opens with the Coincidental Mix of Everybody In, a powerful yet twisted electro cut where the elements unhinge steadily. Finally B2, 12H/Sun, sucks us into it’s range of acid and electric sounds resulting in a dark journey through the universe.
“Accept the existence of the void as a real entity, in which atoms can move and rearrange themselves”.
Jamaica Suk’s 17-track, quadruple-volume ‘Uncertain Landscapes’ series continues with its second part, bringing five tracks of uncompromising cutting-edge techno.
NovaMute artist Nicolas Bougaïeff kicks off with the rasping sounds of ‘Nocturne 1’, a tense juggernaut of a track. Sheet metal textures clash up against eerie FX the most throbbing of kick drums, with a twisted, distorted feel to the breakdown.
Keith Carnal’s ‘Infringement’ injects rhythmic bleep patterns into its chattering percussion, creating an almost dubby feel that’s contrasted with an urgent energy. Well-timed filtering adds to the tension.
The warped wiggle of Helrad’s ‘Groove Addicts’ comes next, with intense machine energy filtering up from the depths. A manic cacophony of detuned bleeping creates a heavy, relentless feel over the succinct beat.
Insolate’s ‘Sanchin’ rocks a pulsating bass chug that underpins washed-out textures and synth delays, with rasping metallic sounds washing over the track in the second half while the shuffling percussion keeps ticking away.
Manuel Di Martino channels some classic Detroit vibes in the chattering clap & snare patterns and rolling groove of ‘Runout’. Resonant tones blip, loop and pitch-shift in hip-shaking fashion to give the feel of a classic Jeff Mills set in action.




















