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Chamber music masterpiece with electronics

Albert Alan Owen was born in Wales in 1948 to parents of Welsh and Latvian heritage. His family later moved to Zimbabwe, where his father took up a teaching position. There, Owen was deeply influenced by local music and culture, while also exploring American RnB and jazz. It was during this period that he became acutely aware of the harsh inequalities under British colonial rule, which instilled in him a lifelong aversion to discrimination and racism.
In 1967, Owen returned to Europe to pursue his studies and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He went on to spend time in Paris, studying composition with the eminent Nadia Boulanger and piano under Jacques Février, a favorite pianist of Ravel’s and Poulenc’s. Owen's focus shifted almost entirely to composition, and the acquisition of a Fender Rhodes electric piano marked the beginning of a divorce from his classical Western training. This transition allowed him to merge his passion for African and African-American music with the impressionistic styles of Ravel and Debussy while exploring the innovative realm of electroacoustic composition.
These formative experiences framed Owen’s career as a composer and educator at the Royal Academy of Music and London’s Working Men’s College. He eventually returned to Wales, where he continues to reside.

In 1979, 29-year-old Albert Alan Owen released Keyboards & Strings, a light magical chamber music masterpiece.
Transcending the formal conventions of its era, Keyboard & Strings is an acoustic and electric piano piece, where the violin is met by synths and electronics.
As is often the case in Albert Alan Owen’s most intimate works, there is a sense of ethereal beauty that emerges from the music, akin to the emotional state one might experience while contemplating a Félix Vallotton landscape or the unfathomable mystery of dawn’s first light.
Quiet, profound, and immersive, Keyboard & Strings stands out as an electronic-age tone poem, a rare gem that transcends time and place.

Pitch Dark is a new VA series brought to you by Berlins Pure Hate Trax. For this the 1st in the series they invite 3 new Artists to the label but by no means new to the scene in Codex Empire, Maedon & 7CIRCLE. Also making a welcome return after his debut on VHXX1 is STRISC. Codex Empire – Since 2014, British born, Vienna based Codex Empire has built an international reputation for dark and intense techno productions and live shows. Combining this background in dark electronic music with heavy rhythmic elements makes Codex Empire an intense and simultaneously danceable experience both live and on record. Codex Empire has performed over 100 live shows across Europe, Japan, Korea and Canada, as well as numerous appearances in Berlin at Berghain, Tresor, Arena Club, Suicide Circus and BoilerRoom. Maedon – A native of notoriously grimy Baltimore who spent some seasons in filthy Philadelphia learning the craft, her arrival in New York City circa 2018 signalled a shift in development, one confirmed by the emergence of her Maedon moniker and her partnership with Brooklyn/Berlin techno powerhouse Sonic Groove and its head Adam X. Fast forward three years to Berlin, two albums, a residency at Tresor and an entire world later, Maedon forges ahead to the next phase of a rapidly building career. Assuring her future as the world falls apart, Maedon’s bracing sound and undeniable skills are a story now unfolding, with its beginnings already written in grit.
7CIRCLE – At the helm of Destroy to Rebuild, 7CIRCLE is a musical project without boundaries. Drawing from post punk and metal roots, 7CIRCLE navigates across all genres including Techno and Industrial without compromise or frills. The journey through the discography of 7CIRCLE is a fascinating path filled with darkness and aggressive sounds which are sometimes embellished with a melancholy touch to satisfy lovers of strong emotions. STRISC. – Hailing from the East Midlands, UK and residing in Berlin for the last 8 years, STRISC. is an Artist, DJ & Label Owner who has been making waves due to a relentless output of no-compromise productions that have garnered him the respect and attention of Techno aficionados and peers alike.

2024 Repress

Starting out in 2001 to tie up some loose ends from our regulars, SPEICHER has since become a guarantee for vanguard dance sounds from all over the planet, allowing KOMPAKT to invite and support electronic artists that comfortably inhabit both the delicate and the more deliberate ends of the electronic music spectrum. For SPEICHER 81, Amsterdam-based DJ and producer PATRICE BÄUMEL presents two adventurous minimal epics with decidedly mind-bending propensities.

As a long-running resident DJ at Amsterdam's renowned Trouw club, PATRICE BÄUMEL certainly knows how to draw in a crowd, having proven his skillful approach to hypnotic techno time and time again, as an impeccable host as well as an internationally acclaimed guest DJ in the world's leading venues. Just as his DJ sets, Patrice likes to infuse his own music with raw energy and a sense for sonic adventure - MILE HIGH GANG serves as a perfect example for his credo, underpinning its vibrant synth sequences with a meticulously crafted - and intensely propelling - beat.

The true mind bender, however, arrives with the flipside's aptly named VERTIGO, a deceptively simple, yet unstoppable son of a pitch shifter, cutting its way through spiralling serpentines in dizzying heights. Never one to let himself get bogged down by genre markers or scene compliancy, PATRICE BÄUMEL commutes between electronic factions with ease: he caters to a purist crowd as well as those in dire need of sonic surprises, giving both daydreamers and nighthawks something to rock out about.

Repress!

Next up on Toolroom’s 4-track vinyl sampler series is a tasty collab from label founder, Mark Knight who teams up with rapidly rising talent Crusy for a staunch collaboration ‘Daddy Shhh’. A fiery club heavy cut, focusing on Toolroom’s founder’s speciality of Tribal Tech House, ‘Daddy Shhh’ is a record made for the dance floor specifically. Mixing high energy grooves, Latin percussion and rolling tech bass line that’ll keep you moving until the early hours.

Next up, we’re welcoming UK selector and producer Huxley who drops brand new single, ‘All I Need’. An artist not bound by conventional genres, Huxley’s sound shifts and melds into whatever fits the record, and that is certainly true when listening to ‘All I Need’. Coming through with a lush, Deep House synth vibe and an earworm vocal that melts into the mix before launching into Classic UK House style bass stabs means only one thing, a straight up belter.

Up next is another heater from Liverpudlian DJ and producer ESSEL who returns to the label with ‘Lennon’. An artist well versed in the art of hit-making; ESSEL has been a firm fixture of the Toolroom family over the past few years. A darker take on her typical vibe, ‘Lennon’ is a record that skirts the edge of her sound, tipping over into clubland and we have to say, it’s absolutely class. If there’s ever a glass ceiling above then ESSEL is sure to smash straight through it, she certainly is an exciting new prospect and without doubt one to watch.

Last but not least, we see the return of powerhouse DJ and production duo Leftwing : Kody who team up with fast-rising producer James Hurr on their debut outing ‘Music Is the Medication’. Reggae vocalist I Jah also features, bringing some Ragga styled heat to the record. ‘Music Is The Medication’ is a sublime record, mixing a tough, Tech House focused vibe with UKG styled breaks and a straight to the point Ragga vocal overlayed for maximum delivery means only one thing, a certified banger.

Toronto-based artist and co-boss of Parallel Minds, Ciel, known for her distinctive, precise, playful, and intricately crafted electronic productions, delivers a vibrant new EP on SUZI titled "Sada’s Dream". Originally performed during a live set at MUTEK Montreal, Ciel has refined these initial ideas into a five-track journey that showcases her unique sound palette, marked by meticulous attention to rhythmic and melodic interplay.

The EP opens with "Be That As It May," setting a contemplative tone with complex rhythms and a haunting flute-like melody that gradually unfolds into a brighter, expansive atmosphere.
Following this, the second track "Viral Load" shifts towards a tougher sound, featuring digital bleeps and arpeggiators that swirl around modern dubstep elements, creating a dense auditory texture.

The third piece, "Divide and Conquer," blends airy textures with a robust, infectious bassline and glitchy, compelling melodies, demonstrating Ciel's ability to balance delicacy with power.
Moving forward, "Bubble Gum Pop," the fourth track, adopts a clubbier vibe with its vigorous house vocals and lively breakbeat drums, offering a sharp contrast to the preceding tracks.

Concluding the EP is "Sada's Dream," the title track. This fast-paced, playful composition marries minimalist rhythms with whimsical bleeps and snippets of vocals, ending the EP on a note that feels both conclusive and invitingly open-ended. "Sada's Dream" is a sonic tapestry that weaves together the subtle complexities of Ciel's signature style with a narrative that is both intimate and expansive, capturing the essence of her artistic vision.

Fata Morgana's concept draws from Ispirian ́s live sets in the USA. Then, back in Europe, Vasco refined his performance and the live takes were finally mixed and mastered in Madrid. The project sees the light in 2023, after the global impasse the world went through, as a two EP installment: Fata Morgana I & II.

Fata Morgana ́s second installment is a 4 track EP that kicks off with a bass- driven cinematic promise (Ohdee) which unfolds in titillating layers, crafting a superb lushness and building up momentum (Flashing on Flushing) and then, fiery reaching climax in a vague, abstract electronic background (Escape into the Sunset) only to usher the shape-shifter (My Pleasure), an edgy alt-ambient closer with a grounding dialogue on pleasure and pain which is Ispirian ́s reflective statement.

One of the most prolific electro artists of his generation, Boris Bunnik aka Versalife, returns to TRUST with an exceptional soundtrack for the algorithmic hellscape we live in. As neofeudalist power structures solidify around us, Versalife's tracks remain in constant flux. Subtle tonal shifts and undulating synth currents create tension and beauty while crisp machine beats provide the clockwork rhythm for humanity's march into the singularity.

Rosati launches his new imprint, Global Pulse. The label embraces a futuristic development of Techno, exploring unknown sonic territories while always staying true to its original essence.

The inaugural release, 'Automatic Response EP', features five original tracks that are pulsating with powerful dynamics and detailed textures.

In the first track, A1 'Automatic Response', the vibe is established by a steady bass line and hypnotic bleep sequences that are ensuring high pressure energy.

Continuing with A2 'Way Out', where a wide landscape is created through the use of well crafted sound design elements, juxtaposed to a minimalistic 909 groove.

With B1 'Ufo Memory', Rosati is diving into alien realms, blending atmospheric UFO textures with heavily saturated drum patterns, creating a dark, pumping, and futuristic mood.

In B2 'Feeling', the focus shifts to the late 90s era, where a story of freedom is told through the appearance of percussive loops, funky bass lines and pad melodies.

Inside the record there is also a digital bonus 'Time Tunnel': a melodic electro journey that transports the listener into a robo-dystopic, yet hopeful, future.

With this first release, Global Pulse lays the ground for a promising series that will push the envelopes of Techno, promising a platform focused on sustainability and authenticity of Electronic Music.

2024 Repress

Along with Chontane's debut on EMERALD he brings a booming revival of heavy looped percussion pressure and stylistic shifts. Every piece is executed with enough feel to cut through the layers and provide warmth and emotion with an updated formula on the earliest impressions of techno.

April 2024 sees the launch of the Stratasonic imprint with the four-track ‘Accidental Effects’ by ANiML, a collaborative guise for the members of the collective behind the label.

Stratasonic is a new label founded by a German/Canadian collective operating out of LA whose roots dig deep into electronic music. By collaborating with artists new and legendary they’ll push the boundaries of the traditional music space into visual arts, video, events, digital and beyond. The collective’s philosophy is to reimagine the music, masters, and methods of the past in a modern context, exposing the world to the stuff they like. Here to inaugurate the label is ANIML, the project whose members will remain anonymous is inspired by the classic era of vinyl and analogue production with hints of 90’s nostalgia.

Title-cut ‘Accidental Effects’ leads the EP and lays down twitchy bass grooves, crisp, crunchy breaks and an amalgamation of hip hop vocals all dynamically pieced together and processed to create a raw, fluid dance floorworkout. ‘Mementos’ follows next and veers into a more immersive, cinematic electronica realm via subtly unfurling synth textures, murky bass swells, bumpy breaks, squelchy acid lines and hypnotic brass licks.

Opening the flip-side is ‘Day Dreaming’, shifting focus back to a raw off-kilter rhythm at its foundation while haunting synth lines ebb and flow amongst hooky vocal chants and bubbling echoes. ‘Formulaic Appeal’ then concludes the original material, a three minute ambient darkwave excursion through brooding analogue bass drones, heavily reverberated atmospherics and a ticking clock like percussive effect.

Moderna Ignites the Dance Floor with Debut Album "The Future Is Among Us"
Conceived over seven years in Berlin and Mexico City, "The Future Is Among Us" is a sonic tapestry woven from diverse influences. Each track, produced in a different era, retains its unique character while seamlessly blending into a cohesive album experience.
The album ignites with "DIE4U," a powerful homage to Prince's iconic "I Would Die 4 U." Moderna reimagines the timeless sentiment – entirely self-produced and written in Berlin. Layered vocals, a driving bass line, and a pulsating electro beats that create a controlled yet electrifying atmosphere.
The title track, "The Future Is Among Us," embodies the collaborative spirit at the heart of the album.
Originally conceived before the album was complete, bringing bass lines and a percussive energy that feels like a declaration that the future is not something to wait for, but something we are actively creating together on the dance floor.
The album promises a vibrant blend of electronic and dark wave music, showcasing Moderna's ability to weave together infectious dance floor anthems with deeper, more introspective moments.
This depth is evident in tracks like "Lost at Heart," a collaboration with post-punk artist Skelesys that transcends genre with its raw emotional vulnerability. The album's ability to seamlessly shift
between these contrasting styles is a testament to Moderna's artistry and her ability to curate a cohesive listening experience that invites a provocative energy.
Moderna’s impressive career extends beyond this album. Beyond her solo work, she has showcased her remixing talent on tracks for The Matrix 4 soundtrack and Curses' Next Wave Acid Punx compilation, collaborated on four EPs with Mexican artist Theus Mago who also contributes to the album on the dream wave serenade “Blades”.
The album will be released on her ‘Brave New Rave’ imprint which she established in 2019 from her highly recognized radio show on KCRW Berlin.

Pyramid Transmissions are proud to present the 3rd part the amazing J Frank vinyl lp series -Shifting Baseline Cycle

This trilogy started with the killer Spatial Orbit Intersection on PT, followed by Faulty Source Monitor on Irrational Media Society. Shifting Baseline Cycle brings more futuristic Idm/Electro with 6 killer cuts!!!

PYRAMID TRANSMISSIONS transmitting Electro goodness since 2000!!!!!

London producer Kel McKeown celebrates the release of his tenth album as Kelpe, with a vinyl edition of uncategorisable dance music on Kit Records.

Kelpe's work combines live drumming with synthesis and guitars. Like the nine records that came before it, LP10 treads the line between gauzy melancholia and bustling, dancefloor-ready energy.

Listening to Kelpe's music can feel like fluttering through a photo album at speed. Familiar faces and locations are revealed, nostalgic scenes assembled then scattered by unruly rhythms and samples.

Analogue percussion takes centre stage on LP10. This restless drumming - gear-shifting from hip-hop through to jungle - showcases McKeown's chops as an instrumentalist, while harking back to the scrambled beats that were a hallmark of his early releases.

Kelpe has worked closely with the visual artist Nikita Iziev on this record. Inspired by pioneering film director John Schlesinger, the serendipitous geometry of new wave cinema is mapped out in fractured moments across the music and artwork.

While the track 'Schlesinger' echoes the bouncing unpredictability of the sleeve, 'The Palace Guard Loop' pours neon fertiliser over fender rhodes jazz keys. Adrenalin reaches a zenith on 'Events Proved Me Wrong', as Kelpe hits his stride for a homespun drum and bass workout.

LP10 will be the final full length Kelpe album.

The King of Miami's Cuban music scene, the late Ray Fernandez, is featured here fronting his enormously talented family band on an album that first brought him into the spotlight.

Heavily influenced by deep funk and Latin music, their psych-tinged creations also incorporated many other kaleidoscopic sound infusions, including soul, calypso, Afro-Cuban and salsa. Fronted by Ray Fernandez, his band included his very talented wife and two sons and proved to be a highly influential group on Miami's Latin music scene in the late 70's. What also made them stand out was their versatility; this group could easily shift from Cuban funk to Reggae in a blink. Their instrumentation was also different to the 'norm', and where a lot of similar sounds were saxophone-led, this band used a bass clarinet. Instead of bongos, Ray and His Court played with the unique Osi drums from Africa.

Sampled heavily by DJs worldwide (including DJ Shadow) On High presents a must have piece of music for any serious Latin, funk, or rare groove collector. Remastered and pressed on audiophile virgin vinyl for your listening pleasure.

A globally-renowned selector whose ‘Mastermix’ series and impactful, diverse DJ sets have garnered a cult following for the past decade, Numbers co-founder Jackmaster has seen his focus shifted towards his blossoming discography of late, releasing material via Seth Troxler’s Slacker 85, The Martinez Brothers’ Cuttin’ Headz and CircoLoco Records, plus his own TDSR imprint. Here, he continues to showcase his studio nouse with an impressive label debut on Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels, unveiling two new original productions across his latest EP, ‘Don’t You Want My Lovin’.

Vibrant, deep and jackin’, featuring resonant stabs, skippy drums and soulful vocals at its core, the bubbly ‘Don’t You Want My Lovin’ is a punchy slice of house crafted for bustling dancefloors, while the airy and trippy ‘Ode 2 U’ takes things into more paired back territories and journeys through vast textures to unveil a wormhole of a production.

Needing little introduction, Chicago’s finest and house music icon, Mike Dunn, steps up on remix duties as he makes his first outing on the renowned imprint. His aptly titled ‘Blackball 303’ interpretation is precisely that: a wicked, acid-laced trip harnessing the original’s infectious vocal while offering an instrumental for those looking to keep things darker.

Oro Azul‘s debut offering, ‘Water Seeds,’ takes us through 4 shades of an aquatic garden. Dembow floats underneath the waves while woodblock melodies bubble up through the weeds. Sub bass shifts the tide. Some sounds are moss-like, a protective balm. Other tones come through as minerals and metals, shining in the refracted light from above.

A collaboration between Ultima Esuna and Michael Red, the music of Oro Azul took shape over the course of a year of purposeful and transformative studio sessions. This release follows the pair’s solo releases on DJ Python’s Worldwide Unlimited, Nervous Horizon, and Isla.

Operation_PPRCLP kicks off release SUB010 asking how far will we go in the race for technological advancement, and at what cost? Have we forgotten our humanity as a result? Should we be more focused on how to expand human consciousness rather than trying to command, control and obfuscate or is this just in our habitual nature?

41 Minutes Past Midnight investigates painful emotions around losing loved ones without being able to get any closure, how do we move forward without answers in the face of unexplained, heartbreaking tragedy.

6EQUJ5 aka the Wow! signal first detected on August 5th 1977 shifts the perspective out into the constellation of Sagittarius from where the signal is thought to have originated. In 2022 we learned that 3 distant Sun-like stars within the original antenna-pointed coordinates may provide the answer but at a vast distance of 1800 light years from earth, since then, it's all gone quiet... What world reached out from the cosmos, intentionally or mistakenly...

The final track Celestial Beings asks the age old question of what other life exists across the universe, how advanced are these civilizations that may already be exploring distant galaxies with our shared sense of curiosity and when will we be able to connect collectively with such conscious entities.

‘Out There’, the first album by the duo KOLORA, is a continuous collection of warm and layered soundscapes. The organic guitar sound of Liloe Barend in combination with the synthetic synthesizer sounds of Koenraad Wiering provide a calming sound palette.

The collaboration between Liloe & Koenraad arose during and because of the corona period. Both musicians live in the artist commuity ‘Heesterveld Creative Community’ in Amsterdam South East and were restricted by the corona measures. However, these limitations turned out to be fertile ground for a new musical collaboration: KOLORA.

In addition to KOLORA, Liloe Barend has her own solo project ‘Liloe Rix’ and is a guitarist in the cover band Steam Sister. Last summer she released her new EP with her solo project as a singer-songwriter.

Koenraad Wiering works in the music world as a producer and DJ. You can find him on stage as a DJ under his own name ‘Koenraad’ and also under various pseudonyms including: DJ Beukeboom and 06NRG. In addition to music, he also designins and build light installations.

Gerald Mitchell is back on Mother Tongue after the now classic "Another Day" with a new Los Hermanos EP, this time bringing it back to the origins with the Detroit Techno opus "Family".

Recorded in Tokyo with Ian O'Brien, this special extended version has "Anthem" written all over it. Also included is the futuristic tech funk of "Paradigm 4th Shifter" and the intergalactic beatless space jam "Far Beyond Sight".

Another classic in the making...