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NuNorthern Soul may be Ibiza-based, but the label’s connections with Nottingham run deep. Over the years, Phil Cooper’s imprint has offered up countless releases and remixes from some of the East Midlands’ city’s most Balearic-minded residents, including Crazy P’s Jim Baron, Is It Balearic? chiefs Coyote and, most recently, Constellations Workshop associates Brown Fang.

You can also add to that list Torn Sail, a collaboration between Brown Fang members Jon Thompson and Henry Scott, and another Notts-based NuNorthern Soul contributor, Huw Costin. The trio’s mesmerising ‘Disconnected’ recently featured on the label’s deluxe 10th anniversary vinyl box set and now they return with a single credited to both Brown Fang and Torn Sail – the first such occurrence of that happening.

Those who heard Brown Fang’s brilliant mini-album, Sherwood Pines, will immediately feel at home. Both ‘Exit’ and ‘Endless’, the two tracks showcased on this fine single release, feature the same gorgeous, slowly shifting fusion of sun-kissed electric guitar textures, ambient atmospherics and immersive, sunset-friendly sound design.

First up is ‘Exit’, an undulating, slow burning delight where rising and falling electronic melodies and yearning, gently jazzy electric guitar motifs rise above a sparse, shuffling, subtly Latin-tinged drum machine rhythm and warming bass. Endearing, enveloping and endlessly attractive, the track seemingly blossoms in slow motion throughout its’ three-and-a-half-minute duration, with additional musical elements presenting themselves as it progresses. Even by the trio’s high standards, it’s a magical composition.

On ‘Endless’, the long-time collaborators explore their love of mind-soothing ambient soundscapes. Doffing a cap to the 1970s new age ambience of Steve Hillage – whose distinctively languid, stretched out, effects-laden electric guitar solos were undoubtedly an inspiration –Thompson, Scott and Costin deliver a becalmed and brilliant dream-scape full of hazy aural textures, drifting chords and gentle, eyes-closed vocalisations. It feels like a loved-up, smile-inducing evocation of the most visually stunning dawn you’ve ever ushered in after a night dancing under the stars.

After stellar releases on Ilian Tape and Nostro Hood Soundsystem among others, ,,Mutualism” represents the much-awaited return of Atrice on their own label Miras. The follow-up EP reflects the culmination of a year-long exploration of compositional techniques and sound design, and acts as a first step towards a debut album. The result is a complete work, divided into eight chapters, that applies previous artistic research on textures, harmonics and rhythms in a rigorous yet playful manner. Whilst continuing to touch upon a broad spectrum of uptempo reference points, ,,Mutualism” offers a first glimpse into the pairs underlying pliancy next to the ever-present intricate complexities in their output.

That's all, hasta abajo!

Experimental musician and performer Moss Kissing debuts on vinyl for Lisbon collective Vilamar. Thick layers of ambience and intense bass weight form a canvas for plaintive melodies and brooding dance rhythms. These latter range in tempo and gait from dubstep to techno to jungle and back again, summoning contrary moods often within the confines of a single track. This freedom with form arises from Moss Kissing’s background in noise guitar and his current focus on dynamic improvisation led hardware jams, which have gained him notoriety around his chosen city of Lisbon. The British connection is unmissable, though, as the Pass Through LP is haunted by many of the spectres conjured by FSOL, Autechre and Burial before it. As with their previous releases, Vilamar bring to light an artist playing with the boundaries of dance music without ever losing sight of what’s at its core: the physical texture of bodies and minds in space, moving, seeking connection.

Analogue Attic presents Bush Bash, the second album from Carla Oliver's solo ambient project, Badskin.

The album consists of 8 textural meditations, composed with layers of evolving pads and acoustic instrumentation.
Analogue Attic fans will recognise Badskin from appearances on Albrecht La'Brooy and Alex Albrecht records, or from her masterful live performances at their events.

Naarm/Melbourne underground rock enthusiasts will recognise her from bands such as Soda Eaves or Michael Beach.

Budget Cuts is honored to present the debut EP from New York’s finest, Alien D. In a commanding vinyl debut, Alien D conjures new worlds on D’s World which boldly traverses the territories of breakbeat, techno, and Baltimore club. Deep subs, slowed breaks, and Hazy stabs. In the eternal words of Alien D: “Another World is Possible”

Daniel Creahan is an artist whose musical output takes many different forms. Creahan formed the noise group Mind Dynamics and went on to release solo material under the moniker Stress on Embalming lately and Bootleg Tapes. The Alien D moniker emerged in 2018 with a focus on amphibious textures. Most recently, Creahan co-created DeKalb Works with and releases a stunning album for Where to Now? In 2020. Creahan is a central figure in the New York underground scene as both an artist and co-founder of Sweat Equity records.

"D's World tones down hard-hitting dance floor cuts with dazed melodies, balancing older sounds with the new” - Padideh Aghanoury (Resident Advisor)

"Hard to pick a fave, between Berger's Breaks, Conga Dance and Magnet Dance, I love the melody of Magnet Dance and the overall mood and groove of the record" - Louise Chen (NTS, Rinse France)

"magnet dance for me" - Posthuman (Balkin Vinyl, I Love Acid)

"Dope EP!" - Santiago Salazar (UR, Dublab)

Dana Kelley, aka DKMA, is a much revered writer, producer, remixer, performer and creative force whose releases have become timeless classics and Holy Grails amongst DJs, music heads and collectors alike. A true artist and innovator, his productions possess the unique ability to engage, transport, challenge and enthral as only next level musicians can.

Grounded in the deep, soulful US House sound of the mid '90's, his earliest releases can be found on Strictly Rhythm, before moving on to produce under his DKMA alias as well as releasing music as Callisto on Guidance. Although Dana sadly passed away in 2013, he left us with a remarkable body of work that has remained both exciting and relevant throughout the last 2 decades and beyond.

Boston Boy Vol.2 is the 2nd in a series of compilations that focuses on Dana's visionary work as DKMA, during his most compelling and creative phase between 1997 and 2002. The compilations themselves are collated from an incredible & far reaching archive of over 20 of Dana's original DATs that have been generously shared with us by the Kelley Family. In the archive, some of Dana's most sought after & cherished works were uncovered, restored and meticulously assembled alongside previously unheard archival material.

The tracks themselves are bold, clever and inventive, characterised by a need for innovation. Passages of deep soulful house underpin more forward thinking electronics without ever losing dance floor appeal. Jazz solos sit imaginatively on top of gritty swinging rhythms, deep infectious b-lines, eerie textures and chord sequences are warm and effortlessly soulful yet with a sound design, sonic range, dynamism and a technical prowess that most could only dream of.

These compilations celebrate the life, vision and art of one of house music's most hallowed producers. Unique and essential, these collections pull together DKMA's most coveted works. Respectfully sourced, restored and compiled from all audio sources courtesy of the Kelley family and Above Board Projects.

Mastered by Frank Merritt at The Carvery, London, with special artwork by Atelier Surplus featuring a special unseen image of Dana from his family's photo albums.

This 40 year anniversary collection traces Brother Culture's career and includes some of his biggest hits, with remastered versions of these classics. The album includes his hits Jump Up Pon It (25 million streams), Supanova (15 million streams), My Selecta (2 million streams), and some of his most listened-to tracks ever released on vinyl.

A composition simply means things being put together. In music, we usually think of composition as a classical idea. But in recent years, the possibilities of what ‘composing’ can be, have dramatically increased. Based in Oslo, Norway, Deathprod (aka Helge Sten) has been making his own forms of music with no compromise since the early 90s. His specialty is a deeply atmospheric, grainy minimalism that slows time down and explores the very particles of sound itself. This music can sound forbidding and alien at first, but compared to his more brutal output, it’s an extraordinarily close and intimate experience. The first new Deathprod studio project since 2019’s OCCULTING DISK, Compositions is the result of an intense period at his legendary Audio Virus Lab studio in central Oslo. All tracks are released in chronological order – in other words, the order in which they were recorded. Helge used a personal, unique combination of obsolete digital audio processors and sound generators, combined with his own secret-sauce tuning system. Like gazing at the wonders revealed by an electron microscope with Helge compositional control directs your attention to a succession of ever more spellbinding details and textures. Helge adopted the Deathprod alias in 1991. A complex array of homemade electronics, samplers, sound processing and analogue effects – cumulatively known as the ‘Audio Virus’ – combined with obsolete samplers and playback devices, to distort and transform sounds into unrecognizable relatives of their former selves. On the new album Compositions, the virus has evolved into even more fascinating and kaleidoscopic new strains. Electronically generated sounds vibrate and tremble like undiscovered metals ringing and resonating together. Sonic forms attract or repel each other as if under the influence of a strange magnetism. None of the tracks are over four minutes, but no way are these ‘miniatures’. Each one contains its own fully-formed galaxy of tones and clusters, while all tracks audibly belong in the same universe. These are 17 compositions in search of a sonic ideal. His off-grid audio control centre created a parallel acoustic universe which he filled with mutated samples and electronic textures. Even the gaps between the tracks are part of that universe. Helge left the almost silent, twitching crackles of his snoozing analogue gear intact, ensuring a smoother transition between them. Helge is continually striving to find new parameters and possibilities for what music can be – what you can affect with the medium of sound. From the intricate homemade miniatures of Treetop Drive to the bonecrushing electronic barrage of Morals and Dogma and OCCULTING DISK, the different sides of Deathprod are all products of the same obsessive focus and self-discipline in pursuit of sonic exploration. His Compositions are private rather than public music: like introspective chamber or solo compositions instead of the more strident, outward-looking tones of a symphony. Helge is a founder of Norwegian improvising group Supersilent and has produced records by Motorpsycho, Susanna, Jenny Hval, Arve Henriksen and others. He recently composed music for Harry Partch’s legendary instruments, which can be heard on Sow Your Gold in the White Foliated Earth, released in 2022 on Smalltown Supersound.

"Hans Zimmer LIVE" versammelt mehr als zwei Stunden neuer Musik des in Frankfurt am Main geborenen Komponisten-Stars! Für das Album hat Hans Zimmer neue "Suiten" arrangiert, die auf einigen der bekanntesten Themen und Melodien aus seinen Oscar®-prämierten Filmmusiken basieren, darunter "Dune" und "Der König der Löwen" sowie für moderne Filmklassiker wie "The Dark Knight", "X Men: Dark Phoenix", "Dunkirk", "Gladiator", "Inception", "Interstellar", "Last Samurai", "Man of Steel", James Bond: "Keine Zeit zu Sterben", "Fluch der Karibik" und "Wonder Woman 1984".Gemeinsam mit seiner 20-köpfigen Band "The Disruptive Collective", in der eine Reihe langjähriger musikalischer Partner des Komponisten mitwirken, sowie mit dem Odessa Opera Orchestra und Chor hat Hans Zimmer ein episches Musikspektakel geschaffen, das stimmungsvolle klassische Arrangements und elektronische Elemente mit dem kraftvollen Sound einer Rockband verschmilzt."Ich wollte einfach ein tolles Album produzieren", sagt Zimmer, der "Hans Zimmer LIVE" ähnlich wie eine Studioproduktion an zehn Abenden seiner gleichnamigen Tour im Frühjahr 2022 aufzeichnete und mehrere Wochen damit zubrachte, das Album gemeinsam mit dem Produzenten Stephen Lipson abzumischen. "Ich wollte der Musik ermöglichen, auf neue Weise in ihrem eigenen Zusammenhang zu atmen, und ich bin absolut begeistert von dem fantastischen Team, das mich bei diesem Abenteuer unterstützt hat.""The Disruptive Collective" vereint Musiker, die schon lange mit Hans Zimmer zusammenarbeiten, etwa die Sänger*Innen und Komponist*Innen Lisa Gerrard ("Gladiator"), Lebo M. ("König der Löwen") und Loire Cutler ("X Men: Dark Phoenix"), die Cellistin Tina Guo ("Wonder Woman 1984") und Nick Glennie-Smith (musikalischer Leiter der Band). Zu den weiteren Solist*Innen zählen Andrew Kawczynski (Synthesizer, Schlagzeug), Pedro Eustache (Holzblasinstrumente), Refi (Gesang), Rusanda Panfili (Gesang), Guthrie Govan (Gitarren), Andy Pask (Kontrabass), Aicha Djidjelli (Trommeln), Steven Doar (Schlagzeug, Keyboards), Molly Rogers (Gesang), Juan Garcia Herreros Snow Owl (E-Bass), Nile Marr (Gitarren), Leah Zeger (Gesang), Holly Madge (Drumkit), Aleksandra Suklar (Schlagzeug). Hans Zimmer spielt auf dem Album eine Reihe verschiedener Instrumente.Die 2 CD-Version im Digipac enthält ein Booklet mit Bildern von der Live-Show und Illustrationen, einen persönlichen Text von Hans Zimmer und Texte zu allen Solisten.Die limitierte audiophile Vinyl-Version enthält 4 x 180g LPs im Quadfold mit bedruckten Innentaschen. Enthalten sind Bilder von der Live-Show und Illustrationen, ein persönlicher Text von Hans Zimmer und Texte zu allen Solisten. Direct Metal Mastering. 33 RPM.

Still transmitting from Lockdown in the UK. Banoffee Pies Records 14th release in the original series comes from London based ANGEL D'LITE. A deep passion for rave and NRG with an established high-octane approach to music, heavily influenced by hardcore and early pop bangers, her debut EP further reflecting this mood. Three heavy club tracks and a broken beat dubbed remix from JAY to round things off.

The A side is laced with harmonic 90's vocals and euphoric trance synth lines with two versions of "CRYSTALZ". The original, heavily packed with punching drum patterns and UK hardcore builds, followed neatly by the "DIAMANTÈ MIX". A nostalgic UK Garage take with building pads and rolling hats, partnered by murmuring emotional vocals. Perfect late night club fodder.

The B side flips the mood with "DANCE LIKE DOLPHIN" - the original version setting the tone for early AM adventures. Junglists, sonic communications and club lazers setting in throughout the growing euphoric 90's blends, aquatic frequencies and swirling sub bass. The remix from JAY, another London based producer, follows with an energy shift to a more minimal and rough edged depth of textures and colour, with splatters of surprise elements throughout. Everyone has a crystal and dolphin side right? Love core music from BP xx

Paris' own Marwan Sabb joins Sous-Vide Records with three tightly trimmed tracks for the sophisticated dance floor. Known for his trademark hybrid style, Sabb's kaleidoscope of influences is on full display with subtle shout outs on every track. Smooth and sultry melodies find themselves paired with dubby bass lines and rough glitchy abrasions that texture the audio landscape. Sabb's affinity for precision percussion finely compliments the upbeat rolling groovers that fill out this EP. Marwan Sabb makes a welcome addition to the SVR catalogue.

On Origins Chris Bartels takes on the role of singer-songwriter for the first time under his Elskavon moniker, unveiling a voice that wouldn't sound out of place next to vocal-forward artists like Justin Vernon, Jónsi, or Baths, who master the balance between conventional songcraft and bold, idiosyncratic experimentation. Origins is vast yet intimate, fluttering yet cohesive, tattered yet clean, a little like rainfall during sunlight. Shedding the ambient-classical confines of his previous output, the album's opener and title track, offers a swirling mosaic of acoustic textures that recall the beloved duo The Books, laced with warped vocal utterances flitting in and out of a club-friendly beat. "Origins" is followed by the equally danceable "Coastline," which drives home the smiling melodies and intricate sound-design that form the spine of Origins, keeping Bartels' voice in a largely decorative and impressionistic role up to this point. "Blossom and the Void" dissolves the introductory tension as Bartels comes out lyrically swinging, his digitized voice chanting widely over the mutated New Wave-esque anthem. Here, Bartels shows his instinct for dynamics by rising to bombast and quickly dispelling it, making steep yet grace- ful descents into skillfully delicate sound-design. Throughout Origins, the patient glacial aesthetic of his previous work is still discernible-- there are wordless, expansive panoramas that stretch out patiently for minutes at a time and smartly resist the impulse to pack each moment with a persona made even more impactful when Bartels chooses to wield it. At other times, his spokesmanship is woven discreetly into a larger tapestry, like on "See Out Loud" (and its ambient reprise) where Bartels' voice shimmers from a distance, covering the scene in diffuse splendor. "There is so much warping, mangling, re-sampling, reversing and pitching," Bartels says of his intricate vocal manipulations. "I printed a lot of the vocal recordings onto a tape machine from the `60s, first at one speed, and then I'd halve, or double the speed going back into my comput- er," he elaborates, illustrating how this kind of analog processing freed him from his habits. "Sometimes I'd do this multiple times on one recording or layer-- it gave me such a unique and unexpected sound. At this point, I threw away any inhibition on what type of vocals to have, or not have, on the album." This newfound freedom is palpable in the peaks of soaring grandeur that dot the emotional landscape of Origins. "All These Years" cathartically reaches one such summit in its second half after laying a path of gently plodding indie-IDM in its first. The cinematic vignette "Dreymur Aftur" provides pause for reflection amid its brisk procession of string plucks and rhythmic synthesizer while marching wordlessly into album-closer "This Won't Last Forever." Here at the end, Bartels' guitar playing is laid bare in the mix, skeletally framing a single ribbon of his voice as it unfurls into the atmosphere. Though the track isn't expressly lyrical, its starkness still exemplifies the new leaf of vulnerability Bartels has turned over on Origins, an album that documents his hard-won evolution from musician, to producer, to composer_ and finally_ his confident arrival in the role of songwriter.

Fredlös' selbstbetiteltes Debütalbum wird im Frühjahr 2023 veröffentlicht und enthält 9 dunkle, schwere und intensive Songs. Textlich ist das Album eine Reise durch das späte Mittelalter. Musikalisch ist es ein Mix aus Metal, Rock und Folk. Featuring Gitarrist Alex Hellid (ENTOMBED) & Gastsänger Erik Grawsiö (MANEGARM). Klingt wie Solstafir, Heilung, Myrkur oder Manegarm!

After opening the dimension door via a hypnagogic contribution to recent Ruf Kutz comp 'Expansion Pack 2: Textures' and offering a sonic submersion into his 'Deep Waters Mixtape', Inner Glow takes the controls for RK18, treating the DJs and dancers to a high grade house triptych.

For the uninitiated, the man behind the music is a lifelong friend from Ruf Dug's Sydney sojourn, when the two would host mushroom squat parties with the rest of the "Bodega Clan", and who helped mastermind the seminal Paradise Lost warehouse parties. Virtuously patient, the Australian spent the years since perfecting his craft, maxing out the XP and emerging as his evolved form, Inner Glow.

On the A-side, Inner Glow comes through with the two clubbiest cuts from the 'Deep Waters' cassette, unmixed, mastered loud and exclusive to vinyl. Already a firm favourite with Bradley Zero 'Party People' pulses on the A1, its one note bassline and taut pads keeping tension at a maximum. At the top of the frequency band sparse stabs and nuanced percussion dance in tandem, while the deft use of E-Smoove and First Choice acapellas provide an underground intertext Sprinkles would be proud of.

'Call Me' coaxes us into the shadow realm with the lure of Lynchian dialogue, slowly taking shape as a dub techno phantom. It's a heads down affair as urgent subs push against the mist of static, until a rising, wriggling keyboard riff unwinds waists with a hint of UKG exuberance.
Inner Glow brings the beatific on the B-side's 'Love Has No Age', combining rippling keys and MK vocal chops over waves of hiss and haze.
The percussion combines classic house swing with the tinny hats of electro, keeping perfect time as the soulful vocals swell into the sublime.

Over the last twelve months Ruffy's rocked the spot from Pikes to Houghton with these heaters, and now he's sharing them with you.

Unverwechselbar: dEUS sind nach zehn Jahren zurück!

Die legendäre belgische Rockband dEUS meldet sich mit 'How To Replace It', ihrem achten Studioalbum und dem ersten seit zehn Jahren zurück: Unverwechselbar und einfallsreich, melodisch und doch trotzig schräg. Einzigartig. Und vor allem unverkennbar dEUS. Lyrisch gibt sich 'How To Replace It' mysteriös und kreist um Themen wie Romantik, Altern und die Moderne, liefert Fragen und Antworten zugleich und lädt die Zuhörenden zur eigenen Interpretation ein.

Die belgische Band hatte noch nie wirklich eine Philosophie. Und wollte vielleicht auch nie eine haben. Dennoch sind sie bestimmten Grundsätzen treu geblieben: "You don't want to repeat yourself, but you have your style", erzählt Tom Barman, Frontmann der Band, der auf dem Album seine bisher persönlichsten und rauesten Texte präsentiert. "You want to try new stuff and just react to whatever feels fresh at the time."

Auch 28 Jahre nach ihrem Debütalbum bleiben dEUS weiterhin Alternative-Rock-Vordenker, die immer nach vorne drängen, endlos neugierig und kreativ rastlos sind.

Rulaman steht für schwebende, psychedelische Klangteppiche, gewoben aus einem erdigen und analogen Sound. 2015 gegründet, gelang es der Band unter dem Namen The Hace schnell lokale Erfolge zu feiern.2019 veröffentlichten sie die Debüt EP 'Peacemaker'.2020 wurde aus dem Quartett ein Trio und Rulaman war geboren. Mit der EP 'Rulaman' veröffentlichte die Band zum ersten Mal eine konzeptionelle EP, die ihre Zuhörer auf eine Reise durch Wald, Wüste, Sumpf und den eigenen Geist entführt. "To Serve The Dune" ist nun ihr Debütalbum via Tonzonen Records. Direkt der Album Opener 'Bitkin (Wake)' nimmt die Zuhörer*innen mit in die Tiefen der Psyche und kalten Monate. Mit starken Riffs und treibenden Drums wird einem hier eine neue Seite von Rulaman gezeigt, die nun durchaus härtere Töne anschlagen. Nur zwei Titel später werden im Instrumental 'Creatures' gewohnte, sphärische Klänge mit rhythmischen Bässen und fesselnden Melodien gemischt. Auch durchaus kritische Texte umfasst das Portfolio des Trios. 'ThirtyNine' erzählt die Geschichte eines machtgierigen Herrschers der seine Bevölkerung aushungert um sich selber daran zu bereichern.

Dubquake Records presents “Hold Strong”, a new collaboration between O.B.F Sound System and Jamaican singer Mikey General! Following the release of the emblematic title "My Sound A Danger" published in 2014 at the end of the album "Wild", the collaborations Mikey General / O.B.F had remained until this day of the order of the dubplate despite a few studio sessions very productive. With the release of this new single, recorded Yard Style in 2018 at the "Dog Ah Bark Studio" at Nazamba, O.B.F is catching up with time.
Rub-a-dub atmosphere on riddim O.B.F, brassy roots influences and text of struggle: "Hold Strong" follows the good recipes that made the success of the JA / Geneva collab. The tune available on 7 inch with its dub version comes in an original cover that highlights the work of the Ivorian up-cycler artist recognized under the name of Saliou Gnambode. Hold Strong!

Cantaro Ihara won himself plenty of friends in the deep-digging vinyl community last year with a very special Japanese cover of free soul star Weldon Irvine's 'I Love You' on a lush little 45rpm. It is now a hard-to-find and expensive record that has been remixed by the one and only beatmaker DJ Mitsu The Beats. He adds one his tight, textbook beats under the lush and airy vocal harmonies to make for something playful and jazzy. On the flip is an instrumental version that really showcases DJ Mitsu The Beats next-level production chops. Cop this one while you can, because it's sure to fly just like the original.

repressed !

Firmly entrenched in techno's haziest alcoves, every new record from Denise Rabe is as punishingly hypnotic an experience as it aims to penetrate the deepest laid of your cerebral zones. Having plied her trade on Arts' sub-division Arts Collective before moving on to establish her own dedicated label, Rabe, in 2017, the Berlin-based DJ and producer steps up with her much anticipated debut platter for Stroboscopic Artefacts, as she takes the helm for the fifth sortie of the Totem series. True to her love for all things droney and psychoactive, this time Rabe has us descending into rugged, hostile sonic terrains with just a headlamp and the thick mantle of darkness for closest companions. Ahead’s a demented safari across nightmare-prone visions and thunderstruck vistas.

Hosing off the loud, churning 909 kicks and passive-aggressive machine talk straightaway, 'Manifesto' sets the tone for the warehouse-sized hammering to come. Evil-minded swashes of hyper-delayed percs and criss-crossing chimes lash out in successive waves, further subjugating the dancers as bars fly by. A more spacious and atmospheric number, B-side opener 'Clouds' heads for quieter high-altitude spheres as the dubbed-out drums beat an off-kilter, leftfield friendly pulse and ominous synth stabs and pads envelop the listener in entrancing textural folds and interplays. Back to floor-ready dynamics, the adrenaline booster 'Don't Leave' caps it off on a truly mind-bending tip. Primed for unrelenting peak time action with its angry buzzard-like drones, pacey 4/4 swing and refined palette of eerie circuit noises and click-y minimalism, this one's a high-impact steamroller, sure to get maximum response when things start getting muscular.

Infinite Machine is proving again it's a label that refuses to sonically sit still. Having released everything from code-based compositions to bass-heavy techno in 2022, the imprint is readying the release of the black metal-tinged Ehkta by BOLT RUIN later this month. A musician whose work has been described as 'apocalyptic' more than once, on this new mini-album, the Belgian producer blends field recordings, twisted samples and rave signifiers with an eerie tonality born out of his nocturnal production sessions and time spent absorbing the silence of his studio garden.

Bridging the gap from his previous record to this one, 'Sktone' is a cinematic opener that unfolds like a bad dream in slow motion. Warped samples of Bulgarian choirs glide over synths wired in closed-circuit loops which feed back on themselves, degrading for infinity. Texture and space is added via field recordings of waves crashing over the ruins of Brighton West Pier. This track exemplifies the unexpected influence BOLT RUIN took from the wildlife he witnessed in the garden of his urban studio when working on Ehkta. Adapting to the material at their disposal, weasels and blackbirds create nests from organic waste and human trash - an astute metaphor for the Belgian producer's compositional approach.

Next up, BOLT RUIN drives up the tempo with the rave-ready 'Nehng', where a frenzy of trance arpeggios and frantic drum programming builds and intensifies over its 5-minute duration. Inspired by Yves Klein's 'Leap Into a Void', 'Nehng' definitely evokes that bodily rush of freefalling into the unknown. 'Nehng''s driving rhythm is switched out for the brooding 'Tzarhk' - an ode to the soundtracks of B-movies composed on a vintage Roland SH-2 (a prominent character of the Stranger Things soundtrack). BOLT RUIN runs thick, syrupy synth slabs and punishing drum patterns through a rain-soaked limiter the producer found lying on the street by chance.

Another master-class in self-destructive arrangements comes in the form of 'Rfohmdrá' as delicate pianos and synth tones atrophy through daisy chained pedals which erode the signal. Valgeir Sigurðsson's mastering skills shines through here, taking BOLT RUIN's sci-fi-meets-metal sonics and amping them up to a scale on par with the Björk or Ben Frost records he's previously worked on.

Conceived of as the mirror reflection of the LP's opener, 'Maevr' pushes the approach of 'Sktone' to an even more nightmarish extreme. Embracing chance, the clattering layers of beats are sampled of a knocked mic on a window as BOLT RUIN attempted to capture a recording of rain from his studio. A happy and very effective accident for the foreboding mood of the track!

BOLT RUIN rounds off Ehkta with 'Ekztamnh'; an ode to that specific sensation of entering through a corridor to a rave and hearing the rumble of a soundsystem from afar. Snarling melodies are run through a reverse granular delay effect which fragments the signal, reverses it and plays them back in irregular order; much like the shattered memories of a late night in a warehouse.

A musical magpie who finds inspiration in the most unlikely of sources, Ehkta is a restless exploration of salvage-punk aesthetics where doom-laden black metal melodies, amen breaks and an experimental approach to sound design sit in an irregular and uneven musical apocalypse. For fans of Blanck Mass or Caterina Barbieri - this is a must-listen material from a fresh producer establishing himself with a singular musical voice.