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Tough, to the point, no-nonsense machine music is a longstanding Midwestern tradition.
Drawing a line all the way back to the old guard, The Bunker New York's latest EP is Walk The Distance, courtesy of Mark Verbos, a techno veteran and New Yorker by way of Milwaukee who put together four pieces of heavyweight dancefloor artillery, informed by an intimate, inside-out knowledge of the machinery used in the production of these tracks.

"I've been doing this for a long time. In the beginning, there was only hardware, and it feels better to make music with physical objects. Plus, I make hardware, too," says Verbos, recounting his production processes. Verbos not only produces music, he also produces the hardware he uses to make music—his company, Verbos Electronics, manufactures Eurorack synthesizer modules with a vintage sensibility. When he's making music, Verbos says, "I try to get to know the devices I use well enough that whatever I imagine can come from them. Techno is machine music. When I'm recording, it's just me and the machines."

The music, however, speaks for itself. No punches are pulled here—the record starts in top gear with "Start Up Drive," a devastating techno bomb centered around a throbbing, repeating bassline and a meaty kick drum that builds to a massive climax in the span of five minutes. "In The Back Room" kicks the tempo up a notch, featuring spaced-out atmospheric synth leads floating atop syncopated percussion. "Just A Little Late" is funkier than the other two, built around a rubbery, insistent synthesizer groove that worms its way deep into your head and doesn't let go.

The aforementioned three tracks alone would comprise a solid techno EP suitable for any number of dancefloors. But the last track on the record—its namesake—shifts gears entirely. "Walk The Distance" is a moody, pulsing slow burner, introspective and emotional. It's a haunting listen that adds remarkable depth and complexity to the record. "Walk The Distance, the track, is a reference to the fact that music is not a career. Any advice you could offer someone on how to have a successful career doesn't really apply to a career in music. By that I mean to say, process is everything, and the results don't really matter."

Sage advice indeed, but judging by Walk The Distance, Mark Verbos has figured out how to produce results that matter.

Since debuting in 2013, J.Tijn has found his corner of the electronic music world, developing a hard techno sound that is raw and unforgiving. A core member of Untold's Pennyroyal label, Jesse Tijn has also released on Overlee Assembly, Power Vacuum and Bedouin Records. For Naked Naked's eleventh release, J.Tijn gives us two versions of 'Pick Your Battles' that are ready for damage on the dance floor.
On the A side, 'Pick Your Battles V1' gives us a dark rolling rhythm being led by a crisp snare hit through a sea of machine bleeps and grinding waves of noise. An unrelenting groove which is sure to keep the floor heaving. On the flip, 'Pick Your Battles V2' hits harder with distorted kick drums, an array of hats and attacking synth bleeps. After almost imploding, the track reaches another level, taking us to peak time madness with aggressive percussion. Heads down, hands up, this is sure to bring heat wherever it goes.

The final part of the SchleiBen series brings the contrast of heavyweights for a special collaborative release featuring Colin Potter (Nurse With Wound), Alessio Natalizia (Walls/Not Waving) and Guido Zen (Brain Machine), backed up on the flp by a rising name, the (another) world ambience of Cass. Emotional Response completes the SchleiBen series, bringing together the legendary Colin Potter with two of Italy's best experimental / drone / industrial producers in Alessio Natalizia and Guido Zen for a one off special recording, plus again highlighting one last Dusseldorf affiiated project, with the Osnabruck based, beautiful ambient touches of producer Niklas Rehme-Schluter aka Cass. When the idea of the split series was born, one of the aims was to get producers who have worked with the label to come together and record special pieces. However, it was not until the fial release that this fially occurred and who better in which to do this. Having seen a number of reissues come out in the last 18 months - one of which on the distant relative label, Sacred Summits, Colin Potter has brought him in to the orbit of two
artists closely associated with Emotional Response in Mr Natalizia and Mr Zen. The assimilated Parts 1 and 2 provide a perfect marriage of methods. Percussion hinting at Industial and Techno is explored, while the constant Drone inflx and disintegration grab your attention, overlapping with rhythmic repetition deeper and deeper. To end is the ambience of Cass. Taken from the limited 'Hiding Place' cassette only album, the pieces here are the perfect completion. Found sounds, loops, piano, synthesis, all intertwine and overlap to bathe you in pause, a one last time call to stop and (un)listen.

Back in 2013, Futureboogie released The Fade EP by Outboxx, a record that received critical acclaim from the who's who of music press, helping to propel Outboxx on the upward trajectory they've managed to maintain since those early releases. Unsurprisingly, Futureboogie are delighted to get the pair back for more.
Having developed their sound in the two years since, the pair has refined the raw ingredients of those records to show a combined maturity beyond their collective years. Previously the pair of producers (Matthew Lambert and Jake 'Hodge' Martin) have released music on respected independent imprints such as BRSTL, Idle Hands, Well Rounded Records and Local Talk; honing their analogue rich sound that touches on the hard edge of drum machine rhythms crafted by Hodge and the harmonic, jazz soaked embellishments from Lambert on Keys.
'Day One' opens with the sound of a string sample drifting behind warm drums to beautifully open up proceedings. As the track develops with an explosion of shuffling hi hats, the main hook enters with more than a nod to the classic Acid basslines of a 303, built to hypnotize dancers into the early hours with subtle simplicity.
The EP's title track 'Under The Lights' shows the pairs appreciation of Disco, with overdriven drums and a dotting bassline setting the feel. As the track develops, elements of Detroit enter the picture, with more string samples setting the key, and further allowing Lambert to contribute more of his signature Jazz licks as the track winds down to an unwanted close.
'Gift of Life' features the always-beautiful vocal contributions from long-term collaborator, Naomi Jeremy. Having featured on some of their most memorable releases to date, Jeremy's vocals again add a complexity often found in Jazz, but with the drum machine funk of 90's House; creating a sound that blurs the lines between sampling and original composition, uniquely, as only Outboxx can.
The record ends on the appropriately named 'Closing Titles', a track seemingly built to allow Lambert the opportunity to show his prowess and mastery of melody and harmony. Creeping basslines and warm chords mix with looped drum machine rhythms to wind down the release elegantly, showing the pairs versatility and understanding of each other's strengths.

Iggor Cavalera is best known for his part as the drummer of Brazilian super-group Sepultura. Having toured heavily around the globe, winning several 'Best Drummer' accolades and sold over 10 million records, Iggor's incredible ability to project emotion and evoke thought through his percussive talents is being given an outlet in the form of his exciting collaboration with his DJane wife Laima Leyton, MIXHELL.
Iggor and Laima took MixHell from the studio to the stage, adding uplifting elements of rock into electronica and giving it all an organic, intuitive and complimentary touch. Armed with an MPC Sampler, turntables, CDJ's, mixer, a full drum-setup and miscellaneous percussions their eclectic and energizing live stage performances are pure eye-candy with music created on the fly. MixHell do things in a big way and in doing so, are delivering a show that fully explores their vast background of musical influences.
The exercise of performing live tracks that were made to DJ comes to life even more on this acid house release with the collaboration of acclaimed producer GUI BORATTO.
When rock turned into bubble gum' music, when EDM sounded too shallow, Mixhell continued their research - reviving and recreating what they loved in each style. Let there be house, let there be techno, let there be rock, in the end what really matters is the MUSIC.

3 Shit hot tracks on MB's debut for Bio Rhythm... What can we say 'The Miracle Sign' hit us by surprise... Title track is a beautiful and epic journey in techno soul quite rare to hear these days, reminding a bit of early nineties Detroit/UK techno and even some of the early Speedy J works, all with nowadays production skills. Stunning contemporary techno the classic way. Then from heaven to hell with '60606', an evil distorted acidic drum track guaranteed to damage kids brains worldwide... But no time to think long anyway cause there's 'We Only Have', an autistic out-of-the-box jack track providing a sneaky tool for the more adventurous dj. This will separate the gurners from the dancers. Top-notch showcase by the unstoppable man-machine that is Marco Bernardi..!

Mutual fans Sherard Ingram and Mariska Neerman join forces to present four essential tracks spanning the breadth of contemporary electro on this second release from Bleep43 Recordings. The first side sees Ingram exploring the edges of his famously unique blend of intricate yet relentless electronics, simultaneously touching on Autechre's metallic abstractions while sounding the depths of bubbling oceanic vents. Mariska answers with two tracks of melancholy machine music that embody her talent for melody and arrangement and promise to make their presence felt on dancefloors across the spectrum.

The latest chapter in the unfolding story of Chronicle finds the New York techno label reaching out to Japan once again, calling upon the considerable talents of Hironori Takahashi to deliver a nerve -shredding manifest on cinematic scope and malicious intent in the darker corners of contemporary techno. Takahashi has previously shared his vision for malevolent dancefloor crushers on such highly regarded labels as Semantica and Stroboscopic Artefacts, not to mention holding down a job at the world-renowned Disk Union record shop in Tokyo.

Proceedings start somewhat inviting on EVENT0009, as the warm, dub-inflected chords of 'Ariast' drift through the stout rhythmic throwdown with orchestral grace. There is of course plenty of space left for brooding, uncertain elements underneath this melodic calm, but it's still a positively mellow offering compared to the jackhammer drum damage of 'Dazre' with its monstrous industrial intent and soaring sound design.

'Cecilleatis' is a more patient beast that simmers its tough ingredients into a predatory whole, using atmospheric pressure instead of sheer volume to create the required intensity. It's not all steel furnace fury though, as the track comes equipped with an epilogue that cools the fires of the EP with some glacial tones and distant machine bleeps that continue Chronicle's commitment to showcasing different sides of their chosen artists.

Uncto's seminal 2013 release Pain was an uncompromising exercise in rhythmical brutality amidst a conflux of themes of suffering, industry, man, and machine.
The record now sees itself reinterpreted and reimagined under the auspices of some of the scene's most eminent and accomplished forerunners in what is perhaps, as it arrives on an opulent red double-vinyl format, the label's most ambitious addition to its catalog to date.

Long-time trailblazers Exium first take on 'Dirty Minds' as they apply their unequalled peak-time treatment. While retaining the driving force of the original, the Spanish duo transmute its somber sense of narrative into a singular and infective pattern that unrelentingly maintains its intensity throughout. In contrast, Frenchman Mondkopf's reconstruction is a radical departure from its progenitor, almost as if the merciless titular oppressor ('Schinder') has been injected with an empathogenic truth serum and made to face the toll of his deeds. Serving as his final penance, the resultant insuppressible melodic radiance gushes to the fore as powerfully as his remorse and tears.
Continuing on the second record, Canadians Orphx draw upon the immense and unwieldy cyclicality of 'Judas Cradle' as they deconstruct the torture device into a prolonged yet unfaltering dirge. Harnessing the raw power of the original, they adroitly fuel and layer the modular solemn synths of the drawn-out nine minute epic. Finally, the unequivocal master of industrial cannonry, Ancient Methods (DE), takes on and reins in the unyielding beast of 'It,' leaving the monster not only tamed but fully subjugated to his will. Now capable of executing the most inscrutable order, itsees itself violently degenerated to the barest of elements and recombined anew, with the cadence of its frame shifted and staggered to the striding rhythm of a being more machine than flesh. Providing solace and closure are Uncto themselves, as they complement the compositions with two droning interludes.

Mastered by CGB at Berlin's Dubplates & Mastering, Pain Remixes will be available at fine vinyl retailers

LP version comes with free download card.

Radio support from Benji B & B Traits (BBC Radio 1), Nemone (BBC 6 Music), . DJ support from Ben UFO, Joy Orbison, Caribou, Tessela, Mosca, Kowton, Ron Morelli, Bok Bok

Print features confirmed in Groove, Beat Mag, Faze (DE), Tsugi (FR), DJ Mag (IT), Volkskrant (NL), The Gap (Austria)

Print reviews confirmed in Mixmag, The Wire, Crack, DJ Mag, Uncut (UK), Blow Up, Rumore, Rockerilla (IT), Irish Times (IE), Musikexpress, Doppelpunkt, Westzeit (DE), Exclaim (CA)

Online features / premieres: The Fader, NPR, XLR8r (USA), The Quietus, Dummy (UK), Wasabeat (JP),

Hessle Audio are excited to announce the release of the self-titled debut album by Pearson Sound, aka label co-head David Kennedy. Characteristically minimalist in approach, its nine tracks use a handful of elements to craft mesmerising, self-contained worlds, alive with motion and near-subliminal detail: from vast and inky landscapes, to electrifying rhythm tracks, where layers of percussion and bass tumble over one another like rocks in a landslide. Recorded between 2013-4, Pearson Sound documents a distinct phase of Kennedy's studio explorations. "I had a signal chain set up that I was really happy with, and I started sending my machines through the same processes" he says. Expanding upon the techniques underpinning his recent REM and Starburst 12"s, its tracks emerged swiftly through improvised jam sessions, some were captured in a minimum of takes, while others later took shape through extensive sculpting and post-processing. "A lot of it was made by feeding the the same sounds between two different pieces of equipment and they'd end up feeding back between each other and snowballing. On some tracks it's about harnessing that and taking it to the brink before it disintegrates, and some of them are about just letting it go full-blown out of control." The result is a record of striking contrasts: bold, stark and visceral, yet also subtle, harmonically complex and deceptively playful. While Pearson Sound's livewire percussive energy remains inextricably rooted in the club, this exploratory studio process has created Kennedy's most wide-ranging yet coherent body of work to date: a suite of thrillingly impulsive, expressive and open-ended music, untethered from restrictions of form.

Lets talk about the music now : Excellent mental core and acide... But helas records are warped because of the transportation. It's playable buit we prefer to warn you on that point

Since its conception three years ago, the Hamburg based label hafendisko has been patiently building its reputation with a diverse and varied artist roster. Alongside releases from emerging talent such as Deo & Z-Man and Brynjolfor, it forms parent label hfn music's outlet for club oriented music whether with full releases or remixes for artists such as Kasper Bjørke and Faded Ranger and just recently welcomed renowned remixers such as Michael Mayer, Charles Webster and Luke Solomon, to name a few. Now with the release of Nummer Eins, Hafendisko is taking the next step in its evolution, serving up the best of past and present releases together with a string of exclusive cuts that signal an undeniably bright future. It's machine music with real heart and soul as, time and again, the tracks locate that elusive sweet spot that unifies mind and body. The opening act replicates this highly collectable four track vinyl EP that precedes the digital release: Snacks' ‚Easy' provides an aptly titled intro, with sweet melodies, warm synth swells and looping vocal hooks evolving over a low slung, funk inflected groove. 'Purdie', the duo's debut last September instantly became a huge underground hit, while they are currently working on their debut album. Unkwon is Anders Dixon from Copenhagen and people will stop asking if it's a typo soon. Just off his stunning remix for Trentemøller's Deceive he takes it underground with the stuttering beats and melancholy phase of ‚Everything', building a cavernous yet claustrophobic soundscape that's designed to make your eyeballs sweat, before Ewan Pearson's NRG instrumental of Kasper Bjørke's ‚Apart' goes into dance floor overdrive, upping the ante again. Both the Michael Mayer and the Ewan Pearson mixes of Bjørke's final single off his newest album stirred a buzz.

The most interesting, advanced electronic musicians create unique, hermetic soundworlds that seem to emanate from unknown realms. See/hear Aphex Twin, Autechre, Farmers Manual, Iannis Xenakis, and Bernard Parmegiani, among a handful of others. If Chloe Harris isn't quite in that echelon yet, she is quickly approaching it with Dose.(This album was originally issued on very ltd.-ed. cassette in 2012 and is now getting a vinyl release, mainly due to the urging of Italian techno magus Donato Dozzy.) A former globetrotting DJ, Harris has shelved that lifestyle and aesthetic for a more stable family life in the Seattle area and a more cerebral approach in the studio. With this collection of exploratory compositions, she decided to experiment with an array of synthesizers, mainly the Waldorf Q. Working on the eight tracks here in her home setup, Harris would 'layer as much as I could or sometimes there was no layering at all. I tried to let the machines talk. I was trying to find my own voice. It was sad and melancholy because I stopped DJing and decided to try something new in my career.' This change had financial and creative risks, but Harris has transitioned boldly into this more adventurous musical mode.

Objektivity is starting the year with launching the long-awaited vinyl-only sub-label called OBJ Analogue. As the name says, the concept behind this is that in order to make the record, it has to be totally hardware based: No plug-ins! Objektivity head-honcho Dennis Ferrer says: "The OBJ Analogue is a special project for me and is dear to my heart because I love analogue gear, vinyl, and hardware, so I keep that side of me happy."
The first OBJ Analogue release is coming by VIVa Music's Steve Lawler, who delivered a very rough two-track EP called - Inna State / Recuperate", produced with the Roland 808, 909 and 606 drum machines. The bass lines are recorded and played from Moog Voyager and the piano on - Recuperate" is coming from Emu Orchestra Rack Mount. Completely analogue!
Make sure you get your hands on the vinyl as there will be only a few limited copies out.

With this release, Anne Arbor's jakbeat man delivers 6 minutes of electronic mania; a piece of repetitious, dance-inducing machine funk with a hook that hits you like a punch in the face with a velvet glove, brooding pads, and a top line like steel drums on acid. D'Marc Cantu twists the sound of Detoit techno and Chicago house with his own visceral production style and makes it his own.

"Sonically I'm reminded of old home videos, a lower quality presentation of a memory. Decay has that quality to it that reminds of a time gone but stills feels familiar and comforting" DMC

"Rival was the first experiment of my first alias, Rival. It was recorded in with a Volca drum machine the first day I got it, no effects and no edits, as is the basis of the alias, unedited analog sessions. One take" DMC

In our series of related incidents we were out searching for a suitable incident to occur after our well received Black Merlin (George Thompson) voyage in early 2014 (it's been a long time, yes).
The following happened.
We approached "Will Flisk'' somewhere in the digital Jungle. Totally unaware that Will and George are actually long time friends.
ALL OF THESE INCIDENTS ARE RELATED.
Havamal inspired Briton 'Will Flisk' takes his filmic approach to music to the streets with his first output on our curious little imprint.
With the help of good friend Black Merlin (George Thompson) on synths and drum machines and Natasya Hodges on Cello, this amazingly orchestrated title track (Red Planet) takes us to different planets and back, even though our money is too short for commercial space travel.
Nashville, Tennessee's very own Grey People (Alex J Michalski) works his distortion on a sinister remix (B1) that's leaning towards the more techno side of things. for the B2, Will bestowed an amazing bit of roughness upon us.
With the blessing of Zoroaster the vinyl release will take place in January.

There is something singularly unique and peculiar in the degree to which seemingly unsettling themes and extreme taboos have been explored, most notably in the medium of film, in the land of Nippon. Free from the constraints of reality, notions of grotesque brutality, torture, fetishism, and sadomasochism, to name a few, have oftentimes served as driving motifs in the examination of the true nature of violence latent in the most repressed reaches of the human mind. Concurrently, in the realm of electronic music, many Japanese producers have often been able to cultivate and harness a daring yet distinctly refined and inimitable form of organized sonic chaos, one almost instantly recognizable to the occidental ear. The music of Tomohiko Sagae, and in particular his latest contribution to Furanum's catalogue, The Spurt of Blood, is perhaps a quintessential example of the confluence of the former themes and latter medium.
At the outset of the record, the beholder is faced with the 'Vacant Eyes' of a staggering monstrosity, a subdued and subjugated automata in the midst of a bleak dystopia, nearly lifeless but for the grudgingly conceded advance of its death march. As a battery of gratuitous aural violence led by a dominant synth is rapidly unleashed in the subsequent composition, a growing malaise transforms into fractured bone and psyche alike, with no distinction made anymore between the tearing of metal, flesh, or the fabric of the mind. Culminating in 'Severe Pain', with limits of endurance breached and descent into madness the only seeming form of respite, relentlessly rolling drums and hauntingly sublime howls provide the context for the dawning realization of pain as a virtue in and of itself, when a demented pleasure and the exhilarative liberation that lies therein begins to emerge. In the final act, reinterpreted by Furanum stalwarts Uncto, roles are tellingly reversed as the vacant eyes of the victim become that of the oppressor. With cold-blooded precision, the original is reengineered into a force of merciless domination, its elements machined and recalibrated for pure power.Words: PSD

Reminiscent of a time where we were releasing 4-tracks sampler every month (remember the Secret Gems From The Vault) It is naturally that we thought about a various artists sampler in order to introduce the new wild bunch,

Julian M, is french and is taking over right now, releasing here his first track on Briquerouge, But the man is no beginner, having released on Catwash, Homecoming, Denote, to name but a few and of course recently on our own RZ Muzik, His music is deep, acid, techy and ready to please any crowd, Ange Siddhar is working for Laboratory Records and works with legendary artists such as Ron Carroll, Paul Johnson or Chris Count and now teams up with Illan Nicciani on several House project, They have a strong vinyl lovers community following their releases and just joined the label with 'The Show'

Jepe was one half of John Waynes who already release on Brique Rouge and is now one of the most respected producer from Portugal, Actually living in Berlin, he has released on Get Physical, Blossom Kollektiv or MuleMuziq, Jepe's tracks have a very high level of quality, True House Music,

And last but not least, our good friend from Switzerland, mr Salvatore Freda, With the machine-driven futurism of Detroit in his step, and the bounce of Chicago in his shadow, Salvatore Freda is a pure vinyl DJ from Lausanne, Switzerland. With a production career that began in 1997, Freda has built up an impressive discography over the years. His music has touched some of techno and house's most respected labels including Trapez, Music Man Records, Liebe Detail, Freerange, Area Remote, Push Communications, Dessous, Nightvision, and Cadenza.

Early Support:

Dubfire / Nacho Marco / Matthias Vogt / Tyree Cooper / Ame / Clive Henry / Renato Cohen / llorca / Blacksoul & many more

Adonis' comically named "Endless Pokers" project is no joke, in fact, this is some serious Chicago ACID House!

Originally released in 1987 and featuring Adonis' trademark staccato drum machine rhythms, creeping acid lines and cowbells "The Poke" is a classic (Watch out for those vocal stabs too!).

All 3 mixes featured on this 12" bring something new to the table, twisting and turning that acid line into a frenzied buzz. This is pure old school business, Chicago style! Raw, simple box jams of the highest order! A definite essential, a record like this in the right hands can produce some devastating effects and still sounds incredibly fresh today.

Re-mastered, re-pressed and brought to you in conjunction with DJ International Records.

The III Rivers juggernaut sets forth once again, release number 4 The Charivari EP, putting Voiceless in the cockpit and leading the charge.

Second Nature sets a dark, sultry and ominous tone as Voiceless deploys a plethora of sounds and moods that resonate with all the tense drama of the label's affiliated club night, Bohemian Grove.
Big laser beam synths dart through a thick pitch black haze while a factory line percussion section hammers on.

Always keeping a foot in the sonic warfare division, we get three locked grooves loaded and ready for battle, funky, electrified technoid wobblers that should fight off most opposition with ease.

Flip the disc and Opt-out opens with a controlled urgency as a barrage of kick drums sets the train in motion. Voiceless layers up rich, untreated piano chords against the backdrop of dark industrial chaos, percussion artefacts career around the mix and various elements are put through an aural meat grinder before the familiar and welcoming piano motif returns like a long lost friend, guiding us through the smoke hand-in-hand. A beautiful juxtaposition of soulful melancholy and cold, glacial machines.

Final track Charivari really hits the accelerator as a tough and mechanical rhythm jolts against blurred, radioactive pads and searing string lines before collapsing into a fractal breakdown introducing mystical, weaving high end leads. An eyes-down fist pumper of the highest order and one that commands excessive smoke & strobe light abuse late, late into the session.

One to close off one of their infamous soirees in style, hoards of mutant dancers leaving the industrial backdrop of the club's venue and crossing paths with the early morning dog walkers and Sunday strollers. Four releases in and we've lost none of the quality control, unique drive and free minded 'true spirit' (to quote Tresor's legendary catchphrase). The label goes from the strength to strength and with it, brings a whole new generation of techno shamans under their wing.

What better way to follow up Andy Meecham's (Chicken Lips / Emperor Machine) huge Gino Fontaine originals than a duo of remixes from Balearic chieftains Pete Herbert & Stratus

As one half of Reverso 68 alongside Phil Mison, and in his own right Pete has been behind a ton of mesmerising sunrise and sunset workouts, and he's more than delivered here - crisp and club ready percussion, those stark punk-funkin' guitars and his trademark synth work all conspire to cook up a storm on the floor

Martin Jenkins and Mat Anthony's Stratus outfit (remember their superb 'Spring Tide EP' on Aficionado last year ) take a pop at the sublime Konkondo on the flip
And what a masterpiece it is !
A ten minute, utterly absorbing and expertly evolving piece, which flips the darker elements of the original into a mesmerising, cinematic, early 90's style Balearic epic

Mark Henning returns to Soma with yet more jacked up machine funk in Titan. Mark has firmly established him self within the Soma mainstays and continues to further his sound on the label. This latest EP sees him take to the street with two energetic drum workouts laden with his unique flavour.

Title track Titan is very typical Henning, keeping the ingredients simple yet effect and created live. A solid groove from his trusty 909 that just oozes dance floor compatibility hooked up with a quirky synth stab, weird vocals and a eerie organ-like riff all rounded off with a fantastic arrangement makes for one seriously infectious track

Roots gives of a real ghetto-tech feel, as once again a 909 groove is enough to get things going while squelchy synth hits bounce of rimshots working up to a subtle rolling bass line. Mark's skill in the arrangement process take hold as he allows the tracks to develop into a full drum workout with mutes here and there and the simple addition of more stuttering percussion help to pick up the pace.

Henning as the enviable talent of being able to create dance floor burners with the simplest of elements, a task he delivers of with blinding result on this EP.

"Teilstueck" (German for part or segment) is the next excerpt of Jacob Stoy's ongoing attempt to translate his surroundings into music. It's his second EP for Uncanny Valley and is even more multifaceted than his debut "Redenswart" from 2012. With "OMG" you'll get the feeling that something sublime will happen right from the beginning. It's one of those tracks whereby time stands still until a mighty synth-line unfolds in all its glory. "CFM" comes in the same musical vein with a similar and slightly melancholic bass-synth dominating the drumming. By far more cheerful is "MKM". Based on a catchy bass line foundation, Jacob Stoy showcases wonderful synth-effects and sound with the beautifully oscillated pad making the cut. This is House music for machine lovers. The flipside starts with "HIM" and probably the most floor-friendly track on the record. The slowly but steadily rising organ chords prepare things and when the carefully targeted percussion elements come in, it feels like summer will never end. In contrast, "QFL" lives from its mysterious atmosphere and is very good example for Jacob Stoy's preference to use Electronica-like sounds for his House Music. The record is rounded up with "HHM" and a little nod towards past times when he used to play in a Jazz band. With its Delay effects, a fuzzy guitar and a great bass melody it's not far away from Krautrock either. For the artwork Jacob Stoy teams up with fellow student Chris Dietzel.

Alphabets Heaven delivers his fourth release Everything Stays The Same, following last year's critically acclaimed EP Siamese Burn. This is his first vinyl pressing on Black Market Records (celebrating 30 years) and King Deluxe and he's gone big. The music continues a refinement of his sound... which is in large part formula-less although there is something rich, spacious and minimal to it that ties his work together... his North American tour though last summer has seemingly made Jonny a bit bolder, a bit more extroverted with his compositions. Possibly because of the endless praise he receives after observers of his drum machine mastery pick their jaws up off the floor. Joining him on ''Pride and Joy'' is fellow British genius Deft and Angelika Arendt for Artwork.

Sparse and daring sonic experimentations, as the name suggests, on this fresh imprint by the upstream collective that is John Swing, EMG and Battista. The first two have now established their patterns of work via the Livejam and Relative stables, while the third has been busy pushing his sound through the younger and ever-promising Uaudio label. A common obsession with machines and spontaneity has led them to this latest collaborative effort; two extended, wide-eyed jams - one per side of the plate - which shift from moments of stability to sudden bursts of chaos. The A-side represents the former; a thick layer of chords, gritty low-ends and icy percussion slither out of the whirlpool only to become locked into a moody, cut-throat groove. The flip cuts the formalities and dives head first into a deluge of saturated hardware fuzz, showcasing the trio's more abstract personalities as conjurers of fine noise-funk.
Limited to 300 hand numbered copies, 180g.

Created in an industrial workplace in Leyton, where Canary Wharf punctures the skyline, Circle Traps craft music made in the image of the modern city. The group consists of Jack Wyllie, Duncan Bellamy and Will Ward and was formed in East London in 2010 and quickly scored their first release on fellow East Londoner Subeena's Opit Records in early 2011. Their eponymous debut EP earned serious critical praise from the likes of The Wire, Quietus and Fact Magazine. Their attention to ambient textures is reminiscent of Actress and Daniel Lopatin, but their unique, multi-layered, crystalline vision is consistently offset by dance floor impulses that nod to Detroit through the likes of Model 500 and Derrick May. The Machine City EP is a lush amalgamation of textural, distorted melody and bassier dance floor leanings.

Great music extends father than your ears can hear. Listening to resent recordings of Peder Mannerfelts music is listening to recordings of a complete creative flow. Superb tracks created inside of Peder Mannerfelts Villa Nellcôte.
Opener "Rhythm Inflection" is similar to a heartbeat but rebuilt using a parade of machines and biting ice-cold sounds that implies a climax that never comes.
Repetitive thuds are the wrecking ball of "Technology As Apathy" while saw waves continuously crunch until your ear are obliterated on "Failed Grammar". "Titled" is the centerpiece, however. Its sonic gears grind into hollowed-out spheres. A voice from the heavens echoes "Reset, reduce, turn up, repeat" until the words lose all meaning and are battered into the metal walls by distilled rhythms.
EP2 is the last ashes of a manuscript that's been waiting for ages to be turned into dust. It is the final nail in the coffin of his past that began with EP1 and Lines Describing Circles. Peder Mannerfelts music is gradual and always on the move, the process spans over the whole production.

Late Night Tales welcomes back the cult figure and ultimate musical connoisseur, Bill Brewster to compile his second episode of the curated compilation series 'After Dark'. An obscure and timeless DJled journey which begins somewhere out in the near ocean, the waves are rolling and lolling gently into the shore, while a full moon shines on the surface. It's only faint, but somewhere nearby is the sound of bass, pulsing slowly, almost in time to the waves. Welcome back to 'After Dark: Nightshift'. Once again Bill Brewster comes armed with a sensitivity and sense of occasion that few other DJs possess. Delivering another batch of slow cooked musical stews, making sure the tempo stays nice and steady and the emphasis is on funk, soul, grits and corn fried chicken, Brewster has done so much digging, Late Night Tales had to hire a forklift truck and tractor. Among the unreleased nuggets, there's the Fernando mix of The Detachments; inordinate excitement about Gino Fontaine, a tune spotted a year ago but has languished in Andy Meecham's Stafford catacombs ever since. Also unearthed are some hitherto secret recordings between Robert Fripp and The Grid, and there are also some proper club faves here, too, like the daft but brilliant 'Mopedbart' by Hubbabubbaklubb and the luminous 'Boutade' by Mugwump, as well as killer oldies like Salsoul Invention and General Lee

During the '70s, work days at Umiliani's Sound Workshop Studios were hectic; thousands of sessions were held in order to keep up with a very busy Italian movie industry: Hundreds of soundtracks alongside with music library were recorded and released on vinyl in very limited quantities for TV and film production use only. Those LPs are now proper collectors' items, extremely hard to find.

Filled with hypnotic bass lines, heavy drums and screaming fuzz guitars "Underground", the first LP of the fictitious group known as Braen's Machine, is one of the rarest and the most expensive of them all, always "reaching" sky high prices throughout the second hand vinyl market. A fast-beat jam with hammond scales and a twin lead guitar theme ("Flying") opens the A Side soon followed by "Imphormal", a classicfunk-beat-meetsfender- rhodes-and-psychedelic-guitar number. The music then switch to "thriller territories" with "Murder" which is based on prepared piano swells and a deeply hypnotic walking bass, reminiscent of the best Morricone's soundtracks for Dario Argento's movies. Two highly percussive songs complete the A Side: "Gap" is an improvised song with guitar and keyboards dwelling over an infectious drum rhythm while a marching snare and a vibraslap effect are the special features on "Militar Police".

The mood relaxes slightly on the opening of the B Side with a lazy jazz groove on "New Experience" but the rock influences are soon brought back on the following track "Fall Out". "Obstinacy" is all about keyboards with syncopated rhodes themes and distorted hammond sustained notes whilst the fuzz guitar is back again screaming through the left channel on the last song of the album, "Description". We could happly say that that was the golden age of the Italian music library. But who's behind the name "Braen's Machine" On the original cover the songs are credited to the composers Braen and Gisteri. Braen was a pseudonym often used by Alessandro Alessandroni, an extremely skilled and versatile musician, and one of Umiliani's closestcollaborators. He could write, conduct and arrange, he could sing (ever heard "Mah Na Mah Na"), he could whistle (ever heard Morricone's "For a fistful of dollars") and he could play almost anything: guitar, bass tuba, accordion, sitar and the list grows..... His first album "Alessandro Alessandroni e il suo complesso" (Sermi, 1969), had transformed the Italian library music from orchestral sound beds into the psychedelia we all love; the extremely fuzzy guitars are very "present" on "Underground" too. For a long time Gisteri's real identity was rather mysterious; often wrongly attributed to Umiliani. Gisteri was the pseudonym of Oronzo De Filippi, art name of Rino De Filippi, music supervisor to the Italian public broadcast company (RAI) between the '60s and the '70s. De Filippi composed other notable pieces such as "Riflessi" (Edipan, 1975) and "Nel mondo del lavoro" (Sermi, 1972).

De Filippi passed away few years ago but we were able to contact Alessandroni to talk about this LP. Remembering "Underground" recording session as one of the thousands he took part of, Alessandroni told us that this record was produced very quickly, in two days maximum. This was made possible by a team of wonderfully capable session musicians and the creative genius behind the mixing desk; this incredible combination helped to focus on the mood of each track even more. Unfortunately there are no liner notes but Alessandroni's memories and speculations, based on other music tracked in the same period at Soundworkshop by resident engineer Claudio Batussi, led us to identify this as the most probable lineup: Munari on drums, Majorana on bass, Vannucchi on keyboards and Alessandroni himself on guitar. For this reissue the sound has been restored and the cover art reproduced exactly as it was.

Disco Bucuresti is an audio homage to Romania's capital, Bucharest. Growing up between the city's communist blocks of flats and maturing in the city's underground discos left a distinct creative mark on Andrei Idu (The Legendary 1979 Orchestra). Ever since leaving Bucharest for Amsterdam, Andrei felt the need to tribute the place that shaped him. However, it was only until recently that he found the means necessary to express the feelings he felt. Thus, records released during the 70s and 80s in Romania as sole sample source, analog drum machines, delays, filters and reverbs, all recorded in live takes come together in this evocative EP.

In the wake of Blocks & Escher's recent outings on Metalheadz, Critical, and Zomby's Cult Music, Narratives present the first solo
excursions on the label from one of its founders, Blocks. Varied, emotive and beautiful, the Séance EP is innately Narratives Music in sound and yet unlike anything the label has delivered previously. The Séance EP fleets between ethereal vocals, forlorn strings and analogue bursts of glassy synths, while drum machines dance with live kits that would be fitting of 90s Mowax records. Bass lines loom heavy throughout, simple and driving rhythms that bed the delicate keys and story telling harmonics above. As immersive as it is succinct, Blocks has created an extended player awash with feeling and juxtaposition; again displaying why Narratives Music has been lauded across electronic music from the likes of Goldie and
Com Truise to Zomby and Rob da Bank. Forming the veritable gem of the collection, is the vocal laden 'Haven', a collaborative piece between Blocks and the hugely talented Jennifer Hall. Live instrumentation of bowed strings and bass provide canvas for the heart wrenching tones of Hall. Doc Scott describes the track as 'Deep, deep blues'. More akin to a personal reflection of the artist than the frenetic speed of a club, more Twin Peaks meets Portishead than dance floor energy; this is music at a Drum & Bass tempo by a producer that doesn't want to be caught in a debate on style or subgenre. In essence it seems to emphasise a recent quote by Blocks, 'Drum and Bass is anything you can get away with'. Label support from Goldie, Kuedo, Doc Scott, Rockwell, Benji B, Paul Woolford, Zomby, Friction, ASC, Jubei, Teebee, Pedestrian,
Rob Da Bank, Midland, Kasra.

Inspiriert von der Musik der Pianisten Comlon Nancarrow und Gyorgy Ligeti präsentiert Squarepusher fünf neue Kompositionen, eingespielt von den drei Robotern Z-Machines. Die drei Roboter, darunter ein Gitarrist mit 78 Fingern und ein Drummer mit 22 Armen, sind eine Entwicklung junger japanischer Roboteringenieure unter der musikalischen Leitung von Kenjiro Matsuo. Die CD ist ein Japan-Import im Klappcover mit Obi-Einleger und japanischen Liner Notes.

"To make music using instrument-playing robots fascinates me. People have often assumed that for music to be emotionally powerful it has to come directly from a human hand, whereas i disagree with that, and enjoy proving these people wrong. This project is an excellent way of exploring that area more." - Squarepusher

Fatima Al Qadiri is a multidisciplinary artist and musician from Kuwait. In just a few years, she has quickly built a reputation as a conceptual artist, exploring themes informed both by her own background and global pop culture, through a number of highly acclaimed EPs, multimedia projects and writings. She is also a founding member of the production team Future Brown. Fatima's debut album is called 'Asiatisch', and as the track titles suggest, the record provides a simulated road trip through an imagined China. Musically, the album is an homage to that quietly influential sub-strain of grime, often loosely termed 'sinogrime' due to its preoccupation with Asian motifs and melodies, pioneered by the likes of Wiley and Jammer at the beginning of the 2000s in East London. 'Asiatisch' is a provocation which asks more questions than it answers. The title is the German word for Asian. Unlike its title, however, the music on 'Asiatisch' revolves around the fantasies of East Asia as refracted through pulpy Western pop culture, in particular Hollywood, literary fiction, music, cartoons and advertising. Fatima asks what is meant by the term 'Asian' in a digital age of viral interchange and the hi-speed trading of cultural bytes; the concept of 'shanzhai' proves pivotal, a term whose meaning stems from a wild, out of control zone of banditry, but which has come to be used to refer to the Chinese counterfeiting of Western brands and goods. While a number of producers have made takes on 'sinogrime' over the last few years, 'Asiatisch' is really the first record that attempts to articulate this weird complex of sonic interchanges between the West and China. With the exception of the opening track, 'Shanzhai', a haunting cover of 'Nothing Compares to You' with nonsensical Mandarin lyrics, and the shimmering 'Loading Beijing', 'Wudang' and 'Jade Stairs' which sample and distort classical Chinese poetry staging an epic confrontation between China's ancient soul and the onslaught of the industrial factory machine, most of the tracks blend mallets, bells, gongs, flutes, steel drums and choral atmospherics with the searing synth-brass and the skittering drums of grime, playing melodies that are inflected as much by classic R&B as to synthetic versions of traditional Chinese music. On "Dragon Tattoo" for example, stereotypical iconography of imagined China is slotted into a threatening, robotic R&B format. The carefree pirating of Western brands blurs into a soft-synth pirating of Chinese musical signs.'Asiatisch' is wrapped in pristine artwork by Babak Radboy from Shanzhai Biennial, and the music was given a 3D sheen by in demand mixer Lexxx. Proclaiming both its love of both ancient and imagined China, 'Asiatisch' is a rare album that is both icily beautiful and conceptually layered.

It's now almost two years since German producer Sawlin made his debut on Ann Aimee, but now he is back for a third EP on the Delsin sister label. Entitled 'Niedertracht', it features four more tracks of searing techno in truly uncompromising Sawlin style.

'Kontraktion' goes first with heavy metallic hits, lots of industrial machinery found sounds and thumping kick drums. It's lumpy, mechanical and stiff stuff that is slow and purposeful. The surface of 'Padjam' is then covered in squirming, scratchy little effects as syncopated drums swing deep down below. Eventually the thing gets fleshed out with some malfunctioning melodies and slurred vocal stabs yet still it sounds like no other techno out there.

'Niedertracht' takes up the b1 with a spangled techno track that has gurgling synths and fizzing drills all encased in a ravey arrangement of horns and windy howls. The broken sounding 'Weißhaupt' is made up of metal loops, punctured drums and rasping synths that sound like factories in melt down. This is truly inventive electronic music that's laced with a very real and unmistakable sense of industrialism, and proves Sawlin is one of the day's most exciting producers.

Dutch DJ, producer and Wolfskuil label boss Darko Esser is to self-release his sophomore album, Anipintiros, in April 2014. The eight track album comes four years after his debut and is his first as Tripeo, the techno leaning alias he has been working under most often in recent times.

Working as Tripeo has reinvigorated Esser, who under his own name has been producing his unique take on electronic music for a decade now. 'It was liberating to have another persona take over,' says the man himself. 'I have been so inspired and productive ever since that I woke up one day with the thought 'I'm ready to do another album' and started straight away that day.'

Tripeo music is aimed squarely at the dancefloor, and there sure are some full blooded cuts on the album, but so to are there concessions to the listening experience, meaning deep, dark passages and more leftfield experiments help tie the whole thing together into one cohesive and coherent whole. 'Like all albums, this is a very personal statement,' explains Esser. 'It's just me trying to translate the overwhelming inspiration I feel right now into sound. That, and making the record as diverse as possible without losing the purist identity of Tripeo.'

That identity shines through right from the off on the album, which has been made using a knowing blend of both soft and hardware. 'Anipintiros #1' is a firmly rooted, rubbery bit of deep techno that works you into hypnosis and comes detailed with plenty of otherworldly ambiances. From there, Tripeo explores gallivanting techno run through with celestial pads on 'Anipintiros #2' and tripped out, ever shape shifting and dusty minimal sounds on 'Anipintiros #3'.

'Anipintiros #4' channels the widescreen and pumping techno of Detroit's finest whilst 'Anipintiros #5' is a more industrial and muscular track of the sorts that would sound perfect in the bowels of Berghain. 'Anipintiros #6' is one of the busier and more kinked techno rhythms with punchy drums and fax machine like melodies, before 'Anipintiros #7' thumps with real menace and 'Anipintiros #8' hums and hisses, spits and stutters like the suitably epic and melodic comedown you need after such a captivating ride.Everything, though is backed with serene synth work and an otherworldly sense of alien spirit that runs through all great techno.

There is plenty to get lost in throughout Anipintiros and it proves once again that Esser is someone able to coax far more feeling out of his machines than most.

DJ FEEDBACK

Early support from Blawan, Rødhåd, James Ruskin, Reeko, Exium, Mike Parker, Ben Sims, Rolando, Pfirter, Craig McWhinney, Cadans, Sandrien, Nuno Dos Santos

SHADELEAF reaches out to the tribes and comes home with a serious crop to see us through !

For their debut V.A selection 'Please Come Correct' Thatmanmonkz has pulled in some serious talent from the fringes of forward-thinking House

Ny*Ak fires the opening beatdown salvo,'U Don't Understand', and cooks up another of those loose, low riding, sample heavy and heady jams, reminiscent of Berlin via early Sound Signature that made last year's EP for Intimate Friends via Rush Hour such an essential!

Next up Cape Town's Jumping Back Slash, who's been making some serious music, fusing elements of S.A House with Kwaito and, well pretty much anything else he can throw into the mix to move your assets.
'Bloodlines' however could just as easily have emanated from 8 Mile, a captivating piece of pure, crisply rendered machine soul back lit with township chants and emotive chords.

Mr 'monkz himself handles B1, and to say this guy's on a roll would be something of an understatement!
Much like Graef and Co, 'imgettintiredofyou' is Deep House that dines out on a diet of Hip Hop, dirty hertz in the low registers and deftly manipulated sample work throughout - killer stuff!

Finally our truly global selection winds up in Moscow as another hotly tipped up-and-comer Lay-Far gives us 'Many-Sided'.
Fans of last year's excellent EP on Fifty Fathoms Deep will know what to expect. Again, a loosely pieced together cut, hinting at West London vibes,and shot through with creative sampling and an undeniable ear for melody and groove that really shines.

This is the year of Peder Mannerfelt's rebirth. After seven years he's laid The Subliminal Kid to rest. With this new 12", the chains have been locked in and the road map has been obliterated. EP1 is focused like a laser etching out intricate patterns in massive, humming machines. Mannerfelt's ideas have been reduced to a razor's edge and he balances these freeform compositions like a master.
This EP could be seen as a prelude to Peder Mannerfelt's debut album under his own name that will be released by Digitalis Industries in February and at the same time is the first part in a ongoing series of self released records by Mannerfelt.
Opener "Hook (end)" crashes like waves from a metallic ocean bearing down on the shore. The bass craters beneath, digging its way to the listener's core. Each idea is stripped down and simplified to the point of near exhaustion, resulting in tracks that are relentless and infecting. "Psalms and Songs and Voices" is propelled forward by crushing kick drums and rhythmic bass pounding. Somehow, though, Mannerfelt works unsuspecting hooks in between the peaks. It's incredible. "With Psalms and Songs and Praises," the final track on this 12", everything is pushed to the limit. This is absolute maximalism; an overload of the senses that cannot be escaped. It's the opposite of everything else on the EP, combining everything into a single, massive escape.
This is the sound of machines humming. This is the sound of the factory floor in rebellion. And yet, this is only the beginning; the first chapter of a novel yet to come. This is the sound of Peder Mannerfelt finding his voice.