Masks is New York duo comprised of Max Ravitz aka Patricia (L.I.E.S, Opal Tapes, Ghostly) and Alexis Georgopoulos aka Arp (RVNG Intl, Mexican Summer, DFA, Smalltown Supersound). The aptly titled EP2 is (yes, you guessed it!) their second release, preceded by their Opal Tapes debut Food Plus Drug (II) — which gained support from Legowelt, Mount Kimbie and Boomkat — and a compilation appearance on esteemed Beats In Space 15 year anniversary 3xLP.
On paper, it might strike one as a strange duo. Ravitz’s work leans heavily on house and techno, but his recent work has been focused towards emotive melodies of IDM. And Georgopoulos has been busy creating minimalistic classical music for RVNG and most recently made waves with his critically-acclaimed album Zebra, which combined elements of 4th World and cosmic jazz.
All the tracks making up EP2 were made as live performances. No overdubs. Nothing "in the box". Just classic hardware and a strong vibe.
Opener "In This Room" is the sound of a NY summer sunset, pivoting on a hypnotic rotation of orange-hued chords. "Emotional Response" displays a different side of the group. Combining a 909 with a piano tug, it could provide that perfect soundtrack to a cathartic cry on the dancefloor.
On the flip side, "In Another Room" is dreamy techno par excellence, before sliding into an acid chugg for the ages. Bookworms smears the sun of "In This Room" into a 4am whirl, all purple lights and mountains of fog.
The cover artwork features the artwork of Sanou Oumar, a recent emigrant from Burkina Faso, West Africa. He graduated from the University of Ouagadougou in 2007 and moved to the United States to seek asylum in 2015. He currently lives in the Bronx and works in Harlem, New York. In 2018, Oumar had his first two-person exhibition (with Matt Paweski) at Gordon Robichaux in New York, and in 2019 (with Elisabeth Kley) at South Willard in Los Angeles, curated by Matt Connors.
Buscar:the 4th wave
Malfunctioning speakers, & digital dreamscapes, SQUIRRELS ON FILM's 4th release explores the outer reaches of techno with impolite, reckless abandon.
Psychedelic sound explorer Its Own infinite Flower, who was
responsible, along with head squirrels Solar & C.l.a.w.s., for San
Francisco underground punk rave/happening Hostile Ambient
Takeover, unleashes his first official release, The Plumes of Love (ARE BLACK!). After contributing a track to 2017's Spacetime Continuum/ Juju & Jordash curated Air Texture V compilation, this four track EP of abstract tech-noise brings the sounds Its Own Infinite Flower refined in the basements & warehouses of the Bay Area's underground music scene to the wider world, whether it's ready or not.
'Drone, Drugs 'n' Dissonance' creeps into life as a thunderstorm of
white noise, out of which a cold-rave pulse somehow metastasizes into something resembling techno, although this is a deformed, uncivilized, unwanted mutation, separated at birth & raised in a toxic wilderness. It builds slowly before turning up in a rage of digital distortion, a black metal dub party held at the edge of a melting glacier. 'Oh, Empire of Roses' is a Dada Phycho Jazz Electro number. Dissonant synth chords snake around each other in a playful ouroboros of manic future funk, never knowing if it's starting or stopping, coming or going. Relentless bass throbs through the track, which almost threatens to bubble into classic acid electro before fizzling out. On side two there is 'Devotion to a Peacock Angel,' an angular breakdance groove for the characters in the bar scene in Star Wars. Electro dub rhythms keep stay grounded as everything else rips apart in all directions over the course of the track. On 'Misfortunes of El Dorado' a soundsystem bangs in the next room, only the deepest bass escaping, shaking reality until it's torn apart in waves of distortion, a classic techno synth string wandering over the top of everything in a full blown Techno Jazz Odyssey.
SQUIRRELS ON FILM continues its adventure at the edges of techno
with the mind bending stylings of Its Own Infinite Flower's debut EP,
fitted with another beautiful hand-drawn, full color sleeve by New York artist Bert Bergen. The Plumes of Love (ARE BLACK!).
Authors of the 4th release of the Mosaique label are the project Savage Ground, known for its works on Lux Rec, Pinkman Broken Dreams and Enfant Terrible. The project hides two people - Daniele Cosmo (owner of Lux Rec) and CCO (who's already participated in the first V/A ""Universe""). ""In not"" is a mixture of synth wave, analog distortion, experimental dance electronic music and vocals. The EP contains 4 tracks that divided the two sides of the plate into two different moods. This is a vinyl release without digital sales and repress.
Limited edition, vinyl only, A&B Sides - 33RPM.
Rumored to be one of the most intriguing collaborations of 2018, Rocketgirl presents Pieter Nooten's 4th solo album 'STEM' as Nooten teams up with legendary producer/ mixer/sound-artist Stephen W Tayler (Kate Bush, Underworld) at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios. 'STEM' is probably Nooten's finest work since collaborating with Michael Brook 30 years ago, producing the timeless cult classic 'Sleeps With The Fishes'.Setting the tone in his 2012 double cd 'HAVEN', Nooten further explores the boundaries between the neoclassical and ambient genre, delivering an album of heartwrenching, profound melodic compositions that invites you to listen to 'STEM' over and over again.
Stem is 60 minutes long (The CD includes a bonus track)
The vinyl has been specially edited by Stephen and Pieter and comes with a postcard and a download code of the full version.
Press:'Moments in life so often slip by with only the rusted acquaintance of memory to recall them but with a masterpiece like Haven in your collection you won't ever walk alone. No matter the slips and pitfalls you encounter or the loves you recriminate yourself for squandering, Pieter Nooten's newest will allow you to dwell with your thoughts in private with dignity...''Haven is the kind of record that gives modern composition a good name. It will also give countless budding musicians the belief that they can create a valid piece of work with nothing but a laptop. This may not be a bad thing, but it will be a while before anything in the genre matches the maturity, warmth and technical ability displayed by Nooten...'
Nooten's musical career began in the late 1970s. Starting out as the drummer in a local symphonic rock band,2 he quickly changed to bass guitar and later keyboards, playing in different bands. At the height of house squatting culture and new wave, Nooten met Anka Wolbert and Ronny Moorings who had just formed Clan of Xymox together. During the mid-eighties Clan of Xymox recorded two highly acclaimed albums on 4AD.
What's the definition of a treasure Something precious hidden in a safe place by a king maybe Offen music begin their journey.. 3 sides of music with an etched 4th TIP!
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Serbian electronic music pioneer Rex Illusivii (The King of Illusions in Latin) left an extensive collection of never-heard-before musical gems in his mother's place, and other secluded corners of the world. They have been properly archived, years after his death in a studio fire in Brazil in 1999, the evening of the promotion of the São Paulo Confessions album he made as Suba.
From this archive that spans the 1980-1991 period, reflecting both his cutting-edge creative spirit and his classical training, In The Moon Cage (1988) has been selected as a first newly mastered release to emerge on two 12''. It is meant as an invitation to take a peek into the now finally unlocked treasure chest, filled with valuables of an undeniable intensity and sincerity, belonging to the multifaceted man behind the Rex Illusivii and Suba monikers: Mitar Subotic.
On In The Moon Cage, Subotic treats us to Yugoslavian folk lullabies, rain songs, ancient incantations, combined with equally mesmerizing electronics. These works, circulating on tapes that Subotic sent out in person, were awarded the UNESCO International Fund for Promotion of Culture, enabling him to start his influential career as a producer in Brazil. Yet, In The Moon Cage and the rest of his early projects have remained mostly uncharted and unrecognized until this day.
Subotic being as comfortable producing for Yugoslavian new wave bands as for bossa nova singer Bebel Gilberto, already manifested an exciting divergence in his likings and interests. The disclosure of his own more personal material leads to a renewed appreciation, perceiving him as the righteous king of illusions that he was.
Ben Sun returns to Delusions for his 4th release on the label including three more tracks which show the Australian via London on his best form yet. Full Moon kicks off the Tides EP at full throttle with a muscular conga-led disco house roller. Slurping 909 hats and the most twisted of synth solos courtesy of regular collaborator Fantastic Man (and his beloved Juno 60) provide the icing on this simple bass-cake which never fails to energize the dancefloor in the most special of ways.
Star Ritual drops next, going heavy on the percussion once again for a minimal stripped back drum tool which packs a mighty punch. Dubbed out vocal hits punctuate the beautifully loose groove with subtle hints of afrobeat implied by the bassline making for a warm summer track dripping with tropical vibes.
Finally we have Glass Waves bringing the EP to a glorious close, all chiming synths, bouncing moog bass and waves of chords layering on top of a heavy drum track. Ben repping an early 90's blissed out Nu Groove mood on this one and managing to sound as fresh as ever in the process.






