The final volume of this mammoth collection of music from Bristolian electronic music pioneer Krust is finally upon us, and like the previous parts of this collection it boasts an assemblage of music of different energies, vibes and feelings. The music contained within spans decades yet somehow refuses to be locked to one 'era' or 'style'. This is what makes this release unmissable for the hardcore fan, newcomer or completist.
'Irrational Numbers' is a meticulously curated collection of five parts, available on both vinyl and digital formats. The compilation is a treasure trove of hand-picked records and archival gems from Krust's extensive discography, thoughtfully remastered and presented anew for both devoted fans and newcomers.
'Irrational Numbers' features a dizzying array of self-released 12" cuts, exclusive unreleased VIPs and dub-plates, alongside epic major label widescreen classics. It's an unmissable journey through the sonic output of one of the UK's most distinctive and forward-looking producers.
Featured on part 5 are some groundbreaking entries into Krust's massive back catalogue. The live bass driven jazz inflected 'Second Movement' from his acclaimed 'Coded Language' LP jostles alongside the speaker smashing machine funk of 'Break Ya Neck' as well as a couple of more recent productions including the sleek and sinister 'The Portal', which is undeniably the man at his best, in full electronic stealth mode.
For longtime Krust enthusiasts, this project serves as a fond reminder of the boundless creativity and originality that flourished during the early 1990s and beyond. For those new to his work, it presents an enthralling introduction to innovative electronic music that has comfortably set the tone for generations to come. Get ready to experience the evolution of sound and immerse yourself in the visionary artistry of Krust.
Cerca:tone loc
SY Rockers is the new project from Ryan Aitchison aka Mella Dee and KALLIDA Festival bossman Reuben G. Their story goes all the way back to 2009, when Reuben invited Ryan to be a resident for his party LSS at Hi-Fi Club in Leeds.
The pair went on to bond over their shared love of bass-led music in the UK underground, a sound that was especially important to their native South Yorkshire. Fourteen years on, Ryan and Reuben revisit those early inspirations as SY Rockers. Their debut EP is a slickly produced expression of bleep, UK techno, bassline and dub, redrawing lines between the sound legacies of cities like Sheffield, Bradford and Leeds across three tracks.
True to those roots, the result is a hypnotic blend of raw drums and subsonic impact. ‘Windy Dub’ introduces the record with a hazy, heads-down bass, occasionally shivering into a cavernous space echo before it locks back into a haunting synth hook. ‘Modem’ does what it says on the tin: gameboy tones bounce around a warm sub, calling back the ‘less is more’ aesthetic of the original bleep era. Finally, ‘Rhythm Resonate’ zooms in on where it all started—the drum machine. 909s, lasers and a touch of perc combine to create the ultimate techno tool.
What you do is a fundamental question. But it's how you do something that ultimately determines the effect." — Julian Sartorius
With 'RLLRLRLLRRLRLRLRLLRLRLR', Swiss drummer and sound artist Julian Sartorius presents his third album in three years. Together with 'Ensemble This | Ensemble That' Sartorius has created a mesmerizing 39-minute percussion album that conclusively expands his artistic output. For the first time, an ensemble plays an idea conceived by Sartorius, while he assumes the role of an interactive conductor, manipulating the sounds made.
Sartorius is known for his fluid and versatile solo performances in which he continually modulates the sound of his instruments, adding objects and progressively unfolding his sound world. The idea of expanding this practice was already gestating when the 'Ensemble This | Ensemble That' invited him for a collaboration. Together with the drummers and percussionists Brian Archinal, Victor Barceló, Miguel Angel Garcia Martin and Bastian Pfefferli the concept was further explored, elaborated upon in detail, and finally realized.
'RLLRLRLLRRLRLRLRLLRLRLR' is both title and score for the ensemble's four percussionists. The pattern, consisting of 23 individual beats, is played continuously by the ensemble while Sartorius gradually makes alterations to the instruments played. The result is a piece that has a sustained rhythmic flow yet is perpetually changing. Sartorius' interventions and the precise musicality of the ensemble allows the listener to discover an expansive array of moods and intensities.
The album is structurally recursive but develops an almost mystical magnetism through an odyssey of diverse musical landscapes. Sartorius explains: "It amazes me deeply how much the sentiment can change based on a musical mood - this sense of curiosity is made audible with this album." The album recording itself is designed as an endless loop: at the end of the recording, the ensemble's sound has returned to its starting point, thereby completing an endless, self-contained cycle, with no beginning or end. In this way, Sartorius also echoes his 2021 album 'Locked Grooves'.
Julian Sartorius' precise and multi-layered rhythmical patterns are keen excursions into the hidden tones of found objects and prepared instruments, bridging the gap between organic timbres and the vocabulary of (experimental) electronic music. He has released numerous solo albums, creates audiovisual art works, collaborates with musicians, writers, and artists, and performs live in intimate venues and on festival stages.
Ensemble This | Ensemble That (ET|ET) have established themselves not only as interpreters of contemporary music, but also as collaborators to a wide range of artists including projects like Zimoun, Myriam Bleu, Strotter Inst., Lê Quan Ninh, Marko Ciciliani, Jürg Frey, and Michael Maierhof, amongst others.
LOCUS unveils the lineup for the fourth instalment of its ‘LOCUS Trax’ VA series, Danny Snowden, Job de Jong, ADR and OURMINDZ delivering label debuts across the package.
Blossoming as a label with its own identity, FUSE’s sister imprint LOCUS is continuing to serve up dancefloor heat at an impressive level, with 2023’s releases featuring material from Lauren Lo Sung, Youandewan, Nolga, Okain, Garrett David and more. Returning with another edition of its ongoing ‘LOCUS Trax’ VA, shining a spotlight on emerging talent of note, late October welcomes four new names to the label as UK trio Danny Snowden, ADR, and OURMINDZ join Dutchman Job de Jong.
Danny Snowden kicks things off with the euphoric tones of ‘Essence’ as he combines glossy synths with skippy percussion and a snaking groove, while Job de Jong draws for rumbling low-ends and playful, bouncy electronics Across ‘OOC’. Heading up the b-side, ADR’s ‘Bungee Gum’ brings hazy chords, snaking drums subtle acid-dipped melodies, before OURMINDZ merges resonant organ stabs and elastic synths on the lively ‘Dusty’.
LOCUS Trax Volume 4 drops on 27th October 2023 via digital and physical formats.
Once again a work by Patrick Campbell-Lyons without Alex Spyropoulos, this time Songs Of Love And Praise showed a return to a more classic Nirvana sound. Campbell-Lyons revisited two of the most loved songs by the band, Pentecost Hotel from their debut LP and Rainbow Chaser from their second one. The album opens precisely with the amazing uptempo beat of Rainbow Chaser, which while sounding faithful to the original recording, it comes with a totally different approach on the arrangements. Campbell-Lyons states on the liners that he went for a step further in that field, and looked for a jazzy atmosphere. It sets the tone of the album: upbeat good vibrations songs that differ from the dark mood of the previous Local Anaesthetic LP and that besides these two songs revisited presents all new material.
Uplifted and positive, Songs Of Love And Praise gives what the title promises to take the classic Nirvana sound from their first three albums one step further with the collaboration of Bobby Harrison (Procol Harum, Snafu) Lesley Duncan, Maggie Bell and Sylvia Schuster (who had already played live with Nirvana at the time of their debut album).
Join us as we explore the electrifying second release from Amsterdam's Locked-In label. Noiro and Riku Sugimoto combine their talents in the vibrant EP titled "L8 M8," taking us on a thrilling journey through the realms of house and techno. The EP opens with Noiro's captivating track "Viens Dormir," instantly igniting a dancefloor reverie with its infectious grooves. On the A2 Riku delves deeper underground with "City Sleep," intertwining trippy vocal samples with punchy drums and pulsating bass tones. On the flip we have "Semicircular," where Riku creates a mesmerizing soundscape with evolving recurring motifs. Finally, Noiro concludes the EP with the sonic gem "Hey Man," embodying the spirit of the dancefloor and setting the stage for a night of pure bliss.
Recent times have seen After Caposile become one of the most sought after locations on the underground circuit, and this reflects in their acclaimed record label - Caposile Music. This Spring they have prepared a stellar release of firm favourites from the club. “The Sound Of Garden” release will come in two parts, both on 12” and will include a heavy hitting lineup such as Romanian duo Super Moon (Arapu & Priku), family members and residents Maggio, Francesco Maddalena, and Yaar Kü, Silat Beksi, Mihai Pol, Giuliano Lomonte and Sublee. A perfect blend of club affiliates, coming together to provide the soundtrack from that famous garden.
Volume One kicks off with the dynamite combination of Arapu & Priku under their Super Moon moniker. Hypnotic movements set a serious tone for the journey ahead, mysterious elements simmering throughout “I Can Help”. Dreamy meets dance floor in Maggio’s aptly named “Just Landed” floating synths calmly lift you, but you remain grounded by the killer elasticated groove. After delivering the previous EP on the label Yaar Kü returns with a stripped back encounter, his unique touch shining bright. Silat Beksi provides a certain sunshine jam with his track “Jaho”, you immediately feel the warmer times are coming, after parties in the sun.
Landing just a few weeks after is the equally special Volume Two, packed full of ammo for the tastemakers. Mihai Pol inaugurates proceedings with “Sugar Rush”, the 7 minute quest boasts shimmering synths and a sweet bass line to match. Francesco Maddalena ups the ante with his garage influenced “Breath Of Air”, an energy boost for the peak times of the party. Giuliano Lomonte’s “More Time” rumbles from the get go, begging to be played on a high quality system to allow each of the intricate details to speak for themselves. Last but not least is Sublee, his “Day Six” track is a chugging body of work, blurring the lines between house and minimal with a raw edge.
With a huge European tour on the table, and a release of this stature After Caposile are flying high at the moment with an indispensable team behind the project. Expanding on their party paradise location, but simultaneously propelling innovative underground sounds under the Caposile Music offshoot. Both Volume One and Two will land this May, right on cue for the summer time madness.
Recent times have seen After Caposile become one of the most sought after locations on the underground circuit, and this reflects in their acclaimed record label - Caposile Music. This Spring they have prepared a stellar release of firm favourites from the club. “The Sound
of Garden” release will come in two parts, both on 12” and will include a heavy hitting lineup such as Romanian duo Super Moon (Arapu & Priku), family members and residents Maggio, Francesco Maddalena, and Yaar Kü, Silat Beksi, Mihai Pol, Giuliano Lomonte and Sublee. A perfect blend of club affiliates, coming together to provide the soundtrack from that famous garden.
Volume One kicks off with the dynamite combination of Arapu & Priku under their Super Moon moniker. Hypnotic movements set a serious tone for the journey ahead, mysterious elements simmering throughout “I Can Help”. Dreamy meets dance floor in Maggio’s aptly named “Just Landed” floating synths calmly lift you, but you remain grounded by the killer elasticated groove. After delivering the previous EP on the label Yaar Kü returns with a stripped back encounter, his unique touch shining bright. Silat Beksi provides a certain sunshine jam with his track “Jaho”, you immediately feel the warmer times are coming, after parties in the sun.
Landing just a few weeks after is the equally special Volume Two, packed full of ammo for the tastemakers. Mihai Pol inaugurates proceedings with “Sugar Rush”, the 7 minute quest boasts shimmering synths and a sweet bass line to match. Francesco Maddalena ups the ante with his garage influenced “Breath Of Air”, an energy boost for the peak times of the party. Giuliano Lomonte’s “More Time” rumbles from the get go, begging to be played on a high quality system to allow each of the intricate details to speak for themselves. Last but not least is Sublee, his “Day Six” track is a chugging body of work, blurring the lines between house and minimal with a raw edge.
With a huge European tour on the table, and a release of this stature After Caposile are flying high at the moment with an indispensable team behind the project. Expanding on their party paradise location, but simultaneously propelling innovative underground sounds under the Caposile Music offshoot. Both Volume One and Two will land this May, right on cue for the summer time madness.
Lobster Theremin ambient sub-label Lobster Sleep Sequence announce their double LP + 7” album from Dutch producer nthng - featuring a limited run of copies on deep green vinyl. Themed around events in the artist's life, Unfinished is a deeply personal journey, yet there’s something very relatable to the world he has conjured. Lockdown has forced us to look inward, explore realities within ourselves and the fragility of our forgotten world. The album is a series of peaks and troughs - hopeful words, ominous tones and other-worldly soundscapes, giving way to a journey in no way linear - but a true reflection of our times. The title track sets the scene perfectly, while Son features deep bass notes, dreamy keys and spoken word - creating a visceral and unsettling scene. Subnautica resides in the fringes of ambient and techno - as tribalistic drums are suspended in our new rendered reality.
The marching bass and howling synths of Wrath of the Demon lull conspicuously in a vacuum, while the hauntingly beautiful vocals featured on Disappeared But Not Forgotten evoke a poignant, powerful reaction across the record’s B-side - “Everything stopped, you just disappeared...”
At its most tranquil Our Time offers a sense of rest - a space to appreciate, as we leave the window open, peer outside and feel the gentle breeze brush across our face. Saafe continues this theme, and feels like a warm embrace - “She saved my life in a matter of speaking, when she gave me back the power to believe.”
Ending Theme is beautifully organic as you hear the sound of the piano pedal touch the floor, tones are introspective and vulnerable - while the looming presence of uncertainty subtly takes form in thinly layered pads.
The album also sees the release of a digi only bonus track Only a Flash of Light and invites you outside while the stars are at their brightest.
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After last year’s Black Clouds Above The Bows, Amsterdam-based collective Wanderwelle presents the second entry of their trilogy for Important Records, which is dedicated to telling the story of the climate crisis and its effects on coastal areas around the globe. For this album the artists incorporated the sound of a dying organ, fatally wounded in a climate related event.
All Hands Bury The Cliffs At Sea consists of electro-acoustic threnodies for an environment at risk due to the effects caused by receding coastlines around the globe. Wailing odes tell the story of the catastrophic activity of eroding waves and winds shaping the land that are enhanced by the climate crisis. First hand experiences and meetings with local maritime experts on the subject of these receding coastlines inspired Wanderwelle to compose these albums.
During their travels, the artists stumbled upon a small church in a town on the east coast of Scotland. The building was quite damaged, the roof was being stabilized and the ancient walls showed great tears running vertically down the structure. One of the church’s volunteers told Wanderwelle that the damage had been caused by a nearby cliff that collapsed in the sea. An event increasingly common in the region.
The church organ was ruined in such a way that it was deemed unplayable, as most of the pipes were gravely damaged and in dire need of restoration. Musical instruments directly affected by the environment -and especially the climate crisis- are quite rare. Despite the damage, the artists were allowed to record a few tones of the instrument with their equipment, which was actually meant to be used for field recordings later that day.
In Black Clouds Above The Bows, antique cavalry trumpets were recorded and manipulated by Wanderwelle to sound an environmental alarm in the same manner as they were once used to warn men on the battlefield. Similar processing was used on the recordings of the dying organ, resulting in spectral, deconstructed tones beyond recognition. In addition to the damaged organ, the artists recorded piano, cello and harmonic additive synthesizers in later stages of the composition process, manipulating these sounds to mimic the perpetual activity of the sea shaping the land.Furthermore, a great deal of inspiration was found in maritime superstition, lore and mythology.
As told in the legend of Aspidochelone, a legendary sea creature of enormous size, was once mistaken for an island. After sailors docked and lit a fire, the beast submerged resembling a land mass sliding into the sea. The album’s title is derived from the saying ‘All Hands Bury The Dead’, a maritime burial phrase, as the duo likes to think ‘All Hands’ refers to all of mankind since we are all responsible for these impending catastrophes.
Cello, violin, voice, pipe organ (damaged), bowed guitar, EBow, Prophet-6 synthesizer, modular synthesizer, field recordings.
RIYL: Oliveros/Deep Listening, Arvo Part, Lambda Sond, Sarah Davachi
Nearly 10 years on since his last solo LP, Berlin techno icon Marcel Dettmann arrives on Dekmantel with an expansive album captured in a flash of inspiration.
In many ways Fear Of Programming is a reflection on the artistic process – the critical hurdles one has to overcome, the constant strive for originality, the ability to capture inspiration in its pure moment of inception. Bar the closing title track (and we all know Marcel loves a surprise closing), these 13 tracks came together during a period in which our hirsute host was able to immerse himself in studio practice and set the intention to record an album’s worth of material every single day. From the resulting mass of work there were many options to choose from, and Fear Of Programming stood out as one of the most complete statements on Dettmann’s approach in the here and now.
Unconcerned with an overarching concept, it was the work in the studio which drove the musical direction. No labouring over knotty arrangements, no painstaking mix downs – just honest expression, a moment caught, a groove locked, a stroke of synth sent pirouetting over a cavernous bed of texture. The results are varied, and while you might well hear plenty of bruising machinations in line with the techno Dettmann has made his name on, there are plenty of other shades expressed across the album.
Ambient sojourns, beatless epics and angular electronica have equal footing with strident, floor-friendly workouts. Standout piece ‘Water’ offers an icy ballet of swinging minimal and drip-drop melodics fronted by Ryan Elliott on lesser-spotted vocal duties, urging, ‘give me a sign, just a little something to let me know that you’re mine’. It’s playful, but still underpinned with the sincerity that comes with Dettmann’s work.
Running on instinct, Dettmann presents an honest version of himself in the here and now, speaking through the sonics and not over-thinking the results. His decades of experience helming a thousand techno parties speak for themselves, while his evolution as a musical entity through collaboration and his own BAD MANNERS label demonstrate his appetite for change. Indeed, the working method which resulted in the album also spurred him on to create a live set beyond his well-established DJ practice. Without resorting to a conceited overhaul, Fear Of Programming opens up the idea of what Dettmann represents in the modern techno landscape.
Force Placement's AEROBICIDE EP is a killer workout of afterhours acid and galaxian breakbeat.
Four hypnotic bangers from Los Angeles with remix support from DJ Manny, D.I.E., and Martyn Bootyspoon
Los Angeles – Following releases on 100% Silk, Clave House, BANK NYC and Lost Soul Enterprises, FORCE PLACEMENT arrives on EVAR Records with four tracks of naughty squelching acid and breakbeat techno hypnotically calling you to the afterhours, backed by a trio of remixes from Martyn Bootyspoon, Detroit In Effect, and DJ Manny, representing North American excellence in techno, electro, and footwork, respectively.
A longtime friend of the EVAR crew from renegade breakcore parties in Santa Barbara to underground experimental electronics happenings in Los Angeles, Into the Woods and The Black Lodge resident Jason "Force Placement" James taps into his love of weird trippy atmospherics, rhythmic complexity and DIY punk/noise aesthetics to create this quartet of mystic, mysterious bangers, crafted with the MPC1000, Elektron's Octatrack sampler, the Korg minilogue, and Ableton.
The AEROBICIDE EP begins its killer workout with "Yeeks," a cabalistic ass-mover driven by a haunted female vocal sample floating atop locomotive bass and shakers – a factory's worth of industrial sounds and eerie accents move in and out of the mix, adding intrigue and interest.
Moving to the main room of the rave, "Balloon Animal" shoots you through an inflatable tube of squelchy acid techno as knives cut the air around you, while "Upsetter" adds a shuffling breakbeat rave bounce into the acid mix. "Quartered" chops it up with Clone-style dark analog electro that gets increasingly deconstructed by dirty, stretched percussion and rivulets of synth reverb raining down the walls.
Rounding out this occult aerobics class, some of North America's most compelling forces in dance music are called in for remix duty. Unsung electro hero Detroit In Effect aka D.I.E. – the man behind such classics as "RU Married" and "Get Up" – leans deep into the classic Motor City palette, pairing lush, spacey pads with that hard-swung Detroit bounce to create a mellow groover that will keep you going all night. Montreal's world-class party starter M. Bootyspoon recalls Substance Abuse-era Hawtin and mid-'90s Midwest techno on his "Balloon Animals" remix, with nasty claps and concentric loops of hard acid bleeps and squelches. And who better to tackle "Upsetter" than Southside Chicago's footwork futurist DJ Manny? The Teklife king eschews the romantic R&B tones of his recent Planet Mu album for a tough-as-nails rework that ups the tension and the tempo to create an otherworldly saga for the dance circle.
Soma proudly presents Functional Designs, the latest collection of nocturnal environments from Deepchord, marking his first full length album release on Soma in 5 years. The enigmatic Detroit based producer once again transports us into his sonic realm via night-walks through numerous cities before being transmuted into aural excellence through field recordings, holographic synth tones, cosmic sounds and the hiss of electric wires. All swimming around in filtered 4/4 beats and subterranean basslines. The album is a perfect example of electroacoustic techno transmitted from undisclosed locations, the amalgamation of swirling tapestries of sound, deeper than night and lifeforms moving around underneath the grid.
The album glistens into existence with the beatless Amber breathing life into the project before the eventide of Darkness Falls offers a beautifully subtle and contemplative atmosphere. The guiding light of Transit Systems continues to offer up melancholy with echoing percussion and drifting soundscapes. The highly processed acoustics of Strangers brings a sense of intrigue to the album's journey as Modell works in the most percussive track so far. Panacast is exotic dub techno at it's finest, with warping and perfectly crafted synth work building gently over the top of sub heavy beats, glued perfectly together by the hiss of the collected found-sounds. In a slight rise in tempo, Cloudsat, makes a journey skyward, collecting mood and feelings from high altitude with its emotive synth work. The reverberating halls of Pressure again work as a testament to Modell's sonic crafting - honing in on specific artefacts from his field recordings, imbuing them with deeper purpose. The perfectly titled Ebb and Flow drifts effortlessly on a tide of evolving, blissful sound waves crashing to shore as each one overlaps the other. Beginning the descent into the final part of the album, you begin your ride across a cosmic plain, lit by the glistening and ethereal Sun. The meditative Memories opens a conduit to other realms as the album closes out with the elysian melodies of Drassanes.
Deepchord once again proves he is a producer like no other. A true sonic sculptor who uses his real world experience to create vast, unparalleled soundscapes that captivate and enthral the listener.
Chilean-born Francisco Allendes returns to Crosstown Rebels for the first time in six years this May. Serving up the three-track What You Do, the title number has already received global airplay via Damian Lazarus himself. Now, the full release will be made available next month and includes a remix by US-legend Harry Romero.
A contemporary dose of four-on-the-floor house, What You Do leaves few prisoners in its wake, as rampant drum patterns converge on a heady combination of kicks, synths and irresistible vocals right the way through. There’s an infectious energy to the track, paving the way for Harry Romero’s similarly up-tempo remix. It’s feel-good, club-ready dance music at its best, packed full of low-slung groove that opens neatly into the closing sequence: Maratone, a stripped-back, techy cut that bears all the hallmarks of a true Ibiza anthem.
Hailing from Chile and now based in Ibiza, Francisco Allendes is a leading light in today’s scene. Be it Loco Dice’s Desolat, Steve Lawler’s VIVA or Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels, his productions have graced some of the industry’s most well-respected labels. Such quality hasn’t gone unnoticed - he picked up the ‘Best Ibiza’ DJ Award in September 2019 and has gone on to complete several South American tours. A much loved affiliate of ANTS, Francisco has a long standing residency at both Ushuaïa in Ibiza and their affiliated tours, in addition to hosting the weekly radio show.
Seminal American house talent Harry Romero is a well-established figure on the worldwide music circuit. A prominent global DJ and producer since the ‘90s, early productions on Cutting Records and Cutting Traxx helped set the tone for Harry’s career trajectory, opening the doors to a coveted BBC Radio 1 ‘Essential Mix’ in recent years.
The inaugural release of p.istol is introduced by Biodive, who sets the tone with his four track “Limpet Minds’ EP, written in the depths of lockdown from the producer's studio in Cape Town. NAFF label head Priori contributes a no-nonsense remix of the title track - just in time as the world escapes the monotony of pandemic life.
Part 2[14,08 €]
A rare treat for Drumcode faithful: A-Sides Vol.10 is set to drop in December, the second edition of the beloved series to come in 2020.
Fuelled by the extra time and space to be creative during lockdown, Drumcode’s collective of artists have stepped up. Across 17 contributions, the producers have gone deeper into their sonic repertoire, crafting powerful, yet reflective works that capture the range of the label’s sound.
Jay Lumen leads the way with a rousing riff-driven weapon, ‘Galactic Rainbow’, while Ramon Tapia brings us the muscular gem ‘Drum Control’, mixing up ruffneck techno with a barrage of synapse-tickling synths in the second half. Both rousing highlights of the compilation.
Victor Ruiz, Drumcode’s most prolific contributor in 2020, dishes up ‘Love Story’, led by a huge vocal lead. Zimmz also returns with ‘Tension’, which deftly combines deep squelchy grooves with a silky synth interlude. Thomas Hoffknecht follows up his debut on Vol.9 with ‘Escape’, keeping listeners on their toes with dynamic, choppy shifts throughout. Veerus joins with another stirring addition ‘I Know’, reinforcing why Beyer rates him so highly.
Elsewhere a string of debutants feature: buzzy newcomer Lilly Palmer gives us ‘Amnesie’, a brilliantly pummelling and eerie cut; Alex Lentini & Stomp Boxx serve up ‘Expanders’ mixing up drone effects, trippy vocals and an unsettling melody line; and Patrik Berg’s ‘Activated’ is full-bodied techno that drops down into funky rhythms.
Long-time DC family member Bart Skils brings his A-game with the thrilling no-nonsense ‘Solid State’ that hits like a steam train. Likewise, Alan Fitzpatrick who brings a momentous slab of techno energy with ‘Rochus’, while Thomas Schumacher, now feeling like a regular on the imprint, crafts another dark techno opus, this time in collaboration with CAITLIN.
There’s even a special appearance by the chief Adam Beyer, who makes a welcome return with the progressive-tinged ‘Changes’, driven by organic tones and spacey atmospherics. The track stands as his first original contribution to A-Sides since 2017.
A rare treat for Drumcode faithful: A-Sides Vol.10 is set to drop in December, the second edition of the beloved series to come in 2020.
Fuelled by the extra time and space to be creative during lockdown, Drumcode’s collective of artists have stepped up. Across 17 contributions, the producers have gone deeper into their sonic repertoire, crafting powerful, yet reflective works that capture the range of the label’s sound.
Jay Lumen leads the way with a rousing riff-driven weapon, ‘Galactic Rainbow’, while Ramon Tapia brings us the muscular gem ‘Drum Control’, mixing up ruffneck techno with a barrage of synapse-tickling synths in the second half. Both rousing highlights of the compilation.
Victor Ruiz, Drumcode’s most prolific contributor in 2020, dishes up ‘Love Story’, led by a huge vocal lead. Zimmz also returns with ‘Tension’, which deftly combines deep squelchy grooves with a silky synth interlude. Thomas Hoffknecht follows up his debut on Vol.9 with ‘Escape’, keeping listeners on their toes with dynamic, choppy shifts throughout. Veerus joins with another stirring addition ‘I Know’, reinforcing why Beyer rates him so highly.
Elsewhere a string of debutants feature: buzzy newcomer Lilly Palmer gives us ‘Amnesie’, a brilliantly pummelling and eerie cut; Alex Lentini & Stomp Boxx serve up ‘Expanders’ mixing up drone effects, trippy vocals and an unsettling melody line; and Patrik Berg’s ‘Activated’ is full-bodied techno that drops down into funky rhythms.
Long-time DC family member Bart Skils brings his A-game with the thrilling no-nonsense ‘Solid State’ that hits like a steam train. Likewise, Alan Fitzpatrick who brings a momentous slab of techno energy with ‘Rochus’, while Thomas Schumacher, now feeling like a regular on the imprint, crafts another dark techno opus, this time in collaboration with CAITLIN.
There’s even a special appearance by the chief Adam Beyer, who makes a welcome return with the progressive-tinged ‘Changes’, driven by organic tones and spacey atmospherics. The track stands as his first original contribution to A-Sides since 2017.
From Wisdom Teeth’s recent compilation nagoyaka na kaze / 和やかな風 (quiet wind)—which cast a spotlight on the Japanese city of Nagoya—emerges “2++”, a new label launched by abentis, who curated the compilation alongside Facta and K-LONE as a central figure in the scene. Conceived as a series introducing facets of Nagoya’s underground electronic music to the world on vinyl, its inaugural release is abentis’ debut album, Dim Grow.
Across the album, intricately designed electronic mallet sounds—created using Ableton Live’s physical-modeling synthesizer—take center stage. Fresh and percussive like marimba or kalimba, yet simultaneously carrying an otherworldly, unreal quality, these tones form the core of the record’s sonic identity. In moments of near-silence, a crystalline resonance poised between glass and metal shimmers with subtle shifts in temperature, giving the album its distinctive texture.
While resonating with the sonic sensibilities of fellow Wisdom Teeth affiliates such as K-LONE, Tristan Arp, and Salamanda, abentis’ uniquely strange palette can be traced back to one of his strongest influences: Haruomi Hosono. In particular, Hosono’s mid-’70s tropical-infused solo albums — Tropical Dandy (1975), Bon Voyage Co. (1976), and Paraiso (1978) — serve as a key reference point. Symbolically reflected in Hosono’s marimba and vocal performance at a 1976 live show in Yokohama Chinatown, the marimba functioned as a central instrument for constructing imagined exotic landscapes inspired by Martin Denny and Hawaiian music.
For abentis—who worked at a local jazz bar before becoming active as a hip-hop beatmaker—the language of “tension chords,” a harmonic vocabulary rooted in jazz and R&B that hovers ambiguously between brightness and darkness, forms a consistent grammar throughout Dim Grow.
Behind the album’s core theme of “mallets + tension chords” lies a broad musical lineage: the harmonic sensibility of Claude Debussy, who anticipated the tensions of jazz; the proto-minimalist spirit of Erik Satie; the marimba-centered structures of Steve Reich; their continuation in Japan through Mkwaju Ensemble (with Midori Takada and production by Joe Hisaishi); and the subsequent branches into post-rock, electronica, and ambient music.
Growing up in Nagoya—an industrial city where creative independence is deeply valued—and being rooted in punk and hip-hop counterculture scenes naturally fostered abentis’ affinity with these predecessors. His practice between genres, combined with an encounter with the highly cross-pollinated musical perspective cultivated around Wisdom Teeth, provided the framework through which his own musical language crystallized. Dim Grow stands as the natural culmination of that journey.
UK producer and DJ Huxley return’s to Rekids with the ‘Pinball Skizzard’ EP, arriving 10th April 2026.
It follows last year’s ‘MIND G%MES’ EP, which marked his debut on Radio Slave’s label and won support from artists including Enzo Siragusa, Jennifer Loveless, Carista, and Laurent Garnier. Active for over two decades, the Dumb Safari label boss has left his mark, founding the online
R Trybe community with Ramin Rezaie/BAKKIS, while boasting label credits including Aus, 20/20 Vision, and collaborator Steve Bug’s Poker Flat.
Huxley opens the ‘Pinball Skizzard’ EP with ‘Pinball’, setting the tone with a hefty House groove, anchored by cavernous bass, and brought to life by old-school vocal touches and bright sax motifs that inject warmth and energy into the mix. ‘Heaven’ follows with a buoyant rhythm, pairing glowing chords and twinkling melodic details with deep, dubby low-end pressure designed to keep bodies locked in motion. ‘Deep Down’ shifts into a slinkier back-room groove, rich in atmosphere and soulful vocal fragments that underline its timeless house feel. Closing track ‘Felix’ rounds things out with a percussive roller built around vocal snippets and subtle tribal accents, delivering a stripped-back but effective finale that fits neatly within the Rekids aesthetic.
Longtime friend of the label Eraserhead returns after over a decade away from producing music due to his surreal MS Paint work as 'Jim'll Paint It' becoming an unexpected cultural phenomenon. With his debut full-length, 'Violence', Eraserhead presents a truly eclectic electronic LP featuring collaborations with established producers such as Om Unit, Enduser, and Brain Rays, as well as the vocal talents of Nadia Rose, Beans (of Antipop Consortium), and Cadence Weapon. An album held together by theme and tone rather than style or tempo, 'Violence' is the culmination of a bitter wave of inspiration, initially conceived in the wake of a personal tragedy that quickly grew into a broader polemic about the state of the world.
Originally linking up with Love Love in its breakcore netlabel infancy with his refined, breaks-heavy breakcore/gabba, Eraserhead's flair for tight, intricate productions was evident in his finely tuned tracks of controlled chaos. This time around, his work is a darker, more expansive evolution of his sound, with the scale upsized and the stylistic scope massively broadened, remaining unfaithful to any single genre, but with firm nods to Breakcore, Grime, Drum & Bass, Techno, Rave, Dubstep, and Footwork, all chewed up with a hard industrial edge and cinematically framed by a backdrop of apocalyptic synths.
Opening with the cold tech-noir of 'Shining Brainless Beacon' to set the tone, the album quickly locks in with the blistering spoken-word headrush of 'Hurricane With Teeth' alongside rapper Beans, before Om Unit lends his expertise on the sharp groove and clinical bass blasts of 'Operation Hardtack'. The album shifts and morphs constantly throughout the runtime, moving from the raw and urgent acid techno of 'Crowd Control' to the crunching military march of the Gore Tech collaboration 'No More Worlds' and the tribal sci-fi footwork of the Brain Rays collaboration 'Night Visions'. 'Monolith' provides a final burst of catharsis, channelling Underworld by way of Nine Inch Nails, complete with writhing screams from Amée Chanter of sludge-punk-noise-rock duo Human Leather, before the heart of the album is laid bare with the painfully bleak closing dirge of 'Animal'. In its final moments, 'Violence' leaves the listener suspended between devastation and awe - an unflinching portrait of an uncaring world.




















