New York’s Mike Parker is set to release his next EP on Repitch, 10inch03, in early April.
Parker has been releasing techno records since the mid-90s, mainly through his own Geophone imprint, as well as Mote-Evolver, Semantica, Spectral Sound, and Repitch. 10inch03 is his first solo EP on the Berlin-based label (run by Ascion, D. Carbone and Shapednoise), following a 2014 split with loop-techno master Sleeparchive. It is a two-tracker, characterised by Parker’s typically tough, spaced out techno sound.
10inch03 will be available from April 6, and can be pre-ordered at the Repitch Bandcamp. Stream snippets below.
Arnvidur Snorrason (a.k.a. Exos) is set to release his first full EP of new material for over a decade, via Icelandic label Thule on April 25.
Exos began his career in the late 90s with Thule, producing the kind of dub techno that fit the label so well, before becoming involved with the likes of Mosaic and Force Inc. Music Works to. After a bit of a hiatus he has become active again in recent years, with a host of remixes, and an involvement in Nina Kraviz‘s трип imprint. Downgarden is his first EP of totally new material since 2003, and is business as usual, delving into dub techno.
Thule have also cued up another re-release (following on from recent represses of Ozy, Sanasol, and Exos himself) of Thor’s T1 / T2, in a campaign that is bringing many of the records that made them so important in the dub techno world back to the fore.
Downgarden is due out on April 25, and can be pre-ordered from Juno.
Wayne Goodlitt (aka Roska) is set to release his forthcoming 12″, “Grind / Tee Oh Ell,”under his Bakongo moniker on March 28 via Mele‘s music label Quadrants. The EP comes after the release of his third full-length LP, titled Refresh, on his Roska Kicks & Snares imprint. Having previously released two EPs under his Bakongo alias back in 2013, Roska has revitalized the project while keeping in its tradition of using a tribal, sparse, and nefarious sound that emulates his signature, bass-heavy style while adding an array of African-style drums.
You can stream the 12″ in full via the player below and be sure to check out more from Roska by visiting his SoundCloud page here.
Giving a fair and clear warning in its press release, the forthcoming collaborative LP Image Version from the Berlin-based sound artist holymachines and the visual artist/motion designer Aquiet is “not an easy album.” While the collection may not be the most manageable or accessible piece of music, it carries its own haunting, digital aura that leaves stunning ambient inflections and granulated traces in its wake. With Image Version, holymachines approaches his art through a method, which he refers to as “genre observation.” Rather than dredging up and reinterpreting various forms of music from contemporary culture, holymachines “absorbs smaller fragmentary snatches, deconstructing them and reassembling them as bold new sonic gestures.”
The album is set to drop on April 1 via Average Negative and to celebrate this forthcoming release, holymachines has offered up the LP cut “Ritual Pro” as today’s XLR8R download. Carrying itself with a percussive element that feels as though it’s been shattered like glass on the pavement, the track employs deep droning tones and a slew of warped static that evolves into a tapestry of coarse electronic noise.
You can download the track “Ritual Pro” below via WeTransfer. Check out more from holymachines by going to his Soundcloud page here.
This morning, UK producer Paul Woolford uploaded two cassette recordings of early 90s material from beloved and celebrated electronic music maestro Aphex Twin to SoundCloud. The first is a Peel Session from 1992 recorded for the BBC, and the second is an acid-filled live recording titled “Live From Sheffield Hallam University 1993.” [via THUMP href=”https://thump.vice.com/en_us/track/aphex-twin-1992-peel-session-stream-listen”]
Peel Session 1992 tracklist:
01. Afx 6 02. Illumineph 03. T Q T 04. Quintute 05. Blue Colx [sic .]
Henning Baer has shared details of an imprint he is setting up, called MANHIGH Recordings.
Baer is the Berlin-based techno DJ and producer known for his Grounded Theory parties around the city (and booking agency of the same name), as well as for setting up the K209 imprint alongside Milton Bradley. He has announced that this year he is launching a label called MANHIGH Recordings. Its debutant release is a six-tracker called Fighting The Dogs by Baer himself, which includes a remix by Blawan.
Fighting The Dogs is due out on vinyl and digitally from April 18. We caught up with Baer ahead of the release.
After establishing Grounded Theory, as well as the K209 label with Milton Bradley, it seems like a rational progression to break away and seek your own artistic freedom by starting your own label. What is the concept behind MANHIGH? Where do you wish to take its artistic direction? With MANHIGH I want to build a foundation for my own musical output, as well as artists both undiscovered and established, independent from Grounded Theory and K209. I want to have full control over what the label represents. Working together with people is great, but it also means compromising. With MANHIGH, I want to break out of that, and be able to do whatever I feel is right to do. It is a big step for me emotionally. I feel very light and free with this new imprint, looking at some exciting times!
When did you start getting into electronic music? What was it that sparked your interest in DJing and producing? I got into electronic music when I was around 14 or 15 because of my Sister (who is 8 years older than me). I can remember even earlier, when I was 12, that she was going to the 1995 May Day, and I found that pretty cool. She had all kind of rave magazines in her room, as well as tapes and vinyl. Also, at that time she had a boyfriend who was DJing and producing music. He was the coolest guy to me. The biggest impact on my desire to produce music myself, was when I went to visit him and his friend in the studio where we actually produced a track together. Since then I have been in love with hardware, producing music and DJing.
How do you think Berlin has influenced your musical career? You DJ a lot around the world, so what is your perspective of Berlin from the outside? Moving to Berlin 11 years ago changed a lot for me. I left the area around Frankfurt when I was 21, but for years prior to that I had already had some intense clubbing experiences, as it was a big Techno city. Moving to Berlin brought me into a different scene. The city was very different to everywhere I had been before. I experienced a different pace, a different way of going out. It was more relaxed as there was not so much driving involved. More time, no curfew, less restrictions, and more freedom. I am extremely happy that I made the move here. I owe the city and scene a lot.
As a traveling DJ I see many different clubs around the world, which allows me to put things in context. I can compare where I grew up, where I live now, and where I go to on the weekends. Very often cities I visit remind me of my time before I moved to Berlin. I understand why there is such a hype about moving to Berlin, as I know what it means not to be born here. There is not really anything comparable to Berlin for me. I realize that very often. All these parts of my identity determine what I am doing. I try to reflect that in my music, my DJ sets, and now also in my own imprint.
Dutch duo Harm Coolen and Merijn Schotte (a.k.a. Weval) have announced the release of their forthcoming self-titled debut album landing via Kompakt this June. Succeeding the Easier and It’ll Be Fine/Grow Up EPs—both out via Kompakt in 2014 and 2015 respectively—WEVAL, was recorded inside a repurposed building’s attic, where the artists locked themselves up for 24 hour work sessions. When describing the process, the duo was quoted saying, “we tried to find beauty in imperfection. It makes things sound more human.”
The forthcoming LP will be available in both vinyl and digital formats. You can hear album cut “I Don’t Need It,” above.
Tracklisting:
01. Intro 02. The Battle 03. I Don’t Need It 04. Square People 05. Madness 06. Ways To Go 07. You’re Mine 08. Days 09. Just In Case 10. You Made It (Part I) 11. You Made It (Part II) 12. Years To Build
British producer Dave Clarke has announced an exclusive Record Store Day release comprising a host of remixes made by himself, out in April.
Clarke has been central to the development of British techno and electro since the 90s, though he is now based in Amsterdam. In celebration of International Record Store Day, he is releasing a selection of remixes produced by himself, via N.E.W.S. Records. Clarke covers a lot of ground on the release (most of which was made from his new Dutch home), tackling “punk to New Beat” and “fast rising modern day artists to sadly disbanded bands,” including the likes of Placebo, I Am Kloot and The Soft Moon.
It is not the first time that Clarke has turned his hand to this sort of project. He garnered plenty of attention with his remixes of Depeche Mode, The Chemical Brothers, Gary Numan, and many more over the years.
‘Charcoal Eyes: A selection of remixes from Amsterdam’ will be released on red vinyl, CD and digitally on April 16, featuring a two verse poem penned by the man himself. Check out the full tracklist for the vinyl below (note that the digital release will feature bonus reworks of the likes of Crash Course In Science).
Vinyl Tracklist:
Placebo – Scene Of The Crime (Dave Clarke Remix) Maelstrom & Louisahhh! – Rough & Tender (Dave Clarke Remix) The Soft Moon – Wrong (Dave Clarke Remix) Neon Judgement – TV Treated (Dave Clarke Remix) Gazelle Twin – Exorcise (Dave Clarke Remix) Amazing Snakeheads – Here It Comes Again (Dave Clarke Remix) I Am Kloot – These Days Are Mine (Dave Clarke Remix) Digital 21 + Stefan Olsdal – Rebellion (Dave Clarke Remix) A Place To Bury Strangers – Straight (Dave Clarke Remix)
Detroit label, Aesthetic Audio, has announced the release of an upcoming split record set to land this May, featuring remixes by label-boss Keith Worthy, Hieroglyphic Being and Steven Tang. As reported by RA, the forthcoming 12-inch will mark the label’s first release since 2014—Worthy’s own debut album entitled, The Price Of Non-Conformance. Described by the imprint as “deep & bumpy acid house fresh out of the mid-west,” the forthcoming record will be available in vinyl format, followed by a digital release, in the coming months.
Hear snippets of the upcoming 12-inch on the player, below.
Tracklisting:
A1 Keith Worthy – Rarified Air (K-Dub’s Original Mix) A2 Keith Worthy – Rarified Air (K-Dub’s Original Dub) B1 Keith Worthy – Rarified Air (Hieroglyphic Being Experience 43 Mix) B2 Keith Worthy – Rarified Air (Steven Tang’s Dense Air Reprise)
Abstract Frequencies will land via Aesthetic Audio on May 3, 2016.
For dance-music enthusiasts of a certain vintage—okay, we’ll get specific: aging ravers—the new five-tracker from Brooklyn threesome Sasha Desree, Jan Woo and Rezzie Avissar will bring back hazy memories of dewy festival fields, rainbows in the sky and glowing flowers underfoot. Released on Vancouver’s on-a-roll 1080p, the EP has something of an lysergic-tinged, throwback feel to it—it does a nifty job of referencing those relatively innocent of the early ’90s, when the general acid-house public first fully realized that their beloved music was as much for feeding the head as it was for jacking the box.
But to dismiss All My Dreams as a nostalgia trip would be a mistake—these five songs are assured, rich works, no matter what the era. Sure, part of the enjoyment that the tracks bring comes from thinking about their reference points, whether or not those references were intentional on the part of the three producers. The swooning coos and uplifting chord changes of “Wild Heart”? They’re a bit reminiscent of the Chill mix of Psychedelic Research Lab’s “Tarenah”—but rather than resting amid a sea of 303 bubbles, those elements sit within a rich bed of angelic choirs, a bass throb providing the song’s heft. The title track? Its gentle touch, hypnotic use of vocal samples and skittering percussion bring back memories of Carl Craig’s Mind mix of Maurizio’s “Domina,” conjuring the same eyes-to-the-sky aura of that sublime classic—but “All My Dreams” is a far more fleshed affair, with a melody that would warm the coldest of stone-cold hearts.
Those rich, goosebump-raising melodies work that kind of magic throughout the EP. “Play Infinite” features a four-chord structure that’s almost buried beneath the deluge of heavenly synths washes, but it’s enough to infuse the track with emotion to spare. The killer woodblock snare and Detroit-esque bassline don’t hurt—and is that a sax in there? The fluttering “Thinking Too Loud” might be the trio’s take on piano-drenched Italo-house, soaring glissandos weaving in and out of the mix. (Those bird samples might add a little too much ’90s realness, but we’ll let it slide.) The throbbing “Noah’s Ark” might be the toughest tune of the bunch—it’s got a touch of menace about it—but even here, a sublime melody and inventive arrangement give the number a floating feel that runs throughout the release. Really, you don’t need to employ any old-school references to enjoy these serotonin-rush tracks—though they might be a bit too lush for some, they’re rewarding, and quite beautiful, on their own. But then again, if you happen to be a DJ with access to a time machine, you might want to give All My Dreams a go at your next early-’90s forest-glen rave.
