Key:Upcoming
releases in blue. New releases in
red. Other news in black.
May 17 2010
From Burak Sar's rapidly-growing SIS project comes
two new records. The first is "Sceam," a tech-house gem out on Cocoon
Recordings. This is the A side, built around maniacally sinister vocals,
crisp 4/4 beats, and a minimal-cum-funky melody.
"Lola," out on Connaisseur, is more freely jazzy, populated with loose synths
which bubble and frolic joyfully. Meanwhile, a tight
four-to-the-floor kick is spanked by a foot-moving snare, making for a
momentous but carefree bit of electronic goodness.
Both can be purchased in high quality at
Beatport.
May 11 2010
I find this little nugget of minimal techno from
Uto Karem, out last month on the Maschine Love EP, to be
positively delightful. Long live the Plus 8 label.
"Black Jack"
May 10 2010
One favourite past-time of mine entails checking up on old
musicians, bands, and producers who've put out classic records in the
past, but have since fallen under the radar. For lack of a more
inventive name, I dub this exercise Then & Now.
As it turns out, the annals of electronic music
are especially ripe grounds for this sort of nostalgia. Perhaps mainly
because on the vast electronic scene, producers are like pebbles on a
beach -- painful on bare feet.
One genre I happen to enjoy is drum and bass. And
one particularly memorable track is 1999's "Bacteria," by Ed Rush and
Optical. Seriously, the evil basslines, the relentless breaks...
this achieves exactly what a great dnb single should -- it renders the
listener unable to contemplate doing anything other than getting up and
moving around:
Then
Recently I starting wondering what Ed Rush and
Optical were up to these days, as I'm not enough of a dnb/neurofunk
fanatic to keep up with such things. As it turns out, the duo, who go by
Ben Settle and Matt Quinn in
real life, have been steadily issuing records since 1997, primarily
through their own Virus Recordings imprint. Their latest cut, a
viciously slamming chunk of dnb carnage named "Crackball," just came out
on April 30, and is worth a listen from any casual electronic music
enthusiast:
Now
May 7 2010
This one sort of freaks me out, but it's kind of
too weird not to post here. Bristol's Dagger Brothers will haunt
your dreams with their goofily terrifying vocals. Set to vague dinko
disco. Opa!
May 6 2010
San Francisco's
Stripmall Architecture don't reinvent shoegaze, but they do the
genre fairly proud. This track is a lush, synthesizer-drenched stretch
of female vocals and melodic sweetness.
May 4 2010
Here we've got some rather lovely, shimmering
electronic pop from POPULOUS and Short Stories:
Elsewhere, obscure Chicagoans Panda Riot play a
surprisingly interesting blend of dream-pop. I'd hesitate to call this
song catchy, but it's oddly alluring:
Dirty Demos
JASON KERLEY - 'Infinit'
CDR
Better known for his beautiful illustration work
and breakbeat project Blackpepper, Dorset based artist Jason Kerley
unveils a more experimental side with his debut album featuring 19 sound
based pieces. Lovingly packaged in white digi-pack cases, hand numbered
edition of 100 with a personal pen sqiggle on each by Mr Kerley himself,
plus insert and label sticker featuring one of a series of 8 different
designs.
"There comes a time
when musicians search for new sounds and inspiration, taking paths that
lead to new horizons. The time came for these two artists. Four beautiful
collaborations feature on this cdr, each one twisting and turning through
the minds of the End Springs and George Thomas. Good friends working
together via the british postal service and the feathered warriors of the
sky.
White faced 3" cdr packaged in a clear pvc case
together with a cover featuring a feather from a british black and red
chicken. Includes a small insert. (Edition of 40)"
travels is the collaborative efforts of andrew
kirschner (relentless corpse) and mike haley (wether). two tracks,
assembled through the mail, of gut deep, seeping black waste. dark claws
grabbing a hold of your jaw and ripping slowly.
sprawling eurodrone from the crystal p. duo of
benjamin laurent aman and sean fergus barrett. dudes lay down some
nightmare thick leeches over the body and party like its 1799, getting all
the witchcraft out of ya and sending it into the night. a weird mixture of
bliss, misery, and satin oscillation from the sub-sub-basement.
905.69: ARABIAN BLADE + HEAVEN PEOPLE + BLOWN
DOORS "LIVE 'N FRIED @ WEIRD" C62
blown doors headed up to conneticut for some
solid jam and hang time with the new england crews of the blade and the
people. drank some brews, got toasty, then laid out the sounds at the
weird diner in bloomfield, ct. each set caught on tape, along with some
house party bonuses. numbered and limited to 17 copies, offered to the 905
mailing list only.
905.68: D/A A/D + NODOLBY SPLIT C92
all aboard cruise on the alien ship for an hour
and a half cosmo mind ride. d/a a/d handles the low-end, analog rumble
take off while nodolby communicates back to the home planet, full fledged
warble style. fly high, get probed, wake up in the woods.
