Bluff - Eminenzen 1 [Shhhh Records 003 Testpress]

Upcoming on November 4th is cat.no. 003 of one of the most exciting, most thrilling and most underrated labels around these days - yes, we're talking about Shhhh Records here. Started in 2011 and only distributed via Otaku Records in Germany they're walking in huge footsteps soundwise with the release of Bluff's "Eminenzen 1", the start of an upcoming five records in-label series, tributing to the conceptual, hissing, technoid minimalism once provided and pioneered by labels like Profan and mixing that up with looped and layered pieces of old shellac records. Looped and layered does not necessarily mean that these loops and layers follow the basic 4/4-scheme, some seem to be a bit off-rhythmic, weirdly pitched and puzzling, combining the orginal recorded aesthetics with a straight and clean production - a thing they call "meta-retro" in their release sheet. This term sounds a bit made-up to me but no matter what, the overall feel is like what could be named TechnoJazz if this hadn't been used for some of the rhythmically abstract and loose productions of guys like Cari Lekebusch or Steve Stoll before. Maybe this record could be seen as a continuation of their concept although this time it's not the beats floating around freely.
"Eminenzen 1" might also appeal to those who're into contemporary styles like the so-called GypsyTechno / GypsyMinimal that is fusing all kind of tuba, klezmer, gyspy and other sounds with electronic dancefloor culture so if you're spinning this kind of stuff, make sure to grab a copy, too.