Nicola Ratti - Ossario Volumes I & II [Holidays Records Promo]

Coming from Italy and being recently released on two seperate, limited to 300 copies white vinyl 12" pressings on Holidays Records is Nicola Ratti's new ten track release "Ossario" which - according to the info sheet coming alongside the promotional CDr - basicly focuses on sounds generated by modular synthesizer, tapes and samples to a darkening, skeletal and and unprocessed effect that is somewhat reminiscent of the slow, continuous motion of gargantuan alien machines and the surreal sounds of their steady operating process in extraplanetary industrial sites. Defined electronic pulses and gnarling mid to low frequencies are painting a bleak, futurist sonic picture whilst uberly cold, droning athmospheres add up to the panoramic view over barren, devastated territories. But as the time passes one starts to recognize more and more organic sample work of a warmer nature shining through - twisted instruments, even more or less natural sounding (prepared ?) piano tones and slightly processed percussion of a kind of ritual nature. With the untitled sixth track of the CDr which we presume to be A1 of "Ossario Volume II" Nicola Ratti introduces chirping melody fragments on tilt mode, creating an ultimate danger zone feel on top of heavily compressed beats that might be filed under the flag of Industrial Electronica - see former releases on labels like Hymen or Block4 as a reference here - whilst the following tune brings the work of Rachel Kozak / Hecate under her Raquel De Grimstone-alias to mind, serving haunting vocals and an intense, ritualistic attitude. Later on we find examples of a specific, calm Deep Listening sound one might describe as Unambient due to the various layers of feedback noises and irritating modulations accumulating on top of dreamy electronic creations, a short, meta-rhythmic and tribal'esque skit as well as a frolicking, microprocessed Electronica piece that provides the most positive, partly even happy sonic connotation of Nicola Ratti's most recent work. Recommended to fans of Autechre, Hainbach and other like-minded projects.

Jeopardy - Scouse Ebonics (Official Video)

Stuck in Liverpool and not gettin'  a word? This one might help. "Scouse Ebonics" 4 life.

28.06.2014 lsb_TV presentz #chilloutberlin TV @ Alex TV / Berlin

starting @ midnite - ending on sunday 6 a.m

streaming worldwide via Alex.TV...

featuring baze.djunkiii / Uli Sigg / Monsieur Fleury / ADSX / Dr. Walker / Omsk Information

set time baze.djunkiii from  00.00 - 01.00 cet+1

also join our chat!

Soley - Kromantik [Morr Music 130 Promo]

With eight tracks and a total playtime of less than 17 minutes "Kromantik" is not what you'd call a second album crafted by the Icelandic artist Soley Stefansdottir a.k.a. Soley after her also Morr Music-released solo debut "We Sink" in 2011. Rather than that "Kromantik" caters a collection of tiny, partly dark'ish or melancholia-driven, always tender and intimate Piano compositions and also improvisations with reverberant notes and a moldy but well versant feel, like one is entering his or hers grandma's long time closed and dusty attic as an adult again, a place one spent hours and hours playing in as a child but that went out of focus in teenage years for a reason. Things feel distant but still familiar after all the years gone by, a bit of nostalgia strikes in a way that also might occur throughout watching old silent movies and one - suddenly - feels at home again. And so one does whilst listening to "Kromantik" which is surely recommended for on-repeat listening sessions in front of an open fire. A lovely bit.

The D.O.T. x Oscar - Less Than Tommorrow

Nothing but a huge ting!

Steve Bug - Till It’s Gone feat. Delhia De France (Official Video)

Recognized as an "Autistic Interpretation of Mathematics" by Thump, where the video was premiered only recently, this piece created by the Zeitguised studios is one of the best and also most amusing, humorous electronic music videos we've seen in recent years. Full support and maximum props for a piece that brings back the idea of what electronic, electronically created music and its visual components were meant to be about when this movement started.

Short Film: Barry Cant Arf Weld

Discovered this one on twitter via Innate and found this a wonderful example how industrial manufacturing and processing shots work very well along Deep Listening Music and Ambient.
The films score is produced by long time pioneers The Black Dog who have delivered some great classics throughout their 20+ years lasting career which is another reason for every electronic music lover not to miss out on this one.

Jesse Osborne-Lanthier (Noir) / The H / Madison Dinelle / Hobo Cubes - On Organization: A Study Of Form In Pictures And Music [Los Discos Enfantasmes 050]

A conceptual combined media piece "On Organization"? A Clicks'n'Cuts mini album coming with an art book edition? A limited work of science transferring visual data into highly abstract, musical pieces or the other way round exploring the evolution of 3D space into higher forms of multidimensionalism musically, starting from simple two dimensional flatlands and rocketing of into a multifold quantum universe where only geometrically exposed photographs make up a whole picture due to weird effects of warped space time? Although none of these questions is truly answered by this collaborational quadruple artist mini album that comes as limited to 500 pieces CD + book edition it's a quite remarkable piece, fusing Deep Listening music and highly electronic, micro-detailed Clicks'n'Cuts to calm but still thrilling effects - partly sounding like a long lost alien transmission or the friendly chatter of electronic microservants. Fully recommended for those loving the abstract conceptualism of labels like Mille Plateaux or Raster-Noton as well as the clean, puristic elegance of the 2007-founded Electroton imprint.

Stephen Steinbrink - Arranged Waves [Melodic Promo]

Forthcoming via the UK-based imprint Melodic on July 7th is "Arranged Waves", the sixth full length studio album of Stephen Steinbrink which is now re-released for a wider audience after being initially put out via Christian Filardo's Arizona-based Holy Page label as a limited cassette tape edition. And although we've kinda turned our heads into folk'ish things a bit throughout the last two years or so it took quite a bit to embrace Mr. Steinbrinks more easy, harmonic, estival and surely 80s-induced view on Folk stylewise as we're usually rather going for the blurry, melancholia driven aspects of the genre. But the straighter, sparse and - despite being played by a human being - drum machine-like beats of "A Simple Amateur Of Your Ideal World" accompanied by tender, psychedelic harmonies opened our ears and so did the "Synesthetic Ephemera" surfing the same wave on an uptempo level, providing flanging guitars and a rich melodious foundation for late summer evenings with a balmy breeze going on. Introducing the "Brand New Maniac Brain Holder" Stephen Steinbrink even uses Field Recordings of church bells and provides a whole, though self-absorbing song based on feedbacks and drones before he returns to the intimate Easy Folk / Singer-Songwriter thing again which is a bit too trival and arbitrary for us. Going through the rest of the album we see the 80s return with cheesy offbeats and plastic drums on "It's So Pretty What You Did For Me" to great, brightening effect which makes this one the best and most outstanding song on "Arranged Waves" whilst "It Takes A Lot To Change Your Mind" is dealing with relationship issues on a more abstract level. "Sand Mandalas" introduces blurry, soft-focused and kitsch dripping emotions and so does "Impress My Memory" although abstaining from any percussion elements whilst the short, instrumental, title providing closing tune recalls masterly crafted Post-PostRock on a highly intimate level. Not necessarily everyone's cup of tea for mentioned reasons but a proper, possibly a bit short-lived Folk album for this summer season.

The 80 Rules of Social Media

Usually these pages are not about tech or marketing strategy talk but I just came across a blog by Jeremy Waite today that on point describes and breaks down smart social behaviour for brands and companies to their very essence plus - and that is a huge bonus - are hilariously amusing.

Totally seconding the full post but especially the rules

#5
#6
#9
#25 in parts
#30
#31 with a special dedication to a lot of music promo agencies 
#62
#71 by far the most important one
#78.

Get to know them via  The 80 Rules of Social Media

Yucca - Seasons [AdP Records Promo]

If you like your Indie Rock with a ruffer edge, stadium-like attitude and a massive, muscular, electronic drive you are defo recommended to watch out for Yucca's new longplay piece "Seasons" that's about to be unleashed via AdP Records on beautiful, dark blue'ish vinyl within the next days. Driven by their anxiety for huge shout-a-long anthems with a complex twist the five piece outfit from Nürnberg is on a high octane fueled ride with their eleven tracks here, crashing dancefloors with songs like "Lass Mich Ich Sein" incorporating bits and pieces from Punk and Grunge whilst killing things with lines like "I Need No More. I Need No Win. I Need I Need No Mask, I Need To Drink", fusing stiff, robotic beats with shoegazing desert guitars and heavy, Noize-laden MathRock meets piano breakdowns ("Between The Lines"), easily embedding Faithless-reminiscing Rave-stabs into bangers big as a "Home" and delving deep into Wave-/ GothRock-referring melancholia with the albums title track to be found on B1. More Shoegaze / Desert Rock that meets raw, highspeed Indie is to be found via the sample, cut-up heavy heartbreak-dealing "Never The Same", "Close" explores edgy and epic Pop realms whilst "Intimacy" hops on a more melodic train with a song that still lives up to Yucca's wall-of-sound philosophy that's one of the bands preferred stylistic devices musically. Closing the "Seasons" album with "Wake Up" Yucca caters a bit of tongue-in-cheek humour whilst interweaving falsetto-fied background vocals and lo-fi'ish 80s-Disco references in their Indie vision. That's what we'd call a proper, pretty entertaining album - go and check!

Heavy Grime Freestyle: SMH Ft. Saskilla, Tre Mission, Manga & Tommy Spitz

Killa collabo freestyle. #melikey

NoncomplianceTV: Passenger Records Interview with Brent Newitt from Aquasky 28th May 2014 PT 2

Great interview - if you've missed the first part, just click here.

The Impellers feat. Clair Witcher - My Certainty [Legere Recordings Promo]

One to watch out for for all lovers of Nu- and classic Funk as well as a sweet Vintage vibe is the recent release of the Hamburg-based Legere Recordings, the full length effort "My Certainty" brought to us by the longtime established Brighton'esque outfit The Impellers and their main vocalist Clair Witcher. Rolling on a deep, laid back but still heavy hitting and well hung foundation that can be uptempo and crowd rocking like the "Last Dance Of The Moai", dope  like "Another Day" but also break things down to intimate, Soul-driven ballads dealing with essential questions occuring in everyone's life at one point or another - take "Can't Change Me" for example that's telling tales of gnawling self-doubts and crisis - The Impellers rack up a quite diverting bunch of fourteen tracks here that'll surely be a nice and delightful companion throughout late summer nights cocktail 'n fling sessions. Quality. 

Buttering Trio - Toast [Raw Tapes Records Promo]

Scheduled for release on June 20th via the Tel Aviv-based imprint Raw Tapes Records is "Toast", the first full length album effort of the Buttering Trio consisting of KerenDun, Rejoicer and Beno Hendler which caters a very special musical mixture that could possibly be named as Novelty Downbeat with influences taken from Dope Beats, Bollywood / Bhangra - see "Ganja Man" and "Falafel" for this - heavy Dub basslines, (Neo)Soul, Skweee and positive but relatively leftfield and weird sounding, genre-bending Electronica classics like the totally underrated "Eclektronics" album released by Jean-Jacques Perrey & David Chazam on Basenotic Records back in 1998. No matter if it's beatless, electronically distorted, vary-tempo Future Soul for aliens like in "27" which will be loved by fans of Fatima Al Qadiri and Burial alike, super-dope basslines groovers like the Nicolette'esque "No Joke", the pastry-related Retro Space Funk in "Berliner" (which is the name of a delicious German pastry item), the deep but not really Balearic uptempo beats in "Ibiza" or the bassheavy SkweeeStep of "Dracula" - the Buttering Trio knows how to keep things fresh, exciting and leftfield without turning their heads into eclecticism just for the reason of being eclectic, different and as far out as possible. Things fall in place here quite easy and naturally, in a pretty enjoyable and fascinating way. Watch out for this one!

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *Cyril Hahn Remix (Music Video)

A lot of kitsch and a whole lot of cliche invlvd in this one but as I always had a thing for the original track plus loved most of the bootlegs that were to be found on the circuit at the time this Future Garage meets DeepHouse thing touches me as well. 

baze.djunkiii Charts 06/2014

01. Laibach - Spectre [Mute Records]
Check German review for details... 

02. Fatima Al Qadiri - Asiatisch [Hyperdub]
Check review for details... 

03. The Skull Defects - Dances In Dreams Of The Known Unknown [Thrill Jockey Records Promo]
Check review for details... 

04. Tunng - Turbines [Full Time Hobby]
Although I've already reviewed this longplayer by the British Folk-outfit Tunng for FAZE Magazine when it was released back in 2013 it took a while until I managed to add the full release vinyl pressing to my collection - and it's a great one to accompany a warm, sunny summer with its tenderly embracing vibes that - despite of using some electronic instruments - are not that experimental and leftfield as one possibly could expect from a band that is often referred to as providing Experimental Folk. More than that, Tunng do not only write lovely songs but are also to cater the Folk-loving dancefloor with hits like "By This" or the clap-heavy, sing-a-long song "The Village" that's driven to heights by a simple but fascinating Dub'esque electronic offbeat tone. With "Follow Follow"  Tunng even manage to get the Indietronics crew swinging along beats that will be also loved by those following bands like Pulka or the long-time defunct Digital Kranky-imprint whilst "Embers"  are floating on angelic, wide-spaced vocals and the "Heavy Rock Warning" turns out to be an intimate, introverted closing song. Recommended for a reason.

05. Jesse Osborne-Lanthier (Noir) - Athenaeum Of Unedited, Superannuated, Incomplete, Unreleased, Intimate Works, 2011 - 2013  [Hobo Cult Records Promo]
Check review for details... 

06. Oni Ayhun [OAR 003]
Olof Bjorn Dreijer of The Knife-fame explores the realms of deep, thrilling and very Motor City-flavored Techno under his secret alias Oni Ayhun with this one. Originally released in 2009 and repressed in 2010 this one is quite a blast with tripping, melodic synths and cinematic strings spread out over a straightforward 4/4 foundation catered on the untitled A-side that also could've been released via a great label like R&S Records throughout it's great 1993 / 1994 period. Same goes for the excellent and even more fascinating, melodious Intelligent Techno piece on the flip that is stretched out over more than 10 minutes but is so lovely and loveable that it could literally run forever without ever being tiring. A masterpiece in its own right.

07. Alex Blaxx - It's Been Done Before [Dessous Recordings 121 Promo]
Seems like Steve Bug's Dessous Recordings has been embracing the original sound of DeepHouse with this one again, a sweet four track 12" - although only three tunes are mentioned on the label, so we're about to refer to B2 as hidden track - by the relatively fresh producer Alex Blaxx who has been making first waves with his 2012 appearance on Buzzin' Fly. With the title track Mr. Blaxx builds a bridge between deepness, nice and airy, more positive, uplifting melodies falling together as a timeless variation on House music music, whilst the "Gilmore Hereaux" brings in a darker, kinda raw and storming approach, serves delicate female vocal snippets and a demanding piano motif working itself into spiralling climaxes and high energy realms. Plus: do not forget the synth sirens to be found here. With B1 on the flip Mr. Blaxx seems to embrace the seductive SlowHouse groove, adds some simple but lovely stabs, a techy, hypnotic and ever repeating tone and likes to keep thing quite reduced and stripped down when serving a sex driven, late night affair that turns out to be a fine closing tune with a female vocal sample singing "Different from the rest...". Finally we see the unnamed hidden track serving an ecstatic, lively variation of classic House music, bringing in killer melodies that are kind 94'ish and a whole lot of energy for prime time crowds.

08. Supershirt - Der Vierte Affe [Audiolith Promo] 
Check review for details... 

09. Unknown Artist - Unknown Release [Unknown Label Promo]
Check review for details...

10. Mental Overdrive - Mønster [Love OD] 
I actually stumbled across this tune whilst reviewing Mental Overdrive's "Everything Is Connected" album and although the 12" version of "Mønster" is slightly differentand not that UK Funky-related as the album cut is it's still a heavy, slightly oldskool-driven Rave banger with maximum impact for sure. The flipside tune "Ritual" starts out with a seductive bassline and a longing organ motif slightly reminiscing of Jaydee's alltime classic "Plastic Dreams" talking the tunes atmosphere here before it evolves into to a percussive, tribalistic banger that caters some mind bending bass tones in its last quarter.

NoncomplianceTV: Passenger Records Interview with Brent Newitt from Aquasky 28th May 2014 PT 1

About a year ago we hooked up with Brent Newitt to talk "18 Years Of Aquasky" and we're pretty pleased to see the head of Passenger Records in an in depth interview session with NoncomplianceTV these days. Big up!

No More Emails To The Editor

Dear labels, artists, promo agencies,

after more than 9 years in blog format and overall a minimum of 15 years online as a website today - for the first time in this long period - nitestylez.de decided to remove all email contacts given from the website and will not put them up again. The reason for this is the fact that there's still a flood of annoying newsletters and emails offering private soundcloud or other download promos coming in, even though we've clearly stated in red bold letters in the sidebar that this site is not dealing with digital promos from no-one and with no exceptions.

This site does not support digital only formats for a reason and the fact that some - or many / most - of you are still trying to get through with digital promos and simply ignore a clear and simple statement like this is seen as an ongoing and continuous act of  disrespect for the work that has been put into this website, that keeps this site alive, up and running with approx. 2500 posts and reviews written by one single person within the past 9 years alone. And this single person is not willing to waste an hour a day anymore, explaining to 100% ignorant persons, bands, artists and promoters why this website does not accept digital promo submissions from noone. This hour is better spent with what nitestylez.de is about - reviewing music.

If you are really interested in getting your music featured here - make the effort to send promotional sound carriers like CD, vinyl or even tape directly to the adress given. Your stuff will be reviewed, you'll be getting a message when the review is live, because this website does care about music and the artists and their message behind it.

But since "promo" has changed from doing things from the heart to a menacing pestilence that floods every possible magazine, blog and even smallest tumblr site that does offer a contact opportunity with newsletters, bulk mails and cheap, worthless, low quality files the time has come to pull the plug.

Due to all this, there's no more emails to the editor. Please send postcards.

baze.djunkiii / nitestylez.de

Lewi B - Item 9 (Free Download)

Get ready to get experience the ultimate wobble. One for the jumping and bubbling crew and this one is madness.

Orlando Voorn - Black Diamond [Outelectronics Promo]

Scheduled for June 2nd via Outelectronics is Orlando Voorn's "Black Diamond" album, the third one  within his production career of two decades that includes an impressive stock of remixes and releases on imprints like R&S Records, Ignitor, Underground Liberation, Detroit Dancer, ESP Records, Push, Superstition Records, Underground Resistance and many more. And it's this experience and mastership that shows when it comes to his latest longplay outing, a nearly 72 minutes long ten track journey through the whole spectrum of electronic dance music with a 'troity twist. The opener "Rewind" turns out to be a deep excursion into classic, though Ambient-flavored Electro, the title track unveils a love for classic Funk embedded in frolicking melodies and expertly crafted, abstract string constructions on top of a 4/4 foundation whilst "Relaxation" serves hypnotic strings, heavy, unprocessed bassdrums and a steady cumulation of elements, like decent Acid cuts, incisive hi-hats and vivid synth stabs - an amalgamation to die for when played out to a Techno loving audience lusting for the next ultimate climax. Due to that this track should be renamed to "Excess" for a reason. "Acid Trip" fully lives up to its name being a snare heavy tune to be filed under the flag of mind-bending  HypnoAcid, the floating and trippy "Travelling Through The Speed Of Time" unveils a deep understanding of what the term Intelligent Techno should be used for in 2014 and the marching "Shifter Bass" with its staggered bassdrums and calm, droning and Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia-reminiscing strings is going down the same alley although featuring more lively but still abstract synth motifs. Talking the positive and kinda cheering sunrise vibe of "Morning Dawn (Hi-tech Soul Mix)" this one's defo made to please all followers of Detroit's finest Underground Resistance in their less aggressive, soulful moments whilst "Gain Upwards" is a full on DJs tune - straight in your face Techno made for maximum dancefloor impact. Towards the albums end we see "Higway Soul" spreading a more conciliatory vibe before the closing "Hydrotech" kills dancefloors with a huge, anthemic ClubTechno sound, serving rich but sterile future stabs and punching, displosive claps. Call this one a banger? You're damn right. Fully recommended album that holds back its best track until the very end is nigh.

Dr. NoiseM - Death [Dr. NoiseM Tapes]

Whoever that mysterious Dr. NoiseM is - it's pretty obvious that this guy has a thing for a) epic, excess length releases and b) hyper limitations as his "Death" album is a) stretched over three 90 minute tapes and b) is limited to only thirteen, hand numbered copies world wide. Yes, 13 that is. With each side of each tape holding one single, 40+ minutes long piece that could be an album of its own this one changes the perception of the album format radically and - due to the limitation factor and its very special packaging - is crossing over into the fields of conceptual art. Starting with A1 we see an ever repeating three tone sine loop as main motif running alongside alien winds and various, droning Dark Ambient vibrations and wafting, melancholia-laden synth tones telling tales of seafarers yen, romanticism and minor-tuned wanderlust. Flipping the tape for A2 we find reclusion and alienation in their most perfect, audible form. Frosty winds and farthest machine movements, technical signals and lost audio warnings announcing motor activies that have fallen silent ages ago whilst a creeping manifestation of naught begins to form with an electrically buzzing induced power noise effect. One is literally able to feel dark powers in motion, evil nonentities floating due to extrasensual effects and brooding pestilence being born in parallel dimensions beyond our imagination, causing shadows to grow in frosty corners whilst dead apparatuses coming to live again in abandoned laboratories. With B3 - the first side of the second tape - the listener is greeted with an icy crackle varying in loudness, intensity and modulation soon accompanied by spooky, abrading metal tones coming from inside of a huge tank or chamber like the movements of an awakening, large unknown entity. Large, hollow spaces seem to be one of the main topics the artist seems to deal with here - spaces low but too wide to provide proper echoes but with an overall sonic atmosphere depicting their spatial dimensions. When it comes to B4 we're sucked into avery threatening, intense aural environment that can be described as Noize and Drone-layered reproduction depicting the aftermath of a deadly and contagious disease turning the global population into a sickening mess of walking dead. But around halfway through the Noize mutates into a more - still unresting and outlandish - variation of Death Ambient loaded with heaps of perturbing sounds and a generally alarming feel that's not made for the weak-heartened. Those loving their Drone and Death Ambient being deep and contemplative are recommended to listen closely to the opening sequence of C5 bringing on sacred, ritualistically floating sounds which are kind of comparable to classic works provided by artists like Tarkatak or Kallabris, celebrating the fascination of solitude and deep-felt dolor in their sparse but sprawled musical journeys. Throughout the runtime of approximately 40+ minutes Dr. NoiseM does not only serve this feel of isolation in perfection but also adds, starting around minute 25 or so, slow grinding robotic movements and sound like taken from a huge, gigantic respiratory protective device to his C5 track which results in a hard to bear one for those suffering from depressive disorders. Finally C6 takes the isolationist view on things even further, leaving the Drone aspect being stuck in the very background and fully focusing on the robotic tones familiar from the track before. After a while these are drawn into psychedelia driven spirals of decaying sounds from time to time, like those appearing in old time travelling-focused sci-fi flics when people jump from period of time to another - preferrably when they're beamed to cold, frosty and hostile regions, lifeless planets or abandoned spaceships. But after about two thirds of the tape even these noises fade out to silence, the illusion of a faraway female voice seems to be flashing through the speakers for a second or two and one cannot be sure if this was just psychoacoustic smoke and mirrors or reality as the final silence is too overwhelming to allow deeper thoughts on this question. What a journey.