Vic Santoro & Merky ACE - Let Him Have It

More good stuff from the UK streets that's appeal both to HipHop and Grime fans alike.

Darq E Freaker - 2C-I

The man widely recognized under the name of Darq E Freaker gets hyper with a new 12" release to come via Big Dada in April. One for the PostRave dancefloor, this.

Owl Rave - "" [Interstellar Records 038 Promo]

Put on the circuit as cat.no. 038 of the Austrian imprint Interstellar Records in the second half of December 2k15 was Owl Rave's cryptically titled debut album, a seven track piece that mainly draws inspiration from David Lynch's uber-classic "Twin Peaks" as stated in the release info. And we surely can see where they're coming from with this statement as the opener "Wellness At One Eye Jacks" provides a mysterious, super misty feel unfolding on a foundation of slow Downbeat whilst a lonely guitar is telling tales of melancholia and greyscale days in dark'ish forrests and the follow-up "Searching" is providing an ethereal, yet desperate Darkwave Blues mixed up with Morricone'esque influences from his Spaghetti Western-era and vampire-like vocals from the grave. In "A Knife For Every Heart" these haunting vocals are accompanied by droning guitar distorsions and Slo-Mo Metal for the headstrong, "In Sarah's Dream" the band explores unsettling Dark Ambient spheres and the "Fright Car" is best described as Occult Industrial with Spoken Words, horrific non-human screams and nerve-wrecking amounts of static Noize - a perfect score for a horror flic like "The Horribly Slow Murdered With An Extremely Inefficient Weapon". Furthermore "Amy" seems to live in the highlands of planet DarkJazz and the final tune "Find Me" surprisingly gravitates towards lively, complex DreamPop and spaced out harmonies for a better future. Quite a fascinating debut, this is. and it surely seems like the future is bright for Owl Rave and their fans.    

Dr. NoiseM - The CDr A-B-C: H [Dr. NoiseM Tapes]

Coming up next in Dr. NoiseM's "The CDr A-B-C"-series is the letter "H", the logical follow up to its predecessor and yet headed in a different musical direction. We're seeing the trademark rasping respiratory sounds of this series making a comeback here although the overall tempo seems to be a significantly slower one and instead of the uplifting, angelic feel of "G" the overall mood leans towards solemn melancholia with string arrangements pleasing fans of slowly evolving drones and Deep Listening Music in general whilst making a tender musical turn towards a peaceful deliverance throughout the course of its 64 minutes runtime. Another timeless classic for sure. Check!

Phoria - Saving Us A Riot

A first glimpse on the debut album of Brighton-based Folk-outfit Phoria that's scheduled for release on June 3rd, 2k16 via Humming Records. Expectations are high after this amazing teaser piece.

Dr. NoiseM - The CDr A-B-C: G [Dr. NoiseM Tapes]

The next letter in Dr. NoiseM's ongoing "The CDr: A-B-C" series has arrived and with 'G' the sonic explorations of musical experimentalisms continue throughout another nonstop album effort of 76 minutes total play time. Still on a Cold Ambient tip on this one we see the producer being on a more positive, uplifting and kinda harmonic musical note here, providing a steady swell of icy, resonating beauty taking the listener into eternity and beyond. Defo a most calming and tranquil album, this.

Sascha Müller [Super Six Records Extra 041]

And we're off for another round of Sascha Müller tracks on his very own imprint Super Six Records Extra which is now offering its cat.no. 041 - the next full length album piece featuring a full dozen of tracks from the vaults of the producer who never sleeps. With the opener "Mystery Man" we're experiencing a hard-filtered Techno tool for highly energetic moments in our favorite underground venue, "Mixomat" is on a raw, unprocessed Techno tip whilst catering some dry'n'complex beat structures which provide a nice skitty demo feel and the heavy kick of "More Space Invaders" is the portal to a world ruled by gooey, hypnotic AcidTechno. "Music" caters a sweet, deep space Electro / Electronica-hybrid and abuses a sample taken from the famous oldskool Rave vocal 'Music's hypnotizing...' before "My World" caters Proto-Breakbeats and Chemical Beats alongside epic string arrangements, chirping birds and balearic chords. "Nagasaki" brings in fast-paced Acid Rave vibes for all those still loving the likes of Emmanuel Top or Awex, "Orion Nebel" is a tweaking take on cold, scientific, nerve-wrecking Acid minimalism and "Phasenindikator" comes across as bouncy, slightly tribal-influenced Techno that keeps crowds busy with morse code-like modulations, tripping background synths and raw drummachine claps. Furthermore "Pounder (Electro Mix)" is more on a classic, masterly crafted TechnoJazz tip than serving Electro in its purest form and can defo be referred to as the most fascinating and darkest, most threatening track on this album which will surely appeal to all those appreciating the work of producers like Warlock or the Rag &  Bone label for a reason. "Robot Energy" relies on a quite surprising foundation of backward bassdrums and underwater chords alongside highly repetetive vocoder snippets and trancey signals, "Scene 21" brings back some hard-hitting primetime Techno and finally "Schnittkante" enters thrilling HypnoTech realms with a 'troity twist. Quality stuff for sure.

Murena Murena - Lovely Homes

This is what we call a proper Novelty song. Murena Murena are announcing their forthcoming album "Shame Over" which is due for release on March 31st, 2k16 with an astounding mixture of Country, Blues, tension and desparate underwater aesthetics. We're in for this!

Phill Niblock - T H I R: Ten Hundred Inch Radii [Von Archives]

Going back to a few yet unreviewed promos which were found in our P.O. box in late 2k15 we're discussing the soundtrack for Phil Niblock's 1972-film "T H I R: Ten Hundred Inch Radii" today - a cinematic piece created off footage shot in several environments and their ten hundred inch a.k.a. sixteen feet surroundings. Put on the circuit via Von Archives we're exposed to a calming, yet tense arrangement of melodic analogue synth notes and droning, melancholic melodeons which - in opposite to the experimental films minute-long but regularly switching detail shots of nature, bugs, leaves, ice, flowing water etc. - perfectly work as only slightly changing, highly repetetive loops overturning the regular perception of time and, due to their whirring nature, reminding everyone that danger lurks in the wilderness, no matter how calm and peaceful a scenery seems to be at first glance. Still captivating after more than 40 years.    

S.E.T.I. - Drift v3 Mix 1 (Free Download)

Amazing deep space Ambient coming from the studio vaults of Mr. Andrew Lagowski's S.E.T.I. project. Check!

Throwing Shade - Hashtag IRL

Some more greatness to come from the Ninja Tune-camp in mid-March. Contemporary interweb urban1zm at its best.

Zeitkratzer & Keiji Haino - Stockhausen: Aus Den Sieben Tagen [Zeitkratzer Productions 019]

To be released in late February is cat.no. 019 in the Zeitkratzer Productions ever growing catalogue, a collaboration of the Zeitkratzer ensemble and Japanese Noize / Experimental artist Keiji Haino which spontaneously came to life throughout the Ruhrtriennale festival a while ago. Together on this album they're performing five of the fifteen pieces from Stockhausen's cycle "Aus Den Sieben Tagen" which he had originally written in May 1968 - the Zeitkratzer ensemble on the musical / instrumental side of things whilst Keiji Haino provides an additional layer of eruptive vocal performances on top. Starting with "Unbegrenzt" we're entering a dark, threatening maelstrom consisting of mostly low frequency string instruments, "Verbindung" can be described as a highly experimental take on unsettling Dark Jazz and "Nachtmusik" provides a general feel of buzz and danger when whirring flutes are twinkling hectically through thick layers of broadband Noize. With "Intensität" we're presented a short, but intense - hence the name - cacophonic experience of off-kilter trombones and horns accompanied by Haino's excessive voice and the final 17 minutes of "Setz Die Segel Zur Sonne" are a solemn, ceremonious affair telling droney, adventurous tales of decampment and recurrence in the days of our forefathers. What a journey.

Thug Entrancer - Ronin (Official Video)

Electronic music and futurism have a close bond - this video is proof. Excellent animation work by Milton Melvin Croissant III!

COH - 132

A deep electronic meditation on echoing pulses taken from the forthcoming COH album "Music Vol." which is due for release on April 1st, 2k16 via Editions Mego.

Andreas Trobollowitsch - Roha [Cronica Electronica 105]

Another one that's soon to come on Portugal's Cronica Electronica-imprint is the labels cat.no. 105, Andreas Trobollowitsch' eight track album piece "Roha". On this album we see the 1980-born artist combine elements of droning, (neo)classical compository techniques with an electro-acoustic approach, close contact pick-up microphones and prepared instruments, preferrably but not exclusively taken from the string section. These tracks, alongside feedback-heavy pieces of dark, threatening and reprocessed radio static fused with bits of Dark Jazz like in the super massive "Tapco" or even killer bits of super-experimental headbanger riffs provided in "Tuul", elements of Clicks'n'Cuts or even uberly dramatic prepared piano - "Ssbeat" -  are defo a quite interesting ride into the sonic world of Mr. Trobollowitsch' widely varied work of modern composition and performance and go well beyond the idea of moving experimental bits and pieces along a timeline displayed on a laptop screen. 

Ipek Gorgun - Aphelion [Ipek Gorgun self-released]

Put on the circuit on February 16th, 2k16 is Ipek Gorgun's self-released solo album entitled "Aphelion", a seven track piece exclusively available via her Bandcamp page. Throughout the course of her musical explorations the young Turkish artist fully focuses on the art of electroacoustic composition and delivers a bunch  of tunes including sterile, highly scientific sounding pieces which usually start out quite minimalistic, based on sinewave modulations or other digital tones which slowly evolve into more complex structures without necessarily following the path of pattern repetition but also crafts Ambient-influenced spheres of unique beauty. Especially tracks like the well-haunting "Bloodbenders" with its score'esque fusion of Clicks'n'Cuts, digital sweeps and Noize are on a more free floating path and can be seen as a thrilling sequence of sonic events rather than playing by the book of compository rules whilst the under 3 minutes piece "Lethe" provides tense, misty atmospheres of lurking threats and "Martyrs" starts out as hefty Noize attack which evolves into a ethereal, well-psychedelic arrangement of spaced out strings for Deep Listening lovers. "Dendrite" is dealing with electrical buzz, cold droning and scientific pulses accompanied by icy layers of high frequency sounds and finally the "Nightingale" fuses Cold Ambient and tripping melodies for lovers of old sci-fi scores. Defo a good one here. 

baze.djunkiii Chart Haul 02/2016

A quick video take on baze.djunkiii's favorite records in February 2k16.

United Sounds Of Joy - United Sounds Of Joy [Bronze Rat Records 046]

Scheduled for February 26th, 2k16 via Bronze Rat Records is the release of the same titled debut album of United Sounds Of Joy, a new collaborational project formed between the former Dream City Film Club bandmates Michael J. Sheehy and Alex Vald. Now re-united, the pairing explores twisted spheres of off-kilter Ambient and Electronica-influenced structures falling together as an electronic equivalent to Shoegaze and adds a fragile, intimate layer of Campfire Indie and introspective Pop vocals on top. In songs like "The Sun That Hides A Darker Star" some dubby features come into play alongside beautiful guitar delays, creating a score'esque feel, the "Dust Veil" deals with the crestfallen greyscale of experimental (No)Wave / PostPunk alongside spoken vocals before the soft, melodic chorus caters some hope and relief for a short while and "Wounded Moon" is a tender-hearted, lugubrious ballad for the insomniac and nightmare-ridden. "She Sets The Stars In Motion" can be filed under the flag of Pop Noir, "I Hear Her Call My Name" comes across in a more hopeful, positive and benign manner, the "Queen Of The Seven Dials" lives in a world of crackling, joyful Psychedelia and "Free To Fall" concludes this journey with a feel evoking memories of lazy summer sunsets, deep campfire talks and riding off into the desert, seeking for new adventures. Tres cool, this is. 

Kraze - Dear Diary

'Dear diary, I'm troubled - and I have a troubled mind...' - what a great line and what a sick track from the man they call Kraze. Dope stuff.

Simon Whetham - Against Nature [Cronica Electronica 103]

Soon to come as cat.no. 103 of the Portoguese Cronica Electronica-imprint is Simon Whetham's most recent album entitled "Against Nature" which consists of five takes of the same name, all recorded and generated throughout his residency at the Agder Kunstsenter in Kristiansand / Norway in late 2013. "Against Nature [1]" is a quiet, partly repetetive piece that might be generated from contact microphone recordings overhearing digital processors and their micro currents for lovers of Clicks'n'Cuts , "Against Nature [2]" brings in wistful electronic moaning and tense, Morricone-like atmospheres of lurking terror whilst "Against Nature [3]" caters layers of polyrhythmic sinewave tones, rumbling field recordings, clanging glasses and indifferent moving objects accompanied by vibrating tubes. Furthermore we see "Against Nature [4]" start off with scraping tones and stereophonic noise pulses later joined by muffled sounds resembling slowly boiling liquids before a harsh metallic strike leads into a total plot twist, turning the whole tune into a robotic, mechanical audio sculpture. Finally "Against Nature [5]" brings in hissing drones, electrical buzz and nice waves of low frequency bass wildly disturbed by experimental filter works to round things off nicely here, concluding a well-recommended album for lovers of experimental electronic music.

Playlist: baze.djunkiii guest set @ 90s Rave Radio / Ems-Vechte-Welle 99.3FM (12.02.2016)

Jungle Mix for 90s Rave Radio – Tracklist

01. Ostinato – Anti-Aircraft *Damp Silence After Summer Rain RMX by baze.djunkiii & DJ Da Cut [Rudel Records 002 Whitelabel]

02. Skool Of Hard Knocks – Kan U Feel It [Grand Larcency 003]

03. Higher Sense – Bizarre *Desired State Remix [Moving Shadow 063R]

04. Taktix – It's The Way *V.I.P. Mix [Back 2 Basics Recordings 007R]

05. Dangerous Liasonz – Hazardous Happenings [Safari Sounds 001]

06. Dica – The Shape [Boogie Beat Records 034]

07. Limo Posse featuring Maxine & Bingo – Feeling Is Right [Money Records 006]
08. Brainkillers – Screw Face Part 3 *Mellow Mix [3rd Party 010]

09. Leviticus – Burial: Chronic 3 *Combination Mix [Philly Blunt Records]
10. [GIMME 001 Whitelabel]
11. DJ Crystl – 183 *Vocal [Nu-Matik 001]
12. Roni Size – Fashion [V Recordings 010]
13. Lemon D – Urban Style Music [Metalheadz 014]
14. Deep Blue – The Helicopter Tune [Moving Shadow 158]
15. Shy FX – Cry *T. Power Remix [4th World Order 001]
16. DJ Flash – Pulp Fiction (Easy Does It) [Urban Gorilla 001]

The Balustrade Ensemble - Renewed Brilliance [Serein 009]

Recently released via the Serein-imprint is "Renewed Brilliance", the second longplay effort of The Balustrade Ensemble which is following up to their 2007 album debut "Capsules". Led by composer Grant Miller and recording / mixing engineer Scott Solter the group explores soft, beautiful Ambient and PopAmbient structures mostly based on warm, organic chords and strings and a slightly esoteric feel whilst adding textures of harp, cello, non-vocal voice, piano and other natural instruments to the rich, melodic layers to be found on this album piece which will most likely appeal to soundtrack / score lovers, dedicated followers of Kompakt's 'Pop Ambient' series and - especially thinking of "Show Us To The Sky" here - sugar-coated neoclassical compositions.

Mary Ocher + Your Government - Mary Ocher + Your Government [Klangbad 069]

As we've already praised "Man vs. Air" , a video take-out from Mary Ocher + Your Government's self-titled, early-January released album put on the circuit via Hans Joachim Irmler's Klangbad label in early January, a few weeks ago for being a hypermodernistic approach to PostPunk and (No)Wave it's now about time to take a closer look on the longplay piece itself which is, to come up with short verdict, a highly recommended one. Psyching her audience out with the non-vocals of the opening "#&*", fusing dreamy spheres and dramatic, undeniable Siouxsie Sioux-references in the storming "Dream X3" and coming across in a more stripped-down Goth manner through "A New Language" the first three songs alone prove that this album is a must and "The Sound Of War" only adds up to that, weighing in highly anthemic potential, war drums and acoustic guitars somewhat reminiscent of medieval highlands. "In Drag" is a rock solid dancefloor filler for PostPunk- and Advanced Indie-parties sporting high pitched vocals on overdrive, "Now (Fear)" is a dark'ish ballad with a tongue-in-cheek twist and the instrumental cut "The Howl" brings in sweet, uplifting twang guitars with a western movie feel to round things off nicely. Furthermore "Calvary" sees the Russia-born artist on a Spoken Word vs. cascading synths and tribalistic rhythms tip before the final song "I Am Tree" brings in some experimental Artschool Pop for those who know.  Get!

Bit-Tuner - A Bit Of Light [-Ous Promo]

After we've already featured Bit-Tuner's tune "Reality Tunnel" a few weeks prior to this review it is now about to have a closer look on his most recent album "A Bit Of Light" which was put on the circuit via the cryptically named Swiss imprint -Ous in mid-January. Heavily focusing on influences from PostGarage, Electronica and Bass Music in this sixteen track album Bit-Tuner manages to incorporate empyreal beauty in tunes likes the opener "Ignitron", complex drums that make you head nod ("The Call") and ravey, big room stabs accompanied by Trap-influenced, militant beats in his longplayer ("Immune") whilst tunes like "Twin Crystal" are rocking advanced dancefloors with a mixture of perfectly crafted string motifs and warped basslines on overdrive. Furthermore "In The Small Hours" gives way to more haunting, experimental sounds whilst  "Wirewalker" and "Low Church" fuse slow-motion Techno and hypermelodic (Neo)Trance structures, "Premonition" brings in cinematic drama and "Megalith" is riding the IDM Rave train for advanced late night work outs. But these are only a few interesting to mention taken from a whole package of consistent quality. Nice.

Sascha Müller - Bitch E.P. [Psychocandies 040]

Scheduled for February 11th, 2k16 is Sascha Müller's new digital single "Bitch E.P." which is to be released as cat.no. 040 of the usually more Acid-focused Psychocandies imprint which explores more broken, experimental and unformatted Techno fields with "Tear Down This Motherfuckkin Bitch (Original Version)", a tune that will be liked by all lovers of Brighton Techno a la Dave Tarrida and Tobias Schmidt or followers of long gone labels like Semi Automatic, Mutter or Neue Heimat. The 'DiZE7 Remix' serves melodic low frequency assaults and ravey, uplifting synth structures, Rarek's 132 seconds rework is twisting beats to the max before Mr. Manfred Reckers a.k.a. eVADE delivers two new takes on the original, the first being more of a raw, pumping oldschool House nature with nice backward sequences whilst the second variation is slightly more techy and playful, yet not less seductive and finally catering a stripped down, knob tweaking Acid reminiscence for all those loving this genre to bits.

Dan Sartain - Century Plaza [One Little Indian Promo]

Due for release on February 19th, 2k16 via One Little Indian is Dan Sartain's forthcoming album "Century Plaza" - a minimalistic eight track fest for all lovers of SynthBlues and rough, edgy SynthPop. With songs like the piano-driven slow jam "Cabrini Green" Mr. Sartain serves a chromatic greyscale anthem for euphoric, hard-hitting weltschmerz, "Wipeout Beat" is meandering between minimalistic Wave and a variation of Indie-influenced PostPunk cultivated by band outfits and legends like the German  No More more recently and "Black Party" sends all Indie-floors to highspeed heaven like killer tunes likeThe Normal's "T.V.O.D." or "Warm Leatherette" did when Wave once emerged. "Sinking In The Shallow End" is a great modernistic take on romanticistic SynthPop 2.0, weighing in uberly seductive synth lines and a massive hook, "First Bloods" comes across with a more tongue-in-cheek attitude paying a quirky, abstruse homage to 80s Hair Metal, "Do You Hear My Voice" will well appeal to all those who've love Depeche Mode's 2013-released "Delta Machine" and the concluding "Feigning Ignorance" caters the need for another SynthBlues anthem effortlessly. What a great ride - we're digging this for a reason! 

Omsk Information vs Dr Walker - Psychedelic Kitchen Berlin 2016-1 (Official Video)

Most amazing technoid madness from the Liquid Sky Berlin camp accompanied by a spiralling video flash created by Mr. Uli Sigg.

Zeitkratzer performs Reinhold Friedl: Kore [Zeitkratzer Productions 020]

Scheduled for February 26th, 2016 via their very own label Zeitkratzer Productions imprint is the release of "Zeitkratzer performs Reinhold Friedl: Kore" - a new album piece in which the ensemble creates a variation on a piece originally written and performed by its founder Reinhold Friedl based on and developed from the roots of his 2007 Asphodel-release "Xenakis [a]live!". Split into four parts here - probably in respect of the Greek mythology which sees the legend of Kore as origin of the four seasons - the album starts with an intense, nerve-wrecking combination of off-kilter string instruments, cold and droning electronics accompanied by occasional low frequency trombone and horn takes whilst the second part is more structured in terms of rhythmic patterns which fall back into buzzing chaos, conveys a more plangent overall feel and for the first time introduces piano exercises conducted by Reinhold  Friedl himself to the albums multilayered soundscape. Part three comes across a more melancholia-infused, yearning musical approach featuring both solemn layers as well as agitated, screeching, high frequency movements before the final part brings intense turmoil, a slow maelstrom of bass, ecstatic violins and an overall cacophonia for lovers of musical hyperintensity that slowly fades out into fragile, semi-acoustic tenderness. Check!

SFX live @ Neu West Berlin - December 2015 / Edit #01

Intense teaser video of a great performance - full video to come soon!

12.02.2016 baze.djunkiii guest set @ 90s Rave Radio / Ems-Vechte-Welle 99.3FM

Going back to 90s with a special one hour Jungle set!

Transmission starts @ 11 p.m. GMT+1

Terrestrial transmission on frequency 99.3FM in and around the Emsland-region of Germany.

Click here for internet stream!

Dr. NoiseM - The CDr A-B-C: F [Dr. NoiseM Tapes]

Coming in with part "F" of his epic "The CDr A-B-C"-series Dr. NoiseM is back on the experimental track, catering another large scale epos of pretty much exactly 78 minutes length.  Going into this sonic journey with beautiful, yet forlorn Ambient structures and steady winds blowing over desolate badlands the artist paves the path for more beautiful sounds to come. After the winds waned and the dust has lowered we're experiencing a stunning view over icy flats, see the far away planets binary celestial body slowly rise over the horizon, bathing the cold and hostile landscape in sallow light from which - around minute approx. 56 - angelic, fairy-like figurines appear, just to float up - slowly and silently - into the light-flooded womb of the alien  mothership. And we want to join them!

baze.djunkiii Charts 02/2016

01. Jürgen Ploog - Tapes Von Unterwegs 1971 - 1976 [90% Wasser]
After coming across this approx. five minutes snippet taken off "Tapes Von Unterwegs 1971 - 1976" it was pretty clear that this LP, released via Column One's 90% Wasser-imprint must be regarded as one of the most thrilling vinyl releases we've come across in ages. Quite a journey through altered and re-arranged audio tape recordings of field recording and documentary nature from author and pilot Jürgen Ploog which were originally taped throughout his journeys around the world, and mostly Asia, in the period from 1971 to 1976, perfectly pleasing all lovers of plunderphonics, Spoken Word and cut-up techniques in an interesting, informative and - in parts - also humorous way. Highly recommend!

Unboxing video:



02. Die Strafe - Krunk [Major Label 088 Promo]
See review for details...

03. Wheez-ie - Missed Connections [Southern Belle Recordings 002]
The second release on Wheez-ie's very own Houston-based vinyl imprint brings us some killer bass cuts for those willing to pay an approx. 20€ for a four track EP in German record stores. From abstract, Ragga-influenced PostJuke to banging, high speed GhettoHouse with a gangsta twist as well as brutal Breakbeats accompanied by deadly 808s, ravey stabs and oldskool-reminiscing high-pitched vocals and dirty GhettoTech for those who know this gem delivers loads of goodness to advanced jocks and their bubbling audiences. Check!

04. Lärmheim - Cent Soleils [Lärmheim Promo]
See review for details...

05. Various Artists - Hits Agogo One [Agogo Records 075 Promo]
See review for details...

06. Opcion - MONOS / UИD [God Records Promo]
See review for details...

07. Sascha Müller - 8k Techno Vol.2 [Sascha Müller Music]
See review for details...

08. Keda - Hwal [Parentheses Records Promo]
See review for details...

09. Gintas K - Message In A Bottle [Music Information Center Lithuania Promo]
See review for details...

10. -

Mathias Delplanque - Drachen [Ici D'Ailleurs Promo]

Released in early December via the Nancy / France-based imprint Ici D'Ailleurs is Mathias Delplanque's latest album "Drachen" - which translates as the German word for 'Dragons'. On this eight track longplay piece the artist creates a meandering, arcane and occult sonic statement from a wide array of reprocessed instruments coming from all sides of the analogue, digital or even acoustic spectrum, incorporates elements of deep Post-PostRock ("Drachen Part 2 & 3"), drifts into the land of soft and friendly psychedelic dreams ("Drachen Part 5") or explores more contemplative realms populated by digitally altered, ritual gong tones like in "Drachen 6". Furthermore Mathias Delplanque is digging into fields of epic Ambient layers which are disturbed by randomly clanging, percussive sounds in "Drachen 7" whilst the concluding "Gandefabou" resembles a warped and filtered live improv session of several picked and plucked string instruments on top of electronically rendered textures. Deep.

Die Strafe - Krunk [Major Label 088 Promo]

And now to something completely different: Punkrock! Not necessarily what you'd expect to find on these pages stylewise but the latest album effort released by the Mönchengladbach-based Punk-outfit Die Strafe via our friends over at Major Label is simply too good and thrilling to not cover. Founded somewhat in the first half of the nineties the trio consisting of Budde Strafe, Kai Strafe and Torsten Strafe delivers a raw bunch of 16 songs within a total playtime of approx. 37 minutes here, catering nothing short of a masterpiece balancing between traditional roots, contemporary social criticism and a modernistic, open minded 2.0-take on the genre. The opener "13%" alone is a killer anthem meandering between classic Punk aesthetics and the concrete grey'isms of the PostPunk, "Schnell Vorbei" clings to snotty oldskool street credibility, "Entschuldigen Sie" comes across with a tongue-in-cheek FunPunk vibe whilst "N.O.T." serves a dystopian crossover towards aggressive (No)Wave. Furthermore "Vegetation Grock" sets every moshpit on fire with a melodic, yet distorted approach and hammering highspeed drumkit, "Es Ist Schön" is a twisted, short take on PopPunk whilst "Fensterbank" can be described as a perfect soundtrack for street fights and rebellion before "Meine" is a psyched out ode to a madhouse and "Karacho" goes full throttle in its description of a full-on punk lifestyle. Going further into the album with "Stück Für Stück" Die Strafe are dealing with a more serious topic, describing the mental decay of someone suffering from dementia, "Himmel Hilft Nicht" is somewhat flirting with epic Goth and sing-a-long Indie, the title track "Krunk" is just 83 seconds of overdrive and full-on madness and "Wir Werden Alle Sterben" ("We're All Going To Die") deals exactly with the titles statement in a folksy, apocalyptic campfire Rock manner that'd well fit into a Mad Max scenario and for some strange reason evokes memories of bands like Bratze or Clickclickdecker at some point. "Schmeiß Doch" will well appeal to all fans of classic Punk anthems, "Sterne" is on a more reflective tip and the final song "Loreley" brings in stripped-down, distorted melancholia, qualms and deep thoughts on the protagonists life. What an amazing ride! 

Sascha Müller - 8k Techno Vol. 2 [Sascha Müller Music]

When it comes to off-format releases Sascha Müller is the man to look out for and with this one he is catering a niche within the niche for sure, breaking Techno's data rate down to astounding 8kbps on a limited 3.5" floppy disk whilst still rockin' dancefloors with the two tunes featured on this quite cheeky release. "Heeehooojaheja" sounds like synth-heavy, hard banging Techno playing in your bathroom when your head is below bathtub water levels and the same aesthetics apply to "Dark", an aggressive, psychoactive and Acid-reminiscing take on spiralling, Techno-infused Hardcore House.  Killer!

Saroos - Tardis [Alien Transistor 045 Promo]

Soon to come via the great Alien Transistor-imprint is "Tardis" , the fresh and fourth album of the band triumvirate known as Saroos which have teamed up with producer Tadklimp for their latest, shimmering and chromatic longplay effort. Working with a producer from scratch instead of only having one involved for the final mixdown and arrangement is defo a new approach to the bands work flow and led to a rich, interweaving and well-melodious result that opens new spheres with the floating, psychedelic "Weaver's Cave" and intertwines warm, bass heavy electronics, modular sounds and a more PostRock-induced twist to a lively, yet hypnotic Indietronic piece surely able to move advanced dancefloors and simultaneously touch punters souls for a reason - and so does the epic "La Deesse" with its score'esque, Morricone-referencing qualities whilst we see "Lucky Bag" unfold in a deep, Ambient Trance-inducing way over swinging live drums. The title track "Tardis" comes across as a warm, organic and slightly crackling Electronica effort that embraces all listeners with an overwhelming amount of love and friendliness, "The Sandstone Readout" weighs in a quirky variation on Rumba'esque, electronic-based Easy Listening with a sweet hint of yearning melancholia and the "Orange Book" caters both fans of electronic Shoegaze as well those loving ethereal female background choirs. Furthermore we see "Clotho" fusing trembling modular sounds, ritualistic tribal drum arrangements, psychedelic guitar works and warm synth chords, "Seance" serves more of a dubby feel for slo-mo headbangers and lovers of twang guitars and the final tune entitled "Sleepy White" kinda resembles of a hot and lazy summer's afternoon just hanging out and enjoying all the goodness life brings. And talking joy - this is what a lot of people will find whilst listening to the "Tardis" for a reason.

Opcion - MONOS / UИD [God Records 032 Promo]

Coming in from the Graz / Austria-based producer Opcion, better known as Nikos Zachariadis to his friends and parents, is the artists album debut entitled "MONOS / UИD" which has been released via God Records in early December 2k15. Whilst the inside-out pressed "MONOS" side of this six track piece features three Opcion solo efforts based on swelling, highly digital sounding feedback drones and dark'n'abstract, heavily compressed slow motion drums causing a deeply unsettling feel similar to Illbient vibes catered on Mille Plateaux' legendary "Electric Ladyland" compilation series, especially thinking of tunes produced by the likes of Ice or Slotek here, the "UИD" side features three collaborational affairs in which the artist teams up with the likes of Maja Osojnik, Bernhard Loibner and Kurt Bauer for one conjunctional track each. The collaboration with Maja Osojnik sticks out here due to its more lively, aggressive and - in parts - heavily distorted, yet beatless nature, the work with Bernhard Loibner results in harsh, screeching metallic noises, feedbacks and merciless, irregular drum patterns and finally teaming up with Kurt Bauer brings tense, squeaky pulses and eruptive modulations for those who loving their B-movie sci-fi scores and BBC Radiophonic Workshop experimentalism to the fullest. Count us in for that.

Unboxing video and artwork: