Daunik Lazro / Dominique Repecaud / Kristoff K. Roll / Geraldine Keller - Actions Soniques [Vand'oeuvre]

Sitting in our postbox without much accompanying information about the albums release date or bits about the intention of the project was "Actions Soniques", a sixteen track collaborational album built on a musical foundation of vocals, electronics, electric guitar and baritone saxophone. Obviously split into two major parts, the first one including tracks 01 - 07 whilst the second one consisting of tracks 08 - 16, the sound on the album has been recorded under the leadership of Dominique Repecaud in March 2016 and provides a lesson in full on experimentalism, opening with "Place Tahrir" which amalgamates Field Recordings of what seems to be a TV program with Jazz- and ProgressiveRock infused excursions on guitar and saxophone whilst an intense layer of Spoken Word-performance unfolds alongside echoes of Experimental Opera whereas "Wild Cheval" brings on tension through continuous sinewave electronic presence and non-vocal screaming. "Blue Micheline" seemingly gets lost in subaquatic realms of nervous modular synthesis before catering more Free Improvisation, "Combat De Platine Et De Guitare" is less of a war but more an inward looking miniature, "Ombre Double" caters loads of nervous electronic scraping and highly digital twists alongside droning atmospheres,  abstract vocal utterings and a distinct wall of sound, "Eraflures" brings forth another spine-tingling miniature before "Roc Neuronal" closes the first section of "Actions Soniques" on a well-aggressive multilayered tip incorporating electric guitar feedbacks and Field Recordings once again before taking a turn towards fragile, minimalistic composition. Going forward with "Un Grand Malheur" the group of artists picks up on a more scenic, score'esque vibe for spine-tingling moments and post-apocalyptic rituals, "Le Guilleret" combines a rhythmic approach with sonic outbursts within 61 seconds and "Nudite Du Fugitif" seemingly even incorporates elements of PostRock or vantablack Apocalyptic Folk for haunted midnights and fog-infused horror stories. "Passaceille Electronique" sees the group exploring stripped down digital rhythm abstractions with additional, feedback-heavy improvisations, "Le Gardien Des Inyambos" goes even further into fever'ish Post-PostRock realms as well as pure African desert ambience and "Transe Vintage" combines tribalistic background chants with vintage sci-fi electronics which could be taken off a - or serve as - score for some eccentric space horror flic for a reason. "C'est Dimanche A Vandoeuvre", seemingly a homage to the label itself is more of a ruminant, hypnotic exercise in darkness, "Clavecine" could somehow by filed under the flag of Broken Country / Broken Folk performed by ghosts in a madhouse and the final cut "Apres Ca, Il N'y Aura Plus Rien" takes droning guitar intensity alongside tribalistic vocals and fragile electronic additions to a next, even more exciting level. Highly unique and highly recommended!

Album artwork on Instagram!

Dizzee Rascal - Don't Gas Me *Beez Neez Remix (Official Glitch Audio)

Jesus, the big basslines are hitting hard in this rework. We're gassed.

Seasick Steve - Can U Cook? [BMG / ADA Promo]

Announced on these pages with an official audio posting of the albums title track earlier this month we see Seasick Steve releasing his new album "Can U Cook?" on September 28th, 2k18 which is actually the ninth full length release of his career. Spread over a total runtime of 55 minutes and thirteen tracks the American producer makes sure we don't forget he's got the Blues from the very first minute but transfers to a rocking, powerful and well muscular level, bringing forth a dirty, straightforward Rock attitude, distorted, yet perfectly executed guitar works and raw, direct vocals but also pays homage to the genres stripped down, naturalistic and down-to-earth attitude with more inward looking desert pieces like "Sun On My Face" or the good ol' times referencing "Last Rodeo" whilst tunes like "Down The Road, "Shady Tree"" or "Young Blood" sonically depict a Bourbon-fuled, raw American nightlife attitude - in a time in which hard drinking, chain smoking and full contact arguments weren't frowned upon by a wide majority of the population. Good ol' times these were!

04.10.2018 baze.djunkiii presents OUR HOUSE @ Beat Boutique / Hamburg

decks: baze.djunkiii [Intrauterin Recordings]

file under: House / House Classics

doors open: 9 pm

Beat Boutique
Max-Brauer-Allee 219
22765 Hamburg
Germany

OUT NOW: Datacore Productionz meets The 808 Hillbillys - Databending [Psychocandies 071]

Schlakks & aniYo kore - Wer Eins Sacht... [self-released 7"]

Put on the circuit in early March, 2k18 but only incoming lately is this lovely little self-released 7" single which is a - and the first - collaborational effort released between the Dortmund based artists Schlakks and aniYo kore. Whilst the A-side sees rapper Schlakks perform his well melancholic HipHop tune "Schmeiss Die Farben An Die Wand" on top of a deep, sparse and touching beat structure produced by aniYo kore the well-beloved TripHop outfit provides a new version of "All Of Us" on the flip, a track once featured on their 2015-released "Tally Sticks" album which has now turned into deep variation of ballad'esque Alt Pop performed atop a sparse foundation of twangy guitars and stripped down live drums, revealing a new angle of the bands musical work which surely will appeal to an audience broader than their original core fan base. Deep.

Geir Sundstøl - Brødløs [Hubro Music]

Scheduled for release on October 19th, 2k18 via Norway's Hubro Music-imprint is "Brødløs", the new album outing by Geir Sundstøl who's been teaming up with an elite group of musicians including the likes of Erland Dahlen, David Wallumrod, Nils Petter Molvaer and more to record and realize this fresh, eight tracks and 30 minutes spanning longplay piece. Opening with "Snev" the listener is immediately drawn into a Morricone'esque scorescape fusing twangy Country guitars and melancholia-infused electronic beauty followed on a similar path by the scenic, yet more calm and innocent "Leben"  whereas "Laems" brings forth full on Naturalist Ambient if this is even a thing genrewise. With "Warsaw / Alabama" Geir Sundstøl amalgamates and reinterpretes his favorite works by David Bowie and Brian Eno to a great touching and heart-warming effect whilst providing perfect music for classic, yet advanced ChillOut-floors, "Kraag" weighs in a good portion of Easy Listening and even hints of Hawaiian hot summer beach chill before "Blunder" goes even deeper in terms of total twang guitar relaxation, "Kulten" provides a bit of an asiatic Chill flavour with its damp overall atmosphere, background tablas and exotic plucked string tonality before the final cut "Waterloo" goes back to the score'esque backcountry excellence we've already experienced at the very beginning of "Brødløs". Recommended.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Sascha Müller - Traxxx Vol.5 [SM Traxxx 28-2018]

Scheduled for October 11th, 2k18 is Sascha Müller's new digital two track single to be released via the ever active SM Traxxx label. Opening with "Track 09" the Meppen-based producer provides a dry, spiralling take on Acid toolishness for DJ's in love with fast paced, uncompromising Dance Mania-sound and related musical flavours whereas "Track 10" is on a tool tip as well, yet gravitates towards more gooey, trancier realms whilst sporting some unexpected Disco powerstabs for the high energy rave massive.

Various Artists - Marcel Vogel's Lumberjacks In Hell [BBE Records]

Scheduled for release on September 28th, 2k18 is the new BBE Records-release that is "Marcel Vogel's Lumberjacks In Hell", a celebration of the label of the same name which celebrates its eighth anniversary this year as a staple for soulful and funky House. Compiled by the labels head honcho Marcel Vogel we're taken through a continuous DJ mix of one hours length on the first disc of the 2xCD compilation showcasing the mans abilities in terms of mixing and selection, emulating a wild ride through a mostly Funk- and Disco-infused club night of the 70s whilst introducing an additional hint of contemporary, yet organic House music here and there, bringing on slices of epic BrokenHouse / Phusion even with tunes like Boogie Nite's "Jazz-A-Nova (Oooh)" as well as sweet Latin percussion grooves with Nachtbraker's "Jared Fogle" and massive soulful bangers like Jonna's "Everyday" whilst Frawl's "Be Good To Me" provides epic lofi block party vibes housewise. But these are only a few exceptional picks out of Mr. Vogel's recommended DJ mix whilst the second disc holds 13 out of 14 featured tracks as full length versions for more full on Disco / Funk and House Music immersion. Lovely.

Somewhere Underwater - Recovering (Live Underwater / In Space Session)

When a rehearsal session turns out to become a beautiful, trippy video something has gone very well - and it surely has for Somewhere Underwater!

Numb.er - Goodbye [Felte 050]

Already teasered on these pages earlier this month was "Goodbye", the new album outing by Jeff Fribourg's band outfit Numb.er which was put on the circuit by the Felte imprint in May, 2k18 but only sat in our postbox recently. The opener "Lude (I Need It)" immediately evokes memories of a long gone era in Cold Wave and Industrial whilst the subsequent "Father" turns the page immediately to bring on a seductive, grooving and dancefloor moving PostPunk vibe, before "Numerical Depression" speeds up things and gives us a greyscale hit for The Cure-fans and lovers of distinct British accents whereas "Without Bloom" gravitates more towards a killer, Indie-flavored attitude and "State Line" is a full on anthem for Shoegaze-loving kids suffering from teenage angst and depression. Those who've been following us on a regular have already checked "A Memory Stained" previously, "Hate" gets us straight away with its eerie SynthWave-feel and ethereal female vocal performance on top of twangy guitars and "The Black Bird" slowly sails away on inward-looking winds of bloom whilst singing songs of Apocalyptic Folk for those who follow the likes of Current 93. With "Again" Numb.er provide a hint of British ProtoPunk for moshpits and dancefloors going astray and the final song that is "We Hide" weighs in repetetive intensity and droning, meandering basslines alongside desolate guitars for a sweet closing. An excellent album, this!

Album artwork on Instagram!

Dr. NoiseM - Studio Works 30 [Dr. NoiseM Tapes]

And here we go! Meppen's Dr. NoiseM is back with the thirtieth edition of his ongoing 'Studio Works'-series and once again he's serving more than an hour worth of new music with this one. Starting his new offering with "Stakker Robot", an alienating piece of eerily warped and transformed communication bits seemingly coming straight from a Dalek's nightmare the follow up "Test" is defo made to test a) our hearing abilities and b) anyone's sanity being a heavy, midrange-focused tour de force through the universe of deadly Digital Noize whereas "The Inferno Of Lust" is a crumbling, metallic, ghostly distortion affair surely not to be enjoyed by the faint-hearted before "Total Warfare" unleashes 136 seconds of Death Ambient eerieness. Furthermore "Untitled" brings forth 17+ minutes of hollow, soul-sucking Cold Ambient from the outerworld whereas the much shorter subsequent "Untitled 1" provides a dark, grinding maelstrom of excellent low frequency Noize as our favorite pick on this album whilst "Wintersturm" is more like an echo of a deep space storm caused by a supernova somewhere around the outer edges of the Bootes Void and therefore recommended to all followers of the Dark Ambient genre for a reason. With "Dr. NoiseM" we see Dr. NoiseM dedicate one of his tunes to himself, revealing a repetetive, yet thrilling mixture of Dark Ambient and dubbed out, Electronica-infused Rhythm Industrial before "Destroy Everything" is an empty, ode to off-kilter Ambient and diffused time warps whilst the final cut "Untitled_Still_01" is another ten minutes of extreme, crackling Digital Noize that no sane person would ever define as music at all. But - who talks to sane people anyway?

You Me At Six - VI [Underdog Records / Kobalt Promo]

Scheduled for release via Underdog Records / Kobalt on October 5th, 2k18 is "VI", the new album by former Emo-related Rock outfit You Me At Six which has already been announced on these pages with the video for their massive smash "3 AM" earlier this month. And this is not the only big tune on the album for sure as the bands sixths longplayer opens with the anthemic, muscular Rock banger "Fast Forward" followed by "Straight To My Head" which fuses catchy Indie and hefty snares with melodic synth melodies for daytime radio audiences as well as buzzing underground venues whereas "Back Again" brings forth a sweet, positive Pop attitude and - once again - evokes memories of the German band outift Captain Capa which we've been following for quite a while now. Seeing a "Miracle In The Mourning" the band follows the beaten path of positivity, "I O U" is - at least on our version of the promo album - broken but starts with quite a funky bass line for sure and "Pray For Me" is quite a bop for Indie girls in love. Being "Predictable" sees You Me At Six at their catchiest for sure, providing a possible single-to-be and large scale stadium anthem, "Danger" brings forth a well-funky uptempo take on Indie before "Losing You" closes the thirty minute album on a more melancholia-infused level. Defo one to check out, this os.

Jlin - Autobiography [Planet Mu Promo]

Scheduled for release on September 28th, 2k18 is Jlin's new album "Autobiography (Music From Wayne McGregor's Autobiography)" which is once again released via Mike Paradinas' Planet Mu-imprint. Technically not an album but a score for a dance choreography realized by Wayne McGregor we see Jlin deliver approx. an hour worth of new music here, split up into 13 tracks overall and starting with the "1st Overture (Spiritual Atom)" which is not only paving the way for thing to come but also turns out to be a piece meandering in between Ambient and sparse sci-fi Electronica instead of Jlin's signature Juke-related efforts of her previous releases. These things start to come into play with "Annotation", merging commercial bigroom Rave melodies and GhettoBass-signatures whereas "Carbon 12" brings on dreamy melodies and ethereal non-vocal choirs in combination with Electronica-referencing beat structures whereas "Unorthodox Elements" comes across as an outing of mechanical aggression, "Anamnesis (Part 1)" fully indulges in beautiful piano romanticisms before drifting off into Future Tribal-realms for a bit and "The Abyss Of Doubt" is maybe the darkest, most abstract, cut up and fascinating bit on this album for a reason. The follow up "Mutation" stays on the beaten part of eternal pitch black darkness, "First Interlude (Absence Of Measure)" goes in deep in terms of free floating atmospheres and all sorts of field recorded sounds put into new use - including a ticking clock, ironically, and "Permutation" caters killer RoboJuke for a well-intense, dystopian future. With "Kundalini" we see Jlin explore the stereo field whilst fusing a more oriental approach with elements of SinoDubstep, "Anamnesis (Part 2)" harks back to the piano romanticisms of its predecessor, "Blue I" caters more piano alongside kitsch-dripping synthesizers and tribalistic, African chants and percussions before the concluding "Second Interlude (The Choosing)" waves goodbye in a large scale Ambient manner, paying homage to the production and compository techniques of early Synth pioneers influential to the sound of electronic music today. Check.

Spectrasoul - Untitled Horn (Official Audio)

Deep ass Drum'n'Bass for those who know. Killer!

Xavier Charles / Jacques Di Donato - Ilex [Protagoniste]

A student-teacher affair this album is. Having worked together for long now the story goes that Xavier Charles once was a student of clarinet teacher Jacques Di Donato back in 1990, a relationship that lead to a highly successful and long lasting collaboration and now to the duo's most recent album on Protagoniste in which the musicians further explore the possibilities of their instrument, this time accompanied by additional sound sources such as lawn mower and helicopter. Yes, lawn mower and helicopter! Together the duo caters a selection of fourteen improvisations, all of them recorded in 2014 and defo providing a homogenic body of work for all fans of a well experimental approach towards wind instruments with "Wisteria" sticking out most for its playful, yet accessible and slightly even tongue-in-cheek nature whereas "Cerisier" defines longing, yearning melancholia to perfection within 160 seconds of runtime only to name two of our favorite tunes from this album as special picks. A specialists release for sure, but an interesting one anyway.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Droid Eater - Acid Orange 7

Masterly crafted ElectroAcid for dancefloors in space. We're in love!

Laurel - Dogviolet [Counter Records]

Released via Counter Records on August 24th, 2k18 is "Dogviolet", the longplay debut of British singer Laurel which already has been featured on these pages with her song "Adored" taken from the album as well as her previous "Park EP" back in 2016 for a reason. On her first full length delivery we see the young talent, which rocked two headlining UK tours this year, opening the show with a "Life Worth Living" - a stripped down, yet extraordinary powerhouse of an emotional, heartfelt Pop ballad followed by the seductively, spatial bop that is "All Star", a tune which probably could've done better with a little less reverb on the vocal part, before the "Same Mistakes" go up a more (Blues)Rock-oriented alley stylewise and cruising along the "South Coast" is an intimate, ethereal and slightly twangy, off-kilter affair. "Hold Tight" brings on a large scale panoramic feel with a little bit of a late 70s flair, the "Sun King" sees Laurel going into full on contemplative, inward-looking ballad mode whilst "Crave" brings forth powerful 80s drums, dreamy guitar solo works and more of Laurel's trademark ethereal, high-pitched vocal performance and being "Lovesick" equals dabbling with elements of Future Soul and Power Pop for daytime radio audiences without turning commercial or away from the beaten path at all. With "Take It  Back" the British singer gravitates slightly more uplifting vibes, "Empty Kisses" serves a sweet interplay between driving beats and emotional choruses and the final cut "Recover" brings out Laurel at her most broken, vulnerable and emotional for a reason. Sweet stuff, yet the albums overall production and mixdown seems a little too midrange / high frequency focused for our tastes as we're fans of a more balanced and not that ear-piercingly sharp sound which is a little turn off taking away from the overall quality of Laurel's music.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Anders Vestergaard & Finn Loxbo - I'm Fine With The Swirling Colors [Gikt Records]

Put on the circuit via Gikt Records on September 12th, 2k18 is "I'm Fine With The Swirling Colors", the latest album outing created by the Scandinavian duo Anders Vestergaard & Finn Loxbo who joined forces back in 2014 collaborationwise. Spread over a runtime of thirty minutes total the duo presents two new, 15-minutes spanning tracks, starting with "Harsh Furnishing" which is a spatial, highly abstract take on hyperminimalist Post-PostRock meets Improvisation, sporting long periods of near-silence and intimate guitar works accompanied by sparse percussions and static feedbacks for intense, highly focused listening sessions. With "Carver" we're walking a similar path in terms of reduction and minimalist approach, yet the overall feel of the tune is a calmer, more organic one - far from soothing or easy, but gravitating towards realms that have once been explored to a great effect by projects like Klimek at their very early stages. Recommended, this. Especially for "Carver".

Metric - Dressed to Suppress (Official Video)

When powerful Indie(Rock) meets 80s-infused vocal performance - a killer cut taken from the forthcoming, yet still untitled Metric album scheduled for September 21st, 2k18.

Various Artists - Zoom In 12: New Art Music From Lithuania [Music Information Centre Lithuania]

Coming in as the 100th release of the Music Information Centre Lithuania-label is "Zoom In 12: New Art Music From Lithuania", the twelfth edition of the imprints "Zoom In"-series which focuses on introducing the countries compository talent to the world, this time bringing on seven live recorded pieces that were played in concert in between 2015 and 2017. Emphasizing on a younger generation of composers all born past 1970 the album opens with Egidija Medeksaite's "Megh Malhar" which comes across as an enchanted crossover of Minimal Music, Contemporary Classical and Ambient whereas Juste Janulyte brings forth calm, beautiful explorations and meditations on and in the instrument mentioned with "Harp Is A Chord" and Marius Baranauskas' "Delta Cephei" is as sci-fi as its title suggests in its minimalist, yet spatial, score'esque and extremely thrilling combination of tam-tam and cello which makes this one our favorite pick on this compilation. Furthermore Julius Aglinskas caters a little hint of heartfelt, string-performed kitsch with his barely titled "...", "Tapisserie" by Justina Repeckaite combines haunting brass and strings with stripped down, sparse, meandering yet seemingly slightly Jazz-infused piano repetitions and "No Sense" by Dominykas Digimas balances its (Neo)Classical feel with brooding tension noir and manages to keep all listeners senses on high alert over the tunes total runtime of nine minutes. Finally Zibuokle Martinaityte presents the compilations final and longest piece with the roughly 18 minutes spanning "Chiaroscura Trilogy" which brings high level drama to the table for an intense closing. Defo another interesting overview of Lithuania's experimental composition scene one should not miss out on.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Vera Sola - Small Minds (Official Video)

A take on Pop that is not as innocent and sweet as it seems to be. And a thrilling preview on the new Vera Sola album "Shades", scheduled for release on November 9th, 2k18.

22.09.2018 baze.djunkiii @ Reeperbahn Festival x Mojo Jazz Cafe / Hamburg

decks: baze.djunkiii [Intrauterin Recordings]

file under:  Downtempo / Advanced HipHop / Freestyle / TripHop

set time: 11 am - 3 pm

daytime set - open air in case of good weather conditions.

Mojo Jazz Cafe
Reeperbahn 1
Hamburg St. Pauli
Germany

Alpines - Out Of View (Official Video)

What a track! Ethereal vocals meets orginal 90s-infused Rave-/ Proto BigBeat-influences beatwise and make up for a first class banger. We're deeply impressed!

Moon Relay - Imi [Hubro Music]

Scheduled for release on the ever active Norwegian Hubro Music-imprint is "Imi", the second full length album outing by the Oslo-based quartet Moon Relay which caters a menu of six new tracks with unpronounceable titles fully made up of punctuation marks and other symbols. This abstract approach perfectly fits the bands spaced out, muscular sound which evokes memories of the late phase of Depth Charge's DC Recordings label catering a trippy, often well psychedelic instrumental brew of PostPunk, MutantDisco and (Neo)Cosmic elements and an intransigent will to experiment with sound, no matter if the single tracks are driven by a hard hitting, brutalist Rock snare or a straight 4-2-the-floor beat whilst the third transmission even branches out into haunting Score Ambient territories and other tracks explore the twilight zone in which Downbeat and Electro cross over, without even losing on the PostPunk-approach imminent in each and every track of this album that's about to hit the stores on October 19th, 2k18. Interesting stuff, this and a quite unusual release for the Hubro Music label.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Catherine Christer Hennix - Selected Early Keyboard Works [Empty Editions / Blank Forms Promo]

Put on the circuit as a joint venture release between Empty Editions and Blank Forms are Catherine Christer Hennix' "Selected Early Keyboard Works" which hit the stores on September 7th, 2k18. Stemming from as early as 1976 the three recordings on this 2xLP vinyl with the first one split over both sides of the first record were extracted from rehearsal tapes for the 10-day "Dream Music Festival" taking place in the same year in Stockholm, an occasion on which the works of the Swedish composer were performed to the public. Opening with "Nouvelle Mode De Modalites / Nouvelle Mode De Modalites II" we see Catherine Christer Hennix perform freely, yet repetetively over a sine wave drone, bringing forth variations and alterations of an expressive motif coming from a surely psychedelia-induced dream world, with both parts still echo'ing the fresh promises and unexplored possibilities of the young electronic music scene at the time whilst also partially harking back to classical piano techniques over the course of both pieces with the second one providing a buzzing, slightly nervous and partly even jazzy twist without being related to Jazz at any point. With "The Well-Tuned Marimba" the Swedish artist evokes more fluid, dream-like memories of slowly morphing seas of psychedelic technicolour before the final, 24+ minutes lasting cut "Equal Temperament Fader Mix" employs virtuoso piano techniques on the Rhodes as well as advanced tape delays for a dusted, yet fascinating vintage sound that's highly fascinating up to this day. Check!

Jlin - The Abyss Of Doubt (Official Video)

The darkest Footwork abstractions are coming at us from a dystopian future.

Out Now: COMBAT DUBS [Intrauterin Recordings 006]

Yes, it's been quite a while since the last Intrauterin Recordings release but the label never ceased operations officially and now we're back with a new one! Watch out for sales and distribution onfo to come.

"Combat Dubs - Dub Murderation" - a statement that is well suitable for the next release on Hamburg's most underground vinyl imprint Intrauterin Recordings which already has been on the scene since 1999.

Led by a vocal sample of the labels mastermind baze.djunkiii this limited to 120 copies 7" whitelabel single does not only provide a unique and creative take on bass music - especially Grime, Dubstep and Breaks as well as some echoes of early Jungle / Breakbeats - but also proves how long term relationships in the music industry finally fall into place to create musical results as the COMBAT DUBS project is formed in between Intrauterin Recordings-founder baze.djunkiii and the multi-active producer Sascha Müller who's also been responsible for the labels' cat.no. 005 way back in 2005.

After nearly two decades of friendship baze.djunkiii and Sascha Müller finally joined the studio together for the first time in early 2018 for a session with only the name COMBAT DUBS in mind and a rough plan to dig deep into the realms of bass music for their very first collaborational effort. Fueled by this idea they churned out two tunes within less than eight hours from scratch, two variations on one main theme with one gravitating more towards the raw, unprocessed aesthetics of the early Grime scene whereas the second cut goes a little deeper, providing a smooth crossover between Dubstep and Breaks whilst an all embracing bass line and trancey strings are perfect tools to provide an ultimate lift off for late night crowds.

Le Crabe - Du Caviar A L'écran

Mutant HipHop on a well minimal tip. We really dig this.

North Atlantic Drift - Departures, Vol. 2 [Sound In Silence 053]

Making a return to the Greek Ambient imprint Sound In Silence after five long years is North Atlantic Drift, the collaborational duo of Mike Abercrombie and Brad Deschamps which is now ready to present their new album "Departures, Vol. 2" on the beloved label as a limited, hand-numbered edition of 150 copies. Their eight track and 49 minutes spanning journey starts with "Empty" in which the pair ventures into the lands of slow moving, deep Ambient beauty to pave the way for things to come whereas the follow up "Glow" provides a soft, solemn afterglow for warm summer nights, keeping up with faraway echoes of the minimal Post-PostRock employed by the pair in previous releases. Riding a "Carousel" we see North Atlantic Drift sonicly depict a naturalistic and innocent scenery in a combination of warm pads and what seems to be field recorded rumbles and crackling surface noise, "Good Intention I" harks back to rainy sunday afternoons and sweet, widescreen melancholia whilst producing in "Formation" combines a seemingly backward run background loop and carefully layered minor chords for genre aficionados. With "Good Intentions II" the pair of producers caters more classic Ambient flows, once again paired with bits and bops of crackling surface sounds, "Mountain Spectre" combines scraping digital distortions and a nine minutes flow of ethereal, levitating harmony and the final cut "Autumn" is as autumnal and inward-looking as its title itself whilst slightly bordering a bit of kitsch and Easy Listening for a closing. Ambient as Ambient can be.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Numb.er - A Memory Stained

Is Batcave and desolate Wave making a comeback in 2018?

Various Artists - Chronicles [ODrex Trip 012]

Released in October, 2k17 but only coming in recently was "Chronicles", the latest compilation effort put on the circuit by Berlin's underground DubTechno ambassadors ODrex Music on their ODrex Trip-offspring. Released as a well massive 3x CD-r album cardboard box set with a runtime easily exceeding the three hours mark and catering an overall menu of 31 tracks contributed by 31 artists this one is a lot to take in, opening with the deep Electronica / ChillOut cut "Atmosphera" by John Ov3rblast and providing too much deepness to mention by the likes of the label head honchos Twin Peetz and Moolsaasa as well as tunes by Sascha Müller, Echonaut, Krisz Deak, Planetary Observer, Ethereal Music and many many more, all covering the musical range in between Ambient, Downtempo, Electronica, Intelligent Techno and DubTechno - the latter both on a calm tip as well as bringing on a distinct dancefloor punch - for those who well know about the amount of talent hidden in the deep layers of the worldwide musical underground. File under: quality electronic chillin'.

Album artwork on Instagram!

baze.djunkiii Chart Haul 09/2018

Lars Graugaard / Grup Instrumental De Valencia / Joan Cervero - Engage And Share [Kairos Promo]

Released via the Kairos-imprint in September 2k18 is "Engage And Share", the newest collaborational effort created by Danish composer Lars Graugaard in conjunction with Joan Cervero and the Grup Instrumental De Valencia. Recorded over the course of three days in June 2k17 the three tracks making up this longplay piece are moving away from his Max/MSP composing technique but see his work being transferred into the world through real instruments, starting out with the albums title track which is a noir'esque, tense and intense piece of spine-tingling quality which we totally could see providing for an additional layer in a vintage, coarse-grained black-and-white film from the past. With "Slonk" things are getting way more action-laden and dramatic with loads of multilayered brass and short string outbursts alongside a detailed, buzzing background seemingly provided by piano, xylophone and / or glockenspiel whereas the concluding "Blind Lemon" brings forth a panoramic (neo)classical interplay between calm, enchanting relaxation and wild, dramatic sequences for all score-lovers and -collectors out there. If you are a part of this group "Engage And Share" will cater to your needs and provide a worthwhile addition to your collection for sure.

Proc Fiskal - Dopamine (Official Video)

Future Grime being as futuristic as fuck. Get ready for a replay.

MMO-Ensemble - Any Day Now [Øra Fonogram]

Released on June 1st, 2k18 and incoming only recently via the Norwegian imprint Øra Fonogram is "Any Day Now", the new album by the MMO-Ensemble, founded and led by saxophonist Martin Myhre Olsen to express and manifest his vision of what the press release depicts as 'large improvising ensemble'. With a total ensemble size of twelve musicians we see the group starting on a quite intense level with the opener "Any Day Now Part I" which is meandering in between echoes of Psychedelic Rock, Spoken Word and hard boppin', Bossa-infused FreeJazz to pave the way for things to come like "Why?", a conversation between obvious mystique and mystery and innocent, yet dramatic broadway outing with brings forth highly score-bound qualities whereas "Take Me (Tøyen Blues)" provides a playful, well-grooving take on (Free)Jazz spread out over a stretch of 14 minutes as the albums longest piece before drifting off into deeper, more romantic and partly even BarJazz-infused territories for a while without getting rid of the overall improvisional approach and "Lonely Place?" explores eerie, intense territories of climaxing tension and Noir-quality in combination with a dramatic vocal performance. A few recommended picks to check out from a well-diverse and interesting album that's defo one to be called a highlight for all Contemporary Jazz enthusiasts out there for a reason.

14.09.2018 WAX UNLIMITED @ Beat Boutique / Hamburg

decks: baze.djunkiii [Intrauterin Recordings]

file under: TechHouse / DubTechno / Minimal

doors open: 10 pm

Beat Boutique
Max-Brauer-Allee 219
22765 Hamburg
Germany

Aviva Endean - Apparition

Clarinet-based Isolationist Ambient taken from Aviva Endean's forthcoming album on the Norwegian Sofa Music-label.

Thomas Janitzky - Letters [self-released CD-r]

Coming in from the deepest, most hidden vaults of the German underground scene is "Letters", the latest untitled, self-released CD-r by Thomas Janitzky who's also involved in the - also deeply underground-rooted - 7" imprint operating under the name of Arbeiten Und Nicht Verzweifeln. Bringing on four sketches unearthed from the artists archives the single / EP opens with a tune named "Dobly" which brings us a dry, dancefloor friendly take on fine, fast paced electroid Rhythm Industrial with a trippy twist whereas the follow up identified as "Wood Effect" takes a turn into droning, atmospheric Noize whilst "Wash" provides more of a raw, harsh and highly repetetive variation on a hybrid fusion of Rhythm Electronics and brain destructive, arythmically layered MonoTechno before the final cut that is "Prism" explores the dynamic range of Ambient pads to the very max with an array of partly cut-up non-climaxing sweeps of a soft, yet stimulating note. There is hope.

CD-r artwork on Instagram!

Seasick Steve - Can U Cook? (Official Audio)

We are down with Seasick Steve's latest take on Blues-infused Rock attitude with a dancefloor twist for sure. Watch out for a new album to come in late September, 2k18.

Twin Peetz - Quartz [OD Cuts 003]

Put on the circuit via the recently launched ODrex Music-offspring OD Cuts which is focusing on extremely limited,  hand-number lathe cut editions is "Quartz", the newest 10inch outing  by Berlin's DubTechno master and label head honcho Twin Peetz. Released as an initial run of only 10 - sic! - copies worldwide we see the title track "Quartz" providing a chill, yet distinct punch for levitating DubTechno dancefloors whilst the "Reformulation" to be found on the flip gravitates towards a slower, more classic feel clearly paying homage to the genres great innovators vibewise, providing sweet fodder for spaced out late night sessions. A recommended collectors item, this.

Lathe cut artwork on Instagram!

You Me At Six - 3AM (Official Video)

IndieElectro is making a comeback, bringing back a captivating Disco twist to your favorite dancefloor. Especially recommended for fans of the German underground band Captain Capa!

Wako - Urolige Sinn [Øra Fonogram]

Coming in with a letter from the Faroe Islands only recently was "Urolige Sinn", the latest album release by the Norwegian quartet named Wako which most prominently features the likes of Kjetil Mulelid and Martin Myhre Olsen as part of their cast. Released on the Øra Fonogram label the longplay piece serves a menu of thirteen tracks within an overall playtime of 34 minutes only which keeps a lot of the projects compositions under the magical two minutes mark. But this relatively short per track runtime does not prevent the quartet from providing quite a bunch of magical moments on "Urolige Sinn", be it the deep, melancholia infused Jazz Noir-opener "Jernvilje" or the lively, yet contemplative, piano- and sax-driven late night dancefloor swing of the follow-up "Skavlet Føre" whilst "Den Endeløse Planen" weighs in a hint of chaos within 106 seconds of FreeJazz-related sound and both "Snart Bli Jeg Far" as well as "En Liten Halftime Senere" heavily gravitate towards BarJazz for fancy cocktail sipping in expensive upper class venues. But these are only a few selected picks from an excellent Jazz-oriented album that every genre lover should consider to add to his collection for a reason. Check!

Album artwork on Instagram!

08.09.2018 The Freestyle Files @ Beat Boutique / Hamburg

decks: baze.djunkiii [Intrauterin Recordings / Combat Dubs]

file under: Bigbeat / Phonk / Freestyle / BrokenHouse / Funky & ElectroBreaks

doors open: 10 pm

Beat Boutique
Max-Brauer-Allee 219
22765 Hamburg
Germany

baze.djunkiii Charts 09/2018

01. Schlachthofbronx - Dun Dem / Soundbad [ZamZam Sounds 064]
Dub is a weapon and Schlachthofbronx are defo in for the kill with two tracks best described as spatial weapons of mass destruction. Stripped down and equipped with an earth-shaking low end as well as seductive melodic motifs these two tunes are timeless classics that every bass addict needs in his 7" collection.  

02. Global Electronic Network - Time Square [Sound Metaphors 005]
Re-release alert - and this is a big one. The first two parts of Global Electronic Network's 1994 Mille Plateaux-release "Time Square" which are featured on this 12" see electronic music legends Khan & Walker, the two faces behind G.E.N., bring on two epicly long efforts in Ambient Techno / Armchair Techno and spaced out Deep Listening Music for those who know. Defo a must have, this.

03. Quays - Swoo EP [Chewy Motto 001]
Slightly mysterious cat.no. 001 from thew Chewy Motto-label that somehow seems to be connected to the R & S Records family as their logo is featured on the label print as well. Produced in 2016 but obviously released only recently we see Quays filling the gap between Broken Beat / Phusion and Future Garage with four tunes including the big time anthem that is "By Your Side feat. Nancy Anderson" which is the most perfect, touching and beautiful closing tune in this genre you will ever come across ever whilst "Out Cold" on B2 brings on an anthemic, yet deep and heartfelt piano banger for advanced Future Garage sessions. Get.

04. Hot Like Jam / Very First Time [PXWHITE 001]
It's bootleg time! Both Beat International's "Dub Be Good To Me" as well as Madonna's "Like A Virgin" are getting an excellent, oldskool'ish Electro treatment and cater to the needs of all b-boys, breakers, pop lockers and mixmasters ready to surprise their crowds with new incarnations of well familiar alltime jams. Killer!

05. Sinistarr - Swinging Flavors #6 [Beat Machine Records]
More 7" magic is brought to us by this little yellow - ! - piece of goodness that is a kind of a novelty record of sorts, amalgamating both elements of Drum'n'Bass experimentalism and Juke / Footwork-references with uplifting vibes, highly pitched vocals, cheesy melodies and layers of Halftime in both "55555" as well as in "55555 *Philip D Kick Remix" for all open minded DJ's out there.

06. DJ Arg - Argonic Acid Trax [Super Rhythm Trax 023]
Acid from the deepest underground. Dark, hypnotic, jacking. Ever moving, yet full on hypnotic and defo a massive vinyl debut for DJ Arg who's been making waves on the scene with his productions on the Soundcloud-circuit for years on end. One cannot get a better Acid record than this one this month. Period.

07. Omsk Information & Dr. Walker - Mescaline Muzzikkk [Nona Records]
See review for details...

08. MAP 71 - Void Axis [Foolproof Projects 048]
See review for details...

09. -
   
10. -

DJ Taye ft. DJ Lucky - Smokeout (Official Video)

Dopeness from DJ Taye's most recent album "Still Trippin'".

Julia Reidy - Beholder [A Guide To Saints Promo]

Scheduled for release on September 7th, 2k18 via A Guide To Saints is "Beholder", the latest longplay offering created by Berlin-based Australian guitarist Julia Reidy who is matching her instrument against electronic textures within four tracks on this fourty minute album piece. Opening with "Imminently" she caters a busy, fast-paced approach towards treating her instrument whilst repetetive strings and atmospheres provide a backdrop for her slightly aggressive, folksy techniques before "Syros", a name reference to the starting point of the albums production which was the Greek island of the same name, goes deep into UnAmbient territories with a certain feel of unrest one feels despite Reidy's loop-oriented guitar playing. With "Jfal" we see Julia Reidy entering realms of 70s-oriented Psychedelic Rock in her approach to how to treat her guitar whilst crystalline Ambient tones are functioning as a sonic contrast before the track surprisingly changing pace and ends in a finale of spooky reverbs for the most captivating tune of the album whilst the title track finally goes back into Folk and intense strumming. We're in for "Jfal" mostly although we can see why ppl would pick up on the rest of the album as well.

Laurel - Adored (Official Audio)

An emotional IndieSoul anthem taken from Laurel's most recent album "Dogviolet" which was put on the circuit via Counter Records on August 24th, 2k18.

The Green Kingdom - Seen And Unseen [Sound In Silence 052]

Coming in from Greece as a hand-numbered edition of 200 copies is "Seen And Unseen", the very first album produced by Michigan's Michael Cottone a.k.a. The Green Kingdom for the Greek Ambient staple Sound In Silence. After releasing on imprints like Dronarivm, Lost Tribe Sound, Flaming Pines and others under The Green Kingdom as well as using the name Dustcraft for more DubTechno related productions we see Mr. Cottone provide a selection of seven new cuts, opening with "Kodama" which is a slightly folksy blueprint for carefully crafted Ambient beauty followed by "Illuminations (Dub)", a seven minutes excursion into deep calmness and melancholia accompanied by solemn acoustic guitar sprinkles whereas the "Woolen Sky" provides a distinct melodic waveform movement and - once again - The Green Kingdom's trademark guitar textures. With "Cloud Wanderings" we see Michael Cottone perfectly emulating the slow movement of big cotton fluff over a bright blue summer sky, "Dorado" weighs in more soft melodic padding and a distinct hovering synth line for ultimate relaxation whereas the "Breathing Sea" can be described as a kind of respiratory, solemn and partly even Balearic-influenced take on the genre before the "Sleeping Forest" waves goodbye in a friendly, organic and all embracing manner, amalgamating a sweet array of pads and slightly kitsch-heavy strings with levitating as well as intense pianos and manipulated guitars for lovers. Music for a rainy sunday afternoon - possibly in late fall.