Pulled By Magnets - Rose Golden Doorways [Glitterbeat / Tak:til Promo]

Scheduled for release on February 28th, 2k20 via Glitterbeat / Tak:til is "Rose Golden Doorways", the debut album by Seb Rochford's latest band project operating under the moniker Pulled By Magnets. With all songs recorded live at The Old Church in Stoke Newington the trio comprised of Rochford alongside fellow musicians Pete Wareham and Neil Charles are going in for what the accompanying info sheet describes simply as a 'big heavy sound' informed both by traditions of extreme western guitar music and the unlikely presence of Indian Raga influences adopted from Rochford's part-Indian heritage and musical research on the subcontinent. The results are as dark as they're captivating - a slowly shifting variation of Desert Rock / Desert Blues capturing total i- and desolation, built on a foundation of slow, yet thundering drums and unquestionable timelessness, a music that seem to have existed from the beginning of time, telling sonic tales of gods and demons, a droning fest accompanied by yearning sax passages and omniscient bass, sharing wisdom and fear of ancient entities and beings deliberately unspoken of at any point in given time. An enthralling, somewhat Lovecraftian monolith of an album which is at a surprising height in the (Ambient) Dub infused 6+ minutes of "Those Among Us" and the subsequent ultraminimalist bass guitar exercise that is "The Immortal Fire" whilst "Cold Regime People Die" ultimately harks back to a fusion of score works and Drone Metal riffing to a great effect just to pick a few examples for musical guidance. Intense. Good. Get.

worriedaboutsatan - Crystalline [Sound In Silence 070]

Released earlier this month via the Greece-based imprint Sound In Silence is "Crystalline", the latest album outing by Leeds / UK resident Gavin Miller a.k.a. worriedaboutsatan. Active under this moniker since 2005, the former member of Postrock-outfit Johnny Pointdexter offers a new selection of eight tracks on this roughly 35 minute spanning album - partly alongside and accompanied by vocalist Sophie Green - which, starting from hissing Ambient Noise pulses in the intro of the opening track "Open The Door" evolves into calm, somewhat autumnal Post-PostRock / PopAmbient within the same tune, presents bass music informed ChillOut / Electronica for advanced dancefloors in the subsequent and surely anthemic "Step Inside", emphasizes on the beauteous interplay of guitar chords and echoes alongside heavenly non-vocalisms in "Cali" before fusing slighty twangy PostFolk guitars with precise Electronic Dub abstractions as well as Post Dubstep-infused bassline action in "Mirrors". Furthermore the title track "Crystalline" unexpectedly speeds up things for a crystalline ride on warm bass movements, more advanced bass music references and polychrome synths, "Streetlights On Empty Roads" reveal more uplifting low end power alongside dreamy, fuzzed out guitar motifs created for introvert dancers only, "Secretly" even weighs in echoes of echoes of Dark Wave and Goth vibewise whilst staying true to the PostRock universe this longplayer lives in whereas the concluding cut aptly named "Switching Off" waves goodbye in an ethereal, beatless and slightly haunting Ambient manner. Excellent. Get.

Bit-Tuner - Exo [OUS 027 Promo]

Forthcoming on February 7th, 2k20 via the highly experimental, forward thinking OUS imprint is "Exo", the seventh full length album outing by the Swiss musician and producer named Bit-Tuner created near the end of an extended ex-pat period in Athens, Greece. Capturing and reflecting upon his 24 months stay in which Bit-Tuner saw the country go through surely rough times the artist builds a misty, blurred out longplayer stretched over the course of eight tracks and roughly 34 minutes total playtime which is regularly touching base with Ambient, Synth and (Neo)Cosmic alike whilst presenting a certain inward looking, reflective melancholia as well as a feel of shift and unease caused by somewhat intervening sounds of both percussive and probably field recorded nature which provide a well thought out contrast to the majestic, heavenly layering in tracks like "Passage" and the dedicated, bass-heavy distorted icyness of the crystalline Post-PostGarage cut "Valve" whilst tunes like "Byz" dabble with ethereal, yet anthemic variations of beatless late night Post-Dubstep / Future Bass and "Ghost Light" brings forth a classic, ever spiralling Synth / Cosmic attitude for fans of the genres true pioneers. Eclectic quality, not only for dedicated followers of  OUS' musical musings.

Trapper Keaper - Meets Tim Berne & Aurora Nealand [Ears & Eyes Records / Caligola Records]

Going back to April 2k19 with this review for the latest album outing created by New Orleans-based duo Trapper Keaper, consisting of Italian drummer Marcello Benetti and American keyboard player William Thompson IV who chose to team with Tim Berne and Aurora Nealand for this longpay piece which are both adding their take on the alto sax as an instrument to the groups sonic mix. Opening with an eruptive primevil "Boom" the gang of four is paving the way for things to come over the course of roughly 45 minutes - an untamed and raw tour de force of multilayered polyrhythmic percussions and oftentimes dark'ish, well eerie electronic textures, garnished with sax interventions bordering on FreeJazz and Improv whilst cuts like "Unidentified Flying Objection" offer a tender, somewhat romantic yet off kilter musical approach only to build up towards a climax of more chaotic, freeform structures, "Flame Among Ashes" offers an ever meandering take on electronically informed (Future)Jazz whilst the "Leaky Faucet" brings forth a somewhat tongue-in-cheek late night vibe just to name a few. Defo one explore if you're into the free floating experimental side of the Jazz spectrum

2121 - Vol. 01 [2121-01]

Incoming only recently is this mysterious hand-cut, one-sided lathe-cut 12" released via the recently founded imprint 2121 which is about to come at the world's dancefloors with a series of releases which will only be manufactured on demand - a.k.a. whenever someone orders a specific release of theirs via their website. Running a strict 'no information' policy the label is rumoured to be the brainchild of a veteran producer wishing to create music without having to meet any expectations attached to his real name and well known aliases. This said, the first 12" of the new label is aiming straight at the heart of peaktime rave dancefloors, providing an excellent, expertly executed take on bouncy uptempo AcidTrance for those in the know, hypnotizing masses in strobe-lit and fogged out warehouses with carefully shifting modulations and a stripped down, yet uplifting vibe which combines todays production values with a certain 90s vibe, certainly reminiscent of alltime classics like Underworld's "Rez" and therefore is a record that's about to stand the test of time for a reason.

Sign Libra - Sea To Sea [RVNG Intl. 060 Promo]

Scheduled for release via RVNG Intl. on February 14th, 2k20 is "Sea To Sea", the new album outing by Latvian composer Agata Melnikova employing her artistic alias Sign Libra. Dedicating each of the ten songs to one of the areas referred to as 'seas' on the moon's surface and conceptually contemplating about the meaning of those so-called seas on various layers musically we see Melnikova exploring a sonic realm clearly infused with and informed by hovering, blurred 80s Synths and the diffusely modernistic neon glow of Vaporwave, oftentimes weaving in harmonic non-vocalisms and freely imagined motifs sporting a slightly cliche Asiatic character at times like in "Sea Of Waves" whereas "Sea Of Serenity" presents more of a light-hearted, captivating Future Grime approach and therefore is our favorite cut on the entire album by far. Furthermore Sign Libra echants 4/4 focused dancefloors with mystical entanglements found in the "Sea Of Vapours" whilst the "Sea Of Cleverness" takes the Ethereal Future R'n'B genre to a level beyond the next level just to single out a few cuts from "Sea To Sea" for an in-depth view. Proper good.

Golden Fangs - Golden Fangs EP

The apocalypse is coming upon us. And we're certainly in for the darkness. File under: one of the dopest Illbient / Phonk releases you'll come across in 2k20.

Sascha Müller - Traxxx Vol. 21 [SM Traxxx 44-2020]

Forthcoming on the long time running SM Traxxx label on February 20th, 2k20 is Sascha Müller's next digital single named "Traxxx Vol. 21". Once again featuring two cuts by the restless German producer the opening tune "Track 41" brings forth a tool'ish, slightly spiralling take on functional AcidTechno sporting two overlapping lines of modulation whereas the subsequently following "Track 42" presents a darker, more muscular and surely brutalist take one heavily technoid MonoAcid for your local illegal bunker raves of choice.

Alex McKechnie - Degrees Of Latitude [1471877 Records DK 001]

Released only recently as the very first outing of the new label 1471877 Records DK is "Degrees Of Latitude", the new album effort created by Alex McKechnie around a core idea of strict algorithmic composition techniques. Based on this approach the former Barbed-member presents a roughly 46 minutes spanning seven track album which is, according to additional information found on Discogs, limited to only 50 copies worldwide. Opening with "Whirligig" the listener is immediately drawn into a crystalline sonic world evoking memories of Wendy Carlos' legendary early Synth piece "Switched On Bach" due to its compositional structure and overall ethereal nature obviously drawing inspiration from Classical and Modern Classical music whereas the subsequent "56th Parallel South" is following a similar, yet more chiming and cascading path which might also speak to fans of frolicking New Age music whilst "Laurie's Beagle" brings forth more sparkling and spiralling, trance-inducing uptempo liveliness for advanced dancefloors despite missing a proper solid beat foundation. Heading down "56th Parallel North" presents a more mysterious and mystical take on stripped down algorithmic composition whilst taking us on a trip back to the 80s vibewise, the cryptically titled "Gamalamalamlom" is as complex, multilayered and slightly esoteric as one might have already guessed from its name whereas "Cuculus" pays homage to the epic scores created by early Synth masters like Jean-Michel Jarre as well as to certain musical paths taken throughout the Krautrock era whilst the closing tune "Seven Of Pentacles" pairs more (Neo)Classical elements with high definition bleeps and a rather rhythm focused approach in comparison to all its predecessors on this album. Beautiful stuff.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Aidan Baker & Gareth Davis - Invisible Cities II [Karlrecords Promo]

Scheduled for release via Karlrecords on January 24th, 2k20 is "Invisible Cities II", the second full album collaboration album created by Canadian guitarist Aidan Baker and Belgium-based clarinet player Gareth Davis. Presenting a new set of five tracks rolled out over the course of roughly 43 minutes playtime the opening cut "Hidden" sonically paves the way for things to come with its dark'ish, solemn and slowly moving Ambient structures as well as score'esque overall approach and layers of unperturbed, naturalistic beauty fading out into atmospheric crackles whilst the subsequent track "Eyes" weighs in more of a brittle take on late night / early morning Ambient vibe for those indulging in deep thinking and heartfelt melancholia. Approaching "The Dead" we see the duo merging more of a brooding, threatening electronic vibe with Dark Jazz-informed, yearning clarinet motifs, finding "Continuity" equals the calm in the golden hour before the sun rises whereas naming concluding "Names" is as tender and romantic as Ambient music can get. Defo one for genre connaisseurs, this.

Jon Hassell / Farafina - Flash Of The Spirit [Tak:til / Glitterbeat Promo]

Upcoming on the Glitterbeat sub- / sister label Tak:til is the first ever official re-issue edition of "Flash Of The Spirit", the 1987 conjunctional album effort created by Jon Hassell as a collaborator within the context of Burkina Faso's world renowned outfit Farafina which had also worked with the likes of the Rolling Stones or Ryuichi Sakamoto before this album came to be. With the 2020 release due for February 7th, 2k20 we see the album not only back on the circuit in its original musical form but also being remastered to provide a new view on the densely arranged, polyrhythmic and multilayered classic of the so-called Fourth World movement which sees Hassell's avantgarde informed, oftentimes reprocessed trumpet playing seamlessly merge with the rich sound of Farafina, a far more complex musical venture than the often used term World Music / Ethnic Music / Afrobeat could ever describe correctly. Defo a gem for followers of Contemporary Fusion Music and a dreamy, transcendent and surely unique sonic experience of a kind albeit, and maybe this is due to the original master recording quality of the material, the depth and dynamic range of the album might not necessarily please the audiophile community out there as the general sound quality seems to be a little blurred and muffled which, on the one side, seems to go hand in hand with hypnotic, Psychedelia-infused vibe of the music yet, on the other hand, poses the question if a little more emphasis on and sculpting of the mid- and high frequency could've added even more value to this re-release. Maybe someone is up for doing a one on one comparison with the original release at some point?

Jan Willem Troost & Henry Vega - Ninevolt [Arteksounds 006 Promo]

Released only recently via the Arteksounds imprint is "Ninevolt", a six track collaboration album created by Jan Willem Troost and Henry Vega in which the two musicians aim to amalgamate and glue their instruments of choice - the cello employed by Troost and electronic composition embraced by Vega. Opening with "The Asexual Kingdoms" we see the two artists, accompanied by vocal contributions by both Els Mondelears and Stephanie Pan, embark on a journey into the unknown of a new (Neo)Classical / Contemporary Classical music based on carefully arranged electronic textures and repetetive violin motifs slightly varied whereas the subsequent "Nine Volt Motion" provides a slightly more playful take on computational electronic sounds and siren emulations in conjunction with plucked strings before "Speculative Renaissance 1: Simple Beast" brings forth a lively interplay of crystalline synth tones and dramatic, expressive violin work. The subsequent "Speculative Renaissance 2: The Violence Of Looks" presents even more drama in conjunction with what can be described as crackling Electronica derived from a root of Clicks'n'Cuts , in "On Slowness" the digital crackle continues alongside echoes of inward looking Classical Chamber Music whilst "Victoria Viktoria", taken from the opera 'Secretly', finally introduces more of a dark'ish, brooding variation of the duos work which brings on - obviously informed by the scenic context of a stage play - an interesting take on sonic storytelling and score creation which will be enjoyed by score enthusiasts and followers of (Neo)Classical music alike for a reason.

Johan Arrias - Pour Alto Seul [Ausculto Fonogram 004]

Released recently as cat.no. 004 of the label known as Ausculto Fonogram is "Pour Alto Seul", the first ever full length solo work created by Swedish artist Johan Arrias who is exploring the sonic realm of the saxophone as a solo instrument over the course of eight tracks and a total runtime of roughly 31 minutes. In this exploration we see the instrument being thrown back on its very own, wandering through space, time and perception without any context or pre-existing framework, be it being embedded musically or in any matrix of time, tuning or tempo. This approach allows for a use and abuse of the saxophone beyond what its mostly known for, unveiling a widely unknown beauty that lies within a deep, innate melancholy and sadness, beauteous desolation and ever yearning voice, atonal, ambient'ish and mechanical pieces like the tender "Abandoned City" or the more percussive "Wind Variations" with its fever'ish, ritualistic atmosphere whilst cuts like "Rivers" introduce a super naturalistic take on saxophone playing one rarely even comes across, no matter what specific genre one's talking about. Defo a well interesting case study on one single musical subject, this.

Album artwork on Instagram!

baze.djunkiii Chart Haul 01/2k20

Martina Bertoni - All The Ghosts Are Gone [Falk Records Promo]

What happens when a classically trained cello player forces herself to step outside her very own comfort zone during a dark period of her life? What are the results of approaching the instrument differently, probably from an angle that an electronic music composer would use? Questions like these are answered through Martina Bertoni's "All Ghosts Are Gone", the latest cassette tape release on the Icelandic label Falk Records which was put on the circuit on January 8th, 2k20. Throughout the eight tracks and approximately 37 minutes runtime of the album we don't see the Berlin-based artists abandoning her instrument for good, instead the yearning, obviously sad and melancholia-infused cello playing remains occasionally present over the course of the whole album to a certain extent, adding organic textures to a coherent sonic realm consisting of sparse Ambient and DarkAmbient structures, minimalist atmospheric movements and a decent foundation of stripped down beats somewhat in between Electronica, ChillOut and IDM, in certain tracks like "Stuck Out Of Lifetime" even evoking memories of the slightly storytelling, score'esque approach employed by genre greats like The Future Sound Of London throughout the early- and mid-90s whilst "Impossible Routines" provides a stripped down, spine-tingling and highly captivating main motif for advanced Ambient dancefloors - which should be a good reason for any lover of electronic music to check out this single track on its own and / or give the full album release a shot and discover even more greatness in cuts like the touching, yet minimalistic Dark Ambient / Desert Ambient piece that is "Invisible Cracks" which is another favorite of ours on this longplay piece.

Espen Sommer Eide - The Waves [Sofa Music]

Released via the Norwegian staple Sofa Music on November 15th, 2k19 is "The Waves", the first full on solo album created by acclaimed artist / composer Espen Sommer Eide which we've already announced on these pages with a feature for the album opening track "Slaapkamer" at the end of last year. Brought to life in conjunction with Martin Taxt and Mari Kvien Brunvoll throughout a yearlong recording session in an old villa in Maastricht, Netherlands which has been turned into an arts centre the recordings on this album do not only happen within the building but use the space and single rooms in itself to add certain individual textures, oftentimes in conjunction with Spoken Word text collages taken from the works of authors like Virginia Woolf and others. With this approach, the second cut "Schouwkamer" presents itself as a tender amalgamation of crackling textures, echoes of Field Recordings and intense, yet harmonic layers of klaxon'esque drones in conjunction with blurred, ethereal female vocals somewhat reminiscent of band projects like Peaking Lights, "Poortkamer / Tussenkamer" weighs in what might be referred to as Post Folk / Post Chamber Music with its intimate, short looped, pure and naturalistic structures seamlessly transitioning into the raw, crackling Electronica / CutUp realm of "Zolder" which is seemingly based, at least in parts, on sounds taken from old telecommunication equipment and clanging wood and metal pieces alongside ambient'ish string works. Furthermore the double feature "Balzaal / Turnkamer" indulges deeply in Folk-infused, misty Leftfield Pop with an innocent, uplifting and somewhat björk'esque twist, "Wintertuin" continues on the path of its predecessor with more ethereal vocals, deep, brooding bass eruptions and a sacred, spiritual atmosphere of sorts whereas the closing cut "Wachtkamer" waves goodbye with a bunch of Spoken Word album credits which defo is a killer idea for a concluding track. Go check!

Album artwork on Instagram!

HTN - Ify

Is Intelligent Breakcore? Detroit Hardcore? IGM a.k.a. Intelligent Glitch Music? Subaquatic Future Jungle? No matter what, it's a banger for sure.

Craven Faults - Erratics & Unconformities [The Leaf Label Promo]

Released via The Leaf Label on January 10th, 2k20 is "Erratics & Unconformities", the first ever album by the project known as Craven Faults which is out on the circuit as 2x LP vinyl set and 3x CD box set with the latter one featuring a bunch of additional sonic material not covered on vinyl. With the limited promotional upfront CD version we're taking a basic look at the tracklist of the 2xLP set, opening with the roughly 18 minutes spanning "Vacca Wall", an epicly long trip into the spiralling realms of contemporary Synth and (Neo)Cosmic which is followed by "Deipkier" - a track we've already featured on these pages in December, 2k19. With exploring the "Cupola Smelt Mill" Craven Faults settle into a classic, somewhat KrautRock-infused approach to what once was called Kosmische Musik / Cosmic when this style originally emerged and do manage to hold up to the high standards of the genres early days, "Slack Sley & Temple" provides slowly moving Ambient drones in conjunction with hypnotic repetitions and organic, well seductive bass grooves bordering ChillOut, dubbed out Electronica and IDM as the albums main piece in terms of runtime before "Hangingstones" indulges in a warm organic stream of harmonic chord progressions and, once again, beautiful Ambient grooves whereas the concluding "Signal Post" is as calm and caressing as vintage Synth works can be, waving goodbye in the most friendly and touching manner ever imaginable. Recommended.

DST featuring Gabriele Mitelli - Kinetic [Aut Records 054]

Out on the circuit via Berlin's Aut Records label on January 20th, 2k20 is "Kinetic", the sophomore album piece by DST which is a conjunctional artistic moniker employed by Alberto Collodel and Simone Di Benedetto for joint musical ventures. This time teaming up with trumpet player Gabrielle Mitelli for a change who adds both tones by his instrument of choice as well as occasional electronic textures to the mix the eight tracks on this album are focusing on an ever evolving, oftentimes melancholia-infused variation of Jazz / Future Jazz defined by the sparse, yet touching opener "Phase Out" which paves the way for things to come like the beautiful, heartfelt Jazz Noir outing "S" which defo is a most welcome companion throughout cold, pensive winter nights. With "Still" the trio touches base with desolate Dark Ambient / Cold Ambient before turning towards intimate, inward looking Jazz again, "Struktur 1 - Trumpet Version" is on a well intense, buzzing tip in terms of free eruptive trumpet improvisation in conjunction with muffled non-vocalisms and other hard to identify textures whereas "Landscapes" presents a deep, stripped down take on what could be a high quality score for classic black and white flics shot at the beginning of the cinematic age. Furthermore "Rota" pairs a free floating improvisational bass groove with tender electronic textures and more Free Jazz vibes to a great effect , "Struktur 1 - Bass Clarinet Version" comes across way deeper and contained compared to the cuts alternate version despite featuring quite a fair share of eruptive improvisation, too, and the final cut "Lullaby For Barbin" sees the trio explore more of a high quality late night Bar Jazz approach for a closing which adds another level to their sonic spectrum. Defo a piece every genre connaisseur should check out for a reason.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Aaron Turner - Repression's Blossom [Sige Records / Full Contact Records Promo]

A fresh collaboration between Sige Records and Full Contact Records is "Repression's Blossom", the debut four track EP release created by Isis co-founder Aaron Turner. Released on November 15th, 2k19 the 25 minutes spanning sonic effort opens with "Fear Of Discovery", a short excursion into screaming, ear piercing high frequencies accompanied by grinding, heavily shifting feedback objects whilst the subsequent track "The Vanity Of Need" brings forth hefty HarshNoize brutalism on a buzzing digital information overload, interrupted by and evolving into intense moments of unsettling calmness. Furthermore "Attar Datura" caters growling low ends crawling up from the deepest subsurface vaults whilst adding deconstructed echoes of Jazz and tender, ambient'ish guitar drones as well as Post-PostRock / DesertBlues to the equation before the concluding "Underlying Nature Of Habitual Dishonesty" speaks volumes in terms of emulating the raw Noize-infused power of brutally shifting tectonic plates for an intro sequence before, once again, indulging in dark, deep and droning guitar - and feedback! - works and therefore harking back to Aaron Turner's previous activities in mostly guitar driven outfits. What a combination.

Del Lumanta - Preparations [A Guide To Saints 028 Promo]

Put on the circuit on November 8th, 2k19 via the Australia-based cassette tape focused imprint A Guide To Saints is "Preparations", the latest album outing by Sydney's Del Lumanta. Split into two parts Del Lumanta presents "Preparations I - III" on the A-side, the artists first time dabblings in modular synthesis resulting in tense, cold and swirling explorations in sound, reflecting on Del Lumanta's journey through the sheer endless possibilities of modular, including ending up in certain dead ends and wild, sometimes random shifts of sonic direction in the first part whilst the series sequels present a more organized approach in terms of slowly floating, ever evovling streams of Ambient. Furthermore the flipside brings on "Last Days Of Rain", a roughly 17 minutes spanning improvisational recording of pure and beauteous, more crystalline nature exploring the cascading areas in between Ambient and IDM paired with a touching, well emotional and harmonic take on sawtooth bass modulation which makes the B-side of this underground tape release a clear winner from our perspective. Check.

Asfast - Moon

Beautiful, slow moving Dark Ambient meandering in between ethereal and Industrial atmospheres - taken from Asfast's forthcoming album "The Prime Same" which is due via Denovali on January 31st, 2k20.

Claudio F. Baroni - The Body Imitates The Landscape [Unsounds 064]

Released on January 15th, 2k20 via the Amsterdam-based Unsounds imprint is "The Body Imitates The Landscape", an album piece created by experimental music composer Claudio F. Baroni in conjunction with Ensemble Maze, based on and around music for an interactive sound installation of the same name by Adi Hollander. And even though it is, for most of the times and including this album, impossible to bring out the full experience of an installation piece without the physical experience of actually being on location in an album recording seperated from its irl visual / sensual counterpart, in this specific case the physical experience of sound channeled through objects within the installation, we see Claudio F. Baroni and Ensemble Maze create an intimate, stripped down and somewhat touching (headphone) listening experience with sparse, spatial arrangements of natural instruments and tenderly used electronics, all built around pre-recorded, predominantly whispering voices, with an individual speakers voice assigned to each of the eleven single tracks on the album which, despite being individual compositions on their own, melt and amalgamate into one big piece, slowly and consistently communicating with ones subconscious rather than one's conscious mind and thoughts, implementing a deeply felt calmness and focus in the listener and therefore might be, although not solely composed as, referred to as Deep Ritual Music to open up a new drawer within the world of electronic and experimental music.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Laura Agnusdei - Laurisilva [The Wormhole 017 Promo]

Put on the circuit via The Wormhole on November 29th, 2k19 is "Laurisilva", the latest six track album piece created by Italian saxophone player and electroacoustic composer Laura Agnusdei. With the albums name drawn from the scientific term for a specific kind of subtropcial forest and the sonic source material provided both by saxophone and other wind instruments played by an array of guest musicians as well as evident - and constant - electronic sound manipulation we see Laura Agnusdei explore a sonic world of swampy, gooey background atmospheres and sequences of a slightly vintage experimental and somewhat sci-fi, retrofuturist nature only to pair these electronic excursions with purest purest Jazz references, add a bit of lo-fi, cartoon'ish Electronica-referencing and dancefloor moving cheekyness in our favorite tune that is a well "Shaky Situation"  and even goes deep Future Tribal with the albums title track whilst the "Jungle Shuffle" defo harks back to both quality Easy Listening and most exciting Library Music of sorts. Good stuff. Check.

Steve Hauschildt - Nonlin [Ghostly International 346]

Put on the circuit via Ghostly International on October 25th, 2k19 is "Nonlin", the most recent album effort created by Chicago-based composer / artist / musician Steve Hauschildt. Created mostly on tour in numerous studios around the world the total of nine tracks spanning roughly 43 minutes sees Hausschildt indulge in a friendly, curious, playful and slightly blurred world of Ambient sounds, creating an array of slowly cascading, oftentimes poly-layered synth melodies in various stages of (partial) crystallinity, touched by nebulous, cloudy atmospheres and regularly bordering on IDM  and Electronica despite not being driven by classic beat structures but more of an inherent rhythm signature whilst also providing beautifully intimate moments in tunes like "Attractor B", hovering calmness of timeless quality in "The Nature Remaining" as well as even Glitch / Breakcore-related soundscapes as to be found in the surprisingly busy and well uplifting title cut "Nonlin" just to pick a few of our favorites here. Proper good.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Manu Louis - Coltan Major Harmonics: Music For Escif's Magic Piano [IGC037]

Coming in via mail from Spain is Manu Louis' most recent 7" release named "Coltan Major Harmonics: Music For Escif's Magic Piano", seemingly themed after and influenced by an interactive installation piece by Escif which we're admittedly not familiar with. Opening with "Coltan" we see the Belgian artist explore multi-layered vocals over crisp, stripped down Electronica-infused beat structures, coming together in a well groovy, lo-fi Leftfield R'n'B manner and providing a romantic, intimate soundtrack and possible future favorite for those in the know whereas "Avec Ta Danse Tue-Moi (DJ Monte La Voix)" speeds up things for advanced dancefloors whilst indulging in a hefty 808-low end, French vocals and more Electronica references which, in some way, evoke sweet melancholia-infused memories of the late 90s / early 00s when venues like Hamburg's beloved Astrastube were still the place to be. A record that would been on heavy rotation in baze.djunkiii's former "Die Gesellschaft Ist Krank" events for a reason.

Inaud1bl3 - Zahlen Spiele E.P. [Farmersmanual GT - Generate And Test 054]

Put out on the digital circuit via Famersmanual GT - Generate And Test as the labels cat.no. 054 is the "Zahlen Spiele E.P." by the Austrian artist Inaud1bl3 which caters a six track release here, spanning a total of roughly 19 minutes playtime. Unlike the previous album "Weltformel" Inaud1bl3's new musical outing, despite employing a raw lo-fi, oftentimes demo-like approach to production and mixdown, we see the singer / producer provide a more coherent listening experience with this one, drawing influences from HipHop, Jazz, Electronica, Psychedelia and Leftfield R'n'B whilst incorporating droning electric guitar feedbacks, stumbling breakbeats and other musical wizzardy, adding bits and bops of what is commonly known as 'Wiener Schmäh' - a.k.a. 'Vienna Charm'- and a well likeable amateurism which will not speak to wide-ranged audience but might at least play into the consolidation of a small, dedicated fanbase of obscure underground music lovers around Inaud1bl3's sonic activities.

Wiley - Eediyat Skengman 3 (Official Video)

The Grime battle continues and although Wiley isn't in a leading position after Stormzy's lyrical murderation we gotta admit that this is a hard comeback - both musically and lyrically.

Various Artists - Lieder Für Das Deutsche Musikarchiv [Raketenbasis Haberlandstrasse 014]

Released in late December, 2k19 via Munich's Raketenbasis Haberlandstrasse imprint is their new Various Artists compilation "Lieder Für Das Deutsche Musikarchiv" which was added to their catalogue as cat.no. 014, once again sticking true to their method of employing a quite chaotic, confusing and random strategy of numbering their numerous releases. Providing a collection of 16 tracks produced by underground artists like 480Billion, Venderstrooik, Zimt Bindemittel, Die Durstigen Bienen, Institut Für Leistungsabfall Und Kontemplation and other widely unrecognized names from the darkest vaults of the scene the musical range is as wide as the labels general catalogue is, including Noize, twisted Electronica, lo-fi Artschool, Unhappy Hardcore, collage works and other musical obscurities beyond any stylistic border. More familiar and better known contributors on this one hour compilation piece are Sascha Müller who contributes his "Büroalltag", a weird, dismal, monotonous Spoken Word piece, Andreas Davids of Xotox-fame with "Brückensanierung" which opens with a misty Ambient sequence only to lead into hefty Rhythm Industrial and Broken Techno and Schamoni Musik head Belp whose "Musik Archiv" is to be described as somewhat of a mixture between hyper cut-up Jazz and grainy Glitchtronica for the headstrong. Well varied, this.  

Midori Hirano - Remembrance

Most beautiful Ambient vibes taken from Midori Hirano forthcoming album "Invisible Island" which is about to be released via Sonic Pieces on February 7th, 2k20.

Lumen Drones - Umbra [Hubro Music]

Put on the circuit via the Norwegian imprint Hubro Music on November 15th, 2k19 is "Umbra", the sophomore album created by the trio known as Lumen Drones roughly five years after their self-titled debut outing on ECM Records. Together, the triumvirate comprised of Nils Økland, Per Steinar Lie and Ørjan Haaland explores a unique sonic realm located somewhat in between PostRock and what might be described as echoes of experimental Leftfield Folk music, meandering from pure, untouched naturalistic beauty towards thundering drum sequences and heavy guitar distortions and back, bringing on hypnotically droning cuts like the psychedelic, slightly Desert Blues infused "Droneslag", timeless and time-dissolving Shoegaze in tunes like "Gorrlaus Slatt", crystalline, ever floating guitar motifs in the albums title track "Umbra" as well as deeply touching, scores'que Ambient works in "Speil" just to pick a few of our favorites on this highly recommended, 37 minute spanning longplayer.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Stormzy - Still Disappointed (Official Video)

Heavyweight clash business as Britain's urban superstar Stormzy unleashes his dark side - despite having gained mainstream recognition he's still in for true Grime.

Wiley - Eediyat Skengman 2 (Stormzy Send) (Official Video)

The heat is on. The heat is ON.

Renaud-Gabriel Pion feat. Bill Frisell, Michel Massot, Jean-Paul Dessy... - Spiritus [Radiofrance Editions / Signature]

Well, every once in a while a music writer / music critic comes across an album, reads the accompanying press info, can't make any sense of it, reads it again and goes 'DAFUQ?' - in capital letters. This is what happened for us with "Spiritus", the latest longplay effort created by the French composer Renaud-Gabriel Pion alongside a bunchload of other musicians, released via Radiofrance Editions / Signature on September 27th, 2k19. Apart from the vague information that this album is somewhat inspired by what the info sheet calls 'sacred and post-minimalist music' named info sheet is utterly useless and so we're solely stuck with the pure sound to wrap our mind around - a 14 tracks and 71 minutes spanning journey touching base with both Classical and (Neo)Classical music as well as a deep unadulterated innocence and naturalism, bits of quality Jazz, yearning romanticism and kitsch alongside an unquestionable talent for score'esque, slowly moving  arrangements which could be a suitable pick for sentimental films with regional backgrounds, especially those covering a combination of love, hardship and life in the mostly unperturbed wilderness of the mountains, whilst always going for a comforting feel of free sonic convertibility, pure scene driven functionality and lack of a distinct character, even with more dramatic pieces like "Irisation" or "Lutenist", and therefore balancing the line of Muzaq, score works, Production / Library Music, Ambient and Easy Listening in a very and well specific manner. File under: Non Music. Ghost Music. The fading echo of what music meant to be. And a fascinating case study. Intredasting.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Rafael Toral - Constellation In Still Time [Room40 Promo]

Released as an extended, 72 minutes spanning one track album via the Australian imprint Room40 is "Constellation In Still Time", a longplayer composed by Portuguese artist Rafael Toral based on an earlier, 1992-composed piece named "AER 7". Played and performed by a group of six musicians including Rafael Toral himself "Constellation In Still Time" is split into a total of six seamlessly interwoven parts, minimalistically meandering within the grey area to be found in between Ambient, Post-PostRock and Pop Ambient, creating a hovering, secluded space within the space time continuum, with each single note fading out more or less uninterrupted on a tender, slowly evolving non-repetetive exploration of sound. A spatial longplay piece solely focused on the undisturbed crystalline vastness of the sonic realm, highly recommended for headphone listening sessions. Check.

First Tone - Reiterations

When Ambient meets deep heartfelt yearning autumnal melancholia only a track like this can be the final result. Deep Listening Music par excellance.

Chihuahua On Acid - Chihuahua On Acid [Psychocandies 084]

Forthcoming on the ever active Psychocandies imprint on January 30th, 2k20 is "Chihuahua On Acid", the self-titled label debut by the freshly launched project Chihuahua On Acid. Whilst the opening title track "Chihuahua on Acid" brings forth a raw and jacking Chicago House attitude garnished with a glitzy, highly seductive synth main motif and classy, positive Acid modulations we see "Egaaal" indulging in the most brutal, mercilessly hammering Chicago Acid / Jack Techno we've come across in ages, despite fusing this dancefloor destroying attitude with soft, dubbed out and DubTechno-infused pads which lead to a kind of conflicting situation in terms of where this specific track finally wants to go musically.

Still Und Dunkel - Abandoned [Hallow Ground Promo]

Released on November 8th, 2k19 via the ever active experimental imprint Hallow Ground is "Abandoned", the debut album effort created by Still Und Dunkel, a trio consisting of the artistic triumvirate that is Christoph Brüngge, Benny Jaberg and Pascal Arnold. Following their approach to visit abandoned places at night time for Field Recording sessions later to be partly reprocessed and incorporated in an audio-visual installation context since 2k11 we see Still Und Dunkel create a monolithic, dark'ish firstling meandering in between a grinding maelstrom of Industrial Noize, Electronica and scenic Ambient - a spectrum all covered in the albums opening "Lure" alone over the course of its approx. 18 minutes runtime -, tender Field Recording / Ambient amalgamations like those to be found in the subsequent cut "Remote" or intense metallic Rhythm Industrial / Electronica crossovers in "Hallway" which, although all to be found in the albums first half, pretty much define the sonic range of the projects musical efforts. But despite the inherent single quality of each track we don't see them really glue together as a coherent album experience and therefore presume they'd be better and more impressive when experienced in the initial context, accompanied by moving images in an art and / or installation environment.

Sascha Müller - Traxxx Vol. 20 [SM Traxxx 43-2020]

Scheduled for release on January 16th, 2k20 via SM Traxxx is Sascha Müller's forthcoming digital two track single "Traxxx Vol. 20" - another excursion into the world of quality electronic dance music. With "Track 39" the Uelsen-based producer is exploring the psychedelic potential of ever spiralling, Trance-inducing (Mono)Acid to the fullest whereas the subsequent featured "Track 40" brings on more of a Tribal-infused take on raw, tool-oriented mid-90s primetime Techno garnished with, once again, excellent, tweaked Acid modulations for a peak time workout. Great stuff!

Mhysa - Sanaa Lathan

The next level of Urban Crime Scene Music is coming via the ever buzzing Hyperdub imprint.

John Tilbury - The Tiger's Mind [Cubus Records]

Put on the circuit via the Swiss Cubus Records imprint on December 1st, 2k19 is John Tilbury's latest one track album named "The Tiger's Mind" - a conceptual piece following an inspirational text / score telling the story of six characters on one of which Tilbury focuses in his musical journey of 57 minutes. Through his improvisation on piano, and with other characters replaced by pre-recorded textures, we experience the artist following an imaginery storyline meandering in between pure, crystalline tonalities and hard hitting, hammering, highly dramatic minor scale chords, walking the line between (Neo)Classical / Contemporary Classical and score'esque, somewhat monolithic Ambient / Dark Ambient music, a solely self-dependent body of work which is as black as the albums all black artwork is. A true statement of distinct intensity and spatial minimalism which has to be experienced in more than one highly focused listening session for sure. A grower and possibly a masterpiece in its very own right to some. Check. 

Album artwork on Instagram!

Various Artists - Teklife VIP 2020

We're not even 48 hours into the new year and the Teklife camp is already killing it with this major 17 track compilation madness - including the nastiest take on Yello's all time classic "Bostich" ever. Cold. As. Fuck.  

baze.djunkiii Charts 01/2020

01. Elliott Adamson - Electric Acid Tater Tots [Trick 003]
Maybe I'm late to the party with this one but this track is an absolute secret weapon and somewhat of a wet  dream for every lover of proper TechHouse and large scale WildPitch madness. Highly functional, ever spiralling, featuring totally tripped out vocal samples and a remix by former Dubstep- now turned Techno-producer Skream which takes this thing to a next level for reasons. Full on destruction.

02. Fierce Ruling Diva - TTXX0009 [Temple Traxx]
What a come back. The mighty duo known as Fierce Ruling Diva are in with what seems to be their first official release in more than a decade, weighing in three hefty, oldskool Rave-infused Techno bangers with a modernistic touch, muscular, reverb-heavy bassdrums, massive stab action and - at some point - a little homage to the legendary 90s project remembered by die-hard ravers as Church Of Extacy. Massive.

03. Low End Activist - Low End Activism [Sneaker Social Club. 023]
Heavyweight low end action, or activism, provided on this six track 12" which does not only come with one of  the best cover artworks of the past months but also explores the most experimental, adventurous take on Bass Music you might come across these days. Based on Dubstep, yet heavily infused by stumbling Industrial rhythms, huge bass eruptions and all sorts of echo-heavy studio experimentation associated with the original spirit of Dub these cuts are defo made for highly advanced dancefloors. Check.

04. DMX Krew - Computor Heart [Breakin Records 065]
Another great musical four track outing by the long standing scene staple known as DMX Krew. Timeless, uplifting pieces somewhat in between Electro and ElectroTechno, garnished with bits of high end cheese and ItaloDisco for nothing but positive vibes on the dancefloor. As fresh as things can be, yet also on par with forever classics like Miss Kittin's "Frank Sinatra" and other anthems of the late 90s / early 2000s. Therefore essential.

05. Von D feat. Blackout Ja - Dancehall Saga [Dub-Stuy Records 011]
The Dub-Stuy Records label comes in massive on this 12", once again exploring the vibing crossover area in between Dub, Dubstep and Reggae / Dancehall with a massive and well seductive vocal tune that calls for a rewind immediately. Good stuff. Get.

06. Various Artists - Shadows [Function Records 050]
Twenty years in the business and finally fifty releases deep Function Records celebrates this double milestone with a massive, limited to 200 copies triple vinyl compilation. Presenting only the finest in classic, dark'ish and highly functional Drum'n'Bass contributing names are Calibre & Jet Li, Kiat, Kiljoy, Digital, Spirit, Klute and even No U-Turn legend DJ Trace who's delivering big time with our personal favorite on this compilation piece: "Spirits", which is the main cut on here alongside the hard hitting multi-artist effort "Primal (Resound Remix)" by Digital & Spirit Vs Flava & Dissect. Defo a go to album for every true Drum'n'Bass head out there.

07. Tymotica - Galaxies Of Dust [Rave And Romance 007 / Ruffhouse 002]
A collaborational 10" effort put on the circuit by both Munich-based Bass Music labels Rave And Romance and Ruffhouse. Whilst Tymotica's original version of "Galaxies Of Dust" provides a classy UK Garage swing and massive sinewave basslines we see the bass warriors of Schlachthofbronx coming on strong with a powerful remix version solely focused on killing dancefloors with the power of 4/4 based Stepper Dub.

08. The DJ Producer vs. Bong-Ra - The Abdominable / Blood Cloot Techno [PRSPCT XTRM]
Seemingly repressed due to popular demand is the very first release of the PRSPCT Recordings sister imprint PRSPCT XTRM. Originally put on the circuit in 2011 this two track collaboration between long standing Hardcore / Breakcore veterans The DJ Producer and Bong-Ra is as ass kicking, compressed and devastating as things can be, brutalizing dancefloors with heavyweight 4/4 barrage, loads of highly detailed breakdown sequences as well as hypercomplex, multilayered and sharp as a knife Breakbeats for those who can handle total primetime carnage.

09. Terrorrythmus - Hybrid Rave [Falling Apart 009]
Both the German producer Terrorrythmus as well as the Berlin-based imprint Falling Apart have massively accelerated their rise to the top in 2k19 so seeing them joining forces at some point is only a logical step of sorts. Fusing hard hitting GhettoHouse, Chicago Basement and GhettoBass with pumping, fast-paced Tribe Tekno and even Hardcore works unsurprisingly well in these six tracks presented on 12" vinyl which might spark the development of a new sub-sub-genre of electronic music we'd like to preemptively define as GhettoCore for a reason.

10. Kongrosian - Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously [Aut Records 050 / Oltrarno Recordings]
See review for details...

mHz — Form B′

Clicks'n'Cuts are making a return on mHz' most recent longplayer "Form" which sees a physical release as a limited SD card album via Kasuga Records.