Funeral Souvenir - La Noche Del Anhidrido [Verlag System 019 Promo]

Officially re-issued via the boutique imprint Verlag System in February 2k20 is "La Noche Del Anhidrido", the originally 1987-released cassette tape album by electronic music pioneer Miguel Angel Ruiz under the artistic nom de guerre Funeral Souvenir. Considered to be one of the essential Industrial albums ever emerging from Spain the eight tracks plus two digital bonus cuts, produced ona basic minimal set up and directly recorded on tape, still provide a fascinating quality after all these years, a harsh, metallic feel of cold isolation and a dystopian future in combination with uncompromising, merciless rhythm signatures, threatening atmospheres and reprocessed FM frequency recordings alongside an ever captivating, grinding maelstrom of scraping noises and somewhat desolate, computational melodies - especially prevalent in works like "Entre Palidos Muros" whilst pieces like "Miedo Al Cricket" fully indulge in harmonic Ambient Noize vs. Slow Motion Greyscale Techno, "Schlamm" prequels modern early 90s Electronica / IDM by miles, "Gas De Abidjan" brings on super-dry NoizePhonk and "Sequnda Nocha Del Anhidrido" presents pure grinding Illbient evil for those who can take the most vantablack of darkness these days just to pick a few favorites  from the album. A great piece of, not only Spanish, electronic music history unearthed.

Various Artists - Les Espaces Electroacoustiques II: Masterpieces Of Electroacoustic Music Presented In 5.1 Surround And Stereo [Col Legno]

Released via the conceptual and oftentimes Contemporary Classical-leaning imprint Col Legno on February 28th, 2k20 is "Les Espaces Electroacoustiques II: Masterpieces Of Electroacoustic Music", a various artist compilation featuring a selection of works of Contemporary Classical / Electroacoustic / Musique Concrete composers like Luigi Nono, Luciano Berio, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Gottfried Michael Koenig whilst focusing on their re-interpretation - or better: re-representation - in an extended spatial context, assuming their initial compositional intention to be experienced in a stereo field or even surround context. And even though we cannot fully evaluate and assess the surround success of this new approach to these pieces written in between 1955 - sic !!! - and 1999 as our reviews are usually written in a stereo headphone setting there's no doubt about the fact that pieces like Luigi Nono's "La Fabbrica Illuminata", an outerworldy, interdimensional cluster of vocal layerings and electronic manipulations in combination with elements of classical opera composed in 1964, the impressive 40+ minutes spanning "A Floresta E Jovem E Cheja De Vida" from 1965/1966, Gottfried Michael Koenig's captivating 1955's reprocessed micro cut-ups in "Klangfiguren II" as well as Karlheinz Stockhausen's all-time classic "Kontakte" alongside all others featured, yet unmentioned, on this double album do present a certain unprecedented quality of stereoscopic perception which surely offers a new angle and level of appreciation for these important pieces of early electronic music composition. Recommended.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Listen Again: Radio Flouka Invites BAZE.DJUNKIII (Part II) - 26th March 2020

The second set baze.djunkiii provided for Paris, France-based online radio station Radio Flouka - this time presenting a full on flashback to the days of Breakbeat Garage, Breakstep and NuSkoolBreaks.

Egil Kalman & Fredrik Rasten - Weaving A Fabric Of Winds [Shhpuma 005]

Released via Clean Feed Records sister label Shhpuma on November 15th, 2k19 but only coming in recently is "Weaving A Fabric Of Winds", the new collaborational album release  by Egil Kalman and Fredrik Rasten. Comprised of a combination of modular synthesizer and acoustic / electric guitar the longplay piece is bringing forth two long compositions with the opening title track "Weaving A Fabric of Winds" indulging in a deep, dreamstate like variation of PopAmbient meets Post-PostRock based on an ever repeating, yet slightly varying guitar motif accompanied by intense, yet hardly changing modular dronings over the course of 25+ time dissolving minutes. The follow up "Droplets In Air"goes down a similar, inward looking and highly contemplative alley, bringing forth a deeply naturalistic feel alongside a minimalist compositional approach for every Ambient connaisseur out there. Highly recommended.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Mint Huus - Mint Huus [Cheezy Crust Records 001]

Released via the Hamburg-based imprint Cheezy Crust  Records in 2019 but only incoming recently is the self-titled four track vinyl debut EP by Mint Huus. Released as a limited edition of 200 copies with 100 of those coming in individual silk-screen print covers the opening cut "Orga Privee" aims straight at the heart of the dancefloor with a driving amalgamation of melodically complex Techno and echoes of DubTechno whilst "Mode 0" weighs in sparse, yet super precise Electro vibes and boils the genre down to its very essential elements in a well timeless and beautiful manner. On the flip we see "TOPX" bring heat to peaktime dancefloors with an expertly executed fusion of Electro and Acid-informed modulations accompanied by simple, yet well thought out melodic elements - think Anthony Rother ca. 1998 here - before the B2-cut "Cyanus" caters a more late night-leaning closing, drawing influences from both Electro and Intelligent Techno whilst combining super soft electronic pads, deep synth melodies and steady midrange synth modulations. Good stuff there.

Duburban & Jahganaut - Loving You

Excellent stuff for the DarkJungle massive. The world needs more tunage like that.

Christine Abdelnour / Magda Mayas - The Setting Sun Is Beautiful Because Of All It Makes Us Lose [Sofa Music]

Released via the Norwegian Sofa Music imprint on January 31st, 2k20 is "The Setting Sun Is Beautiful Because Of All It Makes Us Lose" which is the very first album created by the duo comprised of Christine Abdelnour and Magda Mayas for the label, a 35-minutes one-track piece as epicly long as the albums title itself. Live recorded at Oslo's Ultima Festival 2018 the longplayers sole track "Thousand And One" sees the two musicians exploring a sonic realm based on the interaction of piano and alto saxophone on and beyond the brink of their actual intended use. Rattling mechanics, plucked strings, the oftentimes soundless flow of air, scraping sounds of various origins are to be found alongside fragile melodies and somewhat off-kilter single notes, brooding tonal shifts and sudden movements, complex naturalistic sequences with a somewhat exotic feel, high frequency squealings of varying intensity as well an immanent sense of minimalism, bringing forth an ever changing, ever evolving journey for the advanced lover of musical experimentalism and contemporary Improv sound. 

Album artwork on Instagram!

Joke Lanz & Jonas Kocher - Abstract Musette [Corvo Records 018 Promo]

Put out on the circuit via Corvo Records on February 13th, 2k20 is "Abstract Musette" by Joke Lanz and Jonas Kocher - a fifteen tracks and roughly 26 minutes spanning album piece featuring one of the most unlikely musical combinations ever. Based on a combination of turntablism and accordion experimentalism the two artists are creating somewhat of an ever culminating soundclash vs. call-and-response situation, oftentimes emulating a truly glitched out cut-up feel and collage'esque attitude, partly accompanied by additional electronic textures which is, as a conceptual approach and angle, interesting but doesn't lead to anything deeper than the pure documentation of what might be sonically possible in a setting like this, with each track seemingly being a snapshot of a session rather than a fully worked out composition. This being said the whole album is quite a dry sonic experience even if one has a thing for Fluxus, Non-Music, Cut-Up and randomized music composition and probably even might be referred to as completely unlistenable by a vast majority of people out there. File under: Novelty Music for the sake of being novel.

Marley Quinn - Barley (Official Music Video)

Some serious fire from the ATL HipHop underground. Marley Quinn is barring out and blows some serious smoke here.

Rebecca Foon - Waxing Moon [Constellation Records Promo]

Put on the circuit via the renowned Constellation Records imprint is "Waxing Moon", the first solo album by Rebecca Foon of Saltland, Esmerine and Silver Mt. Zion fame under her real name, a move possibly connected to her very personal engagement in climate activism which also seems to reflect in song titles like "Ocean Song", "This Is Our Lives" or "New World". With these and other titles like "Vessels", "Dreams To Be Born" or "Wide Open Eyes" pointing somewhat towards a more esoteric, healing and spiritual realm it's not a big of a surprise that Rebecca Foon's compositions are usually driven by big, dramatic and harmony-focused piano arrangements accompanied by large scale, panoramic electronic pads, drones and atmospheres of cinematic quality, truly living up to each and every cliche associated with this kind of  'conscious music' / 'spiritually aware music' to roughly carve out a niche for this specific kind of Ambient Pop / Leftfield Pop with a tender, romantic and sometimes over the top kitsch-coated note. This, though, to the highest standard in terms of production and arrangement so that the overall listening experience is a well pleasant one with the DreamPop meets Indie-hybrid "Wide Open Eyes" being surprisingly dancefloor friendly in a hazy, intimate, late night club context and possibly prone to become a minor underground hit in the exact context mentioned. Defo an interesting one to check out if you're not feeling totally adverse to sugary layers you're inevitably face in Rebecca Foon's music.

Album artwork on Instagram!

26.03.2k20 Radio Flouka Invites baze.djunkiii (Part II) @ Radio Flouka / Paris, France

Intrauterin Recordings mastermind baze.djunkiii has been championing Bass Music and Original DJ Culture for more than two decades now. With this exclusive vinyl mix for Radio Flouka, the second guest appearance on the Paris-based station aiming at a main audience in the Arab and Mediterranean world as well as listeners located in North Africa, baze.djunkiii is going back to the early 2000s stylewise, presenting a raw, uncompromising selection of rare Breakbeat Garage, thundering Breakstep and early NuSkoolBreaks for all the real bass headz out there.

decks: baze.djunkiii [Intrauterin Recordings]

file under: Breakbeat Garage / Breakstep / NuSkoolBreaks

transmission time: 16oo - 17oo GMT+1

Radio Flouka
Paris
France

Pericopes+1 - Up [Losen Records]

Put on the circuit via the Norwegian imprint Losen Records is "Up", the third full on album piece put together by the multi-national, cross-continental and ever touring trio named Pericopes+1, a musical triumvirate comprised of Emiliano Vernizzi, Alessandro Sgobbio and Nick Wight. Amalgamating their personal take on the combination of saxophone, fender rhodes, piano, drums and the occasional electronic textures in a total of nine pieces spread over the course of roughly 61 minutes Pericopes+1 present a touching, highly emotional and sometimes a little over the top approach to oftentimes romantic, partly kitsch-driven Jazz from the opener "Wonderland" onwards, get into beat complex, uptempo territories with cuts like "Disco Gagarin" and even drift off into a hyper-harmonic dream state with "The Earth's Shape" before sculpting a captivating, slightly tongue-in-cheek instant classic with "Danza Di Kuwa" and even cater somewhat of a Rock-leaning vibe in Jazz with the smooth yet muscular "Martyrlied" which is quite a thrilling, expressive one for a reason just to pick a few cuts from this recommended lomgplay piece. A whirlwind of an album, this.

Repeat Eater - µBoy _1

Chiptune goodness in trouble times. We digs.

Kaja Draksler & Terrie Ex - The Swim [Terp Records]

Out on the circuit via the Dutch imprint Terp Records since January 17th, 2k20 is "The Swim", the live recorded conjunctional two track album by classically trained pianist and composer Kaja Draksler and long-standing Punk / Improv visionary Terrie Ex which was recorded live at Cafe Oto / London in June, 2k18. Starting from a very minimalist angle living off of careful, sometimes even tender manipulations of their respective instruments and sound sources the 35+ minutes spanning main piece "Strel" slowly introduces screeching phrases alongside prepared piano figures and swinging, hard hitting Jazz references alongside partly tortured guitar strings before transforming into what is to be described as endless, intricate and experimental conversations of two musical masters, an unconventional call-and-response of sorts going from extremely tense moments into seemingly tender, and somewhat emotional, romantic even, episodes within a blink of an eye whereas the follow up "Butterfly" presents experimentalism on a slighty more lighthearted, yet more dramatic and expressive note for those who like to dig deep into the sonic realms of the live improv scene.

Album artwork on Instagram!

The Master Musicians Of Jajouka feat. Bachir Attar - Apocalypse Across The Sky [Zehra 002 Promo]

Re-issued via the imprint named Zehra on March 6th, 2k20 and available on vinyl for the first time ever 28 years after its initial release back in 1992 is "Apocalypse Across The Sky", the Bill Laswell-recorded musical journey into ancient sufism and musical traditions reaching back thousands and thousands of years into a past unknown. And even though this description might seem mystical and mythical to some it exactly fits the music provided by The Master Musicians Of Jajouka over the course of more than an hour - intense, multi-layered polyrhythms, oriental flutes and woodwind instruments bringing forth a trance-inducing, ritualistic and fever'ish intensity as well as a never changing, yet ever significant timelessness connecting us beings of now with the gods of our ancestors through music, opening a gate into otherwise inaccessible realms of the subconscious. A well intriguing experience, especially in these times of trouble.

baze.djunkiii Chart Haul 03/2k20

Craven Faults - Vacca Wall (Official Video)

From hovering, buzzing Ambient to crystalline Intelligent Techno in the age of Post-(Neo)Classical composition techniques.

T.U. - Rite [False Industries 028 Promo]

Released via Berlin-based label False Industries on February 28th, 2k20 is "Rite", the actual seven track debut album by Italian artist T.U..  Influenced by his background in Classical Music and working in Max For Live electronically the young composer presents a cold and frosty take on experimental electronic music / Death Ambient in combination with reprocessed Field Recordings in the opener "His Ground" before "Thallophyta" enters the highly digital realm of slightly blurred Clicks'n'Cuts atmospheres in conjunction with sculpted percussive bits, brooding bass waves and dubbed out Electronica alongside a well thought out use and abuse of the stereo field in terms of the tunes arrangement. "For A Ritual" brings on desolate, isolationist digital scrapings in combination with more deadly subs and icy, terrifiyng and surely threatening sound design whilst "Imaginery Landscape No 2" builds up the sci-fi-leaning illusion of hostile exoterrestrial worlds beyond our reach and "A Safe Place" seems to be the place for unspoken of rituals and deep, inward looking medidation. The subsequent "Imaginery Landscape No 3" presents a grinding maelstrom of digital noises and distortion as an intro followed, once again, by field recorded winds accompanied by metallic scrapings and a frosty eruption of midrange desolation whilst the concluding "Yellow.", for the first time in this entire album, introduces real harmonies and a sense of Ambient layerings for a closing. Sonic greyscale in high definition.

The Talking Book - Thermal Drift (Official Youtube Audio)

Captivating PostRock heavily influenced by 70s Psychedelic Rock jams to be released on April 24th, 2k20 via Koolarrow Records.

Open To The Sea - Another Year Is Over, Let's Wait For Springtime [Midira Records]

Put on the circuit via Midira Records on December 13th, 2k19 is "Another Year Is Over, Let's Wait For Springtime" - the sophomore album effort created by Italian artists Matteo Uggeri and Enrico Coniglio under their conjunctional moniker Open To The Sea. Together, and with the help of an endless list of contributing guest musicians and vocalists, the two musicians cater a menu of ten new tracks rolled out over the course of 45 minutes total, meandering in between beautifully floating Ambient textures and harmonies crossing over into tender, oftentimes romantic and melancholia-induced Leftfield Pop ballads as well as touching base with genres like Electronica, Clicks'n'Cuts, Indietronica and even Jazz whilst fusing an electronic foundation with intimate piano, violin and guitar playing alongside a wide array of songwriting and Spoken Word approaches all falling together perfectly as a well coherent sonic tapestry for repeated, focused listening sessions sitting next to a loved one in silence.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Giulio Aldinucci - Phoenix

Harmonic ethereal Isolationist Ambient taken from Giulio Aldinucci's forthcoming album "Shards Of Distant Times" which is due for release via Karlrecords on March 27th, 2k20.

Various Artists - Söng Söng: Polychrome Sounds Frome The Underground [Linoleum Records 020]

Scheduled for release via Linoleum Records on March 27th, 2k20 is the slightly confusing compilation album "Söng Söng: Polychrome Sounds From The Underground" which seemingly is meant to provide a fourteen track sample of / introduction to the labels past and future catalogue but has its tracklist set up in a way that makes finding out who's the exact artist and what's context of each song more of a guessing game than an easy task to handle, even with the accompanying promotional flyer and an extensive press info at hand. This being said, cuts like the Spoken Word meets scintillating TripHop / Downbeat fusion "Talking To Malkovitch" will be a fine addition to the collections of lovers of relaxed, laid back, yet mesmerizing Urban Music, "Le Voyage Improbable De L'Insonable Haruki" amalgamates complex, Broken Beat-based Jazz and poetry whereas "Looking At Kuniga" indulges in romantic, melancholia-driven Jazz Noir meets Leftfield Pop / Chanson to a great effect. Furthermore "Kieyukumono Yukurito" follows a piano-led uptempo path into territiories of Space Jazz, ClubPop and Dope Noir, the "Funeral Blues" provides dramatic, hyperemotional Score Jazz and "Cold Water Buffalos" bring on swinging sax improvisations with an undeniable dancefloor focus just to pick a few well remarkable titles off of this interesting, widely varied compilation. Time to check out the rest of the music released on Linoleum Records.

Die Angel feat. Oren Ambarchi - Cargo Cult

Is this the return of dubbed out Clicks'n'Cuts? The release of the forthcoming Die Angel album named "Utopien I", scheduled via Karlrecords on April 24th, 2k20, will tell.

Various Artists - Zoom In 13: New Art Music From Lithuania [Music Information Centre Lithuania]

Put out on the circuit via the famed Music Information Centre Lithuania - a label and organisation focused on putting the ever active Lithuanian scene of (Neo)Classical, Contemporary Classical and Experimental Composition on the map - in December, 2k19 is "Zoom In 13: New Art Music From Lithuania", the 13th installment in the 'Zoom In' compilation series which provides an overview on contemporary developments within the countries named circles. Solely putting a spotlight on compositions written and executed in 2018 this new edition presents a total of six pieces, clocking in at over an hour of playtime. Starting with Egidija Medeksaite's "Sattva" we're diving deeply into a most beautiful, yet most yearning and later on dramatic world of accordion driven DarkAmbient highly recommended to those loving the works of Kallabris whilst Albertas Navickas "Sunrise Of The West" keeps things on an Ambient-resembling level despite following a more positive, scenic and naturalistic path compared to its predecessor before even introducing a captivating Classical vocal performance by singer Egle Sirvydyte which seems to hark back to ancient folklore and stories of yore. Furthermore Ramunas Motiekaitis "Katabasis" presents a light-heartened angle of composition both influenced by early score works and slightly off kilter Ambient / PopAmbient - think: Wolfgang Voigt - and the subsequent piece "The Perseids" by Goda Marija Guzauskaite also follows a similar musical approach whilst leaning towards romanticism and undisturbed naturalistic beauty even more. In Rutas Vitkauskaite's "Chrysalis" ritualistic, playful percussions and frolicking melodies are blossoming like a gargantuan set of spring flowers in a dramatic timelapse before the composition makes a 180 degree turn only to present a thundering, grinding and threatening array of  ever shifting sonic material leading towards a well unexpected climax whilst the concluding piece that is Ziboukle Martinaityte's "Millefleur" waves goodbye in a calmer, yet still spine-tingling panoramic fashion. Someone should defo consider hiring each of the composers featured for score works in the feature film industry. Good stuff.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Bit-Tuner - Passage (Official Video by Joerg Hurschler)

Disturbingly beautiful sci-fi organics accompanied by captivating Ambient music. One of the best music videos we've come across in a while.

Werner Dafeldecker - Parallel Darks [Room 40 Promo]

Coming in a with a new album for the Australian experimental music imprint Room40 is Werner Dafeldecker whose latest outing named "Parallel Darks" has been released on March 13th, 2k20. This time solely focusing on an electro-acoustic approach to production and composition we see the album split in two parts, "Parallel Darks I" and "Parallel Darks II", with each covering the timespan of one side of a vinyl album. In "Parallel Darks I" Werner Dafeldecker is combining a deep, harmonic atmospheric background structure with an array of various crackles, Field Recordings and unidentified surface noises, clanging metallic non-rhythms and swampy synth modulations to create a cold, abstract and slightly tense field of UnAmbient for those who can take a little more unease in these trouble times before drifting off into realms of droning Ambient minimalism whilst "Parallel Darks II" presents an even darker, more intense feel of Industrial Ambient from a dystopian future, featuring an array of ever morphing sci-fi sounds and ever shifting, evolving soundscapes.

Sign Libra - Sea of Nectar (Official Video)

If Post-SinoGrime was a real thing Sign Libra's "Sea Of Nectar" would be one of the genres blueprints for a reason.

Sascha Müller - Traxxx Vol. 22 [SM-Traxxx 45-2020]

Scheduled for release on March 19th, 2k20 is "Traxxx Vol. 22", the latest digital two track single by Uelsen's famed underground producer Sascha Müller. Opening with "Track 43" we're drawn straight to the heart of the dancefloor by a fine, well balanced fusion of TechTrance, ClubTechno and AcidTrance which would've made for an excellent addition to the late catalogue of the famous Superstition Records label back in the days whereas "Track 44" is in for a different approach, presenting slightly distorted, percussive MonoTechno in overdrive mode of well hypnotic, brain wrenching nature sporting a minimalist, heavily off kilter main motif for all lovers of real underground Techno badness.

Listen Again: Radio Flouka Invites BAZE.DJUNKIII - 10th March 2020

A quite eclectic guest set baze.djunkiii played for Paris / France-based Radio Flouka, covering grounds from Ambient / Deep Listening Music via Tribal-infused Electronica to Ethno PostPunk, NeoCosmic / KrautDisco, EBM and beyond.

Korinthians - Chaos Control [KOR 003]

Coming in via mail from Belgium these days without any additional information is "Chaos Control", seemingly and according to Discogs the debut album by the band project going by the name of Korinthians. Catering an overall menu of ten songs including nine original compositions as well as a cover / homage to Joy Division's "A Means To An End" the album provides an interesting intersection of high energy Indie vibes and Wave- / SynthPop- / PostPunk-, sometimes even Industrial- and FuturePop-leaning aesthetics, covering a certain range of darkness and desolate melancholia accompanied by uplifting choruses and a surely dancefloor functional, high octane foundation which, for some weird reason, evokes memories of the long defunct Hamburg-based former IndieElectro / ElectroPunk sensation Juri Gagarin. This association alone speaks of a bigger potential there, even though the final mixdown of many tunes is way too midrange- and high frequency-heavy with a hefty lack of low end and oftentimes simply quite a mess which makes a headphone listening session through the total playtime of roughly 46 minutes not the most pleasant experience ever. But this aside, an overhaul including professional mixdown and mastering as well as a fully restructured and cleared stereo field could turn many of this songs into proper timeless dancefloor classics as both melodies and vocals in tunes like "You And Islands", "I Pray So You Believe" or the massive banger that is "Icarus Airlines" are catchy as hell whilst songs like "Wave" are somewhat reminiscent of lost classics like Baard's "Savior For The Nations" in employing Spoken Word narrations alongside bombastic melodies in SynthPop. We do see a bright future here. And room for sonic improvement.

Captain Raveman - Trepidity

When brutalist Hardcore / Breakcore fusion meets melodies harking back to Classical composition techniques the results are beyond epic.

Simone Di Benedetto / Zarkan - Timewise [Aut Records 057]

Put on the circuit on March 2nd, 2k20 via Berlin-based label Aut Records as a limited edition CD is "Timewise", the latest album by Simone Di Benedetto-led trio project Zarkan which she runs with fellow musicians Marco Colonna and Ivan Liuzzo. Based on clarinet / bass clarinet, percussion and double bass the musical triumvirate presents a tender, almost Classical or (Neo)Classical musical approach of sparse, score'esque qualities, creating a feathery, levitating, playful and positive, yet mindfully thought out feel which is at its best in the somewhat storytelling piece "Pause & Silence" which one might even describe as bordering Jazz Noir in its stripped down atmosphere whereas the lively, dramatic cut "In Time" surely is suitable for scoring theatre / screen / stage play just to pick two outstanding parts from a dozen that span a little more than 38 minutes. A remarkable non-stop performance, this is.

2121 - Vol. 3 [2121-03]

The mysterious imprint 2121 is back on the circuit with another mysterious release, once again lacking any official information about the artist - or artists? - behind it and sticking true to their approach of hand-cutting their releases only for those who've been ordering them online. With their newest outing the label brings us a somewhat obscure, yet hard banging take on Rave-Techno accompanied by raw, seemingly unprocessed - and drunk? - lyrics, heavily warped and destroyed modulations as well as screaming guitar shreddings evoking memories of echoes of echoes of the signature guitar aesthetics used in The Prodigy's "Firestarter". Is this the first attempt on twisted underground TechnoMetal in 2k20?

Transtilla - Transtilla II [Midira Records 073]

Not even a year after the first incarnation of their conjunctional Transtilla project Anne-Chris Bakker and Romke Kleefstra are back with "Transtilla II", the sophomore longplay piece which has been released via Midira Records on December 13th, 2k19. Spanning four tracks and a total of 45 minutes runtime the album opens with "Achrome", a droning, ever so slightly moving Ambient affair sporting an unusually light and heavenly mood for a project connected to the experimental music scene whereas the subsequent "Askvoll" indulges in a low-end heavy stream of pure classic, time dissolving Ambient goodness. Furthermore the "Assemblage 2008" introduces the first chiming harmonic motifs to the sonic world explored by the duo before the concluding cut "Valavond Aan Concourslaan" presents an intense, piercing and defo noisier approach towards the Ambient genre, working its way towards a climax that finally never provides full relief. Interesting.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Stazma The Junglechrist - Psev

Beautifully twisted Electronica sounds taken from the forthcoming Stazma The Junglechrist longplayer "Shapeshifter".

Afflicted - Dark Matter [Digital Under Records 0023 Promo]

Put out in the digital wild via Digital Under Records as the labels cat.no. 0023 is "Dark Matter", the latest two track single by German Techno duo Afflicted. Whilst the opening title track provides a dark, threatening yet highly functional take slightly distorted stab heavy peak time Techno for banging main room sets we see "Disco Dancing", the second cut on here, going even deeper into the realms of sonic darkness, bringing forth a highly defined weapon for future warfare, equipped with razor sharp hi-hats and a growling low end bringing on ultimate dancefloor destruction.

10.03.2k20 Radio Flouka Invites baze.djunkiii @ Radio Flouka / Paris, France

We're glad to announce that Paris / France-based webradio Radio Flouka are hosting an eclectic vinyl guest set spanning a range from Deep Listening Music via Electronica to Ethno PostPunk, NeoCosmic and EBM-leaning cuts mixed by Intrauterin Recordings mastermind baze.djunkiii from 17oo - 18oo GMT+1 on Tuesday, February 10th, 2k20.

This is not only baze.djunkiii's first appearance on Radio Flouka but also the first guest slot on a station which aims to promote sound culture in the Arab world, North Africa and around the Mediterranean, especially targeting audiences in these parts of the world.

decks: baze.djunkiii [Intrauterin Recordings]

file under: Deep Listening Music / Electronica / PostPunk / NeoCosmic / EBM

transmission time: 17oo - 18oo GMT+1

Radio Flouka
Paris
France

Elektronengehirn - Piece For Modular Synthesizer And Real Estate Data (Live 18 September 2019)

This amazing, and amazingly touching, live performance by Malte Steiner a.k.a. Elektronengehirn is too beautiful not to share. If you love Dark Ambient and deep melancholia this one is defo for you.

Sascha Müller [Supersix Records Extra 095]

Fresh via Sascha Müllers' very own Supersix Records-imprint is the labels' cat.no. 095, a new 19 - !!! - track album packed with loads of quality electronic music from the vaults of the ever active German underground producer. Opening with a subsequently titled series of tracks named "Track 07" to "Track 19" the first thirteen cuts on this longplayer cover a musical range from Illbient Noize collages to monotonous Death Techno and Rhythm Industrial, happy experimentalism, Art School Noize and layered modular bleepings, brutally warped guitar feedbacks, twangy, Easy Listening-infused Ambient Noize - yes, this is a thing now! - and beyond whilst, for a change, the following "Where's My Computer" deals with precisely sculpted, stripped down, hyperfunctional Techno - think: Steve Mason's sets around 1994/1995 - before "Zeigerbouncer" brings forth a blueprint for perfectly floating HypnoTrance in 2k20. Furthermore "Zeit Und Raum *30303 Mix" weighs in a stomping, hypnotic take on classic AcidTrance whereas the alternative cut "Zeit Und Raum *Please Trance Me Mix" delivers a punchier, slightly harder and defo more raw approach to the tunes sound with sharp hi-hats, bigger drums and somewhat unprocessed claps before the "Zeitschaltuhr" explores the spine-tingling, desolate monotony of  Industrial Electronics in slow motion and the final tune named "Zwergenweitwurfsimulator" gets back to dry, oldskool'ish, uptempo and stab-heavy MonoRave vibes for a closing.

Patrick Graham & John Sellekaers - Unnatural [Parentheses Records 012]

Sometimes projects take a while to come to fruition and to be finally released and this is the case with with "Unnatural", the collaboration album of percussionist Patrick Graham and electronic music composer John Sellekaers which is based on the 2007-born idea to create a series of remixes for Graham's solo drum improvisations to put them into a new, maybe unexpected context. Shelved for more than a decade due to several reasons and circumstances the results of this initial proposal are now to be released via Parentheses Records on March 24th, 2k20 as an eight track album which covers a stylistical bandwith from eerie, desolate and post-apocalyptic Cold Ambient in the opener "Unnatural, Pt. 1" to ultraminimalist artificial imitations of percussive Field Recordings captured in places where demonic evil lurks as heard in "Lacuna", Clicks'n'Cuts-resembling Isolationist Ambient in "Next Of Kin" or even contemplative, slightly ritualistic minimal drum sequences to be found in "Innerland" as well as in "Unnatural, Pt. 2" with all sounds and atmospheres created on the sole base of acoustic percussion recordings only. Quite an impressive conceptual effort, this. Check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

R U Dead 42 - One 1 Three 3 EP [Psychocandies 085]

Scheduled for release on the digital circuit via the ever active Psychocandies label on March 20th, 2k20 is the new Acid outing by the mysterious production force that is R U Dead 42 who brings us a selection of five cuts subsequently named "Untitled 1-1" to "Untitled 5-1" of which somehow only four are featured on our upfront CD-r promo copy of this EP. Rolling along the lines of hounded, uptempo Mono- / PsychoAcid for those liking their 303 untamed and spiralling whilst floating atop a raw, pretty much unprocessed foundation of classic, oldskool'ish drum machine beats this one defo is a must have for all lovers of true underground music.

Various Artists - Alex Attias presents LillyGood Party! Vol. 2: A Selection Of Really Really Good Grooves [BBE Music]

Roughly two years after the first incarnation of his "LillyGood Party!" compilation series Swiss-based DJ, event promoter and producer Alex Attias is back with BBE Music for a second shot which is about to be released on March 20th, 2k20. Once again collecting and hand picking both alltime classics and recent favorites which play an essential role in defining the musical selection of the party / event series of the same name he, alongside his brother, throws in his hometown of Lausanne on a regular, starting with the wonderfully warm organic and Jazz piano led grooves of 12 Senses' "Touch" for an opening, going along the lines of hyper-emotional killer Broken Beat / Westlondon Phusion meets Future R'n'B in "Playground" by Martin Iveson featuring vocalist Sarai Jazz whilst entering soulful, epicly streteched out DeepHouse territories with Universal Tongues featuring Elle's "Open Up YOur Mind *Honeycomb Vocal Mix)", bringing forth the super funky re-edited DiscoHouse cut that is "How Bad I Want You *GU True Peak Time Mix" as well as the deep, percussive and tripping late night, intimate and somewhat erotic House tune "Everything *Yam Who Remix" by Dwayne Morgan this selection is filled with jams, just to pick a few favorites out of the eleven indeed really really good grooves featured on this compilation album. Go check!

John Chantler / Steve Noble / Seymour Wright - Atlantis [1703 Skivbolaget]

Released via the boutique imprint 1703 Skivbolaget on January 16th, 2k20 is "Atlantis", the most recent collaborative longplay effort created by the musical triumvirate that consists of John Chantler, Steve Noble and Seymour Wright - all of them renowned figures in the world of explorative music, as individuals as well as contributors to a wide variety of projects and constellations. Split in three parts and accompanied by intensely simple, yet beautiful and somewhat tribalistic paintings of Lester Wright for a cover the album is split in three classes starting with "Class I - A Single Entrance Created From A Gap In The Bank", a 22+ minutes spanning piece which fuses thundering, complex drums, strained alto sax Jazz improvisations and later evolves - or better de-evolves - into scattered, yet thrilling and atmospheric minimalist arrangements and experimental synthesizer bleeps of presumably modular nature. The follow up "Class II - Two Entrances, Diametrically Opposite Each Other" starts with an eardrum-piercing, reprocessed high frequency motif accompanied by sparse, somewhat fever'ish tribal drums before drifting towards yearning, desolate, slighty melancholia-oozing realms of sonic experimentation whereas "Class III - Four Entrances, Facing Each Other In Pairs" goes down the same path atmospherically, yet presents a more heavyweight apporach in terms of large, ever shifting sound masses and a more brooding overall feel leading towards a muscular, heavyweight drum climax before the tune finally comes to a sudden halt.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Synchrotrony - Synchrotrony [Gusstaff Records]

Scheduled for release on March 20th, 2k20 via the Polish imprint Gusstaff Records is "Synchrotrony", the self-titled debut album by the trio of the same name which is comprised of Maciej Rodakowski, Jacek Steinbrich and Krzystof Topolski following a musical path inspired by - according to the press release - '...free improvisation, sound search and simple folk melodies.' Yet what we get drawn into the album by with the opener "Bee-bah" is a series of captivating sax and drum repetitions progressing into hypercomplex rhythms, a seductive Funk infused bass section and more of a classical Jazz approach when it comes to the melodic lead whereas "Un Petit Dejeuner W Sao Paulo" gets down in a classy Easy Listening-leaning, yet high quality BarJazz / Cocktail Jazz manner and the so-called "Black Metal Blues" provides a laid back, down to earth espionage thrill for score, soundtrack and title theme purposes and well deserves to turn into a major hit of sorts. Furthermore "Na Moczarach" provides a blueprint for a future uptempo Jazz standard, allowing especially the ever moving double bass to shine and unfold within its minimalistic arrangement, "Darmobit" is the definition of dope and cool in a Jazz context and might even provide a well seductive foundation for sound savvy freestyle rappers to lay down a couple of quality bars before "Fintifluszki" even weighs in some fever'ish, ever spiralling and percussive Oriental vibes whilst the final title cut "Synchrotron" is in for a closing climax and a wild ecstatic ride, adding the right amount of spice to this well diverse, highly interesting firstling.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Maike Zazie - Seismopsychollage [!7K Records 016 Promo]

Scheduled for release on the !K7 Music subsidiary !7K Records on March 20th, 2k20 is "Seismopsychollage", the new longplay outing created by German pianist and composer Maike Zazie Matern a.k.a. Maike Zazie. Drawn to oftentimes romantic piano etudes with a tender, (Neo)Classical and / or Chamber Music leaning attitude as well as inspired by literature and other lyrical works and the aesthetic idea of cut up / collage we see the young German artist creating a poetic dreamworld, built on a foundation of her own imaginative piano melodies paired with German lyrics of mostly naive and innocent nature whilst additional layers and fragments of text and speech appear, citing other voices and narratives, providing both a meta-level of conscious reasoning at times whilst at other points drifting way far into poetic realms. Quite an unusual album this that seems to be beamed into our reality from a more innocent past which could either be either defined by the innate curiosity of 70s hippie culture or esoteric healing and meditation movements springing to life in the 80s. Most fascinating, most unique, yet also most disturbing and hard to grasp or fathom with a logical, reality- and cyberreality-savvy mind of today.

baze.djunkiii Charts 03/2k20

01. Various Artists - CCCLXXXII Vol. 1 [Bass372 Records 002]
The Bass372 Records crew is putting Estonia on the map big time with four cuts from - partially cryptically named - crew members Ptf1978, q100 & Dmg, Bisweed and Slin which all provide heavy Grime riddims which can put any contemporary UK Bass production to a test with their stripped down raw crimescene vibe.

02. Various Artists - DJ Morpheus presents Beauty Now For The Future (Lysergically United) [Music Pour La Danse 012]
What a ride this compilation is. Samy Birnbach a.k.a. DJ Morpheus goes way back to the period between the late 70s and mid-80s, revisiting and reflecting on the era when he first arrived and decided to settle down in Brussels with extensive liner notes whilst picking rare and obscure cuts of the time, from minimalist, twangy Leftfield Pop by Die Hornissen to trippy, dubbed out, Ethno-infused Cosmic Wave by Flue, uberly melancholic PostPunk meets Easy Listening ballads by Normil Hawaiians as well as thrilling visionary Ethno / Arab Electro provided by Foreign Affair alongside more official greatness for explorers of long gone underground music. Recommended.

03. Y U QT - Buff Traxx [Warehouse Rave 004]
Classic UK Garage and SpeedGarage are officially back with this epic five track release by Y U QT who's bringing back all the swing and goodness that used to draw us towards the genre in the first place when this new sound took over dancefloors in the late 90s. And this one has it all - sweet vocal tunes for the ladies and banging, heavy 4/4 SpeedGarage stompers for heaving peak time dancefloors. Essential.

04. DJ Vern & DJ Ash - Squeeze / Magnificent [Vinyl Fanatiks 003]
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the founding of the legendary Jungle / Drum'n'Bass label Tearin' Vinyl with a special silver / grey 12" edition the Vinyl Fanatiks crew brings back two beloved Jungle classics for 2k20 with these raw and rugged tunes which are catering both super complex beats and classic soundsystem vibes to dancefloors of today. Re-load, selecta!

05. Aniyo Kore - 432 [Sweepland Records]
See review for details...

06. Various Artists - Beyond Space And Time 001 Compiled By DJ Nobu [Beyond Space And Time 001]
An excellent ten track compilation piece put together by Japanese DJ Nobu including many essential 90s cuts like Laurent Garnier's Detroit Techno meets Trance classic "Water Planet", Mono Junk's epic Trance cut "Beyond The Darkness", the extended tribalistic minimalism of Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia's "The Valley", Drax Ltd. II's uber-anthem "Amphetamine" as well as many more tracks by the likes of Burial, Pan Sonic, Dan Curtin, Front 242  etc.. Pure quality, this.

07. Leibniz - Hydron [Hundert 005]
Quite a heavy hitter from the vaults of the ever eclectic Hundert label. Especially the A-side "Bubble Tune" sets high standards for super dark, experimental and braincell crushing (Industrial)Techno in 2k20 and is about to destroy many dancefloors within the blink of an eye.

08. Various Artists - INEX 009 [Inhale Exhale 009]
Excellent four track House 12" from the Inhale Exhale-camp featuring remixes for tracks by Ben Mudi, Leo Wölfel, Inherit The World and Paso - all of the leaning towards a classic late night DeepHouse approach without losing dancefloor functionality at all. Our favorite is the B1 cut "Concrete Jungle (DJ Normal 4's Oriental Dragon Mixx)" due to its crossover potential  for use within classic UK Garage / SpeedGarage sets. Good stuff.

09. Nexus 21 - The Rhythm Of Life [Network Records]
Originally released back in 1989 Nexus 21 was the one first big time UK-based takes on the new Techno sound coming over to Europe from Motor City Detroit. Headed by Mark Archer and Chris Peat, later to form iconic UK Hardcore / Breakbeat / Rave outfit Altern8, tracks like "(Still) Life Keeps Moving" or "Music" draw inspiration from projects like Inner City whereas "Bass Inclusion" predates the rolling basslines of UK Hardcore as well as rave stabs and minimalist melodies of European Techno, "Real Love" flirts with Bleeps'n'Clonks alongside sweet and seductive female vocals and "Can You Feel The Beat" even tinkers with classic Electro in a classy, slightly filtered way. A remastered piece of music history, this.

10. 2121 - Vol.2 [2121-01]
See review for details...

Laurent Perrier & David Fenech - Plateforme #3 [Bam Balam Records 069 Promo]

Released via Bam Balam Records on February 24th, 2k20 is the third instalment of Laurent Perrier's "Plateforme"-series in which the French artist creates music solely based on recordings sent in by a collaborating composer / musician. Teaming up this time with the, also French, Musique Concrete-leaning David Fenech the result of this conceptual approach are two extended compositions both hitting the 18+ minutes mark in terms of playtime. With "Plateforme #3.1" the result is a brooding, somewhat fever'ish and ritualistic piece of ever so slighty changing Tribal / FutureTribal featuring several layers of hypnotic percussions, droning, spiralling low ends as well as expertly crafted background string atmospheres for post-apocalyptic sunsets before evolving and turning into thrilling Deep Space Ambient soundscapes around mid-track whereas "Plateforme #3.2" weighs in a tender, subaquatic Ambient feel at first before switching gears towards the exploration of percussive, yet minimalist modular sequences accompanied by a sweet, simple and seductive, sort of retrofuturist motif and eerie, dreamlike and spatial ever shifting high frequency sound waves.