Jørgen Teller - City Size Tone Part 2 [Clang 066 Promo]

Put on the circuit via the Clang label on May 15th, 2k20 is Jørgen Teller's new album outing "City Size Tone Part 2", a two tracks and roughly 42 minutes spanning composition we're about to approach without any reference to or knowledge of the - supposedly existing - first part or accompanying press info for the lack thereof. Opening with a deep hypnotic Ambient drone and various layered piano, harp and wind instrument tones "City Size Done Part 2" drags the listener into a somewhat alert dream state immediately, adds intense, shrieking and mutilated high frequencies to the mix as well as mysteriously clanging Field Recordings of unknown origin, a good portion of hallucinogenic sound manipulations and even subdued echoes of FreeJazz / Improv to be found in the very backend of the mix before a maelstrom of feedback and Noize emerges for a most brutal climax. Quite an intense, yet thrilling and complex listening experience for those who loved the "Ekkehard Ehlers plays..." vinyl series once released via Staubgold in the early 2000s.

Sascha Müller - Cosmic Trigger [Sascha Müller Music]

Sascha Müller, the master of weird and unusual formats, is back with another floppy disk release on his very own Sascha Müller Music imprint these days. Put out on the circuit as a limited edition of 10 - sic! - hand-numbered copies we see "Cosmic Trigger", stored on the actual floppy as an ogg-vorbis file, providing a deep four minutes journey into a sonic realm defined by somewhat hollow, spaced out Downtempo / Triphop beats and beautiful atmospheres paired with fascinating vocal samples obviously taken from documentaries shot at the very beginning of the space exploration age, probably originating from a country located somewhere in Eastern Europe due to the seemingly Russian accent prevalent in the English spoken here. Defo a sweet one and an instant collectors item, this.

Floppy artwork on Instagram!

Vocione - Left Hand Theory [Aut Records 059]

Put on the circuit via the ever busy Aut Records imprint on March 30th, 2k20 is "Left Hand Theory", the third album created by Vocione, a duo comprised of Marta Raviglia and Tony Cattano. Recorded live at the renowned Il Torrione Jazz club located in Ferrara, Italy the very first words that spring to mind when listening to this 13 track album are sacral and ecclesiastical due to the solemn, festive nature of the artists vocal performances, accompanied by a subdued, slow moving stream of electronic textures as well as sparkling, tender piano lines in tunes like "Confessions On Demand" whereas the subsequent title track "Left Hand Theory" showcases a more dramatic, ecstatic and untamed variation of Vocione's sonic musings. Furthermore "Eco Time II" beams the listener into a gargantuan echo chamber of sorts, "Embarcadero Ginger Serenade" weighs in a swinging, positive attitude for the avantgardistic Jazz dancefloor, "Prendero Il Tuo Posto" oozes with pure romanticism and a beauteous, naturalistic feel, "Endurance" seems to reflect upon inward looking, unobserved Jazz improv sessions, "Eco Time IV" is surprisingly dark and brooding and "Sport Light" even weighs in some twangy Desert Blues elements just to name a few. Well interesting. Go check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Divus - Divus 2 [Boring Machines]

Incoming from the Italian label Boring Machines only recently is "Divus 2", the March 2k20 released sophomore album by Rome-based duo Divus which is comprised of saxophone player Luca T. Mai and electronic music producer Luciano Lamanna. Together, the two artists create a tense, somewhat subaquatic soundscape over the course of seven untitled tracks - leading the way with a fascinating opener and introduction to the projects specific sonic realm defined by oftentimes swampy, fully immersed and partly subdued electronic textures in combination with emotional, touching, yet also slightly reprocessed saxophone motifs which are somewhat connected to what might be identified as Jazz Noir whilst heavier pieces are leaning towards a realm of dark Unformatted Industrial Techno / Broken Techno garnished with unusual, yet enthralling sax phrasings whereas others even drift off into hypnotic JazzDub with an Illbient twist - especially talking about B1 here which, albeit short, turns out to be our favorite cut on this well interesting and therefore recommended album. Go check. 

Samuel Rohrer / Max Loderbauer / Tobias Freund / Stian Westerhus - Kave [Arjunamusic]

Coming in from the Arjunamusic imprint without any further additional information is "Kave", the new album effort created by a quadruplet of musicians and solo artists in their own right comprised of Samuel Rohrer, Max Loderbauer, Tobias Freund and Stian Westerhus. Together, the four artists cater a nine track and 40 minutes spanning menu of an album, described on the the back cover as 'instantly composed' which basically boils down to an on the spot improv session that turned out right. This said, the music of Kave can be described as somewhat Ambient leaning, yet hazy, misty, cold and mysterious, an Electronica-infused twilight zone of non-relaxation, evoking a steady alertness in a state of being half-awake, yet frozen in a state of being unable to move, resulting in tense, icy and crystalline DreamPop cuts like "Hibernation I", fascinating Ambient Jazz / Future Kraut morphings in "Destination... North" - a piece somewhat reminiscent of Bugge Wesseltoft's "New Conceptions Of Jazz" -, giant amorphous and hostile sonic masses from an unprecedented future found in "Toxic Boy" or even moanful, dramatic Post-SynthPop in the modern opera resembling "Divided We Fall" whereas most beauteous and soothing Piano-led Electronica is defining a "Walk In The Woods", retrofuturist progressive SpaceJazz brings us a "Giant Peach" whilst the concluding "Hermit" lives in a giant universe of slightly spiralling Synth / (Neo)Cosmic sounds which are harking back to the era of early electronic composers like Klaus Schulze and the likes of. Defo a well recommended addition to every record collection, this is.

Xotox - Gestern [Infacted Recordings]

Xotox is back and he's back with a bang. After signing to Infacted Recordings earlier this year German producer Andreas Davids a.k.a. Xotox presents his new album "Gestern", a fourteen track longplay piece accompanied by an additional bonus CD which includes the entirety of all mixes featured on the prequel single "UFO" - click on link for our review of this - plus five previously unreleased remixes of album tracks which makes this new release clocking in at around two hours of total overall playtime. Opening with "Sorgenkind", another single taken off the album prior to release, as well as the subsequent "Zeitgeist, Baby!" with its cold, highly compressed, futuristic and more technoid touch it is pretty obvious that we're entering a new phase of Xotox' work with this longplay piece. Still rooted in a history of stomping hard HardTechno, EBM and Industrial melodic elements become more prevalent, as well as a certain affinity for straight forward peak time Techno and Rave with a dark'ish twist - think groups like Empirion or the combination of Fixmer / McCarthy, Terrence Fixmer's first solo album "Muscle Machine", The Horrorist and the banging Industrial-driven sound of David Meiser's "Discipline For The Masses" 12" on AFU Limited and certain releases on labels like Aufnahme + Wiedergabe as more recent reference points within the dancefloor world, paired with ghostly, outerdimensional greyscale Techno desolation in album tunes like "Haunted" whilst cuts like "Ein Tagtraum Im Regen" are a perfect soundtrack to bang your head against a concrete wall... in vantablack darkness, total isolation and slow motion, over and over and over again. Furthermore pieces like "Standing On Top Of A Rusty Mountain" are harking back to a time in the 80s when (Proto)Techno and Industrial still bonded on one single dancefloor - think: Technoclub / Dorian Gray here -, "Wir Haben Die Wirklichkeit Zerstört" is classic, highly compressed Xotox brutalism in its purest form albeit with a surprisingly sexy groove foundation, "Das Falsche Licht" presents an uplifting variation of grinding Rhythm Industral HarshTrance and "Keine Angst" weighs in a proper take on flogging Industrial Hardcore garnished with harsh mechanical sounds, buzzing electronic basslines and braincell crushing off kilter madness just to pick a few favorites here. Remixwise we see Autoclav1.1. taking on "Die Neue Normalität" which results in a dreamy Future Industrial / Industrial  Trance monster , Stahlschlag caters a grinding, relentless rendering of "F*ck You Very Much" whilst "Zeitstation Bermuda *Retro-Version" is providing whipping poly-layered Industrial antigrooves on various tempo levels alongside many other unmentioned versions. Quite a banger of an album which hopefully will result in the long time overdue recognition of Xotox beyond the Industrial / EBM realm and finally take the German artist into the center of the storm of the Techno circuit.   

Listen Again: BAZE.DJUNKIII - Nachtfahrt Vol. 1 @ Radio Flouka, Paris (21.05.2020)

Radio Flouka راديو فلوكة · BAZE.DJUNKII - Nachtfahrt Volume 1 | Radio Flouka 21/05/2020

baze.djunkiii Chart Haul 05/2k20

2121 - Vol. 05 [2121-05]

Released in mid-May via the mysterious 2121 imprint is the labels cat.no. 005, the next in a series of one-sided lathe cut 12"es which are hand-cut on demand for those who are in for ordering directly from the imprints website. With this most recently released addition to their catalogue we're immediately drawn into a fascinating amalgamation of UK Hardcore / Breakbeat and pounding, uplifting, surely Rave-focused, yet dreamy and emotional AcidTrance for ecstatic peaktime sets. If this tune would've been released in the mid-90s it surely would've become one of the biggest anthems in large scale events and street parties like Love Parade and the likes of for a reason. Are you ready to go down memory lane?

Lathe cut artwork on Instagram!

Jeff Morris - Hearing Voices [Ravello Records]

Incoming directly from College Station, TX / USA only recently was "Hearing Voices", the May 8th, 2k20 released album by American artist and music writer Jeff Morris who is, according to the accompanying press promo sheet, dabbling with a combination of 'space age and primeval' in this seven track longplay piece. Once again released via Ravello Records and realized in collaboration with contributing artists Elisabeth Blair, Susanna Hood, Rodney Waschka II and Joseph Butch Rovan Jeff Morris caters one of the most unique and fascinating albums these days, with the polylayered, somewhat vintage'esque vocals of the opener "In The Middle Of The Room" immediately drawing and pulling the listener into an absurd, twisted, psychedelic dream world of sorts, a dark dada-influenced journey into the most intense states of madness, built on vocal utterings and non-vocalisms accompanied by demonic digital sound manipulations and truly outerworldly sweeps, atmospheres and unexpected warpings, a hellish vortex and infantile horror for the strong minded and explorers of the unsettling outer rims of performance art and music. Nearly unfathomable and surely unprecedented as a full length album format and therefore highly recommended. Get.

Marja Ahti - The Current Inside [Hallow Ground Promo]

Released via the Switzerland-based imprint Hallow Ground on May 8th, 2k20 is "The Current Inside", the second ever longplayer created by Swedish artist Marja Ahti for the label. Catering five new compositions spread over roughly 40 minutes total playtime the opening cut "The Altitude" clocks in at 20 minutes alone, presenting a - probably part modular - take on cold, tense ever changing atmospheres and ambiance fused with Field Recordings for an overall intriguing sonic journey whereas the follow up that is "The Currents" provides more of a tender, highly detailed and somewhat ruminant experience for the attentive listener, adding intriguing bits and pieces to every looped cycle of the tunes main motif. With "Lost Lake" we see the Swedish composer touch on a similar approach with manipulated, slightly reverberating metallic objects and an Aube'esque calmness, "Fluctuating Streams" are on a calm, solemn and minimalist Ambient tip and the final piece "Sundial" amalgamates a desolate, monotonous drone with metallic clanging as well as matches and crackling fire sound for an intimate, yet also angst sonic journey. Good stuff. Check.

Sascha Müller [Supersix Records Extra 097]

Soon to be released via Supersix Records is another new and untitled album by Uelsen's busiest producer Sascha Müller who's presenting his now 97th - ! - longplay piece on this label alone. Opening with and setting off a "Chain Reaction" we see the German artist on a dry, raw and functional ToolTechno tip for a start before "Chamber 2" takes psychedelia-infused DubTechno to its upper speed limit and "Chamber 3" dives deep into the vaults of dark lo-fi underground Acid modulations for all real the Techno headz out there. The subsequent cut named "Mondphase" fuses positive, floating Trance vibes with that very special feel once evoked by tunes like CJ Bolland's "Camargue" in the mid-90s, "NoB_A 13" brings forth more of a technoid, psychedelic, yet not less fascinating nor futuristic take on Trance for those in the know whereas "Ragnamöji 2" explores an astoundingly raw, bleepy and tongue-in-cheek TechnoJazz vs. Phonk alley and "Redemption" weighs in a super massive UK Breakbeat meets Hardcore variation for all the real ravers out there and is our most favorite cut on this album by far. Furthermore "Turtle Power" harks back to hollow, subaquatic, Detroit-infused Techno minimalism, "Untitled 2" counterattacks with most brutal, compressed and monotonous Hardcore Techno for illegal warehouse raves and "Track 03" immerses the listener in the finest, most beautiful maelstrom of NoizeDub until ears start to bleed for a reason. With "A3" Sascha Müller returns to hypnotic subaquatic minimalism in Techno once again, "Drop Briggs" provides a straightforward killer groove in fast paced, hyperfunctional ClubTechno and the concluding cut "Exoplanet" waves goodbye on a friendly, complex, plinkering and playfully stripped down Ambient / ChillOut tip with jam-like characteristics for a closing. Good stuff, again.

T. Gowdy - Therapy With Colour [Constellation Records 153 Promo]

Released as a Constellation Records label debut for T. Gowdy  on May 8th, 2k20 is "Therapy With Colour", the latest five tracks and 28 minutes spanning longplay outing created by the Canada-based producer who's been working solo on the album circuit under this moniker since 2018. Opening with the title track "Therapy With Colour" T. Gowdy presents an introduction to his sonic world with a highly digital Electronica approach, fusing slowly moving Ambient drones and ever changing, buzzing, meandering rhythm signatures in a well fascinating manner, whereas "Depse" weighs in spiralling, hypnotic and well hyperfuturistic MinimalTechno for highly advanced dancefloors. The subsequent "Up CTRL" provides a hovering, crystalline approach to Clicks'n'Cuts informed Electro / Phonk and wins over dancefloors within seconds, "No Wave II" brings forth cold, floating, bass heavy Electronica garnished with a touch of Industrial and the concluding cut named "Excavating Air" explores a combination of intense, near static, yet partially disturbed Drone aesthetics and dubbed out rhythms for late, late night afterparty settings. File under: pure excellence.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Erik Grisworld - All's Grist That Comes To The Mill [Room 40 Promo]

Put on the circuit via the Australian Room 40 imprint on March 20th, 2k20 is "All's Grist That Comes To The Mill", the latest album outing by ever active composer Erik Grisworld who's catering a menu of thirteen new pieces including a short intro and three interludes spread out over the course of roughly 47 minutes total whilst exploring a beautiful, somewhat isolationist sonic realm of desolate Dark Ambient / Deep Listening Music and full on experimentalism with cuts like the yearning, ethereal "The Hive" which weighs in a heavenly, yet also unsettling take on heavenly droning whilst the subsequent "Forest Birds" provide a minimalist, crystalline variation of tender piano meets harp mystique for an attentive audience. Further favorites include the multilayered, psychoactive and chaotic sci-fi midrange inferno of "Crashing Waves", the metallic ritualism of "Interlude 2 - Grader Blader" whilst "Three Great  Parlour Themes" is committing interesting alterations and poking fun at classic piano themes to a great effect and therefore is our top pick on this longplay piece for a reason.

21.05.2k20 baze.djunkiii In The Mix @ Radio Flouka / Paris, France (1600 GMT+1)

Hamburg-based baze.djunkiii takes us on a very special 'Nachtfahrt' – which is German for: 'Night Drive'. Backed by two decades worth of experience on the decks baze.djunkiii digs deep into his vast vinyl archives to create a soothing, melodic soundtrack for your personal indoor quarantine rave, starting out on a deep TechHouse / Romantic House tip whilst touching base with Tribal-driven DeepHouse and other goodness over the course of 60 minutes.

decks: baze.djunkiii [Intrauterin Recordings]

file under: TechHouse / DeepHouse / Melodic

transmission time: 16oo - 17oo GMT+1

get locked via Radio Flouka
Paris
France

Repeat Eater - Orbital Exentricity

Stazma The Junglechrist · Repeat Eater - Orbital Exentricity

Braindance is back. And we love it.

Ben Bertrand - Manes [Stroom / Les Albums Claus]

Put on the circuit as a collaborative effort between the two labels Stroom and Les Albums Claus on March 17th, 2k20 is "Manes",  the new album outing created by Belgium-based clarinet player and composer Ben Bertrand who is fusing his instrument of choice with electronic textures over the course of roughly 32 minutes on this one, opening with "Morton And György In The Battista Mist" which provides a journey into Ambient / Deep Listening Music realms with its steady low end leaning pulses and tender crackles accompanied by masterly crafted and layered harmonies followed by "Those Behind Us That We Follow" which fully immerses the listener in warm, comforting and somewhat Future Jazz-infused melancholia. With "Incantation 3" Bertrand introduces a sequence of melodic, uplifting computational bleeps to his touching, emotional Future Jazz approach which is even touching base with Jazz Noir whilst the "Delayed Monologue" provides an interplay of complex, punctuated clarinet tones and vibrant, intertwined electronic textures before the concluding cut dubbed "The Manmaipo" even adds some previously unheard, ethereal, female non-vocalisms to the albums sonic spectrum. Essential.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Various Artists - Vinyl Fanatiks presents Hardcore Lockdown

The Bournemouth-based Vinyl Fanatiks imprint unleashes a beast of a free download album for the Oldskool / Breakbeat / UK Hardcore massive. This one is for the whistle crew!

Markus Floats - Third Album [Constellation Records 152 Promo]

Straight outta Montreal / Canada comes the "Third Album" by local multidisciplinary artist Markus Floats, a new six track long play effort released via the praised Constellation Records imprint on May 1st, 2k20. Drawing inspiration from experiences in a wide variety of genres including Jazz, PostPunk and Electroacoustics alongside others we see Markus Floats diving deep into a realm of lush and dreamy Ambient drones atop a sparse, hypnotic rhythmic foundation built on friendly, slow bass pulses and finger snaps moving within the stereo field on "Forward", a combination evoking memories of dramatic, dense Easy Listening music from another planet whereas "And" presents a busier, spiralling and cascading approach towards large scale Synth composition and "Forward Again" leads the way into a better, peaceful future with beauteous melodies working their way up towards a surprising climax. Furthermore "Always" is clearly harking back to the neon lit retrofuturism of the 80s (... and the decades library music as well), "Moving" weighs in 139 seconds of pure Ambient beauty before "Forward Always" caters a friendly, playful take on Braindance music for highly advanced Electronica-savvy dancefloors for a closing. Sweet.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Anastasios Savvapoulos / Azure - Ebbs And Flows [Aut Records 058]

Released via the ever active Aut Records imprint on March 12th, 2k20 is "Ebbs And Flows", the new album by the freshly founded quartet Azure which is led by Anastasios Savvapoulos who is joined by fellow musicians Peter Ehwald, Antonis Anissegos and Ludwig Wandinger in his musical adventures. Somewhat inspired by Kandinsky's thoughts on form, expression and necessity the quartet offers a menu of nine compositions on this longplayer, stretched out over a total of roughly 51 minutes and presenting a take on Jazz surely influenced by a classical, complex yet structured approach to the genre which makes tunes like the fascinatingly thrilling "Ebbs And Flow Part II", the deep grooves of remnants "Remnants" as well as the tender, crystalline piano lines in "Reflections" highly relatable for an audience not necessarily familiar with the technicality, dissonance and hypercomplexity oftentimes found in genres like Improv or FreeJazz and therefore might be functioning as a perfect gateway into the world of advanced Jazz for beginners and a highly appreciated journey into intricate melodic mastership for long time genre connaisseurs.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Field Works - Ultrasonic [Temporary Residence Promo]

Conceptual art is conceptual. Using echolocation sounds of the endangered Indiana bat as source material for all fourteen tracks on this album released via Temporary Residence on May 1st, 2k20 Stuart Hyatt's large scale collaborational project dubbed Field Works makes a massive return with "Ultrasonic", one part in a wider project scheme funded by the IUPUI Arts & Humanities Institute with the goal to draw attention towards this specific species and its story. Realized with the help and contribution of a wide range of collaborating artists including the likes of Taylor Dupree, Chihei Hatakeyama, Machinefabriek and many others the albums musical spectrum spans from elegic, score'esque Ambient- / ChillOut-leaning string arrangements in the opener "Dusk Tempi" to soft, ever cascading Ambient polylayers in "Night Swimming", playful piano naturalism in "Echo Affinity" or vast spatial, somewhat outerworldy and brooding bass movements in combination with beautifully haunted atmospheres as featured in "Marion" and even implementing subaquatic sci-fi bleeps and clonks in beauteous, all embracing harmonic pads found in tunes like "Indiana Blindfold" just to name a few. One for all true Ambient heads out there.

Houses Of Heaven - Silent Places [Felte 066 Promo]

Put on the circuit via the Felte label on May 1st, 2k20 is "Silent Places", the new, 32 minutes spanning longplayer created by the musical triumvirate of Keven Tecon, Adam Beck and Nick Ott under their conjunctional moniker Houses Of Heaven. Based in Oakland / California and somewhat inspired / influenced by wildfires occuring in Northern California the group starts their sonic adventure with "Sleep", an intense and somewhat hell'ish variation of washed out, ghostly Industrial / EBM meets PostPunk-infused Cold Wave for fogged out, sparsely lit dancefloors followed by the muscular, slightly tribal'esque PostPunk smash "Channeling" as well as the seductive Proto NuBeat meets SynthPop jam "Dissolve The Floor" which would've been a staple at the original Dorian Gray Technoclub if it was released in the first half of the 80s. With "Time Apart" the Houses Of Heaven enter haunted highspeed mode for immediate dancefloor success, "All Possible Obstacles Are Present" brings forth a pounding 4/4 foundation in combination with the groups trademark reverberating vocals and a brooding, dystopian Post-Industrial feel whilst "In Soft Confusion" is taking Dark (Synth)Pop into space with an astounding neon glitz. With "A Place In Between" Houses Of Heaven are entering the twilight zone that brings pleasure to some and pain to others, bringing forth distorted, yet dreamy somewhat The Cure'esque guitars alongside powerful, primal Industrial rhythm signatures, "Patchwork" weighs in more of an overall Belgian attitude towards darkness and those final "Caresses" reveal a well trippy and dangerous fusion of vantablack SynthPop with VaporGoth and some slightly acidic elements. We're fully in for this.

Yair Elazar Glotman & Mats Erlandsson - Emanate [130701 / Fat Cat Records Promo]

Scheduled for release on May 15th, 2k20 via 130701 is "Emanate", the latest collaborational outing created by Berlin's Yair Elazar Glotman and Stockholm-based Mats Erlandsson which are exploring an in between state of electronic music and acoustic recording with this piece. Albeit being divided into nine tracks "Emanate" was both envisioned and recorded as a whole, opening on a droning,  piercing Ambient note slightly reminiscent of the intense horns played as a sequel to C Cat Trance's classic "Rattling Ghosts" frequencywise, yet soon evolving into a beautifully floating, soft Ambient tapestry over the course of "From Light To Refraction", adding some mystical percussive elements in the subsequent "Interlude I" before traversing into deep, solemn, sonically rich melancholia with "From Refraction To Procession" whilst paving the way for more lush string works, overall mysticism, somewhat dramatic, naturalistic climaxes and ancient forest romanticism for those still drawn to Wolfgang Voigt's classic GAS works. Recommended.

Sascha Müller [Supersix Records Extra 096]

Put on the circuit only recently via Supersix Records Extra is Sascha Müller's 96th full on untitled solo album on the label so far. Offering a new selection of fourteen previously unreleased cuts from the artists archive the journey begins with "Track 01", a surprisingly noisy, warped off-kilter manipulation of seemingly pre-existing sound material followed by "A Dry Cocktail After A Fuck" which is going down a dry, raw and unprocessed route with its grinding, hypnotic Slow Motion Techno attitude. The subsequent "A14" brings forth raw, monotonous and slightly distorted ToolTechno goodness for peak time dancefloors, "A18" follows on a banging, yet more precisely sculpted Techno path with its haunting Industrial background atmospheres, washed out breakbeats and subtle midrange synth modulations before "Bassline Chamber" introduces brutal, hypercompressed bass drums, growling low ends and a quite minimalist attitude to heaving Techno floors whilst "Chamber 1" is bordering Hardcore, presenting both a brutal barrage fire of bassdrums alongside ever morphing synth modulations as well as blurred, misty DubTechno atmospheres. Furthermore "Escalation Destination" brings back stripped down, Trance-inducing ClubTechno, "Living In Pain" harks back to ultra raw early Gabber / Hardcore violence paired with merciless, braincell crushing HardAcid along the way whereas "Metric Sea" indulges in a seductive fusion of MinimalTechno, stripped down Acid and DubTechno before "No4_A11" keeps things minimalist and classy in a classic, deep and slightly subaquatic Techno style. The subsequent "Ragnamöji 01" introduces hypercompressed, over the top 8bit Bleep Phonk in brutalist fastlane mode, "Red Vader" explores spatial, stripped down, yet slightly nerve wrecking Intelligent Techno realms over the course of 8+ minutes, "Track 02" presents more warped reprocessed Noize and therefore harks back to the albums opening track whilst the concluding cut "Untitled 1" brings back floating quality Trance once again without falling into any cliche trap there. Proper good.

Beatriz Ferreyra - Huellas Entreveradas [Persistence Of Sound 004 Promo]

Put on the circuit via Persistence Of Sound as the labels cat.no. 004 is "Huellas Entreveradas", the latest album by French electroacoustic composer and Groupe De Recherches Musicales-member Beatriz Ferreyra featuring three of her later works, all composed between 2001 and 2018. Opening with the title track "Huellas Entreveradas (Intertwined Footprints)" we see Beatriz Ferreyra exploring a spatial, minimalist realm of sonic events of seemingly modular origin alongside spatial, haunted warps, retrofuturist bleeps and Death Ambient-leaning atmospheres before the whole composition turns towards a more organic, friendlier and more playful overall vibe within the boundaries of experimentalism.  The subsequent "La Baballe Du Chien Chien A La Mere-Mere (The Ball Of The Old Lady's Dog)" gravitates towards a score of warped outerworldly soundcapes, ethereal layers and short, processed vocal snippets for the headstrong whereas the concluding "Deux Dents Dehors (Two Teeth Outside)" focuses on a more humoristic, tongue-in-cheek variation of Ferreyra's work with pitched, multilayered vocal samples and a slightly comical, cute overall instrumentation proving that even experimental music production isn't always a super serious affair.

Jacaszek - Music For Film [Ghostly International 357]

Released via Ghostly International on March 27th, 2k20 is "Music For Film" by Jacaszek, the first album crafted by the Polish artist for the ever active label. With a background of a producer as well as a film music / score composer Jacaszek solely focuses on the latter craft with this longplayer and presents a collection of pieces written for films like "Gologotha Wroclawska", "Iron Bridge", "November" and "He Dreams Of Giants", all held together by their solemn, athmospheric Dark Ambient atmosphere infused with echoes of echoes of (Neo)Classical composition and a certain feel of romanticism which is especially about to speak to those fascinated by Wolfgang Voigt's GAS works or pieces like "Rückverzauberung" which the Cologne-based producer released under his very own name. If these references speak volumes to you and / or you are an Ambient / Score head anyway this album is one to go to for for sure, especially for the more uplifting and positive piece that is "Dance" which immediately turned out to be our personal favorite on "Music For Film" alongside the touching Piano Ambient outing that is "Encounter Me In The Orchard".

Album artwork on Instagram!

Krolestwo - Antracyt [Gusstaff Records]

Scheduled for release via Polish imprint Gusstaff Records on June 5th, 2k20 is "Antracyt", the second ever album effort created by Gdansk-based band outfit Krolestwo which in itself is a conglomerate formed of several musicians and artists active in other bands on the countries busy underground music circuit. With a total of six tunes being rolled out over the course of more than an hour and a press info referencing genres like PostRock and MathRock the albums direction is pretty clear from the get go, especially when the 13+ minutes spanning opener "Wioslowanie W Kierunku Nicosci" combines these influences with complex drum sequences and storming, distorted, yet somewhat blues-y guitar layers forming a serious wall of sound that's about to overload an audiences sensory apparatus in a live context whereas "Tega Jola" presents more of a classic, down to earth instrumental BluesRock attitude and "Szklaneczki Doktora Stefana" even enters (Neo)Kraut-infused dancefloor realms with a straight 4/4 rhythm base and captivating guitar motifs somewhat reminiscent of both projects like Padded Cell and similar DC Recordings acts as well as now disbanded Swedish band outfit Skull Defekts. Following up are three different incarnations of the albums title track "Antracyt", a dreamy, yet dark and brooding affair of desolate, somewhat isolationist beauty, providing a tense, post-thunderstorm vibe for those appreciating heavy, lead-colored clouds crossing the skies at low altitudes and high speeds. Darn proper good.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Sascha Müller - Traxxx Vol. 24 [SM Traxxx 47-2020]

To be released via the ever active SM Traxxx label on May 21st, 2k20 is "Traxxx Vol. 24", the forthcoming digital two track single by Uelsen's finest production force Sascha Müller. Opening with "Track 47" Mr. Müller is taking us straight back to heaving Techno floors of the 90s, bringing forth a precise, hard bouncing bassdrum and ever moving, hypnotizing midrange synths as his weapons of choice to tear down the house whilst the subsequent "Track 48" hits even harder on its dancefloor killing spree and evokes memories of classic Force Inc. Music Works compilations like "Rauschen 5" or the likes of for those who've been around quality electronic music for decades. Massive.

Niels Gordon - Land [Lamour Records 108 Promo]

Incoming from the Swedish imprint Lamour Records without any further additional press info or release date set is Niels Gordon's "Land", a presumably forthcoming album piece which explores eight organic, yet vintage-leaning electronic soundscapes over the course of a total 44 minutes playtime. Reviewing this album only a day after the untimely passing of Kraftwerk's Florian Schneider recognizing similarities between Gordon's compositions and the harmonic, playful and oftentimes friendly, all embracing harmonies employed by the pioneering German band outfit is pretty much inevitable, especially with the soft, neon gloom of the opener "Im Park", the cascading joy brought to us by the uplifting Electro cut "Inner Ground" or the retrofuturist (Neo)Cosmic dancefloor greatness employed in "Voyage Dans Le Nuit" whilst "Hello" indulges in slightly off-kilter Synth movements which send us straight back to the 70s within seconds. The follow up "Outer Grounds" is nothing short of a blueprint for beauteous Synth Ambient composition, "Ohrnacht (Am See)" reveals a somewhat romantic angle to Niels Gordon's synth works before "Woodlands" indulges in more kraftwerk'esque beauty - think: "Neonlights" with a more melancholic twist and hidden nods to Blondie's "Atomic" - whereas the concluding "Tides" finally gravitates towards dreamy inward looking synth dreams of a neon sunset emulation. File under: Excellent timeless retrofuturism.

Sascha Müller / Abstracto Concreto - Cut-Up Co Labs [Starting To Pestalozzi 003]

Put on the circuit via the underground tape imprint Starting To Pestalozzi is "Cut Up Co Labs", a collaborational - hence the title - tape album effort created by Germany's Sascha Müller and US-based artist Chris Holland a.k.a. Abstracto Concreto. Based on the medium of flexi discs the production process of sending cut up and destroyed flexi discs back and forth over the course of one year with each transatlantic transfer adding another level of damage and destruction led to a total of 23 tracks on this hour long cassette which are - obviously - of structurally randomized nature, characterized by skipping needle sounds and short sequences of ultimate sonic randomness, switching from Spoken Word to microseconds of Classical music, occasional guitars, synth bits and other sources, all falling together as a thrilling collage for fans of art movements Fluxus and Dada. If this is your sonic field of choice, go get this.

Cassette artwork on Instagram!

Talking Book - Talking Book II [Koolarrow Records Promo]

Put on the circuit via Koolarrow Records on April 24th, 2k20 is "Talking Book II", the second incarnation of the music created by Talking Book, the duo originally formed by sound artist Jared Blum and Faith No More bass player Bill Gould which has now evolved into a trio with Dominic Cramp as new additional member. Nine years after the groups first appearance the follow up album, already announced on these pages through "Termal Drift" earlier this year, caters a total of fourteen new tracks spread out over the course of roughly 42 minutes with the beautifully off-kilter, dramatic and emotional Piano Ambient opener "Blood Aurora" paving the way for more cinematic goodness to come like in the darker, yet even more dramatic, tense and cinematic "The Land Upright" which reveals some elements of distorted, Phonk-driven Electronica somewhat reminiscent of labels like Anodyne or work produced by Marco Passarani on Hymen roughly two decades ago whereas "Zastava" is leaning towards classic, score'esque and well-melancholic DarkAmbient greatness, "The Last Time She Died" employs a naturalistic, slightly Nordic / Scandinavian instrumental Folk feel to be highly appreciated by followers of the Hubro Music label whilst "The Came At Dawn" gravitates towards (Neo)Cosmic mixed with elements of Industrial and large scale sci-fi score works just to pick a few favorites here. Recommended. Get.

Bellkatze - Bellkatze EP [Psychocandies 087]

Soon to be released via the ever active digital imprint Psychocandies is the "Bellkatze EP", the very first four track outing by the new and upcoming artist called... Bellkatze. Opening with "Kölnisch Wasser" we see Bellkatze exploring a deep, slightly muffled and subaquatic Acid /AcidGrunge sound which is slightly reminiscent of releases on the mid-2000s incarnation of the DJungle Fever-imprint or labels like the short-lived Molecular Funk Guerilla. The subsequent cut dubbed "Lightweight Memphis" goes down a cheeky, bubbly, raw and ever spiralling Acid alley based on a sparsed unprocessed foundation of electroid beats whereas "Modern War" fuses complex modulation sequences with a tricky Electro anti-groove before the concluding cut "Sky High" drills deep into every listeners brain employing super minimal, yet dark and hypnotic sequences evoking long gone memories of E.O.X.'s classic "Acid New York E.P." for those who've moved their asses on strobe-lit underground dancefloors back in 1995. What a killer track, this.

Halftribe - Archipelago [Sound In Silence 073]

Released via the ever active Greek label Sound In Silence on March 16th, 2k20 is "Archipelago", the first ever album created for the imprint by Mancunian producer Ryan Bisett, better known under his artistic guise of Halftribe. Backed by a history of five previous full length albums and a series of EP releases since the Halftribe moniker appeared on the scene in 2014 the 11 tracks on this 44 minutes spanning full length effort reflect on Bisett's Ambient expertise in terms of solemn, measured and slightly blurred harmonies for rainy sunday afternoons mostly built of soft, slowly moving pads, partly in combination with naturalistic, innocent, yet slightly detuned piano melodies evoking memories of tape loop experiments as well as suttle background disturbances consisting of twisted background cracklings or warped bass backings which are most obvious to keen observers in "Broken Dreams" whereas the beauty of phased crackles might be best experienced in comforting cuts like "Drops" or the dreamy, part Oval'esque loop fest that is "Fader". If there's a sonic equivalent of your favorite, most cosy blanket it is this album.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Max De Wardener - Music For Detuned Pianos [Village Green Recordings]

Released via Village Green Recordings on March 20th, 2k20 is "Music For Detuned Pianos", the sophomore album produced and composed by Max De Wardener for the British label. Inspired by a selection of contemporary composers the album title points towards the musical approach of the ten pieces featured which the artist himself describes as the attempt 'to try and bend something established and monumental into something new'. This said, the 34 minutes spanning longplayer presents an intimate, beautiful, naturalistic and somewhat even light-heartened and vernal selection of timeless, emotional piano pieces for lovers of Ambient as well as Classical and Contemporary Classical music not only perfect for pensive, inward looking listening sessions but also well suitable for use as touching scene music in sophisticated arthouse movies. If this speaks volumes to you in terms of your musical preferences, go and check this out.

Album artwork on Instagram!

baze.djunkiii Charts 05/2k20

01. baze.djunkiii + Donna Maya - Alien Swamp [Freebreakz.FWD 001]
See announcement post for details...

02. Lagowski - Creepohmski / Time Is An Abyss [Lathe Cut Promo Dub]
A very special treat, this. A limited to 10 copies promotional lathe cut dub featuring two tracks taken off of Lagowski's most recent album "Secret Of Numbers" handed out to a selected crew of DJ's by the longterm electronic music activist and pioneer himself. "Creepohmski" opens with dramatic, spine-tingling string arrangements and evolves into a well haunted Techno piece clearly harking back to the genres early, EBM- and NuBeat-influenced years. On the flipside "Time Is An Abyss" follows a similar path into eternal darkness led by an ever repeating, hypnotic and trance-inducing spoken word sample whilst driving advanced dancefloors crazy with its extended, slow building and ever changing take on complex, yet raw Industrial Electro for late night DJ-sets in concrete underground bunker settings where only the strong-minded survive their trip to a vantablack soulless nirvana.  

03. Al Wootton [Trule 006]
Al Wootton, also known as Deadboy to many, unleashes a beast of a 12" single on the Trule label, employing his real life name for a production effort for the very first time. Paying homage to the golden era of UK Garage Wootton provides a stripped down, swinging, beat complex approach to the genre, focusing on beat science and organic sinewave bass pressure with "Levi" weighing in classic MC lyrics stylewise and all other cuts on this vinyl release oozing with references to classic soundsystem culture, no matter if they're focusing on UKG, present a sweet take on SpeedGarage like "Operator" or even lean towards Dark Garage / Sublow like "Franz". Well proper.

04. The Exaltics & Paris The Black Fu - We Exist (Chapter One) [Solar One Music]
Limited to 578 hand-numbered copies on beautiful picture disc 12" vinyl this collaboration between The Exaltics and Paris The Black Fu of Detroit Grand Pubahs-fame caters an excellent take on classic Electro and sci-fi themed Ambient skits, crossing over into GhettoTech / GhettoBass territories with "The Troublemaker" and eternal, unsettling darkness touched on in "Propaganda DNA" or "We Exist". Get.

05. Kahn & Neek - Every Soundboy Piss Off [Sector 7 Sounds 011]
Kahn & Neek are in for something dark with their latest musical outing put on the circuit via Sector 7 Sounds. Four riddims, all way closer to Grime vibes of the 2004-2006 era than to their usual Dubstep-leaning production focus, are bringing back original crimescene and gangster vibes for all bass music lovers who've been in since day dot. Bangers.

06. RTR - Planet X [Analogical Force 028]
Seeing a new artist making a debut entry to the production circuit with a full on 2xLP vinyl album is a rare occasion these days but the highly active, Madrid-based Analogical Force imprint hasn't been shying away from taking risks ever since their very first release in 2015. And damn it was worth it when it comes to RTR's "Planet X" album from friendly, well-balanced Electronica to glitched out highspeed Drill'n'Bass / IDM with a soft melodic twist each of the eleven cuts on this longplayer is masterly crafted and able to turn highly advanced dancefloors up and down twice within seconds. Defo the strike of a genius and one that will be referred to as one of the major, and possibly majorly underrated, releases of 2k20 by those in the know in years to come.

07. DJ Trace - Twister [Tempo Records]
Long standing Jungle / Drum'n'Bass legend DJ Trace is back with a bang. Limited to 500 hand-numbered silver picture disc 12" copies the two tracks on this release don't care about recent (micro)trends within the D'n'B genre at all but take us straight back to the late 90s / early 2000s with their uncompromising, straight forward twostep beats and nervous hi-hats, growling, apocalyptic low end and beautifully futuristic, somewhat detroit'esque sci-fi string arrangements for a melodic note. Instant classic.

08. Martyn Bootyspoon - No.1 Crush [Model Future 007]
Coming straight outta Montreal / Canada producer Martyn Bootyspoon hits the vinyl circuit with a bang - and four massive tunes which are harking back to the captivating sound of labels like Dance Mania in the first heyday of raw, energetic GhettoHouse whilst weighing in deep melodic influences taking inspiration from DetroitTechno and Hi-Tech Funk.

09. Cesco - Angry Waves [1985 Music 024]
With his first full-on artist EP on 1985 Music Cesco is setting a standard for the sound of Minimal Drum'n'Bass in 2k20. With snares as thinly sculpted as possible and hyper-compressed, yet somewhat muffled low ends in combination with only a few sparsely used additional elements all of the four tracks on this 12" are precision rollers for tool-focused DJs whilst raising the bar in terms of technicality and production value. Call this a blueprint for things to come.

10. 2121 - Vol.4 [2121-04]
See review for details...

Jan Martin Smørdal - Choosing To Sing [Sofa Music]

Put on the circuit via the ever buzzing Norwegian imprint Sofa Music is "Choosing To Sing", the first full on solo album by Jan Martin Smørdal, brought to life with the help of famed Ensemble Neon - a group Smørdal is a member of as well, and trumpet player Eivind Lønning. Inspired by swarm behaviour and other, seemingly chaotic yet well organized, natural phenomena and rhythmic patterns the eight pieces on this 36 minutes spanning longplayer are covering from little more than a minute to up to nine minutes each with a musical range from the crackling Field Recordings vs. UnAmbient minimalism found in the first minutes of the opening "React" before the tune evolves towards ear piercing, crystalline Ambient-leaning floatations, seamlessly progressing into the naturalistic outer space signals audible in "Choosing To Sing I" whilst the short skit that is "Response" provides 64 seconds of extreme, fast paced sonic madness evoking memories of the earliest stages of experimental electronic music creation throughout the 50s and 60s whereas "Call I" caters more traditional composition and phrasings which are willingly morphed and reprocessed to the max. With "Choosing To Sing II" the listener experiences more, this time low-end focused, space transmissions of yearning melancholia and inherent sadness, "Call II" is built on a foundation of varying sinewaves in conjunction with ethereal, chiming clouds of sonic mystery whereas the subsequent "React II" is following on a similar path in terms of mystique and mystery albeit taking these elements to a way noisier, braincell crushing context of swarms of ever buzzing hostile metallic insects before transitioning into multilayered polyrhythmicity whilst the final "Call, But Response" weighs in haunted athmospheres alongside unprocessed tones from the ensembles instruments and amplified eruptions of air escaping from the instruments valves.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Jehnny Beth - Flower (Official Video)

A tense and intense, highly captivating love song taken from Jehnny Beth's debut album "To Love Is To Live" which is about to be put out on the circuit  on June 12th, 2k20.