Federico Calcagno - Liquid Identities [Aut Records 064]

Put out on the album circuit via Berlin's Aut Records imprint as the labels cat.no. 064 on June 1st, 2k20 is this eight tracks spanning debut album by Federico Calcagno's Amsterdam-based quintet Liquid Identities which is comprised of its musical mastermind performing alongside fellow musicians Jose Soares, Adrian Moncada, Pau Sola Masafrets and Nick Thessalonikefs. Drawing inspiration from Jazz and Improv as well Contemporary Classical and South Indian Carnatic Music the group opens the doors into their sonic world with "Modernity", a swinging, uplifting, well lively and - sic! - modern take on Contemporary Jazz whilst the follow up "Road To Koog" seems to be on a deeper, classy and crooning late night tip for those who know before slowly moving on with crystal clear piano and sax improvisations over decent, yet ever complex background drums. Defined by these two anchor cuts the Liquid Identities quintet caters more classy deepness paired with seductive and sample-worthy grooves in tunes like "Melting Nostalgia", playful, smokey late night vibes with our favorite cut "Disruptive Innovations" which is touching base with JazzNoir at times whilst providing an intense mixture of experimental Contemporary Classical composition and erupting, ever thundering FreeJazz / Improv with the closing tune "There Was A Rhythm" just to name a few. Check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

THE D3VI7 - Alante [Bang Le Dex 035 Promo]

Soon to be released via Bang Le Dex as the labels cat.no. 035 is "Alante", the next forthcoming digital single crafted by THE D3VI7 himself. Opening with the nearly 11 minutes spanning "Alante" the mysterious producer on the rise caters a deep, somewhat anti-groove leaning take on desolate Techno paired with ethereally floating non-vocalisms and an overall greyscale attitude whereas the subsequent cut "Barada" weighs in a totally opposite attitude in terms of providing proper uplifting ElectroTechno with super sharp hi-hats as well as sweet, lively background synth movements and a simple, yet highly functional main motif for all those who've been loving the sound of labels like International Deejay Gigolo Records in the early 2000s.

Psychogeografia - Random Roots [Gusstaff Records Promo]

Scheduled for release via Polish imprint Gusstaff Records on September 4th, 2k20 is "Random Roots", the first ever full length album by Psychogeografia - a duo that came to be about a year ago. Employing an arsenal of prepared upright piano, synthesizers and a wide variety of wind instruments the two artists cater a menu of eight compositions rolled out over the course of approx. 41 minutes whilst creating a unique novelty soundscape from the very first seconds of the opener "Yara-Ma-Yha-Who" onwards, a soundsphere meandering in between echoes of Jazz and ancient, fever'ish rituals, remainders of ancient tribal rhythm signatures paired with the sound of hot arabian nights, a hypnotic, ever changing trance fest of sorts which is as captivating as hard to fathom like a gazillion of dancing dervishes, enriched with several raw, sometimes retrofuturist electronic textures and a feel for hypnotic, ever so slightly changing repetition. A brooding, spiritual experience of sorts for those who're not fond of spiritualism at all. Check.

Matt Elliott - Farewell To All We Know [Ici D'Ailleurs]

Put on the circuit via the Nancy / France-based label Ici D'Ailleurs on March 27th, 2k20 is "Farewell To All We Know", the ninth full length solo album created by Bristol-born artist and Third Eye Foundation mastermind Matt Elliott under his real name. Presenting a total of ten songs rolled out over the course of 43 minutes Matt Elliott employs a tender, intimate approach here, amalgamating misty, blurred and washed out electronic background textures with mostly acoustic Folk guitar and occasional sparkling piano tones or solemn strings as a foundation for his deep, sonorous and pretty much distinct signature vocal timbre which makes this album a proper companion for cold and fogged out autumn or winter nights in front of an open fire - in solemn, inward looking isolation. Deep.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Sascha Müller [Supersix Records Extra 099]

Coming in with another fresh and untitled album on his very own Supersix Records Extra-imprint is the man Sascha Müller himself, who's catering a menu of 15 previously unreleased tracks on this one. Opening with "Transfiguration" we're drawn into a realm of raw, brutally stomping bassdrum power paired with bubbly, yet braincell melting MonoAcid modulations whereas "Track 06" caters haunting, otherworldy and ever shifting Noize movements creeping up from the surface like Lovecraftian horrors followed by enormous pulses of grinding, yet somewhat harmonic HarshNoize in "Track 20" before "Track 21" weighs in more of the same in a darker, more Industrial leaning horror fashion. Going for a more dancefloor-focused approach powered by a decent Munich Disco-bassline and dubbed out pads as well as minimal space warps is "Dry Faster" whereas "Future City" weighs in 10+ minutes of stripped down, masterly crafted DubTechno minimalism with a warm, slightly DeepHouse-reminiscing twist and the "Motherfukkin House Dancer *Sascha Müller Remixed Sascha Müller" version caters, well..., the most uplifting Acid-infused HappyHouse we've heard in ages. With "No4_A23" the Uelsen-based producer brings forth a bouncy, fast-paced minimal fusion of tripping Acid and ClubTechno, "No6_A10" goes down a similar, yet more muscular and flogging alley, "No6_A12" enters fast paced, metallic, high quality TechnoJazz territories and "No8_A15" drives crowds mad with its precisely sculpted ToolTechno attitude and haunting signals before "No10_A11" starts to drill down on punters braincells with a hammering, buzzing foundation of raw, distorted bassdrums and haunting, ever building layers of subaquatic white noise warps. For a closing the series of tracks named "Orion Rising Part I / II / III" sees Sascha Müller on a brutal, ever spiralling Rave vs. Acid tip bordering 90s Hardcore before Hardcore Techno even became a thing. Three killer cuts in a row, there.

Frank Bretschneider - abtasten_halten C

faitiche · Frank Bretschneider: abtasten_halten C

Deep, spatial and percussive minimalism taken from Frank Bretschneider's forthcoming album "abtasten_halten" which is about to be released via the Faitiche imprint on September 18th, 2k20.

Christian Wallumrød Ensemble - Many [Hubro Music]

Has it been four years already since the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble released their latest album on Hubro Music ? Time seems to fly these days but now the group is back with a new muscial outing, the seven tracks and 40 minutes spanning "Many" - a new excursion into a sonic dreamworld of undeniably Nordic origin with the opening tune "Oh Gorge" fusing an array of crystalline percussions and plucked guitars with most beautiful strings to create a womb-like, comforting and time dissolving realm whilst the subsequent "50/80" indulges in romantic, tender, Piano-led JazzNoir with a late summer sunset feel of sorts and "Danszaal" employs a lively, yet stumbling, repetition-based and ever uplifting take on what could be an ancient, traditional formal dance infused with cascading brass and piano motifs for a modernist twist. Furthermore "Abysm" indulges deeply in score'esque, panoramic Ambient melancholia, "Staccotta" presents 104 seconds of hammering pianos and warped tones whereas the albums main piece "El Johnton" manages to maintain a classic Yacht / AOR resembling piano vibe over the course of roughly four minutes before setting course for full on experimental, minimalistic and probably improvised territories for an extended, well unexpected break but manages to return to its original vibe after an additional six minutes whilst the final "Dialect" presents Jazz pulses following the rhythm of a telephone line for a high class closing. Nice.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Listen Again: baze.djunkiii In The Mix @ Radio Flouka / Paris, France (16.07.2k20)

Radio Flouka راديو فلوكة · BAZE DJUNKIII | Radio Flouka 16/07/2020

Makoto Kawabata & RG Rough - s/t [Bam Balam Records 074 Promo]

Originally planned as an exclusive release for the French edition of this years Record Store Day which, like many others, probably did not happen on June 20th, 2k20 due to the ongoing COVID-19 craze is the self-titled collaboration album created by Acid Mothers Temple leader Makoto Kawabata and multi-instrumentalist RG Rough. Put on the circuit via Bam Balam Records the album is split in two parts, with both the A-side "Running Underwater" as well as the flipside "Washed Up On The Shore"  presenting a tense, brooding and ever droning intro sequence before drifting off into a fever'ish, not surprisingly well psychedelic and partly feedback driven sonic maelstrom characterized by intense percussions, Field Recording sequences and oftentimes repetetive guitar motifs, tender, yet dark vocals and an overall meandering attitude which sees both musicians floating, sometimes randomly, through time, space and whatever lies beyond, approaching a multiple of - unrelated - ideas within each track, deeply elaborating on some whilst just touching base with others to guide, or drag, the listener through a well twisted, sometimes ominous dream state in which the individual subconsciousness is allowed to explore dark and hidden caverns without any real life consequences. As psychedelic as a Psychedelic Rock vs. electronics fusion can get.

Mint Huus - Sport EP [Cheezy Crust Records]

Put on the circuit via the Hamburg-based imprint Cheezy Crust Records as a limited to 20 copies physical cassette tape edition is the "Sport EP", the second appearance by underground artist Mint Huus on the label. Taking DJ-friendly club music into account for a cassette EP release is quite a bold and unheard of move, yet results in a well collectible soon to be sought after item amongst Electro purists as cuts like the opening title track "Sport" provide a timeless, expertly crafted excursion into the sonic realm of the named genre whereas "Uuser" seems to employ a lighter, somewhat TechTrance-infused approach garnished with heavy claps, intricate, entangled synth motifs and tender, most beautiful athmospheric pads before "Ph303" weighs in a deep take on more, even deeper pad business in conjunction with gooey acidic modulations and complex electroid antigrooves. Furthermore "Luftüberlegenheit", the first track on the B-side caters top drawer, slightly dubbed out ClubTechno for floating primetime sessions whereas "Bxbx" takes fast paced Electro / IDM  to an ever cascading, almost Plaid'esque level and therefore is our favorite cut on this sweet little EP release for a reason. Do not miss out on this.

P.T.B.S. & THE D3VI7 - Submersion [Lets Techno Records Promo]

Recently put out on the circuit via the digital imprint Lets Techno Records is "Submersion", the news conjunctional two track single effort crafted by P.T.B.S. and THE D3VI7. Opening with 6+ minutes of "Analog Cream" the two producers cater a hard banging Techno cut defined by its razor sharp  hi-hats and ever filtered midrange percussion motif which evokes echoes of old, early 90s Plastikman-releases whereas the icy, floating atmosphere and trance-inducing harmonies provide more of a contemporary feel. Furthermore the title track "Submersion" stretched out over more than 11 minutes weighs in another portion of sharp, flogging hats yet gravitates towards being a contemporary take on and update to quality Trance music in 2k20 whilst catering to all punters needs with a growling low end and a maelstrom of spiralling, well siren'esque and unsettling midrange movements leading into an ultimate psychedelic climax of sorts.

Taylor Swift - Cardigan (Official Music Video)

Now this does come as a surprise. Taylor Swift can full on ballad? Seemingly she can and pulls off a timeless instant Pop classic with this one. Beautiful.

Kim Myhr & Australian Art Orchestra - Vesper [Hubro Music]

Released via the Norwegian Hubro Music imprint earlier this year is "Vesper", the new collaborational album created by the labels staple Kim Myhr in conjunction with the Australian Art Orchestra which results in a three part journey stretched out over the course of 56 minutes in total. Taking on a psychedelic path meandering in between Ambient, Balearic, (Neo)Cosmic and Contemporary Classical composition techniques, large scale score works and a soft, somewhat blurred and misty, surely retrofuturist dream state we see the musicians invlvd creating a sonic realm that is unique even within the wide ranged spectrum of the Hubro Music label, yet amazingly chill and comforting and probably a perfect companion for hot late summer evenings spent outside. On a deckchair. With one's eyes closed for a moment of contemplation. And even though "Part Two: We Seemed To Grow More And More Pensive, But In Fact We Were Less And Less" interrupts the inward looking train of thought with a massive, ever intensifying crescendo followed by most calming, intertwined guitar layers for fans of PopAmbient and Post-PostRock. Check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

S.E.T.I. - Decisions (Official Youtube Audio)

A deep and beautiful excursion in Ambient produced by Andrew Lagowski.

Gintas K - Amnesia [GK Rec. 003]

Coming in straight from Lithuania these days is "Amnesia", the new longplay outing released by the ever active experimental composer Gintas Kraptavicius a.k.a. Gintas K as cat.no. 003 of his very own label GK Rec.. Put on the circuit on July 14th, 2k20 as a limited edition run of 300 copies worldwide the 44 minutes spanning one track album sees the artist exploring the most hyperdigital realm within experimental electronic music composition, fusing an ever buzzing array of greyscale Noize eruptions, unsettling low-end rumblings alongside constantly morphing, well nervous - and for some: nerve-wrecking - glitches with soft, ethereal background harmonies as well as ground up, broken down remainders of melodic events, pure HarshNoize / DigiNoize sequences, space bleeps, uncanny rhythm signatures and a general feel of a total sonic information overload. If genres like Clicks'n'Cuts and creative programming environments like Max/MSP are close to your heart, this album might appeal to your tastes even though providing a well demanding and challenging experience even for deeply schooled listeners of advanced electronic music.

Bomis Prendin - Clear Memory [Mental Experience 030 Promo]

Reissued via the Catalonian imprint Mental Experience as their cat.no. 030 in May, 2k20 is "Clear Memory", the first ever official vinyl and CD version of Bomis Prendin's 1984 tape album which was only ever released as a limited run of 50 copies by the 1978-founded experimental band outfit. With a total of 15 tracks plus the additional CD-bonus "Endocircumventual" rolled out over the course of approximately 43 minutes we're diving straight into a beautiful, yet well psychedelic and dreamy world of (Neo)Cosmic synth harmonies accompanied by various layers of singing birds in the opening tune "First Light" which paves the way for things to come like the twisted, spaced out paranormal P-Funk / lo-fi Blues fusion "French Passport", the raw, distorted Minimal Wave dancefloor killer "Respect The Road", the intense, brooding soundtrack for a hell'ish post-apocalypse presented in the aptly named "Hell's Little Ransom" which surely will appeal to fans of Tangerine Dream's "The Sorcerer" soundtrack album, the lo-fi drum machine vs. Feedback Noize excess of "Jumpstart" or even the alarming, siren'esque interlude that is "Busy" just to name a few.  Highly experimental, yet highly enjyoable for leftfield underground music aficionados. Check.

Promo artwork on Instagram!

Listen Again: baze.djunkiii presents Technovision @ CuttersChoiceRadio / London (19.07.2020)

File under: Hard banging experimental Techno.

Dipace / Massaria / Gallo / Farao - Collera City [Aut Records 061]

Put out on the circuit via Berlin's Aut Records imprint is "Collera City", the first full length album collaboration by the quadruple of musicians consisting of Alberto Dipace, Andrea Massaria, Danilo Gallo and Ferdinando Farao. Recorded spontaneously and in an improvisational manner as a mourning over and tribute to the passed Cecil Taylor on April 8th, 2k18 the quartet dissected one of the musicians quotes - 'You practice so you can invent. Discipline? No. The joy of practicing leads you to to the celebration of of creation.' - into seven track titles with adding an additional "Thanks Cecil" in the end whilst instantly diving deep into a deep sonic realm defined by a touching, tender and emotional amalgamation of Space Jazz, DarkJazz and FutureJazz of varying tempos and intensity - with the lively, hypercomplex "So You Can Event" turning into an instant favorite within seconds -, yet always driven and coated by a certain class and raw latenight feel of air heavy with smoke and bourbon-infused aerosols, dark, wooden interior and a top drawer selection of quality drinks served which is even present in the albums wildest, most furious moments. We're in.

Album artwork on Instagram!

THE D3VI7 - Dragon Lady EP [Dancefloor Socialism 001 Promo]

Upcoming, pretty much anonymous Techno sensation THE D3VI7 is back with a new digital single release which also happens to be the very first outing of the freshly launched imprint named Dancefloor Socialism. Opening with the title track "Dragon Lady" THE D3VI7 explores a deep and floating, certainly DubTechno infused state of Trance with this one whilst the second cut that is "Clear" presents more of brooding, sci-fi leaning attitude touching base with both DubTechno and Intelligent  /  Armchair Techno alike accompanied by beautiful hovering, crystalline Piano melodies for an hyperharmonic trip into heavenly dreamscapes. File under: DreamTrance.

Fuse Box City - Shipwreckers [Weeping Prophet Records Promo]

Lined up for release via Weeping Prophet Records on July 31st, 2k20 is "Shipwreckers", the debut album by freshly formed London-based band outfit Fuse Box City who're lining out their sonic vision within five song tracks rolled out over the course of roughly 35 minutes. Following the idea of turning an entire House into a recording studio with each individual member placed in a room seperate from the others and recorded with the help of Eddie Stevens the five piece band presents a well unique, dark'ish and somewhat Dada-infused musical language surely influenced by post-apocalyptic science-fiction, electronics and heavily distorted guitar layers as well as a certain funkiness, all mixed up with ethereal vocals and atmospheres, cut-ups, noisey feedbacks, Industrial / (No)Wave and echoes of echoes of certain early 90s Alternative Rock bands - yet in a partly lo-fi and certainly more Avantgarde-leaning manner. Imagine the catalogue of labels like Dhyana Records with bands like Onq or Deep being invlvd in a sonic orgy with Garbage, Babylon Zoo, Yello, Everything But The Girl and Superorganism to produce a lovechild whilst both AfroFunk, German New Wave and the Ingenious Dilettantes movements are providing highly eclectic rhythm signatures as a backing. Sounds weird? Well... this is what it is. And drugs.

Mylan Hoezen - Operating Manual For Floating In Space [Futura Resistenza 005]

Coming in from the offices of Rotterdam-based imprint Futura Resistenza is the labels cat.no. 005, Mylan Hoezen's "Operating Manual For Floating In Space" - a nine track vinyl album which, according to slightly cryptic descriptive text written by Clementine Slime featured on the album inlay, seems to fuse a somewhat space-infused attitude with what might be some kind of performance art on stage, at least performed once at Roodkapje / Rotterdam in September 2019. Musically, the album lives up to expectations evoked by the description mentioned, yet being more on the performance art side of things than out in space with its ever morphing, calmly flowing synthesizer movements of probably modular origin partly accompanied by non-vocalisms uttered by several performers / actors as well stomping feet and / or clapping hands, all seamlessly sewn together as one ongoing stream of music only interrupted when one is forced to flip the vinyl for a continued listening experience. Someone on Discogs has put this album within the categories 'abstract' as well as 'stage & screen' which defo is a well suitable filing and could enhanced with being Synth, (Neo)Kraut and intense (Neo)Cosmic for all those who love to go deeper in terms of musical classifications. If these genres do ring a bell and you've probably enjoyed albums like Zombie Zombie's "Slow Future" and loads of longplay outings crafted by the likes of Klaus Schulze / Tangerine Dream it's rather likely you will be in for "Operating Manual For Floating In Space" as well.

Modern Melodies - Cows

Dave Quam · Modern Melodies - Cows

Modern Melodies are back with another Hightech Funk bang0r.

Afflicted - What About [Fortwin Records Promo]

Recently released via Fortwin Records is "What About", the latest conjunctional studio effort created by the German production duo known as Afflicted. With the title track "What About" the two producers are catering a killer take on dark'ish AcidTrance paired with touching, solemn and sacral low end harmonies before the second cut "Pizzicato" weighs in more of a fast paced, muscular and well bouncing variation of nerve-wrecking PsychoTechno for vantablack dancefloor ecstasy.

Thomas DeLio - Selected Compositions (1991 - 2013) [Neuma Records]

Now back to academia with the second review for an album put on the circuit by Neuma Records as a part of their effort to release the entire back catalogue of compositions created by 1951-born composer and music theorist Thomas DeLio as a tribute and homage to a man who's been exploring experimental music and composition for more than 40 years now. Starting with the hyperminimalist sequence of "Belle Isle I-IV" which seems to embrace both elements of Clicks'n'Cuts as well as stripped down, skeletal Field Recordings of microtonal nature the entire longplayer consists of a total of 24 pieces, most of them sparse and spatial featuring extended periods of silence including the crystalline piano meets eruptive percussion piece "Transients / Images" whilst the 2011 tape rendering "...Transients" seems to employ a more tender approach to the composition even though some seemingly haunted, off kilter sonic events apply. In the tape piece "XXXIII - XXVII" pianos meet a harsh, high frequency DigitalNoize blast before the sonic narrative changes to be well trippy, psychedelic Space Ambient - think 70s sci-fi flics here... -, "As Though / Of" partly evokes memories of minimalist electronics crafted at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and other sonic laboratories of yore and probably has been put together using similar techniques, "z,rb" brings back more high frequency HarshNoize bursts whereas Paula Chipman's subsequent soprano interpretations take the listener into a realm of abstract opera and crystal clear vocal exercise whilst "Center / s" borders on haunted, ghostly and well otherworldly Ambient before the cut-up sci-fi collage "Aengus" reminds us of retrofuturistic future positivism somewhat prevalent in the 60s and 70s later throughout the albums course which is one for those diving deep into the realms of avantgarde, yet a difficult one as the vast amount of silence as an essential element in the individual compositions might make it hard to distinguish the single pieces from each other in an extended listening session even for those familiar with music coming from a highly academic context.

Album artwork on Instagram!

19.07.2k20 baze.djunkiii presents Technovision @ CuttersChoiceRadio / London, UK (2100 GMT+1)

So it's time for a debut this Sunday. For the first time ever in his 20+ years spanning career baze.djunkiii is about to - virtually - step into the heartland of dance music radio, the motherland of pirate terrestrial broadcasting and countless independent webradio stations who've been a vital backbone of dance music culture ever since data bandwith became sufficient for continuous music broadcasting. This said, baze.djunkiii has teamed up with London-based webradio CuttersChoiceRadio which are about to stream his 'Technovision Volume 16' mix as a hard banging Techno contribution to their program schedule.

Transmission will start at 20oo London time which makes it 21oo GMT+1 for the rest of continental Europe. baze.djunkiii will be locked on to Twitter throughout the mix broadcast so feel free to send tweets and conversations his way!


decks: baze.djunkiii [Intrauterin Recordings]

file under: Techno

transmission time: 21oo - 22oo GMT+1

get locked via CuttersChoiceRadio

UK + the global internet

check the radio event page here!

NO MORE - Summer Wine (Official Video)

The Kiel-based legends known as NO MORE are taking on one of the great American classics for the summer of 2k20.

Chris Watson / Georgia Rodgers - Notes From The Forest Floor / Line Of Parts [SN Variations Promo]

Scheduled for release on July 31st, 2k20 via SN Variations is a double feature vinyl album which combines solo works created by both Chris Watson and Georgia Rodgers as multi-channel installations which are, for this album, boiled down to stereo. Opening with Watson's "Notes From The Forest Floor", an altered version of his original hour long installation piece, we're entering a brittle and icy realm created from Field Recordings captured in Costa Rica's rain forest with various bird and animal calls still present, yet seemingly stripped down and shifted to a narrow high frequency band paired with eerie, spatial sonic shifts moving slowly, yet continuously in the background, evoking associations of tectonic or glacial movements stretched over the course of centuries or millenia before warped and twisted utterings of unknown origin add an extra level of psychoacoustic horror around mid-composition ff.. Furthermore Georgia Rodgers' "Line Of Parts" amalgamates Field Recordings, sine waves and voice originally composed for a surround set up of 48 channels and 66 speakers, weighing in beautiful surface noise, crackles and calmly clanging rhythm signatures, probably caused by raindrops falling on metal sheets of sorts, airplane fly-bys, as well as an ebb-and-flow of slightly varying intensity as Rodgers' carefully examines and emphasizes certain frequency bands and / or pitch ranges before taking a surprise turn towards floating, hyperminimalist and ethereal Ambient around minute 11 out of 23 or so. Beautiful.

Bug - Nunc Finis [Rock Is Hell Promo]

Coming in only recently via the Austrian imprint Rock Is Hell Records is "Nunc Finis", the most recent album outing created by the countries well renowned NoiseRock outfit Bug who've released their first longplayer back in 1998 - more than two decades ago. Catering a menu of nine songs spread out over the course of roughly 38 minutes the 'buam' - Austrian for: boys - do what they do best once again: unleashing a heavy, relentless beast of an album based on heavy blastbeats, a wall-of-sound production approach, overwhelming multi-layered guitars and intense, screaming vocals which will appeal to fans of both Metal and Hardcore in their commanding manner, releasing high octane levels of fierce anger, darkness and paranoia for the most part even if deeper cuts like the "Lost Soul" seem to draw influences from genres like PostPunk and Goth-infused Rock if one thinks both Sisters Of Mercy as well as bands like Altered States here whilst "Amadeus" somewhat incorporates elements of Crossover / NuMetal and Diesel-powerd FreakBlues, "Twin Peaks" brings forth whipping Metal madness and the "Remission Song" is nothing but full on carthasis just to name a few. #Intense.

Promo artwork on Instagram!

3RDKND - Panger *Neonlight Remix

FORBIDDENSOCIETYRECS · 3RDKND - Panger (Neonlight Remix)

One of the sickest Drum'n'Bass tunes we've come across in a while. Absolute belter!

2121 - Vol. 07 [2121-07]

Fresh on the circuit via the mysterious imprint that is 2121 is the labels' seventh release "Vol. 07" which this time is available as a one-sided 10" lathe cut release cut on both traditional black and clear  / translucent blanks for those who order it directly, depending on one's personal preference and choice. This time moving away from a strict 4/4 bassdrum foundation the tune featured on this release explores a deeper, somewhat dreamy and comparatively slow take on quality Electro sounds for advanced late night dancefloors inhabited by those who love to groove along to more advanced cuts released on labels distributed by the Netherlands-based Clone clique - especially thinking of Frantic Flowers or similar outlets here.

Lathe cut artwork on Instagram!

Xavier Charles / Bertrand Gauguet - Spectre [Akousis Records 001]

Put out onthe circuit as the very first release of the fresh Akousis Records-imprint on May 8th, 2k20 is "Spectre", the new collaborative album effort created by Xavier Charles and Bertrand Gauguet who've been on stage together for the better part of the last decade now. Working both on acoustic and amplified clarinet and alto saxophone as their respective instruments of choice whilst exploring the possibilities of multi-phonic spaces and recording as part of their artistic approach the duo creates a calm, quite minimalist and stripped down realm of mostly droning, solemn and slow moving quality, bordering on somewhat time dissolving Dark / Isolationist Ambient infused with remnants of what used to be called DarkJazz at times whilst catering a crackling soundtrack for ones inner void with the crackles and Field Recordings of "Point Fantome" whereas tunes like our favorite "Phonomnese 2"evokes more of a cold and desolate, space / sci-fi oriented feel in tense minimalist midrange frequency droning and makes us think of HAL9000 for some strange and hard to explain  reason. Furthermore "Etendue 2" employs more of a swell of klaxon'esque soundwaves being blown over from afar before drifting off into Noize-driven territories and the final cut "Phonomnese 3" harks back to the solemn, moody opening tunes of this album. Quite a good one, this.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Alex White - Transductions [Room 40 Promo]

Released via the Australian Room 40-imprint on June 5th, 2k20 is "Transductions", the most recent album outing created by Alex White who in this one is stepping away from his usual array of synthesizers to basically base the eight tracks on this longplayer on a Diskclavier instrument controlled by MIDI signals emitted from a patched modular synth. This said, the compositions found on this longplayer do slightly border on (Neo)Classical music with an academia-oriented twist especially prevalent in pieces like "Cheekbone Against Window Of Train" with its repetetive, yet ever varied motions of one single motif over the course of nearly eight minutes whereas "Bicycle Rear Wheel Lateral Movement" presents a thundering roar of dense sonic layers, the "Large Tent In Mild Windy Conditions" provides more of a lively, frolicking and playful approach towards cascading melodies whilst the "Water Hammer" literally drowns ones eardrums in a steady, overwhelming ebb and flow motion of harmony and off-kilter dissonance just to pick a few. Still: an album which will most likely attract listeners gravitating towards academia and musicology for a reason.

16.07.2k20 baze.djunkiii In The Mix @ Radio Flouka / Paris, France (2000 GMT+1)

JDB. - Jungle and Drum'n'Bass. With the latter genre once described as music for a long dark tunnel our Hamburg-based Radio Flouka station resident baze.djunkiii takes things to extremes and paints the dark tunnel vantablack. A merciless, hounded, tense and intense 60 minutes ride that leaves even the most die-hard of all Drum'n'Bass headz breathless and brainwashed for a reason.

decks: baze.djunkiii [Intrauterin Recordings / Freebreakz.FWD]

file under: Drum'n'Bass

transmission time: 20oo - 21oo GMT+1

get locked via Radio Flouka
Paris
France

Quasi Stella - Quasi Stella [Umland Records 032]

Okay. ChameleonPop. What the actual heck is Chameleon Pop, the style mentioned in the accompanying brief press release which describes the music produced and written by the multinational quartet named Quasi Stella as exactly this? And is even more specific as things are boiled down to a definition of multi-lingual Chameleon Pop? Whatever, the sound created by Martin Lau, Thiebault Imm, Antti Virtaranta and Rieko Okuda on their self-titled album released via Umland Records on May 18th, 2k20 draws influences and characteristics from many a style - in a creative way and manner that one could easily and hypothetically imagine to find in the catalogues of labels as different as Plattenmeister, Exile On Mainstream or Major Label. With the intense, alarming opening tune "Immaculate Immasculine" evoking memories of bands like Dyse, plus Spoken Word staccato though, fusing shuffling Punk aesthetics with Alternative and MathRock in "Road Of Excess", always bringing on a specific funkiness and a state of total alertness, causing brains to overload quickly with a barrage fire of rhythmic vocal performance built on a foundation of accompanying, complex instrumental signatures unleashing mad raw power and a cascading stream of vocal information smashed into pieces, a rapid fire of words and frazzles, incoherent chains of associations, trains of thoughts in smithereens, a jigsaw puzzle of madness, switching back and forth between languages within songs, lines even... and a well overwhelming listening experience that makes us believe that a live performance of Quasi Stella is a well frantic, even more intense thing to witness than their album alone. Killer. Get. Not only for the tender, brooding emotional darkness of "Usually You Julie" which is a trip in its own right.

Album artwork on Instagram!

A Sagittariun - Heart Sutra

Orb Mag · Premiere: A Sagittariun - Heart Sūtra

Quite a massive banger taken off A Sagittariun's forthcoming 12" vinyl EP which is to be released in late July via the ever active Craigie Knowes label.

Frederic D. Oberland & Irena Z. Tomazin - Arba, Dak Abra [Hallow Ground Promo]

Conceived and created as a soundtrack to accompany Fanny Beguely's installation of the same name Frederic D. Oberland's and Irena Z. Tomazin's "Arba, Dak Abra" has been released via Swiss label Hallow Ground as a standalone album on June 5th, 2k20. Based on a foundation of electric hurdy-gurdy and electronic processing alongside Tomazin's vocal performance the artistic pairing carves out and shapes a five tracks and roughly 44 minutes spanning body of work which opens with the brittle, icey glissandoes of "Grotta" slowly progressing into overwhelming, haunted, multilayered Dark Ambient droning with the subsequent "Amena" going all in for semi-transparent, yearning Cold / Isolationist Ambient minimalism to a great effect. Furthermore mystical "Fumes" leaking from a hellish vortex are leading the way to the voids of the underworld, with Irena Z. Tomazin's non-vocalisms blown over from afar, "Hieromancy" amalgamates Ambient droning with mad screeches, feedbacks and background vocal utterings bordering madness and insanity whilst the final cut dubbed "Hereafter" waves goodbye on a rather mystical, Nordic, naturalistic and somewhat Folk-infused tip.

Brutal Rave Bastards - Nuke Vol. 10 [Nuke The Planet]

Scheduled for release on July 28th, 2k20 is "Nuke Vol. 10", the second outing provided by the Brutal Rave Bastards project for the label that is Nuke The Planet. Coming at us with a single track of roughly four minutes playtime those Brutal Rave Bastards are in for total eardrum destruction with their sizzling, ever moving take on ear piercing, high frequency Breakcore / GlitchCore and feedback breakdowns for an advanced core audience of IDM informed electronic music lovers, possibly most of which have enjoyed albums like Venetian Snares & Speedranch's "Making Orange Things" from day dot and loved the AFX side of the "Smojphace EP" from the get-go.

3cloneB - Admira EP [Psychocandies 091]

To be released via the ever busy Psychocandies imprint on July 30th, 2k20 is the "Admira EP", the latest digital two track outing by 3cloneB. Opening with the title track "Admira" we see the artist aiming straight at slightly oldskool-leaning dancefloors with kinda gooey, yet jumping mid-range bassdrums, 808-percussions and a raw, ever repetetive Acid(House) modulation motif paired with tender, most heavenly ProtoTrance-pads as well as a sweet seductive background melody whilst the subsequent "Kreissägeblatt" explores more of an experimental, highly distorted, lo-fi and uberly compressed take on grinding MonoAcid which appeals to die-hard fans only and is more of a sub-par tune compared to what we've heard from 3cloneB over the course of the past years.

baze.djunkiii Chart Haul 07/2k20

Inventions - Continuous Portrait [Temporary Residence]

To be released via Temporary Residence on July 10th, 2k20 is "Continuous Portrait", the third full length album crafted by Matthew Robert Cooper and Mark T. Smith under their conjunctional Inventions moniker for the label. Catering a total of nine tracks with a playtime spanning approximately 37 minutes the two producers explore a cinematic, widescreen realm located somewhat in between piano-infused PostRock, Indietronica, score and Ambient / Electronica on this longplay piece, going deep and full on panorama with ethereal nonvocalisms, looped guitars and dead wax vinyl crackles on tunes like "Calico" whilst the title track "Continuous Portrait" indulges in heartfelt tenderness and melancholia before drifting further towards a naturalistic, somewhat Easy Listening leaning twist whereas the "Spirit Refinement Exploder" rides a large scale Balearic wave and "The Warmer The Welcome" borders a hyper-harmonic Romantic House vibe garnished with sparkling, warm pianos and touching vocals hidden deep in the mix like a transmission from vintage days of yore just to pick a few cuts here for a short overview.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Yannis Kyriakides & Andy Moor - Pavilion [Unsounds 065]

Two musicians experimenting in the studio is one thing. Two musicians experimenting in the middle of an art installation whilst a stream of visitors is passing through is a totally different angle and approach. Yet this is the situation Yannis Kyriakides and Andy Moor were facing whilst setting up shop in Xavier Veilhan's 'Studio Venezia' pavilion at the the 2k17 57th Venice Art Biennale which has been boiled down into album format with their recently released "Pavilion" album which was put out on the shelves via Unsounds on June 15, 2k20. Based on a foundation built from a variety of electronic devices present in the installation context including Moog, Buchla and Vermona synthesizers the pair combines crisp, partly Clicks'n'Cuts leaning modular Electronica with raw, down-to-earth and somewhat Blues / DesertRock-infused guitar playing in the opening tune "Camera" only to drift off into fully experimental, yet warped and twisted loop territories with "Dedalo" before the subsequent "Concha" indulges in droning, desolate, fever'ish and well hypnotic Minimal PostRock / Desert Rock over the course of 9+ minutes and therefore probably is our favorite cut on this album by far. Furthermore "Diluvio" is in for eruptive guitar abuse and feedback experimentation in combination with swarm of myriads of tiny, ever buzzing and zigzagging modular robo(in)sects from the future, "Stropha", in its hollow, desolate and ever repetetive manner, evokes echoes of memories of Einstürzende Neubauten's "U-Haft Musik" fused with vibes prevalent in their 2000 album "Silence Is Sexy" whereas the final cut "Fossa" weighs in a good portion of brooding, dark'ish melancholia, droning strings and indifferent, blurred out, yet slightly unsettling electronic textures for a closing. We dig this. And you should, too.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Sascha Müller - Traxxx Vol. 26 [SM Traxxx 49-2020]

Lined up for release via SM Traxxx on July 23rd, 2k20 is Sascha Müller's next digital two track single "Traxxx Vol. 26". Opening with "Track 51" the Uelsen-based producer is in for a raw, ever spiralling, yet somewhat monotonous AcidTechno workout that would've been a nice addition to the catalogue of a label like Force Inc. Music Works in the first half of the 90s with its slightly filtered Rave stab sequences whereas "Track 52" is more on a grinding, distorted and nerve-wrecking MonoAcid tip, ready to crush braincells in seconds on strobe-lit, fogged out, cavernous underground dancefloors. Raw.

Crossed Swords - Iron

Crossed Swords · IRON

Crossed Swords are taking brutal, yet Future Soul-infused Bass Music to a next level with this one. Production values and dancefloor impact on fleek. Large scale tunage!

Afflicted - District EP [Fresscode Records 007 Promo]

Scheduled for release via Fresscode Records on July 23rd, 2k20 is Afflicted's "District EP", the next collaborational project by Sascha Müller and Ufuk Özbayar. Opening with the title track "District" the two producers are catering a straight, somewhat bouncy Techno banger for fast lane sessions, sporting precise claps and epic, uplifting modulations both appealing to Trance as well as EBM / FuturePop audiences for a  reason, "E.W.T.B.S." presents a more muscular, hammering approach towards stripped down, futuristic HighTech Rave whereas the closing cut "Psychodoc" caters a similar, even more minimalist, brooding ToolTechno vibe somewhat disrupted by disturbingly strange, irregular bassdrum glitches and garnished with epic modulations evoking memories of dark AcidTrance for those who know.

Angelo Olivieri - Other Colors [Aut Records 060]

Released via Berlin's Aut Records on April 13th, 2k20 is Angelo Olivieri's "Other Colors" album - a nine track and 44 minutes spanning affair the Italian trumpet player realized alongside fellow musicians Antonio Jasevoli, Lorenzo Feliciati and Bruce Ditmas. Dealing with his personal perception of color blindness / color vision deficiency and therefore his different perception of the world as whole compared to the majority of the population and a likeliness of also being affected by sonic synesthasia as well it's not only the colourful, multilayered album artwork speaking volumes but also the combination of instruments - trumpet, electric guitar, electric bass and drums - that is unusual and unique, telling tales about Olivieri's specific approach towards music and composition. Setting the tone with the soft, dreamlike and somewhat blurred out and Easy Listening- / Exotica-leaning "Vashkar" which is as well garnished with elements of PostRock and Psychedelic Rock whereas the subsequent "Gentleman" introduces Jazz Noir with a well score'esque late night vibe to the mix before "Dialogue N.1" weighs in thundering drum rolls and a classic, yet complex take on Jazz. Dealing with the alltime staple that is "The House Of The Rising Sun" sees the quartet on a way Delta Blues-infused tip for their captivating interpretation, the title track "Other Colours" weighs in deep melancholia and somewhat of a blues-y sunset vibe as well and "Dialogue N.2" takes fever'ish SpaceJazz into a subdued subaquatic realm to a great effect. "Lonely Woman" follows a similar lane, yet leaning more towards a slow motion take on Jazz Noir, "Dialogue N.3" once again indulges in deep Jazz melancholia with echoes of echoes of a TexMex / Americana twist and so does the final cut dubbed "Ida Lupino" for a closing. Recommended.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Lean Left - Medemer [PNL Records 048]

Put on the circuit via Paal Nilssen-Love's PNL Records as the labels cat.no. 048 is "Medemer" by Lean Left, a quartet formed by the imprints head honcho alongside Ken Vendermark as well The Ex' band mates Andy Moor and Terrie Ex around early 2007. Once again, like many recent PNL Records releases, recorded live, the 72 minutes spanning concert piece that is "Medemer" provides a full, untamed and unedited experience, starting from a point of experimental, multilayered and partly feedback driven guitar improvisation that could've been dubbed ArtRock if the term didn't describe something else, way way worse, explores intense, shrieking FreeJazz territories along the way, discovers well sexy, swinging grooves for a second only to drive down a sonic lane somewhat evoking memories of highly off kilter Country / apocalyptic Desert Rock minutes later, reveal a playful take on percussive, super detailed, yet tense minimalism turning into a cacophonic crescendo of sorts or even touches base with smokey late night Jazz vibes for a while. Excellent. And probably even a way better live experience than this album can get across. Get.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Jehnny Beth - To Love Is To Live [Caroline International. / Universal]

Coming in lately from the Caroline International label is "To Love Is To Live", the new solo album by Savages singer and center piece Jehnny Beth which has been put out on the circuit on June 12th, 2k20 after being delayed - like many other releases - due to the COVID-19 madness that hit the world. Announced on these pages via the official video for "Flower" in early May, 2k20 the full length piece holds a menu of 11 brand new songs, starting out with the cinematic, haunted Spoken Word meets vintage broadway piece "I Am" which epicly sets the tone for things to come, followed by the intense, brutal and Industrial-leaning "Innocence" which is anything but innocent even when it becomes more melodic in the chorus part - and therefore a reason to buy this one album without further exploration - whilst "We Will Sin Together" provides more large scale vocal drama atop modernistic, urban beats, not without providing a kind of silver lining and a feel of dawn evoked by carefully arranged piano motifs. "A Place Above" comes in as a short poetry skit of highly romantic, emotional and touching nature, "I Am Man" somewhat evokes memories of high octane Alternative Rock groups like Skunk Anansie mathematically squared, "The Rooms" employs collage'esque, partly even score'esque Field Recordings paired up with smokey, classy Bar Jazz pianos as a backdrop for the most tender, natural ballad on "To Love Is To Live" before "Heroine" speeds things up heavily for advanced, yet once again haunted PostPunk dancefloors, driving each and everyone crazy with its highly detailed, cut up synth motif and multilayered vocal arrangements. Furthermore "How Could You" is pure anger and insanity channeled alongside the lines of ever spiralling synth modulations and a seductive, kerosene-fueled Future Industrial vibe, "French Countryside" harks back to full on piano-led romanticism and the final cut "Human" waves goodbye on a dark'ish, brooding and distorted Alternative / PostPunk meets late night Jazz vibe. Great stuff. Recommended for a reason.

Crossed Swords - En Garde

Crossed Swords · En Garde

Mad, glitched out rudebwoy bass.

baze.djunkiii Charts 07/2k20

01. Shadow Child - Apollo 1 [Food Music]
So 90s Trance is officially back and Shadow Child caters the very best emulation of this style we've heard since the whole thing went down hill and commercial somewhen around 1996. Here we've got the whole nine yards again - catchy piano melodies, uplifting harmonic arrangements, an over the top kitsch factor and heaploads of positive energy that takes us straight back to the dancefloors of 1994 even though the two tracks on this limited to 200 copies white vinyl  10" pressing are contemporary productions. If this is the beginning of a full on revival we're in for a reason.

02. Boys Noize feat. Rico Nasty - Girl Crush [Boysnoize Records]
What a banger. Teaming up with Riko Nasty the man that is Alex Ridha a.k.a. Boys Noize delivers a well unexpected fusion of slow and brutally compressed, soundwise Hardcore-bordering 4/4 drums, ElectroRave and Future R'n'B / Post Urban autotune vocals for the Trap generation - a highly seductive amalgamation which finally kills crowds with a hefty double speed part towards the end. Plus: this one also has a great effect when played on 45 rpm instead of the intended 33 rpm speed. Excellent.

03. THE D3VI7 - Waschlappen Techno [Sascha Müller Music]
See review for details...

04. Dub Liner [COLDPRESS 001 Whitelabel]
Jungle business is whitelabel business. A perfect take on 1994 Jungle music brought to us with contemporary production values this three track 12" brings, from the perfectly executed HipHop style intros for a proper street and gangster vibe to heavily chopped up, yet ever rolling amen breaks and deep, ethereal floating pads and chords one would've expected on early Metalheadz releases when Drum'n'Bass slowly emerged from the raw and rugged Jungle scene. This one is an instant classic.

05. Isophlux x Libertine [ISOXLIB Whitelabel]
Superb stamped five track whitelabel which takes us back to the positive playful Electro vibe especially prevalent in the late 90s and maybe early 2000s even. Allegedly produced by the likes of Gosub, Z-28 and Diablo Source the cuts on this one mix, match and mingle perfectly with all time classics like Miss Kittin & The Hacker's "1982" or "Frank Sinatra", the legendary "Fit For Heroes" compilation on Riot City, the Motec Registered 7" debut on Intrauterin Recordings and many more great pieces of this era and therefore are an essential addition to every Electro loving DJ's collection. Big.

06. The Quilz / Xposed 4Headz [Internal Combustion 0003]
See review for details...

07. Hajj - Dedicace A Personne [Brothers From Different Mothers]
Illbient makes a fully fledged and long time overdue comeback with this vantablack release on the Brother From Different Mothers imprint. Three tracks of slow, creeping beats mixed up with hyperdark, partly cinematic atmospheres, a heavy and somewhat early, experimental Dubstep resembling low end, an overall brooding feel of danger and psychotic desolation as well as horror-inducing vocals and tender - yes! - pianos in the opening  cut "My Love Is Rotten To The Core". A perfect soundtrack for nightmares, this. And this is why we love this 10" vinyl release.

08. Spooky Bizzle - Haunted Joyride (Version Excursion) [Oil Gang 019]
One riddim, four MC's. Riko Dan, Mez, Nasty Jack and PK are riding Spooky Bizzle's "Haunted Joyride", spitting bars heavy and provide bass music addicts with an exciting, hyperactive fusion somewhat touching base with both Grime and Dancehall, setting floors on fire with 140 beats per minute and a raw, untamed attitude even though the tunes' seductive guitar lick might also appear to certain more mainstream-leaning audiences.

09. Jacques Van Erven - Tunes & Scenery (Hard To Whistle) [Futura Resistenza]
See review for details...

10. 2121 - Vol.6 [2121]
See review for details...

Owl - Mille Feuille [Sofa Music]

Put on the circuit via the Norwegian Sofa Music label on April 4th, 2k20 is "Mille Feuille", the latest longplay piece recorded by Owl - a duo comprised of Signe Emmeluth and Karl Bjora, two artists both focused on the fields of improvisation and composition alike. Realised with the help of sound technician Magnus Nergaard the projects debut caters a total of six tracks stretched over the course of 42 minutes, with the opener "Upon Arrival You Forgot Why You Left" taking up approximately half of the albums playtime with a stripped down trademark combination of Jazz and Improv in conjunction with deep, often slightly Ambient-leaning electronic textures as well as clear references to genres like PopAmbient and Post-PostRock, with sometimes brooding granular and modular sequences harking back to the early days of electronic music production as well as playful or even melancholic instrumental parts. This seamlessly glued variety shifting from one musical phase into the next one throughout the opening piece sets the pace, tone and vibe for things to come like the beautifully relaxed, yet somewhat unsettling and fever'ish guitar and flute layers of "On The Lookout", the shrieking FreeJazz meets Noize pulse combo in "Let's Crackle", tender, multi-layered, slightly Balearic PostRock guitars in the 130 seconds of "Paradigm" whilst "Dive Deeper" caters dark, spaced out modular experiments and electric crackles alongside scattered, singular guitar chords and the concluding "Consensus, Time To Leave" waves goodbye in a tender, stripped down and most beautiful PopAmbient meets Post-PostRock fashion with a slightly playful twist which turns this one into our favorite cut on the entire album. Proper good.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Sascha Müller [Supersix Records Extra 098]

Recently released via Supersix Records Extra is the next, and monthly..., digital album by praised Uelsen-based producer Sascha Müller who's coming at us with a new set of fifteen tracks on this one. Opening with "Infected" Mr. Müllers goes straight in with a raw and slightly distorted take on late 90s hyperfunctional peak time Techno for ecstatic punters, "No9_AB" employs a harsh, futuristic Sci-Fi Tech feel and provides interesting sweeps, filters and dynamic experiments well close to TechnoJazz whereas "Offline" is somewhat crossing the line between proper melodic ClubTechno and stripped down 90s HardHouse in a way Steve Mason would've loved around 1994, "Chamber 5" runs down a darker alley only to find muffled Tech functionality and trippy, gated filters as well as whipping, muscular claps along the way and "Ragnamöji 03" is in for total, tongue-in-cheek Lo-Fi GlitchPhonk warfare. The subsequent "Track 04" sees the German producer indulge deep in heavy, distorted Rhythm Industrial / Industrial Phonk madness over the course of a little more than 2 minutes, "A10" is fast paced hounded Minimal Techno for those who really understand minimalism in its purest, unprocessed form, "Untitled 3" is in for a more sci-fi- and Detroit-leaning take on stripped down, quality Techno whilst "Jesus Christ Superstar" provides hell of a sexy oldskool House groove for those in the know (...and for fans of classic Playhouse, Acid Jesus etc.!) before "Chamber 4" unleashes a brutal take on raw, compressed, filter-heavy peaktime Techno. Furthermore "No7_A11" weighs in pure intelligent, captivating Tech hypnotizm on a fast lane tip for space loving robo crowds, the follow up "Planet Bong" gets down on a similar filter-heavy, yet even more ear-piercing Space Techno vibe, getting ready for "Termination" does mean walking through a barrage fire of marching, slightly distorted bassdrums whilst withstanding more brutal filter works and super precise hi-hats shuffles, "Track 05" once again harks back to reverberating (Dub)Noize madness and the final cut "War In Space" provides a perfect soundtrack for ecstatic Sunday afternoons spent in large-scale warehouse raves emulating the ever seductive, ever fascinating vibe of endless 90s raves. Check.