Kjetil Brandsdal & Thore Warland - Record Players, Percussion And Sound Effects I [Drid Machine Records 036 / Haerverk Industrier 036]

Scheduled for release as a joint venture effort by Drid Machine Records and Haerverk Industrier on September 15th, 2k23 is "Record Players, Percussion And Sound Effects I", the latest full length album collab produced by Norwegian artists, musicians and composers Kjetil Brandsdal and Thore Warland. Over the course of ten pieces and a total playtime of 33 minutes the duo explores a seemingly loop-based approach to reprocessed textures of a Musique Concrete-resembling quality, accompanied by washed out, cavernous electro acoustic treatments and minimalist drum rhythm signatures, all housed in a limited special foil print CD and x or vinyl cover and falling together in a way reminiscent of both early electronic music experiments and their associated workshops x sound laboratories as well as a certain collage x Found Sound angle which makes this album a highly interesting one for fans and followers of the sonic Avantgarde and, when it comes to "Downhill Planet", also lovers of classic Illbient sounds. Recommended.

Francesco Aroni Vigone - Orbita [We Insist! Records 024]

Put out on the circuit via the Monza-based imprint We Insist! Records on June 21st, 2k23 is "Orbita", a live recordings album conceived and performed by Francesco Aroni Vigona at the ancient Italian church of San Giuliano in Vercelli. Recorded on January 14th, 2k23 the eighteen pieces on this 32 minutes spanning longplayer see the artist on both alto and soprano sax, wandering and walking through the immediate vicinity of the building and its architectural structure whilst ppl actually visit the church for their morning prayers, starting off of a positive and almost playful Jazz note with the opening "In Cammino" whilst the subsequent "Sequenza #6" seems to play around with spiralling repetetions and alternating microphone movements, "Carovana" showcases most beauteous and dreamy melancholia, "In Cammino #2" elevates the positive vibes of the opener even further and might even take grooving Jazz dancefloors by storm despite - like all pieces on this album - being a solo piece for saxophone whereas short pieces like "Marea" add a little swing towards their spatial and crystal clear sound before bits like "Autunno" even provide a glimpse of the longing and highly dramatic spectrum of the saxophone as an instrument just to name a few. Most beautiful, this.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Nitrogene - Clear [La Bomba Recordings 014 Promo]

Put out on the digital circuit via La Bomba Recordings on June 1st, 2k23 is "Clear", the third single produced by Nitrogene for the label within two years. Opening with the title track that is "Clear" we see the project introducing a deep and dubbed out, almost fever'ish take on Tribal-infused MinimalTechno garnished by airy and floating melodies and an all embracing analogue vintage bass foundation whereas the second cut on this one, "Full On Hysteria", switches into early Rave x Trance mode synthwise but seems somewhat cluttered and messy in its overall execution, presenting quite a lot of weirdly colliding melodies and sequences as well as a percussive foundation that seems to be muffled, unmastered and surprisingly lacking a proper low-end punch. Coudl this be an unfinished draft x demo version which never was fully completed?

Korinthians - A Major Walk [self-released]

Coming in from Belgium only recently was "A Major Walk", the latest, May 25th, 2k23 released album cooked up by the band outfit operating under the musical nom de guerre of Korinthians. Catering a set of nine brand new cuts over the course of roughly 37 minutes total playtime we see the group causing major havoc on Goth-leaning dancefloors from the get-go, starting with the driving, highly seductive Wave x FuturePop crossover cut that is "No Future" followed by dark'ish mid-tempo SynthPop of "The Whimper" and its dramatic, yet a little sharp synth cascades and longing guitar solos whereas "The Leader Of The Night" brings forth hard hitting snares and a well catchy, synth-driven PostPunk attitude before "Wake Me Up" even dabbles with what could be described as Industrial Rock infusions to be found within the tunes wall-of-sound PostPunk x Wave recipe and "Normal Lives For Normal People" is rounding things off with another round of floating FuturePop for a closing just to name a few. One to check out for dedicated creatures of the night.

Lisa Lerkenfeldt - Shell Of A City [Room40 Promo]

Set for release on September 1st, 2k23 on the ever growing Room40 label is "Shell Of A City", the latest album by Australian artist Lisa Lerkenfeldt who's focusing on an amalgamation of electroacoustics, ambient noise and Musique Concrete in her works. In "Shell Of A City" Lerkenfeldt presents processed contact recordings of a highway substructure rolled out over the course of roughly 40 minutes, starting from a point of reverberating, somewhat metallic and sci-fi leaning electroacoustic movements which later on diffuse into spatial and tectonic Ambient rumbles with a shimmering, almost hopeful attitude whilst adding short sequences of fluttering compression before continuously fading out of an ever pulsating low end which partially makes way to rising, hovering pads of timeless universal quality for a change of sonic direction in the second part of this longform piece. A release as eternal as starlight.

Christoph Schiller & Carlo Costa - Spinet And Drums [Neither / Nor Records 022]

Coming in directly from Brookyln and being set for release via Neither / Nor Records on September 7th, 2k23 is "Spinet And Drums", the latest collaborational album effort conceived by now NYC-native Carlo Costa and Stuttgart-born piano player Christoph Schiller. Performing on drums and spinet respectively as the album title aptly suggests the duo opens with the 30 minutes spanning set of "Card Piece I - III", presenting a minimalist, floating and certainly Ambient-leaning compositional approach with singular tones fading in and out, seperated by moments of near silence and linked by skeletal, yet tender percussive background motion whereas the final cut, the roughly 20 minutes covering improvisational piece "Sottobosco" adds, despite staying on a stripped down lane, a slightly more nocturnal vibe alongside a few well unsettling low end rumbles over the course of its ever meandering development. Deep Listening Music in its purest, non-electronic form.

Columbus Duo - Suprematist [Fonoradar 023]

Released via the Poland-based label Fonoradar on June 28th, 2k22 is "Suprematist", the latest seven track album outing by the long-standing Columbus Duo. Rolled out out over the course of seven tracks in total we see Irek Swoboda and Tomek Swoboda going on a deep dive into uncompromising, somewhat muffled and raw PostRock-infused NoiseRock territories, presenting only minimalist vocal interventions but rather focusing on intense, and ever intensifying, quasi loops comprised of heavy guitar riffs and distinct thundering drums, oftentimes employing quite unusual musical meters and x or purposefully shortened bars to a well hypnotizing and mind-bending effect which surely will appeal to an experienced MathRock audience as well. Music for cold war scenarios, darkening skies and hyperbleak, greyscale'ish times to come with especially the final cut named "Interiors" being somewhat of a highly seductive underground hit for the informed and initiated. We likey. Go get!

Album artwork on Instagram!

Sascha Müller - Combat Troops Locked Groove [Very Small 079 Promo]

Put out via the aptly named Very Small imprint on July 13th, 2k23 is Sascha Müller's "Combat Troops Locked Groove", the next take of the labels highly conceptual approach to release a series of digital quasi locked grooves of max. 1 second total playtime for DJs to mess around with. Following this concept Mr. Müller delivers exactly one bar of noisy uptempo Hardcore for the headstrong which - putting it on endless repeat - could have quite an impact on a proper Gabba / Hardcore appreciative audience. Boom.

Christopher Whitley - Describe Yourself [Redshift Records]

Released via Canada's Redshift Records label on June 23rd, 2k23 is "Describe Yourself", the latest album effort conceived by violin player Christopher Whitley who, in opposite to previous longplay outings, doesn't perform his own music on this one but tackles compositions written by the likes of Jeffrey Ryan, Nicole Lizee, Leslie Ting, Fjola Evans and others over the course of roughly 45 minutes. This being said Whitley's instrument of choice for the recording of this album is a 1700 built Stradivari violin which in itself makes these interpretations a special treat for all fans and followers of Classical music, despite the pieces performed being of contemporary nature. Spanning a musical ark ranging from expressive, dramatic and even romantic melodies accompanied by occasional vocal expressions in "Bellatrix" which, to some extent, follows along the lines of (Neo)Classical composition without drifting too far off to the more off-kilter and seemingly electronically x experimentally backed sequences of "Don't Throw Your Head In Your Hands" and the Spoken Word- x conversation-led title track which features only minimalist interventions to an effect that makes this one our personal favorite on the album due to its quasi-voyeuristic intimacy. In "Patterns In High Places" Whitley presents a highly emotional and dynamic approach to cascading motifs of increasing speed and intensity whereas "Six Tableuax For Violin" is comprised of six short, almost hovering interludes before the final "In Bruniquel Cave" brings forth a calm, tender and almost caressing compositional approach to (Neo)Classical Music for a closing. If that's what you're looking for as an avid fan of the genre go find yourself a copy.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Han Bennink / Terrie Ex - Instants! *Live At Les Instants Chavires [Terp Records 036 Promo]

For the uninitiated improvised music is a hard task to tackle. This goes for its tamed, slowly meandering iterations and even more for its raw, eruptive and Punk-informed variations. This being said "Instants! *Live At Les Instants Chavires", to be released via Terp Records on August 25th, 2k23 is of the latter named characteristic, with two of the genres most unpredictable and uncompromising players on stage. Over the course of 44 minutes and ten pieces Han Bennink and Terrie Ex, on drums and guitar respectively, are catering quite an intense session here, starting out on a tentative, explorative tip to find each others respective groove, or anti-groove, before wandering off into territories of scraping, clanging, feedbacks and fever'ish chaos followed by minimalist sequences, heavy string abuse as well as twangy, highly detailed and quasi-harmonic, yet off-kilter episodes alongside further improvisational goodness that make this album one for a small and well experienced FreeJazz- and Free Improv-informed Avantgarde audience. If you're not that, be aware of what you're getting yourself into before considering a purchase.

Przepych - I Inne Zabawne Rzcecy [Fonoradar 022]

Put out on the circuit via the Polish label named Fonoradar on June 28th, 2k22 is "I Inne Zabawne Rzcecy", the seemingly final album effort recorded by Ewa Glowacka, Jakub Majchrzak and Lukasz Plata under their shared musical alias of Przepych. With a menu of 9 songs rolled out over a total playtime of roughly 37 minutes the band provides a complex, certainly MathRock-influenced take on raw PostPunk with a driving IndieRock finish with tunes like "In Europe" implementing an innate state of ultra-urgency from the get go whereas "Dwoch Polakow Caluje Sie" indulges in greyscale'ish, instrumental cold war experimentalism somewhat reminiscent of acts like Village Of Savoonga, "Dron Dron Dron" reflects the funkier, yet highly dramatic and probably both KrautRock- and Afrobeat-influenced side of Przepych's spectrum whilst the concluding title track channels a playful Novelty Art School Punk energy for a closing just to name a few. Good stuff. Check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Maxx - Fluxation [La Bomba Recordings 013 Promo]

Put out on the circuit via La Bomba Recordings as their cat.no. 013 on May 2nd, 2k23 is "Fluxation", the third digital single cooked up for the label by a project called Maxx. Whilst the title track "Fluxation" sees Maxx on a dry and bouncy, almost Bleep-oriented tip before indulging in large scale Balearic x early 90s Italian House-leaning melodies whereas the subsequent follow up named "Friends" brings forth a dry, functional and slightly monotonous AcidHouse variation accompanied by a deep, melancholic synth hook, raw rave basslines and scintillating modulations for a trip into the dreamstate of every punters consciousness.

Nicholas Thayer - In:Finite [Oscillations 006 Promo]

Scheduled for release in three digital parts on July 14th, August 11th and September 8th, 2k23 respectively and combined for a full physical CD album by the Oscillations label is Nicholas Thayer's "In:Finite" series which combines a set of pieces all commissioned for a dance piece of the same name. Comprised of fifteen compositions in total the series sees Nicholas Thayer exploring a sonic realm arking from unexpectedly heavy and heavily compressed digital Dubstep in "On Refracting" to minimalist Space Ambient in "On Carrying" and sci-fi structures from a space-faring future to be found in "On Oiling" whereas "On Floating" brings forth elegic Modern Classical string melancholia, "On Being" indulges in tender, ethereal and minimalist Ambient textures once again whilst "On Variegating" experiments with filtered and processed Modern Classical sequences evolving into cascading crystalline Synth fountains and the subsequent "On Growing" even evokes the idea of a Boards Of Canada x mid-90s Autechre fusion cut just to name a few. Quite a diverse range of styles covered in this set which works surprisingly well as an album.

Kajsa Magnarsson - New Age Sound Aesthetics [Outerdisk]

Released via the Swedish label Outerdisk on June 1st, 2k23 is "New Age Sound Aesthetics", the latest solo album outing conceived by Kajsa Magnarsson. Presenting a total of nine tracks over the course of 32 minutes playtime Magnarsson fully indulges in a playful, meandering and free-floating take on electronic listening music which, probably with the exception of the rather minimalist Ambient of "Dancing With Voices" which could be described as a more naturalist version of certain Aube tunes, defies the confines of classic Ambient / ChillOut music despite being beatless and calm for the most part, yet rather seesm to aim at a curious exploration of the spiritual outerworld, with the enchanted Spoken Word passages and ritualistic rhythms of "Meditation" and the maritime melancholia of "Whale Stretch" speaking most to a rather New Age-informed audience whilst the short interlude that is "Growth" is tapping more into a Synth x (Neo)Cosmic vibe just to name a few. Lovely.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Poor Isa - Dissolution Of The Other [Aspen Edities 017]

Scheduled for release via the Belgian special interest imprint that is Aspen Edities on September 1st, 2k23 is "Dissolution Of The Other", the sophomore album outing by the duo known as Poor Isa. Comprised of Ruben Machtelinckx and Fredrik Leroux the duo once again relies on the quite unusual instrumental setting of banjo and woodblocks to lay down two extended pieces adding up to a combined playtime of 34 minutes on this one, capturing a stripped down, inward-looking and almost folksy feel which, albeit rich in texture and emotions, relies on a relatively limited set of musical ideas which are slowly and consistently formed, bent, executed and repeated in a meandering, comforting and highly naturalistic fashion in the more banjo-focused opening piece "Figures" whereas the subsequent "Drifter" shifts to a sparse, yet somewhat polyrhythmic approach which evokes memories of the somewhat regular irregularity of water droplets hitting surfaces in a spatially limited, yet subsurface and micro-cavity like environment with a very specific acoustic quality, later accompanied by vibrating drones oozing with unsettling tension in a well nocturnal manner. Intredasting.

Bvdub - Four Forgetting [Sound In Silence 103]

Released via the ever growing Sound In Silence imprint as their cat.no. 103 on June 26th, 2k23 is "Four Forgetting", the second album recorded for the label by San Francisco-based producer Brock Van Wey under his long standing moniker that is Bvdub. Rolling out a total of four long form compositions over the course of 79 minutes Bvdub presents a selection of large scale cinematic - in parts even (Neo)Cosmic - Ambient landscapes garnished with echoes of echoes of vocals and washed out DreamPop buried deep within the mix, elements of 90s ChillOut x IDM, longing, emotional string layers as well as enchanted ethereal atmospheres, thundering slow-motion beats and many great things beyond that which make "Four Forgetting" a highly touching and emotional journey which feels way shorter than it actually is. Go check!

Album artwork on Instagram!

3CloneB - Knackpunkt [Psychocandies 103 Promo]

3CloneB is back on the Psychocandies imprint with his April 27th, 2k23 released "Knackpunkt". The digital two track single opens with the aptly named "Knackpunkt 01" which turns out to be a deep, yet super tense and pumping Broken Techno affair sporting EBM-leaning midrange bass synths, twisted vocal microsnippets and swampy, trippy, Intelligent techno-informed bleeps and sweeps meandering all over the place whilst the subsequent "Knackpunkt 02" brings forth a contemporary - and probably digitally created - updated variation of jacking Chicago Acid to be revered by all oldskool punters out there. Good stuff.

Ritual Howls - Virtue Falters [Felte 086 Promo]

Released via the Los Angeles-based Felte label on May 12th, 2k23 is "Virtue Falters", the fourth longplay effort cooked up for the imprint by Detroit's Ritual Howls and the fifth album for the band in total. Catering eight brand new songs rolled out over a playtime of half an hour the band embarks on a thrilling journey into the twilights, fusing heavy GothRock and hard hitting snare drums with captivating baritone vocals and Industrial influences, causing havoc on dancefloors packed with creatures of the night with tunes like the opening "Dark Ceiling In Tennessee" and the twangy, slightly more uplifting "My Trash Mind" whilst "Humiliation" adds whirling, almost fever'ish Goth drama and the concluding "Cauterize My Eyes" harks back to the bands forward marching wall-of-sound production days for a spine-tingling closing. If you're into classic bands like Sisters Of Mercy or even more recent releases by German Goth x PostPunk legends No More "Virtue Falters" will surely appeal to you for a reason or two.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Christina Giannone - Reality Opposition [Room40 Promo]

Another fresh release on the Australian Room40 label is "Reality Opposition", the latest five track album outing by NYC's Christina Giannone. Released on July 14th, 2k23 the five tracks and roughly 53 minutes spanning album sees Giannone approaching '...an attempt to recreate what 'nothing' means...' according to the accompanying press sheet, resulting in her exploring a realm of washed out, granular, yet atmospheric Ambient textures in the subsequently numbered tracks "1", "2" and "3" with especially the last of those building up into a bleak maelstrom of ever increasing intensity without ever reaching the point of transforming into full on Noize but rather adding somewhat of a calm angelic shimmer before reaching full on closure whereas the title track "Reality Opposition" brings forth exoplanetary Dark Ambient rumbles paired with cold, sci-fi leaning textures and the final "Cosmic Identity" indulges in warm all embracing Dark Ambient for a more comforting closing. Go check even if you're not necessarily looking for a definition of nothingness.

User95003500040 - Spider EP [User Recordings 047 Promo]

Released via the still mysterious imprint that is User Recordings as their cat.no. 047 on April 25th, 2k23 is the "Spider EP", the first ever digital two-track single cooked up by User95003500040. Opening with "Untitled 8-1" the quasi anonymous producer caters super distorted galloping MonoAcid madness for former fans and followers of labels like Monotone, Propulsion285 and the likes of whereas the subsequent "Untitled 9-1" even ups distortion and compression levels to fully fuck up punters braincells at illegal underground basement raves. Madness.

Santa Teresa - Catholic Euphoria / Heaven Annihilates [self-released]

Available on the underground cassette circuit since March 30th, 2k23 is "Catholic Euphoria / Heaven Annihilates", the probably extremely limited debut release by Santa Teresa - a duo comprised of Alex Riviriego and Pere Xirau. Both hailing from Spain the duo combines the sonic spectra of snare drum and double bass to create a surprisingly screaming and intense sonic realm one wouldn't necessarily expect from the instrumental set up alone. Think electronically processed, scraping and certainly-off-kilter bowing techniques bordering on genres like Noize and grinding Rhythm Industrial, squealing high frequencies and what sounds like heavily amplified pressurized air flows making their way through the mechanic labyrinth of a complex brass instrument, creaking and bending wood, high speed snare eruptions on the brink of madness and ever meandering, quasi-harmonic microtonal layers which all make up the intense "Catholic Euphoria" side of the tape release whereas the flip dubbed "Heaven Annihilates" starts on an ambient'ish tip before embarking on a journey of tectonic low frequency Noize rumbles, cut-up techniques and nervous, partly unnerving signals buzzing and whirling around in the upper end of the audible spectrum. As intense as it gets.

Siavash Amini - Eidolon [Room40 Promo]

Released via Australia's ever active Room40 imprint on July 7th, 2k23 is "Eidolon", the latest longplay release cooked up by Iranian composer x sonic explorer Siavash Amini. Over the course of three brand new pieces and a total runtime of 36 minutes Amini, heavily influenced by the maqam system of 13th ventury Iranian music and its microtonal approach, opens with a frosty variation of interstellar Dark Ambient which drifts off into calmer, more soothing Ambient territories as "Ortus" progresses and evolves whereas the subsequent "Instant" presents intertwined layers of intense midrange drones seemingly derived from wind or brass instruments before being electronically processed and enhanced. Furthermore the closing cut "Relicto" pairs tender Ambient atmospheres with close up recordings of high pressure air flows and gnarly digital low end rumbles, partly with tectonic qualities, and therefore might be our favorite of three compositions on this album. Good stuff.

Joni Void - Everyday Is The Song [Constellation Records 173]

Another fresh album released via the Canadian staple that is Constellation Records on May 26th, 2k23 as their cat.no. 173 is "Everyday Is The Song", the third album conceived for the label by Montreal's Joni Void. Based on and around a plethora of Field Recordings and samples recorded on an old Sony Walkman Joni Void presents a twelve track menu laid out over the course of roughly 45 minutes, exploring a playful, sometimes washed out realm of crackly, yet always uplifting and curious Electronica x GlitchHop crossover sprinkled with short, cut-up interludes and echoing influences of TripHop and Backpacker HipHop instrumentals once to be found on labels like Anticon, Lex and the likes of whilst even sporting sublime influences of Musique Concrete and collage techniques, evoking faint memories of Ambient Shoegaze - and Radiohead! - in cuts like "Negative Loop" whilst also catering quite a bunch of interesting Ambient x Score interludes of which "Vortex Any % Speedrun" even seems to contain microsamples of a literal cat fight. Defo one of a rare breed of albums they usually don't make like this anymore.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Barre Phillips & Giancarlo Nino Locatelli - Danze Degli Scorpioni [We Insist! Records 023]

Released via the Monza-based label We Insist! Records as their cat.no 023 on June 21st, 2k23 is "Danze Degli Scorpioni", the latest collaborational album effort conceived by Barre Phillips and Giancarlo Nino Locatelli. Together the due comprised of two long-standing Improv masters caters a total of four new pieces rolled out over the course of 52 minutes, with the opening track "Dance Of The Scorpions No.1" occupying basically half of the albums length as a single piece. Musically built on a foundation of double bass and clarinette improvisations with occasional, yet rare vocal additions the two players follow a mostly playful and tentative route, bringing forth a meandering, sometimes agitated approach, yet sometimes drifting into nocturnal tension and danger heralding modes as well as densely layered squealing climax waves and many things well beyond that are about to be appreciated by fans and followers of Avantgarde Jazz and Improv for a reason.

Album artwork on Instagram!

baze.djunkiii Chart Haul 08/2k23

Artur Mackowiak - Secret Carnival [Fonoradar Records 020]

Going back into time with this review for Artur Mackowiak's "Secret Carnival", the latest in a series of albums released by the Polish artist over the past decade, this one put out the circuit via Fonoradar Records as their cat.no. 020 on February 15th, 2k22. Sponsored by the cultural counsel of the city of Bydgoszcz the seven tracks and 37 minutes spanning longplayer opens from a perspective of shimmering, certainly Bass Music- x Vaporwave-informed, electronic cascades of an almost (Neo)Cosmic scale which are later joined by twangy, somewhat Desert PostRock infused guitar-based harmonies in tunes like "Wide Awake Now", with "Story Too Long" adding a certainly brooding and dramatic synth edge to the sonic spectrum, "Unbroken Circle" presenting a warm and positive, almost romantic variation of instrumental singer-songwriter'esque Folk modernisms and "Time To Go" pairing tender Ambient layers with echoes of Electronica and what seem to be looped Field Recordings from rural nature to create a chill and well comforting sonic tapestry for lovers of soothing sound textures just to name a few. Interesting stuff, this.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Yann Novak - The Voice Of Theseus [Room40 Promo]

Another fresh album released via the Australian Room40 imprint is "The Voice Of Theseus", the latest longplay effort conceived by the ever active composer x sonic researcher Yann Novak. Put out on the circuit on July 7th, 2k23 the nine tracks and roughly 44 minutes spanning album sees Novak taking on composition and musical experimentation from an angle that treats the human voice as basic source material, even with additional contributions from vocalists Gabriel Brenner and Dorian Wood, presenting a festive, angelic and almost ecclesiastical take on floating, billowing Ambient layers backed and complimented by organic low end harmonies, slow rhythmic pulses and a somewhat cosmic atmosphere which is especially prevalent in tunes like "Patterned Behaviour" which, due to its slightly fluttering off-kilter movements, and alongside the subsequent "The Inevitability Of Failure" might be our favorite cut on this longplayer which sees the original vocal source material being morphed and transformed into something entirely new and unrecognizable. Lovely.

The D3VI7 - The D3VI7's Acid Gang EP [Electronic Music Foundation]

Released digitally via the legendary American imprint Electronic Music Foundation on January 27th, 2k23 is "The D3VI7's Acid Gang EP", the very first appearance on the label for the underground dance music force named The D3VI7. Opening with "Acid Gang" The D3VI7 presents a take on jacking, yet contemporary sounding Acid reminiscent of the short-lived label Molecular Funk Guerilla whereas the subsequent cut "Work In Hell" brings forth a raw, hypnotic take on classic Chicago Acid on the slightly slower end of the speed spectrum. Furthermore "Deep Volcanic" caters heavy, yet somewhat muffled and heavily reverberating bassdrum attacks accompanied by braincell-dissolving Acid sequences for Business Techno crowds before "Acid Sour Cream" serves a menu of bubbly, ever evolving modulations backed by a slightly electroid beat foundation.

Lea Boudreau - Limacon [Empreintes Digitales]

Released via Canada's self-proclaimed reference label named Empreintes Digitales on July 1st, 2k23 is "Limacon", the first full CD album release by Lea Boudreau. With a total of five compositional pieces rolled out over the course of roughly 42 minutes we see Boudreau exploring a realm of warm, organic and tentative Electronica structures defined and characterized by a use of comforting and all-embracing sinewave bass pulses and playful, oftentimes non-repetive bleeps and sweeps of probably modular origin, Deep Listening Music and swampy Ambient textures paired with abrasive digital scrapings and little joyful melodic motifs leading into large scale panoramic layers, experimentally plucked string sequences as well as faint echoes of Modern Classical music and deeply enchanted atmospheres especially prevalent in tunes like "Recovery" which would make a great fit as a score for early 70s style space adventure flics in parts whereas the final cut combines noisy, earth-shaking tectonic shifts, distant Field Recordings and a more collage-like approach for a closing just to pick out two standout cuts in particular. Recommended.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Die Frösche - Sumpflärm 01 (Reworked) [Infacted Recordings Promo]

Released digitally via Infacted Recordings on July 14th, 2k23 is "Sumpflärm 01 (Reworked)", an eleven track album effort originally conceived by Xotox mastermind Andreas Davids and Christian Bergmann a.k.a. DJ Frequen-C back in 2k13 which remained unreleased for over a decade. Working together as Die Frösche, a name inspired by their shared love and admiration for amphibian lifeforms, the duo cooked up a menu of tracks subsequently titled "Quak 01 - 11" with the track titles derived from the German word 'quaken' which is equivalent to the English 'to croak' describing the noise of talking frogs. Why? Probably because they could. This being said and despite the idea of this operation sounding somewhat conceptually corny the sonic result of this collaboration is hard hitting and highly functional - with especially tracks like "Quak 02", "Quak 03", and "Quak 06" amongst many others not only rocking Industrial dancefloors but also club environments prone to the Wonky Techno sound of greats like Dave Tarrida, Mark Hawkins, Crystal Distortion, Neil Landstrumm and the likes of or releases by labels like Chan'n'Mikes, Electronic Weed Crew, Ugly Funk or Mercuro Chrome. If those named names speak volumes to you this one is defo one to check out for a reason. Heavy.

Inger Hannisdal - Free Folk [Fiol Records]

Released via Fiol Records on June 2nd, 2k23 is "Free Folk", the latest album outing by Norwegian violin player Inger Hannisdal who, over the course of roughly 29 minutes playtime, caters a menu of eight brand new solo compositions on this one. These pieces see Inger Hannisdal, despite her instrument of choice being the violin, quasi-emulating the more raw, oftentimes slightly off-kilter sonic aesthetics of the traditional hardanger fiddle, referencing both the naturalistic, innate melancholia of rural Nordic Folk songs of yore as well as elements of Modern Classical composition, probably especially prevalent in the scraping bowing techniques of "Space" and the whirling, ever spiralling "River II / Turbines", which - at least in parts - would probably make a great, and contemporary, addition to the score of the next big medieval x fantasy oriented TV drama if one of the producers x writers invlvd in these in the big production studios would actually take the time to skim through the sonic treasures released far off the mainstream path every day.

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Listen Again: baze.djunkiii presents Further Explorations In Sound Volume 2 @ Radio Flouka / Paris (06.07.2023)

Radio Flouka راديو فلوكة · baze.djunkiii presents Further Explorations In Sound Volume 2 - 06/07/2023

Jarr - 42° [Sound In Silence 104]

Released via the Greek Ambient x ChillOut imprint Sound In Silence on June 26th, 2k23 as their cat.no. 104 is "42°", the sophomore album outing for the label by Jarr, the collaborative duo project run by Jon Attwood and Ray Robinson which are probably better known to many under the respective musical aliases Yellow6 and Wodwo. Taking inspiration from the physical aspect of and the 42 degrees angle needed relative to the specific light source to actually see rainbows the pair of artists pours these inspirations into a set of six tracks rolled out over the course of 66 minutes, bringing forth tender and organic Ambient textures as an harmonic blanket for singular, minimalist and ever meandering Post-PostRock leaning guitar excersises resulting in partially large scale panoramic streams of sound calmly floating like big rivers through peaceful, unscathed meadows ("Rainbows On Their Curves I") whereas others like "Into The Mist" drift straight off into soothing, billowing dream worlds or, in the case of "The Pavement Sparkles", even reference classic spaced out Cosmic / (Neo)Cosmic for fans of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze and the likes of, yet with a slightly riff-oriented twist. Lovely.