Review: This adventurous Bio-Synthetic EP is a dystopian exploration of the intersection between biology and technology that includes two original tracks alongside remixes by CREASOL, C-SYSTEM, 5ZYL, and EC13. 'Biomantics' delves into a sci-fi world where memory and energy are biotechnologically manipulated, while 'Synthogerm' envisions hybrid beings born of synthetic and biological fusion. The remixes expand the EP's themes with Creasol adding 80s synthwave, EC13 bringing an electro-techno edge, 5ZYL infusing electro and breaks, and C-SYSTEM delivering techno vibes.
Spectrums Data Forces - "Darkness In My Head" (6:04)
EC13 - "Profundo" (Interludio) (0:49)
Wicked Wes - "X1000" (feat Space Frogs From Saturn) (5:48)
Review: Granada's Cosmic Tribe know the definition of "electro" in its broadest sense; their new Xtrictly Electro comp keeps the dystopian sound endemic to the genre's most present incarnation, but refuses to restrict itself to one tempo: the standard 130-ish that has sadly infected the otherwise genius genre as a necessity. An international splinter cell of spec-ops and mercenaries are recalled from retirement here, as we hear Calagad 13, Nachtwald, EC13 and many more mechanoid ilk lay down all manner of slick utilities, making up a morbid multi-tool. 5zyl brings further lasery Lithuanian steeze on 'Vilnius Bass', whilst Spectrums Data Forces betrays the existence of a sinister corporate entity, whose business model works towards the object of instilling 'Darkness In My Head' through giant, killer mozzy basses.
Review: It's said that human thoughts are caught in an undesirable, atemporal miasma. Memories get thrown up at random and forgotten when we most need them; we're unconsciously guided by uncontrollable ids and drives; parietals and occipitals waste with age. If only our thoughts could be bionically enhanced somehow, outlaid in step - as of a step sequencer and its many musical matrices - only then would we be able to come up with the best ideas on New Earth! Producer Ch415 implies as much on their new EP 'Sequenced Thoughts' for Berlin's Who Is Paula, entertaining four biogenetic beatdowns of the future freaky variety. 'Counting Down' to 'New Life', this EP's emergent acid melodies suggest a secret cold-stored posthuman starseed kept on hold by a secret international agency, just waiting to be unleashed. The flipsider 'Time Flow' is an appropriate one in this regard, its glottal glides and churlish lip-chap sound design again suggesting a secret transhuman RNA chain preserved in a top-secret compound on ice.
Happy707 - "Where Does That Noise Come From" (4:28)
Review: Menacing EBM and dark synth billows from a Netherlands hinterland; our heralds speak of an esoteric encampment by the name of Espectro Oculto, said to be the remote incantators of an unstoppable curse in sound. Six shadowy emissaries have been sent to spread the pestilence; Trenton Chase, Martial Canterel, DJ Nephil, Exhausted Modern, Fragedis and Happy707. Clearly, the faction have recruited only the best, trusted and yet most nefarious of spies from as far-flung regions as Czechia and Argentina in the administering of such a sordid sonic plague. We're left most quivery at the centrifugal doom drones of Exhausted Modern's 'Fear Of Focus', across whose breakdown banshees are heard wailing and snarling, and Fragedis' 'Landing In Reality', a lo-fi techno freakout and sonochemical anomaly, channeling militant two-way radio samples and hellish FM synthesis.
Deborah Sasson & MCL - "(Carmen) Danger In Her Eyes" (Curses Revamp) (6:38)
Philadelphia Five - "Not Leaving Without Jerry" (Andi Revamp) (5:11)
JWB Hits The Beat - "House Fatale" (Curses Revamp) (7:01)
Voyou - "Houseman" (Stockholm Syndrome AU Revamp) (5:51)
Review: An EP that takes you through elevated 80s-inspired coldwave and synth soundscapes, matching nostalgia with modern production and featuring a seamless fusion of proto-techno, EBM and synth-pop. Side-1 opens with Deborah Sasson & MCL's 'Danger In Her Eyes' (Curses Revamp), a thrilling reimagination of new beat and synth-pop. The addition of vocal samples elevates its vintage essence, delivering a futuristic gem that's both haunting and danceable. Next, Andi's rework of 'Philadelphia Five's Not Leaving Without Jerry' injects energy with its uptempo groove, merging EBM rhythms with a dash of disco flair for an infectious, club-ready cut. Side-2 starts with 'House Fatale' (Curses Revamp) by JWB Hits The Beat, an ode to late 80s synth-pop akin to My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult. Chopped vocals and melodic synths create a hypnotic, era-defining vibe. Finally, Stockholm Syndrome AU's revamp of 'Voyou's Houseman' leans into heavier industrial and EBM tones, blending them for a powerful conclusion. This collection is a great example in reviving and reinventing vintage sounds, offering a fresh perspective on timeless styles.
Review: CYBERMISSION is back on INDEX:Records with a collection of tunes that were written in Berlin between 2021 and 2022. They all offer up signature styles that fuse the delights of luminous IDM-pop with uplifting electro rhythms. We're told that themes of self-discovery, deep romance and the bittersweet memories of what we've lost all inspired the creation of these cuts and that shows in their inescapable emotions and storytelling undertones. Both introspective yet designed to get you to show outward energy, these are five fresh and original cuts to get your new year off to a flyer.
Review: After the first in this new Mellow Bangers series got us nice and twisted we're delighted to have the follow-up from Italo Moderni. Cryk kicks off with an eerie blend of Italo arps and dark wave drums with electro overtones on 'Double Crash' then the moodiness continues with the depraved bass warbles and crashing hits of Fragedis and his 'Disco Nicotina.' Antoni Maiovvi brings a lightness of touch to his delicate arps and celestial harmonies on 'Stopping Power' and Adrian Marth layers plenty of sugar and pixelated synths into his loopy 'Modernism.'
Review: London's legendary Mute institution goes back to its roots and digs up some of the best work by one of the UK's finest Cabaret Voltaire. These guys don't really need an introduction give the fact that they're pretty much responsible for the rise of post-punk right through to the birth of techno. It was about time a new compilation of their stuff was released, especially one as brutally on-point as this one! All the classics such as "Nag Nag Nag", "Kneel To The Boss" and "On Every Other Street" are one here but the more obscure rarities that were previously only available on 7" are the real winners. "Just Fascination", for example, is one you'll certainly want on a longer, re-mastered cut! Downright essential!
Review: Calagad 13 made a good impression with his first release, Cyberphunk, and now builds on that with a follow-up that goes long. As such, he broadens his palette with plenty of fresh twists and turns during an enthralling electro-exploration. 'LJDA: El Ultimo Baile' opens in brash fashion with a chaotic collision of drums and synths that carries on through the intergalactic warfare of 'Gamma'. Fizzy electronics marble the stuttering drum patterns of 'Actions Speak Louder Than Screams' while 'Cyanocrylate' has a more cinematic outlook and dubby undercarriage. This is full-on electro for main room action.
Review: It was only a matter of time until a pun so ingenious as 'Cyberphunk' would be coined. Mixing the literary term cyberpunk with the drum & bass microgenre term, neurofunk, lends this EP title an unlikely treble entendre: 'neuro' also shares a close affinity with cyberpunk, the aesthetic movement - William Gibson's Neuromancer, a pioneering novel in the noir cyberpunk genre, springing to mind as the obvious case in point. Whilst producer Galagad 13 may or may not have consciously held these influences in mind as he set about making this latest EP, they certainly do persist in the collective psyche of which they form a part. Seemingly as ever of music with the word 'neuro' referenced in the title, the likes of 'Blast Off', 'Loud Enough' and 'Chaos' bring a distinctly crisp, hi-tech sound design approach to the table, with many VIPs - variations in production - of prior works also heard throughout. The most unnerving moment is the many voices, both robotic and human, heard on 'Time Runs Out', which brings a rapid, velocitous hollowness to a rapidfire set of megaraucous basses and leads.
Review: Candido aka. Luis Schiebeler lays down eight darkwave / Italo numbers for Spain's Oraculo Records as part of their extended EPs series - Megabreakz. The seventh addition to the sonic saga is a hearty, circuit-bent dancefloor haunter, marking the 'inaugural chapter of a two-part epic' by Candido, which promises a journey spanning everything from EBM to new beat to rave breaks. Wherever you place 'Mechanical Dances Part 1' on this vast stylistic continuum, the fact remains that Candido's approach to the post-industrial dance form is as psyche-imprinting as it is floor-denting, often nodding to the profound (sometimes dissociative) experiences common to frequenting such a scene. Peppered throughout - if you know where to find them - are repetitive lyrical mantras, alluding to everything from OOB experiences to controversial French psychoanalysts.
Review: Thanks to a swathe of superb EPs over the last few years for the likes of 2020 Vision, Lunar Disko, Further Electronix, Altered Sense and Unknown to the Unknown, long-serving electro producer Cignol is enjoying something of a career renaissance. As a result, some of his earliest releases have become in-demand and hard-to-find - hence this reissue of his long-overlooked, but utterly brilliant, 2010 debut album, Switching For a Living. Offering an attractive mixture of sci-fi seeped, far-sighted tracks informed by 1990s IDM, deep electro, downtempo, ambient and acid, it's a coherent but varied affair that has well and trily lasted the test and time - thanks, in part, to Cignol's intention to make it a genuine "listening album". Recommended.
Review: In musical terms, Bill Converse is as iconic as the basketball sneaker with which he shares his name. He's a techno favourite and veteran of the Midwest scene who has come up under the likes of Claude Young and Traxx but very much fomented his own sound. Here the American ace returns to Dark Entries with a new seven-track exploration of raw, analogue-driven techno. His sound blends the acid grit of Relief Records, the hypnotic pulses of early IDM and Detroit's energy all with an unpredictability that mirrors that of his live sets. He makes fine use of classic hardware like the Roland TB-303 and modern modular synthesis to cook up off-kilter rhythms and abrupt shifts that keep you on edge. Another vital and visceral offering from this legend.
Review: It all started here; one of the landmark releases that sparked the tidal wave of legendary electronic music to emerge from Detroit, featuring Juan Atkins alongside Richard Davis taking their lead from Kraftwerk, post punk, synth pop and industrial and coming up with a distinct Motor City twist that would eventually morph into techno. Just listen to the likes of "Cosmic Raindance" and you'll hear the future echoes of the Belleville Three and the scores of music that came after. This is an essential milestone for any avid electronic music fan to keep a hold of.
Review: Although he's now one of the global electro scene's most admired and storied producers, there was a time when Philip Washington's releases as Cygnus were largely ignored. That was certainly the case with Cybercity Z Ro, his debut album, when it was originally released way back in 2012. Yet as this first ever vinyl pressing proves, it remains one of his most stunning collections of cuts. It does of course contain a high number of superb, sci-fi-fired electro workouts, but also atmospheric and immersive tracks that variously combine elements of acid, IDM, ambient and, perhaps most surprisingly, dub techno. If the album passed you by eight years ago, make sure you check it out this time around: we guarantee that you won't be disappointed.
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