Juno Recommends Electro October 2021

Review: Beatsqueeze boss Ugly Mac Beer has tapped old school electro pioneer (and king of the 808) The Egyptian Lover for its next release, arriving in the form of 'Rockin' Planets' in collaboration with keyboardist Brian Ellis and turntablist/producer Ghost. On the A side, you've got part 1 which has that old school west coast flavour that many will find familiar of Greg Broussard's seminal work, while part 2 on the flip is a moodier and more cosmic affair delving deeper into the outer realm, complete with those infectious vocoded voices for added alien effect.

Review: Arpanet's 2006 album Inertial Frame has stood the test of time as one of modern electro's finest achievements. Arpanet is of course one of the pseudonyms of Gerald Donald, the Detroit techno producer best known for his work as Drexciya with James Stinson. The alias is named after the early synthesizer company ARP Instruments, which he relates heavily on for the production. The style is more cosmic and glitchy, experimental and edgy that that of his work as Drexciya, with darker basslines and more unsettling atmospheres all taking you into a complex world.

Review: Dutchman Malin Genie is head of his own self titled label, as well as this one, is co-owner of Oscillat and De Vloer and is also a member of Mandar member with Lazare Hoche and SAM. Despite all those projects he still manages to sound fresh and different each and every time he pops up. This time out he strides forwards on a loopy techno pulse on 'Corpse Grinder' , gets freaky on the dark synths and eerie pads of 'Death Mangler' and flips you the fuck out with the acid frenzy that is 'Weakling Poser'. And that's just the a-side, on the reverse are three more left of centre dance floor weapons that take in both sleazy house and cosmic electro. What an EP.

Review: After a number of notable EPs, London Modular Alliance have made a name as one of electrons most vital new acts. They have fomented a unique take on the sound that blends a love of the classics with advance modular synthesis to made for a mutant sound that always stands out. Here they serve up a much anticipated debut album across four sides of vinyl. There are widescreen cinematic cuts like the absorbing ambient pads and gentle broken beats of 'Bob's Rotten Head' next to inventive, hyper-speed rhythms like 'Champion Belt' and plenty in between.

Review: Electro continues to be one of the most exciting sounds of the day, even a couple of years after the latest revival started. Maybe this time it's here to stay and will be as ever-present as techno and house. We'd be here for it, especially with tackle as good as this coming thick and fast. Moy's Initial Singularity EP is the sort of timeless electro we love. Bouncy drums, modulated acid smoothness and old school signifiers like vocal yelps and crunchy breaks. 'Orbit Cloud' is all tied up with celestial chords and wires synths with a rasping bassline jacking things from below. 'Euphorbia' is the name of a lovely purple flooring shrub, but also this meditative and elastic electro jam. Nice.

Review: Dublin based artist Cigno is in a real purple patch. He's turned out a ton of new material recently on labels like Nocta Numerica, Furthur Electronix, Fundamental Holland and Orson - and thats just this year alone - and it is always of the highest quality. This time out the one man electro machine lands on Ancient Technologies with four more soothing, far-sighted acid laced workouts. 'Ami' is all soft 303 stabs, 'Cosmic Garden' has snappy drum work but the most soothing and sublime synth work. The pace picks up for the turbocharged bass of 'Late Wednesday' but again the cinematic pads take centre stage and closer 'Momentary Construct' leave sou on a beautifully melancholic note.

Review: Earlier this week the label found a box of Aux 88's 2009 set Mad Scientist in a dusty corner of their warehouse. This was a stroke of luck because, quite simply, it's brilliant. At the time of recording, it was the legendary Detroit electro act's sixth studio set and marked their comeback from a four-year hiatus. Rugged, robust, sci-fi seeped and unashamedly Afro-futurist, the set combines occasional ambient interludes and funk-fuelled numbers with the kind of hard, aggressive, acid-fired electro hedonism that the Motor City outfit has always done so well. As a result, it should be considered one of their strongest albums, as well as an essential collection of throbbing, strobe-lit dancefloor cuts.

Review: Dublin based artist Cignol brings his a-game once again on this four-track electro trip for Orson Records. He kicks off with the supple acid sounds and far-sighted chords of 'Darya Message' with all its crispy drum programming and supple synth work. The Transparent Sound remix is more dialled back and high tempo before the mood grows more pensive and inward on the gorgeous 'Journey To Auriga.' It's back to dance floor tension and unsettling acid lines on closer 'Resist' which locks you in drum loops next to some sawtooth synths and a rasping bassline.

Review: Wave Function is the brand new label from Maltese producer Sound Synthesis. Like many artists, he hit a fine run of form during the lockdown and has once out the other side just as on it. He's put out more than 12 releases in the last year or so and now mints his own new concern with a superb double album of timeless, spaced-out electro. This is the sort of sci-fi tackle that takes you on smooth groove cruises through the planets, with tipsy synths and heavenly pads all soothing the trip. Electro as emotive as this will always tune a place in our racks.

Review: The prolific Cambridge-based producer Eddie Symons is back under the Nullptr alias, with a new offering courtesy on Bristol's Distorted Sensory Perception. Symons distinct style of emotive electro is displayed wonderfully on the Lost Time EP: from the dystopian deepness of opening cut 'Adrift', to the ominous sci-fi funk of 'First Light' with its lurking bass roaring beneath 303 acid, and ending with the offworld slow burner that is the title track - where you imagine the planet Earth drifting off in the horizon aboard your spaceship to Mars.

Review: EPM20 Ep2 goes off on an electro tangent here. On this one, we have veteran producer Cisco Ferreira aka The Advent teaming up with his son Zein on the ferocious electro dystopia of "Strangeform" and as if that was not enough, another legend, the one and only Carl Finlow appears next with the abstract, cybernetic beats of "Optogenetic". Over on the flip, we have someone by the name of Detroit's Filthiest (quite an accolade!) who is in fact Motor City stalwart Julian Shamou (Motor City Electro Company) known for his work as 313 Bass Mechanics or Digitek, and longstanding hero of the Midwest Freddie Fresh should need no introduction; his contribution here under the Modulator alias is the deep mind IDM journey "Promars".

Review: The latest Dirtybird release comes from Atlanta-based, Tennessee native Nikki Nair who is next up on the White Label Series. The More Is Different EP is full of tripped-out and bass-driven boompty business that you've come to expect from the esteemed west coast label. From the off-kilter microhouse shuffle of 'It Goes' or the glitched experimental beats of 'Socket' on the A side, to the live instrumentation and weird vocals on 'Something' and the new school ghetto house bounce of 'Want To You' - it altogether encapsulates the sound of the series and a terrific debut for Nair.

Review: While DJ Overdose (real name Jeroen Warmenhoven) has long been capable of crafting hugely atmospheric and evocative electro and techno, rarely has he released anything as stylish and well observed as the Snafu EP. It opens with two tracks that tip a knowing wink to the electro-inspired, mid-'80s industrial funk of Cabaret Voltaire ('Mudwalk' and 'Lopeisco', which also boasts some subtle, pitched-down EBM flavour), before confidently striding between pitch-black new wave sleaze ('Euros Everyday'), Detroit style electro (the chiming, TB-303-powered 'Back in the Jungle'), hard-to-pigeonhole electronica ('Low Plane Drifter') and mind-melting audio sleaze ('Allez Hop'). Varied, off-kilter and analogue rich: what's not to like?

Review: REPRESS: Keith Tucker and Gerald Donald of Dopplereffekt did it......They finally got together two of the originators from the monumental Detroit electronic groups Aux88 and Drexciya. The combination of these two musicians has created a retro bombardment of funk as only Keith Tucker and Gerald Donald can bring. That unearthly eerie funk and strings from other worlds. This release gives a sense of a melding of Cybotron and Kraftwerk....That snappy intelligent funk that Detroit so heavily influenced and unleashed to the universe.

Review: For those interested in punchy, forthright and funk-fuelled techno, Kraftjerkz ongoing Machine Funk Is Our Game series should be essential listening. There's plenty to get the blood pumping on the label's latest instalment, the fifth in total and first of 2021, beginning with ALONZO's Drexciya-style opener, 'Shitto Maltese'. Konertymi opts for energy aplenty on the fizzing bass, punchy beats and sci-fi synths of 'Replikantti', while Zarcon's 'TicTac' is an acid-fired chunk of electronic funk and DJ Di'jital's 'Jit It Up' is ghetto-tech for wannabe astronauts everywhere. Elsewhere, King Ginseng adds a little stomp to the '80s electro style sounds of Cybereign's 'Breathing Apparatus' and Bart Karlos's 'Shaftwerk' is as deliciously sleazy and spacey as you'd expect.

Review: Mr Bongo take this next one back to 1984 and 1985 with a tasty little split release from The Egyptian Lover and Jamie Jupitor. Both tunes offer unique takes on the famous electro funk sound and cult Los Angeles-based producer, vocalist and DJ The Egyptian Lover goes first with seminal track 'Computer Love (Sweet Dreams). It's a deep space exploration with melodic bass and slake drum work. The Lovers's disciple Jamie Jupitor heads up the reverse with the more high speed and edgy style and angular beats of 'Computer Power.' Both tunes make for irresistible body music.

Review: Madrid-based label Analogical Force is back to present the second chapter in the Unseen Series by a mysterious artist who like the title declares is quite literally Unknown. It's more of the underground quality you have come to expect on Unseen Series II: from the classic UK techno style of 'Pike' jam packed with breaks 'n' acid, to the snarling Reese madness of 'Unicos' being standout cuts on the A side. Turn over and you've got some deep Detroit inspired electro grooves like 'Lynx' and some mandatory sci-fi vibes to be heard on the distantly dystopian beats of 'Lithanae'.