Electro Recommendations February 2017

Review: Badder-than-bad DJ-producer Kickflip Mike also goes by the names of Handsome Jay and Joschka Seibt, and we gotta say that all of his productions are our kinda thang. This new, hot plate of wax on Oye Black feels like the most carefully crafted strain of outsider house that's on the market right now, balancing the edges of leftfield and house music ever so smoothly. The "Intro" launches us into a hazy, ambient mood, but "24/7 Yolo" quickly provides the beats and bass in the form of some mightily rugged dance patterns with a dubby feel, which is liquified down to a smooth, broken beat sort of assemblage on "MCV". Flip the disc and you got the power drums of "Happy Eater", all mixed up with devilish FX tricks and jazzy, sampled array of melodies. The final stroke of madness comes through with"SDMB", a washed-out electro groover with a smooth, seductive approach. Excellent, and very much TIPPED!!

Review: Not Waving is the moniker of Italian 'thrash' techno producer, Alessio Natalizia. Between releases for the likes of Emotional Response, Diagonal, and the present Ecstatic, the shady artist has found himself a snug fit amid the sound that's been developed by likeminded producers such as Powell. As such, "Too Many Freaks" is the sort of techno that branches out to the industrial side of dance music, injecting a whole heap of freaky screams and sonic warfare into the mix, which is further evolved through the bleepy bumps of "Vibe Killer". The B-side kicks off with a piece of vintage coldwave that reminds us of Esplendor Geometrico's visionary proto-techno sounds, while "Ur Lucky Ur Still Alive" drags its grainy percussion elements over a gnarly, noise-filtered dance experiment. All of it masterfully acid-fuelled, of course. FIRE.

Review: Detroit electro hero Ultradyne originally released Antarctica on his Pi Gao Movement imprint back in 1999 but it now gets a much deserved vinyl re-issue. Several of the album's first tracks go for some high octane techno workouts, as heard on the the menacing, clattering jack of "Never Ending Story" and "Predator" or the rolling techno tool that is "Six". After that, the sound more affiliated with Dennis Richardson's legacy soon appears, such as on the aquatic electro of "Terrorista V2" or "Aurora" as well as some breakneck electro funk workouts like "Cataclysm" or "Robot Speaks" which will really appeal to the heads.

Review: Bau is a new label hailing from Leipzig and they launch in fine style with a reissue of the classic and very rare German electro cut "Call...." by Lynx, aka R.A.N.D. Muzik founder Gunnar Heuschkel. Originally surfacing in 1996 through R.A.N.D. Muzik sublabel Science City, "Call...." is ten minutes of heat treated electro that will liven up any DJ set, and was later reissued by Lowtec's Out To Lunch operation. The Workshop connection continues on this new edition of the record, which features a new Lynx production by Heuschkel called "High Rise" complemented by a KM edit from Gunnar Wendel aka Kassem Mosse.

Review: Die Wilde Jagd are Sebastian Lee Philip. Ralf Beck is musician and producer from Dusseldorf. He has released several albums as part of the duo Nalin & Kane, as well as under the name Unit 4. He collects old synthesizers and effect pedals and has worked with Karl Bartos. In his studio Uhrwald Orange, he has recorded music by Propaganda, Kreidler, Black Devil Disco and many more. Sebastian Lee Philip is part of the Berlin-based electro-wave duo Noblesse Oblige and composes music for theatre and radio plays. Between 2001 and 2006 he lived in London where he ran the club night 'Caligula' and performed as a DJ. "Geisterfahrer" is cosmic and spacey kraut rock that sees the pair propel you into the stratosphere. British duo Factory Floor's excellent remix strips things back and takes things on a darker and technological turn with this minimal electro epic. On the flip, "Drachenfels" sees Beck and Philip do their thing again: lose yourself in this eight minutes of absolute bliss awash in reverberated drums, delayed guitar riffs and splendid arpeggios.