Juno Recommends Electro March 2021

Review: Those with a deep knowledge of electro and techno will be salivating at the prospect of More Than A Machine: Part 1, an EP that boasts cuts from such legends of the scene as Sterac Electronics, The Advent and Christian Smith. All deliver the goods, of course, as does rising star Client 03, whose EP-opening 'Regression Container' brilliantly flips between shimmering, deep space ambient and warming, tactile electro dreaminess. Those looking for more rugged and robust club fare should check Sterac Electronics 'Reinstated', with its' out-there lead lines and machine-gun bass, and the sleazy, up-tempo futurism of the Adveny and Zein Ferreira's 'Seven'. Christian Smith's deep, Kraftwerk-influenced 'Pressure Drop' rounds off a predictably strong EP.

Review: Cosmic Blast was one of three records that Ronnie Green aka Captain Rock recorded for Taharqa and Tunde-ra Aleem's Harlem-based Nia Records. The early electro sounds are steeped in cosmic motifs, alien effects and spaceship sounds with some classy old school raps from Green over the top for extra attitude. After this great early work, Green never went on to the success height have had after a failed single then burnout from touring meant he never got round to writing an album. ON the flip is the freaky vocal workout 'The Pure' which is a real b-boy gem.

Review: This fantastic CD is a collaborative project between Above Board Projects, Offen Music and Les Disques De La Mort that features music selected and sequenced by Vladimir Ivkovic and Ivan Smagghe. The reference point is a time when the pair were working in record shops years ago, listening to both indie and electronic sounds. It takes in the iciest of electronics such as on IF's 'Kisy Loa', dreamy post rave comedowns like Chapterhouse's 'Alpha Phase' and more cub ready grooves like the speckled melodies and glitchy beats of 'Tech 7.'

Review: Long time electro champs Klakson have Fastgraph aka Frank de Groodt back on the label and he is in fine form. He seems to look to the raw and raucous Detroit style of electro for his inspiration here with four pumping and fizzing cuts. 'ROTOC' has huge hi hats and pounding drums with a decaying, frazzled lead synth burrowing deep in your brain. 'Hardknox' then ups the ante and brings high speed cyborg funk then 'Zero In On You' is a wild and wonderful collision of acid wind, coruscated drums and slapping hits. 'Dim' is all restless synth funk and barrel chested beats.

Review: Hold on to your gum boots and pack the squelch-proofs, Roy Of The Ravers is back with more of his peerless machine gurgles from the acid dimension. 'Melchester Acid (Part 3)' picks up midway through what sounds like a particularly gnarly jam where a grotty thump and slow sweeping filter work is finely balanced by a seductively spooky atmosphere. If 'Part 2' that follows is from the same jam it doesn't show, as this beast takes a more malevolent route into the heart of acid darkness. The big news on this release though is a much-needed vinyl pressing of 'Emotinium', the track that broke Roy to the wider populace back in 2015 thanks to its keen, AFX-approved sense of braindance romanticism.

Review: DJ Godfather doesn't muck about when laying down his hardcore electro beats. Everything about
'Detroit Electro Ghetto Tech' is captured in the title - it's sleazy, restless and brillaint, from the slick drum programming to the edgy chords via the menacing spoken words. Here it gets served up on various different versions, complete with scratching, and is a perfect tool for adventurous DJs. For us, the darker, more stripped back version 2 is the standout with its haunting pads and smeared acid. The acappella is also hella useful, though.

Review: Strap in for some high octane business right from the opening beat here. 'Kemia' is acidic electro that rides on bumping drums and has coruscated 303 flashes lighting up the night skies. '
Kolme-Nolla-Kolme' is similar but amped up to 11 and twisted even more, then 'Mielenohjain' is all restless gurgles, pinging kicks and hissing hi hats. Electro-funk doesn't get much funkier or more than authentic than on 'Siluetti' while 'Postipankki' brings a modern ghetto aesthetic. 'Mikrosiru' is another high class tune that will keep you on your toes. What an EP.

Review: Viewtiful Joe is a side scrolling beat 'em up video game but also the name of a seriously slick electro producer about whom little is known. French label Casa Voyager gobble him up for four brillaint new cuts here that range from laid back listening to supercharged club tackle. 'Sweet Fifths' is glistening, feel good electro with icy drum programming while 'Space Fonk' has squelchy synth bass and rump wiggling beats. It's 'Wiped Out' which then slows the pace and offer something with hints of electro boogie from the 80s and 'Victorious Orianna' closes out with jungle drumming and lush chords.

Review: By now, long time veteran DMX Krew is very much one of the Hypercolour family. This is the studio magician's fourth album with the UK crew and is another fine feather in his already very resplendent bow. It features all his signature melodies, mechanical beats and expressive sound designs across two super slabs of wax. As usual it is a distinctly hardware heavy sound that results in rich analogue textures throughout. From the sci-fi fun of sludgy opener 'Unconnected' to the broken rhythms of 'Wetware' this is another classic.

Review: Having released Betonkust, Luxus Varta and PQ17 in the recent past, Nocta Numerica turn their attention to lesser known artist Fasme for five tracks of winsome machine soul for those who like to jack while feeling a little sad. "Carte Sim" is a sterling example of wrangling emotional heft out of a 303, while "Sweet Flux" has lingering keys to make you well up over the top of the electro funk rhythm section. "Spaceship" is equally sensitive, while "Comme La Nuit" takes things a little spookier before "Brume" finishes the set with a sweet-natured ride through more of that blissful body-popping business for all heartstring tuggers to get misty-eyed to.

Review: Having spent the best part of six years serving up occasional singles for the likes of MinT tea and Random Recordings, Jon Chmielewski finally delivered his debut album, Aquatic Observations, last year. Clearly in a hot creative street, he's now followed it up with a similarly impressive mini album that comes pressed onto silver vinyl. In keeping with his typically intergalactic, deep space style, the six collected cuts join the dots between soundscape electro, Drexciya-inspired club cuts, melody-driven electronica, and the kind of listenable IDM that made Warp Records famous during the Artificial Intelligence era. As a result, Silver Lining of a Rain Cloud makes for mighty fine listening.

Review: The Brokn Toys label rarely misses the mark, with its' multi-artist EPs always a solid source of high-grade electro and related futurist electronics sounds. Predictably, Cold Readings, their latest compilation style affair, is another winner. The EP begins with a chunk of ultra-deep and icy electronica from Pera Sta Ori ('Passive Concealment') and ends with a deliciously raucous fusion of military-grade acid squelch and skittish, heavily edited jungle breaks (Scarlit Port's excellent 'Layla's Acid'); in between you'll find sleazy and chugging electronic paranoia from Shokh, some off-kilter acid-electro from Foreign Sequence, and some moody industrial breaks courtesy of Weith.

Review: As expected, Tronik has assembled another all-star cast for the second part of their ongoing More Than Machine series. First to strut their stuff are veteran producers Christian Smith and John Selway, whose 'Blink of an Eye' is the kind of energetic, full throttle club electro number that sounds like it should be accompanying a starship chase scene in a dystopian sci-fi music (an effect intensified by a combination of moody spoken word and vocoder vocals). Belgian veteran CJ Bolland delivers a surprise electro workout in the shape of the bustling and bleeping 'The Demotic Scene', while the effervescent Vince Watson smothers a deep electro beat in glistening synthesizer chords, deep pads and pleasingly emotive melodies

Review: We are always excited when a vinyl reissue of German legends Kraftwerk comes in, and so should you! Some of their earliest and most seminal recordings are compiled here on Collection, such as 'Ruckzuck', 'Megaherz' and 'Vom Himmel Hock' which are taken from the band's 1970 debut release ('Silver Forest' appeared as a bonus track on some other versions), the exclusive 'Kakteen, Wuste, Sonne' is taken from a previously unofficial release the next year, and there's the addition of the much sought after rarity 'Ruckstoss Gondoliere'.

Review: After some great releases by scene heroes such as Dan Piu, Dawl and Darren Nye, Berlin label Childhood Intelligence are back with a new subdivision named Childhood Inc. They inaugurate things with the debut of the mysterious Inf0, who pays homage to the sounds of their legendary hometown Sheffield on the Press Enter EP. They have been DJing for about 32 years and 'just decided one day it was time to try and make my own music'. There have apparently been few digital only releases, but this one definitely marks their vinyl debut. Highlights include: the dystopian bass heavy dystopic bounce 'First Glance', the Motor City inspired sci-fi funk heard on 'Apple' and the mandatory Drexciya/Dopplereffekt influences heard on 'Variant'.

Review: Rotterdam's prolific DJ Overdose is a fine fit for LIEs with his knackered aesthetic and rugged electro sound. His first album for the label is another masterclass from the venerated veteran across 13 atmospheric tracks of rhythmic invention. There are plenty of classic tropes as well as a wealth of fresh new thinking here with cosmic trips like 'This World' and more rugged workouts like '3000' sitting next to icy cowbell pings on 'Razor' ass wiggling delights such as 'What Do I Know.' The West Coast has long been a leading light in electro, and that is proven to still be the case here.

Review: Pervert's Analogical Force label and Furthur Electronix have teamed up to start off this new anonymous series, about which we know nothing other than it is high quality. The music is IDM infused electro with plenty of well crafted synth sounds bursting with energy and glistening with cosmic light. 'Ospakr' really twists and turns you inside out, while 'Axiom12' is a little more smooth and atmospheric. After the high speed and corrugated bass funk of 'Herald' comes closer 'HRcLFR' with its melancholic chords and frazzled bass undercurrent. These are useful tracks and kick off what is sure to be a fine series on this evidence.