Brokntoys Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Last year, long-serving Swedish hardware wizard Karl Lukas Petterson allowed the BROKNTOYS crew to root around in his boxes of old DAT tapes. The result is Stranger Destiny, a fine collection of archive electro cuts that have mostly never seen the light of day. As you'd expect from both label and producer, the standard is impeccably high throughout, with highlights including (but not restricted to), the sparse alien funk of "Fritzland", the psychedelic acid bass, spoken weird weirdness and beeping melodies of "Operation Yria" and the eccentric, mind-altering ambient oddness of closer "Goodbye No Forever". It's also nice to see another airing for one of his greatest cuts of all time, "Professor Laphroaig", which first appeared on a Dr Lindh 12" back in 2005.

Review: Brokntoys 50th release sees the return of Weimar-based producer XY0815. Showcasing his wide sonic repertoire on Gates Need Inputs, this first volume of two, he showcases his unique take on electronica and downtempo. While less dancefloor oriented than previous releases, it is however more upbeat than previous material. There's cybernetic beats aplenty ('Pauline'), imaginary sci-fi soundtracks like on the title track, smack electro ('All The Stars') and martian battle breaks ('Buttons Are Friends'). Mastered by Alden Tyrell.

Review: XY0815 is as electro as it gets, and that's been proven plenty on the string of releases for brokntoys reaching back to 2018. As is common with the prolific label, this is electro to sit up and pay attention to, taking the blueprint of machine funk and giving it a fresh twist which stands out from the glut of soundalikes. Gates Need Inputs arrived in its first iteration last year and we're swiftly treated to this follow-up volume of eight new tracks which edge towards braindance territory in the plaintive synths which shape out the atmosphere of each track. There's analogue warmth and sonic detail edged in everywhere, but equally nothing feels cluttered or necessary. Very classy gear from a trusted stable in the modern electro scene.