Echospace US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: When it comes to immersive listening experiences built on cutting-edge sound design, few can match the continued brilliance of Echospace duo Rod Modell and Stephen Hitchell. For proof, check the pair's latest offering under the alternative CV313 alias. Built around a suite of three drawn-out soundscapes, Analogue Oceans sees them mimicking the ebb and flow of oceanic tides by smothering gentle dub techno rhythms in lapping waves and soft-focus, spacey electronics. On disc two, Hitchell goes solo to present his own, hour-long interpretation under the Variant guise, heading into the pitch-black depths via watery effects, clandestine aural textures and suitably horizontal ambient dub rhythms.

Review: Before looking at the price, ask yourself: how much do you like dub techno, and more to the point, do you love CV313? If you answered 'a lot' and 'yes' to those respective questions then welcome Rod Modell and Stephen Hitchell's seminal collaboration into your record collection once again. It's quite the package with six tracks pressed into a 3x12" LP, and although Dimensional Space may pinch the bank account, you'll find listening to music like "Isis (reimagined)" to the never-ending-ness of "Clouds Beyond" and "Beyond The Clouds (Seconds To Forever live mix)" are a wholly rewarding experience.

Review: Typical. You wait ages for one CV313 record, and three come along at once. Hot on the heels of the recent release of the much-delayed Dimensional Space album and Live @ Primary CD comes Altering Illusions [Chapter 1], a notably warm, attractive and enveloping two-disc compilation that mixes classic and hard-to-find material with a slew of previously unheard alternate versions. Fans of Steve Hitchell's atmospheric fusions of drifting chords, locked-in techno rhythms, electronic noise and heavy dub bass will find plenty to enjoy, from the 23-minute ambient exploration "Beyond The Clouds (Reprise)" to the classic deep dub techno of "Seconds to Forever (Original)".

Review: Written and produced by Rod Modell and Mike Schommer in Detroit for their incredible performance at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival. Now re-mastered and transferred from reel to reel tape recordings by Rod Modell.

Review: As you might think, Deepchord are thoroughly well placed for soundtrack work, able to fully indulge their dubbed out tendencies without concerns for the dancefloor. That said, throughout the Silent World soundtrack there are still 4/4 pulses to be found, chugging away underneath the languid tones of "Orbiting" or more prominently on the techno fug of "Ghost Theory". By and large though, this is Echochord in their prime, bathing in a torrent of reverb while winsome notes from forgotten sources cry harmoniously over each other, with only static for company. If you're not a fan of the most beguiling hypnagogic dub techno, turn away now.

Review: Intrusions's double 12" on legendary Detroit label Echosapce is a stone-cold classic of the techno genre. It has been heavily related upon by the likes of Marcel Dettman, Richie Hawtin and Francois K over the years, and has been out of print for just as long. This super limited reissue comes on virgin 150g vinyl for extra clarity, with a custom chrome sticker and "midnight blue" transparent coloured vinyl which captures the mood of the music within. That's the way it is bottomlessly deep, hugely deft and deliciously dubbed out techno with frosty synths, dusty drums and foggy atmospheres that are all about hypnotising the head as much as your heels.

Review: Iconic Detroit label Echospace is busy reissuing some of its most seminal and sought after albums. Next to Intrusions's masterpiece, this month sees them focus on Model 500 aka Juan Atkins's Starlight, which was originally released in 2007. It hasn't aged a bit and is still one of the finest fusions of ambient, techno, dub and minimalism to have ever come from the Motor City. Despite the original being an empty, cavernous track, the wispy melodies, distant suggestive rhythms and melted cosmic chords all suspend you in gorgeous world of pensive sound. All the different versions here are as good as that original, too.

Review: For some reason, the world's foremost ambient explorers have always been prolific. Take the sadly departed Pete Namlook, who released 10 albums in 1994 alone. Brock Van Wey is cut from similar cloth. It was only last week that he delivered an album under his BVDub pseudonym; here, he returns to his given name for a similarly tactile, two-CD voyage into the world of beatless dreamscapes. The Namlook comparisons are understandable; like the once mighty German, Van Wey specializes in creating sprawling pieces based around gradual shifts in long, drawn out chords, slowly shifting melodies (check the Satie-inspired "Can't Go Home Without You"), delay-laden instruments and epic atmospherics. When he gets it right - as he does on Home - there are few greater exponents of the art of ambient.

Review: Echospace man Stephen Hitchell has been devoting much time to his Variant project over the last couple of years, releasing no less than nine, straight-to-tape explorations in 2015 alone. Here, he continues his seemingly endless voyage into the deep space where ambient, sound design and dub techno meet. Sequential Sleep is a double-disc affair, with each CD boasting one long take on the fluid, spacey, becalmed and hazy title track. The differences between the two are subtle, but certainly noticeable: the slightly longer Granular Mix (hosted on disc one) feels more fluid and spaced-out, while the Modular Mix (presumably titled in honour of Hitchell's chosen production method) is bolder and louder, with more distinctively layered electronic textures.