wearemonsters

2008-01-22T19:05:00.000+01:00

Destruct 3 (mixed by Asthmatic Athlete)
(2008)

Tracklist:
01 para one - clubhoppn
02 mu - let's get sick
03 mia - $20
04 surkin - kiss and fly
05 miss kittin - playmate of the century
06 kiko - running in the city
07 hot chip - shake a fist
08 the presets - down down down
09 let´s go outside - crashing
10 pier bucci - tita

Some good shit.

2007-12-08T12:26:00.000+01:00

The Depreciation Guild - In Her Gentle Jaws
(download in "Album" section)

This is absolutely killer and it´s for free! Shoegaze + 8bit sounds + great melodies. Enjoy!

2007-11-15T00:31:00.000+01:00

Destruct 2 (mixed by Asthmatic Athlete)
(2007)

Late night in the city...

Tracklist:
01 howie b - music for babies
02 boxcutter - skuff’d
03 i cube - adore
04 sinner dc - romy schneider
05 burial - in mcdonalds
06 future sound of london - everyone in the world is doing something without me
07 burial - shell of light
08 dabrye - d-town tabernacle choir
09 nathan fake - superpositions
10 ellen allien - augenblick
11 trentemoller - always something better
12 vector lovers - lake nocturne
13 prince valium - crying hearts (prince valium mix)

2007-11-01T20:48:00.000+01:00

Destruct (mixed by Asthmatic Athlete)
(2007)

Hello folks, this is my new mixtape and i hope it will cheer you up.
This is the best medication for your autumn depress. Enjoy!

Tracklist:
01 8 bit intro
02 mr oizo - stunt
03 kiki - so easy to forget
04 numéro# - star model
05 dj mehdi - i am somebody
06 the emperor machine - monkey overbite
07 moonbootica - strobelight
08 para one - dudun-dun
09 sweet trip - design : 2 : 3
10 mstrkrft - neon nights
11 jimmy edgar - my beats
12 gangpol und mit - la chanson
13 japanese telecom - virtual origami

2007-10-22T22:40:00.000+02:00

Gebr. Teichmann - The Number Of The Beat
(Disko B, 2007)

The DJ-Brothers Andi and Hannes Teichmann, originally from Regensburg / Germany, were exposed to music by their father, the jazz saxophonist Ullrich Teichmann, right from the early days. At the young age of 12 and 9 they formed their first band Totalschaden (Write-off). During their teenage years they matured to be leading figures in the regional music scene and later became founding members of the band Beige GT which would grow to national and international fame after their debut album Jukebox heroes

2007-10-20T17:22:00.000+02:00

Holy Fuck - Holy Fuck (album)
(2007)

Holy Fuck are a Toronto-based outfit, with a concept to mimic modern electronic music, without using modern equipment, such as laptops or programmed backing tracks. They record and play (unrehearsed) live with traditional instruments like drums, a bass and keyboards, as well as toy keyboards, guitar peddles, mixers, and even a 35mm film synchronizer.

They have collaborated frequently with Anti Pop Consortium MC, Beans. They've also toured as openers for acts like !!! and Do May Say Think, amongst many others. They carry a core line-up of Brian Borcherdt, Graham Walsh, Kevin Lynn, and alternating drummers Glenn Milchem and Loel Campbell, while others continue to come in and out of the fold.

2007-10-19T14:58:00.000+02:00

Super Furry Animals - Fuzzy Logic
(Creation, 1996)

Super Furry Animals' debut, FUZZY LOGIC, introduced the Welsh quintet's willfully idiosyncratic sensibility, catchy songcraft, and genre-synthesising rock in grand style. While the band's ambition is sometimes a liability, it is hard not to be intoxicated by the musical merry-go-round here, from the hard-driving punk-pop of "God! Show Me Magic" to the expansive psych-lounge vibe of "Mario Man". Crunching guitars, keyboard flourishes, and lushly layered harmonies combine to create a surreal, dynamically diverse, and totally engaging set.
The Super Furries include among their touchstones late-'60s psychedelia ("Fuzzy Birds"), surging punk ("Frisbee"), arty Britpop a la the Kinks ("Hometown Unicorn"), and tongue-in-cheek anthems ("If You Don't Want Me to Destroy You").Often the group will mix these elements within a single song, as on the alternately jittery and sweepingly melodic pop gem "Something 4 the Weekend". SFA would go on to release albums even more eclectic than FUZZY LOGIC, but the hooks, energy, and freewheeling fun of this record still make it one of their best.

2007-10-19T13:09:00.000+02:00

Miracle Fortress - Five Roses
(Rough Trade, 2007)

Miracle Fortress is the brainchild of Graham Van Pelt, a Montreal-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who in this incarnation builds wall of sound pop songs in the tradition of Brian Wilson and Brian Eno. Originally from Stratford, Ontario, Graham is also a member of Montreal's Think About Life (Alien8 Recordings). He began to record as Miracle Fortress after co-founding the multi-functional art space/venue/studio space Friendship Cove with local artist Jack Dylan in Montreal's Griffintown in late 2005. A 5 song EP, Watery Grave, led to a collaboration with Secret City Records in 2006 to record a full length LP. Graham spent a larger part of the year building into the Friendship Cove studio and recording the Miracle Fortress debut, taking time out to perform as a solo act opening for bands like Love is All, Vic Chestnut, and locals Sunset Rubdown and Islands. Five Roses was completed in January 2007 and is an ambitious and engaging record of pop songs that echo My Bloody Valentine and the Beach Boys alike. It will be released in May 2007. Sunset Rubdown's Jordan Robson-Cramer (who also plays on the B-side to the first single), Telefauna's Adam Waito, and SS Cardiacs' Jessie Stein have recently joined Graham in the live lineup of Miracle Fortress.

2007-10-19T10:23:00.001+02:00

Tom Middleton - Lifetracks
(Big Chill, 2007)

'Lifetracks' is a sweet album. It takes you on a journey and has a lot of mood and feeling. Tom Middleton is definitely someone to take note of. He's created a lot of atmosphere in this album and I reckon it's a long player. It's relevant to the modern thinker and creative person and has all the layers to make you want to go there again.

2007-10-02T20:42:00.000+02:00

Octogen - Square Bells EP
(Soma, 2007)

1. Ploughs And Clouds
2. Square Bells Edition 1
3. Sunset Over Tao
4. Influential Perfection

2007-09-29T10:17:00.000+02:00

Nôze - How To Dance
(Word and S, 2006)

A bit freaky.

They are back they are all there: choruses, old stories and relentless post-digital refrains... At Nôze's evrything comes along from the kitchen to the ceiling. The energy of what they give into live and compose in their basement (mixture of Brazil and percussions): they are insane these Nôzians! But from which planet are they coming from to initiate us to the joys of dancing? One year after their brilliant "Craft Sounds & Voices", this Parisian duet from Circus Company comes back to earth with "How To Dance", an outstanding follow-up of their European tour. Composed of 12 new incitement to take off from the dance floor (refrains engraving on the brain like hacking it, a groove which takes over the body like viral disease). "How to dance" restores the most festive part of the electro scene through a positively dancefloor album: let' s shake!

2007-09-19T12:34:00.000+02:00

Eliot Lipp - City Synthesis
(Metatronix, 2007)

There's something quite appealing to me about Eliot Lipp's patented brand of squelching wonky synth-hop. It's hip hop for sure - the beats are tighter than something I shouldn't probably mention on a page that can be read by minors, but there's more than just beats here, more than just a reference to what's come before. I could reference Dabrye of course, as he has a similar originality and deft talent in hip hop manipulation, but Lipp doesn't sound like Dabrye, instead he has forged a sound indebted to early electronic music (think BBC Radiophonic workshop) just as much as it is indebted to early B-Boy anthems. If you don't believe me all you need to do is place your ears around 'Hard 2 Get' which is as squelchy a piece of hip hop I've ever heard, with a gurgling MS20-sounding bass line that literally makes me weak at the knees. With ten instrumentals and one vocal and mastered nice and loud by the man Supersoul there should be enough here for any self respecting hip hopper to get all red-eyed about. Heavy.

2007-09-15T12:28:00.000+02:00

Boom Bip - Sacchrilege EP
(Lex, 2007)

Highly Recommended!

It's been described by an Italo-loving electronic music expert at Vice magazine as "Amazing - It's like he's written the soundtrack to my thoughts."

In a recent interview, Boom Bip said "I Figured a lot of fans would consider it a departure from what I usually do - this is happy, danceable and seems sugar coated... Sacrilege to purist Boom Bip fans plus artificial sweetner Saccharin. Together... well you get it."

2007-09-09T18:05:00.000+02:00

jimmy edgar - color strip
(warp, 2006)

'Color Strip' seems to be adhering to a new trend at Warp (see also Battles' EP) to close a release with a shit-load of 5-second pieces (76 in this case...) that make up (in this case...) a sizeable buffer for the hidden track. Still with us? Detroit resident and wannabe underwear magnet, Jimmy Edgar continues his clean break with Prefuse-style shenanigans for this LP of metal-coated funked-up techno/dub - including previous EP additions 'I Wanna Be Your STD' and LBLBDetroit'. At his best when he indulges in smooth beats and silky production, the aforementioned 'I Wanna Be Your STD' grafts a Dragnet-style rap atop skittering dub ballast, whilst 'LBLBDetroit' opts for some spotless tech/dub that's spent too long polishing its g-funk back catalogue. Elsewhere, 'Hold It, Attach It' sounds like Paul Hardcastle for the Basic Channel-generation, 'Of The Silent Variety' is all neon-beats and squelchy-Jacques Le Cont-backdrops, whilst 'Color Strip Warren' slows it down for the obligatory star-gazer.

2007-09-09T14:02:00.000+02:00

Junior Boys - Last Exit
(Kin, 2004)

Last Exit was preceded by two 12" releases that were strategically placed in the hands of critics/bloggers who were likely to be open to Junior Boys' sound -- a mishmash incorporating parts from numerous styles and countless artists while being evasive enough to prevent dismissive accusations of plagiarism. The slippery tendencies left the releases open to several elaborate rounds of "spot the influence" on the part of the writers, all of whom were successful to some extent. Call the group bedroom dance-pop, a boy band conceived by The Wire, sophisti-pop as produced by Germany's Timbaland analogue -- whatever. The group's ability to synthesize so many elements with such subtlety really isn't their greatest asset; it's that their music can be enjoyed with or without all of the analysis and context, whether you're tucked inside a snowbound outpost or winding your way through some vast metropolis during nighttime. Several Last Exit highlights come from the teaser releases. "High Come Down," "Birthday," and "Last Exit" run on sparse skitter-beats, elliptical keyboard prickles, and endearingly vulnerable vocals, and they're all coated in a compound of arctic frost and stardust. "Under the Sun," however, is a guitar-driven detour into shadowy atmospherics, trailed shortly thereafter by new song "Teach Me How to Fight" - the group at their prettiest and most touching thus far. The difference between the two songs illustrates the group's second greatest asset - their ability to be alluringly aloof, only to bring you to your knees with something wholly heartrending. If you like your pop a little left of center and found the Postal Service to be too cute and syrupy, your fix is here. And, just as a point of order, Junior Boys' use of synthesizers and drum machines -- unlike a lot of groups and producers these days -- is a lot more contemporary than past-obsessed. [The Domino version, distributed in the U.S., adds a second disc containing the non-album cuts from the singles.]
- Allmusic.com

2007-09-08T19:45:00.000+02:00

various - twee
(by wearemonsters, 2007)

1. cats on fire - higher grounds
2. language of flowers - if it's not you
3. the faiways - secretive girl
4. my favorite - absolute beginners again
5. shop assistant - all that ever mattered
6. the lucksmiths - the music next door
7. math and physics club - when we get famous
8. velocity girl - candy apples
9. the radio dept. - a window
10. the guilld league - jet set... go!
11. viva voce - the lucky ones
12. mazarin - another one goes by
13. saunabur - redemption

2007-09-07T23:35:00.000+02:00

my favorite - love at absolute zero
(double agent records, 1999)

My Favorite's superb debut translates palpable pre-millennial tension into neon-lit synthesizer drama -- recalling the heyday of the new wave with none of the irony which sinks like-minded retro-futurists from Romania to the Rentals, Love at Absolute Zero is the soundtrack to a youth rebellion that never was, vividly conjuring a teen underworld as romantic as it is claustrophobic. The album is wonderfully sleek and cinematic -- songs like "Absolute Beginners Again" and the remarkable "17 Berlin" unspool like music videos -- and although My Favorite bring to mind the chrome-plated aesthetics of the synth pop era with uncanny accuracy, their songs capture a passion and immediacy which the remote robotics of their antecedents lacked. It's quite simply the best album of 1983, delivered 16 years after the fact.
- Allmusic.com

2007-09-06T23:21:00.000+02:00

anders ilar - ludwijka - extended visit
(shitkatapult, 2007)

Originally released on 12" on the now defunct Merck label, 'Ludwijka' has now been extended into a full album for the German-based Shitkatapult imprint. This is Swedish bloke Ilar's foray into the murky (or should I say Mercky?) world of IDM, and here he throws away his 4/4 tendencies in favour of the glitchy beatplay of Proem or Mr. Projectile. You know what the score is here, the year is 2000 and there are melodies crawling slowly over MAX/MSP fried digital beats, you hear an occasional fragment of piano, a submerged pad or a booming bass only for it to be snatched away by a stray glitch. What sets this apart from the IDM of yesteryear I suppose though is Ilar's extraordinary attention to detail, a skill he has clearly refined while making tunes to caress the mind while tear up the dancefloor. It might be nothing new, but it's done very well indeed, and the final track 'Ludwijka IX' is fifteen minute chunk of noisy ambience Tim Hecker fans would do well to look closer at. Check it.

2007-09-06T22:42:00.000+02:00

Dosh - Naoise EP
(Anticon, 2004)

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY PLEASANT SURPRISE FROM ANTICON, WHO IT WOULD SEEM HAVE NO DESIRE TO BE THOUGHT OF AS JUST A LEFTFIELD HIP HOP LABEL ANYMORE. SEVEN TRACKS (INCLUDING EXCELLENT MIXES FROM FOG AND CEPIA FROM GHOSTLY) OF REMARKABLY WARM, FUZZY, ORGANIC AND SOULFUL ELECTRONICA NOT DISIMILAR TO THE MELODIC LABEL AT ITS PEAK, OR MAYBE EVEN FOURTET MEETS B.FLEISCHMANN. QUITE POSSIBLY MY FAVOURITE EVER RELEASE ON THE LABEL AND I DON'T SAY THAT LIGHTLY!

2007-08-31T11:12:00.000+02:00

Asthmatic Athlete - Space Night
(2007)

This is my ep number two. More ambient stuff, so enjoy and thanks for comments!

2007-08-29T21:51:00.000+02:00

Monkey Swallows The Universe - The Casket Letters
(Vinyl Junkie/Loose, 2007)

They might boast a name apparently inspired by a particularly harrowing chapter of the I Ching, but one spin of Monkey Swallows The Universe’s second album, The Casket Letters, suggests this band mostly inspired by matters somewhat less fantastical. That’s not to say either, however, that these lumpen bloke-rockers are inspired by their fellow simian-named, Sheffield-born kin, Arctic Monkeys. Rather, Monkey Swallows The Universe take a quite delightful third way, picking up acoustic guitars, lap steel and mandolin, cello and penny whistle for a bright, rustic-sounding suite of folk-rock songs that bloom with bright melodies and the intimate, English country garden vocals of Nat Johnson.

2007-08-29T01:31:00.000+02:00

the montgolfier brothers - the world is flat
(poptones, 2002)

The Montgolfier Brothers' second album, The World Is Flat, goes back to that time in the late-1960s when psychedelia used "olde worlde" names and titles with the recording techniques of the modish jet age. The wised-up production values prove that this Manchester duo aren't really members of the Flat Earth Society, and with their attractive mix of rustic folk charm and studio nous they've managed to place themselves in an otherworldly environment that marks them out as standard-bearers for eccentric English pop.

2007-08-28T16:28:00.000+02:00

Super Furry Animals - Hello Venus!
(Rough Trade, 2007)

The best welsh band ever!

After a short run of albums that found Super Furry Animals exploring their slower, more ponderous side, Hey Venus! sees Wales’ heady psychedelic explorers revisit the bright melodies and glammy bounce that powered earlier albums like 1999’s Guerilla and their fondly remembered debut, Fuzzy Logic. While a vague sort of concept album, following the narrative of a character, Venus, as she moves from a small town to a great metropolis, Super Furries know enough about songcraft not to let the backstory overshadow the melodies. "Run-Away" comes on like Queen and the Beach Boys jamming on a Christmas Top of the Pops, "Neo Consumer" is a pile-up of infectious vocal melodies, singalong choruses and electronic blips that stubbornly refuses to outstay its welcome, and as is customary these days, Bunf gets a chance on the microphone for the profoundly odd "Battersey Odyssey". And to play counter to all this cheer and exuberance, there’s a pair of late-doors slowies, "Suckors" and "Let the Wolves Howl at the Moon", that usher the album to a serene close. Eight albums in, and we’re still waiting for Super Furry Animals to deliver a dud album; at this rate, it’s never going to happen.
--Louis Pattison

2007-08-26T14:51:00.000+02:00

[Ingenting] - Duger
(Labrador, 2004)

Something between The Strokes and Sigur Ros. Highly recommended.

[Ingenting] är en svensk musikgrupp från Stockholm med medlemmar från bland annat Florence Valentin och Chasing Dorotea. [ingenting] bildades 2003, och har i dagsläget släppt två skivor, två EPs och två singlar; Här kommer solen och Punkdrömmar, genom Stockholmsbaserade skivbolaget Labrador.

2007-08-26T13:58:00.000+02:00

Little Dragon - Little Dragon
(Peacefrog, 2007)

So Little Dragon goes big. As discussed here and here, Yukimi Nagano, singer of Koop, and her band's debut album will be out on the great Peacefrog label this September. Wonderful songs with mindful lyrics for the sensitive souls. LD will appear in UK for the first time at 29th of August in Punk, Soho, London.

2007-08-26T13:18:00.000+02:00

airliner - the last days of august
(labrador, 2003)

Airliner is basically a solo project from Kristian Rosengren of Aerospace.

Johan Angergård of Club 8 and Acid House Kings was hired as producer and the album was recorded in the famous Summersound Studios in Stockholm.

Very nice swedish indie pop.

2007-08-18T19:31:00.000+02:00

Stateless - Stateless
(K7, 2007)

Stateless are one of the most exciting young bands of 2007. Meshing guitars with electronics, orchestral strings with turntable beats, this sonically ambitious five-piece already have a depth and a power far beyond their years. They come from Leeds, an increasingly hip breeding ground for fresh rock talent in the north of England. But their songs transcend scenes, genres and international borders. Newly signed to the Berlin label !K7, their self-titled debut album already sounds like one of the musical highlights of the year.

2007-08-15T10:03:00.000+02:00

MANDY - 12 Great Remixes for 11 Great Artists
(Get Physical, 2007)

01 Tiefschwarz feat. Tracey Thorn - Damage (M.A.N.D.Y. Remix)
02 Røyksopp - 49 Percent (M.A.N.D.Y. Remix Edit)
03 Lindstrøm - I Feel Space (M.A.N.D.Y. Remix)
04 Roxy Music - The Thrill Of It All (M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade’s ‘I’m Your Pusher Man’ Re-Work)
05 Rockers Hi-Fi - Push Push (M.A.N.D.Y.’s Pusher Remix)
06 The Knife - Pass This On (M.A.N.D.Y. Knifer Remix)
07 Joakim - Come Into My Kitchen (M.A.N.D.Y. Remix)
08 Wessling & Schrom - Donauwellen (M.A.N.D.Y. Mix)
09 Sugababes - Round Round (M.A.N.D.Y. Remix)
10 Rex The Dog - Prototype (M.A.N.D.Y. Remix)
11 DJ Monique vs. The Voice Of Rita - Dreams (M.A.N.D.Y. Remix)
12 Røyksopp - Sparks (M.A.N.D.Y. Remix)

2007-08-13T19:40:00.000+02:00

aril brikha - ex machina
(peacefrog, 2007)

Killer!

Following his brilliant debut, 'Deeparture in Time' on Detroit's Transmat label, this Persian-Swede coolly defines what great electronic music is all about. This eagerly-anticipated follow-up simply transcends techno, yet embodies the spacy, ethereal rhythmic flow which the pioneers, such as Derrick May, Juan Atkins, Carl Craig, and Richie Hawtin, began to establish over twenty-five years ago. This album is truly timeless. A must-listen for any aficionado of the progressive sound.

2007-08-12T17:17:00.000+02:00

Ron Sexsmith - Retriever
(Nettwerk, 2004)

After dabbling in the digital wizardry of drum loops and dissonant keyboards on 2002's Cobblestone Runway, Sexsmith returns with an elegiac yet hopeful piano-and-strings pop record that's somehow akin to the organic feel and execution of his earliest work, while also richer in texture and scope. His gift for melody remains inexhaustible and his lyrics tap into the soul-sustaining intimacy of relationships--even in the face of the most dire moods. "They're in the business of panic and control," he sings on the subversively optimistic "From Now On," "we're in the business of the heart, and of the soul." It's a paradoxical endeavor--for Sexsmith, joy and sorrow are always fused in the truest feelings--but never merely sentimental. Even without their stirring arrangements, these empathic, plainspoken songs would qualify as soul music in the deepest sense.

2007-08-11T11:15:00.000+02:00

Wearemonsters presents Vladimir Cosma
(2007)

01 hello marylin!
02 le jouet
03 le coup du parapluie
04 la moutarde me monte au nez
05 le distrait
06 pierre et jackie
07 reception chez les gastier
08 les byblos ŕ las vegas
09 les comperes
10 l'as des as
11 le jaguar final
12 les fugitifs final

2007-08-03T12:20:00.000+02:00

soul designer - walking on a little cloud
(fcom, 2002)

Sweet Harmonies is a light gentle track with gentle floating keys, fast yet soothing. When a silly wibbly acidic synth is added to the blend, you've got a bit of a killer. Percussion is programmed just nicely. Sleep With A Fat Girl is a bit of a odd one for the album, a sinister acid tinged track with a wobbling acid bass and percussion that pitches up and down in all the right places. Finally there is Little Angel, my fave from the LP, and a current fave to finish off something like a tech house mix with. Electric drums open up the track with plenty of tom toms and bleepy noises firing out around the place, then fades in the happy little bassline before we hit into some gorgeous synth chords. Has a perfect simple little melody that is light and uplifting. Classic.

2007-08-01T11:26:00.000+02:00

calm - moonage electric ensemble
(1999)

1969 born japanese producer Calm is today worldwidely known for his productions remixes on Compost, Ubiquity, Yellow or DIY. This is his new album which is all together deeper & more aggressive than the former opus (Moonage Electric Ensemble). A truly stunning collection of future sounds, allowing you imagination to lose itself. Spiritual sounds enlighting his knowledge of percussions, alongside deep bass lines & ambient loops. Deep accoustic Electronica. Highly Recommended!

2007-07-30T16:07:00.000+02:00

juantrip - balmy under the stormy
(fcom, 1999)

Tracing the musical roots of French Juantrip aren't that hard. His debut album is overflowed with an obvious passion for classic acts like Pink Floyd, The Beatles, David Bowie and other late 60's and early 70's psychedelica. Being brought up in a hippie commune this passion of course includes a very liberal attitude towards drug-taking.
The album's kind of naive and rather blunt lyrics, similar to those of Swedish national-hippie Di Leva, have never really been that fascinating to me. It's just detached beyond relevance. The electronics involved are, in a funny way, charmingly out-dated. Not retro in any usual sense, but at the same time everything but contemporary. Or to put it another way: You get more of early 90's Shamen and less of late 90's advanced post-electronic wizardry.

2007-07-28T19:20:00.000+02:00

Various - Megasoft Office 2003
(Fcom, 2003)

Styrkkarit Laukee - Jori Hulkkonen
To Become….Cause It’s Better Than Remembering - Elegia
Shrink - Jay Alansky
Nightsong - Lo-Fi
Back In The Pit - Vista La Vie
Turn It Round Again - Alexkid
I Wanna Get Down - Aqua Bassino
Café De La Poste - The Youngsters
F.Me (Part 2) Altern Version 3 - Readymade FC
The Date by Sophia Domancich - Avril
Samiscience - Del Dongo
Reflection - Scan X

2007-07-28T18:56:00.000+02:00

Various - Megasoft Office 2001
(Fcom, 2001)

A Reminiscent Drive - Ambrosia (20 Dec 2000 Bertrand Burgalat Cover)
Alexkid - Not Every Angel
Ready Made - Bold
Fréderic Galliano Presents Diefadima Kante - Batourou Dub
Nova Nova - Spleen
Aqua Bassino - Moon Light
Soul Designer - Softcause (Low Beat Mix)
Laurent Garnier - Greed (Avril Remix)
Jori Hulkkonen & Alexi Delano - Future Help
Llorca - I Cry (Ernest St Laurent Mix)
The Youngsters - Flightcase Pour Criquets
A Reminiscent Drive - Smokey Mountains

2007-07-28T18:18:00.000+02:00

Various - Megasoft Office 2000
(Fcom, 2000)

Elegia - Finally
Ready Made - So Hard
A Reminiscent Drive - Lift Every Voice
Nova Nova - Plaid (Aqua Bassino Mix)
Alexkid - U's Song (Early Mix)
Jori Hulkkonen - Whispers
Scan X - Infinty
Avril - Velvetblues II (The Off World Mix)
Laurent Garnier - Communications From the Lab
Llorca - The End (Silky Megasoft Dub)
A Reminiscent Drive - Ambrosia
Aqua Bassino - Ola
Laurent Garnier - Dance 2 The Music (Oxydent Mix)

2007-07-27T18:51:00.000+02:00

Various - Megasoft Office 1998
(Fcom, 1998)

Aqua Bassino - A Mellow Key
Jori Hulkkonen - You Don't Belong Here
Nova Nova - Bewildered (Piano Mix)
Elegia - Way Form 3 (If You Ever)
Chaotik Ramses - A Tribute
Llorca - Expectations (Direct From Venice)
Frédéric Galliano - Multiples Un
Ready Made - Tudy
Alexkid - I Think
Jori Hulkkonen - Summer Daze
A Reminiscent Drive - Fly Over Bombay

2007-07-27T18:25:00.000+02:00

Various - Megasoft Office 1997
(Fcom, 1997)

Elegia - Way Form One (So Hard)
Ready Made - Saulbass Theme
Feedback - Seasons
Nova Nova Feat. Elisa - Bewildered
Chaotik Ramses - No Way Out
Aqua Bassino - Na Na's Waltz
A Reminiscent Drive - Footprints
Juantrip' - Downward Rush Of The Streams
A Reminiscent Drive - N.Y.C. Dharma
Aqua Bassino - Ibiza

2007-07-27T17:04:00.000+02:00

A Reminiscent Drive - Mercy Street
(Fcom, 1997)

Now is the time for the survivors. The new century has digested easy techno music and computerized control. Now, what we need is a total cultural understanding of all things musical, like having a well developed sense of mental gymnastics. And that's exactly what Jay Alansky has. He always has, since the pre-punk and decadent folk music of the Beautiful Losers and since the "Price of Love", his double album obsessed with Spector, Rundgren and the Beach Boys.

Afterwards, with the "A Reminiscent Drive" project, he gave us Balearic House along with reinvented electronic, brought the British techno scene to its knees with "Mercy Street" and "Ambrosia" became a classic of lounge and of its compilations. All this without sampling and without computers, by appropriating Burt Bacharach, the Residents or R. Gottehrer. Jay Alansky invented downtempo before its time. In the meantime he wrote for Julien Clerc, Lio and Jil Caplan and offered the Innocents their first big hit. Jay Alansky?s inspiration all along came from delving into that giant jukebox that serves as his brain.
We can not help but evoke, when listening to a piece like "Un maximum de lumière", all that prophetic German electronic rock in the style of Can, Neu or Amon Duul2. When we hear the reverb-inundated voice some may think there is homage to John Cale or Brian Eno. ? Or those from the nineties? they'll speak of chill-out or dark ambient.

- Patrick Eudeline

2007-07-18T10:43:00.000+02:00

Luke Vibert - Chicago, Detroit, Redruth
(Planet Mu, 2007)

Prolific Cornish electronic producer Luke Vibert returns with 'Chicago Detroit Redruth', the third album to be releasedunder his own name and his first for Mike Paradinas' PlanetMu. Renowned for his eclectic mix of electronic genres 'Chicago Detroit Redruth' is no exception, a blistering mix of drum 'n' bass, breaks, trip hop and acid, the album cements Vibert's place as one of the UK's most original producers alongside Aphex Twin and Squarepusher.

2007-07-15T21:24:00.000+02:00

Efdemin - Efdemin
(Dial, 2007)

Now Berlin-based Efdemin looks set to join der Klub, with his debut full-length largely flitting around between these dusky colourings while adding a few of his own. Berliner Phillip Sollmann apaprently studied music (in Vienna - ooh!), cultivating an interest in more static forms (e.g. La Monte Young, Charlemagne Palestine, Phil Niblock), so he's no slouch. And like his label-mates, he may be a DJ, but is decidedly not what he plays. Sollman's smart techno is not especially weird on top but distinctly wired at heart, tapered down basslines and smart beats playing host to smoke and shimmer, ripples and stabs. Efdemin stays clear of Pantha's self-grooming sulk-zone, remaining largely on the lightside, with sometimes an inscrutable speech sample puzzle to pique. Freer-spirited, certainly, and less generically cultivating 'mystique,' though without getting all uber-gloomy and goth-veiled on you, mysterious ways are occasionally moved in, a touch of creamy-dark dreamscape being whorled into the whirl of its sub-genre worlds.

2007-07-15T17:49:00.000+02:00

Duplex - Late Night Driving
(Clone, 2006)

The long awaited debut album of Duplex. Produced in the suburbs of Rotterdam, Duplex are suppliers of deep inner city techno of the highest quality. 11 Timeless tracks perfect for the dance floor or as a late night soundtrack for driving through the city. People who heard previous Duplex releases know their quality and their love for true techno. Atmospheric tracks with several layers of sounds... deep driving bass lines, beautiful synths and smooth but dirty drum machines. Essential album!

2007-07-15T13:52:00.000+02:00

Various - Folk Is Not a Four Letter Word: Compiled By Andy Votel
(Delay, 2005)

Folk-Funk? Electric Folk? Hippy-Rock? Acid Folk? Sunshine-Pop? Folk-Fusion? Folksploitation? Once again music lovers struggle to bridge the deep & wide gully where another hybrid genre wanders lonely amongst the vinyl ghosts of yesteryears ethereal love songs. Let us introduce a flock of unsung songbirds who flutter between rocks and hardened pastures too commercial to be traditional - not successful enough to be credible - from the wrong side of town - on the other side of the globe. Here are some of the would-be folk legends that you didn’t read about, they never played the festivals and you never heard their records... until today.

2007-07-06T13:13:00.000+02:00

grand national - b-sides remixes and rarities
(sunday best, 2007)

Kicking off with 'Your Rules Obey' and 'Sixty Seven Up', a couple of melancholy tracks where shimmering guitars provide the backdrop for Rudd's laid back vocals. The album moves into more retro territory, belying the pair's time spent on the west coast of America, with the likes of 'Leaves' and 'Rabbit Facts'. 'Criminal's disco jangling leads seamlessly into The Glimmers' epic bass-heavy re-rub of 'Playing In The Distance', while Sasha's electronically-spiked version of 'Talk Amongst Yourselves' from his much lauded 'Involver' album further highlights the array of influences that go into a Grand National record.

2007-06-27T20:32:00.000+02:00

apparat organ quartet - apparat organ quartet
(skelt, 2002)

The Apparat Organ Quartet is an Icelandic band founded in 1999 by Jóhann Jóhannsson, a noted Icelandic composer and musician. The band, which plays several different organs and uses other devices such as a vocoder, has a sound reminiscent somewhat of German band Kraftwerk. Apparat, though based in Reykjavík, has played throughout Europe and won acclaim for their interesting sound.

2007-06-27T01:15:00.000+02:00

kathryn williams - relations
(2004)

And now something folky and very mellow. My favourite album for late night listening.

Fourth album from celebrated English contemporary folk singer and guitarist follows 2002's 'Old Low Light' and is a collection of cover versions of pop and rock songs from the last 30 years, recreated within the low-key acoustic template which has served her well over previous releases. Tunes versioned on this record include Python Lee Jackson's 'In A Broken Dream', The Byrds' 'Ballad Of Easy Rider', The Velvet Underground's 'Candy Says', The Bee Gees' 'I Started A Joke' andNirvana's 'All Apologies'.

2007-06-25T12:03:00.001+02:00

Asthmatic Athlete - Good Morning, Austria!
(2007)

This is my music. Enjoy!

Tracklist:
01 andy´s night out
02 cheeky tequila
03 let´s get pissed
04 athlete! athlete!
05 back home
06 cut & paste
07 day after

2007-06-23T19:14:00.000+02:00

Kaman Leung - Lacrimal
(Z5 Records, 2007)

If you're looking for an album that will make it seem like you have a large subwoofer buried under your floorboards, if BASS is your thing - come in, take a closer look. Raised with Swedish, Chinese and most recently Norwegian roots, Kaman Leung has long been a producer who's ticked all our boxes when it comes to Low-End music of the highest, most advanced calibre. His early material for the obscure "A PMS Plan" imprint showcased his talent for producing instrumental beats that didn't follow any conventional paths - the templates were borrowed from Hip Hop, no doubt, but the sound palette was channelled via Jamaican music at its heaviest - the emphasis from the very beginning was on BASS. Since then Kaman has dropped three killer twelves for his own lacerated imprint and an obscure whitelabel for Modern Love - with each and every release spinning into orbit another facet of the Hardcore continuum - so much so that mostly everyone we've played his material to in the last few months has wanted to know if it was the work of some mysterious dubstep producer working under anonymity. "Lacrimal" is Kaman's debut album and through its 9 flawless tracks you start to realise that the material in front of you is nothing short of groundbreaking - and once you factor into the equation the fact that the tracks here are all 4 or 5 years old you start to wonder just how ahead of his time this producer has been. Opening track "Inquietude" sets the agenda - with the benefit of hindsight you could describe it as a blend of dubstep's low-end templates with the shimmering echoes of dub Melodica, hardcore hoover sweeps and bass drops that are hard to fathom in one sitting - who was making this sort of thing back in 2002? Or in 2007 for that matter? Shockingly good stuff. - Boomkat.com

2007-06-20T09:39:00.000+02:00

Raymond Lefevre - Louis De Funes Vol. 1

Le Gendarme de St. Tropez, Faites Sauter La Banque, Le Gendarme a New York & Les Grandes Vacances.

2007-06-19T11:08:00.000+02:00

Plej - Music From the Swedish Leftcoast
(Exceptional, 2003)

These 2 Swedish brothers join the growing ranks of artists and DJs who produce soulful electroorganic music that sounds every bit as human and uncontrived as the traditional variety. This album is beautiful and ranges from deep soulful house to R&B, with unique trademark splashes here and there (listen to the cute electronic gremlin voices at the end of "A Jabo Thought"). It's all melodic and non-abrasive.

2007-06-16T01:01:00.000+02:00

Fabrice Lig - Roots Of The Future
(Raygun Records, 2003)

After his successful Soul Designer album on F-Com Belgium's greatest export returns to grace Oliver Kapp's rather fine Raygun imprint with a timely retrospective album of his Detroit edged contributions from the past few years, spiced up with 10 new unreleased cuts. Obviously then, this is classic Fabrice all over, laden with tight 909 driven percussion (enhanced with the occasional Latin contribution), walking synth basslines, lush strings, and, of course portamento drenched 101 lead lines. As always with this man too, this album is pure Detroit, retaining all the essential elements of that classic sound -- unique, stark programming, jazzy melodic textures, and an ample dose of electronically induced soul.

2007-06-15T12:22:00.000+02:00

Si begg - Directors Cut
(Novamute, 2003)

Si ‘Noodles’ Begg drops his much-touted brand new long player on Novamute, and a massive mixup of styles it is too. Opening with ‘Body’ (featuring DJ Rush) we arrive straight in with the staggered beats and buffered acid that get cut to pieces in a 2 step/breaks stylee, mad samples and DJ Rush’s vocals all combine while the bassline creeps from deep down to a raging wobble that will shake the bassbins. ‘Move Up’ is one of the best tracks on board, featuring the MC’s from New Flesh For Old (Big Dada) its a digital jump up hip hop number of the highest order. Digital beats and stabbing basslines all run throughout while the vocals run over the top and the tune swerves with a heavy groove and the extra added bonus of having some of the UK’s brightest hip hop stars on board. Ace. The instant beats and bassline of ‘Technology’ is one for the crowd with its effected vocals, 2 step beats and heavy ragga-esque bassline, while the deep beats of ‘Premonition’ plays to the electro brigade with its sub acid lines and rumbling bass that rolls way in perect squashed style. As ever, a mishmash of styles from Mr Begg, one of the most consistently strange producers good old blighty has given us over the last few years. Check.
- Boomkat.com

2007-06-10T11:52:00.000+02:00

zoot woman - living in a magazine
(Wall Of Sound, 2001)

Zoot Woman are a British pop band playing electronic rock music. Formed by Adam Blake and Stuart Price as an instrumental project, the band enlisted Jonny Blake on vocal duties in 1999. The line-up now includes Bee Hatherley (bass, synthesizers) who joined the band in 2004. Adam and Stuart remix their own and other people's tracks under the name "Paper Faces" and Stuart has also been working with Madonna since 2000. He also works (to much critical acclaim) under the pseudonyms Thin White Duke, Jacques Lu Cont, Man With Guitar, and of course Les Rythmes Digitales.

2007-06-05T11:45:00.000+02:00

claude bolling - le magnifique (original soundtrack)
(1973)

01 La Plaza (Fete Mexicaine) (02:24)
02 Tatiana (Glamourous) (02:54)
03 Mexican Paradise (Alla Cugat) (03:16)
04 Concerto Pour Piano, Tueurs Et Orchestra (02:46)
05 Paris Musette (01:37)
06 Cleotiana (En Son Jardin) (01:33)
07 Karpoff (L'Ignoble) (04:47)
08 Noches Mexicanas (03:27)
09 Pop Mod (02:24)
10 Idylle Interrompue (04:06)
11 Dénouement Et Final (03:56)

2007-05-22T23:10:00.000+02:00

Gonzales - Solo Piano
(No Format, 2004)

Highly Recommended!

*At Long Last back in stock again* A good friend mentioned to me over the summer that he had listened to a promo of the forthcoming Gonzales album and couldn't quite believe what he was listening to. An album of delicate solo piano pieces, written and played by the notoriously extravagant berlin resident with flamboyant b-boy aspirations. Well, it didn't seem very likely, or at least it was hard to imagine that it would be anything more than a mildly touching novelty item. As it turned out its an assumption that couldn't be more wrong. "Solo Piano" is in the top 5 albums of the year for me, a quite incredible collection of the most moving, accomplished and unforgettable solo piano pieces you'll hear in a long time, and one of the most tantalising career moves you could possibly imagine. It's true that piano music has seen something of a rebirth over the last couple of years, but what really gets me with this album is just how accomplished the compositions here are. Having heard this album no more than 5 or 6 times, each track is now deeply embedded in my mind - I cant think of anything else released this year that touches its majestic simplicity and unstained beauty. Released by the No Format collective - its been a long and rather lagborious process to get hold of this album in good quantity and at a reasonable price (thanks to all involved!) - but sometimes we hear a record that compells us to do the oddest things, I tell ya. "Solo Piano" is just one of those albums that rides the zeitgeist to oblivion, transcending fashion and trend, keeping itself close to your heart at all times. If I'm not listening to this magnificent album in 5, 10 or 20 years time I'd be very surprised indeed. A huge recommendation - every home needs this record.
- Boomkat.com

2007-05-13T13:31:00.000+02:00

Softlightes - Say no to being cool say yes to being happy
(Modular, 2007)

The wise rhetoric of the Californian indie-pop band’s debut album title can be regarded from two different perspectives. One is the general way Softlightes’ beautifully-softvoiced leader Ron Fountenberry describes it – to listen to music that you like rather than what’s cool, although it’s bordering on hypocrisy for an artist on the so hot right now Modular roster to dispense that advice. The second way to interpret the title is as it relates to the artistic merits of the album itself, to forget about people’s perceptions, and create an album that produces happiness. It’s here that this album truly succeeds, as whether it’s the cyborg foot stomp of The Robots In My Bedroom Were Playing Arena Rock, or the pining nomadic loneliness of A Town Named Blue, there is an embracing assertion of hope; warm and anxiety-conquering like a the feel of a cuddle as you sleep. Guitars, computers and pianos all lead different tracks, but throughout the melodic record’s entirety there remains an indelibly human touch and a need to connect with other people. When Fountenberry leads The Microwave Song’s anthemic chorus of I am just a microwave, it doesn’t matter that the anthem is meaningless, when it’s the act of singing it with somebody else that’s unifying. American bands of a similar sound like The Flaming Lips and The Postal Service have been issuing material along the same lines for a while, but shrugging Softlightes off as just another in a long indie-pop line would be like dismissing Marvin Gaye because The Four Tops had already done Motown. An endearing album with life-improving potential.

2007-05-09T23:50:00.000+02:00

Von Südenfed - Tromatic Reflexxions
(Domino, 2007)

It must be fantastic being Domino Records and having the space, the scope and the vision to release albums like Von Südenfed's Tromatic Reflexxions, which teams Mark E Smith, distinctive-voiced uber-prolific mainstay of The Fall with electronic beat meisters Jan St Werner and Andi Toma of Mouse On Mars.

Discoing up arch punk miserablist and Gollum-lookalike Smith is a completely bonkers idea. It should be enough to convince you that whoever first suggested it must have eaten a few too many disco smarties before coming to the meeting, but it does work, as those of you who remember the 2005 release Wipe That Sound, on which Smith first teamed up with the MoM lads, will remember.

2007-05-09T22:37:00.000+02:00

The Studio - Yearbook 1
(Information, 2007)

Never put stock in MySpace genre tags, but the page for Sweden's Studio says "Experimental/Afro-beat/Pop" and that's a decent start. It's vague enough for almost anything to happen, but with one specific reference point that pushes expectations in an interesting direction. The band consists of just two people, Dan Lissvik and Rasmus Hägg, though they do a nice job of sounding much bigger. Their music has been trickling out slowly since 2001-- a 7" here, an EP there-- but somehow none of it made its way to CD until last month. This record on the band's own label collects versions of work issued last year on two vinyl-only releases, the LP West Coast and the 12-inch "No Comply". (...)

2007-05-09T21:38:00.000+02:00

The Heritage Orchestra - The Heritage Orchestra
(Brownswood, 2006)

Marriage of nu-jazz rhythms and classical instrumentation gets thumbs-up from Gilles Peterson.

With sprawling, symphonic arrangements, jazz solos and snappy broken beats, the 45-piece Heritage Orchestra is a crossover dream come true. Part classical ensemble, part nu-jazz big band, it's easy to see why Gilles Peterson signed the band for his new record label, Brownswood.

A youthful classical orchestra, their eight-piece rhythm section includes ace improvisers (not least Ross Stanley on Rhodes and piano), while Ninja Tune's Chris Bowden adds acid-sharp alto sax to an already accomplished wind section. The cocktail of improvisers and classicists is great on Mothers And Daughters Now Mothers, as gutsy ensemble work swirls into hard-edged blaxploitation funk with a fire-breathing solo from Bowden.

2007-05-03T14:56:00.000+02:00

holy fuck - holy fuck
(MapleMusic Recordings, 2005)

UPDATED: better version

This is KILLER!!!
Their eponymous debut album, recorded with Laurence Currie and Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene, Apostle of Hustle), was named one of the Montreal Mirror's top ten albums of 2005. Their music has been described as a "strangely melodic and pulse pounding free-form fusion of the heavy chug and groove rock of Trans Am and the quirkiness of Beck rolled into one mesmerising viewing and listening experience."

2007-04-28T15:05:00.000+02:00

Soulsavers - It's not how far you fall, it's the way you land
(V2, 2007)

Soulsavers are a duo known for remixing acts like Doves who emanated from Stoke on Trent; 'it's not how far you fall, it's the way you land' is their second album and is notable as it features the great Mark Lanegan on eight of its eleven tracks. Lanegan is often cited as a tortured individual who has suffered addictions, it should be pointed out that he appeared to get over them around the time of 'Scraps at Midnight/I'll Take Care of You' and has been a workaholic since, producing his own solo work plus collaborations with The Walkabouts, Martina Topley-Bird, Isobel Campbell, Desert Sessions, Queens of the Stone Age, Mondo Generator, Twilight Singers, Masters of Reality etc - he also has another project with Twilight Singer' Greg Dulli, under the Gutter Twins moniker. So, what is effectively an unexpected solo album from Lanegan is very, very welcome.

This is not Lanegan being backed in the rock style of QOTSA or Screaming Trees, the closest work is the more electronic tracks on 'Bubblegum' or the Martina Topley-Bird collaboration (Lanegan likes the more explorative side of hip hop, like Clouddead, as well as having covered Massive Attack on the last Twilight Singers ep). It's an Eleclectic Recording, a Unique Mix of Hip-hop, Rock, Country, Soul and Gospel.Great album and highly recommended!

2007-04-22T23:07:00.000+02:00

victor bermon - arriving at night
(hefty, 2007)

It's a sound with no name - now that the uber-saturated music industry has left tags such as IDM, downtempo and electronica utterly hollow. But one could do worse than calling it ambient music for the post-hip-hop set, made of unfolding melodies by turns sunny and partly cloudy, created using the oblique strategies of cut-up producers from Teo Macero to DJ Premier. And note that most of its rhythmic touches are secondary.

That last part is one of BERMON's signatures. Throughout "Arriving at Night", the beats are more after-thoughts than manifestoes. Though tracks like the "Farewell Lunch for Laura" and "Final Discussion" glide on backbeats that harkens back to crate-dug jazz records discovered in the waning days of the New School (but with sample textures that scream "post-techno"), these beats are prone to not lasting long and to disappearing in a blink. Mostly BERMON's melodic expanses are long established when a pulse finally strides in to complete one of his sonic puzzles. Album-defining songs such as "We Face Each Other" and "On the Way Back" are built of warm wide chords, and layers of melodic counterpoint (at times rhythmic, at times dissonant). Acoustic guitars strum in the background, or pick their way through the fore, but always, they welcome the dawn.

A cinematic beauty lies at the heart of this gorgeous release. It is fully recommended.

2007-04-16T20:49:00.000+02:00

philippians - goodnite life
(brake records, 2006)

This album incorporates soaring vocals, dynamic acoustic performances, electronic elements and esoteric samples culled from everyday Los Angeles life. Inspired by a city that provides a hint of promise on the razor’s edge of despair.

The Philippians bring a new dimension to today’s electronic music scene by applying their distinctive computer-based production techniques to organic sounds. Goodnite Life incorporates soaring vocals, dynamic acoustic performances, electronic elements and esoteric samples culled from everyday Los Angeles life. Inspired by a city that provides a hint of promise on the razor’s edge of despair, the Philippians coax heartwarming, uplifting melodies from their assortment of cutting-edge music creation tools. Highly recommended.

2007-04-10T15:14:00.000+02:00

Gutevolk - Tiny People Singing Over The Rainbow
(Noble 2007)

Gutevolk is a Japanese singer-songwriter Hirono Nishiyama who has much to do with electronica sound and is damn good in what she´s doing. Her first album under the solo project name, Gutevolk, The Humming of Tiny People was released in 2002. This was ensued with another three releases, the fourth is coming right now (co-produced by Kazumasa Hashimoto). Gutevolk´s music is described as glitch and futuristic, somewhere between pop and folk melodies: Elements of jazz, bossa, and electronica are merged, and out comes a fantastic entity we can describe as great, subtle, pop... Well, her voice and beautiful and playful harmonies are really infectious. Furthermore Gutevolk seems to be very busy artist. Besides these projects she also did soundtracks for film and commercials, she has collaborated with the likes of Masakatsu Takagi and Kama Aina... I highly recommend.

2007-04-02T20:14:00.000+02:00

Headlights - Kill Them With Kindness
(Polyvinyl, 2006)

Though the Illinois natives share the shambling, otherworldly energy of bands on the Canadian label Arts & Crafts (Stars, Broken Social Scene), the similarity is more spiritual than sonic. Whenever Headlights' sweet swirl sounds like it might falter and spin off course, they always swerve back, shining even more brightly.
- SPIN

2007-03-31T16:25:00.000+02:00

Slowdive - Souvlaki
(Creation, 1993)

Two generations of head-rockers meet on Souvlaki, the second full album by England's ethereal Slowdive. Veteran ambient soundmeister Brian Eno produced, arranged, and played keyboards on two tracks, but his presence isn't nearly as obvious as it is with U2, which is more of testament to Slowdive's own dreamy Another Green World aesthetic than to any laziness on Eno's part. The lulling melodic undertow of the group's early EPs is present in subtle new variations on songs such as "Allison," "Machine Gun," and "Souvlaki Space Station," but Eno blurs the foreground and background, giving the album a pleasant, swirling mix that's never static or predictable.

2007-03-31T14:44:00.000+02:00

Skalpel - Skalpel
(Ninja Tune, 2004)

Skalpel are Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudlo DJs/producers from Wroclaw, Poland. Being new recruits of Ninja Foreign Legion, they are rather hesitant to speak about their past.

Sufficient to say, they are talented DJs, whose 4 mixes were aired on Solid Steel in the past, two of which were released as "Virtual Cuts" - namely the best mixtape released in the history of electronic music in Poland. The year 2000 was a landmark for them, as they traveled the country with DJ Vadim and his Russian Percussion, presenting an amazing 4-deck show. Later that year they released demo CD-R titled "Polish Jazz", which not only received a lot of critical acclaim, but also led Skalpel to signing a contract with Ninja Tune.

For the last two years they've been digging in the crates, trying to build the most exciting collection of samples from Polish Jazz records. Now they are slowly unleashing the music created from these sounds. They ressurected dusty&smokey spirit of polish jazz of 60s and 70s, and reimagined it for 21st century audiophiles.

2007-03-24T18:44:00.000+01:00

Marconi Union - Under Wires And Searchlights
(Ochre, 2003)

Manchester based duo Marconi Union, have to date drawn comparisons with Labradford, Brian Eno, Talk Talk and have been likened to a 'Post Rock Cinematic Orchestra' and even Pink Floyd! On this their debut album, Marconi Union have created something unique, individual and timeless, fusing acoustic sounds, strings and pianos with electronica, post rock guitars and even occaisoinally nodding towards jazz and dub. File alongside Tortoise, 90 Degrees South and Pan American.

2007-03-24T15:57:00.000+01:00

Various - Polish Jazz (Modern Jazz From Poland 1963 - 75)
(JCR, 1999)

A1 - Jerzy Milian - Wœród Pampasów
A2 - Andrzej Kurylewicz Quintet - I Won't Stay With You
A3 - Jazz Carriers - Ma³a Septyma (Minor Seventh)
B1 - Jerzy Milian - Choreographic Sketches
B2 - Zbigniew Namyslowski Quartet - Fair Lola
B3 - Wojciech Karolak - Why Not Samba
B4 - Andrzej Kurylewicz Quintet - Nyamaland

2007-03-23T18:49:00.000+01:00

Free The Robots - Free The Robots EP
(Elsewhere Studios, 2007)

From Elsewhere comes Free the Robots, A balance of everything that is music. The Robot sound pays homage to the past with a drive for the future blending elements of Jazz, Electronica, Bossanova, Experimental, Hip-Hop, Soul, Psychedelic, Rock, Noise etc...

info: http://www.myspace.com/freetherobots

2007-03-23T15:00:00.000+01:00

Flow Dynamics - Flow Dynamics
(Freestyle, 2007)

With a pile of original tunes and remixes under his belt, Dave McKinney brings it all together for his debut self-titled Flow Dynamics album. Full of funky jams and block party breaks, the record takes the listener on a journey through the world of funk and soul based beats with lots of uptempo party cuts, chilled downtempo grooves and everything in between. The album digs deep into the traditions of funk and soul, with lots of live musicians, heavy drums, funky basslines, tight horn sections, sharp cuts, and raw funk vocals, all recorded and mixed at home in his bedroom studio.

info: http://www.myspace.com/flowdynamics

2007-03-23T14:23:00.000+01:00

Pole - Steingarten
(Scape, 2007)

Stefan Betke was a notable mastering engineer aligned to the Basic Channel/Rhythm & Sound camp who made his name as Pole with a trilogy of numerical releases (1,2 and 3) at the tail end of the 90s. These three key releases were all made with a broken Waldorf-4-Pole filter that produced a crackle, lending a warmth and spatial depth to his dub techno experiments which can be filed neatly alongside the best of Basic Channel and Chain Reaction as essential parts of any collection.

Now up to his 6th album, and the first since his obsession with hip hop led to a patchy album with rapper Fat Jon, sees a return to at least some of the hallmarks of his early days. This time decontextualised processed electric guitar, industrial scrapes and bleeps mark out territory over some rather anaemic beats - ‘Düsseldorf’ and ‘Jungs’ probably aiming for the dancefloor but not quite making it. Elsewhere on ‘Sylvenstein’ and ‘Warum’ slight dub inflections lend a sense of humanity to the mechanical. All in all, though, Steingarten is all a bit too directionless and cold - and not a patch on that initial trilogy of albums that still stand up so well.

Info: http://www.myspace.com/poleartist

2007-03-23T13:53:00.000+01:00

A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Scribble Mural Comic Journal
(Notenuf, 2007)

A Sunny Day in Glasgow is Ben Daniels' musical project, and one for which he got his two sisters, Robin and Lauren, to sing. Notenuf has kindly release their debut album to us. “Scribble Mural Comic Journal” is just a flat out masterpiece that needs to heard with headphones on. It is a large ambitious piece of work and you will want to her every nook and cranny inside the record. Ben Daniels and his sisters have a gift at crafting one hell of a story.

Info: http://www.myspace.com/sunnydayinglasgow

2007-03-18T14:14:00.000+01:00

Modern Jazz Quartet - Lonely Woman
(1962)

Having sponsored Ornette Coleman at the School of Jazz near Lennox, MA, pianist and composer John Lewis helped launch the controversial career of one of the last great innovators in jazz. Lewis' support of the ragtag Texas native was somewhat unique in jazz circles at the time and even surprising, especially considering the gulf between the classical jazz formality of his group the Modern Jazz Quartet and Coleman's radical notions of free improvisation. Nevertheless, Lewis not only saw in Coleman the first jazz genius since bebop's Parker, Gillespie, and Monk, but put pay to the praise with the MJQ's 1962 rendition of one of Coleman's most famous numbers, "Lonely Woman." (Along with Art Pepper's 1960 version of "Tears Inside," this was one of the earliest of Coleman covers done.) The 1962 Atlantic album of the same name turns out to be one of the band's best efforts. Lewis and fellow MJQ members Milt Jackson, Percy Heath, and Connie Kaye capitalize on the dramatic theme of "Lonely Woman" while adding a bit of chamber music complexity to the mix. The quartet doesn't take Coleman's free form harmolodic theory to heart with a round of quixotic solos, but the group does spotlight the often overlooked strength of his compositional ideas. And while the MJQ further plies its knack for involved pieces on Lewis originals like "Fugato" and "Trieste," the group also balances out the set with looser material more in tune with Jackson's blues and swing sensibilities. A great disc that's perfect for the curious jazz lover.
- Allmusic.com

2007-03-18T13:31:00.000+01:00

Tim Hecker - Haunt me, Haunt me, Do It Again
(Subtractif, 2001)

Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again is Tim Hecker's debut full-length, released on 20 November 2001 by Substractif, a sub-label of Alien8 Recordings. The album mixes the digital signal processing of glitch with post-rock structures and melodies. The sounds used for this album, as well as most of Tim Hecker’s other works, originate from a guitar, piano, and laptop.

2007-03-15T18:19:00.000+01:00

The Joe Beats Experiment - Indie Rock Blues
(Arbeid Records, 2005)

Joe Beats is none other than producer to the Non Prophets and DJ to Sage Francis, so his time must be quite stretched. Apparently the man has developed quite a taste for alternative indierock, and in doing so has figured somewhere down the line that it might be a good idea to remix his favourite tracks. Okay that sounds like a horrible concept, but some of these tracks work beautifully – most notably the Deerhoof remix, which takes ‘Panda, Panda, Panda’ from their ‘Apple-O’ album and chops it into such convincing shards I actually started to think it was supposed to sound that way all along. Similarly his reworking of ‘Naomi’ from the Neutral Milk Hotel is respectful and enjoyable, however his DJ Shadow/Sixtoo style chop-ups don’t always hit the right place. For instance his low slung bassy mix of Belle and Sebastian’s ‘Space Boy Dream’ sounds rather pointless, there’s very little of B&S audible anymore and he seems to have totally ignored the fact that the great thing about B&S is that they sound like sexually confused teenagers diving into secluded lakes on a summer holiday. Still for the most part this is a successful venture and really doesn’t sound how you’d imagine it would.
- Boomkat.com

2007-03-15T17:49:00.000+01:00

Bikeride - The Kiss
(Shmamm, 2007)

Praised by Uncut, MOJO, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, CMJ, the L.A. Times, and many other publications, Bikeride pedals along with their fifth long player, The Kiss - their first in over four years. The Kiss showcases Bikeride’s knack for adventure and exotica. The music on The Kiss was written while traveling around the world. The songs were simmered in indigenous native spices, put through the Bicycle Rider pop filter, and then spit out as only Bikeride can do. Compared to bands as disparate as The Beatles, Pixies, Beck and Earth Wind & Fire, Bikeride tackles just about every musical genre with fun and precision.

2007-03-11T14:01:00.000+01:00

Union Of Knives - Violence and Birdsong
(Relentless, 2006)

Union of Knives - Made in Glasgow: Get a Map Out and Draw a Line that Joins Canada's Arcade Fire, Iceland's Sigur Ros, Norway's Royksopp and Come to Rest at Scotland's Union of Knives. What Do all These Places have in Common? Short Days and Long Nights. Music and Sound Born Out of Extreme Environments and Cultural Diversity. Glasgow and Union of Knives, Two Rough Diamonds of the North, Inextricably Linked. You're Going to Like this Album Very Much Indeed. "Violence and Birdsong" is the Culmination of Two Years of Hard Graft. For a Debut Album We Think it Feels Very Accomplished. The Balance of Youth and Experience, Tough and Melancholic, Vibrant and Nostalgic - There's Lots Going on Here. On Stage Craig Grant (Vox/Keys/Guitar) and Chris Gordon (Vox/Guitar) Play Dual Frontman Roles, Supported, Like a See-saw on an Axis, by Dave Mcclean (Sounds and Beats). In the Studio Each Member is Autonomous, Lyrics, Beats, Melodies and Ideas Come from Everywhere.

2007-03-11T12:18:00.000+01:00

Yellotone - Tar File Junction
(Ai Recordings, 2004)

Yellotone is a tunesmith in the tradition of all the great anglo saxon tunesmiths that went before, welding raw materials into a hushed toad full of gold. Playing the guitar/bass/drums/keyboard, and audibly influenced by a diverse range of artists that span both traditional and electronic spheres, Simon Harding has twiddled his knobs deep into the night to produce his own version of computer sequenced electronica from a minty selection of homegrown samples, enlisting his friend and notorious deck destroyer Buddy Peace for some turntable intervention, plus roping in some delicately recorded piano, double bass and drums for an altogether more substantial, genre-defying body of work. After his 'geen mayo' debut EP, one of the long sold out gems from the early Ai EP series, found itself as one of the most consistently requested releases in the cooler record shops, the wait for this full lengther has been well worth it. Equal parts aesthetic and playful, yellotone's catchy arrangements, considered instrumentation and ambitions for pushing through the envelope bear groovy fruit here.
- Boomkat.com

2007-03-10T15:37:00.000+01:00

Ascii.Disko - Ascii.Disko
(Landomat 20, 2003)

This is something for Vitalic fans.

From Hamburg, Germany ascii.Disko is guitarist Kat D.D. Rokk, former guitarist of the band Slown and current guitarist/keyboardist of the Sci-Fi indie-rock band Venus Vegas. Merging his indie rock background with electronics, ascii.Disko creates new possibilities of sound. Showing no fear, he dives into electronica with refreshing ideas. Currently on the German label L'Age D'Or , ascii.Disko recreates classic melodies and sounds from acid house and techno to 80's synth pop.

ascii.Disko does not have one style or appeal to one scene, instead it is exciting and intelligent music that all can enjoy. The strong beats and harmonic vocals are an excellent blend. Not only will it be enjoyable for the DJ but for all those on the dance floor as well. Metropolis Records is pleased to release ascii.Disko for North America.

2007-03-10T13:13:00.000+01:00

Gui Boratto - Chromophobia (Link Removed At Kompakt´s Request)
(Kompakt, 2007)

Gui Boratto is one of those artists who other artists love. With a string of releases spread across labels such as K2, Audiomatique, Plastic City and Kompakt, Boratto is a permanent fixture in end-of-year polls - with the likes of Michael Mayer, Tiefschwarz, Steve Bug, Phonique, Martin Landsky and Hernan Cattaneo all tipping their hats in the direction of the Brazilian based auteur. Yet whilst this kind of incestuous praise can often leave those on the outside feeling a little cold, Boratto's endearing productions make him a highlight of the Kompakt roster - with 'Chromophobia' a fantastic and varied confection of styles, gunning its way through the dance music canon with an infectious grace and evident glee.
- Boomkat.com

2007-03-10T01:12:00.000+01:00

Presets - Beams
(Modular, 2006)

The Presets are an electronic two piece based from Sydney, australia. The Presets have been one of the biggest indie bands for the past few years in the Sydney area touring and supporting many well known bands such as 2 Many DJ's and Ladytron. Their debut LP The Presets - Beams combines electro, rock, techno, pop and a handful of other genres together in a seamless manner.

2007-03-10T00:32:00.000+01:00

Various - Disco 2006 (Mixed By Erol Alkan)
(Mixmag, 2007)

01. Justice / Waters Of Nazareth (Erol Alkan’s Durrr Durrr Durrrrrr Re-edit)
02. SebastiAn / Walkman (SebastiAn’s Werol Alkman Edit)
03. Mr Oizo / Half An Edit
04. Headman / Moisture (Mustapha 3000 Remix)
05. Lark / Animal’s Claw (In Flagranti Edit)
06. Herbert / Moving Like A Train (Smith N Hack Remix)
07. Claude Von Stroke / The Whistler
08. Spiller / Jumbo (Re-edit)
09. Spank Rock / Bump (Switch Mix)
10. Hi Jack / Hi Jackin (Herve Mix)
11. Peaches / Downtown (Simian Mobile Disco Remix)
12. Johannes Heil / Warrior Of Light (Re-edit)
13. Digitalism / Jupiter Room (Erol Alkan’s Simple Yet Effective Edit)
14. The Knife / Like A Pen (Thomas Schumacher Remix)
15. Hot Chip / Boy From School (Erol Alkan’s Extended Re-rework)

2007-03-09T14:08:00.000+01:00

shitdisco - kingdom of fear
(16. 4. 07)

SHITDISCO are a dance punk band from Glasgow, Scotland. They were formed in 2003 while studying at the Glasgow School of Art. Their first single "Disco Blood/I Know Kung Fu" was released in December 2005 and sold out quickly. They are signed to record label Fierce Panda. Shitdisco released their new single "Reactor Party" in October 2006 and charted at number 73 in the UK charts[[1]] with the help of their large underground following.

2007-03-08T20:51:00.000+01:00

midnight juggernauts - secrets of the universe EP
(Siberia, 2007)

Is there an Australian band that straddles the dance/indie divide better than the MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS? Finally, the Melbourne duo unleashes their 2nd mini album, 'Secrets Of The Universe', this time on their own SIBERIA label. They have sharpened their game immensely on this follow up, blending a moody and rocky electro sound with an incredibly catchy pop edge.

The near-heavenly, disco flavoured "Shadows" (currently getting flogged on TRIPLE J) has to be the most infectious Australian tune released this year, while "45 And Rising" combines over the top '80s guitar riffing with disco smarts and vocoder vocals, rivaling DAFT PUNK at their best. Also included alongside four new tracks is a killer remix of the sinister "Devil Within" by their good friends THE PRESETS, plus a video of "45 And Rising" to boot!

The band, already a fave on TRIPLE J, have had tracks included on many compilations, most notably FBi's 'Kill Your Idols' & MODULAR's scene defining comp 'Leave Them All Behind'.
They are one of the hardest touring acts in country: they supported WOLFMOTHER and CUT COPY on their national tour, they just finished a national support with GERLING and this is in addition to an amazing range of rock and club acts they have played with, such as ANNIE, CHROMEO, DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979, ELECTRIC 6 & TRANS AM! Not only that, they are about to depart on their first headline national tour to support this EP.

2007-03-01T00:26:00.000+01:00

Pillow - Flowing Seasons
(2nd Rec, 2006)

Given that Britain seems to be dispensing with the hassle of seasons by adopting a dull-as-f*ck climate model which has us living in a perpetual September-hinterland, it’s probably inevitable that you’ll soon be able to buy a dose of summer-sun/winter-frost/autumn-drizzle on eBay – then indulge in a selection of pursuits accordingly. Tenuous to say the least, this brings us to the new album from Luca di Mira (of Giardini di Miro fame) who, operating as Pillow, has plumped a soft and comfy selection of intricately melancholic compositions and entitled them ‘Flowing Seasons’. Joined by a cavalcade of contributors (Populous, Corrado Nuccini and Matilde Davoli to name but a few...), Luca Di Mira has given voice to a wandering predilection that isn’t easily captured on record. Opening with ‘Song For Beginning’, a patter of electronic footsteps are given glorious texture by Di Mira’s sunrise vocals – taking cues from the Twin Peaks soundtrack, whilst frosting the resultant bloom in a restrained bombast that hints at a less histrionic Sigur Ros. Next up is ‘Cut-Out-And-Keep Quarrels’, wherein Telefon Tel Aviv’s glassy smooth is cracked under some glitch onslaught, the supine strings of ‘Indecision’ raise the emotions beautifully, whilst the languid unfurl of ‘Thick Skin’ is almost unbearably coy. And sleep...
- Boomkat.com

2007-02-27T16:26:00.000+01:00

Marsmobil - Minx
(Compost, 2006)

Co-production of Compost and the Kruder & Dorfmeister label G-Stone. Marsmobil's second album has the lascivious power of Air, the family feeling of the 70s band America and some of Talk Talk's fragility. Produced by Peter Kruder (Peace Orchestra, Voom Voom), Christian Prommer (Fauna Flash, Trüby Trio, Voom Voom) and Marsmobil mastermind Roberto Di Gioia. Roberto Di Gioia was born in Milan in 1965. He began playing piano at age 4. His favourite music is the Beatles. In 1975 he began his studies at the musical high school in Eichstaett and after graduating in 1984 moved to Munich. There he began his career as a prize-winning professional musician. He became famous as the brilliant keyboarder in Klaus Doldinger?s "Passport" and has performed on almost every album and permanently toured since 1990. He has also worked with numerous American Jazz stars like Art Farmer, Johnny Griffin, Joe Lovano, James Moody, Tom Harrell, Clark Terry, Gary Peacock, Dave Holland and Woody Shaw, as well as German greats like Albert Mangelsdorff, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Udo Lindenberg, Till Brönner, Klaus Weiss and Helge Schneider. At the end of the 1990s Di Gioia desired a personal extension of his musical creativity: "Marsmobil" was born and manifested itself for the first time in 1999 as vinyl on Payola Records. Inspired by the trashy analog sound aesthetics of the 60s and 70s, Marsmobil merges retro and future, space-pop and Burt Bacharach-like orchestrations to "The most wonderful and organic music of the new musical millennium". (Sueddeutsche Zeitung). It's no surprise that Di Gioia has been involved in some definitive productions in recent years like The Notwist ("Neon Golden") Console ("Reset The Preset") and Till Broenner ("Blue Eyed Soul"). In June 2003 he was asked by saxophonist Tim Ries to be part of a recording session for the album "Music of the Rolling Stones" with Charlie Watts, Bill Frisell and Darryl Jones. Marsmobil's debut album "Strange World" (ACT Records) featured such illustrious guests such as Klaus Doldinger, Till Broenner, Nils Landgren, Johannes Enders, Dan Berglund and Wigald Boning. "Minx" features the vocal talents of singer Martine Rojine. Martine definitely has an aura and projects security and an unbelievable presence on stage which she never uses as a plagiarism or makes her appear as "Just another front girl". She is more like a critical but life-loving neo-mod with unbelievable charisma, charm and life in her voice that carries you away.

2007-02-26T17:50:00.000+01:00

The Roots - Game Theory
(Def Jam, 2006)

Despite their signing to Def Jam, on Game Theory the Roots head in a direction opposite from all the trendy, commercial formulas that the label has pioneered. This is as intensely a "Roots album" as anything they've put out, the rightful sequel to their brilliant, creative Phrenology (unlike their last album, the off-balance Tipping Point. Game Theory is a dark and brooding affair, not just in Black Thought's foreboding lyricism but also in its musical textures. There's a layer of melancholia running beneath nearly every song, whether in the heavy thump of "In the Music" or the frenetic verve of "Here I Come." Track-for-track, this isn't The Roots' most scintillating collection of songs, but listened to from end-to-end, it's actually a remarkable achievement in album-making. Every song builds into the next one, and those willing to experience Game Theory as a 47-minute suite of 13 songs will be richly rewarded by how precisely the whole puzzle fits together.
- Oliver Wang, Amazon.com

2007-02-24T16:52:00.000+01:00

Radio Dept. - Pet Grief
(Labrador, 2006)

When the band was asked to describe the period after ''Lesser Matters'' we got this reply: Ideology, Amaterurism. Hype. Anst. Touring. USA. XL Recordings. Shelflife. England. ''Get a drummer!''. Fighting. Holland. Beligum. France. Spain. Italy. Germany. Angst. Euphoria. Mitt Sista Liv. Pary. Sonic. NME. Digfi. Work. Friends. Enimies. Separation. Unemployment. Money. Poverty. Reecord label. Fighting. Sophia Coppola. Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter. Björnstorp. Winter. Malmo. Stockholm. Art. Pop music. ''Pet Grief'' is a completely different album than the debut "Lesser matters". Still, you'll hear from the very first chord that you're listening to The Radio Dept. The mood is darker, more epic, grander and even more beautiful than ever. ''Pet Grief'' is the best songs Pet Shop Boys never wrote and the album you'd hoped My Bloody Valentine did after ''Loveless''. The key to what makes it so special, what makes it all sound so much like The Radio Dept. might be the ever present melancholy that permeate everything they write. LTM. 2006.
- Amazon.com

2007-02-23T17:10:00.000+01:00

Ricardo Villalobos - Fizheuer Zieheuer
(Playhouse, 2006)

An utterly genius 40 minute epic from the man Villalobos, 'Fizheuer Zieheuer' stretches well out into the distance with a whopping thirty-seven minutes spread over two tracks - bringing a blistering set of beats up close and personal with some joyous Eastern European horns. Unhurried in the best possible sense, 'Fizheuer Zieheuer' is a morphing masterpiece - with the subtle complexities of rhythm and melody knitting together to create an utterly beguiling sound that draws you deep within its grooves... then doubles the joy through knitted-hat horns that crank the mood up to 11. Minimal without becoming austere, 'Fizheuer Zieheuer' sees Villalobos at crowd-pleasing best - minting a true epic that compresses a sense of wide-screen scope into the kind of low-level intensity which stays with you long after the run-out groove is hit. And those horns... It's a f*cking belter. On the back is 'Fizheuer Zieheuer Pt. 2' - a more beat focused version than the front - that once again shows Villalobos at his minimal/muscular best. EPIC with caps locked - and possibly the single of the year, a true career highlight. KILLER!!!!!
- Boomkat.com

2007-02-22T20:48:00.000+01:00

Dan Deacon - Spiderman of the Rings
(Psych-o-Path Records 2007)

Loki summons Odin, and convinces him to give him his powers back for an hour, to get his mask back. He threatens Avery into showing up with the mask or else he will never see his son again. Eventually, it ends in a brawl between Loki and Avery donning the mask (actually for the second time, he had donned the mask earlier in the film, when he was going to a costume party), turning into a wild character similar to the one in the first film. After a crazy fight between the god and the "superhuman", Loki figures they are evenly matched opponents, and believes that they should let the baby decide who he wants to be with. He chooses Avery after the latter delivers a tearful apology to his son for not paying attention to him. But Loki, not prepared to give up so easily (knowing the price he will have to pay if he fails in his mission) grabs a giant hammer and chases Avery, his wife, and the baby. As he is about to attack them, Avery suddenly protects his wife and the baby from the hammer with super strength (probably side effects from wearing the mask). Just when it looks like Loki is about to finally crush them, his time finally runs out Odin comes back, and attacks him for failing at his mission, even going so far as to say that he is "in every sense of the word, a failure". As he is about to banish Loki again, Avery stands up to the powerful god, telling him that Loki is his son, and that the most important thing in the universe is the relationship between a father and son. Avery then gives the mask to Loki who presents it to his father, then Loki and Odin (now reconciled) go to the God World happily.

2007-02-22T19:59:00.000+01:00

My My - Songs For The Gentle
(Playhouse, 2006)

Judging this record purely on its cover and winsome typeface, you could be mistaken for thinking My My are into sunset folk and soft-centered solipsism. Well, you'd be wrong. Ensconced on Playhouse and dealing in slinky electronics, the Berlin based trio of My My (Carsten Klemann, Lee Jones and Nick Hoppner) certainly like a crescendo - with large chunks of 'Songs For The Gentle' building a fizzing digital web incrementally until it all peaks in an orgy of machine fluids. Opening through the tricksy cuts and bleeping fortitude of 'Clean Break', My My then go on to lay down a series of cuts that wouldn't look out of place amongst Villalobos' back catalogue - as the likes of 'When It Rains', 'Blue Skies' and 'Propain' all deep and satisfying cuts. Including the throbbing bass maximus of 'Serpentine', 'Swiss On Rye' and its 80's overture, and the perky bluster of 'Got It', 'Songs For The Gentle' even squeezes in some hip-hop for the closing 'Secret Life Of Pants'. My my, indeed...
- Boomkat.com

2007-02-17T15:41:00.000+01:00

Jello - Voile
(Peacefrog, 2002)

Sharply clever for a deep-mood LP of didactic techno, Jello's Volle returns to Bristolian trip-hop with the intention to slip in the personality of a university mathematics professor. Stoned grooves are passed over for alarm-clock electronic music, the outcome of which is a lucid offshoot of Autechre IDM and an artificial but somewhat menacing take on intentionally fictional soundtracks and antisocial hip-hop. Many songs float across, like Future Sound of London's "We Have Explosive," in slow-motion ("Lungbone," "Vamillaglade"). Others, suggestively, like the overcast charm of Iceland's Múm ("O'verb"). Inconsistent if relatively unique.
- Allmusic.com

2007-02-17T15:28:00.000+01:00

Broadcast - The Noise Made By People
(Warp, 2000)

After being mired in the studio for nearly three years, Broadcast returned with their first proper full-length album, The Noise Made by People, a collection of more shimmering, weightless pop that is nostalgic for yesterday's visions of the future but remains on the cutting edge of contemporary music. Where their early singles (collected on 1997's Work and Non-Work) painted small, quaint portraits of their retro-futurism, The Noise Made by People delivers their sound in widescreen, filmic grandeur. Richly layered yet airy pieces like the album bookends, "Long Was the Year" and "Dead the Long Year," seamlessly blend symphonic, electronic, and pop elements into smoky, evocative epics, while synth-based interludes such as "Minus One" and "The Tower of Our Tuning" present Broadcast's more detached, scientific side. Likewise, Trish Keenan's air-conditioned vocals sometime suggest a robotized Sandie Shaw or Cilla Black, but her humanity peeks out on "Come on Let's Go" and "Papercuts." "Echo's Answer" and "Until Then" are two of the other highlights from the album, which despite all of its chilly unearthliness, is a noise made by (very talented) people.
- Allmusic.com

2007-02-15T20:36:00.000+01:00

Yoshinori Sunahara - Love Beat
(Kioon, 2001)

"Ladies and gentleman, Welcome to Tokyo Underground airport on it's opening day." Yoshinori Sunahara says Yoshinori Sunahara,one of the most famous names of the Japanese Underground and Electronic music at the day. His most famous album has been so far "Love Beat", introducing a cheerful, stylish Japanese underground groove. Tokyo DJ Yoshinori Sunahara was born September 13, 1969. He made his solo debut in 1995 with Crossover. His later albums have been interesting mixtures of flight - Take Off and Landing, Pan Am-- The Sound of 70s. The song Love Beat in his album with a same name has got into several compilations.

2007-02-15T20:10:00.000+01:00

the essex green - cannibal sea
(Merge, 2006)

The third full-length from this Brooklyn collective features songs that draw on themes of travel, exploration, and the desire for a quiet niche amid the pressures of big city living. The characters show a yearning to break free from the boundaries of city life (the cannibal sea), to escape the darkness and fatigue and move on to a lighter-hearted setting surrounded by water, replete with the spray of the sea and the lilting of a boat. Listening to this is like opening a songbook of classic pop. The twelve songs incorporate country-rock traces of The Byrds, the Greenwich Village balladry of Fred Neill, and the acoustic pop harmonizing of The Mamas And The Papas. Add the pure pop perfection of The Monkees, and mix with more modern traces of The Shins, The Hidden Cameras, and Jens Lekman, and you have a recipe for a sound that's timeless without being purely retro. Their strongest and most cohesive album.

2007-02-15T18:37:00.000+01:00

Sebastien Schuller - Happiness
(Minty Fresh, 2005)

Sebastien Schuller's first full-length album walks and talks like a second or third release, which makes sense once you figure out that Schuller, a classically trained percussionist, has been releasing songs on compilation discs here and there for the past five years. He has a real knack for crafting thoughtful electronic music that moves like pop, and the result is a lush, echoing album, full of synthesizers and throbbing basslines. "Weeping Willow," which appeared on a comp back in 2005, is all whirligig keyboards and heady reverb, and "Tears Coming Home" pulses with electronic noise. All of it is competent, polished, and (contrarily enough), pretty mopey. But though Happiness is melancholy, it's injected with a few bright spots here and there. "Ride Along the Cliff" is a nice, jaunty break from the slower tracks, and "Sleeping Song" is upbeat in an introspective, glimmering way. This is the kind of stuff that draws immediate comparisons to Air, Radiohead, or even Moby, especially in the vocals department. And that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Schuller has an interesting voice -- thin and self-conscious -- and it's a nice touch when he allows himself to break through the instrumentation once in a while. Even if it sounds a lot like the some of the dreamy ambient pop that's come out of France before, this is a substantial debut -- haunting and difficult to fault.
- Allmusic.com

2007-02-11T15:36:00.000+01:00

Plus Device - Puncture
(Hefty records, 2006)

It's easy to get caught up in the guessing game surrounding Plus Device's identity. Their web site is coyly evasive and Hefty itself only concedes that the group is “a secret side project of two well-known electronic producers” and one with apparent Detroit connections. While Plus Device's sound is far from generic, its heavy embrace of classic Detroit techno — basic drum machines, Moog synthesizers, Rhodes piano, the Roland TB-303 — tends to camouflage the individuating touches that reveal immediately a particular artist's signature.

2007-02-11T14:38:00.000+01:00

Kim Hiorthøy - Melke
(Smalltown Supersound, 2002)

Kim Hiorthøy is a very prolific artist, working in a number of fields: He's a cinematographer (notably working with Margreth Olin on her documentaries), a director of music videos (notably for Motorpsycho and Supersilent), a writer of short prose (his book 'Du kan ikke svikte din beste venn og bli god til å synge samtidig' was published in 2002), an illustrator and graphic designer whose credits include the entire output of Norwegian record label Rune Grammofon, the majority of Motorpsycho and Jaga Jazzist's releases, a few film posters and a number of children's and other books. In addition to this, he's a composer and performer of quirky electronic music. He started making field recordings while an art student in the mid-nineties, later experimenting with a drum machine. After contributing a track to an Xart-sampler, he started releasing music on the Smalltown Supersound label, gathering praise from critics both at home and abroad. His debut Hei was accompanied by the Torture Happiness single, which allegedly inspired John Peel to write him a letter of thanks. Several EPs and a compilation of b-sides, remixes etc, appropriately titled Melke (vb: to milk) followed before the audience pleaser For the Ladies arrived in 2004. In between all his other projects, a new album has been promised for 2006.