no one confronts the abyss better than chris orrick. the michigan ex-factory worker formerly known as red pill has spent the last half-decade documenting industrial decay, familial pain, and struggles with addiction better than almost anyone inhabiting this poisoned soil. it’s somewhere between charles bukowski and michael moore, or maybe atmosphere if he couldn’t ignore the arsenic in the air. as orrick tells it, “portraits,” his latest album for mello music group is a return to form.

lee van dowski makes his debut on the mighty crosstown rebels with three delectably dark soundscapes in the tale of ordinary madness ep. the talented producer delivered a stunning ep for crosstown sub-label rebellion back in 2015 and this follow up exceeds all expectations. the title track is based on a text from charles bukowski’s my madness. opening with brooding intensity it evolves with haunting synths and subtle acid laced over a pitched down male vocal. on the flip the great escape and rapidplatz follow suit advancing with dark, hypnotic layers. french born, zurich based lee van dowski has toured the world many times over, as party of luciano’s vagabundos troupe and as an individual artist. his impressive discography covers labels including wagon repair, cocoon, suara, soma, rekids, bpitch control, ilian tape, and mobilee. this year shows no signs of slowing down with a release for nicole moudaber’s mood followed by this heavy-weight release for crosstown rebels.

the process of receiving and listening to demos is akin to the proverbial needle in a haystack - poorly labeled cd’s or mp3’s are handed out indiscriminately like flyers for strip clubs in times square (circa 1970). “i really think you are going to like this,” or “all nude girls,” and “dj ‘x’ played this at space,” or “24 hours live sex show…!!” but in the end, just like the harsh reality of a stripper in daylight, the demos fall well short of anything mildly interesting and certainly nothing you would bring home to mom… until madato… from the first group of tracks he sent it was clear that a nice guy from naples had sent us the needle we had been looking for. “naples may not be a place one would consider to be particularly inspiring, from its outside appearance, chaos, and plenty of junk on the streets - it takes a deeper gaze, beyond, and into madato’s dream world. madato is always looking at what’s beyond the waste. inside his dream box you might find laura palmer making out with ian curtis, charles bukowski writing a fairy tale, or perhaps john nash singing along to bauhaus songs…” file under: trippy disco inspired dance music, not defined by a genre but more of an attitude. post-punk undertones mixed with psychedelic sensibility

>kaputt in hollywood<, out on the berlin-based robosonic label diskomafia, is an homage to charles bukowski, the famous novelist and poet from los angeles. in this package you will be pleased to find remixes by front room recording artists, deadset