summing up 2017, skudge dug through the archive material from the formative years of 2009 and 2010. for the keen ear and reflective soul, the basis of the much-liked skudge sound is present here in a updated, perhaps more refined record. while working hard to pursue a specific set of labels, sound and aesthetic, skudge 011 presents us a welcomed look into the retrospect of their unique sound

rrose and lucy need little introduction as heads of eaux and stroboscopic artefacts (respectively), their influence on the direction of techno in the last five years is undeniable. rather than crafting a style to be imitated, they pursue an approach that welcomes unpredictable results, with the intention of stimulating uncharted areas of the mind through sound and rhythm. the first lotus eaters collaboration appeared on stroboscopic artefacts in 2016. for their follow up on eaux, the pair go deeper into lucy s analog modular forest, searching for those essential elements that will yield alchemical results. inner membrane undulates with ring modulated tones that stretch like liquid metal, patiently building up dancefloor energy with only the barest of percussive elements. on the b side, inverted limb takes a similarly minimal approach, utilizing two tones, a bass drum, and hi-hats to maximum effect. the ep closes with seeds of discontent a swirl of feedback and noise that is both soothing and unsettling, leaving us wondering what will come next

dualexercise_l is elaborated on the premise of collaboration and reinterpretation, it presents the original work of two artists along its respective recompositions. as a musical release produced by manchester s daniel ruane & oqko co-founder smog, dualexercise_l opens up with side a comprehended of two the original compositions which go through reinterpretation on the flip side. taking the concept of entropic degradation for focus, with harsh textural depth, twisted mechanistic noise and glimmers of breaks, bass and broken techno providing the sonic backdrop, ruane and smog serve out their singular visions of pandemonium across four slabs of high octane compositions.

once upon a time, there were two very difficult people who loved music very much. they loved music so much that they stayed together despite having clear signs that it was not necessarily the right thing to do. they made music together, or next to each other, and everything that happened, happened in the music. it was all whatever, but they still like it.

one of techno’s most prominent prism pushers follows work on fever ray’s plunge album to open 2018 with the masterful machine control of the 3d printed songbook , dispatched thru his stockholm-based personal imprint. in his highly personalised style of scandinavian techno dub pressure, mannerfelt pursues a signature blend of raved-up smarts with cutting-edge sound design into ever more curious, densely packed but spacious gestures on the 3d printed songbook by getting ever closer to grips with his elemental electronic material. where so much techno can feel like the work of a bored neek pushing blocks on a screen or effectively doing a colouring-in book, mannerfelt is a sculptor who has picked techno and pure, abstract electronics as his medium, manifesting a sound which works just as well for those who appreciate the tactile sensuality of manipulated noise, as those who love dancing to irregular, warped rhythms and sensational tones.

reflex in waves brings together a series of sonic approaches manning has been developing for over a decade. specifically, manning’s work is concerned with waves and the impacts of their resulting vibration. quietly producing audio works out of his studio in yeronga, on the south side of brisbane city, manning’s works are based on a series of deeply personal instrument designs, tape manipulation and other exploratory approaches. his instruments, which are often percussive, use harmonically related materials that are activated by motor-driven strings. the resulting sound is a chaotic but pulse-like cluster of harmony.

with an enviable private collection of synthesisers amassed during his travels to the us in the early 1970’s and shipped home to tel aviv (where he was an established kinetic artist, as well as a professor of both philosophy and art) ami’s main focus was the desire to combine his love of electronic music acts such as tangerine dream, philip glass and new synthesiser technology, with his interest in the relatively new technique of biofeedback - a process in which technology was used to relay information about the body’s functions in order to enable a change of physiological activity.

the italian artist has been a fixture of the underground since her precocious teens, clocking up many miles in control unit with ninni morgia (“it’s like catherine deneuve dumped two cases of post-repulsion psychiatric notes over pere ubu’s dub housing, lit the fuse and, ahem, stood well back” – julian cope), including collaborations with the likes of smegma, factrix, gary smith, aki onda and gate (michael morley of the dead c). through her own label, ultramarine, she has released music by the likes of raymond dijkstra, blood stereo and bene gesserit.

heavy dub rhythms with lush techno chords and a huge remix by stenny. jamaican dub structures strongly influenced by 90s chain reaction/basic channel atmospheres and uk trip hop elements. tip! this version is 12- only (without 7 - bonus)