hiding behind their three character website is a belgian duo called goldffinch whose steep vision of dancefloor techno marries loveable little phrases of awkward computer conversation with the kind of kick drums that will rattle the windows of your neighbours house when your soundsystem is tweaked perfectly. goldffinch may well be a duo bent on keeping things simple but when the end result, which is built out of such minimal layers, is so arresting, there’s no need to change the formula. not one bit.

container is a recent moniker of nashville, tennessee resident ren schofield who has been actively shifting about the u.s. playing shows and releasing cassettes on his mysterious i just live here imprint for a long while now. known primarily for his god willing project, a disjointed, confusing, maze of crude oscillator, tape, and guitar, ren has established himself as a staple in the east coast underground.
here we have a new experiment in electronic beat oriented music. this is no standard fare, however. it glows with a vision all its own, completely isolated and separate making it difficult to place in the awkward world of the genre. the sounds are a thick stew congealing new ideas and naive experiments into something in the ballpark of the new super weird wolfgang voigt 12 inches, abstract and minimal in nature with time stopping tendencies. take those 12 inches and send them thru the garbage can, tape loop, reel to reel experiments of ake hodells >220 volt buddha< or that weird track with lawnmower by charles amirkhanian on the first slowscan volume and we might be getting closer.

the second release on the forefront label is the pyramids ep from teenager nkc. the pyramids ep follows up on his debut release on awkward movements unleashing four tracks built for the dancefloor. the release has been gaining widespread support from the likes of bok bok, lil silva, marcus nasty & hard house banton along the way. >partisan efforts< kicks off the ep with carnival vibes, combining a jacking uk funky skeleton with uplifting pads and vocal samples. meanwhile >the pyramids< follows up on a tougher tip bringing together booming sub bass with rolling snares for maximum dancefloor impact. the b-side leads with the heavyweight >sellout< which brings laser-like stabs and uk funky drums together to create a powerful track thats surefire rave material. >untitled< completes the release with rolling percussion on a four to the floor backdrop combined with reverberating, percussive synths.

it’s with a lot of excitement that archipel’s boss himself releases a vinyl extract of his album’s favorite tracks. while the album which consist of 2 cds, we thought some of the works would fit well in the hands of collectors who would push the tunes in their quirky sets. the opening track, titled “big trouble in little cave” is one that could haunt a techno party in berlin where in the breakdown, things just go out of control and while you think you can’t take anymore, the music takes you back to earth. tests have proven to be used with care, reports indicate some people reacted with a lot of noise. “dérape totale” is perhaps a cross of four tet releasing on raster noton. awkward combo indeed but the strange structure on top of weirdly arranged percussion is set to catch your attention and draw you into an inner journey. with the chance of having manchester’s dncn join him for vocals, pheek goes with his first interpretation of what a pheekie-pop tune could be: fun, intriguing and catchy! >follow the flow< is the closing track and is one build tension with surprising exploding percussion clashes on top of melodic waves.

hailing from leipzig in germany is an artist whos music has been pricking up many ears across the global underground over the last few years. its hard to put a finger on what it is about kassem mosses productions that make repeated listening a must, but the intricacy, fresh arrangements and musical depth definitely play a part in attracting labels such as the highly respected techno imprint workshop, the legendary soma records and now nonplus are honoured to present his latest 12 inch. a) kassem mosse – >we speak to those< first up on the a-side we have >we speak to those< a 4/4 track of the highest quality that keeps you guessing from start to finish. the rugged and raw kick and bassline immediately set the foundations for the incoming awkward chord stabs whilst reversed beats lazily slur in and out over the main groove giving the track the unnerving feeling that its almost changing tempo. random sound effects and a non conforming arrangement make this track about as predictable as the english summer. one listen to this and youll immediately understand why this artist is getting love from some of the scenes biggest players at the moment. aa) kassem mosse – >hi res< phased drum machine breakbeat patterns and stutered percussion redolent of the early detroit techno uprising give this track an outstanding quality of being able to conjure up the same feelings of hope and optimism for electronic music that the aforementioned era managed to. thought provoking chord progressions take your mind on an excursion to the future and leave you gagging for an extended trip. think skyways, flying cars and towering metal buildings footed with dark abysmal underworlds and youll get the drift. they don t come much deeper than this one

decks tipp

special kind of fool is tys story. the tale of an artist who after ten years,three critically acclaimed albums (awkward 2001, upwards 2003, closer 2006), collaborations with the likes of tony allen, de la soul, damon albarn and estelle, a mercury nomination amongst other accolades, and a worldwide army of fans, has always followed his heart.