brilliant experimental electronic journey

john lord fonda is somehow a signore of electronic music in france, a free bpm hero. a simple and classy producer who only communicates through music.2012 is a new beginning for our antisocial nerd, with an ep and overall his album supersonique coming out now in france and may worldwide. he started re-producing track in 2005 delivering debaser, his previous album that sold more than 10 000 copies, having some really great feedbacks from so many medias worldwide.between june 2009 and october 2010, he got back in studio improving his production skills, getting the right way of producing for the current market, tracking all his weak point to get better, bigger. from the last years he only kept 2 tracks, brunette tattoo and orchidŽe, concentrating on brand new tracks and influences for all the rest of the album. he came back on stages in 2009 with composite, a live-set project which enabled him to discover upcoming artists and to assimilate all the new techniques.changing several time of tempo, supersonique is containing quite a few pearls, some efficient like brunette tattoo, you originate and orchidŽ. but the album also include some fine and melodic tracks like ÒemilianaÓ or toyboxes (which goes aphex twin electronica style). some ghosts from the classical music also haunt the album such as mozart, getting out (under acid) in whats going on, verdi facing some syncopated drums on sound of a melody or vivaldi on brunette tattoo. a full orchestra seems to drop a tear on orchidŽe.john lord fonda is a dance music warrior, an electro-tech seigneur, a future leader of free french techno. this second album has a huge class, a kind of urgency, full of simplicity, and goes straight to the point.

galaxy garden, the latest album by electronic explorer lone, already seems one of 2012s most hyped releases. following our in-depth interview with the man, were handling the uk premiere of a teaser trailer for the album, made by konx-om-pax. its your first chance to hear new music from the record c perhaps the most lasting realisation of lones vision of dance music yet c and it looks stunning to boot. what more could you want? r&s will release galaxy garden on may 5, its lead single crystal caverns 1991 is out this month.

after collaborating on exclusive tracks for the labels lovingly-acidic forward to the past series, dutch duo tj kong & modular k prepare to drop their debut full-length, dream cargoes on poker flat. having been friends and colleagues in the dutch electronic scene for well over a decade, the talented pair have so much experience in working on different studio projects, and now come together in this glorious full-length exploration of their vision of house and techno today. the artists erwin van moll (tj kong) and gijs janssen (modular k) represent two decades of collected experience in the underground techno and electronic music worlds.

its a great honour for us to be able to present conrad schnitzlers last work. endtime will be released as dlp, cd and download. only a few days before he passed away last august, he created this unique, almost 70 minutes long work. 36 parts mixed into each other create a walk through his entire work. this record is not only for fans of conrad schnitzler. its like a trip through 40 years of electronic music. conrad schnitzler once more shows how strong his influence has marked young artists like emeralds and oneohtrix point never. wihtout his solo works and his projects kluster, tangerine dream and eruption electronic music wouldnt be the same. the tracks on the vinyl edition are in the order sides a,c,b,d. this allows you to make your own mix of this big work.

plugged-in pop, concrete prog & global robotic rock.16 highly charged currents of latter day electro-magnetic poly-pop, robotic rock & modern day mechanical music. featuring unreleased electronic music for atari video games, swiss construction companies and low budget eastern film productions alongside unknown and undercover synth driven rarities by members of can, hawkwind, niagara, soft machine, dynastie crisis, gong & nucleus.compiled from a well travelled dj bag of inhumane second-class sound by saxonic wax magnet andy votel ( finders keepers ) including full length tracks from his acclaimed vintage voltage mix tape.

proper double cd set with fresh electronic disco / house sound

brownswood cast their net over 14 fine and thoroughly up-to-date electronic funk productions of all shades from djg, synkro & indigo, jus wan, funk ethics, hxdb, stray, monky, ta-ku, dj dials, and more. highlights have to synkro & indigos mid-tempo garage excursion knowing you and strays highly crafty consolidaion of footwork and d&b modes on break your legs, which is actually slicker than the title infers. wed also have to big up jack dixons heart-racing house number by my side, and the beautifully tailored minimalism of jus wans miles away, while elsewhere youll find melodic, flighty d&b from frederic robinson, techy garage calculations from funk ethics, lurching dubstep from djg and seductively warm electronic house by anenon.

nice price deal !!! kick back, relax, take some time out. strictly chill delivers another side to strictly rhythm. the side you need when theres call for more of a tap, tap, tap than a boom, boom, boom. music for lazy days and holidays. chillout is an established avenue of electronic music now, but before chillout there was ambient, pioneered by the orb and their ilk. the original, little known mix of winks higher state of consciousness is of that era. first made for strictlys deep and slow set in the mid 90s (and previously unreleased for download), it gently ushers in our session, followed by another cult classic in ultra nates 4 hero produced twisted and perennial favourite king of my castle by wamdue project, refreshed in lounge style by tjk and exclusive to this album. we continue in languorous style through the mellow moments of some of our finest producers, from then and now: charles websters magical mix of michel cleis la mezcla, henrik schwarzs beautiful version of code 718s equinox, more from osunlade, ben westbeech, afterlife and dennis ferrer and another exclusive to this release, mood ii swings underground classic do it your way. feel horizontal.

electronic duo cage & aviary are set to release their debut album >migration< on prins thomass internasjonal imprint this coming january.part man,part machine,part cockatiel,cage & aviary take flights of fancy whenever they can.jamie paton is a dj,a one-finger keyboardist,and a pot-tickler.nigel of bermondsey is a musician,south londons finest oscillator,and a dedicated dabbler.together they are winners of the cosmic lottery.having put out releases to much acclaim on the ltd editions that are dissident distribution,cage & aviary have since spread their wings with releases on dfa, tiny sticks and astro lab.their own label,the walls have ears,is slowly carving out a reputation for quality dubbed-out dance music too - the cage & aviary remix series has met with great critical acclaim thus far,with the likes of andy blake,prins thomas,horse meat disco,mock n toof,bill brewster, tim sweeney, james murphy,tiga,erol alkan and other such luminaries counted amongst fans of their work!

total reflection x-ray fluorescence (txrf) is a method used to analyze the surfaces of materials by firing extremely flat x-rays. subsequently, the physicist joachim knoth (1941-2004) developed a patent for precise measurement of defects in semiconductor chips.in 10 sequenced based electronic miniatures,felix kubin,who presently consists of dangerous uninsulated powerlines,conducts the txrf through an acoustical test arrangement. the experiment consists solely of a synthesizer, filter and sequencer.full-bodied consecutive organisms arise out of which kaleidescopic irridescent blossoms sprout.

please allow us the pleasure of introducing axel willner s loops of your heart. hailing from sweden, the man behind this record alone needs no introduction, as he is already well known in the electronic music scene for his project the field. loops of your heart reflects axel¼s experience in germany, where during his lengthy stays, his mantra-like arpeggiators contributed to the first manifestation of the sound of cologne tape, a group that formed while he was staying there. you can also hear this on the much sought after debut render, which came out on magazine last year. only a foreshadow for what was to about to come, willner has been living in berlin and letting his creativity go crazy. with an arsenal of special synthesizers and guitars he has put together and never ending nights . after touring worldwide with the field for the last 10 years, and never ending nights is like coming home again. you can hear german children speaking outside his studio in berlin (on the track neukšlln ) and it is not only the track titles which tell of things that have come to an end and or are about to happen. the old german musical tradition of letting yourself go (holger czukay, you, anima, cluster, you name it) is in the air, and willner breathes it. his highly personal approach to music and composition leads to nothing less then a matchless album that embodies beginning anew

even after more than 30 years of living the lifestyle of electronic dance music, techno is still sometimes looking for a matching form and sound language to transfer the special thrill of a live event to a club night adequately. so, sven vŠth and his crew were even more excited about the live set of eric estornell aka maetrik at cocoons closing party at amnesia / ibiza this year. for the final of a season that was once again exploring the limits of party culture, maetrik celebrated an extraordinary energetic state of emergency for more than one hour. the resulting live cd is reflecting that matchless mixture of pumping deep house, energetic soul and adrenaline-enriched noise.

hed kandi pres. winter chill - a selection of laidback electronic grooves for cosy winter listening! feat.mark ronson, may jane cole, dbridge..

following on from the debut artist album from marco bailey and the second album from guy j which have both been well received internationally amongst press and public alike as well as huge compilation releases from label owner john digweed himself in the form of the structures and bedrock 12 releases. following on from the second instalment of the structures series bedrock proudly present the debut artist album from rising star stelios vassiloudis titled -it is what it is-. a fantastic double cd release showcasing forward thinking music and once again showing why bedrock is one of the leading labels in the electronic scene. in addition to the many original pieces of work on this album, stelios has also teamed up with a vast array of talented vocalists and song writers. -the z- is a collaboration between himself and sasse who owns and releases music on his esteemed mood music label. based in berlin sasse has a long history of successful releases and support from some of the biggest names in the scene. john dalagelisinvolvement with the project (he co-engineered and co-produced the continuous mixes) resulted in him contributing his songwriting and studio finesse to -sunrise on the avenue-. john runs the very hip dieb audio imprint and has released music on a wide variety of labels over the years. the album is rich with the many vocal talents it hosts with notable contributions from the likes of astrid suryanto, tomomi ukomori, anna maria x and darren murray. astrid has an established history of working with some of the greatest names in electronic music such as todd terry, king britt, dj yellow and morgan page as well as a plethora of great labels like nervous, plastic city and armada amongst many others. based in japan, tomomi ukomori has also worked on stellar releases with key labels in that territory like avex, apt international and green parrot recordings working with the likes of mathias kaden, hernan cattaneo, omb and hideo kobyashi. anna maria x is a name synonymous with the music scene in greece whether it be as a dj or a producer/singer. anna has been one of the main names in the electronic scene being involved in clubs, radio and of course a whole host of releases with her studio partner, gpal.

biggest hardstyle anthems ever, 32 of the best festival hardstyle anthems on one compilation. every big festival has their own anthem to promote and here it is: 32 of the biggest hardstyle anthems ever on one compilation. relive your festival feeling once again and get the vibe back. with tracks from headhunterz, wildstylez, showtek, noisecontrollers and many other makes this compilation is an absolute must-have for all hardstyle lovers.

electronic, danceable pop meets industrial, dark techno. its the first time you can hear the folkpopsongs of piroth in these free interpretations. piroth remixed is a collaboration between the swedishlabel kranglan broadcast and oma gusti records. the release consists of 6 remixes of songs by the swedish folk-pop duo piroth. the remixes are made by some of the finest electronic producers such as popnoname (kompakt/firm/italic), disrelatedkin (ministry of sound/kitsunŽ), harald bjšrk (kranglan broadcast), studio barnhus (petter nordkvist, axel boman, kornŽl kov‡cs studiobarnhus/border community/pampa records/ourvision recordings), clara moto (infinŽ) and nathan fake (border community). the release is scheduled to the 26th of january 2011. the mastering is done by stefan echinger aka lopazz.

the album has a very fragile, stripped down and haunting sound and is being roundly praised for it s beauty and simplicity drawing numerous comparisons to his early work with the beta band on the -3 eps- album. having previously recorded as both king biscuit time and black affair, both largely electronic based projects, steve mason enlisted the help of producer richard x and consciously made a decision to go back to basics: the album was written entirely on acoustic guitar with many of the finished tracks stripped back to reveal his undoubted songwriting talent. this special bonus edition includes a bonus disc of the album -ghosts outside- which sees the original album given a dub reworking by dennis bovell.

justice, the french duo formed by gaspard auge and xavier de rosnay, is the band of a whole generation. when the two friends were still bright students in graphic design, in 2003 they made justice a place to experiment a hybrid genre between music and image, which blends pop and electronic borders, and showcases the talents of 2 fascinating passionate pop culture craftsmen, bored with hierarchy. they met pedro winter who had just founded his label ed banger records, he immediately signs them after listening to >we are your friends< which, with its joyful and vitamin-enriched electro beats combined with exhilarating voices, became the hymn of a whole generation and one of the most important tracks of the year 2000, celebrating a reconciliation of pop music and the dancefloor.

what a fantastic era the 80s was for music, to celebrate that time ministry of sound drop electronic 80s anthems. three cds ram packed of huge charts hits from inspirational groups and artists such as ultravox, gary numan, soft cell, joy division, duran duran, the human league, pet shop boys, new order, erasure, blondie and many more.

the late steve reid, veteran jazz drummer and percussionist, and kieran hebden (four tet), the british electronic musician/producer young enough to be his grandson, present the fifth and final installment of their momentous synergy. the music on this double cd was recorded in concert on 20 june 2009 in the foyer of the queen elizabeth hall at london s southbank centre, as part of the meltdown festival curated by free jazz legend ornette coleman. for this marathon workout, reid and hebden were joined by swedish power saxophonist mats gustafsson, whose fiery blowing style had inspired kieran to seek out a drummer like steve to work with in the first place. live at the south bank stands as a memorial to a thrilling and productive partnership sadly cut off in its prime.

little pianist is the stunning debut album of japanese duo bocca grande. formed by music producer kousuke ishida aka trio and piano teacher yuka kobayashi, bocca grande music gives an high value to the classic piano mixed with the electronic vibes. their beautiful single procedere, that anticipated the release of the album, shows magically their concept, a magnificent and emotional record, above any trend ! trio started to compose at sixteen years old. his sound reflects the deepness experienced in his life and that we find in the japanese culture and his dj style is influenced by the old school, from the deep side of chicago house to the detroit techno etc. their productions have been already released on labels like mathematics (chicago), four roses (germany), black vinyl (uk), nice and smooth (canada) and futic silver (tokyo). the tunes have been getting huge responses since played out by motor city drum ensemble during his guest slot at tim sweeneys legendary beats in space into the radio show in new york. an incredible album from start to finish. blending the majestic piano work with electronica, house, downbeat, dub and a cinematic vibe in a creative and innovative way, little pianist is one of those records that warrant to be listened to in their entirety... repeatedly!

2011 album from the anticon founder and instrumental rap innovator. fever dream is alias s most inspired and dynamic record in years. spurred by the psychedelic sound and off-kilter groove of electronic experimentalists like flying lotus, modeselektor and bibio, he ditches quantized beats, embraces warmth and sets the whole thing wobbling to a warped dance pulse. incorporating generous amounts of chopped, pitch-bent r&b vocals, plus sprinklings of live instrumentation and loads of left turns, fever dream is a stylistic whirlwind of hallucinatory house, homespun big beat, swinging downtempo and melodic break music.

for the past decade or so, polish musician michal jacaszek has been exploring a new, resolutely modern chapter in eastern europes long, storied love affair with classical music. his creations are painstakingly crafted collages of electronic textures and baroque instrumentation, harpsichords being swarmed by woolly static one minute and pulled apart by billowing wind the next. ambient music - if we can generalize unnecessarily for a second - is rarely so sonically challenging.

demissions is the album every in-the-know electronica fan has been anxiously awaiting for the last ten years. phoenecia, the duo who put experimental electronic music on the map in the us with their soul oddity releases, their infamous schematic label, their early releases on warp and their brilliant albums brownout & echelon mall, are back with new album destined to be as ageless & influential as any of their previous contributions. what strikes the listener at first is how seamlessly the songs throughout the album integrate acoustic percussion with electronics, most notably on the twelve-minute epic first track two-part invention for bodhran & computer.

the cocoon label presents the cocoon morphs tokyo cd, previously released exclusively in japan. presenting exclusive work by artists of the highest cocoon-caliber, cocoon morphs tokyo also celebrates the aesthetic partnership between world-renowned german photographer and artist andreas gursky and cocoon-head sven vaeth. gursky has published a cycle of large-sized pictures with -cocoon- as the central theme: the -cocoon- pictures reference current club culture, with gursky using the big techno events cocoon stages as inspiration. the architectural frame of his work refers to the design of the cocoonclub in frankfurt. the spatial concept was developed by v„th, together with the design agency 3deluxe. in gurskys cover art, you can see the idealized approach to the original cocoon club in all its fervent glory. here, excellent electronic music meets the work of the most important contemporary german artist worldwide - again, cocoon explores new frontiers and combines art forms of the 21st century. artists include: gerber & kalbata, tiefschwarz, pig & dan, vaeth vs. rother, schneider & galluzzi, ricardo villalobos, david k, and patrick zigon.

2011 release, the follow up to 2010s successful first volume of bangs & works. the carefully curated compilation showcases chicago footwork, one of the most forward-looking, innovative new styles of electronic music on the planet. footwork is beginning to spread outside of chicago, influencing productions around the world. bangs & works vol. 2 brings the focus back onto chicagos own producers, showing where the real innovation still lies. while its predecessor sticks mainly to the more hallucinatory and left-field elements, this one has a wider remit, ranging from mad techno-style tracks to those that sound like musique concrete gone footwork.

previously existing as progressive/melodic house entity solarity, dusky are london based musicians alfie granger-howell and nick harriman. as comfortable writing elegant orchestral pieces or stirring piano motifs as they are jackin house and epic techno grooves, their diverse sounds are united by the duos singular aim--to compose electronic music with depth, soul and originality. stick by this is the duos debut album.

xhins debut album on stroboscopic artefacts,sword,showcases the breath of his vision. as the second full-length release on stroboscopic artefacts, sword stretches the remit of the label s identity ever further. produced and recorded in singapore, xhin plucks sounds from the outer edges of electronic music and fuses them together. xhins approach revels not only in a hybrid sound palette but its also an album desi- gned for multiple contexts. its a record typified by duality. sword harbours electronic music ranges from brutal club sounds to deep and delicate murmurs.

otdxi is the newest installment in the classic r&s compilation series. previous installments have been responsible for rounding up the labels roster at the time and presenting their finest tracks to a wider audience, and have gone onto become classics in their own rights. with r&s again re-positioned as one of the most forward thinking electronic labels and with an enviable roster of cutting edge young talent it makes perfect sense to relaunch the series. disc one contains highlights from the last 18 months and includes contributions from blawan, lone and untold whose classic r&s influences are worn on their sleeves. tracks from james blake, pariah and the chain take cues from a distinctly uk sound, which the label has been keenly following from its new london base, and in cmyk have the biggest single from 2010.

anders trentemoller has become one of the most respected names in cutting edge electronic music in the last few years. his rise to notoriety was sparked by his early, techy releases for poker flat and audiomatique and has since gone on to stellar highs with his own personal take on the genre, spanning, pop, rock, indie and classical. his debut album >the last resort< was released in 2006 to much international acclaim, and the producer also began to become an in-demand remixer in the house and techno world. as the decade wore on his sound continued to progress, opening up his studio to more live instrumentation, and a looser, rock-meets electronic vibe with his stunning >into the great wide yonder< lp. now this special double cd and double vinyl release celebrates some of the producer s favourite remixes he completed for other artists, and also some of his personal picks where other musicians have reworked his music.

its a love story: stil vor talent have long been mad about niconŽ and sascha braemer so that the recent past has seen some very memorable releases by the two producers. now its about time they join forces to release a whole album together. while sascha braemer only recently caused waves with his Ÿber-track people, nicone is a long-established pillar of top-class electronic music.

the torino scale ... is a way of gauging the potential damage that may occur in the event of an impact from asteroids or other objects from space... excellent 11 track modern electronic album !!

new album by portable. on the fifth longplayer, alan abrahams teams up with efdemin, johannes schšn and >sŸd electronic< labelmate lakuti, to lead us into infinity. during the last 15 years, alan lived & composed in south africa / england / portugal and germany. he released records on background / context / karat / musik krause / scape / spectral / sŸd electronics and yore.

a few days ago james blake premiered a new track, a collaboration with bon iver called >fall creek boys choir<, and now its been announced that the track will be included in an upcoming ep from blake called enough thunder.
we now also know that the ep is due out october 10 on atlas and will feature blakes cover of joni mitchells >a case of you<, as well as four other new tracks from the electronic singer-songwriter wunderkind.

walls alessio natalizia and sam willis dont deal in perfect wholes. the kompakt duo return swiftly on the back of 2010 s critically lauded self titled debut, an album that picked up mojos coveted electronic album of the year, featured in nmes end-of-year lists, not to mention winning fans such as of jamie xx, caribou, james holden and impressing us trio battles so much that they have invited the pair on tour around the us this coming october. yet it isnt these admittedly impressive accolades that make the announcement of second lp >coracle< such an anticipated one, what makes walls so alluring is the fully immersive experience of their mellifluous electronica Ð reaching out far and wide to pull influences sonic, emotional and theoretical together into patterns of blissful phantasmagoria. taking their debut as the prototype, willis and natalizia have taken those initial early-sunrise evocations and pushed them to even more grandiose expanse

2011 album from the british electronic duo, their first album in seven years. producer/songwriter/frontman richard fearless mixed the album in michigan after recording it in shoreditch, london. trans-love energies, a reference to the 1960s detroit anti-establishment group, features 12 new songs with fearless performing lead vocals on the majority of the tracks. vocalist katie stelmanis from domino band austra guests on three of the tracks.

2011 release, the third album from the british electronic artist (real name: elliot john gleave) who combines beat-driven musical journeys with bits of hip hop, rock, pop, dubstep and house. following on from his breakthrough album, won t go quietly (2010), playing in the shadows offers up exactly what his fans want... and more. a grand time is guaranteed for all.

with the white isle summer coming to an end hed kandis saxophonist and vocalist laura fowles a.k.a the lovely laura and producer extraordinaire tyrrell come together to bring you their debut artist album straight from the sunsets of ibiza, hed kandi: balearica unplugged. they go back to basics, bringing the hed kandi fans a taste of their balearic musical roots. they disconnected the decks, ditched the electronic beats and unplugged the sound system stripping things back creating a medley of deliciously unplugged covers of their favourite dance songs. tyrrell picked up the six string, laid down some sensual acoustic guitar riffs and atmospheric chords, whilst laura added a splash of soft, husky, phenomenal vocals and sexy sax melodies. this all combined with additional production by the legendary steve miller a.ka. afterlife, brings you a wide, laid back collection all reworked with hed kandis own balearic acoustic treatment... always keeping a sunny disposition in mind. this one cd includes their favourite renditions of songs made famous by the likes of groove armada, calvin harris, deadmau5 & kaskade, friendly fires, empire of the sun and martin solvieg to name but a few. this essential eclectic collage of music is destined for ibizas renowned sunset strip for years to come, where legendary balearic hang out hotspots such as cafŽ del mar, savannahs or blue marlin celebrate the setting of the most talked about sunset, and balearica unplugged offers the perfect musical companion.

der erfolgreiche dance & electronic dj und produzent dj antoine, welcher in seiner heimat, der schweiz, sehr bekannt ist und mit ueber 1.1 millionen verkauften tontraegern zu den schwergewichten der dance-szene zaehlt, veroeffentlicht am 12. august 2011 sein neues album. -welcome to dj antoine- lautet der titel des neuen albums von dj antoine und lehnt sich dabei sehr stark an den titel seines aktuellen hits -welcome to st. tropez- an.

was i the wave? is the ophomore offering from montreal musician and producer miracle fortress (graham van pelt). miracle fortress gained international recognition in 2007 for his debut album five roses, a unique collection of psychedelic shoegazey-pop that garnered high praise from numerous outlets. it was also short listed for canadas polaris prize that year, alongside arcade fires neon bible and feists the reminder. while it bears little stylistic resemblance to his debut, was i the wave? is in some ways a similar offering, insofar as it takes us on a trip deep into van pelts unique musical mind. theres not much of an argument for calling this record indie-rock-its essentially an electronic offering--but existing fans wont find it too difficult to hear van pelts signature hooks swimming among the big synths, and deep beats. like five roses, it was created in isolation from top-to-bottom, with van pelt serving as composer, arranger, performer, producer, and engineer. taken as a product of his occasionally hermitic temperament, many of tracks here express themes of alienation, anonymity, or the desire for the assurances of intimacy.

the sound of garuda: chapter 2 is the brand new mix album from the uks no.1 dj: gareth emery. after the hugely successful first -sound of garuda- gareth emery returns with the second part to the garuda mix compilation story. the concept behind the compilation is to produce a mix from only new exclusive material from garuda, gareths own record label. the 12 tracks on the compilation is a cross selection of electronic styles ranging from uplifting slamming house music, engaging progressive and uplifting trance tracks with many of the tracks being made specifically for the album. it includes 2 brand new gareth emery tracks, which are collaborations with emerging artists. you dont want to miss out on this pearl from one of the grand masters of dance music!

tunisia has never been a referent place in the electronic music world. it was better known for its beaches and sunny weather, hardly for its political regime but the events of 2011 brought quite some changes about that. these changes have been nurturing in the underground of the country until exploding to the face of the world, with fantastic momentums of rebellion, courage and union. shinigami sans album is a signal that emanates from the underground of tunisia: a hybrid of dubstep, techno and noise, very dark, but most importantly, very true. this is neither the sound of london or berlin, and if a couple of ingredients from here and there are recognizable in -toys-, it is most definitely the electronic sound of tunisia we bring to you here. from the dusty, 8-bit dubstep of -lofi- and -toys- to the dark techno rollers -post trauma- and -migra-, you will go by tribal beats, eerie atmospheres and heavily distorted sound textures. shinigami san draws a panorama that shows both impressive skills and style. -toys- is not only about excellent and true music, but also about original product design and diy manufacturing. this 450 digipack limited edition was hand-printed and crafted using silk screen printing, rulers and cutters. the graphic design is based on drawings from sabrina ben hadj ali, and each cd comes with 3 original prints on the theme of the album. today, we are up to put tunisia under the radar of electronic beat diggers, today, we bring you the first album of tunisian-born shinigami san: nothing cheesy here, just a raw, brutally honest vibe.

after two re-releases of conrad schnitzler classics, (zug & ballet statique) now m=minimal releases a completely new work from the pioneer of electronic music. conrad schnitzler is a sound explorer. for many years, he has been on expeditions, journeys through his collection of electronic synthesizers almost every day. sounds he liked has been conserved on tape and stored in his sound library. the result is a huge library of audio files, he calls them >solen<. >borngrŠber & struever< have got the chance to examine that library and started to con-struct new pieces out of the hidden gems. these are not remixes but new compositions. none of the sound combinations were thought or heard before. the 8 tracks form an album independent of any trend and therefore it becomes a real acoustic environment for everyone. the album was produced at studio.wannsee. to give the album more authenticity, the complete audio processing was done using analog equipment. they not only used many classics among the finest synthesizers and outboard equipment, but also custom built tube gear. the icing on the cake are the tubes used from the 60s, which bought christian borngrŠber on a trip through the atacama desert in a small radio repair business in the city of calama. thanks to the desert climate even the packaging of the tubes looked as new

travis stewart is a producer whos always been admired by the electronic cognosenti, both as a solo producer in his project machinedrum and also as one half of sepalcure on hotflush recordings. after a break from producing he started to resurface in a major way last year with the -many faces e.p.- on glasgows luckyme label. however, for -room(s)-, his latest album on planet mu, he s well ahead of the curve, approaching the album in a way he s never worked before.the tracks on room(s) were started on the spur of the moment, often whilst traveling and finished in the studio, with the notion in mind that great moments of inspiration are fleeting so its best to grab on to that moment when it happens and squeeze it for all its worth. travis says of this process, -i feel like the energy of a song is lost the longer you spend working on it. this experiment in becoming less attached to my work essentially lead to a lot of songs that are connected sonically and aesthetically.-

you can forgive a band who set out to create something even just a little bit different and get it horrendously wrong, but its tough to have sympathy for a band who shy away from the challenge altogether. such was the case with autokratz on their first album, animal, which, apart from a passable opening track, consisted of a series of bland electronic pastiches Ð dance music that conversely made the listener want to sit and wait it out. that didnt stop the hype building around the duo, though, thanks in no small part to the fact that the album was released through in-vogue french label kitsunŽ music. the confusing positivity surrounding the lp suggesting, perhaps, that style overcomes substance once a record company has received the hipster seal of approval.this time around, however, kitsune has stepped aside, with autokratz releasing the follow-up on their own label, bad life. but has the sense of responsibility that surely comes with this step made them re-evaluate their direction? has it inspired them to inject a much-needed shot of creativity into their work? not a hope. if anything, autokratz descend even further into mediocrity on self help for beginners. once again, their best tunes are loaded towards the front of the album, starting with the lead single, -opposite of love. its far from outstanding, helped in no small part by the terribly contrived lyrics, but does possess a catchy synth melody Ð enough to earn it a place on club playlists, at least. its a similar story with -becoming the wraith, which has peter hook on hand to deliver an overtly new order-esque bassline. beyond that, however, the quality dips dramatically. tracks like -the seventh seal and -r.i.s.e. are typical of the selection on offer, underwhelmingly vapid, derivative tunes which show up a disappointing, but not totally unexpected, scarcity of guile on the part of their creators.where autokratz do excel is as producers Ð a quality evident not only in their own work, but also in their remixes for other artists. unfortunately, this only serves to exacerbate their deficiencies on the other side of the control room desk. ultimately it may mean that, having failed to address the shortcomings of their debut, autokratz will be fated to be filed under -also rans in the annals of music history. thats assuming, of course, that someone out there will actually remember them at all.

our obsession with the machine lies at the heart of all electronic music. but what sets the best electronic producers apart is their ability to harness technology to create sounds that are as emotional as they are innovative - something that shines through andrew bayers debut lp >its artificial<. touching on everything from flying lotus-esque glitch-hop and leftfield electronica to swirling melodic techno and warped electro, >its artificial< is the sound of a maverick musician using his machines to their fullest

sine music released the second album by merge of equals entitled submerge. the album will be available on cd and at all well known download stores. as the title suggests: listeners of submerge dive deep down into the sound-world of flavio maspoli. this versatile, multifaceted artist and producer from zuerich caused a sensation in the european music scene with his debut creation intoxication and now, with his new album, puts the listener, already with the first track, into a kind of rapture of the deep. the world is one could well be the credo of this new album submerge. with titles like tvija lijubov, biya, opium or atesh mystic and exotic tones taken from a wide variety of cultures fuse with modern beats and futuristic electronic sounds to enter a new symbiosis. the captivating vocals in varying languages of the guest vocalists gina estrada, sitta foehr, jelena schweizer, katt tait and kotomi bisang-mori guarantee a very special multi-cultural deep-sea dive while discretely enhancing the established chillout and lounge paths. even the classic bar chillout lover will be rewarded with tracks such as kleine wolke or heart & mind. the artist describes this new slot he has created as >magic chill•< offering a balance separate from prevalent trends.

the cocoon compilation k, being the longplay flagship in the cocoon catalogue, adequately starts the second decade of the label with a musical imperative. but dont worry: even if the letter k has sometimes been misused as an indicator for the degree of hardness of some sonic noise in the past of the tech-house scene, >k< is definitely the deepest survey of contemporary electronic dance music that has ever seen the light of day on cocoon recordings