this is the first part (of four) of the much anticipated reissue series of drexciya s early catalogue, marking 20 years since the release of their first ep deep sea dweller , and 10 years since their final album grava 4 . one of the most influential techno acts ever, and part of the heritage of detroits underground resistance, drexciya explored techno like no-one else before: raw and uncompromising music that reflected the harsh environment of the city where drexciya was conceived, with a mythical approach that only added to their cult appeal. drexciya arguably stands for the darker side of techno and electro, made not only for the club scene, but a further development of the music as an expression and extension of the mind. journey of the deep sea dweller is a near-complete collection of their early works, released in four parts, with all audio remastered from the original master tapes. since the original releases have such a strong character and stand on their own, these reissue can never recreate the magic of those originals. instead, clone have stirred up the catalogue, taking tracks out of their original context, giving the committed fan a fresh experience and the new listener a document that is the best possible introduction to the aquatic world of drexciya.

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.

luke slater as > planetary assault systems< with his next outstanding album ! this time on berlins ostgut ton !!!

raise the curtain once more on a very special orchestral performance. how could highgrade records better celebrate its 100th release than with twelve tracks from the highgrade disharmonic orchestra? the creative combo featuring both label bosses tom clark and todd bodine, alongside philip bader, daniel dreier and dale, began over a year ago with the intention of celebrating the tenth birthday of the berlin label. and the resulting gift: a musical experiment. the five artists have bundled their creativity together into a symphony unparalleled in the techno scene. every performance is like a jam session: all five laptops are interconnected, so each of the artists has the opportunity to react to the others and modify each track as desired. thus, new arrangements are created and constantly re-interpreted. drum machines and synthesizers are also in play, to further stretch the improvisational possibilities. no wonder then, that the 100th release follows in this creative vein. the highgrade disharmonic orchestra, with multilayer, kiddnaps us away into vastly different musical worlds: from deep influences and custom recorded vocals to an array of technoid sounds and effects. then back to groovy, swinging beats reminiscent of a balmy summer evening on the beach. therefore the record is something of a rollercoaster ride, where we never know what might be waiting behind the next curve. typically highgrade

drawing from a rich sonic palette, man without country splice glacial guitar ripples with an eerie synth pulse to create music both complex and all embracing. their debut ep kicks off with king complex, taken from forthcoming album foe and indicative of mwcs ability to morph their source material into anthems when you least expect it, the tracks tinkling keyboard led intro exploding into a euphoric dancefloor chorus. the melody belies a darker sentiment behind the lyrics on king complex -you are a true parasite / and youre the bane of my life- ryan concedes that -they are personal and bitter-. this contrast between melody and lyric is a common theme across their debut long player. the six track ep features a further 3 tracks from foe Ð inflammable heart, ebb & flow and iceberg plus the sei a remix of king complex. xi is exclusive to this ep.

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.

the ever on point citrus recordings is stepping up for its 5th artist lp. after having released the debut albums of mindscape & jade wich all went on for critical acclaim its time for citrus to get ready for its 3rd artist album. this time its time for the debut album of fourward! hailing straight from lower austria the four men collective fourward started out producing music in early 2007. the boys knew each other for quite a while and shared the love and passion for drumandbass music. for them it was always a main issue not to stick to any particular tiny subgenre only, but to develop a sound of their own. all members have different musical backgrounds which fit together perfectly and provide a great studio vibe. days went by and the boys finished a couple of tunes properly and it wasnt long until austrian drumandbass producer duo body&soul showed interest in their works. also international artists like bbcs very own crissy criss began to support their music giving them airplay on his radio show. as a result of their effort fourward has released quality tunes on labels like subsonik sound, planet funk and fokuz. the year 2010 they experienced the so called breakthrough with releases on nasca recordings and fokuz followed by an epic 12inch for the legendary label virus recordings! the guys definitely didnt stop there and being on the road now broadened their horizon even further. resulting in a series of tunes perfectly fitting together in this cd. diversity and musicallity are keywords for this album. listen from low blow to you and me, quality drum n bass!!

since his first two personal album releases on kilk records, serafim tsotsonis has been developing into a talented musician. with the release of his brand new album. beautiful people, the greek artist takes a step further, presenting even more facets of his diverse talent with a work of exceptional polyphonic delights.in the albums opening track red, green, blue, a unique postmodern lullaby, the serene atmosphere of a childs room, is pierced with the sounds of an urban environment. an imposing performance by zach soars together with a chorus comprised by mikael delta, kid moxie, kiki, antoneta kotsi, fay depasta and serafim himself. at the same time, dimitri vassilakis, one of the foremost recognized greek wind musicians, adds further brushstrokes of sensitivity with his saxophone. with relaxed beats, unequivocal references to 80s melancholic electronica and the vocals of kiki and kid moxie, my own sea invites the listener to dive into the waters of his own dream world. in a way, it constitutes a continuation of serafims past creations, as heard in his earlier works, a fact that is sure to satisfy the most loyal of the artists fans. the dubstep references in the intro of so good, are intertwined with the modern electronic sound of berlin and the saxophone of dimitri vassilakis comes in at the end, marking a shift that leads to an exploration of new sound structures, in which european metronomy meets neo-jazz. the most radio-friendly track of the album comes with far away, a mutated balearic rhythm interpreted unpredictably by the rock-tinged voice of norwegian sverre olav r¿dseth. catch the cloud is where the album really takes off. a deep tech anthem for clubbers around the world, one can imagine it featured on the soundtracks of films such as berlin calling, had it been released sooner

whats the point of a concept album when no one hears the concept in it? maybe that it sets a boundary, forcing mr artist to go even deeper into the fewer possibilities left. creativity by limitation and all thatÉ well spare you further theorizing. >fever<, the third longplayer by dutch low end scientist 2562, then, is his disco album: a thorough reinterpretation of underground disco music from the mid seventies to the early eighties, with his own birthyear 1979 as the gravitational point. all based on one simple rule: every single sound, from the smallest background shiver to the most obese sub bass, originates from a disco record Ð no additional synthesizers, drumcomputers or other samplesources involved. disco-edits, italo homages or filtered loops then? hardly. this is genuinely new and retro-free music that respectfully flips its sources so hard even the biggest paradise garage connaisseurs wont recognize what just hit them. or in the words of musical allies martyn and pinch, who independently drew the same conclusion: >sorry, but i dont hear that whole disco story in there. this simply sounds like you.< completely failed as a concept album, then Ð and all the better for it.

mark mcguire operates chiefly as guitarist in the legendary emeralds. however he also has racked up an impressive set of solo releases over the last few years (albeit mainly in small to micro print runs). living with yourself is his new album and we at editions mego hope to meet any demand which may arise from this fine selection of modern crafted guitar tunes. focusing on his family, early friendships and the problems that inevitably develop through years of knowing someone, it takes mcguires sound even further out, and contains some his most accomplished songs to date. the opening track is fine example of mcguires magic technique of taking a lone acoustic guitar then transforming the track into bliss-out electro wash looping off into the distance. and tracks like clouds rolling in and brain storm take off where such mcguire classics as the marfa lights (which incidentally is planned for a future reissue) left off. while connoisseurs of his sound will find all they desire in here, many superb surprises await around every corner. these are songs that cruise, bubble and rise to the top.

focusing on a rich blueprint, with echoes of chicago house, detroit techno, and uk ambient techno flowing through its futuristic core, donnacha explores further his love for deep, hypnotising grooves, rich synth themes and emotive harmonies. colour in sound, space and clarity are at the centre of the wonderful production found in every track.

the album was one of the first to reach a far different audience to the traditional >world music< market and spawned many further projects and labels in its wake. a year later, the >nigeria 70< compilation surfaced on strut and labels like soundway and analog africa would continue to unearth amazing lost gems from the motherland. the album is testament to the determined work of brooker following several research trips, especially to east africa - kenya and zaire!

top mix cd vom kölner kompakt - dj star !!

james taylor s 4th dimension,the rochester-based hammond guru,returns to & further explore the endless possibilities offered by the classic hammond quartet format! 60s spy themes,psychedelic & free-form funky jazz