on their introductory minus ep, click box offers a refreshing return to a bygone era of classic instrumentals, full of experimentation and passion generated by that ongoing love affair between man and machine. berlin shades starts out in a jittery minimal fashion but soon dives much deeper as the tough electro bassline expands and contracts dragging the dancer to and fro. the cascading hook and in-your-face sci-fi synth motif add a sense of tongue-in-cheek drama to a dynamic arrangement that incorporates steep inclines, sharp drops and snaking pathways. as the short staccato bass riff gains momentum and the hook comes round for the second time you just know somethings lying in wait and the boys certainly dont disappoint. lost road is anything but a blind alley, kicking off with some low-slung interplay between a two-note bassline and a whiplash snare that dishes out a serious spanking. hi-hats fizz across the audio spectrum, cleverly pitching up and down before a drunken bass sequence ushers in the main section with its sliding, twisted synth distortions primed for surprise and immediate disorientation. once all the elements are in play, the fun really starts with so many objects of interest competing for attention. the arrangement is pulled and pushed to great effect extracting maximum effect from this tough little unit. more electro flavour to the fore as the loose, broken beat intro and robot sounds of some toys make for some slick moves on the dancefloor. the retro synth riffs and dark spiralling pads conjure up images of some early 80s lab full of computer kids in white coats twiddling knobs on huge mainframe monoliths. the bouncing bass and analogue belches make this a must for all retro-tastic electro-boogie fans. the theme continues over into voxer as rising filtered bass tones playout over another trademark click box drum pattern, this time doused in heavy reverb and delay. an array of analogue bleeps, screams and laser beams keep the motor ticking over.

somewhere between electro soul and melodramatic pop. music focused towards the youth set in some strange dream. not sugarcoating anything. these late 80s / early 90s recordings are something to truly behold! . aset was a collective founded by a group of individuals deeply involved in community improvement initiatives and the struggle for justice and equality. a project that would link motivated adults with talented young people in the washington, dc metropolitan area. the compilation takes songs from three released projects of aset, and one semi-unreleased single. latonya, a spunky 11 year old kid singing about divorce, love, and dancing. the poster child of aset. treo, a trio of high school gals in harmony singing about love and relationships. whax, the high school boys who were a bit strangr the silly side of aset. all backed by the aset players. release comes housed in a newly designed jacket with inner sleeve containing info on the label/artists and an interview with the label director, mba mbulu.

on his 2011 album field songs, iowa troubadour william elliott whitmore documents a vanishing american landscape with all the heartfelt soul and quiet fury one could hope for. -heartland firebrand blows fuse, fights for truth- heralded spin magazine when describing whitmore, who utilizes a powerful singing voice beyond his years and a stark dramatic sound rooted in bluegrass, blues and folk protest music. these songs vividly evoke a life of struggle, humble resilience and family bond inspired by life on his familys farm along the mississippi river. whitmore has made a name for himself both within the punk movement, where his populism and sincerity resonate with alienated urban kids, and the roots community, where writers like andy downing in the chicago tribune have placed him within the -new pastoralism- of bon iver and the fleet foxes.