there smokes and whistles in zenker’s machine jungle. the best loved and best known brothers of the techno scene are causing a multi-layered schwirbler, which is likely to destroy many dancefloor lasting for years. jelly3000 are essika and andreas damaschun. “wave a wand” is lashed forward by a powerful-impulsive arp, while synths and piano dances light-footed about it and spreads a sustained mood. kessel vale has recently caused quite a stir with two eps on tanstaafl planets and rhythm nation. “stroke” should further expand its reputation as an idiosyncratic excellent producer with a penchant for the playful. steril – that artist you may know from international deejay gigolo records, erkrankung durch musik, schamoni musik, lasergun and müller records…oldschool.

homage returns for their fourth release with the debut ep from irish playboy kettama. the galway native is quickly becoming irelands most exciting electronic music name, known for his hard-hitting tracks laced with old school samples and classic rave sounds. the eps highly anticipated single, body, is making waves online thanks to mall grab givin it the heavy rinse cycle, most recently to a huge crowd at lost & found festival during a b2b with mella dee and denis sulta. the eps b-side is equally as big, housing two absolute peak-hour rave weapons. kettamas bucklyn bridge ep is one hell of a debut, and what better home for it than homage, the new york city label voted most likely to sustain themselves on bodega sandwiches.

having remixed depeche mode and dj hell as well as releasing a new fixmer/mccarthy single with douglas mccarthy (of nitzer ebb), 2017 has already proven to be a productive year for terence fixmer. with the new force ep, the berghain resident follows up on 2016 s beneath the skin ep (o-ton 97), offering four stylistically different but congenial techno scenarios for club use. the record s eponymous track on a1 doesn t think twice: the initial signal horn starts as sudden as the staggered kick drum rhythm, reoccurring throughout the cut s 6-minute playtime while sustained and oppressive screams from a synth, extra multifaceted ebm percussion and synth drones add to the overall sombre atmosphere of ôforceö. the musical vibe distinctly changes with ôsidewalkö which puts more focus on synth melodies û like its predecessor a techno cut per se, but with a stronger accent on hypnotic motifs. on b1 ômelting planetsö emphasises the kick: clocking in slightly slower than the other three tracks û at 122 bpm û the bass drum here sounds extra vivid, ever-present and spot-on, just as if terence was playing the drum kit sitting right next to you. with additional percussion and swirling melodies ômelting planetsö is a lulling, mesmerizing meditation in dub techno. ôstriking patternsö on b2 links to the best moments of force ep s a-side, combining bone-dry bass drum hits and distinctive brazen, banging noises, pulsing synths pads and sizzling surface sounds.

fur coat launch new label oddity which aims to showcase a darker, more tripped out techno sound. the first release kicks off with their genesis ep, which features two original tracks and a remix by scottish techno veterans slam. the venezuelan duo of sergio munoz and israel sunshine have released on labels like watergate, crosstown rebels, bpitch control and balance. the genesis eps artwork comes courtesy of barcelona based, colombian born artists lina bassiouny and maria paula quiva.

after starting out with eps showcasing tracks by various artists, invite’s choice is back with a 3 track ep by drafted.
the ep is opened by detached with it’s dominating, repeating tom/percussive low-end sound. the frequential spectrum is filled up by other percussive elements and reverb-filled effects, which give the track a spacious feel. oxidian starts out in your face with it’s droning and repetitive synth. the track evolves into an abstract apogee with intense synthesis before it breaks down again, allowing for a smooth mix to be made. sphere closes down this 3-track ep on the b-side and does so with lots of fast changing hi-hat and ride patterns and one sharp sounding synthesizer, which makes it a perfect b-side closing track. once again a great showcase of sustainable modern day electronic music by invite’s choice!

answer code request picks up where he left off with his album (code, ostgut ton, 2014) and 12“ (calm down, mdr, 2015): with the neume ep the berghain resident offers three new tracks, meandering between restrained club contexts and brittle break beats, machinery and futurist soulfulness. the eponymous track “neume” starts off on a with shuffling rhythms atop a heavy kick, soon caught up by first surging then predominant drone motifs, flashing bleeps and piercing strobe sounds. “meta” on b1 clocks in instantly without any build-up: its rhythm section sets the tone with broken beats while acr slowly carves out more musical detail and textures: subtle command vocals from the machine room, swelling synth pads and other chilling, athmospheric means are subsequently being added until the track’s break where the emphasis shifts towards the kick, pads and synth melodies until the track’s sustained, smooth outro. “vis” on b2 is the ep’s most protruding track: classic uk garage shuffle rhythms and amen breaks are contrasted by a funky kick and dreamful pads, intertwined with additional sparse percusion, layered with what in the first instance sounds like chirping birds but then like sparking wires. answer code request continues what he does best: combining the warm human touch with chilled alienated aesthetics.

usb stick - kein vinyl !! (usb stick - no vinyl)
2014 is the year of degree records first anniversary celebration. after three highly successful eps, which all hit the top 10, the label owners veitengruber and 212fahrenheit give their love back to the audience with the most sustainable and utterly stylish gimmick - a wooden 8 gb space to race usb flash drive with 16 exclusive tracks by the best national and international deep house and techhouse artists. it will be delivered in a precious box together with a necklace.

standard cover - no artwork edition !
bicep are back with the second release on their eponymous feel my bicep label with the follow up to last years vision of love. after a sustained period setting up their new studio, fmb002 features three tracks pushing into a synth driven direction in comparison to earlier releases

bicep are back with the second release on their eponymous feel my bicep label with the follow up to last years vision of love. after a sustained period setting up their new studio, fmb002 features three tracks pushing into a synth driven direction in comparison to earlier releases

nicolas cantu makes a welcome return to sequencias with the lost tribe—a brisk 808 workout with lush synthwork and psychedelic acid stylings. this is a more breezy approach compared to his work on other labels yet spares none of the imaginative or emotive qualities. on the flip side, label head jm de frias offers up the dissonant groover the light as a follow up to his debut track from levon vincents acclaimed fabric mix cd. brash percussion collides with staccato melodies awash in echo and organ, sustaining an intensity that never quite boils over. the two team up for the closer the last light, an atmospheric epic of growling strings, breathy ambience and melancholy stitched together with creaky, decrepit acid stabs and brittle percussion. this is the beginning of an on going collaboration between the two, keep your ears open in the near future.

the next ep on germany s hello? repeat imprint comes from seuil, one of paris s most inspired underground producers. in terms of style, it is a match that could hardly be more perfect. hello? repeat has spent the past six years carving a niche for itself with eps from cabanne, audio werner and label co-founder daze maxim, plus acclaimed albums by bruno pronsato and kate simko. seuil, meanwhile, has put out a steady stream of ultra-deep 12-inches on labels like freak n chic and sammy dees ultrastretch. both specialize in a sound that is modern, understated and hypnotic. late call is exactly what its name suggests: a record made for the deepest, most tender portion of the night. the drums are slick and punchy, but the rest is woozy and romantic–this is one to put on when the crowd has stopped chatting and everyone s dancing with their eyes closed. topping it off is a vocal line made famous by diana ross but recited here by an androgynous diva: if you need me, call me, no matter where you are, no matter how far… dark, trippy and weirdly moving, this is one of seuil s finest tracks yet. >slow motion< strikes a similar chord but with a more subtle approach. here you notice seuil s rare touch for subtlety: in the absence of any real >hook<, he keeps the track moving with expertly sculpted drums, a warm half-melody and a gently propulsive beat. soft chords sustain in the background to create a balmy summer night feel. both tracks show seuil and hello? repeat doing what they do best: delivering something deep, functional and full of character.

the yearly summit of keiji haino, jim o rourke and oren ambarchi continues with imikuzushi, which finds the group extending the power-trio strategies of last years highly praised in a flash everything comes together as one there is no need for a subject (bt05) and bringing to them a newly sustained intensity. for this performance, haino limits himself to electric guitar and vocals, forming complex networks of slashing rhythm work, noise squall and chromatic shredding, moving at times to near-silent passages of howled vocals and isolated, hanging guitar strums. the tendency towards driving free-rock which surfaced on moments of the trios last release is cemented here, with o rourkes fuzzed-out, non-linear bass riffing moving the music into almost garage-rock areas, combining with ambarchis drums to form a bedrock of hypnotic, metronomic pounding which transforms itself effortlessly into passages of flowing free-time. like all of hainos best work, the trio transcends any rock genre exercise to enter a non-idiomatic zone of ritual intensity, creating a music formed purely out of instrumental and group-mind possibility. presented as four unedited excerpts salvaged from an epic show that lasted well over three hours, the sometimes raw nature of the recording only adds to its directness and harshly emotive quality. francis plagne, melbourne, nov, 2011 released as a 6 panel digipak cd and as a limited edition double lp in a lavish gatefold with printed inner sleeves. design by stephen o malley with high quality live shots by ujin matsuo and stunning images by tokyo based photographer and sound artist shunichiro okad