Hello,
Welcome to 2012 and our first update of the year! 'The problem starts with the word electro,' goes a quote by Detroit's DJ Stingray, and indeed the e-word has been applied to pretty much any other genre beside the cold, synthetic funk of Kraftwerk, Model 500 and Drexciya.
Fans of the term's original meaning have however rejoiced over the style's recent resurgence, and brand-new releases are bound to prolong the high: A brilliant zero" exclusive from E.R.P. aka Convextion, killer 12"s from Detroit in Effect, Luke Eargoggle and Jon Convex, as well as reissued classics by Drexciya, Legofeet (aka Autechre), and Anthony Rother.
Enjoy! |
FEATURED EXCLUSIVE
His recordings as Convextion and E.R.P. have established Gerard Hanson as a singular voice in electronic music. Based in Dallas, Texas, his relative remoteness from the epicentres of club culture has allowed Hanson to maintain a unique perspective on deep and drifting techno and electro that mesmerises over your iPod earplugs as much as it is able to enchant Panorama Bar's early morning dance floor.
E.R.P. serves as Hanson's electro guise and after recent collaborations with Hardfloor the project now receives its latest outing on Frustrated Funk's sister imprint, Harbour City Sorrow.
Opener 'Lunar Ruins' takes the EP's most classical route, its interplay of funky bass stabs, 808 beats and transparent strings recalling the classic works of Elektroids and Dopplereffekt. 'Into the Distance' leans toward the deep end of techno reminiscent of Arne Weinberg or John Beltran, and the sliding synths of 'Mimosa Canopy' amount to pure hi-tech jazz. Excellent.
|
MORE ELECTRO ESSENTIALS
|
|
EP released 16-01-2012 on Bunker
Gothenburg's electro master Luke Eargoggle takes a minimalistic approach to his latest Bunker EP, its sparse drum machine beats and echoing synth bleeps bringing to mind the spooky minimalism of early Ectomorph productions. Check.
|
|
|
The knights of pure Detroit Electro strike again on M.A.P. records, with full-frontal workout 'In Yo Face', 'Turn It Out' spiking next-level electro command, 'Work It' sparsely implemented beatscience under vocal snips and 'Shake a Lil Faster' sounds out with a soulful mantra. Butt shakin' dance ammo. Killer!
|
|
|
Stealthy Detroit electro mainstays led by DJ Maaco appear on their own M.A.P. imprint with the kind of top-grade punishing electro finery you would expect. 'Move Yo Body' commands the dance, 'Break It Down' treading spacey synth-topias with 'Like No Other' and 'Dutch Friends' low-slung cruises. Hell yeah!
|
|
|
Clone release the first installment of the Drexciya re-issue series, remastered from original tapes. By mixing up the catalogue of the seminal Detroit act, it serves as a new experience for the longtime fan and good introduction to the uninitiated. Deep aquatic journeys that are just absolutely essential.
|
|
|
The intriguing Exaltics appear on Last Known Trajectory, after releases on Creme Organization and the epic 3-part album on Bunker last year. A mini-journey of their otherworldly electro-sinistry, with an even tougher bite like the slamming 'The Hunch' and jungle-electro of 'Warships…'. Don't miss.
|
|
|
Ewan Wilmott, with two releases on Dissident to his name, appears on the excellent Running Back living up to his gleeful mechanical name. 'Crepitation' bounces a jaunty bassline, whilst 'Jarza's vocoded-disco origins gets two Theo Parrish journeys - cosmic psychedelic and broody sonic sorcery. Tiptop.
|
|
|
Maxi-Single released 02-01-2012 on Marble
Para One crosses old-school electro with new-school rave on his latest outing, 'Mother'. Mr. Oizo slows down the track and straightens it out for his remix, while 'Compute' features Surkin and riffs on MMM's 'Donna' and Human Resource's 'Dominator'.
|
|
|
Norway's Impakt returns to Solar One with a diverse and analogue electro EP that covers styles from UR-style techno bass to acid-flavoured braindance synth pop. A definite recommendation for the electroheads out there.
|
|
|
Leipzig's Ortloff label confirms its status as an imprint to watch with a five-track EP by Michael Kohl aka PorkFour. 'V/OCT' is a versatile beast, its tracks ranging from the disco-tinged opener over electro-funk and downbeat electronica to the marvellously abstract, Actress-like title track. Excellent.
|
|
|
A new EP from the UK's busy electro veteran Dez Williams, 'Oper8' comprises five tracks of classic, sawtooth-infused electro. Relying on rapid-fire synth lines and uptempo breaks in equal measure this is a must for fans of hard hitting, yet musical electro beats.
|
|
|
Skam mainstay mr76ix returns with a teaser for his upcoming 'Experiment Four' album: 'Version' is a brutally shredded industrial IDM piece, while '2nd Thought' strikes a more funky note with its electro breaks and pads. Recommended for fans of Autechre, Squarepusher, AFX.
|
|
|
On his latest mini album Ed DMX once again takes his favourite analogue machines out for a spin. Six tracks of quirky, retro-futuristic electro, with 'Chi Sygni' standing out as one of the finest pieces we have heard from Mr. Upton in a while. Recommended.
|
|
|
Essential classic! Manchester's legendary Skam label celebrates its 20th anniversary by reissuing its first ever-release by 'Legofeet', a group better known as Autechre these days. Released in 1991 this sketchbook album oscillates between harsh machine beats and dreamy electro.
|
|
|
Once again available digitally, 'This Is Electro' compiles Anthony Rother's sublime early Detroit-style electro productions ('Red Light District', 'Love Is For The Hardest People') alongside his more rock-influenced later output. Pick your faves or get the whole specially-priced package.
|
|
