Hello,
A hot and long summer finally at our doorstep, it is once again time to appreciate the best music of the year so far in our Summer Sale 2011!
From Moebius to Moby, from the deepest electronic underground to chart-topping heights, 150 of our favourite albums from 2011 are now available for a special price until August 15.
Find your own summer favourites from Alva Noto, Tiger & Woods, Kode9, Ellen Allien, Nicolas Jaar, Robert Hood, Robag Wruhme, Steffi, 2562, and many more, neatly split into separate sections for techno and house, dubstep and hip-hop, electronica and experimental, as well as disco and alternative below. |
TECHNO / HOUSE ESSENTIALS
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Album released 20-06-2011 on M-Plant
Robert Hood presents 'Omega: Alive', a recreation of last year's acclaimed 'Omega' LP, including reworked versions of tracks from the celebrated M-Plant catalogue. Recorded from rehearsals for his live performances, Hood reinforces the uncompromising minimalism in techno that he single-handedly established.
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Album released 27-06-2011 on Soma
Soma Records strides on strong with its 20th anniversary celebrations this year with Rod Modell's first solo album in several years. Produced mostly during an extended stay in Amsterdam (as the title suggests), his take on classic dub techno is as ever his own - deep, dirty and dreamy. Highly recommended.
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One of Panorama Bar's most prestiged residents Prosumer carries on the impeccable series. Exclusives from Steffi, Hunee and Soundstore, a soulful Chicago core served by J.T.Melody and Fingers Inc., brilliantly shaken up by the likes of Lil Silva, i (aka Uwe Schmidt), Soundso & T.S.O.S. too. Wondrous and essential!
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Album released 20-06-2011 on Kompakt
Mainstay of the scene John Tejada releases his next album via Kompakt, following up the lush 'Unstable Condition' single. His effortlessly chiselled grooves and rhythms, melodic and relatively downtempo with Tejada's fine style and his many years of experience making an admirably lush album. Recommended.
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Compilation released 17-01-2011 on Kompakt
Spanning over a decade, Robag Wruhme's selection for his latest mix CD chimes with his familiar expertise. An impeccable collection with tender moments and glimmering minimal textures, constantly shifting without pushing, it's a gorgeous mix which begs to be put on repeat. Outstanding.
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Highly anticipated debut album from this unique young talent certainly doesn't disappoint. Delicately carved textures burying instruments within fibrous warmth, balancing melodies and sonic experiments and grooving at its own pace. An effortlessly heavenly album and highly recommended!
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Jamie Jones and Lee Foss are making hot waves indeed with the first volume in a quarterly series of compilations from their Hot Natured / Hot Creations camp. Twelve excellent tracks between modern deep house and funky tech-house, with nods to Detroit and electro-funk. Bomb!
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Compilation released 06-06-2011 on Laid
Since it's inception in 2009, Dial Records' sister label, Laid, has been available strictly on 12" vinyl only featuring the most essential house tracks in the past 2 years. We are finally treated with an official compilation showcasing tracks by the label's illustrious roster of artists, Kassem Mosse, John Roberts included.
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A prominent fact about Dominik Eulberg that he, at one point, studied biology and spends some of his time as a park ranger comes not as a surprise to anybody new to his diverse, lush, and widescreen brand of techno. His third LP for Traum intricately intertwines nature and techno with delicate sophistication.
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Panorama Bar resident Steffi utilizes her many years of house expertise in her debut album, following on from her recent stream of Dolly releases as label head. From beginning to end, her timeless soulful house embraces sounding like the most blissful Panorama Bar emotions condensed into an album. Ace.
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Ellen Allien's 'Dust' remixes is probably the most star-studded set of remixes you'll encounter this year and impresses in both its diversity and quality. Highlights come from firm zero" favourites Nicolas Jaar, John Roberts, Kassem Mosse and Bodycode, not to mention Aux 88, We Love and Tim Hecker. Bravo!
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Whilst Luca Mortellaro's passion for club music is clear, his debut album delves deep into a techno chasm and explores more dissipate territories. Working heavily with field recordings, he creates an epic journey of pulsating atmospheres, biting textures and vaporised vocal samples to magnificent effect. Blinder.
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The techno stalwart behind revered releases on his own Fachwerk and MD2 imprints, as well as Clone and Echocord delivers his first album on Delsin. With a timeless techno creativity, each track shows its own determination, focused down to the tiniest detail and completely compelling throughout.
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Over 50 releases Freude Am Tanzen have been cultivating their own brand of deep minimalism. '5zig' features amazing contributions from all of the labels mainstays: Brittle electro by Robag Wruhme, wobbly house by Mathias Kaden, deep techno by Daniel Stefanik, Taron-Trekka, Monkey Maffia, and many more!
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Time To Express celebrates its third anniversary with an excellent compilation that crosses over brooding electronica and deep, experimental techno on 13 tracks (six of them unreleased) by label owner Peter Van Hoesen and guest stars such as Donato Dozzy, Iori, and Lucy. Cutting edge music, highly recommended.
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Album released 23-05-2011 on Kompakt
GusGus' second album for Kompakt sees the return of vocalist Earth, which adds to a new opulence in the group's sound compared to 2009's more reduced '24/7'. Bombastic eurodance hits ('Over', 'Within You') alternate with more minimalistic pop moments on an album that will surely please their many fans.
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Third album from Berlin-based Daniel Gardner sees his unique melodic dancefloor energy showing a maturer turn from 2007's 'Midnight Black Indulgence'. Luxuriously curved exotic tones and bouncing padded bass are balanced by mellower moments, brilliant as a listening album as well as one for the floor.
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Compilation released 11-04-2011 on Echocord
Danish dub techno giants at Echocord celebrate their jubilee with this premium grade compilation of ten exclusive tracks. All deep, dreamy, dubby killer and no filler from the likes of Fluxion, Deadbeat, Luke Hess, Mikkel Metal, Quantec, Onmutu Mechanicks and Echospace's Stephen Hitchell. Bravo!
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Album released 13-06-2011 on Dial
Pantha Du Prince's debut album from 2004 gets a digital release. From the softer 'St. Denis Bei Licht' to the dancier 'Eisregen' Hendrik Weber's effervescent, atmospheric and richly textured take on techno has an innately elegant sensibility which makes it an album still sounding just as lush in 2011.
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A remastered version of Aril Brikha's remarkable debut album demonstrates the admirable timeless quality of his productions ten years on. Alongside the original tracks, the release includes ten unreleased tracks recorded between 1995-99, which includes plentiful gems, 'Fuknit' and 'Us' amongst them. Staggering.
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After a wealth of singles 'Alive' is Chaim Avital's first album, and the Israeli producer does a perfect job of tuning his sound to the full-length format: 12 tracks of techno and pop-induced house music with plenty of lush vocals, catchy hooks, and subtle mood swings to keep you listening. Highly recommended!
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Gene Hunt excavates unreleased tracks from reel-to-reel tapes dating from 1982-1989 with early works and absolute stunners from the greats such as Virgo Four, Ron Hardy, Larry Heard and many more. Simply incredible raw and jacking Chicago house gems you didn't even know you were missing. Wow.
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Following her productions for Spectral Sound and Ghostly International, Chicago-based producer Kate Simko joins the Hello Repeat camp for her new album 'Lights Out', a varied journey of deep and minimalistic, techno-induced house music, interspersed with ambient and electronica pieces. Recommended.
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Sven Väths definitive label marks 11 years in the techno biz with a huge compilation of brand new remixes of Cocoon classics. Artists such as Visionquest, Roman Flügel & Kollektiv Turmstrasse rework original hits by Dinky, Extrawelt & Martin Buttrich with that incredible Cocoon finesse. Ace!
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Tiga's Turbo Recordings is an interesting choice of label for Swiss producer Crowdpleaser's debut album - its subtly instrumented house and deep techno cuts take cues from afrobebat, jazz and downbeat and wouldn't seem out of place of Circus Company or Innervisions either. Nice.
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Craig Smith and Graeme Clark's debut album has been tipped as something special all along, and we're happy to concur: its biggest achievement possibly being how fresh its combination of hypnotic wildpitch disco, funk, soul, and house music sounds today. Excellent and highly recommended.
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Black Strobe member Arnaud Rebotini releases his second album, putting his vintage machines to excellent use in an album of vivacious gothic electro, rotating in moods of ambient, kosmische, trance and disco. Souped up with synths and in a finely balanced nostalgic-futuristic style, a very enjoyable listen.
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Kris Wadsworth, Jimmy Edgar, Will Saul & Tam Cooper, Frankie Flowerz, Mark Henning, Mr. G, Glimpse, Alex Jones and Dan Berkson are just some of the prominent producers contributing to Hypercolour's vision of contemporary house music on 'Patterns Vol.1'. Recommended!
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Paul Kalkbrenner takes on his superstar status with a good measure of irony, since the movie-hit 'Berlin Calling' made Berlin's techno scene the talk of everyone and their mom. Declaring 'Me Again', his album returns to his minimalistic and melodic techno roots.
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Album released 01-07-2011 on Amam
Italian DJ/producer Alessio Mereu, with a huge amount of 12s already under his belt, shows in his debut album that despite his young years, his production is outstandingly mature. Deep, grooving and through its fine rhythmical details he knows how to keep things interesting on the dancefloor. Recommended.
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Frederic Moering-Sack & Christian de Jonquières aka Piemont return with their second long-player on their own Suchtreflex imprint. Their slick and sturdy techno house reaches out to grainier terrains, incorporating field recordings and instruments in this solid yet tactile album.
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Poker Flat is feeling the old-school vibe with 15 brand new and exclusive tracks from the likes of Kink & Neville Watson - hitting it Sheffield bleep style - Deetron - taking cues from Derrick May - and Redshape - with a nod to Wolfgang Voigt's Love Inc. project. Plus Steve Bug, Ribn, The Revenge, Sasse. Excellent.
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Album released 04-04-2011 on CLR
Tommy Four Seven comes armed to the teeth when it comes to technique in the studio. Utilizing a host of found sounds and vocals from field recordings to cultivate his distinct sound, T47's debut full-length for Chris Liebing's CLR, 'Primate', displays the muscle and depth of field that comes from a mastery of his tools.
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After a single low-profile release last year, London-based June releases a highly anticipated debut album on Argy's These Days. An absolutely gorgeous timeless blend of italo, classic Chicago and kosmische with Terre Thaemlitz aka DJ Sprinkles on two epic remixes to boot. An incredible record!
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Panorama Bar resident Margaret Dygas releases her debut album on Japanese label Powershovel Audio following on from a handful of quality releases on Perlon and Non Standard Productions. Subtly carved textures and gentle grooves with a deeply personal and experimental feel. Highly recommended album.
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Album released 31-01-2011 on Infiné
Agoria's fourth album is also his very first for his own label, and it programmatically showcases the range of styles Infiné has become famous for: from smooth tech house (collabs with Carl Craig and Seth Troxler), to touches of indie pop on two tracks with Kid A, to the neo-classical sounds of 'Under the River'. Great.
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Edinburgh-based Gavin Sutherland aka Fudge Fingas' releases his debut album on Trus'me's Prime Numbers label, highly anticipated since his 'Me & U' track hit last year. In a similar vein, his deep house staple is filled to the brim with emotive jazz and soul - an accomplished album that doesn't let go til the end.
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Copenhagen's Resoe releases his debut full-length on Echocord and his years of mastery are more than apparent. From the snappier 'Nachhall' and 'Mutation' to the smoldering dubbed out 'Demoon' of the forerunner EP and the deep luscious 'Syntax Error', the album gels a perfect balance. Mighty.
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Detroit house legend Rick Wilhite delivers his debut LP on Chicago's Still Music. Opening with an incredible collaboration with Osunlade, Theo Parrish and Billy Love, the album breathes deep and sticky house grooves throughout with soulful, jackin' and trippy old-school vibes expertly flowing. Excellent!
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With a number of hits under his belt, Simon Baker releases his debut album on Leeds label 2020Vision. Deep house tracks which are soulful and melodic, energised as in 'Blue Lights' and 'Traces' balanced out by more relaxed vibes like 'Think!', a lovely Art Department remix rounds it off. Quality!
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Album released 25-02-2011 on Robsoul
It's a timeless vision of house music that Phil Weeks and his Robsoul label have been following over the past years, and 'Love Affair' is yet another highpoint for both, blending house and soul influences from all ages with Weeks' unmistakably slamming beats. Recommended.
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Album released 23-02-2011 on Minus
Comprised of 15 lengthy tracks and a full album mix, Marco Carola's new album is certainly a weighty package. Fans of the Italian techno ambassador will likely succumb to the album's largely percussive charm and comply with its creator's advice to 'Play It Loud!'.
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With his unique style of jacking Chicago house, Derrick Carter mixes the latest in the acclaimed Fabric series. Faithfully capturing the powerful groove of his esteemed DJ-sets, the mix features some classics like Roger Sanchez alongside newer cuts from DJ Sneak and several re-edits by Carter himself. Bang on!
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Crème Organization presents a long overdue compilation of Rude 66's early (and long deleted) works for Acid Planet and Djax. Taking cues from electro and IDM 'Two Worlds' is 11 cuts of rough and gritty The Hague warehouse acid and a must for all Bunker and Unit Moebius fans.
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The electro anarchists at Boysnoize resurrect the TB-303 phenomenon for the present day youth with this 'super acid' compilation using different hard & software solutions of the historic bassline maker. Including efforts by Siriusmo, Joakim, Feadz & Djedjotronic spanning the acid spectrum. Wired!
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Eric Estornel (aka Maetrik)'s house guise has already shown its undeniable deep and soulful properties with his slammer anthem 'Vibe Your Love'. Resonating warmth from the blissful groove in 'You & Me' to the keys and bass of 'Dexter's Flight', with funk-laden 'Love U Mama' on the way. Pure vibing.
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Excellent retrospective scanning almost 10 years of definitive productions by Kompakt's elusive label co-owner. From the crystalline pop perfection of his unforgettable 'So Weit Wie Noch Nie' to the superior dancefloor precision of 'Nord' and 'We Love' and his recent gem 'So Wird Die Zeit Gemacht'. Timeless.
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Michal Ho returns with his second album since 2007's 'Screw The Coffeemaker' with an album of his warm and quirky techno house designed to keep dancefloors moving. With appearances by Berlin-based Cesare vs. Disorder and Mexico's Luis Mexin, it's a fine album of unexpected twists and turns.
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Stemming from an exceptional evening in Paris in October 2010, Karat Records release this top compilation with mostly exclusive tracks. Includes fresh twisted house from Portable, Trus'Me and Dolibox, Skudge and Dandy Jack on a darker dub techno tip and a surprise hip-hop fusion jam from Isolée. Swell.
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London's tech-house stalwarts NRK compile a nice volume of banging house tracks to cure the new year's eve hangover. Featuring jacking goodness from the likes of Derrick Carter, Gemini, Foremost Poets, Nick Holder, Rob Mello, and many more.
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Barcelona's Galaktika label celebrates its first 5 years with a classy compilation featuring Maceo Plex, Iron Curtis, Pablo Bolivar, Cosmic Cowboys, Clement Meyer, Gui Boratto and many, many more. With 28 tracks and two one-hour mixes by Maetrik and Garnica, this volume definitely offers a bang for the buck.
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DUBSTEP / HIP HOP / ELECTRO ESSENTIALS
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Entirely comprised of samples from his parents' disco record collection, Dave Huisman's third album as 2562, 'Fever', flips its original sound sources far beyond its prescribed purposes to produce an experience quite unlike anyone operating in electronic music today in seemingly effortless style. Amazing.
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One of the strongest artistic voices in dubstep, Kode9 returns with his hugely anticipated second album: 'Black Sun' switches up the apocalyptic mood of his previous 'Memories Of The Future' with female vocals, future r'n'b references and a FlyLo collab without sacrificing his sound's raw power. Landmark album.
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Hotly anticipated Fabriclive edition from man-of-the-moment, UK bass ambassador Pearson Sound aka Ramadanman. A brilliantly deft beat workout of a mix, his distinct production and DJ style coming to the fore. Wall-to-wall huge tracks, his unreleased remix of Joy Orbison's 'GR Etiquette' amongst many highlights. 100% essential!
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The first full-length album to appear from London's future-ravers Night Slugs comes from Toronto-based Egyptrixx. A solid journey from experimental synth dronage to edgy electropop with guests from Canadian band Trust, epic neon minimal techno and the odd hi-energy dancefloor smasher. Winner.
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The collaboration between Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek finally drops its long-awaited LP on Warp. After delivering sneak peaks on three devastating singles, Africa Hitech's debut showcases an expertise across a wide range of broken beat styles as expected from these two extraordinary talents. Fantastic.
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Kryptic Minds' crystal clear sound aesthetics betray the duo's d'n'b roots, but their second studio album is firmly focused on the Autonomic sound. Traces of wobbly dubstep meet Boards Of Canada strings and r'n'b vocals, all generously spaced within the album's 13 sparse and cavernous tracks. Tip!
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The now-legendary label founded by Ben UFO, Pearson Sound (TAFKA Ramadanman) & Pangaea continues to tantalise the cutting edge of UK dance music with spanking new material from all of its label talents and a few guests. Formidable contributions from D1, Untold, Blawan, Joe, Randomer & more - essential!
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The back catalogue part of Hessle Audio's '116 & Rising' celebrates its quality bass music output in a compilation of some of its strongest material to date. From 2007's debut with TRG's 'Put You Down', over Pangaea, Untold, Ramadanman to Joe, James Blake & Blawan – uncannily fresh reminders of Hessle classics.
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dBridge's Exit Records presents a massive 22 track compilation dedicated to deep and cutting-edge sounds on the border of dubstep and drum'n bass. With everyone from Scuba, Instra:mental, and Synkro to Commix, ASC, and Skream aboard, this is a must, not only for Autonomic fans!
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First full length album from Sven Weisemann's Desolate moniker sees him explore ambient, dubby atmospheres with a spine-tingling melancholy. While the Burial influence is clear, tracks like 'Pain' and 'Divinus' show how Desolate's sound fuses this emotion uniquely with his love of house and techno. Great.
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Volume 3 of the wicked compilation series by Mala's Deep Medi Musik hits us hard with sub-heavy, meditative dubstep, featuring an all-star selection of the genre's top producers: Goth-Trad, Silkie, Quest, Clouds, and Skream. This is a must for all selectors and fans of the deepest, darkest dub!
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Fittingly released on April 4, 'Back And 4th' compiles ten new and exclusive tracks by a sensational line-up - Boddika, Roska, Boxcutter, Sepalcure, Scuba and more - while throwing in ten classics from Hotflush's fantastic catalogue as a bonus, such as 'Hyph Mngo' and 'Sketch On Glass'. Absolutely huge!
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Silkie's debut album appeared mid-2009 in the midst the seismic shift in the dubstep/UK bass landscape, reinforcing values set by mentor and Deep Medi label boss, Mala. Now in 2011, Silkie returns with the follow-up volume innovating further on his defiantly urban signature sound.
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Cardopusher's third album marks the departure from his early breakcore and grimestep phase and his turn towards the deeper end of UK bass music in the vein of HudMo, Zomby, Joy O and Roska. It's a highly convincing reinvention across 13 tracks featuring Sensational, Kid606, Juakali, and Ghosts on Tape.
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Vienna's finest beatsmiths unite on this fine volume for local label Affine: Dorian Concept, Ogris Debris, and The Clonius team up in various incarnations, including live band JSBL, with additional input by Paul Randolph, Cosmin TRG, and Cid Rim. From abstract downbeat to wonky house, this is excellent!
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Dutch-born, London-based drum'n bass producer Icicle was never one to rely on the same old formulas that are a rampant in the crowded genre. Here in his debut full-length for Shogun Audio, 'Under The Ice', he proves himself to be one of the most original and innovative talents operating in bass music today.
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Car Crash Set represents its home turf with 'No Northwest', an excellent compilation of electro/dubstep/future bass by four US artists based in the state of Washington: 214 (also check his recent Harbour City Sorrow EP), qp, Cedaa, and the label's own Ill Cosby. Good stuff.
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London's Jeremy Duffy makes his bid for the stars in his debut album, blending his influences of dub, funk, soul and downtempo. From the funking 'Love The Freak' to the heady bliss of 'Happy Days', Duffstep creates cosmic concoctions of beaming synths, fuzzy basslines and utopic beats. Delightful.
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Man Recordings impresario Daniel Haaksman drops his debut album on the label, merging Brazilian baile funk with an international blend of club music styles, from Afro-Baltimore ('Sum Sum') to Balkan ghetto house ('Dubcheck'). 'Rambazamba' is energetic, transcultural, and a lot of fun.
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'Nearly Naked' compiles two previous volumes of Jahcoozi remix EPs (incl. Ramadanman, Ikonika, Milanese, and more) alongside brand-new takes by Tayo, LV, Mr. Statik, and Deadbeat. Berlin barefoot meets London bass, with the previously unreleased track 'Rumours' thrown in for good measure. Recommended.
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Miami's electro stalwart Shad T. Scott (a.k.a. Gosub) returns with a new album under his Dcast Dynamics guise. 'Vile Vortices' showcases the deeper and more electronica-infused side to his productions of subaquatic electro. Ten accomplished tracks from slow-grooving spacious synth epics to deep acid techno.
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Instra:mental's burgeoning imprint, Nonplus, has been gaining a reputation for releasing a quite eclectic selection of music, from Lowtec and Actress to Skream and Boddika. Here they introduce new electronica band LOL, their debut album 'Me Me' taking influences from bass music and infusing their own brand of pop.
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London-based UK Bass experimentalist, Spatial, compiles his self-titled debut album for his own Infrasonics label, comprised of tracks taken from his acclaimed limited 10" releases. 13 tracks with a minimalist attitude and some serious low-end subbass pressure!
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All City presents the worldwide debut of The Midnight Eez. Reportedly a 1995/1996 mixtape demo given virtually anonymously to All City co-founder Splyce during a record buying excursion to NYC, this somewhat 'unauthorized' release will hopefully unearth its original creators to give them their overdue credit.
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They Live is the combined force of Consequence and Joe Seven, both with solo releases on Exit. Their debut full length, impresses even more than their excellent 'Pure Palms' EP, a subtle yet epic journey of sci-fi atmospheres, impeccable beat production and a forward-thinking approach. Hats off.
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Since his release on Punch Drunk late last year, Bristol-based experimentalist Ekoplekz enters the eerie mansions of Mordant Music with this extensive psychedelic synth-dub freak-out. Freestyling analogue bleeps and otherworldly noises and rhythms carve out an ingeniously warped musical mind. Fantastic.
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ELECTRONICA / AMBIENT ESSENTIALS
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The fifth collaboration album of Carsten Nicolai / Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto, 'Summvs' is surely a highpoint in the two exceptional artists' history of working together. Nicolai's glitches, bleeps and drones perfectly amend Sakamoto's contemplative piano work for an outstanding album. Huge.
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Album released 14-02-2011 on kranky
Releasing this album 'Ravedeath, 1972' on Valentine's Day, enigmatic drone specialist Tim Hecker's uncanny knack for expressing contradictions in his music seems all the more poignant. Beauty in noise and serenity in chaos, a breathtaking album from a veritable master. Highly recommended.
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An excellent tribute to legendary German space rock outfit Popol Vuh: Volume one collects original tracks as well as some of their soundtracks for Werner Herzog films. Volume two has luminaries such as Moritz Von Oswald, Peter Kruder, Mika Vainio, and Schwarz/Âme/Dixon on remix/editing duties.
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Legendary Detroit producer John Beltran with releases on Peacefrog and Planet E cites his ambient works as some his own personal favourites. Via Delsin he releases this selection, recalling abstract UK electronica and 90s chillout, it's indeed quite fitting for winding down in this decade too. Lush listening.
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A reissue of Sven Weisemann's 2009 epic 'Xine', modern classical piano motifs augmented with finely carved out textures informed by techno and dub techno. Its cinematic depth is its striking feature, with his grandiose and emotive creation of spaces making it still an utterly moving listen.
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Raster-Noton presents its third album by the French-born, Berlin-based avant-garde artist/producer, Kangding Ray. Although airy and elegantly composed, something fierce and primal exists within Letellier's work - one can't help but feel a feral energy while taking in the 11 tracks comprised in 'Or'.
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The full title, 'A Young Persons Guide to Mark McGuire', is quite ironic given the artist in question is only 24 years old. This double volume compiles some of the best work of the Emeralds member: stunningly melodic guitar pluckings and drones, previously only available on limited eds CDRs and tapes. Great!
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Compilation released 31-01-2011 on Kompakt
Kompakt's annual Pop Ambient compilation appears with many of the usual suspects and a few newcomers this year. Highlight tracks include a collaboration between Carsten Nicolai and Blixa Bargeld, a dreamy excursion by Bhutan Tiger Rescue (Ewan Pearson & October) and an elusive Crato. Divine.
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Seminal UK electronic act Seefeel return fifteen years after their last LP with Mark Clifford and Sarah Peacock joined by Shigeru Ishihara (DJ Scotch Egg) on bass and E-Da (Boredoms) on drums. Their definitive luscious sound reaches new terrain with the new members. Lusciously complex and a very fine album.
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Album released 27-05-2011 on Subtext
Heavyweight Bristolian duo emptyset release their second full-length after 2009's epic self-titled debut and a corker for CLR earlier this year. Uncompromising and brash techno-rooted bass experimentations, a grittier, more primal take on bare electronics of Sähko and Raster Noton. Highly Recommended.
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Elusive heroes of audio engineering nsi aka Tobias Freund and Max Loderbauer release the follow up to 2007's 'Plays Non Standards'. Their minimalist approach, accentuating the minutest nuances of their chosen analogue gear throughout the 24 tracks produces beautifully organic results. Awe-inspiring.
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Whilst punching holes in cards to make electronic music seems a pretty quirky idea these days, Trunk Records provide a timely reminder of these early experiments at Bell Labs including works by the recently deceased Max Mathews (after whom Max/MSP was named). A highly enjoyable history lesson.
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On 'Perfume' Tin Man reaches a middle ground between his extensive explorations of analogue acid house and his song-oriented electronica recordings. His laid-back singing is more present then ever, but at the same time the album's tracks have a distinct house music feel. Unique and recommended.
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With the Ghostly reissue of his 'Cyanide Sisters' EP earlier this year, New Jersey's Com Truise's epic synth-topias have found themselves a deservedly wider fanbase. Now his debut album proper immerses in heady 80s-inspired synthscapes, buff beats and that very addictive retro-futuristic feel. Recommended.
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Six years after his last album under his real name Jason Forrest returns with 'The Everything', an album that refines his anything-goes sample based approach without abandoning his legendary sonic anarchism. From easy listening jazz core to garage rock techno breaks, this album has... well, everything!
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Ghostly compile Gold Panda's earliest releases onto one album, with his ingenious fuzzy electronica hits such as 'Quitters Raga' and 'Back Home' still shining alongside his more experimental downtempo works from his debut 'Before' EP and the rare track 'Like Totally'. Awesome material for fans and newcomers.
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Scott Herren's latest album explores a female theme with a cast of vocalists including Zola Jesus, Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond and the late Trish Keenan of Broadcast. It is also one of the boldest Prefuse 73 albums to date, delving deep into electroacoustics and experimental song writing. Highly intriguing.
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Even after releasing five albums, Warp Records artist Bibio still has quite a lot to say when it comes to expressing his expansive sonic vision. In his sixth complete full-length, 'Mind Bokeh', Bibio wears many different hats shifting into personas varying from folky to funky and drenching every moment in blissful haze.
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British ensemble Dakota Suite release a further full-length album, showing a brighter direction in their sound. The delicate and fragile artistry still intact, with smokey jazz components roaming in melodic frames, brushed cymbals, bass, piano and electronics making a highly enjoyable listen.
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Compilation released 20-05-2011 on Soma
The fifth volume of Soma Coma once again showcases the more reflective side of the influential label with 14 tracks of moody ambient and exquisite electronica. Featuring The Black Dog, Hatikvah, Alex Smoke, Gene Farris, Silicone Soul, and more artists from the Soma camp.
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Album released 25-03-2011 on Soma
Releasing since 2002 on Glasgow's seminal Soma records, Martin Wheeler aka Vector Lovers has remastered and remixed his works especially for this album. A fine retrospective of smartly produced downtempo electronica, marked by bittersweet melodies and glitchy rhythms. Includes a new track 'Floating Point'.
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The fact that Roedelius and Moebius release new albums in the same month is certainly a noteworthy coincidence after all these years. If you're into industrial downbeat experiments with a touch of Drexciya and Oni Ayhun ('Bone'!) then Moebius might even have a slight edge over his former colleague. Excellent.
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Album released 06-05-2011 on Type
New Yorker Ezekiel Honig's latest album appears on Type, a hazy affair similar to his wonderful 'Surfaces of a Broken Marching Band'. An outstandingly beautiful fusion of delicate field recordings, gently processed acoustic instruments and distant, subtle beats that truly hits the spot. Brilliant.
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Third full-length from Italy's Emanuele Errante sees a development in his continuing sonic search. Allowing the natural beauty of acoustic instruments to shine amongst electronic sounds, his delicate compositions are as hypnotic and arresting as ever. Includes video by Mélanie Skriabine.
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As one half of Sun Electric and Bus, Tom Thiel has amassed a sizeable discography over the decades, yet this is his first album under his own name. And it's a real beauty, with Sun Electric's cosmic electronica giving way to tender ambient moments, subtle house motifs, and spacious dub techniques. Excellent.
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The heavily-distorted sounds of 'Latatan' may have been a bold decision to introduce the debut full-length from Yu Miyashita on Mille Plateaux, but as a statement it might read something like 'this is my sound, take it or leave it!' Twisted and construed noise permeates throughout this electrifying, if not stupefying debut.
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Album released 03-05-2011 on 12K
Fourcolor is the solo project of Minamo's Keiichi Sugimoto, constructing warm and harmonic ambient compositions from fractured layers of guitars. Gently plucked, subtly glitched or processed into shimmering drones, Sugimoto elicits a wide range of warm sounds from his instrument. Beautiful.
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NHK's Kouhei Matsunaga follows up his recent collaboration album with rapper Sensational with another full-length for Skam. Kouhei frequently uses the compressor as an instrument, creating interesting dynamics across 19 tracks influenced by abstract hip hop, electro and even dub techno. Recommended.
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An intriguing collection of seemingly disparate tracks by the always adventurous Staubgold label, 'Transparent Roads' features at times reflective, at times wild post-rock by the likes of David Grubbs, The Necks, and perhaps most notably Mira Calix, who contributes two lovely ambient compositions.
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Germany's The Notwist meet Anticon's Themselves again as 13 & God, the second album since 2005's ace self-titled. The indie-electronica sensibility of The Notwist less tightly fused with Doseone's lyrical agility and Jel's broken beat science this time, though still making a diverse and interesting listen.
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The Viennese Duo 505 Bernhard Fleischmann and Herbert Weixelbaum asked themselves the question 'Waltz or not?' and appeared with this highly enjoyable electronic and instrumental fusion, extrapolating far from the Roland-505 in their name. Intricate and evocative with an opulent improvisational feel.
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Neo Ouija returns with the third album of Berlin-based coposer and sound designer Tilman Ehrhorn, eight years after his debut, 'Task', for Mille Plateux. Ten tracks of exquisite instrumental glitch hop, with lush, laid-back pads betraying Ehrhorn's background as a jazz saxophonist. Recommended.
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Karsten Pflum's 'Slaphead Faun' was one of our surprise electronica favourites of 2010. Now signed to the prestigious Hymen label he delivers a worthy follow-up: 'No Noia My Love' puts an even more prominent focus on experimental drum'n bass, interspersed with moments of fragile acoustic beauty.
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Editions Mego reissue the 2009 debut album of experimental guitarist Bill Orcut, 'A New Way To Pay Old Debts'. The former member of Miami's notorious noise rock band Harry Pussy has developed a unique style of solo guitar playing, using only four downtuned strings to intonate his brutal blues assaults.
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Album released 14-01-2011 on Lidar
Starkly beautiful album by UK's Chris Hooson aka Dakota Suite and Italy's Emanuele Errante. Simple and honest, yet tender and profound pieces which masterfully weave piano, guitar and string fragments to create a stunning and emotive album.
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Rotterdam's Roswell Return provide the soundtrack to 'Roadworkers', an narrationless documentary on the daily work of Dutch roadmen. Roswell Return's drexciyan techno dub and Debbie Kleijn' beautifully filmed images come together as a unique work of realistic art. This video edition includes both the movie and the full album.
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ALTERNATIVE / POP / DISCO ESSENTIALS
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Getting fans of excellently produced, slo-mo disco edits rather hot under the collar over the past few months, the elusive Tiger & Woods shimmy on with their debut album. Their winning soulful vocal samples spliced with loving overdoses of disco and funk make for 100% arms-in-the-air groovers. Brilliant!
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Everybody to the sun: DJ Harvey brings his Locussolus project to the album format, and featuring the talens of Andrew Weatherall, Emperor Machine, and Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas this is a fantastic, 1:30 hours long journey of lush cosmic disco, psychedelic dubs, and krauty garage jams. Delirious.
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Richard Dorfmeister lifts the curtains to his private collection, compiling a lovely volume of smooth jazz, blues, and dubby slow rock greats. A wonderful soundtrack to both making out and spacing out, following the advice of Harri Stojka's closing track, 'Bau No Wos Au' - Viennese slang for 'roll another one'.
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Robert Johnson main man Ata compiles a volume for the LARJ series, and from the outset this was going to be something special. It's best described as '1983 seen from 2011' - 12 rare tracks from the era of new wave disco and early electro that still sound as futuristic today as they did 25 years ago. Killer!
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After singles on Meakusma and Rush Hour, Massimiliano Pagliara releases his debut full-length on the prestigious LARJ imprint. Thick with retro-synths and dreamily slow disco-influenced beats and vocals, Chicago house and synthpop arife, it's nostalgia with a modern twist. Blissful listening.
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Album released 12-04-2011 on Strut
Ghanaian highlife guitar legend Ebo Taylor teams up with Strut to release a definitive compilation of his seminal 1970s recordings, 'Life Stories'. With such irresistible afro-beat gems like 'Love And Death' or 'Aba Yaa' this compilation showcases some of the genre's finest works and comes highly recommended.
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With the departure of Tyondai Braxton, Battles see an accomplished change of direction. 'Ice Cream' feat. Matias Aguayo marks an upbeat, gleeful and less rigid style, with psychedelic and industrial edges added to minimalist math-rock roots. Fresh!
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Techno-producer turned millionaire pop star Moby delivers his tenth album, 'Destroyed'. His millions of fans will surely appreciate its 15 tracks of world-weary, string-drenched breakbeat pop, while those mystified by the man's career will likely keep on wondering what this is all about.
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Album released 21-02-2011 on Kitsuné
Selected by Kitsuné head-honcho Gildas Loaëc and famous graffiti artist André 'Mr. A' Saraiva, 'Kitsuné Parisien' presents some of the hottest tunes from the Parisian electro-pop underground. A lucky bag of sexy and cheerful tunes, this is the perfect remedy for gloomy late winter moods.
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Vienna's Wolfram Eckert strides fully into the limelight with his self-titled debut album. Guests include Hercules & Love Affair, Sally Shapiro, Patrick Pulsinger, Holy Ghost! & Legowelt not to mention euro-dance legend Haddaway (yes, that one!). A heady elixir of pure unadulterated disco-pop genius!
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Album released 18-03-2011 on Sinnbus
Bodi Bill skilfully fuse indie-pop with influences from minimal techno and glitchy electronica on their fourth album, 'What?'. Such a cross-over is probably only possible in Berlin, and the electronic elements nicely fit the melancholic vibe of the album. Highly recommended for fans of Apparat and Raz Ohara.
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Rwandan-born and Berlin-based self-proclaimed nomad Barbara Panther unleashes her bold and vibrant debut album. Fusing her enigmatic personality and lyrical fantasy with broad influences including techno and electronica, produced by one Matthew Herbert no less. Innovative top-quality pop music.
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Housemeister's second LP for Boyznoize, 'Music Is Awesome', delivers a highly energetic fusion of electro, pop, and punk - nothing short of what could be expected from a label that has become a household name for the sound. Injecting equal amounts of distortion and attitude, Housemeister gets down and dirty.
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Icelandic popsters FM Belfast return with a second album after 2008's 'How To Make Friends'. You wouldn't guess the core line-up has members of ambient experimentalists Múm, their bouyant and energetic blend of saccharine electro-pop bouncing with a catchy hyperactivity. Sweet.
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Album released 25-02-2011 on Gomma
Gomma head-honcho Mathias Modica presents his follow-up album to 2008's 'Cloudbuster', further polishing his decadent disco funk with the help of lovely guest vocalists like Pollyester and Koko Von Napoo's Clara Cometti. Good, stylish, and very sexy fun.
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Those keen ears at Tri Angle Records re-release How To Dress Well aka Tom Krell's debut from last year, giving it a much deserved wider audience. Singing out r'n'b essences with his own falsetto vocals, the album is steeped in melancholic grainy emotions and wholly endearing lo-fi naivety. Brilliant.
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Ja, Panik from Vienna have managed to take the Spex readership by storm with their first two albums, and 'DMD KIU LIDT' offers an even bolder take on their witty avant-pop. Sung in a mixture of German and (consciously bad) English, and once again recorded with star producer Moses Schneider (Tocotronic).
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France's Bernard Fevre returns with a brand new album of his signature dark disco sound on Lo Recordings. Featuring high profile guests such as Nancy Sinatra, Jon Spencer, Afrika Bambaataa and Claire Evans of YACHT in some poptastic, dusky italo-bass driven steamers. Recommended!
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After two brilliant EPs and notorious live shows, the Twin Peaks obsessed duo from Vienna release their debut full-length. A fittingly nightmarish journey spanning rockabilly, new wave and electropop woven together with experimental electronics, it truly sounds like nothing else around. Severely twisted pop at its best.
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What can be said about the return of Sheffield synth legends The Human League, a decade after their last album? Well, 'Credo' doesn't hold a candle to 'Dare' (or in fact the seminal 'Reproduction'), but it's not that bad either, only slightly marred by overproduction and offering some quite snappy songs. Check.
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Album released 28-02-2011 on Kompakt
L.A. husband-and-wife duo release their second album, this time on Cologne's Kompakt label. Blending their diverse world-music influences with electropop in an endearingly erractic manner with Tiffany Preston's vocals reverberating valiantly throughout. Brilliantly produced and a delightful album.
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A fine new project by singer-songstress Lisa Li-Lund and DJ Gilb'R of Versatile Records finds fruition in an album of sweet, melancholic and at times dark pop songs. Guest appearances include Etienne Jaumet on the Zombie Zombie-esque '637'. An impeccable debut and highly recommendable.
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British art-rock four-piece Fujiya & Miyagi release their fourth full-length, 'Ventriloquizing', a tight blend of post-krautrock and dance pop influences, with Suicide-inspired organ fuzz lending a lush texture to songs like 'Yoyo' and 'Tinsel & Glitter'. Fine album.
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Brighton collective The Go! Team's fusion of hip hop, funk, soul, noise pop and garage rock spawns a third album, and as could be expected it is as eclectic as it can get, with party-starting tracks like the Beasty Boy-esque 'T.O.R.N.A.D.O' alternating with psych-pop and soul anthems ('Bust-Out Brigade').
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With influences ranging from dance pop to dubstep, London five piece Crystal Fighters' combination of Basque folk and club music has been one of 2011's most intriguing proposition. Their debut album's deluxe version includes both their floor-shaking original tracks and very different acoustic versions.
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