From self-published experiments to an EP on Will Bankhead’s always one step-ahead Trilogy Tapes label last year, Moscow’s Buttechno moved mountains to establish a sound both odd and familiar. On his latest for Zodiac 44, the misfit techno alchemist wakes up Luca Lozano and Johanna Knutsson’s dormant offshoot from its deep slumber with some apposite greasy 4/4 mechanics and off-axis acid drives.
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DJ Healer: Nothing 2 Loose
Following on from our earlier review of Prime Minister Of Doom, we take a look at the lighter side of the mysterious producer from Planet Uterus as DJ Healer. Airy and childlike, ‘Nothing 2 Loose’ is easy to love.
Prime Minister Of Doom: Mudshadow Propaganda
With Prince Of Denmark, Traumprinz and DJ Metatron committed firmly to the past, we get under the skin of the darker of the elusive producer’s new alter egos – Prime Minister Of Doom. Focused, distinctly tribal, it is a heady dance floor journey.
Low Jack: Riddims Du Lieu-Dit
While Low Jack’s sound globally remains entrenched in a certain rhythmic vein, his game-changing abilities need no further test, and neither does the motion-setting eminence of his work – widely recognised as a dependable locomotive and first-rate creative matrix by fellow artists out there. Low Jack is a catalyst and his newest full-length delivery on Editions Gravats acts accordingly.
Jan Jelinek: Zwischen
Made by and featuring none other than strictly human sounds, warped and deconstructed until it falls in that uncanny valley of dissociative humanism. Jan Jelinek’s latest album ‘Zwischen’ can be considered an exercise in learning to find enjoyment and/or contentment in the intellectual and physical limitations of the human mind and body.
Pablo’s Eye: Spring Break
The 8 tracks here feel assembled as much as arranged, designed as much as composed. Sounds have undoubtedly been picked for their audio quality, but they’ve been layered on the canvass in the way a painter uses colours.
Concrete Lates with Pan Daijing, Jasss, Giant Swan at Queen Elizabeth Hall
It is best known for classical music concerts, but following almost three years of extensive renovations, the historic Queen Elizabeth Hall now plays host to Southbank Centre’s first regular club night dedicated to experimental electronic music featuring Pan Daijing, Jasss and Giant Swan.
Dravier: Deep Thought Glacial River
Born from a recurring dream he made before putting the first touch to the tracks – involving “an expedition that leads into a glacier where an ancient ice metropolis lies”, ‘Deep Thought Glacial River’ casts its net far and wide; meshing bleached-out exotica with subdued prog folk tropes and teeming beds of organic noises to create a riveting sound fresco.
Belong: October Language
Twelve years after its original release, Belong’s debut ‘October Language’ gets it first vinyl pressing courtesy of John Elliot’s Spectrum Spools label. The reissue launches the record into a new context, shedding new light on both its predecessors and what came after.
Efdemin: Naïf
Let’s not beat about the bush: 2017 was far from a vintage year for the commercial mix. While all and sundry have been lining up to ring the death knell, 2018 is full of enterprising projects looking to buck the trend. The commercial mix certainly still has a few tricks up its sleeve and it would be a far poorer world without it. Efdemin’s ‘Naïf’ is an incredibly strong argument in its favour.
Khotin: Aloe Drink
Fresh off a remix on Public Release’s latest EP, Vancouver-based producer Khotin turns up on the San Franciscan label again with his new solo effort, ‘Aloe Drink’. Like its title suggests, the present batch metes out four organically-grown chill house groovers, both mildly bracing and revitalising as can be; recommended for when the scorching sun’s turning the city into an open-air oven. Stream Force Of Nature’s revamp within.
Losoul: Island Time
It has been over 10 years since Losoul released his former ‘Care’ LP on Playhouse. Despite the decade wait Peter Kremeier is a man who consistently refines his craft and that’s why ‘Island Time’ is not a come back but rather a celebration album that showcases his honed skills and dedication to the love of music.
Pom Pom: Untitled
On this new release for Ostgut Ton, you’d think Pom Pom would be ready to step out of the Vantablack shadows covering their album covers. Nope: Pom Pom decides to luxuriate in it, and ‘Untitled’ is no exception to the rule.
Mark Pritchard: The Four Worlds
‘The Four Worlds’ feels strange and contextless, a peculiar statement that may seem at first like it doesn’t know what it’s aiming for. Don’t be fooled though, as this bewildered unfamiliarity is an aim in itself. Pulled away from the record and taken as singular statements, any of these eight tracks might not make much sense, but together, they cohere into something weirdly beautiful.
DJ Boring & Stanley Schmidt: Stay Young
With the lo-fi scene being accused of aesthetic first in the past, there is absolutely no evidence of that here. There is levity without ever resorting to dropping in nostalgic references that forcefully wink at you, nudging with pointed elbows. If anything, this is serious. Seriously good.
Edward: Rumours EP
Rumours is a great collection of different sounds that demonstrates his mastery over compositional control and serves as a testament to his versatility where it matters most: on the dancefloor and on the decks.