Three releases in and X-Kalay is showing real promise. Pairing fresh faces with a forward thinking house manifesto reminds of the early days of Lobster Theremin, and that is a case that shows how much potential to flourish there is if they keep hitting the mark.
Reviews
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Graham Dunning: Auxon
Auxon is the first recorded documentation of Graham Dunning’s Mechanical Techno set up. Part installation, part hardware rave system…layers of vinyls spinning on record player axles are used to bash contact mics or trigger drum machines and synths, which are mixed and manipulated live.
Sordid Sound System: Lux Exterior
Mixing dub with the kind of cosmic dance floor work outs you might hear at Sean Johnston and Andy Weatherall’s ‘A Love from Outer Space’, each track features a seemingly effortless piecing together of myriad ideas.
Sias: Milk Harbour
Back with his second instalment as Sias after a promising debut album for Budapest label Farbwechsel, Frank Sweeney is securing his place as one of the main lieutenants of the Irish capital’s return to top form. His new three-tracker, ‘Milk Harbour’, offers a particularly solid assortment of raw, screeching 4/4 beats and filthy offbeat electronics, nothing short of spectacular.
Klara Lewis: Too
Shifting from stark ambience to unsettling rhythms, Lewis has taken familiar sounds and experiences, and turned them into something completely her own.
DBRM: Faction
With Radioactive Man and dBridge picking up their DBRM alias again over on Craig Richards’ The Nothing Special, it is the sound clash of two very different styles that makes this game all the more intriguing.
P Leone: The Exit 8
Spencer Parker’s Work Them Records has proved to be a hit with DJs worldwide, establishing itself as a provider of tried and tested dance floor tools. Brooklyn based producer P. Leone steps up with a 3 emotive techno tracks in ‘The Exit 8’ EP.
Death In Vegas: Transmission
Fans of Death In Vegas’ early output may find this album too static and repetitious, however anyone with a penchant for visceral techno and atmospheric electronica is likely to disagree fervently with such an appraisal. For an intense listening experience, Transmission certainly delivers.
Trus’me: Planet 4
A small pacing misstep is not enough to detract from what is an excellent album, and a timely issuing in what has proved to be a dry patch for quality techno albums this year.
Galcher Lustwerk, Ital, Aurora Halal, Max McFerren at RBMA Technopolis
Mitch Strashnov reports on RBMA’s effort to present the sounds of the underground that inhabit the streets from dusk until way past dawn and carve it into a celebration of local talent that would take place smack dab in the middle of its month-long “Technopolis” extravaganza.
2030: Prescience EP
Back with a third offering for French label CLFT, Italian producer Nico Campanella aka 2030 reloads the mother ship’s cannons with nerve and acumen, attractively summoning the ghosts of Drexciya, Galaxy 2 Galaxy and Der Zyklus for a timeproof, space-traveling treat.
Schmoltz: Bah027
Belarussian producer Alik Khomiak aka Schmoltz makes a return on the mysterious skull-emblazoned Bahnsteig 23 with two addictive edits of Eastern discoid and onomatopoeic punk-funk.
Bugaev: Sonm
Somn feels altogether more complete – building on Bugaev’s previous work with comprehensive excursions that nestle somewhere neatly between the peaceful and the compelling.
Amnesia Scanner, Bill Kouligas, TCF at Volksbühne, Berlin
Mateusz Mondalski reports on HÖREN | DECESSION – a night of cross-over shows breaking the boundaries between music, art and science. Featuring Amnesia Scanner, Bill Kouligas, M.E.S.H. and more.
Mori Ra: Oriental Forest
Mori Ra’s ‘Oriental Forest’ is a memorable journey into the lushest recesses of the Asian continent ; mapping the melodic richness of centennial harmonics, endemic tropes and contemporary alterations with equal composure.
Tim Hecker, Rezzett and Kara-Lis Coverale at St John Sessions
Aoife McGuinness reports on Tim Hecker’s performance at St John Sessions earlier this month in Hackney – “Introspective and opaque – Hecker’s performance in the ceremonious surrounds of St Johns circumvented conventions.”