A wave of furious, dusted-up and dishevelled splendour that came over the Hearn Generating Station in Toronto on the weekend June 10th – as the venerable festival institution Unsound was invited to curate two days worth of programming at a venue that came off as a vast, dystopian wonderland.
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DJ Sotofett / SVN: Current 82 (12 Mix) / Dark Plan 5
Between the forward-moving swing of SVN’s airless techno roller and the sky-scraping lift of Sotofett’s track, it’s only a matter of taste. Quality itself is a constant.
Bell Towers: I’m Coming Up
Since the drop of his ‘Lightrail’ EP on Public Possession three years ago, Melbourne-born producer Rohan Bruce aka Bell Towers became a vital player in the Munich family. ‘I’m Coming Up’ makes for his sixth instalment on the label and without a doubt, stands as one of his most accomplished slices to date.
Michal Turtle: Phantoms Of Dreamland
Following their hugely successful 12″ released last year – a sublime slab of proto-house and a fine reintroduction to Turtle’s music – ‘Are You Psychic?’ – the eighties synth exponents of Music From Memory are back with a full-length of unreleased Turtle tracks.
Mr TC: Surf & Destroy EP
If C. R. Stecyk, III once contributed the Dogtown legend by sanctifying the now concrete-cast ‘Skate and destroy’ phrase in his famous article for Thrasher magazine, Glaswegian talent Thomas Lea Clarke aka Mr TC opted for aquatic obliteration with his second instalment for JD Twitch’s Optimo Music.
Whodamanny: Cosmic Morphology
As its title suggests, ‘Cosmic Morphology’ beats the jagged pulse of a transmuting flux, intrepidly rollicking through offbeat, experimental yet groovy fields rather than executing another line of tried-and-tested harmonics.
Hotel Lauer: Lauer & Lauer
Remarkably enough, the music of sibling duo Hotel Lauer has taken a further trancey turn with the ecstasy-seeking ‘Lauer & Lauer’, their first outing on Stuart Leath’s ever-inspired [Emotional] Especial. Sharing a similar cold wave’y approach to synth melodies doped on beefy electro-bass tubes and crisp, compressed kicks, their sound gained a sheer rave energy and magnitude.
Huerco S: For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)
By its nature ambient music often comes across as throwaway, too vague to really engage with. ‘For Those of You…’ proves that an uncompromising commitment to tone and atmosphere over everything else can show sound at its most lucid and eloquent.
Rudolf C: Synaesthesia
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.
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.