Priori - The Glass Mirror (2011)

Ambient wankery, have at it.

| Download |
| Priori @ Rain Netlabel |

Isolée - Well Spent Youth (2011)

"Psychedelic and full of analog sounds, as well as fit for both home listening and club soundsystems."

| Download |

Airliner - None (2010)

More fantastic work from Mr. Com Truise!

| Download |

Mark Fell - Multistability (2010)

SND's Mark Fell makes a late entry for one of the electronic albums of the year with his latest solo opus: Multistability. As one half of SND alongside Mat Steel and solo as 'H', Mark uncompromisingly operates on the bleeding edge of digital music production. He's in possession of a beautifully rare talent; the ability to make highly academic music with an innately Funky and dare we say, accessible, edge. He himself and many others may not agree, but there's something so listenable to his rhythmically-driven and melodically aware style that we can't help but hear him in that context. The concept behind Multistability is assuredly highbrow, referring to the notion of seeing two separate images at once, kinda like a Rubin face/vase effect. From the outset we're entangled in a meticulous mesh of ultimately chaotic, but incredibly well organised patterns and sonic topologies - essentially the result of experiments whose side-effects just happen to be the most extreme and stripped examples of digital funk imaginable. Believe it or not, Mark cites his collaborative efforts with friend and fellow musician Yasunao Tone as a major influence on these tracks, which is understandable when it comes to their constantly morphing aesthetic and deliberate intentions, but seriously, I couldn't ever imagine feeling as compelled to twitch like this when listening to a Tone CD.

| Download |

Lone - Emerald Fantasy Tracks (2010)

Emerald Fantasy Tracks...if you've seriously danced in the right place (doesn't matter where, England, Italy, Spain..etc.)in the late 80's or early 90's you can't fail to recognize these sounds and you may not be able to stop that feeling of sweet malancholy that only the good memories can generate.

| Download |

Yellow Swans - Going Places (2010)

Released on the beloved Type Records, run and operated by John Twells (Xela), Yellow Swans spearhead the development of sound, as it's concerned with noise, drone, and power electronics. But in their latest release, Going Places, it's not all about distortions and sheer cringing fuzz. There's clear structure, texture, and even pulsating rhythm behind each track, allowing the foreground instruments to carry out the development, while the background noise soars to new heights. Based out of Portland, the duo of Pete Swanson and Gabriel Mindel Saloman describe their music as "powerful rendering of free rock, black electronics, and white light vibrations." Their latest work is a product of over a decade worth of music, released on CD-Rs, cassettes, and vinyl, coming to an end. In April of 2008 the band announced their decision to split up, concentrating on finishing up their final album. Even the title suggests that they might be going places, and the same-titled last track fades away, like a burning rocket into deep space. If you are at all curious about the capacity of noise, start off with Yellow Swans and then work your way into darker territory...

| Download |

Aleksi Perälä - Mental Union (2009)

More fantastic "post-acid" (haha) from Mr. Aleksi!

| Download |

Grit - Tunnel Transmissions Vol. 1 (2008)

Absolutely amazing release. So deep, warm and personal sound for my ears. "Perpetual" is a my favorite here probably. A piece of a dubby meditative trip so short I want to make it longer & longer. "Deimos" sounds more like classical dub techno track to me. "Soul Pulse" is a journey somewhere far away you'll hardly get back. Deep, melodic, pulsating. A lack of mastering (for the volume is a bit low and there's not enough mids & highs IMHO) comes as a release feature and a Grit's style in a way. Once again, amazing.

| Download |

Deepchord presents Echospace - The Coldest Season (2008)

The Coldest Season opens with an atmospheric storm of white noise; a field recording manipulated by Modell and Hitchell. After minutes of buildup a beat unexpectedly kicks in, panning and evolving constantly. Thus marks the beginning of Echospace's first album and a new direction for dub techno.

The storm is prevalent for the entire duration of the recording, a high frequency hissing offset by killer bass hooks. Just like the minimal cover art is grey and white, the contrast is obvious and delightful for anybody 'trained' in dub techno. Special mention goes to "Aequinoxium" with the most addictive bassline I have ever heard in a track - 13 minutes of relentless sub-marine exploration. "Celestialis" is also a favourite, with glacial bursts added in the first few minutes and the bass gearing up throughout the track. It's the most progressive track on the album - most of them are content on chugging hypnotically onwards.

The only disappointment for me is the closing "Empyrean". This track sounds playful and more clubby - not a good way to end such an album as this; it's not a bad track in it's own right but it would be more appropriate somewhere else. An ambient exit, slowly peeling off the layers, would have been preferable.

This album sounds even better played during snowy days in the winter months, when the land outside your window looks like the cover art. At other times it reminds me of traversing the ocean floor due to the deep underwater sounds.

| Download |

Maurizio - M-Series (2003)

Probably one of the best and certainly most influential techno producers of the 1990s. Unfortunately, Maurizio's style led to a lot of clones and sub-par producers jumping on the dubby tech-house bandwagon in the early 2000s. No matter, the original sound from the master shines through even today. Deep sub-bass, static, a steady house tempo 4/4 kick, and those hypnotic dub effects make for some great listening. There is a distinct emotional resonance and timelessness to these tracks that is sorely lacking in a lot of the nth generation dub tech clones. Probably because they are using cheap software presets while Maurizio was building his sound the hard way with outboard equipment. At the time, I don't think there was anyone out there who thought of combining techno with 70s Jamaican dub music. For that alone, Maurizio deserves a place in the techno history books. If you are serious about techno music, this is an absolute must have. I really can't recommend it enough.

| Download |