Ernest Hood - Neighborhoods [Freedom To Spend 014 Promo]

Re-released via Freedom To Spend on October 11, 2k19 is Ernest Hood's originally 1975-issued album "Neighborhoods", formerly only available as hard to impossible to find private pressing financed and commissioned by the Portland-resident, Jazz musician, composer, field recordist and locally famed personality Ernest Hood by himself. Over the course of eight musical pieces and approximately 57 minutes runtime the listener is taken on a dreamy, comforting and somewhat ethereal, nostalgia-infused journey through the beautiful city of Portland around the time, with chirping birds and random street scene sounds to be found all over the albums tracks whilst soft, oftentimes slightly hazy and diffuse Proto-Ambient synthesizer works and zither melodies provide a warm, welcoming musical soundscape - a combination that is as unique and touching in its composition as it is cinematic and storytelling in its overall approach. If you'd be tasked to come up with the most innocent, yet partially psychedelic soundtrack for dreams dreamt in the late 60s and early 70s that do not include any Rock'n'Roll and / or music aired on the radio something very very close to this album would most likely be what you'd compose for a reason. A well beautiful journey into a better past and an unearthed piece of American music history that's unbeknownst to many. Recommended, not only to our Portland-based friends and readers out there.

baze.djunkiii Chart Haul 12/2019

Kongrosian - Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously [Aut Records 050 / Oltrarno Recordings 011]

Put on the circuit as a collaborational effort between Berlin's Aut Records and Oltrarno Recordings is the epicly titled and limited to 200 copies red vinyl pressing "Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously" which features four original tracks created by the saxophone / clarinet focused trio Kongrosian on the A-side whilst the remixes on the flip are provided by Thomas Brinkmann, Daniele Papini and Cloud Of Illusions. As the trios composition suggests we see their original floating improvisations gravitating towards a multi-layered approach to Jazz / FutureJazz with a slightly melancholia-infused twist imminent to all their intricate, meandering and interweaving melodies and beautifully syncronized harmonic interplays which makes this one a true fest for every Jazz connaisseur out there. Remixwise we see Cloud Of Illusions slowly transforming "Tensegrity Part II" into a tender, yet dancefloor functional and slightly fuzzed out Techno meets Jazz affair defined by dark, ever rolling basslines, dark'ish Spoken Word passages and a borderline oriental twist whereas Daniele Papini's take on "Mikrokosmos" provides a complex foundation of dry, grooving and ever filtered MinimalTechno / MicroHouse with a distinct swing as well as tenderly hovering pads for fans of labels like Perlon and the likes of. For a closing German Minimal Techno staple Thomas Brinkmann takes on "Tidal Forces" to go full-on experimental, leaving the dancefloor way behind to accompany the melancholic Jazz vibe of the original cut with layers and layers of harmonic, yet intense and metallic feedback Noize for a closing that might be the soundtrack to future nightmares or low budget slasher movies for a reason. Go check!

Moe / Pinquins - Vi Som Elsket Kaos [Conradsound]

To be released via the Norwegian imprint Conradsound on December 13th, 2k19 is "Vi Som Elsket Kaos", the latest musical outing by the ever active experimental Rock group Moe who are teaming up with the percussion experts of Pinquins for this nine tracks and 38 minutes spanning journey in sonic exploration which is inspired by the work of writer, essayist and poet Jens Bjørneboe to a certain extent. Opening with the nightmar'ish combination of ever clanging, field recorded metal pieces or cutlery and thundering barrel drumming as well as brutal riffing and howling guitars all found in "Bjørnenes Inntogsmarsj" the two groups lay the foundation for what's to follow up: Spoken Word, a PostPunk-attitude and more apocalyptic Desert Blues-infused riffs in "Skyggene" as well as the brooding, ritualistic and ancient demon summoning soundscapes of "Det Sorte Hull" which will be appealing to Black Metal / Drone Metal enthusiasts for a reason. With "Atlantis" the album takes a turn towards Punk-infused, ultra intense Indie meets MinimalWave on hyperspeed, "Den Ubehagelige Behaglighet" breaks down into nightmare'ish Crossover / Alternative territories accompanied by dreamy and ethereal, highly retrofuturist melodic counterparts whilst "Applaus" is nothing more than a spooky skit emulating fake audience noise. Furthermore "God Natt!" on the other hand is a surprisingly intimate lullaby lead by spaced out non-vocalisms, crystalline sounds and brooding, sub-surface levels of madness, "Drømmen" brings forth intense, hypnotic (Neo)Cosmic synth pulses and more tense, sci-fi leaning vocal recordings mixed with military drumming before the concluding cut "Før Hanen Galer" surprisingly jumps towards what can be roughly described as Polka-infused, 50s or 60s happy party music for a closing. What a combination. Excellent stuff.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Ivy Lab - Space War

Ivy Lab don't care about genres. Ivy Lab are about to become a genre of their own. Sick.

Alex Zethson - Pole Of Inaccessibility [Thanatosis Produktion 001]

Going back to 2016 with this album, the first full on solo effort by Swedish pianist and composer Alex Zethson - probably best known to readers of these pages as a member of the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, a group whose work has been reviewed on these pages previously. With "Pole Of Inaccessibility" released via his own label Thanatosis Produktion Alex Zethson caters a two track double CD album and therefore a monolithic debut of which the first part, "Pole Of Inaccessibility I", is stretched over the course of roughly 41 minutes and caters, leaving aside all the heady conceptualism referred to in the promotional press sheet, a haunting, unsettling variation of Dark Ambient built on a foundation of thundering, reverberating pianos, slighty muffled and bereft of their high frequencies, yet moving forward in a bleak, nightly and somewhat empty and desolate manner and therefore evoking an interesting state of mind within the conscious listener, slowing down every single thought and finally dissolving any single idea about what time actually is. This approach towards total mental stasis is also employed in the first minutes the second piece, the 58 minutes spanning "Pole Of Inaccessibility II" which pairs a slightly more dramatic, melancholia-infused background and tender drone works before slowly progressing into beautiful, mostly minor scale piano minimalisms, harking back to both (Neo)Classical and romantic Minimal Music as well as to barely audible near silence only to make a return to the endless, reverberating meanderings  introduced in the albums first part and to finally fade out into Ambient nothingness over the course of 10+minutes. Intense music for long, undisturbed late night listening sessions.

Fierce Ruling Diva - Woman Like Man

On the circuit for 30 years now and Fierce Ruling Diva are catering most brutal Techno bangers still. Raw.

Sascha Müller [Supersix Records Extra 092]

Incoming from studio veteran Sascha Müller is his next, 92nd - !!! - album release put on the circuit via Supersix Records, another 12 track journey for lovers of advanced, dancefloor-focused electronic music. Opening with "Sluch" we see the long standing artist explore stripped down, yet deep and touching levels of Techno reminiscent of Robert Hood's finest musical works whilst "Sommernachtsträume", which has already seen a vinyl release a few years prior to this, somewhat caters to the ElectroSwing-massive before "Sounds Of Life" are entering serious dancefloor territories again on a captivating, stripped down mid 90s HardHouse tip garnished with seductive stab works and a sweet little backswing. Turning the "Southern Fried Chicken Wheel" Sascha Müller gets down in a warm, playful, friendly and surely bass heavy Minimal House fashion, "Space (MIR Mix)" mixes up serious, uplifting Trance vibes with bits of Technolectro for all the real ravers out there and the subsequent variation "Space (Raumflug Mix)" follows up on a slightly bouncy, jumpier path accompanied by hard hitting rave stabs and livelier percussion works. The "Spacebox" takes us on a spaced out, subaquatic trip into gooey, drexciyan Electro territories, "Spacelab" brings forth electroid AcidTrance on a well positive, drifting and uplifting note whereas "Start Automatik" indulges in a busy, yet minimalist, heavily filtered and muffled Phonk variation that provides quite a thrill to those loving the TechnoJazz efforts of acts like Cari Lekebusch or the electroid side of Lassigue Bendthaus whereas fans of deeply emotional sunrise Trance will dig the masterfully crafted string arrangements in this cut. Furthermore "Sterntaler" caters to all followers of playful and intelligent ProtoTrance, "Steuerreform" presents braincell wrecking, monotonous midrange synth modulations atop a bouncy, toolish Techno foundation and the concluding "Struggle Of Power" showcases how powerful raw, storming and continuously evolving Acid can be - a deadly tool in illegal warehouse raves this tune is. Once again, nothing but quality in this.

Havington - Curiosity

Havington do indeed have their Indie vibes on fire with this sweet little tune, taken from their new EP "Behind A Smile".

Jeff Platz Quartet - Theory Of Colors [Umland Records 026]

Another fresh one released via the Essen-based Umland Records imprint is "Theory Of Colours", the latest thirteen track album effort created by the group known as Jeff Platz Quartet. Comprised of Stephen Haynes, Damon Smith, Matt Crane and of course Jeff Platz the four musicians are taking us on a 13 tracks and roughly 55 minutes spanning ride through their musical universe which fuses Jazz and Free Improvisation in a very specific and interesting manner. Instead of employing an ultra-expressive, often times eruptive route usually explored in FreeJazz, giving way to many solo parts in which each and every member of a group is able to showcase their respective versatility the music of the quartet is hyper-dense, atmospheric and withdrawn, at times even muffled seemingly, to create a more intimate, tender and accessible vibe in which communication is key, with compositions like "Fall Away" bordering an autumnal, late night variation of Jazz Noir which, despite improvisational and free floating moments, could even accompany deep, meaningful conversations whereas the subsequent "The Particulars" presents itself in a stripped down, minimalist yet tense and crime-scenic manner to great effect. Further excellent cuts to check out here are the touching, twangy and kinda haunted short cut that is "Naranja", the suspended, feverish, yet thrilling soundscapes of the "Elevational View" whereas "By Means Of A Spine" fully explores Slowcore Jazz experimentalism led by a very distinct, somewhat even Desert Blues-infused guitar which drifts into a very own tonal cosmos over the course of tune whilst "A Musty Mint" gets as tender and classy as free floating music can get. Recommended, this.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Maria W Horn - Epistasis [Hallow Ground Promo]

Released via the ever busy Hallow Ground label on October 25th, 2k19 is "Epistasis", the second fully fledged artist album album by Swedish composer Maria W Horn. Channeling her wide-ranged influences from Experimental Music to Black Metal within four pieces originally commissioned for a multi-channel audiovisual piece and mixed down for a proper album context the journey starts with "Interlocked Cycles I", a take on beautiful, (Neo)Classical-infused piano minimalism and decent, low end-focused background drones followed by the title track "Epistasis" which brings on an intense, slightly haunting variation of solemn, ritualistic Ambient paying homage to Synth and Cosmic greats like Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream at the same time. With "Konvektion" Maria W Horn harks back to the scientific, stripped down approach of early electronic music composition whilst emulating the emotional intensity of slow church organ chord progressions with most minimalist, yet classy Ambient methods before the concluding cut "Interlocking Cycles II" closes the longplay cycle with more (Neo)Classical piano beauty stretched out over the course of nearly 10 minutes. File under: Deep Listening Music.

Various Artists - Innate 003 [Innate 003]

Our friends at the UK-based Innate label have been harvesting tracks for a new 12" release and do provide a full length preview here. Check and get on pre-order now.

baze.djunkiii Charts 12/2019

01. The Crystal Apes - TCARMX001 [Intrauterin Recordings TCARMX001]
See here for further details...
Buy the limited 7" single directly from Bandcamp...

02. Nazamba - Nazamba [Dubquake Records]
Dub, darkness, intensity. A little bit of conscious Spoken Word wisdom and echoes of Illbient. All blended in a well captivating fashion to create what is to be considered the album of the month for each and every Dub lover as well as followers of the long defunct WordSound label and associated groups like Dubadelic. Excellent and extraordinary.

03. Jabu - Jabu Remixes [Young Echo Records 004]
Is this the most beautiful Post-Dubstep / Post-Garage release of the year? Or even the decade? Dreamy, touching, emotional vocals, heavy basslines and sparse beat structures paired with a distinct late night urban feel as expressed to perfection by albums like Distance's "My Demons" back in 2007 make this one one of the most important 12"es for every serious follower of Bass Music and nothing short of an instant classic. Get!

04. Gilb'r - Lord Of The Basics EP [Versatile Records 128]
French producer Gilbert Cohen a.k.a. Gilb'r delivers a highly sophisticated eight track mini-album with this so-called EP, covering ground in territories such as Synth / (Neo)Cosmic, ChillOut, Ambient Dub, Tribal as well as krautsy, off-kilter Lo-Fi House and therefore presents an impressive, highly diverse showcase of his abilities as a producer. Check.

05. [PUSS 2019 Whitelabel]
A mysterious two track whitelabel 12" of unknown origin. The A-side fuses an excellent piano driven Broken House / Electro crossover with seductive vocals delivered by HipHop / Urban doll Cardi B. to a killer effect whereas the flip brings the heat with a stripped down, percussive DiscoHouse vibe.

06. Driftmachine - Driftmachine Plays Marien Van Oers [Ungehoord 004]
Inspired by a tape release of Dutch 80s underground producer / performer Marien Van Oers and the accompanying liner notes Driftmachine create a ritualistic sonic flow meandering in between the realms of Electronica, Dub and Future Tribal. Performed on a minimalistic note with loads of space in between sounds and an approach of carefully building up soundscapes in terms of adding up one single element after another in a thought out layering process Driftmachine easily dissolve the perception of space and time and take us back into the motherly womb of eons, to a time way before the existance of humans or even multi-cellular organisms was even a dawn at the horizon of time.

07. Umwelt - The Invisible Enemy [Linda 005]
The ever active producer known as Umwelt strikes a chord again, delivering three takes on fast-paced, most brutal and distorted Electro for hardcore genre connaisseurs who already dug releases by labels like Atak Records or producers like Burrito Boys back in the late 90s. This is nothing but robo war music.

08. Ivan Dubious [Nun.Ki.Rec. 007]
Ivan Dubious and his Nun.Ki.Rec. label are back with a new release and this time they're even coming at us with a 12" and four tracks of what I'd kindly describe as Plastic Reggae / Plastic Dub for a reason. All tunes are coming with an undeniably cheesy summer feeling and the gated snares and offbeat licks sound like they've escaped from an 80s Pop studio in dozens. Sounds appalling? Well, these tunes made me smile big time and therefore I do love 'em.

09. DJ Spinn - Da Life E.P. [Hyperdub 124]
DJ Spinn's "You Ain't Really 'Bout Dat Life" taken from his latest 12" release on Hyperdub has been already featured on these pages in mid-October but the Chicago native delivers way more goodness on wax here. "Knock A Path Out" is storming GhettoTech on hyperspeed for dancefloors on absolute fire whilst tunes like "Sky Way", a collaboration with DJ Manny, bring forth an excellent, shuffled halftime bounce for those in the know.

10. [NWHITE 003 Whitelabel]
Information level is sparse on this stamped 12" whitelabel release but the level of thrill is massive. Four tracks of stripped down, pumping, trippy and psychedelic Techno for the darkest hours of your strobe lit dancefloor experience. Imagine the early releases of labels like Elettronica Romana being transfered into a large space, reverberating Techno context whilst still keeping up with the level of detail and advancement once delivered by a genre known as Intelligent Techno. Check.

Jean-Philippe Gross - Reflex [Eich 002]

Put on the circuit on September 5th, 2k19 via his recently launched Eich imprint is Jean-Philippe Gross' "Reflex" album, a thirteen tracks and thirty minutes exploration of the classic Serge analog synthesizer system consisting of tunes recorded in the five years timespan between 2013 and 2018. Inspired by the idea to go back to the elemental basics of electronic music production and the approach of the very first electronic studios we experience Jean-Philippe Gross' use of the 1972-invented modular system in a raw and unprocessed format, bringing forth loads of dry, very scientific and sterile sound bleeps and clicks as well as gushing eruptions of Noize, ghostly signals whirring back and forth through the stereo field whilst cuts like "Volley Fire" even evoke memories of growling tectonic movements on an Industrial scale whereas pieces like "Weave" could be interpreted as faint, distant remnants of transmissions originating somewhere far out in the unexplored exoterrestrial space of the future. Cuts like "Close Fitting" dig deep into crackling, near static Noize territories, "Reflex #2" twists the shit out of the instruments high frequency range and "Holliday Maker" introduces a thrilling, more percussive take on what a Serge can do. Great stuff, this - not only for die-hard fans of modular synthesis. Get.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Pharmacom - The 8-Bit Sessions [Pharmacom Records Ltd.]

Fresh from the vaults of the German underground imprint Pharmacom Records are "The 8-Bit Sessions", a limited to 20 - sic! - hand-numbered copies double cassette album release which presents a total of 32 tracks plus an additional megamix created by underground hero Sascha Müller a.k.a. Pharmacom. As the title suggests, and so does the nod to the Commodore C64 system artworkwise, the album solely focuses on a musical style known as Chiptune, a genre mostly associated with classic vintage computer games, handheld consoles and, of course, arcade games of yore. Using and abusing these references to the absolute max we're following Pharmacom on a journey through the sonic variety of the genre, from imaginery game music and level themes to dark, brooding dancefloor bangers and killer 8bit Phonk and beyond, including minimalistic repetitions, highly experimental sonic excursions, intense sci-fi score pieces and computational soundscapes of a retrofuturist kind. If you're a Chiptune connaisseur this defo is one to put on the very top of your wantlist for a reason.

Cassette artwork on Instagram!

Various Artists - Global Jackerz EP [Groundzero Teknocamp 003]

Coming in from the underground vaults of the Groundzero Teknocamp posse is their extremely limited six track compilation named "Global Jackerz EP" which is making the rounds on the underground circuit as an edition of 50 hand-cut vinyl copies on super thick yellow vinyl these days. Opening the A-side with "3 03 Minutes Of Bad Ass Acid" Citric Acid delivers accordingly on a fast paced level whilst his collaboration with American Acid legend Freddy Fresh dubbed "Schraubendreher" caters to the needs of DJ's preferring to play hypnotic, yet a little more stripped down Techno before P.T.B.S. & Sascha Müller's conjunctional effort "Ambivalent" brings forth a hefty take on Broken Techno / Phonk meets Bass Music for already heaving, highly advanced dancefloors and very low end focused P.A. systems. On the flipside we see Null Object's "Turn The Bones On" providing super dry, hounding Techno brutalism ready to heavily mess with every single one of your drugged out brain cells, Analog Species ode to "Die Box" explores raw, unprocessed underground Acid territories and the concluding cut "Techno" by Unko finally takes on hammering, loop-focused and surely psyched out highspeed Acid valid for absolute peak time abuse only, and therefore is our main favorite out of these six tracks for a reason. A true collectors item for all the real headz out there.

Jonas Meyer - Konfusion [Serein 020]

Released via the Welsh label Serein on October 11th, 2k19 is "Konfusion", the six track debut album created by German composer / producer Jonas Meyer. Musically, Meyer is clearly exploring a realm in between Ambient and gentle Electronica, mostly driven by tender piano and guitar tones whereas multiple layers of blurred, oftentimes unrecognizable sounds provide a steadily moving backdrop of both rhythmic as well as Field Recording-resembling nature. In cuts like "Strömung" Meyer is gravitating towards ChillOut / Electronica whilst providing an array of softest pads and distinct electronic pulses for a rhythm framework, "Uppehall" somewhat evokes echoes of memories of "Systemisch" by Clicks'n'Cuts pioneer Oval and the albums main piece, "Verflechtung", digs into minimalistic Future Tribal territories for advanced dancefloors before the 10 minutes long "Sekundenschlaf" concludes the journey on a most caressing, fragile and beauteous atmospheric Ambient tip just to name a few. Check.

NO MORE - Do You Dream Of Angels In This Big City? *2019 version (Official Video)

Our Kiel-based friends of NO MORE are on it again with a new video for a song taken off their 40 years anniversary compilation "Love, Noise & Paranoia (1979 - 2019)" and with a little bit of luck you'll be able to spot baze.djunkiii popping up in this one as well.

4ZZZ1 - Brain Fuckers EP [Psychocandies 082]

Scheduled for release via the ever active imprint known as Psychocandies is the "Brain Fuckers EP", the latest digital single catered by the mysterious producer known as 4ZZZ1. Opening with "Untitled 5" the three track journey starts on a well vibing, groovy, yet screaming Acid tip that's about to set any underground rave on fire with its epic, never-ending build up that never reaches a full peak and therefore is one tune meant to drive punters insane over the full course of its 5 minutes playtime. Following up is "Untitled 6", another harsh, mental take on distorted Acid brutalism whilst "Untitled 7" unleashes more fast-paced, screaming MonoAcid onto vantablack underground dancefloors to great effect.

Sascha Müller - Traxxx Vol. 18 [SM Traxxx 41-2019]

Released via SM Traxxx on November 21st, 2k19 is Sascha Müller's latest digital two-track single featuring "Track 35" and "Track 36" respectively. Whilst the first mentioned brings forth a marching, slightly hounded attitude in terms of dry, midrange-leaning ToolTechno we see the latter explore a stripped down, yet harsh and highly repetetive variation of wonky, nerve-wrecking MonoTechno that's about to destroy dancefloors with a growling, devastating low end and screaming Acid modulations. Tune two wins here. Clearly.

Astatine - Global Exposure [Sound In Silence 069]

Released via the Greek Ambient-staple Sound In Silence on November 1st, 2k19 is "Global Exposure", the latest longplay piece created by French producer Stephane Recrosio under his artistic moniker that is Astatine. And whilst the album opener "Snow Loop #1", a blurry, crackly excursion into classic Ambient realms, still sticks true to the labels general aesthetic outlook carved out over the past years the follow up "Rotary Combine" takes a full turn and opens up the Sound In Silence sound towards powerful, yet inward looking PostRock and lo-fi Instrumental Shoegaze. This introduction of real life instruments and also raw, distorted and slighty Folk-infused Indie songs - yes, vocals! - like in "Decipher The Fall" seems to mark a massive cesura and new development for the imprint, a step further towards a broader audience which, in turn, might start to dig more Ambient'ish structures as well as quite a few of the twenty cuts on this approx. 46 minutes long body of work are at home in the experimental electronic music realm still. This combination and steady interplay makes "Global Exposure" one of the most beautiful and touching albums released via Sound In Silence and, for those in the know, evokes memories of the legendary Augsburg-based band Deep. in their early years. And yes, we're talking about 1996 - 2001 here. Highly recommended, this, although the limited run of 150 copies might be sold out pretty quick for a reason.

Creme De Hassan - Tricontinental Circus [Inversions Promo]

To be released via the Inversions-label on December 6th, 2k19 is "Tricontinental Circus", the new - and second - official album put together by the international duo that is Creme De Hassan. Consisting of the German-Palestinian Ghazi Barakat and American Paul LaBrecque the duo caters an eleven track tour de force through their sonic universe within 35 minutes of total playtime, mashing up experimental electronic rhythm signatures, a multiple of languages, influences of traditional Arab / Oriental music, Haitian bits and pieces, voodoo drumming and even echoes of Dub in a highly fascinating manner. Resulting in killer cuts like the opener "Haitian Head Charge", more Illbient-resembling cut up / collage tunes like "Voodootronix"  or the dry, abstract Electronica piece "Momo Von Bobo" Barakat and LaBrecque are creating a fascinating musical realm which also incorporates dreamy guitars mashed up with soft Ambient tones and Shoegaze Electronics in cuts like "Blaukraut Or No Kraut". Following up is "Coeur De Boeuf", more of a brooding, alarming atmospheric sci-fi cut from a cold, dystopian future whilst "WSB" deals with multilayered polyrhythms, twisted background voices and laid back, naturalistic vibes before the "Muezzin Death Dance" summons dark, ancient demons in a way somehow reminiscent of Ayshay's all-time classic "Warn-U" and therefore being our favorite piece on this album. With "3 Peals Of Laughter" the duo enters a realm of electrically buzzing madness, the "Song Of Dawn" gets deep into an experimental take on Desert Blues whilst the "Ululation Nation" dances to fever'ish tribalistic off rhythms and filtered, haunting,  reverberating synth spookiness before the concluding piece "Live At West Germany / Nietsche D'Arabie" brings forth a trance-inducing, spine-tingling feel of Creme De Hassan's live performances indeed. Highly recommended, this.

Kano feat. Popcaan - Can’t Hold We Down (Official Video)

Grime originator Kano on an interesting Caribbean crossover ting 'ere. Vibes.

Silent Fires - Forests [AMP Music & Records 058]

Incoming from France only recently and to be released via AMP Music & Records on December 6th, 2k19 is "Forests" the forthcoming album by Silent Fires, a quartet comprised of Karoline Wallace, Hilde Marie Holsen, Hakon Aase and Alessandro Sgobbio. This international array of young talent from the, oftentimes Jazz-related, Improv scene caters a menu of eleven tracks in total, covering roughly a playtime of 41 minutes in which they are, according to the accompanying press info, exploring the 'theme of spirituality in its multiple meanings'. Despite us being pretty much doubtful when it comes to esoteric concepts and nebulous meta-meanings the band of four defo touches our soul with the surprisingly structured emotional opener "En Aesthenala" which we had rather expected to come across in a classic vintage Broadway production or a French Film Noir than on an album created by four Improv experts. This tender, romantic intro makes way to an intense Spoken Word meets climaxing Noize turning into melancholia-infused piano piece with "From The Entrance Of Love" whilst the third cut, "Similar Lymphs", provides another great example of not only great craftsmanship and musical mastery but also proves that classic writing and dramatic songs performed and executed with class never will be out of style, no matter what the musical hype of now might be at any specific moment in time. With the rest of the eight songs following in great style without any fillers this one comes as a timeless surprise that shall be referenced as a golden, treasured classic in the future by many generations of musical connaisseurs for a reason. Check!

Deformer - A Moment Of Violence

Taken from the Japanese CD-only compilation "Sadistik Noize Addiction Vol. 2". Interesting how CD format releases are still a thing over there.

Ian Wellman - Bioaccumulation [Room40 Promo]

Released via the Australia-based Ambient staple Room40 on October 4th, 2k19 is Ian Wellman's  album "Bioaccumulation" on which the L.A. resident refers to the process of accumulation of toxic substances in the environment and applies this concept to his reprocessing of bio-acoustic Field Recordings and other artificial loops, mostly on a four track tape machine. The result is a pretty much ongoing - presumably, although our CDr promo copy has a moment of silence in between single tunes -, seamless journey through a total of eleven tracks stretched out over roughly 43 minutes, progressing from pure Field Recordings towards dramatic, brooding highlights like "Extraction" which defo could provide the score for a forthcoming apocalypse with its intense, score'esque string works and grinding, thundering background whereas compositions like the aptly named "Distant Hope" seem to bring an idea of peace and harmony back into the sonic realm created by Wellman which is, no matter if one supports the seeping in of environmental discussions into conceptual music creation or not, one that caters some interesting moments for die-hard fans and collectors of Ambient music even though it cannot be considered a revolutionary, groundbreaking or essential body of work within the genre.   

Out Today: The Crystal Apes - TCARMX001 [Intrauterin Recordings TCARMX001]

As announced on these pages earlier this month baze.djunkiii's very own imprint Intrauterin Recordings is about to unleash the first remix single and first ever vinyl release by Hamburg's long time standing underground band outfit The Crystal Apes today - November 22nd, 2k19.

The eights vinyl release by the label coincides with its 20th anniversary since its first inception back in 1999 and is another step forward in the set goal to transform Intrauterin Recordings from a single underground imprint to the mothership of what is to become the Intrauterin Recordings Label Group in the future, a transformation meant to happen slowly but steadily over the course of the next years.

Meanwhile the latest, limited to 200 copies vinyl is available through record stores & online mailorder services worldwide, via Otaku Records / Hamburg and or directly on the Intrauterin Recordings Bandcamp page.

Emmeluth's Amoeba - Chimaera [Øra Fonogram]

Put on the circuit via the Norwegian label Øra Fonogram on November 15th, 2k19 is "Chimaera", the sophomore album released by the quartet known as Emmeluth's Amoeba. Led by saxophone player and composer Signe Emmeluth, who actually sent this album out to us and opens, as well as concludes, the longplay piece with a distinct, authorative solo sax attitude, the group provides an eight track menu of compositions rolled out over the course of 37 minutes with the main piece "AB" occupying an 11+ minutes stretch of the total playtime. Focused on Jazz as a general theme we see Emmeluth's Amoeba employ both instrumentation and techniques well familiar to followers of Traditional, Free and Avantgarde Jazz at times, yet going well beyond confining genre borders to provide highly detailed, complex and thought out compositions often somewhat led by dramatic, hammering piano stakkatos and resulting sonic thunder whilst other cuts like "Velvet" come across in a more contemplative, relaxed and laid back manner without giving up any of their intricate details and complexity or, on an interesting side note, allowing any of the instruments involved to take on a truly leading role which leads to a thrilling, yet also nerve wrecking dynamic tension even for advanced followers of the genre although the off-kilter piano etude that is the title track "Chimaera" provides a bit of a slightly relaxing break before things start to escalate in short bursts of eruptive power which also are to be found in the second piano focused ballad "No. 1". Not your regular Easy Jazz, this is.

baze.djunkiii Chart Haul 11/2019

Jana Rush - Cat Burglar

So Juke Noir is the new hot shit? We totally agree on this.

Old Castle - Old Castle [Alrealon Musique Promo]

Released via the experimental music outfit Alrealon Musique on October 4th, 2k19 is the self-titled debut album by Old Castle, a trio formed of Robin Storey, Robert Pepper and Shaun Sandor which have been, mostly in duo formations, collaborating ever since but never as a full group of three. Together, they're bringing forth a distinct vision of experimental electronic music, clearly informed by Drone, Illbient, Uneasy Listening and Unambient, introduced by the intense and well creepy opener "The Thing In The Window" which provides swampy, gooey low end movements and alarming, cold midrange notes whereas the follow up "Sing -ing, Til My Life Ends" introduces the dark, beat driven aspect of their work which defo will be highly appreciated on Cold Industrial floors of the future and "10 Skulls" pairs up repetetive Electronica / Phonk beats with desolate PostPunk guitars to a great, well hypnotizing greyscale effect. With "Singing Is Not My Destiny" the trio explores what seems to be a looped banjo motif paired with a spooky, highly haunting sonic backdrop evoking memories of vintage sci fi horror flic scores, "Psych" takes ritual music for meditations into space before "Purple Monsters" caters the most captivating minimalistic, bleepy Phonk for highly advanced dancefloors this album has to offer and the "Trial In The Hoodoos" is as fever'ish as it is powerful with its hard banging, multi-layered electronic tribalisms and dark, spine-tingling atmospheres. Furthermore "Cowboy Hood Dreams" are made of bass signals creeping up from the darkest subsurface vaults, nervous beat structures and psychedelic morphed echoes of echoes of vocal fragments whereas the "Color Of The Sky" is defined by buzzing, hectic background movements, a slow 4/4 pulse and electric, ever progressing spiralling low end movements which are surely about to have the power to alter one's state of mind if experienced on repeat for a while. "Singing On The Moon" sees Old Castle getting into most desolate, yet beat driven isolationist music accompanied by re-processed guitar experimentation, "Colors Like The Rainbow" are as chromatic as the ethereal synth motif played atop of ever repeating banjo loops and spatial, haunting atmospheres whilst the "Wolkewaffe" transmits a quite unexpected take on warped instrumental Desert Blues and the concluding "Wise Old Owl" harks back to morphed Ambient and Deep Listening Music for a still pretty much unsettling closing. Good stuff. Check.

G.A.M.S. - G.A.M.S. [Karlrecords 071 Promo]

G.A.M.S? G.A.M.S.! The freshly formed duo consisting of Andi Stecher and Guido Möbius saw their first ever self-titled album put on the circuit via Karlrecords on September 27th, 2k19, alongside a longplay unrelated additional 7" vinyl on which the two musicians teamed up with long time standing Hamburg icon Felix Kubin. Relying on a combination of live drums, feedbacks as well as partly looped electronics and samples for their overall production and performance process we see G.A.M.S. teaming up with vocalist Yuko Matsuyama for the albums opening cut "Tremslo", creating an ethereal, floating piece of ritualistic, inward looking Future Tribal subsequently followed by "Flatter", a true anthem for highly advanced dancefloors whereas "Economics" deals with driving, syncopated rhythm signatures of ever growing intensity whilst muscular guitar feedbacks turn into a nerve wrecking source of power and ultraforce for those who love their experimental music exploring more extreme territories. With "Ruma" G.A.M.S. are entering straightfoward, partly even technoid and ravey 4/4 realms which, if really created in a 100% electronic way, could be traced back to producers like Matthew Herbert or DJ Enrique in terms of provenance before both "Yanari" and "Fraktat" are featuring the legendary Mick Harris of Napalm Death-, Scorn- and Quiot-fame on production, with the first tune bringing forth highly seductive, death-infested Illbient grooves straight outta your most favorite slasher / gore score whilst the latter indulges in a cold, threatening, brooding sci-fi atmosphere, working its way towards a short, eruptive and chaotic drum-led climax before drifting into and disappearing in the hostile, unexplored endlessness of outer space, leaving the borders of our solar system way behind to hibernate in neverending darkness and rancorousness. Recommended.

Owain K - Teifi (Official Video)

Beautifully floating Intelligent Techno released via the UK-based Innate label.

Essen Jazz Orchestra - Road Works [Umland Records 027]

Fresh on the circuit via the Essen-based Umland Records label is "Road Works", the first full on artist album catered by the Essen Jazz Orchestra. With their debut stretched out over two CD's, the first covering the 42 minutes spanning title track / composition in three parts whilst the second is home to another seven additional cuts we see the orchestra project, led by Tobias Schütte, employ a classic BigBand setup to provide an epicly cinematic suite for a start, touching base with Jazz Noir, brooding potential score works - check the intro sequence of "Road Works Part Two" for this - and buzzing, busy large scale arrangements keeping the whole orchestra in check all at once as a captivating, enthralling introduction to their musical work. The second part of the album caters even more large scale drama in terms of arrangements and performance with tunes like "Toys Noise" not only telling a story in itself but also making waves on advanced Jazz dancefloors whereas "The Wheel-Dealer" brings forth a more ballad'esque, romantic and emotional aspect of the groups work and "The Essence Of Air" provides the most sophisticated late night Bar Jazz you could even think of just to name a few. If you're a Jazz lover, this defo is a worthwhile addition to your collection for sure. Check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Jean-Philippe Gross - Curling [Eich 001]

Put on the circuit via the freshly launchend Eich imprint on September 5th, 2k19 is Jean-Philippe Gross' conceptual mini album / EP piece "Curling" - a one track release stretching out over the course of 22 minutes total playing time on which the French composer pairs the actual recording of a curling match with electro-acoustic textures. Focusing on mostly bass heavy, ambient'ish drone movements musically we see Jean-Philippe Gross layer commentators, trainers, actual sports players, audience and ambience noise on top in the very forefront of the recordings mix, with audible voices using both Dutch and English or other languages in terms of communication. These voices, totally isolated and decontextualized from what's visually happening in the match, provide quite an irritating level of disturbance both sonically and mentally as the listeners brain desperately tries to make sense of two totally unconnected and independent audio events happening at the same time which, over the course of the compositions runtime, causes an interesting and well twisted trance-inducing effect if one is willing to sit through the whole tune after overcoming the initial disorientation and topsyturvication.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Jon Rose & Alvin Curran - Cafe Grand Abyss [ReR Megacorp]

Put on the circuit via ReR Megacorp on September 27th, 2k19 is "Cafe Grand Abyss", the imaginary space created by two seasoned musicians Jon Rose & Alvin Curran on their respective instruments, violin and piano, at an age where other ppl have long settled into retirement plans. Together, the two musicians create a musical world far from being as cosy and vintage as the albums artwork suggests it to be with the opening composition "Adorno's Boiled Egg" bringing on a hard to swallow information overdose whilst incorporating influences from (Neo)Classical / Contemporary Classical, Free Improv, FreeJazz, bar piano, feedback-oozing Noize, experimental cut-up music, HipHop-sampling, Dada and way more - within a total playing time of a little more than 12 minutes only. Which is an awful quite a lot to take in in this short amount of time. Following up are five additional tracks of similar intensity, meandering in between extremes whilst bringing joy and thrill to the most advanced of the advanced listeners whereas other might give up due to the multilayered complexity and seemingly chaotic, yet structured but extremely demanding nature of this longplay piece. Give it a try if you dare.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Dans Les Arbres - Volatil [Sofa Music]

Released via the Norwegian staple Sofa Music is "Volatil", the latest and fourth album put on the circuit by the quartet known as Dans Les Arbres which consists of Xavier Charles, Ivar Grydeland, Christian Wallumrød and Ingar Zach, all of the them renowned and acclaimed musicians and composers in their own right. With their newest, 53 minutes spanning one track longplay outing the pack of four is catering a fascinating piece of highly recommended Deep Listening Music, drawing influences from Ambient, Post-PostRock and echoes of echoes of experimental Jazz and Improv alike, touching base with Score Noir but also harking back to Ritual Music, fever'ish meditation and the spooky, haunting sound of a deep jungle at night. Beautiful and beautifully intense.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Helga Myhr - Natten Veller Seg Ut [Motvind Records 005]

Released via the Norwegian label Motvind Records on October 5th, 2k19 is "Natten Veller Seg Ut", the latest album release by Helga Myhr who is exploring a deeper take on the combination of her instrument, the hardanger fiddle, and live sung original religious and Folk songs from her native valley Hallingdalen over the course of 41 minutes - songs live sung whilst playing the fiddle, actually. Employing both traditional techniques as well as treating the fiddle in a more contemporary way to create / resemble electro-acoustic, ambient'ish atmospheres and advanced, abstract sounds Helga Myhr's distinct, soft and ethereal, beautifully naturalistic vocals are the binding, defining and leading element on this longplayer, oozing of century old traditions, telling tales of rural innocence and a providing break from ancient hardship, providing hope, firmness and relief in a way that seemed to be long lost and forgotten in the rapt attention of today's 24/7 digital economy. An album to slow down to and focus on self communion.

Krumble - EZ (Son Lux Riddim VS Schoolboy Q)

Our man Krumble comes in heavy with this one. Hard hitting, yet melodic Drum'n'Bass for peak time dancefloors. Reload, selecta!

Handsome Couple feat. DJ Illvibe - Bochum Berlin [Umland Records 028]

What a combination. The Essen-based duo known as Handsome Couple, comprised of St. Kirchhoff and Simon Camatta, is teaming up with Berlin's HipHop-breathing DJ Illvibe for their sophomore album on Umland Records. Recorded live in both Bochum and Berlin, hence the albums name, the duo presents an evolution of its already Instrumental HipHop-leaning sound developed on their first album which is now defined by a captivating mix of banjo, drums and electronics as presented in the dancefloor smashing opener "We", accompanied by an array of masterfully executed cuts, scratches and sample wizzardry straight from the original turntable setup used and abused by DJ Illvibe. Following up is an approximately 40 minutes long journey into beats and turntablism that might be considered being more original HipHop than most of today's HipHop is, bringing on a new kind of block party vibe that is best to be experienced whilst watching groups of b-boys, breakers, fly girls and pop lockers doing their thang, strictly representing the oldskool in a new skool way. One for the beatheads, this is.