Monday, July 30, 2012

cR-teK / Pharmacom [Pharmacom Records]

The next weird format release appearing from the vaults of Sascha Müller and his fellow musicians is this double 3.5" computer disc, ltd. to 20 copies world wide and originally glued / sealed together with glitter tape. The first disc holds cR-Tek's "Excuse Sushi" as 64 kbps mp3 file which is an abstract and well-funky piece of Electro music with surprising twists and turns for the advanced dancefloors of our planet whilst Pharmacom's "Draculars Revenge" holds up the flag of lo-fi with a 48kbps resolution and fucked up, distorted chiptune-flavours for gatherings of the nerdy typs. If you're about to throw a hacker party for uber-nerdy types soon this one holds a part of your soundtrack.

Wanna get one? A copy out of these 20 gems is available via Q[e]M @ discogs.com ...

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Ender - Ohmu EP [Seahorse & Castle 003 Promo]

Ender is from Finland. Ender is also Hannu Nieminen. And 50% of the prolific duo Hannulelauri which have been remixing the likes of Kasper Björke, Jupiter and Diskokaine apart from releases on labels like Relish or I'm A Cliche. Ender runs Seahorse & Castle, his own imprint and home to his first solo shot which is a sweet four track piece fusing pumping TechHouse with krauty SynthDisco or classic AcidHouse like in the massive A2-lick named "Sick Cat" that well knows about the magic of raw Chicago tunes and the hypnotizing, even trance-inducing effects of an ever spiralling 303-line. This tune is H-U-G-E in capitals, absolutely flawless and made to set floors on fire immediately whilst the title track is on a stripped down and well-psychedelic tip in a way. Finally the additional "Ghost Coaster" serves a jazzy, more experimental feel with dubbed, echoing synth figures in various layers and irritating, stumbling drum works puzzling not only off their head punters when dropped throughout a hot and sweaty night. We do like this.

Children - No Future EP [AdP Records Promo]

Recently released via AdP Records is the debut EP of the german three piece band outfit Children who are exploring the field of easy, but contemporary Pop music within four songs here. Driven by the vocal powers of their female members Laura and Steffi "No Future" embraces a broad spectrum of musical influences - Advanced Pop for sure, Indie guitars, the wavey and party dark'ish feel that can also be found when bands like Darkness Falls are on stage, decent but still sing-a-long Minimal House meets song structure crossovers like the uber-cool "Riot" with its well-recognizable hook and more are to be found here. Plus: they've a sense for dramatism in their music and use the flute which is a quite uncommon instrument in this kind of music. Nice one and well exciting for a debut, if they stay on this path I guess their future will be a bright one.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Sascha Müller - II [Pharmacom Productions]

Sascha Müller is about to unleash his second free download album via his Pharmacom Productions platform which he uses to spread his more experimental releases these days, making them available for overall access but accepting donations via flattr.com . And experimentalism rules for sure as there are dark'ish Drone / Noise pieces to be found on this one as well as other journeys into Ambient and Deep Listening Music for the open minded - stuff that obviously does not fit on his various other label outfits but still, this goes for most of the tracks here, is again expertly crafted and opens ones mind for inner eye journeys into the realms of imagination.Especially the epic 26 minutes piece "Last Train To Radio Ga Ga" with its random vocal snippets that seem to be traced from old wireless communication recordings partly reminds of the legendary mid-90s project named Single Cell Orchestra and is good not only for this reason.

Sascha Müller - Booty Flop 1 [Pharmacom Records]

If you've been following these pages regularly you might have recognized Sascha Müller as not only a hyperactive producer but also as one who loves uber-limited releases and strange formats. And "Booty Flop 1" is a piece fitting into both categories as it is limited to ten - 10!!! - copies worldwide and released on hand numbered 3.5" computer discs for those who still are able to play music from this media. For freaks. Musicwise one track is to be found on this one, a lo-fi bootleg version of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" with a raw beat underneath, strange filter effects and a quite crunchy sound quality as if listening to music through an oldskool telephone receiver. Defo funny and unique. And hard to find as well... so if you're considering to get hold of this feel free to check our Q[e]M sales account at discogs which is your source for hard to find, highly limited or long gone items in fine unplayed quality.

Jay Zoney - Zulu Child EP [Super 6 Records 078.5]

New on Super 6 Records is Jay Zoney's "Zulu Child EP" , named after its first track which is a pumping, progressive TribalTechno piece of a slightly darker flavor with vocal samples of an ethnic / tribal origin, acidic bits and a massive bassline blowing the minds of punters into other realms. Sascha Müller's remix of this tune spreads out over more than 11 minutes and keeps the Tribal feel alive although the overall sound aesthetics are obviously rougher and not that streamlined, the tempo is faster, too, and the general feel more ravey and defo working huge spaces and large crowds right due to its ever changing trippyness and exaggerated use of 303-lines. Two more tracks are to be found here - "Time" and "Carrington", the first one starting out as dark, pumping Techno and transforms into an epic piece of Dark Trance with a HUGE breakdown that simply leaves me stunned as it seems to last for eternities until the pumping beats come back, causing a massive dancefloor craze whilst the second one is a psyched out Tribal / Prog fusion that could fairly accompany some dark'ish Horror flic with it's ever calling, whispering voices and spooky sounds.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Talla 2XLC & Surpresa - Silver [Tetsuo 127 Promo]

Coming up next via Tetsuo is the labels cat.no. 127, a collaborational effort of label head Talla 2XLC and Surpresa - better known to his parents as Leon Bolier - which are both serving their individual view on their tune "Silver". Whilst the Netherland-based Bolier comes up with an epic piece of melodic Progressive Trance reaching a maximum climax at 3.00 before delivering a huge mid-track breakdown topped with an extraordinary synthesizer hook reminiscing of the simple but impressing standalone Synth-heroes of the 80s, Mr. 2XLC is on a more uplifting tip here, rolling things out a bit and focusing on vast string structures again instead of emphasizing on the stand-out melody. But no matter what, both tunes are about to appeal to todays Trance heads and there's no doubt about the fact that they'll be happily drifting along the vibes provided. Proper.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Sascha Müller - Gravity Unit EP [Super 6 Records 078]

Sascha Müller is about to release his next three track EP via his very own Super 6 Records these days, once again ready and armed to please fans of classic Techno with a tool'ish but thrilling attitude. The ingredients in all these tunes are well-known and neither innovating nor spectacular as there are literally thousands of tracks that sound similar but still Sascha Müller manages to merge the filters, the drums and signals in a way that they still, after all these years, sound fresh and good on the floor, work the crowd right and that's all these pieces aim to do. And especially "Unit 2 Move Your Body" with its 'troity strings and off key melody kills them all, leaving the crowd begging for more - a perfect closing tune for a prime time set if this kind of true skool Techno would still be played out in clubs these days. Nice.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

H.O.S.H. - Ego EP [Poker Flat Recordings 131 Promo]

Actually it's quite a surprise to find Hamburgs H.O.S.H. releasing a full E.P. via Poker Flat Recordings in the near future, this came quite unexpected and reading the additional info sheet unveals a bit of exaggeration as well coze the term legend does not fit in here although H.O.S.H. has been undoubtedly active for about a decade now and made more than one big crowd move for sure. Apart from that kind of overstatement one might me in doubt what kind of connection can be seen musically between the recent Poker Flat Recordings-catalogue if any as this one sticks way out with its quite stripped-down but still recognizable ElectroHouse-y influences and the use of kinda unprocessed vocals bits that seem to be taken from the HipHouse-/ ItaloHouse-era. Played to a crowd hot and heaving this one will do its duties as there's a raw funkiness lying within that no-one is about to deny but one might still ask - why on this label? There's absolutely no reasonable answer at hand and I still think that a release via DJ Hell's own International Gigolo Records or the - gone ? - Dirt Crew-imprint would've been more fitting for several reasons. Not bad though if you love a bit of oldskool'ish approach here and there but still puzzling.

Thursday, July 05, 2012

baze.djunkiii Charts 07/2012

01. Eprom - Regis Chillbin [Rwina Records]
Bleepstep, Bubbling House or Future Grime Instrumental - a mixture of all those styles might describe roughly what Eprom's 808 heavy original mix is about, coming up with processed shotgun clicks and coughs as well and being one of the, if not the most creative and mindblowing record released within the last months, serving a new thrilling variation of Bass Music. On the flip Machinedrum turns things round, creating an apocalyptic PostRave monster based on bass and hoovering signals. Outstanding.  

02. Lisa & Kroffe - Origo [Monoscope Promo]
The pure innocent beauty of Synthesizer music. Not even dare to call this one Ambient or even Cosmic although both terms might not be wrong. But this four track piece is bigger than that and approaching another audience, an audience that is way larger than these specialist scenes. "Origo" does not only pay homage to idols like Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis oder Wendy Carlos - it will be seen as a sequel of their works and should be reffered to as future classic amongst fans of these artists.

03. Jamie Anderson & Owain K - Do You Know [Dessous Recordings 109 Promo]
See review for details...

04. AFX / Autechre [SAINT-E]
Not necessarily official but surely well pricey re-release of two remixes Autechre and AFX crafted for St. Etienne somewhen in the mid-90s. Regarding artists and era collectors and long time followers of electronic music will know what to expect from this one - high quality, fascination and a certain deepness that's still thrilling but before buying this piece blindfolded it might be usefull to skip through your collection to check if these pieces are sitting already somewhere in your shelves. Get it, if they don't or if your original copy is well worn out from 15+ years of continuous abuse.

05. Tristesse Contemporaine [Dirty / Pschent]
Somewhat located between PostPunk, (No)Wave and DFA-influences Tristesse Contemporaine's self-titled album seems to be one of the most underrated longplay pieces these days although it's jam-packed with underground hits to be, serves a broad musical variety within its nine tracks and is not that far from Nam:Live!'s 2005-released "The Testament: Sex, Scriptures and Rock & Roll" musically, a conceptual piece released via Dekathlon that has not been as widely recognized as it deserved as well. But back to Tristesse Contemporaine, tunes like "Empty Hearts", "In The Wake", "Daytime Nightime" or "I Didn't Know" are about to keep dancefloors busy, the last mentioned is even about do draw attention of those following the krauty CosmicDisco variations served by the likes of Padded Cell or The Emperor Machine. Essential.
 
06. DJ Clent - 3rd World / Hit It From The Back [Blank Mind 002]
GhettoHouse? ProtoJuke? No matter what, it's great to see those tracks re-released after so many years. "3rd World" was originally found on DJ Clent's "100% Ghetto EP" - Dancemania 262 - and is to be seen as a melancholia driven prequel to the recent Juke / Footwork craze that floats in to the shelves of european stores more regularly these days whilst "Hit It  From The Back" is a classic GhettoHouse / GhettoTech tune with dirty lyrics that's cut from the inside out which is a nice bonus gimmick for all those vinyl lovers out there.

07. Sabre - Halo Danger / Halogenix - Laika [Dispatch Recordings 058]
Charting a Drum'n'Bass record has not been a regular thing for me within the last years as this genre lost a lot of its fascination since the mid-noughties and maybe that is why I like this one so much. Both Sabre and Halogenix manage to serve a hyper-clean and techy, nearly skeletal approach on Drum'n'Bass that is quite close to the post-2000 vibe, heavily influenced by albums like "Wormhole" and such. Both tunes are more techy and sci-fi though, more on a Kemal or DSCI4 tip and at least one side even features some nice rave stabs on top of a deep, spooky athmosphere. Recommended.

08. Steve Bug - Those Grooves [Poker Flat Recordings 130 Promo]
See review for details... 

09. Yvat - Collider [Minor Label 025]
Minor Label is another one of these imprints that have been around for more than a decade now, continously busy with release and mailorder activities but still acting somehow under the mainstream radar, carving out their own niche and relying on self-distribution, record swapping and all those classic, nearly vintage ways to spread their music having their roots in the DIY-culture of Punk and Industrial. And at least the Industrial / Noize background is were those guys hail from, now being ready to enter the field of Electronica with the release of Yvat's six track EP "Collider". Pressed on white vinyl as a limited run of 150 copies this one can be best described as a conjunctional work of Autechre and Aphex Twin, teaming up with the likes of Michael Forshaw on a dark'ish, but still melodic structure of Industrial patterns. Heavy, but still accessable and even spiced up with a slice of humour, a release to hunt down and watch for - hard to find but important for the collection of an open minded spirit. Good. 

10. Flutwacht - Traumsplitter [The Tourette Tapes] 
This one's a true collectors gem released back in 2007 and never distributed via the regular channels despite some obscure mailorders and at live shows. A limited to 50 - sic!!! - longplay piece with each copy coming in a hand-numbered individually painted sleeve and including two sweet inlays this one is about to please all lovers of Drone / Dark Ambient as three of the five tracks are to be filed under this flag and they're likely to be compared with the deep, underwater-sounding works of Kallabris minus their abstract sailors romanticism lying within some of their tracks featuring processed and pitch shifted accordion sounds. Plus: more cold tension. The only track with a dancefloor fitting rhythmic structure hits the musical field mostly regarded to as Rhythm Industrial with a touch of proper Hardcore for the dark-heartened people out there whilst another one can be described as pulsing, ever modulated Noise. Defo a good one and if you're interested in grabbing a copy but don't know - feel free to get in touch.

Monday, July 02, 2012

Features @ Wolf's Kompaktkiste

Those who've been around the electronic music circuit for a while will surely know about Wolf Kemker's legendary website "Wolf's Kompaktkiste" which has been always an information hub for lovers, collectors and connaisseurs of all things related to these styles. A new addition to that long-time running site are two sub-sites dedicated to the works of baze.djunkiii and his label Intrauterin Recordings / Intrauterin Tapes. Big up!

check:

http://www.kompaktkiste.de/bazedjunkiii.htm
http://www.kompaktkiste.de/intrauterin.htm

Sunday, July 01, 2012

Oliver Huntemann - Play! 04: Melbourne [Ideal Audio Promo]

Oliver Huntemann is back on track with the fourth issue of his infamous "Play!"-series , this time recorded live in Melbourne and released via his very own Ideal Audio-imprint. Stretched out over two CDs and more than two hours of total playing time Mr. Huntemann rolls out an ecstatic dancefloor experience ranging from deep, pumping TechHouse to primetime fillers and even includes - see: Nick Harris' "Her Black Wings" - a slightly trancey, hypnotic feel at some points, proving that this jock has been around long enough to appreciate warm floating vibes that are far beyond being cheesy. More tracks included come from the studios of artists like Maetrik, Alexi Delano, Nico Lahs, Tony Rohr, VCMG and many others. Plus: a few fresh Huntemann-pieces are to be found on this one as well. Nice package for sure, capturing the original club vibe of now.