Living Techno

Review: Rob Malone, with his 'Bravery' EP, delivers a very sinister and atmospheric package of tracks. The EP comes out with 2 new original tracks that are on fire, techno music that will drive your mind and make your body move, this sound can only be done if you work in the production with the right hard-hitting drums, dynamic synths and the perfect basslines. It also comes out with the remixes from Thomas Barnett and Orlando Voorn, two very nice reworks that definitely you will enjoy too.

BTRAX label boss Rob Malone returns to the imprint this March with the release of ‘Bravery’, backed by remixes from Thomas Barnett and Orlando Voorn. The EP is set to be released on 26th March 2021.

DJ, producer and BTRAX Records co-founder Rob Malone is a long-standing player within the electronic music scene. This Parisian native has hosted label parties at the famous Rex Club since 2001, welcoming fellow French and international artists to the stage including Extrawelt, Etapp Kyle, Steve Rachmad and Gregor Tresher, whilst holding a residency at Nouveau Casino for nearly seven years.

His latest offering includes two remixes, one from Visillusion Records head honcho Thomas Barnett, the other from highly respected producer Orlando Voorn. Thomas helped establish the legendary sound of Detroit Techno with his productions dating back to the 1980s. His music has appeared in commercials, movies and on top labels including Nova Mute. Orlando Voorn has also contributed between Detroit and Amsterdam’s techno scene. He has released material via Kevin Saunderson’s KMS and has collaborated with Juan Atkins and Blake Baxter.

The record opens with ‘Bravery’, fusing hard-hitting drums, atmospheric pads and sinister sonics to deliver an extremely captivating production. Thomas Barnett’s interpretation combines dubby chords with menacing expressions and the original’s weighty low frequencies, whilst ‘Exit D’ lays down dynamic synths, echoing soundscapes and atmospheric builds that transport listeners to another dimension. Orlando Voorn’s remix rounds out proceedings with blissful strings, distorted elements and light acidic tones on his ‘High Tech Soul’ remix, contributing to the package’s capricious vibe.

'Bravery’ by Rob Malone including remixes from Thomas Barnett and Orlando Voorn is released on 26th March 2021.

Cover Artwork.

Artist: Rob Malone

Title: Bravery (incl. Thomas Barnett, Orlando Voorn Remixes)

Label: BTRAX Records

Release date: 26th March 2021

Cat No: BTX018

Format: Digital

Beatport: LINK

Tracklist:

1. Rob Malone - Bravery

2. Rob Malone - Bravery (Thomas Barnett Remix)

3. Rob Malone - Exit D

4. Rob Malone - Exit D (Orlando Voorn High Tech Soul Remix)

Buy album: Bandcamp

Have you listened before to the music released in the labe TUTU, if you haven't, this is a good time to meet this very modest proposal, a platform for artists with a different mindset and simple at the same time, without taboos or egos, this platform is always seeking for Techno music with style and personality adapted to changing times.

The next release on the label is Edgar de Ramon’s long play debut album which has been produced during lockdown between Barcelona and the Ebro Delta. The album titled 'De Tu a Tu' is set to be released on March 8th, 2021 trough TUTU. Read below the full story and listen to the track titled 'Edgar De Ramon - Rave Again'

Through its 8 tracks, De Tu a Tu evinces a social culture still based and impregnated by the foundations of colonialism, which prevents us to move forward to plural and different world, free of borders and excessive control eagerness. There is no space for reflection in this era of frenetic digital revolution framed in a society of fierce consumption. Our data is coveted for their trade to keep on feeding a capitalist system that can even afford to tell us what to watch on TV (does Netflix sound familiar?). The globalization of poverty. In front of this call for and alienated integration, we should rise up by going for what is different and loving it. De Tu a Tu.

The cinematic-like New Territories serves as an introduction from an ambient vision of Edgar de Ramon’s countersigning techno sound. With I Love the Difference everything is exposed. From its first bass beat, it urges us to wake up from the Covid-19 increased lethargy and to dance, with a clear message: love the difference, it will make you free. Flying Data also digs into the premise of not allowing anything to influence our vital decisions, especially those related to consumption.

In Constant Movement, one sees Detroit all over, although the iron landscape of Birmingham can also be appreciated through a sharp cut of brawny techno that progresses among blinding metallic hints, a true bomb in the dance floor. Edgar de Ramón shows us his absolute mastery in all techno registers with Deeper Underground, where the vast intertwines the underground and the result is another anabolic superb release containing voices that mutate every beat.

Contemporary Practices dives into the idea that, nowadays, contemporary implies some risks, experimentation and constant transformation. Its gliding melody is achieved with a last-generation modular synthesizer and it evolves constantly through the whole song with no apparent pattern. Relative Time starts with a bass beat in the form of a hammer ready to smash bad consciences and stir rebel bodies. The echoes of Sci-fi tech on it conspire to have us look into our inner cosmos, imagining the future.

Finally, with Rave Again, the DJ and producer encourages us to break through the general alienation to make our hopes come true. Among them, of course, dancing and hugging again until dawn. Acid, funny, and typical from the nineties, echoing those raves that made us so happy once.

De Tu a Tu is dedicated to Edgar De Ramon’s family and friends. Special Thanks to Josep Vidal, Aleix Jaramillo & Alfred Calvet. Tracks Deeper Underground, Relative Time, Flying Data & Rave Again mixed at Gimeno Studio, Spain. Mastered at Perla Audio - Mixing & Mastering Studio, Germany.

Cover Artwork.

Artist: Edgar De Ramo

Title: De Tu a Tu

Format: LP

Label: TUTU

Release Formats: Digital

Release Date Digital: March 8th, 2021

Cat. No. TUTU012

Distribution: Pressology

Domain: www.tutulive.com

Tracklist.

Edgar De Ramon - New Territories

Edgar De Ramon - I Love The Difference

Edgar De Ramon - Constant Movement

Edgar De Ramon - Deeper Underground

Edgar De Ramon - Contemporary Practices

Edgar De Ramon - Relative Time

Edgar De Ramon - Flying Data

Edgar De Ramon - Rave Again

Pre order Vinyl: Bandcamp

To get out from the conventional, but without leaving aside the powerful techno sounds, here is a very interesting release by the BLF Lab audiovisual platform, that delivers a new EP featuring remixes of ‘Perfecta Analogía de la Decadencia’, the debut album of Spanish sound enthusiast Balfa. Released on a 5-track vinyl with two digital bonus tracks, the EP pushes the boundaries of contemporary electronic music. Release date: March 16th, 2021 on Vinyl & Digital formats on BLF Lab.

The collaboration of Oscar Mulero, Blush Response, Roseen, Gimenö and BLF on this seminal project provides unique perspectives in exploration of the edges of techno. The result is a sonic journey that disseminates on vastly different compositions from the minds of the individual artists.

‘Perfecta Analogía de la Decadencia’ was well-received by press worldwide when released in 2019. ‘Perfecta Analogía de la Decadencia Remixes’ extends the horizons of the sound palette enabled by Balfa through instruments of his own creation. Conceived to be a dancefloor-oriented expansion of the album, the 7-track EP takes club music to its limits while keeping the experimental aspect of the initial project.

Tracks description.

‘Afloración’ was originally created with several warped recordings and hidden pieces of information. Described by Balfa as a series of ‘organic elements that have been genetically manipulated’, the remix by Roseen completely picks up the tempo and energy whilst protecting the original elements of the track.

‘Sobreestímulos’ uses techniques of granular synthesis to create unique rhythm and drum breaks that Gimenö remixes with delicate skill, creating an atmospheric you could easily imagine being used to build up excitement during a late-night warehouse set.

‘Como Si De Agua Se Tratase’ was developed by Balfa from the glitch of a jack plug as it connected to a soundcard. Balfa brings new energy to this remix using his side project moniker BLF, while maintaining the abstract electrical feel that circulates around the track.

A track defined by its hard kick, and also the track that inspired the creation of the original album, Oscar Mulero’s remix of ‘Auto-Introducción’ is darker and heavier than the original. Eerie warehouses permeated by inviting experimental techno spring to mind.

‘Postmodernismo’ is the result of hours of experimenting with the Analog Four sound machine, and this remix by Blush Response magnetizes these sounds together to form a frenetic and slightly twisted result. A very powerful track.

Gimenö’s Warp remix of ‘Sobreestímulos’ is one of two digital bonuses at the end of the EP and brings the tempo up to real dancefloor pace, with an underlying groove that carries the glitchy wonderment created by Balfa to a new level.

Lastly, Roseen’s ‘ Different Place Mix’ of ‘Tu Ansiedad Como Receta’ is an ethereal gem that transports us through sonic sound space, underpinning the relaxed but awakening sides of Balfa’s personal journey. This is also included as a digital bonus only.

Overall, this EP is a gift of the merging of all the experimental and original sounds from Balfa’s creative palette with the individual transformative strokes of each different remixer’s audio paintbrush. A delectable journey into the outer possibilities of electronic music.

Cover Artwork.

Artist: Balfa

Remixers: Oscar Mulero, Blush Response,

Roseen, Gimenö, BLF

Title: Perfecta Analogía de la Decadencia Remixes

Format: EP

Label: BLF Lab

Release Formats: Vinyl & Digital

Release Date: March 16th, 2021

Cat. No. BLFL002

Distribution: Envelope Structure

Domain: www.blf-lab.com

Tracklist.

01. Afloración (Roseen Remix)

02. Sobreestímulos (Gimenö Remix)

03. Como Si De Agua Se Tratase (BLF Remix)

04. Auto-Introducción (Oscar Mulero Remix)

05. Posmodernismo (Blush Response Remix)

06. Sobreestímulos (Gimenö Warp Remix)

07. Tu Ansiedad Como Receta (Roseen Different Places Mix)

Credits.

Artist: Balfa

Remixers: Oscar Mulero, Blush Response, Roseen, Gimenö and BLF.

Mastering: Carlos Koschitzky at Koschitzky Studio, Gijón.

Artwork: Maria Mendes

Distribution: Envelope Structure

Pre-Order Vinyl: Bandcamp

Well, talking about tremendous releases on 2021, also knowing that Caterina Barbieri's latest album 'Ecstatic Computation' has been prodigious, its properly to announce, 1 year and a half later, that Lyra Pramuk, Kara-Lis Coverdale, Kali Malone, Nyege Nyege's Jay Mitta, Stine Janvin, A. G. Cook/Alessandro Cortini's fellow Baseck, Bendik Giske and more have joined Caterina Barbieri to rework the iconic 'Fantas' track in 8 diverse, new versions.

'Fantas Variations' is a very special follow up album, again on Editions Mego in early April, as "a diverse array of approaches and instrumentation which blur the boundaries between the acoustic and electronic", inclusive "platform for mutual exchange and support between like-minded artists" with diverse background, style, origin, gender, generation.

The first single 'Bendik Giske - Fantas for Saxophone and Voice' is out today. Listen to it below, and read the full story also.

Fantas is the epic opening track on Caterina Barbieri’s acclaimed 2019 release Ecstatic Computation. The original Fantas laid out a magical path of patterns leading the listener on a journey into the sound itself. Fantas Variations maps out eight new potentials sprung from this initial path as constructed by a diverse mix of artists lending to a wide spectrum of new works extrapolated from the original work. For this project Barbieri invited friends and long time collaborators from a variety of musical backgrounds to create a more sustainable and inclusive landscape in terms of stylistic, geographical, gender and generational balance. The results are a diverse array of approaches and instrumentation which blur the boundaries between the acoustic and electronic.

Fantas Variations embraces a platform for mutual exchange and support between like-minded artists, where active and collective re-imagination is prioritised over the traditional model of remixes, which is often strategic, functional and more passive.

Longtime friend and collaborator Kali Malone rearranged Fantas to a slowed-down, austere and eerie version for two Organs. Evelyn Saylor created a piece for a vocal ensemble consisting of her, Lyra Pramuk, Stine Janvin and Annie Garlid, joining forces to express the choral, psychedelic and vitalistic nature of the piece. Barbieri’s former guitar professor at the Conservatory in Bologna, Walter Zanetti, composes Fantas for electric guitar, by translating every single gesture of the original electronic piece into a personal, nuanced and detailed interpretation. Bendik Giske’s reinterpretation for Saxophone and Voice captures the atmospheric essence of Fantas and its psychic meteorology. Longtime collaborator and along with Barbieri the other half of the outfit Punctum, Carlo Maria, resynthesizes Fantas for TR808 and MC202, bringing a more club-oriented dimension of the piece to life whilst unveiling the sonic continuum between rhythm and pitch through a sensitive timbral approach. Jay Mitta’s Singeli reinterpretation of Fantas transpires with pitched-up percussion and turbo-fast polyrhythmic patterns unleashing the frenetic, shifting, transformative matter within the piece to a higher plain of euphoric dance. Baseck’s variation is a rave fantasia, where the prismatic trance of the original is channeled into fierce, uncompromising hardcore, whilst Kara-Lis Coverdale’s take is a phantasmagoria for piano that gently, yet inexorably, captures the relentlessness chimerical qualities of the original, unveiling its spectral backbone.

Cover Artwork.

Artist. Caterina Barbieri

Title. Ecstatic Computation

Release date. April 2, 2021

Label. Editions Mego

Format. Vinyl/Digital

EMEGO279 – 2LP Vinyl / Digital

Tracklist.

1. Evelyn Saylor (feat. Lyra Pramuk, Annie Garlid and Stine Janvin) - Fantas Variation for Voices

2. Bendik Giske - Fantas for Saxophone and Voice 07:16

3. Kali Malone - Fantas for two Organs

4. Walter Zanetti - Fantas for Electric Guitar

5. Jay Mitta - Singeli Fantas

6. Baseck - Fantas Hardcore

7. Carlo Maria - Fantas resynthesized for 808 and 202

8. Kara-Lis Coverdale - Fantas Morbida

Buy Album: Bandcamp

Vinyl: link

Boths formats will be available via Axis soon: https://www.axisrecords.com/

Review: With genuine cuts of pure music, Jeff Mills presents his new album of 15 tracks 'The Clairvoyant' that features nothing but only avant-garde electronic music combined with Jazz, Techno, Experimental sounds, Metaphysics and Spiritualism, all this elements make this LP a sound journey from another galaxy, which must be heard from beginning to end. I must say that with this album, Jeff Mills gives us a class on how to produce music, in an extraordinary way. Amazing.

Something really pleasant is investigating, following, and above all, enjoying the creativity and perseverance that is behind the work of a legend like Jeff Mills. Definitely in the world scene of electronic music, this man is the only one capable of achieving something like what he has been doing with his late releases.

Now, we are here again, talking about another extraordinary upcoming album on his mighty Axis label. The new release is a 15- track + 1 only digital (3 x Vinyl) LP that has been titled 'The Clairvoyant', and is set to be released on February 26th, 2021.

With this album, Jeff Mills introduces the techno scene into the fields of metaphysical séance. This production is so extraordinary, that comes with precise instructions on how to be listened to. Below, find the full story commented on by Jeff Mills himself.

Jeff Mills comments on 'The Clairvoyant':

“There are many ways to imagine the future. One might be to look back in the past to see what has similarities to what we are seeing today. Another way might be to invent and build a time machine to jettison ahead in time to get a glimpse. And, one way might be to use our natural senses to feel what the future might be like. Though all are intriguing to explore, this album is about the latter option.

We are a species of human animals and we are guided by the ways of “knowing” from feeling; by the ways of intuition, premonitions and sensing. Each one of us are born with this special tool set that tells us when the time is right, when enough is enough and when there may be more or less to it. It has been these skills that has allowed humanity to survive and flourish for thousands of years. It is also safe to say that we do not know all there is to know about this skill.

A Clairvoyant is a person who claims to have a supernatural ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact. 100 years around 1920, a person with such abilities that could summon, speak to the decease and spirits were in high demand due to post World War I battle casualties, the Spanish Flu virus pandemic of 1918, the social and civil unrest and many more events that made uncertainty the norm. Ironically, the we were doomed to repeat some of these events and what we’re experiencing today. The general impression of Clairvoyant was that of a conductor of faux hope, scam artist that preys on grief and desperation or someone that believes in their natural ability a bit too much! In many cases, this might have credit, but also, it was this person, with this way of supposedly channeling the beyond that gave people hope, optimism, resolve and much needed closure.

The album plays in the way of a metaphysical séance and should be listened to in a darkened, candle lit room. A silent space, free of outside noise, chatter or talking and other visual distractions. The album should be listened in full – from beginning to end”. - Jeff Mills

Cover Artwork.

Artist. Jeff Mills

Title: The Clairvoyant

Format: 3 x Vinyl, Digital

Label: Axis

Release date: February 26th, 2021

Tracklist

01. The Séance

02. Psuedoscience

03. Second Sight

04. Someone Who Feels Things

05. Calling All Loved Ones

06. Shadow With A Golden Aurra

07. I Feel A Presence

08. Three Signs From The Other Side_ Sign 1

09. Three Signs From The Other Side_ Sign 2

10. Three Signs From The Other Side_ Sign 3

11. Questions Decisions And Consequences

12. The Feeling Anything Is Possible

13. Dancing Shadows

14. Ganzfeld Experiments

15. The Spirit World

16. From The Mind’s Eye (digital bonus)

Pre order Vinyl: Bandcamp

Time to surf in the wide range of electronic music, with Masha Motive upcoming EP 'The Imponderable Bloom' on VOITAX. This release will feature 5 new tracks, that are coming out on Vinyl 12” and Digital formats on March 1st, 2021. Stay tuned and read the full story below.

Masha Motive is an artist that seeks seeks to voyage across the wide spectrum of electronics that has influenced him in his formative years. Siegert utilises an off the cuff approach to his productions – one that he had cultivated while playing as a guitarist in various metal and hardcore bands in his youth.

The German producer soon found himself developing a curiosity for melding his accumulated arsenal of musical approaches, which are shown in the polished palate we see today – something that has translated to both his productions, as well as his label’s output. Driven by an ethos to blur the lines of conventional genres, Masha Motive is definitely a hot prospect tipped for greatness.

As VOITAX enters its eighth year as a label, co-founder Christoph Siegert aka Masha Motive steps up to the plate with his first solo material that has been titled 'The Imponderable Bloom'.

Having played a highly influential role in whittling the label’s established signature sound, the German producer chose to take his time to hone in on his craft, before dropping any production of his own. The result – a studiously crafted expedition filled with dominant breaks, dense bass and swelling ambience, flirting between the realms of jungle, dubstep and downtempo.

Inviting chimes gently welcome the EP, before plunging us into the dark sub-heavy groove of »Sweet Dripping Resin«. A bass powered, half-time rhythm that synergies with its percussive topping to brutal effect. »Artificial Fruit« utilises minimalist percussion and sparse reverberance to pave way for the pulsing bassline. »Cedar’s« raw drum grooves maintain its pace as the tribal breakbeat leads the way for the haunting pads to escort the journey through twists and turns.

The flip side plays host to the EP’s namesake divided into two chapters. The »Imponderable Bloom Pt.1« is a drone fuelled, down tempo trudge through murky soundscapes choosing to weaponize jungle breaks with class and precision. Playful break chops are the bread- winner for this outing, with serious nods to the UK jungle scene. »The Imponderable Bloom Pt.2« draws the journey to a close with plenty of grace and poise. As the momentum of the percussion gears down in the closing scene, Masha Motive showcases his finely tuned capabilities of sound design. Tasteful smatterings of sinister vocals are juxtaposed by sprinkles of uplifting, yet foreboding glimpses of melodies gently guide Siegert’s closing sequence to an end.

Cover Artwork.

Artist: Masha Motive

Title: The Imponderable Bloom

Label: VOITAX

Catno: VOI024

Release Date: March 1st, 2021

Format: Vinyl 12” + Digital

Genre: Jungle, Dubstep

Tracklist.

A1. Masha Motive - Sweet Dripping Resin

A2. Masha Motive - Artificial Fruit

A3. Masha Motive - Cedar

B1. Masha Motive - The Imponderable Bloom Pt. 1

B2. Masha Motive - The Imponderable Bloom Pt. 2

Buy EP: Juno

Review: Definitely Mar io's new EP, entitled 'Twilight Of Ages' is a masterpiece, an odyssey of electronic music. The release puts out 7 new tracks that goes from smooth atmospheric downbeat sounds to pleasant experimental tones of pure electronic music, that for sure will make you feel good. It is an EP that you have to listen to and enjoy. Incredible.

We come to February and of course new avant-garde releases see the light, not only do we share it, we select it especially because we are surprised by the proposal. Have you heard about Mar io's music? Well, this guy is a producer who has been producing almost all varieties of electronic music since 1992. After almost 20 years of music production this led to a lot of outstanding tracks.

At a time when our memories of sweaty club nights seem to stem from a parallel universe, it seems just fair that Mar io's new broque EP dedicates its heart and soul entirely to atmospheric downbeat electronica. Titled 'Twilight Of Ages', this new EP brings out seven new tracks, already out.

'Twilight of Ages' is full of reminiscences of the 90s, but rather than telling tales of dancefloor hysteria, it takes the turn right into the adjacent chillout rooms. Many may recall that the chillout of the 90s has been the time and place where soothing ambient spheres combined with an unhindered drive towards experimental electronica have made a long-lasting impact on contemporary music by constantly bending and blending genres ad sounds.

After his club-oriented EPs for labels such as Form & Terra, and last but not least his album on Broque, Mar io shows here that he has the potential to stand up to the likes of Plaid, Biosphere, The Orb and the whole Space Night posse.

With 'Space @ Night' he dedicates a track to Pascal F.E.O.S., who died surprisingly in 2020. F.E.O.S, apart from being well-known for his rave adventure, had been one of the driving forces behind the Space Night sound, together with Alex Azary and Gabriel Le Mar under the Aural Float moniker.

While 'Space @ Night' is representative for the high ambitions of the EP, gliding through time and space both dreamily and playfully, the EP as a whole resurrects the heyday of dubby atmospheric ambient sounds and playfully broken downbeats across seven diverse and enchanting tracks.

As such, the charms of 'Twilight of Ages' will delight and embrace everyone, by no means limited to those who have experienced the escapism of the 90s in chillout rooms rather than the dancefloor.“

Cover Artwork.

Artist: Mar io

Title: Twilight Of Ages

Label: Broque

Format: EP

Release Format: Digital

Cat. No. brq135

Distribution: Beatport, iTunes

Domain: https://www.broque.de/

Tracklist.

01. Dimmer

02. Come, Take Some

03. Twilight of Ages

04. Son Of The Morning

05. A Part Of Past And Future

06. The Space @ Night

07. Tune Out

Credits.

Cover Artwork by b.2000

https://www.broque.de/

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