Electro Recommendations April 2011

Review: Game designer turned electronica wizard Martin Wheeler gets the 'best of' treatment, as Soma gathers together the best of his material for the long-established Glaswegian label. While hardened fans are catered for by a new track (the typically evocative "Floating Point") and a handful of remixes and remasters ("Tokyo Glitterati", "Girl + Robot" and "Memories & Melodies" are amongst the re-cut tracks), Electrospective will be of most interest to Vector Lovers virgins. To that end, it's an excellent collection, neatly showcasing Wheeler's icy, emotion-rich take on IDM, electro and ambient. If you're new to his childlike world of chiming melodies and innocent synths, it's an excellent starting point.

Review: A much needed repress for one of Minimal Wave's best and most impressive looking archival releases here. Originally issued four years ago, Synthesize pulled together some nine tracks from the archives of Autumn, aka Belgian duo Peter Bonne and Geert Coppens whose musical experiments together began in the 1970s and took full flight the next decade. This collection's inspiration comes from the 1981 &" of the same name that Autumn laid to tape in under seven hours, with both tracks featured and complemented by a further array of primitive electronics and supple synth experiments. It's worth it alone for the nervous energy of "Night In June" and "Laughter Of A Madman".

Review: Ever since the news broke that Instra:mental's Alex Green was to take on the guise of Boddika for his slower tempo, house and electro style productions, we've been foaming at the mouth with fevered anticipation. Dominated by 808 drum machines and pulsing rhythms, yet maintaining that uber-cool classiness and delicacy that shapes his work with production partner Damon (Kid Drama) as Instra:mental, Boddika really lives up to the high expectation bequeathed upon him here in both "Electron" and "Underground". Whilst "Electron" is the rather more frenetically patterned, ever so slightly aggressive and insatiable track of the pair, after a few listens you will feel yourself caught up in the driving groove, beats pattering around like the dots of an impressionist paintbrush before a heavy drum kick and atmospheric pressure re-sets the tone. "Underground" continues in a similar vein, dark and brooding, coloured with cowbells and droning arpeggiated synths - it's a contemplative cut and more of a 3am draw, but just as powerful. Superbly crafted, intricate artwork by Ashes 57 seals the deal and makes this a must buy for vinyl collectors and music lovers alike.

Review: Last seen in 2008 dropping a trio of EPs from Creepy Autograph, Valentine Connexion make a welcome return. Little may be known of The Abstract Eye, the mysterious entity responsible for the five tracks that make up Cool Warm Divine, but there's a certain Detroit hotness, a vintage rawness and undeniable analogue sexiness running through the production here. The title track pays homage to the vintage Detroit sound pioneered by Drexciya et al, laying a multiplicity of bubbling synth flourishes over rippling drum machine kicks. It's the slippery analogue flex of B Side opener "The Unseen" that impresses the most though; all neon synth lines tinged with futuristic sensibilities over simmering bass and snapping Model 500 kicks.