BASICNOISE Vinyl & CDs

Review: Phenomena is a rather incredible 39th full-length album from the pioneering Lithuanian dub techno label Greyscale. Like all those that went before it, it is a captivating excursion into cavernous sounds. In particular, this one delves into the wonders of nature - meteor streams and starling murmurations - and flips them into immersive soundscapes. In mixing up vintage and contemporary styles, Basicnoise navigates deep emotional depths with technical finesse. 'Midnight Dub' has lush and organic chord progressions, 'Sakura Season' pays homage to Detroit techno's smooth, futuristic spirit and 'Reduxtion II' delivers crisp production and powerful frequencies. These are just some standouts along the way of this profound musical odyssey.

Review: Ambient tech house is often overlooked as a genre - too subtle for the clubs and too intense for relaxation. This is what makes the subgenre so special though, at the intriguing and cerebral meeting point of ambient dub and techno comes something 'other than' and thought provoking. 'Pattern Explorations' lies at that crossroads, the sounds rattling through your skull. The use of reverb and negative space makes the soundscape almost transcendent, elevating the listener to a different plane of sound on 'Pattern Exploration II', with the listener eventually being pulled into motion as new elements and grooves are added into the mix with each passage, like a boat slowly drifting out to harbour.'Pattern Exploration IV' is where the techno half of the brain takes over, as acid lines and rhythms are introduced into the chemical formula.