Juno Recommends Electro June 2019

Review: Leeds-born session Hearlucinate makes the leap to wax with a special series of 12"s that correspond to line-ups for parties in London, spearheaded by resident Tristan da Cunha. On this first release, Dawl shores up on the A side and sets the bar very high indeed with the killer bleep techno stylings of "Energy Overdrive" and the tough, punchy electro of "Cyborg". Da Cunha himself follows up on the B side with the equally tough and thumping "Move (Let Me See U)", a seedy and sensual peak timer if we ever heard one. Freakenstein completes the set with a rabble-rousing booty bass beat down that will appeal to those who likes their electro fast and nasty.

Review: AUX88 The 1990's launched an onslaught of projects and musical influences to a new generation of listeners to a re-emergence of electro. Paying homage to those before, a four-man crew from the east side of Detroit, AUX88, laid down the foundation of the gritty sound of the streets, and made their presence known via urban radio, dance clubs, and overseas venues. The time has come for those who were major influences to add their touch to the continuation of that sonic pallet.

Review: Some nine months on from the last album release under the Exaltics alias - the acid-fuelled electro of "Das Heise Experiment 2" - Robert Witschakowski is back with another full-length effort. While there are some sonic similarities to its predecessor, Witschakowski has really ratcheted up the intergalactic influences, with the vast majority of the material on show sitting somewhere between the undersea heaviness of Drexciya and the futurist, sci-fi-fired deep space vibes that have long been associated with electro. There are a few downtempo moments, but for the most part the storied producer keeps his sights set on the dancefloor. Highlights are plentiful and include the crystalline creepiness of "One", the throbbing intensity of "Skyway Chase" and the moody, ERP style deep electro of "Missing Places".

Review: As ways to introduce a new label go, this first outing from Hearse is pretty special. It's something of an all-star affair, with cuts from scene stalwarts and a lovely screen-printed sleeve. To kick things off, old pals Neil Landstrumm and Si Begg join forces on talkbox-sporting ja, "The Pusher (M)", where bleeping melodies and intergalactic electronics cluster around a mind-altering electro groove. The Exaltics offer up a razor-sharp slab of arpeggio-driven 4/4 electro insanity ("00045.00.2"), while Amato smothers an EBM/industrial funk style beat in foreboding electronic riffs and suitably wonky modular motifs. It's left to DJ Overdose to close proceedings, something he does in style via the distorted drums and mangled electronics of industrial electro workout "Industry Repeats".

Review: One of the darkest albums. Raw electro techno from the deep! Absolute must have!

Review: Ted Krisko and Eric Rickers hail from Detroit, and their distinctive brand of snappy, playful electro and techno has already landed them releases on KMS, Visionquest and others. Now they land on 20/20 Vision with the devilishly fun "One LFO," an unremitting acid jam shot through with crafty drum programming and enough robotic lubricant to get the rustiest joints greased up and moving. Fellow Detroit champs Luke Hess and Delano Smith shore up on the flip with classy remixes, Hess waving his dubby strains over the original in inimitable form and Smith taking things deep, smooth and just a little spooky.

Review: Distorted Sensory Perception is a new label emerging out of the Bristol underground to represent the deeper end of the techno and electro scene. The first release is a various artists affair that kicks off with the bold and expressive sound of rising talent Gilbert, last spotted on two excellent Innate releases. Mindless Evolving Objects takes a similar approach laden with harmonious pads and twinkling arps, while Datawave takes things in a darker direction without losing that melodic nous. Label founder Zobol has an emotive bent in his track "Scatterbrain," and Nikolay Sunak completes the set with the illustrious "Dance & Cry Baby."

Review: The resurgent Transparent Sound outfit (made up of UK electro veterans Orson Bramley and Martin Brown) have been riding high since their classic "Punk Motherfucker" got picked up for a reissue from Pressure Traxx, finding favour with the Club der Visionaere set. They're back on their own label with a rich and plentiful EP loaded with robotic box jams, leading in with the dark and seductive body popping beatdown "What Is Your Name?". The vocal mix is killer, but there's also the added bonus of an instrumental take for those who prefer a pure machine sound. Acidulant also steps up with a blinding remix that does a great service to the original, threading some seriously nasty synth wriggles and wobbles into the mix.

Review: Transparent Sound label boss Orson Bramley steps up to his long-standing imprint with a new guise, Empty Orchestra, which showcases yet more of his crafty, delicately executed take on electro. "Nervouse Smile" is an impeccable study of the style, loaded with intricate machine funk elements from twitchy drum programming to ethereal pads, and of course a healthy dose of funk for good measure. As well as the original version, there are additional remixes courtesy of rising stars Acidulant and Alero May, the latter of which has an especially infectious bassline ripple and some smart key change moments for a dynamic end result.

Review: Back in 2012, C.P. Smith's Central Processing Unit label launched via a fine EP from Texas-based producer Philip Washington AKA Cygnus. Having continued their relationship via an album and further EPs, it would be fair to say that the American is one of the Sheffield label's most significant acts. "Deep Analysis" is Washington's first release on CPU for four years and delivers a sextet of high-grade electro cuts. There's much to admire throughout, from the bustling computer beats and deep space chords of "Decent Of Man" and the angry vocoder vocals of bona-fide club-rocker "Sheffield Bleep", to the Drexciya style intensity of the title track and bubbly brilliance of EP opener "Her Majesty (The Universe)".

Review: We are proud to present two new EPs from De Bons en Pierre, the duo of Beau Wanzer & Maoupa Mazzocchetti. Beau Wanzer spends the majority of his days sifting through paraffin embedded animal tissues and reading old issues of Fangoria, occasionally breaking his monotonous routine to record in various fits and bursts. As well as solo material, he is also in numerous projects including Streetwalker, Mutant Beat Dance, Civil Duty, and Corporate Park. Maoupa Mazzocchetti is the pseudonym of Florent Mazzocchetti, a French producer based in Brussels. His sonic vision is one which constantly straddles the line between wild experimentation and rhythmic compatibility, drawing influence from early concrete, 80's tape scene and Birmingham school techno. After working together on the 'Crepes' EP that we released in 2017, De Bons en Pierre reunited for a two day recording session in Brussels. The duo recorded 13 tracks that we've split across 2 EPs with 6 tracks on 'EP No. 1' and 7 tracks on 'EP No. 2'. Beau says, "We hooked everything up and just pushed play. We didn't really discuss much about the process....it was very 'spur of the moment'." The equipment set up included a Roland TR-808, TR-606, SH-101, CR-78, CR-8000, two Syncussions and effects. Each EP contains 25 minutes of dance floor perversions that tackle an array of rhythmic forms. Sludgy synths, serrated percussion and viscous distortion goops over leviathan rhythms. All songs are mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. 'EP No. 1' is housed in a sewage green jacket featuring a monster mask duo and spiky motifs designed by Florent Mazzocchetti, and 'EP No. 2' is radioactive orange with a different pair of monster masks.

Review: We are proud to present two new EPs from De Bons en Pierre, the duo of Beau Wanzer & Maoupa Mazzocchetti. Beau Wanzer spends the majority of his days sifting through paraffin embedded animal tissues and reading old issues of Fangoria, occasionally breaking his monotonous routine to record in various fits and bursts. As well as solo material, he is also in numerous projects including Streetwalker, Mutant Beat Dance, Civil Duty, and Corporate Park. Maoupa Mazzocchetti is the pseudonym of Florent Mazzocchetti, a French producer based in Brussels. His sonic vision is one which constantly straddles the line between wild experimentation and rhythmic compatibility, drawing influence from early concrete, 80's tape scene and Birmingham school techno. After working together on the 'Crepes' EP that we released in 2017, De Bons en Pierre reunited for a two day recording session in Brussels. The duo recorded 13 tracks that we've split across 2 EPs with 6 tracks on 'EP No. 1' and 7 tracks on 'EP No. 2'. Beau says, "We hooked everything up and just pushed play. We didn't really discuss much about the process....it was very 'spur of the moment'." The equipment set up included a Roland TR-808, TR-606, SH-101, CR-78, CR-8000, two Syncussions and effects. Each EP contains 25 minutes of dance floor perversions that tackle an array of rhythmic forms. Sludgy synths, serrated percussion and viscous distortion goops over leviathan rhythms. All songs are mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. 'EP No. 1' is housed in a sewage green jacket featuring a monster mask duo and spiky motifs designed by Florent Mazzocchetti, and 'EP No. 2' is radioactive orange with a different pair of monster masks.

Review: Sex-obsessed electro legend The Egyptian Lover rarely makes a duff record, serving up spacey and intergalactic cuts that tiptoe the fine line between dancefloor sensuality and all-out sleaziness. On his latest record he's joined forces with turntablist hero Q-Bert, who adds tight, on-point cuts and scratches to the Los Angeles' producer's punchy beats and starry-eyed synths on A-side club cut "Beyond The Galaxy". Fittingly, the A-side also boasts a "Scratch Tool" version - an early '80s style stripped-back beat track over which you can add your own crabs, flares and baby scratches. Turn to the flipside for the previously unheard extended version of "5 Cent Camel Ride", a squelchy, acid-flecked electro slammer smothered in snake charmer solos and bleeping electronics.

Review: Although largely unknown outside of underground electro circles, Mark Kastner AKA Galaxian consistently serves up some of the most on-point experimental and club-focused electronic music around. It's a bold claim, for sure, but one that's backed up by the high quality tracks showcased on the Scottish producer's first EP for Natural Sciences. A-track "Golden Armageddon", for example, is a thrilling, nine-minute electro ride that brilliantly alternates between sweeping, cinematic style melodic movements and fizzing, acid-fired sections that are more intense than a late night beating from a far-right thug. Elsewhere, "Ride The Spiral" joins the dots between Drexciya, early UK bleep and weirdo IDM, while dystopian closing cut "Psychic Purification" is a Rephlex style "braindance" monster.

Review: There's not much info out there about My Own Jupiter's latest addition to the roster, though we do know that he's a Spanish producer and that "Morning For Loss" is his debut album. It's a rather impressive set, with the publicity-shy artist offering up a poignant, spacey and quietly picturesque mix of slo-mo melodic electro, intergalactic dancefloor workouts, early '90s style IDM, bleeping ambient techno and shimmering purist electro jams that sound like they've been sat idle on a dusty cassette since 1989. Throughout, Depressor strikes a near perfect balance between bottom end grunt, atmospheric aural textures and tuneful, ear-catching synthesizer motifs.