Juno Recommends Electro: April 2023

Review: Following the epic dystopian LP 'Manifold' Versalife returns with his second album on 20/20 Vision 'Chronoception'. The accomplished Dutch producer Boris Bunnik aka Conforce delves deep into the cosmic abyss with eight auditory adventures laced with shadowy tones, deep base and robotic funk.

Review: Having established notoriety for his live hardware-based sets, Ben Pest's latest electro cut, 'Robotic Sales', out on Brighton-based label, Orson, sees the incredible energy of his live sets made flesh - or vinyl, at least. Opening track, 'Robotic Sales' (Acid Redux) kicks the EP off to a flying start. The perfect balance of blistering acid pads and powerful electro percussion, the roboticised vocal sample, paired with 80s-esque synths gives this an undoubtedly classic feel. By contrast, the relatively pared back 'Wobbly Eggs' explores a clever inversion of the typical dance track structure, with key melodic components emerging in the breakdown and disappearing out of view when the main body of the track returns. 'Beefcase', the most acid-heavy track on the release, is a guaranteed floor-filler while the final track, 'Charizard Dream', is perfect for those moments of peak-time, out-of-your-body elation. A seriously strong EP from Ben Pest.

Review: If you enjoy going on the sort of warped industrial electro tech trips that are served up by Craig Richards at 5 am in fabric then this is an EP you will want other. It's all that and more from Sound Synthesis on Ancient technologies. The title track 'We Are The Revolution' takes some beating with its booming bass and ticking hi hats all run through with cosmic synth tension. From there the pace and intensity grooves but never at the expense of the underlying grooves, which are simply divine. 'Move Your Body' is another standout that welcomes some manic acid into the fold.

Review: Four new slippery, cascading electro cuts come from the brain behind the alias Sesuvium under the Reedale Rise alter ego for a splash-making melodic affair. Leaders 'Littoral Zone' and 'Globular' are rimshot-ready rollers, while follow-uppers 'Driftwood' expand outwards into livelier and ever more scenically sublime territories.

Review: Ever since the first white labels appeared at the end of Summer 2013, [Emotional] Especial has been putting out music that is slightly left of (club music) centre. Influenced as much by and including dub, electro, disco, proto-house, house and techno, guided more by a feeling than a sound.

This thinking has been that exemplified by every 10th release being a label sampler - a showcase of unreleased tracks or remixes of what has come before, plus the odd one off cut by an artist to watch. Some 4 years since the last Sampler, the label's 40th release presents new label heads Giraffi Dog, returning after their recent "live" Multiverse EPs, here teaming up with GF Rich for a breaks anthem. Sub bass rising, the persistent build leads to piano before drop and Acid mayhem ensues, highlight why G Dog are such a producer to watch.

Label mainstay Alphonse returns, with White Pepper from the "Stolen Sunrise EP", here remixed by House stalwart Toby Tobias. Having released for a who's who of labels including REKIDS, ESP Institute, Delusions Of Grandeur and Futureboogie, the illusion these past years of who is Alphonse can finally revealed as Toby himself. The remix of his alter ego takes the 'Balearics' of the original and adds breaks and 303, all retaining a laid back feeling for summers return.

On the flip, the label welcomes rising star, Remotif. With a series of EPs showcasing a growing talent, his recent Coymix release sealed the deal. Here, his comedically titled Beam Me Up Softwoiii belies a party anthem, where breaks and arps rise in unison before an Aphex sunrise burst, drops and heads down in pure dance.

Akio Nagase returns to close with another of his Japanese folk meets lilting 303 Acid House. An Okinawa traditional folk song, conveying a life lesson, here to Hosenka flower is laid across slo-mo acid bubbles to quirkily and perfectly complete another 10th release of the Especial path.

Review: Barcelona's Nebulae label continues its ongoing exploration of all things ambient, IDM, electro and techno with another mindful album of sublime sonics, this time from a selection of heady musical cosmonauts. There is nice deep and bendy acid to open with then some silky smooth cosmic jungle from Black Rings Under My Eyes that really is top-notch. Zeta Reticula brings some texture to the party as well as crunchy breaks on 'The Planetoid' and then comes lithe electro, supple deep space techno, some intergalactic turbulence from Adhesive and two more rich astral soundscapes married to inventive rhythms. Classy material indeed.

Review: Italian producer D Roots dropped the first part of this brilliant series on the Klakson label back in May. We rated it highly and the follow-up is just as top draw for lovers of proper electro. 'Alone In The Echoes' opens with punchy beats and silvery metal lines next to gorgeous ambient pads. 'Ashes' goes further and deeper on a more rubbery and oversized bassline and then comes the intergalactic warfare of 'LFOs Ride' with the prickly acid, bright hits and caustic synths. 'Down To The Roots' rides on a wave of melancholy and deeper drums perfect for both body and mind.

Review: Piroman is a short-lived alias for Ulf Kleiner, a German jazz pianist who decided in 1998 to have a dip into electro and tech house, and wound up with one of those mythical records which graces the sets of the deepest diggers. It's not hard to hear why it's such a highly regarded release, and Kleiner's musicality shines through not least on the lead track 'Piroman's Theme'. Now Spanish distributors Outside In have picked the EP up, given it a generous spruce up and brought it back within arms reach for those of us steering clear of the second hand market place.

Review: New releases have been a little sporadic from Ali Renault in recent times. The Cyber Dance and Vivod boss was last spotted out with a 12" in 2021, but he's back in full force with this outstanding EP on Nocta Numerica. There's space for his electro and Italo leanings to manifest in some truly haunting minimal wave styles on 'Her Kind', thanks in no small part to an unknown vocal contribution. Renault conjures up some spellbinding atmospheres from his synths across the whole EP, proving his place at the forefront of stripped back synth gear for those who like it a little darker.

Review: Michel Amato has weathered more than a few rises and falls of electro, not least alongside Miss Kittin during the heady years of electroclash. At all times his sound has stayed true to a focus on dark side dystopia, and that comes through in abundance on this new drop for Dutch label Mindri. The vibe is edgy and unsettled, but of course it also slams where it counts too, with 'Forgotten Technology' in particular primed to do some serious damage in the dance. It's not all peak time prowess though - 'Alexia' is a captivating cruise through moodier realms which at times call to mind The Other People Place and 'The City Of The Dead' delights in its devilish, slow-creeping analogue perfection.

Review: Connecticut label, Kraftjerks, has made a name for itself as the east coast's prime electro label. Bringing us the sixth volume of their popular Machine Funk Is Our Game series they've pulled together an impressive array of artists including Alonzo, Daniel Savio, Deroboter, Kid Ginseng, and Cybereign. 'Nikki Don't Save Me' is the powerful, bass heavy track that opens the compilation. Veering through meteor fields and firing through wormholes, this is tonally dark electro at its best. 'Chrome Belt Buckle (feat. Questosahn)', a scratch-inflected journey through warped vocals and frenetic percussion, is another highlight. Perfect for the club or cruising down the highway, this is a cornerstone record for electro fans.

Review: Macadam Mambo is one of those wonderfully curious labels that always manages to unearth in between sounds that exist in the gaps between myriad other genres. It's experimental but easy to love and always innovative. Next up on Sacha Mambo's fine imprint is Hambourg's electro duo Fallbeil and the first thing to note is the amusing artwork. The sounds, too, are as cool as a smoking turtle as they draw on synth, wave, chug, EBM, noise, industrial and much more to concoct 11 prickly, soot-stained, tobacco laced and macho back room bangers for slow motion dance floor workouts.

Review: Dutch artist Gamma Intel does unfamiliar things with familiar sound sources. He focusses on unreal sound design to bring his twisted metal and crunching breakbeat to life in all new ways as he mangles together light and dark, heavy and airy, brutal and beautiful. This is his first EP on the new label he has started with his pal Identified Patient and it might be his best work yet: there are heavy breaks, distorted bass cuts, hammering post-techno cuts rushing electro bangers that are all physical yet emotive in equal measure.

Review: Studio maestro Luz1e makes a big debut here on Mechatronica with a fresh EP that blends various different styles into something unique. It's a collision of delicate electro and dystopian machine funk, that is all evocatively detailed with the haunting vocals of DALO and futuristic atmospheres. After a scene-setting intro comes the blistering workout that is 'Escapism' and a further electro-tech banger in 'Sonic Impact" (feat DALO)'. Flip it over for the celestial raver that is 'Language Of The Unheard' and 'Sensitivity' both of which bring HALO back to the mic. 'Sensory Perception' closes with some cinematic ambiance.

Review: Bitterfeld continues to blaze its own electro trail with a seventh outing that again its top draw. This one is a various artistic collection under the title For A Bitter Tomorrow: Band 2 and opens up with Salomo's 'Bodytalk', a crisp and ice cold electro rhythm before Interviews bathe you in gloriously deft sci-fi melodies on 'Let Go' and Qwerty's 'Kisela Neman' then brings some madness with crashing hits and molten acid lines. Jonbjorn's 'Chica' closes with similarly high impact electro sounds and raw textures.

Review: Frank De Groot has an accomplished history in gnarly electronics which reaches back to the 90s, and he's been recording with Steffi's Klakson label as Fastgraph for most of that time. Here the label are returning their attention to one of his most sought-after joints, the incredible Evasive Manoeuvres EP. This is the kind of electro to make you sit up and pay attention - it's uptemo, dark and edgy, with an atmosphere you could cut with a knife and a grubby, underground attitude perhaps only bested by the Bunker Records crew. Serious gear for those who like their electro as moody as possible.

Review: Electrodynamique is an alter ego for Kirill Rem, who deals in a mixed up spectrum of electroid club gear spanning the trancey throb of 'Touch The Rhythm', the vocodered Italo stylings of 'Electrique Future', 'E-Motion's early 00s electroclash strut and the EBM pulse of 'Sweet 80's'. There's a sense of unbridled fun in the music, and just enough naivety to make it sincere. Equally important is the fact Rem doesn't just riff on the classic styles, but metabolises them into his own unique brew, which finds a fitting home on Berlin label Superluminal.

Review: Hilltown Disco have been nurturing their own micro scene up in Dundee, bringing a punchy, gnarly strain of electro to the Scottish city and creating a strong community around it. Now that community comes out in force to celebrate five years of the label and club night, presenting a cast of underground operators singing from the same hymn sheet. Whatever stripe of electro you're into, you're sure to find something to sink your gnashers into here. Keep an extra attentive ear out for the opening track from W1BO, the sadly departed Wibo Lammerts, who the five-track release is dedicated to.

Review: DJ and live electronic musician Erika is a force of nature, having built an entire alternate universe around her own sound. If you're keen on world-building and conceptronica, then hers is almost entirely built around themes from astronomy, physics and cosmology. A techno album through and through, 'Anevite Void' centres on the idea of "the irregular life cycles created by three suns circling over a planetary organism that presents two major biomes: rocky crystalline desert, and deep layered forest, each of which exists above and/or below ground, depending on what phase the suns are in." The result is a shapeshifting foray through both relaxed and driving soundscapes, seasonal as they are ecstatic.

Review: The Childsplay label - with its amusing KIDS catalogue number system - is back with more grown-up electro goodness here. This one from Tom Place has a superb Blade Runner-inspired bit of artwork as well as four high-impact bangers. 'Heartbreaker' is awash with gurgling synths and bubbling bass as tough electro drums get to work. 'Buttercup' then ducks and dives with twisted acid and flailing hits bringing a loose but compelling rhythm while 'Miniskirt' then plays with sleazy vocal samples and scruffy metal surfaces over hard techno drums. It's quite the party starter.

Review: The well regarded Avoidant hits a 20th release in superlative fashion here with some hefty names offering up hefty sounds. None other than techno pin up and Berghain hero Marcel Dettman opens up with 'Motorman' which is a dystopian number riddled with spoken words, bright metallic flashy and grubby bass. Scottish legends Slam pick up the pace with the knick-snapping drums and hits of sleazy electro banger 'Into The Light' and then Luz1e get you riding on rubbery, bumping ghetto-tech drums on 'Draw The Line' before last of all comes the coruscated intergalactic battle that is Sod-90's 'Vinyl Corset.' Tight as you like.

Review: Caustica's own Caustica Waveform label reaches release number five with another electrifying electro 12", this one again limited to just 300 sure to sell out copies. This one opens with a bright, uplifting electro workout awash with scintillating melodies and life-affirming synth lines that connect you direct to the heavens. 'Upper Structures' then carries on the trip with more brilliantly programming drum machines and lithe synth lines then 'Block Chords' completes the trip with another swish and stylish voyage through the stars.

Review: Following a run of well-received collaborations and contributions to split EPs, RLGN has finally been handed a full solo debut. The producer has grasped the opportunity with both hands and delivered a quintet of cuts that sound like guaranteed peak-time winners in the making. For proof, check opener 'Olonkho', a hybrid electro/breaks workout full of buzzing electronics, urgent drums, dark bass and layered vocal samples (Mongolian throat singers and female choristers both appear), and the dark new beat revivalism of 'Betrunkener Hund'. RLGN returns to distorted electro pastures on the warped, acid-flecked 'Mahaut', where Indian vocal samples catch the ear, while 'Thriller' is a lo-fi techno slammer and 'Rain In Kyoto' cannily combines spacey melodies and surging Euro-techno grooves.

Review: There are few labels that have been as constantly excellent as Lobster Thermin, no matter the genre it turns its attention to. Here is it electro from Shedbug that gets us all worked up on a nice purple marbled vinyl. 'Ambroxitil' is a quick and crunchy opener steeped in cosmic tension with icy electro lines and dark bass. 'Timeframe' then has a lo-fi and sludgy feel with muffled drums and bass making for a distant cyborg rave. There is beauty and inward reflection in the sweeping melodies of 'Strive For More', angular grooves that make you jerk your body on 'Waouu' and a hyperspeed Voiski remix to close down.