Juno Recommends Electro March 2019

Review: Simon Keat has been slipping out devastatingly funky electro cuts as Reedale Rise for a few years now. He's put out records on such esteemed labels as Frustrated Funk and Subwax, and now he's landing on the mighty 20:20 Vision, who have been showing a renewed interest in electro with recent releases from 214 and others. The EP leads in with the whipcrack beats of "Hydraulics" before settling into the lilting acid inflections of "Arkeme," while on the flip "Pressure Drop" presents the deeper side of electro and "Naria" takes things in an upbeat, almost jazzy direction.

Review: Following their recent reissue of the Elecktroids' sought after 1995 debut album, Clone offers up a tasty new edition of the shadowy, Drexciya-related outfit's only EP, "Kilohertz". Interestingly, the Clone crew has somehow managed to locate an additional fifth track - the mind-altering vocal electro sleaze of "Digital Warlock" - that was missing from the original Warp Records pressing. It's a neat bonus on top of the other four tracks, and they are all seriously scintillating. Highlights include the "Computer World"-era Kraftwerk style alien bounce of "Remote Control Hornet", the glassy-eyed, synthesizer-fuelled positivity of "Magnetic Field" and the weighty beat-box electrofunk buzz of "Kilohertz".

Review: Finnish producer Mesak steps up on Orson following the previous killer entry from Carl Finlow, and he's got just as much electro firepower to dish out as the celebrated Silicon Scally. "Sata EP" kicks off with the dystopian ripples of "Ayran Meydan," which zips through nervy, strafing synths and nimble acid licks. "Dim Sun" brings a funkier style to the table, while "Kruisata" plunges into the aqueous depths of Detroit flavoured electro. Extended jam "Iskut" stretches out for eight body popping minutes of stern-faced robo funk to fully cut loose to - it's the perfect finishing move on an EP packed full of advanced electro excellence.

Review: While he may have been serving up sporadic albums and singles since the mid 2000s, Emile Facey AKA Plant43 has never been in better form than he is right now - as last year's superb ambient album on Shipwrec proved. "Three Dimensions", a thrillingly spacious, melodic and intergalactic album that marks his debut for Central Processing Unit, is similarly impressive. This time round he's once again showcasing the deep and evocative style of futurist electro that has long been his staple sound. The results are uniformly outstanding, from the triple-time shuffle of "Orange Neon Display" and starburst warmth of "Check The Resolution", to the spiraling synthesizer supernova of "Disrupt & Disobey" and the ultra-deep and dreamy bliss of "Lo-res Dreams".

Review: It's been 22 years since the release of I-F's razor-sharp Dutch electro anthem, "Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass". Given the upsurge in interest in electro of late, it's little surprise to see the man himself offering up this reissue, which is focused around two previously digital-only revisions that first landed back in 2010. Stretched out across the A-side is the brilliant - and undeniably mind-altering - "XL Remix", a nine-minute revision that gives greater prominence to the producer's twisted electronic riffs, industrial strength melodies and dusty drum machine percussion. This time round, it comes accompanied by both a vocoder-free Instrumental take and "Pong's Run", a lesser-known collaboration with Intergalactic Gary that's slow, spacey, out-there and thoroughly intoxicating.

Review: When it comes to crafting melodious, emotion-stirring music, few producers are quite as capable as Samuel van Dijk AKA VC-118A. His latest album, "Inside" - his third in total and first for Delsin - offers further proof of his mastery of the craft. The set's genius lies in van Dijk's ability to flit between dark and light, joy and pain. So while some tracks are warm, fuzzy and far-sighted in the classically futurist vibe of the best Motor City electro, many others feel poignant and melancholic. It's a deep and colourful blend that guarantees an emotive ride from straight to finish. Check, for example, the yearning sadness at the heart of "Time Variant", the atmospheric ambience of "Integrated Circuits", the stripped-back and spaced-out brilliance of "Inside" and the swelling dancefloor hustle of "Dither".

Review: Electro from down under proudly represents here, courtesy of current scene favourites Jensen Interceptor and Assembler Code. The Sydneysiders deliver yet more of their distinct style of darkly dystopian bass on Melbourne's LKR Records. Proudly wearing their Drexciyan influence on their sleeve for "Geralds Aqua Lessons", more sci-fi futurism is catered for on "DIY Action Cinema" and the electro-funk of "Upper Function" which receives a brilliant rework by another ascendant Aussie: Perth's Roza Terenzi.

Review: From the minds of Direct Beat and Detroit Bass Classics, comes the first initial compilation of electro/techno heat. "Electro In The Key Of Detroit Vol 1" presents 4 proven dance floor dope and record crate staples that provide the hungry ears of masses the groove to move. A Side features two sure-fire steppers - a rare AUX 88 voyage entitled "Phantom Power" and Blak Tony's tempo-pushing "Holla Holla" finally see the light of day on this wax collectable, giving praise to Motor City footwork culture. On the flip, DJ K-1's "Erase The Time" rocked the airwaves and global clubs with its signature thumping style laced beneath alien-like melody and repetitive vocal structure while Posatronix's mutant-rhythm mantra, "Pure Techno Sound" pulls the weight of Detroit's street dance roots down to the origin of how to boogie in space. This collection of re-issued jams and new explorations is the must-have for the electro/techno & bass aficionado.

Review: Where We Met is an Italian label based in Venice, run by Riccardo Piazza and Re-Up. For their sixth release, they have tapped the duo of Arman Jalili and Kamyar Keramati aka Tonnovelle. Described as two producers and devoted diggers who reconnected over time on a continent away from home, they present their debut release on WWM. The Event Horizon EP features the tunnelling acid of the title track, the hypnotic 303 electro of "Hyper Normalized" (with bongos for added measure) and arguably best of all, the funked-up bleep techno attack that is "Red Shifted" on the flip. Look out for the pair's eponymous imprint coming at you all very soon.

Review: With brand new interest in beats and rhythm once again coming into play, Puzzlebox label owner, Keith (K-1) Tucker, has now decided to revise and revisit the music from his catalog as "Puzzlebox Classics." "Atomaton EP" opens with "Nemesis", which brings on Tucker's signature Electro/Techno beats, a tough as nails funky bassline, and his trademark eerie strings. "Oscillator (bonus beats)" maintains that perfect beat, a dramatic bassline, and swinging percussion attitude to the fold before closer "Techno It's On My Mind" with its mind-bending arps and clicky pecussion shoot this off-world thumper into overdrive for your ears. If you like your snare hard and relentless, battling for attention against a triggered piece of electrofunk provided by a classic 'K-1' bassline, you're in for a treat.

Review: Animistic Beliefs' January 2018 debut, "Sinuous Gullies" on Between Places, flew out of stores almost as soon as it arrived. We'd expect this delayed follow-up on Cultivated Electronics to be similarly popular. Opener "Molucca Quake" is particularly potent, with the pair wrapping Drexciyan electronics, ghostly synth sweeps and a pulsating analogue bassline around a rubbery four-to-the-floor groove. The accompanying Exaltics remix - a throbbing, acid-fired peak-time workout - is, if anything, even better. Elsewhere, the duo serves up a trio of varied but suitably elastic and bass-heavy electro workouts to satisfy DJs who like their beats broken, robotic and futuristic.

Review: Pretty much any new London Modular Alliance release is worth checking, though even by their high standards "Galaxy Exploration" is rather special. The six tracks cover a variety of electro-fired sounds, from the blackhole Drexciyan creepiness of "Private K-Hole" and rumbling bass and warm chords of "Remainder", to the sparkling and spacey deep electro of "Oscillator Reflux", Autechre-style angular IDM of "In Vaccum" and bold, peak-time ready darkness of "Mirrors". Throughout, the trio once again shows their seemingly innate ability to fix atmospheric, ear-catching electronica to drum machine rhythms that are punchy and powerful in equal measure.

Review: Hardware fetishist Ole Mic Odd has thus far lived up to his name. His releases to date have tended towards the forthright, fuzzy and out-there. This first outing on Source Material sees him eschew his noisy techno workouts in favour of four ragged, mind-altering chunks of acid techno. It's an undeniably dancefloor-friendly 12", with cuts like "Back 2 The Booty" - all twisted TB-303 lines, snappy beats and far-sighted, deep space chords - and "Space Gang Funk" - a kind of I-F style Rotterdam electro anthem in waiting - sounding like instant floorfillers with plenty of low-end weight.

Review: Fresh from delivering two killer cuts on a split release with pal Jack Michael on Orbital London, former Osman artist Harry Wills pops up on LEMAK. There's plenty to admire throughout, from the subtle deep garage influences, bleeping melodies and rolling tech-house grooves of opener "Quench", to the shuffling deep electro pulse of ghostly closing cut "Grebe". By far away the most arresting cut on the EP, "Capri Swung", is sandwiched between the two. This sees him continue to develop his trademark garage-influenced tech-house sound by wrapping glitchy electronics and jammed-out organ chords around a bonkers, Luke Vibert style bassline and swinging two-step drums.

Review: Berlin based Texan Dustin Evans aka Textasy returns, following up a slew of heavy hitting releases on Natural Sciences, E-Beamz and 777 in recent times. Coming up in the same scene in Dallas that has brought us visionary producers over the years like Gerald Hansen aka E.R.P./Convextion and Bill Converse, Evans displays the same kind of talent that shows there must be something in the water down there in the Lone Star State. He presents the third instalment of London's Exotic Robotics here with some throwback sounds: featuring the deep acid breaks of "Magick 101" (feat Joel Holmes), the pitched-down rave antics of "Mystique" and sublime closer "Ambient Track 43".

Review: The tenth volume in Libertine's "Traditions" series comes from Luke Vibert, a producer who has consistently delivered brilliant music across a range of electronic styles for the best part of three decades. This time he's in full-on intergalactic electro mode, charging between the ghetto-tech influenced dancefloor assault of "iSocket", the pitched-down, hip-hop tempo shimmer of "iTeeth" - all crunchy machine drums, intergalactic chords and alien lead lines - and the bleeping eccentricity of rolling workout "iCandy". Arguably best of all, though, is closing cut "iWash", a deliciously tipsy and wayward mixture of undulating acid lines, off-kilter synth splashes and skittish electro beats that are far more weighty than they initially appear.

Review: Following six years spent tickling the fancy of quality electro lovers the world over, Mikey Melas AKA Jensen Interceptor has finally got round to recording a debut album. It's a pretty hot collection of cuts, with the Sydney producer joining the dots between ranging, angular peak-time slammers ("Ultramax", "Drip Freq"), bustling and bass-heavy workouts ("Haze"), bleeping space symphonies (the Sinewave-esque "Dimensional Thought"), Drexciya-style missives ("Ufology", "Shadow Network") and more crystalline, melodious affairs ("Mother"). Some of his scene pals swing by to lend a hand, too, with The Hacker and Assembler Code collaborations standing out.