Leftfield / Experimental Recommendations November 2013

Review: The final installment of Imbroglios, Monsieur Bradock's series of supposed reworks from the soundtrack to the film Operation Veaux Carnivores arrives and it's a fitting finale sounding like it could only come from the feted Frenchman. Whilst the series has not resulted in the kind of immediately gratifying and 'classic' production as Bradock favourites "Deep Burnt" or "Life", Imbroglios has confirmed without doubt his unique talent for adventurous production. It's hard to condense just how much music is explored within these six tracks as Bradock swaggers through moments of sultry beat down, outright psychedelia, crazed percussive house rich with gleeful detail and more, sometimes within the duration of one track.

Review: Sony continue their efforts to ensure Depeche Mode's 13th studio album Delta Machine receives a record number of remixes with this hefty slab of wax for new single You Should Be Higher. Along with the expected commercially-minded efforts this 12" is perhaps most notable for the pair from UK techno monster Tom Russell, who surprisingly brings his MPIA3 alias out of retirement (hey it's not everyday Depeche Mode come calling) in quite devastating fashion as well as contributing a rework under the more widely established Truss moniker. Also of note is the face down effort from Hessle Audio's Pangaea whose dub mix flirts between broken techno and recycled jungle.

Review: Fresh from unleashing Daniel Avery's much awaited debut LP, Phantasy turn their attention to a much newer proposition in the shape of Ghost Culture. Said to reside in London, the elusive Ghost Culture unveils his diverse range of electronic production across the three track Red Smoke which arrives on clear vinyl. The driving title track adopts a sonic tone that's similar to Legowelt in many ways, not least the thick set synth tones that pulse throughout, whilst "Mouth" displays his talent for song writing over a backing that sounds like vintage Chicago House played at the wrong speed, with an accompanying dub version highlighting his arranging skills.

Review: Given that Four Tet's recent 0181 LP was comprised of material from Kieran Hebden's archives, and last year's Pink was largely compiled of tracks from the previous 18 months of 12" releases, it seems fair to say that Beautiful Rewind is his first proper album since 2010's There Is Love In You, and as such, it arrives with some degree of expectation. The past few years have seen the producer engage increasingly with the dancefloor, and these rhythms are most definitely present across the LP, particularly in the jungle breaks of "Kool FM", pirate radio-influenced techno of "Buchla" and hesitant dubstep style rhythms of "Parallel Jalebi". For the most part however Beautiful Rewind is as varied as the likes of Rounds and There Is Love In You, with the minimalist kosmische of "Ba Teaches Yoga", analogue gurgles of "Crush" and dawn chorus sounds of closer "Your Body Feels" all as beautiful as his most enduring tracks.

Review: It's been quite a year for Diego 'Suzanne Kraft' Herrera and his fellow Pharaohs band members, gracing ESP Institute in fine style with the Island Time EP and returning to 100% Silk to release their debut LP Replicant Moods. This 3 track Manhunter 12" for the Intercoastal Artists label might be their best work yet however! It commences in sumptuous fashion with the eight minute title track that encapsulates their talent for evoking the no-wave sound of early 1980s NYC within the framework of a contemporary production. Pay close attention and the subtle shifts in momentum implemented throughout will astound! Complementing this, B Side cuts "Oasiics" and "Nature Lovers" will resonate for those Pharaohs fans who consumed their ESP Institute release from the start of the year.

Review: Fronted by Texan musician Craig Clouse, Shit and Shine's skewed combination of primitive techno, industrial, noise and classic garage rock has gained them a significant live reputation, bolstered by their intimidating array of releases, predominantly arriving on the UK-based Riot Season label. Their thick-set musical style makes them an ideal candidate for a release on the Diagonal imprint run by Powell, and like his music, this eponymous EP takes a similarly skewed take on the dancefloor; "Blowhannon" is like vintage Cherrystones with added disco muscle, "Value" throws raw rhythms into a gravel filled washing machine and "Shower Curtain" combines a deeply sleazy sense of funk together with ethereal delay; most visceral is "Dixie Peach", a swollen morass of steroid pumped bass which is in fact an edit of Theo Parrish's "Synthetic Flemm". Big tip on this one, no matter what your musical preferences are...

Review: Having firmly established himself as one of the foremost experimental producers of the past decade with albums like Replica, Returnal, and Rifts, Daniel Lopatin here makes the logical move to electronic music bastion Warp Records. On first listen R Plus Seven is quite unlike any of his other records, largely eschewing the arpeggiated drones of his early work and sample-based collages of his last album for something much more vivid. Coming across like a combination of the emotive minimalism of Terry Riley and Steve Reich, and the hyperreality of James Ferraro's Far Side Virtual, R Plus Seven nevertheless stakes its own claim in the world of post-everything electronic music, combining delicate, introspective moods with shocking moments of recognisable sonic signification. Quite possibly Lopatin's best album to date.

Review: Autechre have a long history of releasing impressive standalone EPs, from the early brilliance of 1994's Anti, to the unusual rhythms of 1997's Cichlisuite and sci-fi electronics of 2010's Move of Ten. L Event, a four-track EP with artwork from long-time collaborators The Designers Republic, continues this trend. Despite the sci-fi electronics, there's something almost tear-jerking about the melancholic melodies of "Newbound", while "Tac Lacora" sounds like an invitation to dance (though, inevitably, only jazz dancers on speed need try it). The spooky "M39 Diffain" and discordant "Osla For N" are impressive, too.

Review: Killer new LP length project from the man that is Gifted & Blessed! Although Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker has been producing his soul-filled machine music under a number of aliases since 2004, most notably as Gifted & Blessed, the past year has seen him break out with releases for high profile labels like All City, Eglo and Wild Oats, with his release for the latter providing one of the most memorable bespoke vinyl releases of recent times. However, its his own eponymous label that has been the primary home for most of the producer's recent work, with the 3 Aspects of One EP providing the most recent example. One of this year's most appropriately named LPs, Within These Machines is by no means the LA resident' s first album but it does see him expand his style somewhat with typically excellent results. There are more overtly house and techno moments here for example, though tracks like the gurgling "Tesla's Notebook" and restless "Rain Dance" are as experimentally minded as ever.

Review: Having already established one sub-label in Perc Trax Ltd, Ali Wells further expands the remit of his Perc operation further with the first release on his Submit label dedicated to experimental music. Arriving with the following mission statement, "Analogue, digital, laptop, modular, field recordings, circuit-bent, vocal, and every sound source is welcome. No format, recording technology, musician, producer or band is outside of the label's horizon," it's clear Submit will have a pretty broad approach and as debut releases go, this is quite the affair. The works of celebrated German industrial act Einsturzende Neubauten the focus of attention here as Perc presents his own take on four tracks from the group's LP Kollaps. The results bear comparison with the hard edged abstracted approach of contemporary Phillitronics (Metasplice, Great Circle) and the battered, primitive electronics of CHBB though the enduring feeling is this EP proves once more how vital Perc is.

Review: Tim Hecker's music has a way of consistently confounding expectations thanks to his ever shifting nature, and Virgins is no exception. While 2011's Ravedeath 1972 felt weighed down by its sandblasted sound that brought to mind a ravaged landscape, and last year's Instrumental Tourist was filled with subtle Eastern influences, Virgins comes with a sound that feels somehow elegiac; opener "Prism" places cacophonous organs stretched to infinity, while "Radiance" is as close as Hecker will get to the sound of an angelic chorus. Other moments prove more introspective, such as "Live Room Out", and the sullen piano keys of "Black Refraction". It's an album with the same instantly timeless quality of Fennesz's Venice, and comes highly recommended.

Review: The third edition of Clan Destine Trax's Dark Acid series arrives offering another mixture of established names and newcomers as well as retaining the gleefully nihilistic sonics of previous transmissions. The legendary Jamal Moss is the headline draw here and "Sexually Broken (Instrumental Version)" finds the Mathematics boss adopting the rarely used Insane Black Man alias and sounds like the remnants of "Clear" by Cybotron mangled beyond recognition and force-fed through a battered old 303 on the cusp of full-on malfunction. Tzu Sing's "Teeth" will please fans of the recent Charles Manier LP whilst Matt Weiner's TWINS project feels like a doped up D'Marc Cantu. Finally Clan Destine/ Dark Acid regular Ela Orleans unveils her Tract project with "Light In Extension" which is perhaps the track truest to this series' title.

Review: ** Bee Mask Repress **The prospect of Donato Dozzy reworking Bee Mask for the Spectrum Spool label is a mouth watering one and this double LP collection, entitled straightforwardly enough Donato Dozzy Plays Bee Mask more than lives up to it's billing. Originally commissioned to turn in a remix of Bee Mask's "Vaporware" track from last year's LP for Room 40, Dozzy apparently felt the track's inherent beauty merited more than just the one and sent over seven! This decision has resulted in a superb collection of reimaginations from the Voices Of The Lake producer, ranging from calming moments of serenity to bleepish, deep techno explorations.

Review: Renowned across the world as a concept store for the well heeled Parisians, Colette have plenty of form when it comes to releasing compilations and their latest, Colette Call, sees them once again invite Kill The DJ's self proclaimed House Music activist Clement Vache to curate proceedings. Featuring the likes of Dean Blunt, DJ Koze and Gramme, Colette Call is as fashionably diverse as one has come to expect from the Parisian hub and it's granted a 10" sampler with contributions from Discodeine and Whitey. Cedric Pilooski and Benjamin Morando's Discodeine project feature with "Aydin" which is lifted off their forthcoming second album; it should be quite the soiree on the evidence here with the voice of Tame Impala's Kevin Parker well suited to the playfully epic sounding arrangement. Complementing this, Whitey offers up another example of his sorely under-rated talent with the plangent punk funk of "No More Right Or Wrong".

Review: Acido Records is rightfully gaining something of a cult following akin to the Sex Tags crew it is vaguely affiliated with, though the Berlin based label has its own defined aesthetic approach thanks to the stewardship of founder Dynamo Dreesen. In a week where the label serves up some excellent new produce from the Dresvn pairing of Dynamo Dreesen and SVN, Acido also slip out a second round of their Soundtracks For No Film series. Heavily conceptual in tone and execution, 291out largely contributes this time with a hefty six productions of outer spatial electronics which at times sound befitting of a contemporary Kafka screen adaptation and other times eminently suitable for the dancefloor ("Automobil Club Lugano" in particular) Do check the flip which has Sequencias contributor Healing Force Project excelling with the suitably named "Opium".