Review: A aka Mika Vainio's 'Fermionit' is a significant release from the late Finnish producer, who passed away in 2017. Originally featured in a Belgium Detuned 6x12 boxset just before his death, the track received critical acclaim from collectors and fans. Now, it returns to Mika's own Sahko label for a well-deserved 12" release. 'Fermionit' embodies the essence of Finnish techno with its minimalistic, cold and stark sound. The track's passive-aggressive edge showcases Vainio's signature style, blending raw, unfiltered textures with a profound sense of depth. This release not only honors Vainio's legacy but also offers a chance for new listeners to experience the pure DNA of Finnish techno. An essential listen for fans of minimalist and avant-garde electronic music.
Review: Actress released a mix for Resident Advisor in June and to everyone's surprise, it was filled entirely with new, unreleased music. When asked if this was a new album, Darren S. Cunningham, aka Actress, responded simply, "It's a collage - Braque." Call it what you likeia mix, a mixtape, a collage, or even an albumiit's unmistakably another bold statement from Actress. Cunningham's approach defies labels and formats, creating music that exists in its own space, evolving without concern for conventional definitions or boundaries. It's just pure, unfiltered Actress, doing what he does best.
Review: Actress is one of those names that invokes equal parts notoriety and hero worship. Like so much of the music he is associated with, the producer and DJ, studio experimenter and synth explorer doesn't have a reputation for being the easiest artist to predict. A creator who seems determined to push boundaries, even if that sometimes means abrasive and uninviting to the uninitiated, or anyone who would have preferred to hear something less abstract, if not altogether safer. Grey Interiors is a case in point. Dropping on the always-incredible Norwegian outlet Smalltown Supersound only emphasises the fact this is going to be an exercise in boldly going... Pressed onto a single-sided white 12" reinforces the notion that this occupies a place very much unto itself. The drones, distant sound of stardust falling, and whirs of tech that make up this spacey drone experience confirming we've boarded the shuttle and are now exiting Earth's atmosphere.
Review: The Advisory Circle's Mind How You Go is a haunting and evocative album that transports listeners back to the eerie world of 1960s and 1970s public information films. Inspired by the chilling soundscapes of these films, the album captures a sense of nostalgia and unease that is both poignant and unsettling. The album's music is both catchy and unsettling, with its eerie melodies and haunting vocals creating a sense of unease. The lyrics, which often focus on themes of danger and caution, add to the album's unsettling atmosphere. Mind How You Go is a masterpiece of nostalgic electronica. It is a record that is both haunting and beautiful.
Review: Lempuyang is a label you will know and respect for its high quality stream of immersive dub techno and now the man behind it, Alastair Kelly, debuts a new label with none other than revered UK techno mainstay Ibrahim Alfa Jnr. He opens up with 'Component A' which is a moody melange of slow, broken dub beats and fizzing synths. There is further experimentation on 'Untitled B2 1' which pairs a churning dub rhythm with naive and innocent melodies and lots of li-fi static. 'Entangled' ups the ante with the suggestion of a fast paced rhythm through a skeletal groove and the flip brings broken beat dub weight, meaning and percussive bass with a 2-step swagger then deep introspection on the closer. A classy EP that suggests this label is one well worth watching.
Review: If you're familiar with imprints like Nous'laer Audio, AD93, Tikita, or Semantica, but haven't yet explored the galaxy of sound coming from Ahrpe Records, now's your chance. Amandra is one of two heads behind said stable, and here the French producer shows everyone what time it is with a space walk through acid warbles and tribalistic rhythms. Neither of which give a particularly accurate description of what's here, but both are defining features of the tracks and EP as a whole. Whether it's the jazz-imbued shuffle of 'Prorokini', the phat wobbling steps of 'Brera Som Som' itself, or the wall of distorted percussion on 'Fanfaron', all four originals are standouts and hard to compare, while the cherry-picked remixes show just how much can be done with what's here, if the right ears are involved.
Review: Developed as off-the-cuff cassette overdubs, work taking place in Manchester and Massachusetts, combined with syncopated vocals, Human Engineering very much lives up to its name. Narrated by Rick Myers, with long-time collaborators Andy Votel and Sean Canty in charge of the noises, it's a strange place to spend some time but it's also oddly beautiful. At first ear, the aesthetic feels rough and mechanical, definitely anything but human. But as things draw us further in to whatever this plain is, the organic at the root of everything rises to the surface. Suddenly, the obtuse noises no longer sound alien, and instead have taken on their true form - products of people, perhaps artefacts from a time we're about to forget. One in which machines were ours, not their own.
Porter Brook - "Three Things You Can Watch Forever" (5:58)
Ayu - "Light & Reflection" (4:51)
Atavic - "Subconscious" (5:30)
Tammo Hesselink & DYL - "Accent Award" (5:10)
Plebeian - "Gowanus" (5:05)
Review: Aaron J's Sure Thing kicks on towards its tenth release with a superb new 12" packed with fresh techno jams. Myriad different mods, grooves and tempos are on offer here starting with the puling rhythmic depths of Vardae's 'Pahlevan' then moving on to Kick21's 'Bright Interface', a dark and haunting low-end wobbler. Atavic's 'Subconscious' is a heady one with ambient cosmic pads over deeply hurried, supple rhythms then while Tammo Hesselink & DYL combine to mesmeric effect on the carefully curated broken beat brilliance of 'Accent Award.' A forward-thinking EP for sure.
Review: Louis Johnstone is known for his mischievous and anti-art approach and here he teams up with Trilogy Tapes for Dracula Completo, an unhinged, chaotic release that defies conventional music. Operating under multiple aliases including Wanda Group and A Large Sheet of Muscle, Johnstone's work blends concrete electronics, warped samples and dark, often distorted spoken-word pieces. Dracula Completo embodies his subversive style and is a mix of absurdity, mutant poetry and rebellious energy. Though Johnstone's work challenges norms and provokes, it remains surprisingly accessible and engaging.
Review: Ab Ovo have been making music since 1991, establishing a longstanding foothold in the conjoined genres of ambient, electronica and IDM. Releasing their last album in 2007, they enjoyed the pure glory of veteranship, until now: Vrystaete / Enfant Terrible have here embarked upon a full, career-spanning compilation of selections from across their albums, amounting to a whopping four sides of brainy, pensive, best-buy chillout made over two decades. With careful intent to represent their discography not as a mere compilation, but an album, Le Temps Retrouve 1994-2007 spans a career's worth of work while still crafting a novel sonic narrative; the geodesic dome on the front cover is held firmly in mind, as is the sonic "stress" of the record distributed with equipoise, beginning on the opening wrung-out rainsticks and moody marimbas of 'Night Is My Time', middling with the likes of synaptic club-bound breathables like 'Horizon Vertical' and 'Triode', and ending on the bitter stretchy-synth lament that is Nimp's remix.
Review: UK artist David Duncan recorded only one EP as Ability II and it recently got reissued and soon snapped up. Now, much to the delight of fans of the man behind the classic tune 'Pressure Dub' he is back. This album features an exclusive collection of tunes he made back in his heyday in the 90s, none of which were released at the time, and none of which you will have ever heard before anywhere. They feature his signature sound designs across seven cuts that sound as futuristic now as they ever could as they combine jacked-up house, techno and tech into scintillating and dub-weighted sounds for the club.
Review: An about-face is a complete and utter change in direction; it's this sonic capriciousness that the producer, whose namesake is drawn from the word, finds solace in, and wishes to welcome. Following a period of exploring theta wave and hemi-sync techniques - don't ask us, we're still not sure - the artist also known as Le Sculpteur d'Esprit (the Mind Sculptor) is said to have touched down in this dimension with the ambition to transport listeners through at least four portals of altered consciousness; each of these are intended as thought-worlds in which interactive sculptures, evoked through sound alone, are revealed in the listeners' collective mind. From opener 'Le Tournesol (The Sunflower)' to closer 'L'il De L'elephant ('The Elephant Eye'), these are thoroughly well-sound-designed sonic lemni-scapes, bringing complex sets of progressive builds and electro-spirituals to an awestruck form; immaculately experimental, the record would sound well at home on an Invisible Inc. or Cascine tape.
Review: In June, Actress delivered an RA mix that was nothing short of surprisingientirely new, unheard material from Darren S. Cunningham himself. Asked if it was an album, he called it "a collage -Braque," leaving interpretation open. This CD edition captures the essence of Actress's sound: fluid, shape-shifting, and unconcerned with traditional definitions. Whether a mixtape or sonic collage, it's unmistakably Actress, offering listeners a raw, evolving soundscape that resists labels and challenges boundaries, making it an essential piece for fans of his ever-innovative style.
Review: Darren Cunningham, known for his work as Actress, continues to evolve with a striking, abstract mix of sound that blends fragmented beats, ambient textures and the odd burst of warmth. Moving away from his club origins, his latest album embraces a more experimental, collage-like approach, echoing the influence of Georges Braque. The music unfurls in unpredictable ways, weaving atmospheric elements like muffled techno pulses, gamelans and r&b vocal samples into an evolving tapestry of sound. Tracks shift from dark, granular tones reminiscent of Boards of Canada's more ominous moments, to bright, celestial glimpses of light. The juxtaposition of stasis and movement, dread and hope, is central to Cunningham's process, creating a unique sonic landscape of ebb and flow. The occasional playful moments, like the quirky synths of 'Dolphin Spray', add to the album's intriguing unpredictability. Fans of Aphex Twin, Two Lone Swordsmen and Boards of Canada will find familiar sounds here, though Cunningham's distinctive approach makes the experience feel like a scientific exploration of sound itself. With a subtle balance of tension and calm, the album draws listeners into a world of synaptic interplay, where every shift feels deliberate and rewarding.
Review: On Club Tounsi, Tunisian producer Sofyann Ben Youssef, aka AMMAR 808, brings the raw rhythmic power of Mezoued-the folk music of Tunisia's working class-into a bold electronic future. Fusing pulsating synths, distorted textures and TR-808 beats with traditional instruments like goatskin bagpipes, hand drums, and the ney, he reimagines iconic Mezoued tunes for a new generation. Vocalists from classical, Sufi and Mezoued backgrounds also feature to add human soul and mean the album captures the genre's emotional depth while transforming it into something cinematic and club-ready. This LP is a bridge between past and future, tradition and innovation and one that makes you want to move.
Everything Moves In Slow Motion When I Think Of You (2:27)
Riptides (2:39)
The Ghost Who Never Moves (4:02)
Modern Monuments (3:34)
Soulmate From The Archive (2:09)
OK Corral (2:15)
Review: Lela Amparo's debut album for Past Inside The Present is a smooth fusion of ambient guitar, IDM, trip-hop rhythms, orchestral arrangements and poetic vocals that draw from her American Southwest roots, international travels, and life in Gothenburg, Sweden. Amparo crafts a raw, worldly sound from these inspirations and mixes cinematic grandeur with tender grace, gorgeous melodies and head-nodding drum programming. Highlights include 'Space Us Out' with its emotional beat and piano loop, and 'You Say You Love' which combines harp and choral voices. 'Rose & Honey' reflects on isolation in Tokyo, while 'Wrong Thing' offers a Burial-style rhythm. Keep Your Soul Young is all about finding home within yourself.
Review: Laurie Anderson's latest album, Amelia, marks her first release since the well-received Landfall (2018) and is inspired by the tragic final flight of aviator Amelia Earhart, featuring 22 tracks that delve into her much storied legacy. Collaborating with the Czech orchestra Filharmonie Brno, under Dennis Russell Davies, and a roster of notable musicians including Anohni and Marc Ribot, Anderson crafts a deeply evocative narrative, while the album reflects Anderson's distinct style, blending lyrical introspection with innovative soundscapes. Drawing from Earhart's personal diaries and communications, Amelia explores themes of adventure and disappearance, providing a poignant auditory journey. A renowned avant-garde artist, Anderson's career spans music, visual art, and performance, recognised for her boundary-pushing work and poetic storytelling, and this album continues her tradition of merging the beautiful with the bizarre, as well as offering a fresh perspective on an historic figure.
Review: Andrew CS, a multimedia artist and creative programmer from the American Midwest, delves into recursive time loops through digital memories on this new album which blends recorded spaces with synthesised loops improvised on custom software. After discovering a field recorder as a teen, Andrew began archiving moments of tranquillity, creating a dialogue between present textures and a future self. Caught in Pointers, weaves a non-linear coming-of-age narrative from six years of altered field recordings and collages data from Andrew's rural youth and Chicago's urban oscillations and envisions their past as a navigable, four-dimensional digital space.
Review: Angry Blackmen's The Legend of ABM is a visceral exploration of life in contemporary America. Through their gritty and unapologetic lyricism, Quentin Branch and Brian Warren confront the harsh realities of their existence with raw honesty and introspection. Produced by Derek Allen, the album's chaotic and distorted soundscapes provide a fitting backdrop for their narrative, capturing the ambient stress of navigating a society rife with systemic injustices. The album's tracks delve into themes of depression, existentialism, self-reflection and survival, offering a poignant commentary on the struggles faced by Black men in today's world. Branch and Warren's lyrical delivery is blunt and uncompromising, detailing their personal demons and experiences with searing clarity. From grappling with mental health issues to confronting generational trauma, their storytelling is both captivating and harrowing. While the production style may draw comparisons to noise rap, The Legend of ABM maintains a sense of accessibility and immediacy that sets it apart. Branch and Warren's chemistry is palpable as they effortlessly weave through intricate rhyme schemes and rapid-fire verses, infusing each track with a competitive intensity and undeniable energy.
Review: It's the album that redefined ambient music, not least for a generation of parasympathetic ravers. Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Volume II marked a stylistic shift away from the first edition in the infamous ambient LP 'series', Selected Ambient Works 85-92. Volume II differed substantially; this time, there would be no 'techno' addendum to 'ambient', and all tracks thereupon would lack the usual indulgence of beats, however easy-on-the-ears these had been beforehand. Known for its many numbered tracks - which on the original edition, rather than track names, denoted references to images of natural forms, textures and geologic readymades, all bathed in orange, and from which fans had to infer the written names - this expanded edition stays faithful to this origin. Even so, it adds two unreleased D Jamesian treats - provided you don't count the massive Soundcloud dump of 2015 as a release - 'th1 [evnslower]' and a reversed version of 'Rhubarb' - as well as a the previously vinyl only '#19'.
Review: By 1996, Richard D. James, aka Aphex Twin, had a prolific career at 26. He co-ran Rephlex Records, signed with Warp Records, and had multiple releases and MTV-aired music videos. His fame surged with the 1997 Come to Daddy EP and Chris Cunningham-directed music videos. James was constantly creating music, describing his output as endless. The Richard D. James Album marked a turning point, featuring his creepy distorted smile on the cover, solidifying his bizarre persona. Despite his unassuming demeanor, James's music was wildly innovative. Raised in Cornwall, he preferred making music in solitude, viewing himself as "some kid mucking around in his bedroom." Departing from previous methods, the album was entirely computer-made, reflecting recent work. James aimed for accessibility with hidden complexity, making the music engaging yet intricate. The album featured more structured songs with clear melodies, such as 'Girl/Boy Song,' blending orchestral sounds with drum solos. Symphonic elements persisted, creating emotionally resonant moments. Tracks like '4' and 'Fingerbib' showcased his ambient sensibilities and inventive sounds. Vocals, heavily altered, added a unique touch.
The album combined delicate symphonics with intense beats, exploring drill ‘n’ bass. It had a cohesive vision, evident in tracks like 'Cornish Acid' and 'Peek 82454201.' Named after his deceased brother, the album held personal significance, subtly influencing its depth and emotion.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Signals
Shadowspace
No Closer Than The Moon
Landfall
Zonal Prospect
Air Foundry
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
The Frequency Domain label has been quietly issuing some of the most compelling electronica of recent times, with a staggering cast of characters including Anthony Child, Bass Clef, Luke Sanger and more delivering more introspective, experimental material over the past couple of years. Now it's the turn of Apologist, a lesser-known project from Brendan Nelson which manifested in one 7" back in 2006. If you appreciate dreamy, slightly dubby electronics which move through different moods and scenes without getting you up off the sofa, this is the perfect trip. Many layered, richly rendered and full of grit and personality, it's the kind of record you'll discover new secrets in every time you visit.
Review: Tristan Arp's second album on Facta and K-Lone's Wisdom Teeth is a multidimensional exploration of sound blending pin-drop rhythms, ethereal vocals and swirling ambience. The writing started in Mexico City and was completed in New York and through the tracks, Arp fuses modular synths, cello, found sounds and spoken word to craft a rich world where nature and technology converge. Inspired by the idea of machines collaborating with nature, the album's hopeful tone envisions a future of rewilding and new possibilities across tracks that were performed live and improvised throughout. Many standout moments include the 10-minute 'Life After Humans' which ogres a beautiful escape.
Review: Tristan Arp returns to Wisdom Teeth with his second album, 'a pool, a portal', blending modular synths, cello, found sounds, and spoken word. The LP, crafted between Mexico City and New York, continues where his debut 'Sculpturegardening' left off, creating an ambient soundscape where nature and machines co-exist. Featuring a collaboration with Guatemalan cellist Mabe Fratti, this record is a journey into a future where humanity and technology evolve together. The artwork, like the music, blurs the line between the natural and the digital.
Review: This compilation has been curated by members of Nomark's online community, The Nomark Club, and it brings together rare and previously unavailable tracks from Amon Tobin's various musical personas, including Two Fingers and the return of his early alias, Cujo. With selections from Tobin's multifaceted discography, the album offers a deep dive into his distinct genre-blending worlds. Tracks like Two Fingers' 'Golden' pulse with gritty bass and frenetic energy, while Cujo's 'Early for Clink Street' and 'Nine Bars Back' provide a moody, jazz-infused atmosphere. Tobin's darker tracks 'In Long Dark Grass' and 'Deep in Time' close the album on a hauntingly hopeful note.
Iancu Dumitrescu - "Movemur Et Sumus" (II + V - Pentru Fernando Grillo)
Octavian Nemescu - "Combinatii In Cercuri"
Stefan Niculescu - "Sincronie"
Corneliu Cezar - "Rota"
Review: A groundbreaking document of avant-garde music from Romania, originally released in 1981 under Ceaucescu's oppressive regime, that's grown in reputation enough over the years to now necessitate a reissue. This compilation, featuring Dumitrescu and three other visionary composersiOctavian Nemescu, Stefan Niculescu and Corneliu Cezaridefies both the political climate and conventional musical boundaries. Opening with Dumitrescu's 'Movemur Et Sumus', the album immediately plunges into uncharted sonic territory. Strings are transformed through radical processing, oscillating between shimmering abstraction and visceral intensity. Nemescu's 'Combinatii In Cercuri' marries intricate ensemble writing with electronic textures added in 1980, creating a circular, evolving soundscape. Niculescu's 'Sincronie' combines composed and improvisational elements, culminating in a hauntingly dramatic exploration of stasis and movement, with Dumitrescu contributing both piano and conducting. Finally, Cezar's 'Rota' blends Balkan and Romanian folk influences with startling electronic effects and prepared instruments, evoking natural sounds like wind and waves alongside experimental timbres. Recorded in a Bucharest radio studio against all odds, this album showcases the revolutionary potential of Dumitrescu's Ansamblul Hyperion, a daring chamber group he founded in 1976. Newly remastered from the original tapes, the reissue preserves the original cover art and reintroduces these boundary-pushing works to a global audience. With its fusion of spectralism, acousmatic exploration and Eastern traditions, this release remains as daring and relevant as ever.
Review: Originally conceived to accompany an installation at the 2022 Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Selkie Reflections is very much a thing of beauty, and a work in two parts. On the A-side, you have Alliyah Enyo re-working the original tape loops used at the show into a strange, enchanting, and immersive series of hypnotic and occasionally haunting vocal calls. Flip to side B, and Florian T M Zeisig, under the alias Angel R, takes all that and turns it inside out, onto its head, and down into the depths of the selkie's world - a mythical creature capable of shapeshifting between seal and human form which features heavily in Scottish folklore. Beguiling and enchanting, prepare to be submerged in a place of beauty, bliss and mystery.
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