BITE Germany Vinyl & CDs

Review: Bite Records returns with a thunderous EP from label head Phase Fatale, titled Love Is Destructive. Across four tracks, Fatale crafts a compelling journey through the depths of futuristic techno. The title track, sets the stage with its perfect blend of pounding techno rhythms and retro rave elements. It's a high-energy opener that grabs listeners by the ears and propels them onto the dancefloor with its relentless drive. 'Magma Driver' delves into darker territories, with menacing undertones and edgy motifs that keep the tension palpable. Its driving force and gritty textures make it a standout track for those craving a more intense sonic experience. On Side 2, 'Ambivalence' introduces industrial sounds into the mix, weaving them together with broken beats to create a futuristic soundscape that's both ominous and intriguing. Finally, 'Introjection' rounds out the EP with its techy vibes and subtle electro influences, providing a dynamic conclusion to this sonic assault.

Review: Berlin techno masticators Bite share 'Altars', the new industrial techno truncation by Phase Fatale (Hayden Payne) with his second EP for 2024. The Bite label boss, Fatale, confronts and works through the collective feeling of having bitten off more than we can chew as a species, its five-track contents taking on a confessional slant, looking onto a decomposing world through the lens of a frenetic, uncontrollably hardcore energy. Built on a triad of original productions followed up by two featured remixes from scene totems Kangding Ray and Seatoc Mass, 'Altars' is a sacrificial EP, full of cathartic sonic catechisms and percussive workings and workouts, perhaps only appreciable by the pre-apocalyptic listener.

Review: After debuting on Hospital Productions in 2017, Scanning Backwards was the sophomore album from Phase Fatale back in 2020 on Ostgut. To mark its fifth birthday it gets reissued here and still sounds as good as new. Payne blends post-punk, noise and shoegaze influences into broken rhythms and slow-burning, textured soundscapes that merge sonic warfare with functional dance music. This album drew from historical and fictional narratives to explore sound as a form of power and Each track reflects Berghain's influence as both a space and instrument. It's powerful stuff in more ways than one.