BRUK Vinyl & CDs

Review: Brother Aten debuts on Bruk with a minimalist masterpiece featuring the detached vocals of Ze R. This tidy 10" is influenced by cult sci-fi and early 80s no wave so naturally presents a stark, synthetic soundscape devoid of excess. The title reflects its mood: Aten's mechanical mantras are crafted with precision on outboard instruments and explore gritty, futuristic worlds. On 'Unavailable,' resonant drones create a platform for Ze R.'s initial deadpan delivery which reveals deeper humanity as the track unfurls through crisp drums. The brief yet impactful two-parter, 'Fragmented Dystopia' is a taste of Aten's cyberpunk vision while Ze R.'s words oscillate between structure and chaos.

Review: Japanese maverick Kohei Matsunaga, aka NHK yx Koyxen explores far and wide on this new album Climb Downhill 2. It comes after many years of unusual but ultimately excellent sounds on the likes of Diagonal, DFA, Pan, L.I.E.S. and right back to Mille Plateaux and WordSound. Across 13 cuts he truly gets loose and abstract, mishmashing endless genres and sub-genres into lively cuts that are both dance yet cerebral. His sketch-pad style approach to building sonics makes each tune a live and restless collision of freaky frequencies and squealing synths, busted bass and broken beats.