Cultivated Electronics Vinyl & CDs

Review: French electro innovator DynArec is on a rampant run at the moment, with new releases popping up nigh-on everywhere right now. It makes sense to see him link up with Cultivated Electronics, one of the most on-point electro labels in action right now. 'Stop & Stall' opens proceedings with a limber and lithe romp through pinging, shuddering leads and hard as nails drum thumps. 'First In Motion' has a 4/4 strut which aligns it more with Italo, although the synths are far from retro endeavours. 'Specialized In Anything' is a sinewy workout which nods to the early 00s electroclash era and 'Lowest Perceived Legitimacy' slips into something sleeker, making for a varied and highly effective dispatch of machine funk from a singular voice.

Review: London's Phil Bolland aka Sync 24 has been creating electro for over two decades via his Cultivated Electronics label, which he launched in 2007. The label has gone on to release music by Carl Finlow, DMX Krew, The Exaltics and Morphology, but now the spotlight is firmly on his solo work. Across its 11 tracks, Inside The Microbeat showcases many variations of the electro sound yet all delivered in his singular style. From the futurist beats of opener 'Oriental Sunset' and the brooding sci-fi aesthetic of the title track, to the dystopian bass programme of 'Haunt Times' and the hi-tech computer funk of 'Avoid The Ploid' - Bolland drives you through his own intimately constructed landscape.

Review: Matti Turunen works as Morphology with Michael Diekmann most famously but also turns out super solo sounds, just not very often. Cultivated Electronics LTD, the vinyl off shoot of the main label, enlists the Finnish electronic maestro for just that here. This is an EP of irresistible electro-funk with cosmic intent. His lush melodies drift in well-made arrangements over clipped beats with plenty of melancholic tones in between. Some are more gritty like 'Xhante' while 'Radau' is an elastic rhythm with depth in the chords. 'Memnonia' cuts loose on a floating vibe with meticulously sequenced melody patterns falling like cosmic rain.