Emotional Response Vinyl & CDs

Review: Five years after its first release, Emotional Response is serving up this welcome reissue of Alexis Georgopoulos and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma's classic Fragments of A Season. They came together after five years of superb releases and reached new highs here even though they aren't necessarily household names. It saw them turn in some wonderfully expressive compositions played out across all manner of organic instrumentation. The richness of the production and the highly developed ideas embedded within this gorgeous LP should resonate for a long time to come, not least because the pieces are all so easy on the ears.

Review: The Schleissen series goes from strength to strength on Emotional Response, inviting another two esteemed luminaries in the field of ambience to indulge themselves on a long side of wax. Matthewdavid is a welcome addition to the series - the West Coast champion has been operating in all kinds of unusual realms for a long time - and he comes to this release with a new project entitled Mindflight. The resulting track "Sonos' loops and folds heavy washes of drone and feedback in a thoroughly stimulating bath of harmony. Firecracker affiliate HOLOVR meanwhile presents three different musings on the dynamics of vintage UK techno, all crooked beat formations and luscious synth strokes gazing into the future.

Review: Secret Circuit's Eddie Ruscha and Rub N Tug's Thomas Bullock joined forces as Laughing Light Of Plenty for an EP back in 2008, and followed it up with an album on Whatever We Want Records in 2010 which largely got lost in a warehouse stock malfunction. Now Emotional Response are doing the right thing and giving the record a second airing under the duo's alternative alias The Naturals, and it's not hard to see why they wanted to do the reissue. Loose and funky, but also deliriously psychedelic and indebted to the 1970s golden era of songwriting, this is a quintessential Emotional record if ever we heard one.

Review: Terra Utopia returns to Emotional Response with a second release, a collection of ten tracks blending ambient textures, atmospheric rhythms and fluid drum & bass. French producer Benoit B revives this project after the success of the first Terra Utopia recordings, delivering another thoughtful exploration of soundscapes. Initially conceived as a short-lived project, the first Terra Utopia was recorded in two weeks during a spring in Athens, capturing a deeply personal sonic aesthetic. This second offering reflects an evolution in style while retaining its essence. Tracks unfold like snapshots of expansive skies, tranquil seas and warm summer days, creating a narrative of serene moments and astral imaginings. The beats feel crisp and purposeful, and every cut is crafted for both personal immersion and DJ functionality. A highlight is the collaboration with singer dvdv on 'Shadows Of Memories', where her ethereal vocals float over dreamlike instrumentation, offering an evocative, hypnotic centerpiece. Terra Utopia continues to conjure vivid sonic imagery with its latest chapter.

Review: The output from cult label Emotional Response is always varied and always vital. This time out the focus turns to Useless Users, who offer up a standout nine-track debut here. The band features former Sarah Records alumni including members of Action Painting! and Secret Shine as well as featuring Even As We Speak. The music they make is pop but with bold adventure at its heart. There are dreamy elements, big bold chords and stunning vocal deliveries as well as a few twists and turns along the way. It's a real gem with nods to sixties psyche amongst others.

Review: You can never really pin down what the excellent Emotional Repose label does and that is exactly the sinking behind the title of its superb All Trades show on NTS. The sheer eclecticism of that show is now reflected in this new two-part compilation, also called All Trades, which offers up little morsels of what they do, something like a sonic tasting menu at a fancy restaurant. There is chugging electronic dub from Apiento & Tepper, industrial clatter from Black Bones, cosmic ambient breakbeat from Paperclip Minimiser and blissed out dub from Yamila & SoFa Elsewhere amongst many more highlights.

Review: Emotional Response returns with a second volume of its All Trades compilation which is named after its own NTS show. It is just as vast both in terms of style but also the eras it spans with a mix of dub, new wave, slow motion electronics and plenty in between. Tolouse Low Trax kicks off with the filthy dirty and seriously heavy dub glitch of 'Ossia' to provide an early highlight before the likes of Al Wootton get percussive and tribal with 'Altai' and HLM38 channels some African Head Charge on another devastating dub cut. Later on, London's Good Block brings a little more light and sunshine with their lovely 'Strong Relax.'

Review: Emotional Response has described soFa's fourth compilation for the label as "internationalism for the adventurous DJ", full of club music for the open-minded. It's basically an eclectic, esoteric musical travelogue that serves of intriguing, entertaining and admirable electronic music for those of a leftfield persuasion. There's much to enjoy, from the undulating melodies, off-kilter beats and mind-soothing chords of Infuso Giallo's 'Torus', and the moody techno-not-techno wave minimalism of Puma & The Dolphin ('Grass Drum'), to the analogue-heavy cold-wave dystopia of Houschyar ('Intercontinental'), the dark ambient techno of Lamusa II ('Artificial') and the tribal tinged electronic psychedelia of Bolva ('Rite II').