Hidden Hawaii Vinyl & CDs

Review: Drumkid and Felix K debuted their Crackle Wizard project way back in 2010, delivering a fine 12" of abstract techno and D&B experiments on the latter's Hidden Hawaii label. This surprise return contains five voyages into minimalist dancefloor pastures. They begin with the languid electronic melodies and crackly techno rhythms of "Hunger 4 More", before successfully breaking up the beats on the bass-heavy shuffle of "The Klap". There's more ghostly electronics, heavy sub and off-kilter rhythms to be found on "Broken Legit", before they head back to early morning techno territory on "Nobody". They round off another fine E.P with the cut-up dub craziness of "Sex Clips".

Review: The inscrutable artist that is DB1 first appeared in 2012 alongside Martsman, courtesy of the Hidden Hawaii collective, and the producer has been an integral part of the imprint's development ever since. It is now time for an LP from the mystery artist and its name, Zwischenwelt, is as difficult to interpret in the English language as its music is to describe into written words. What we can say is that it's a fresh and singular piece of music that is successfully prolonging the dub techno continuum with the originality that it deserves. If Basic Channel broke down their favoured 4/4 format, it would sound a little bit like "KTZ1" or "Quebe (part 1)", two broken techno bombs with a heartical soul. Tunes like "Zuki" do provide a more techno-minded framework, still rich in half-step movements, while "Jona" will cater to fans of the deep techno sound of artists like Dozzy. All in all, this is not an album to underestimate, and we're pretty confident that you'd be making a mistake by not copping it. HEAVY.

Review: Post-drum and bass grey area explorers Ena (Japan) and FLXK1 from Berlin (aka Hidden Hawaii head honcho Felix K) team up for some sinister, industrial edged sound design excursions through the darklands. It bears all the hallmarks of what these two modern auteurs of dark experimental and deconstructed dub techno have brought to the table before: well executed metal textures, the most haunting and subversive of drones (sure!) but overall the most terrifying and polarising soundscapes this side of hell. With this type of music gaining a large following and many jumping on the bandwagon, it takes just one listen to this to see why these two are at the top of the game and raise the bar exceptionally high. For those that dare: this is essential listening.

Review: German jungle subversion: Martin Heinze delivers his debut album Kerner and it's every bit as beguiling, unique and forward-thinking as his back catalogue on the likes of Med School, Commercial Suicide and Warm Comms foretold. Back on Hidden Hawaii for the first time in years, Kerner is his most explorative and wide-ranging piece of work to date: the minimal techno ricochet of "Kickoff", the industrial whirlwind breaks of "Krine", the ever-distorting elastic bassline venom of "Gryphe", the echo chamber cosmosis and reverse-warping of "Human Error", the playful steps and trippy dribbles of "Shades", the suspense and release of the tribal pounder "Impending" and the cathedral-like chimes and reverbs of the far-out finale "Maxicle"... Seven examples of genuine 170 innovation.

Review: Hidden Hawaii's Gilga offshoot is gaining more traction with each new week and, most importantly, the label is bringing new talent to the scene on a constant basis. This time, newcomer - and mysterious beatsmith - Myself 69 lands on our Experimental pages with a magnificent, seven-part myriad of electronic compositions. "Premillenialism", for instance, is an indescribable labyrinth if sounds that verges onto hip-hop while still keeping one foot firmly in the electronica game; similarly, "Ghosn Run" and "Gilga 400" mash up lo-fi riffs, distorted beats and fuzzy bass frequencies to form a truly spectacular array of meditation material. The flipside pushes the boundaries further still, with "Hi, Waves" sounding like some neo-krautrock, "Oude Ou" bringing in some mad strings to an off-kilter rhythm, the daring "CE 96/PPE Wolve" goes on a mad bender of sparse jazz samples and eerie FM synthesis, leaving "Naima Jam" to provide the cool, bluesy tones for the free jazz lovers. What an EP. Warmly recommended!