LIES US Vinyl & CDs

Review: UK producer Tom Carruthers really impresses with this full length for Rom Morelli's revered US imprint LIES. It is steeped in bleep traditions and old-school electronic sounds, but all with a fresh new perspective. Right off the bat, this record draws you in: there are early Chicago jack tracks like the opener 'Can You Feel It', melon-twisting deep cuts such as 'Cyclone' and chattery melodic jams like 'Fantasies' which all hark back to a different era. 'Forge' explores a mysterious world of interplanetary house, 'Quest For Rydm' echoes the sound of LFO and 'Channel Control' is pure dance floor heat. This is music for getting E'd up and losing yourself in the middle of a warehouse, and we love it.

Review: L.I.E.S man Tom Carruthers is back on his home label with a new double LP, Downtown Rhythms, that predictably pushes boundaries with a sound rooted in late 80s-early 90s New York House. Carruthers reimagines heavy-duty samples throughout here as he crafts tracks that echo the vibes of Todd Terry and Bones SP-1200. This 12-track collection blends funky, deep, and introspective elements and is rather suited for summer whether blasting from your car stereo or filling the club. True to old-school production, it features additional work from Risk Management's Benedek and Lipelis on some of the jams.

Review: Legowelt is a master of electronic music. He coaxes more feelings and emotions and originality out of his machines in one record than many people manage in a whole career. He has made millions (probably) of them in his time but it is still always worth checking in with what he does next. In this case, it's a new album for New York punks L.I.E.S. called Like A Song From Your Dream which comes with one of his own cover art illustrations. Musically it finds him in electro mode, layering up squelchy synths, kinetic and ice-cold rhythms and plenty of sci-fi motifs with inescapable cosmic energy. It is yet another doozy from the man who never misses.

Review: Steve Moore's Eye Of Horus album is an electrifying tier into his take on dark wave, cosmic synth-scapes and pulsating electronic rhythms. Known for his adept fusion of retro-futuristic sounds, Moore crafts a narrative that unfolds with cinematic grandeur and emotional depth here. The records' ethereal melodies are underscored by a driving bassline, creating a sense of momentum and intrigue, while more textured and raw pieces bring a sense of edge. Moore's mastery of synthesisers is on full display as he manages to evoke a sense of mystery and ancient mysticism akin to its namesake.

Review: Jersey City-based Jorge Velez has long been one of the US underground's most revered figures to those in the know. Largely predating the current fascination with lo-fi analogue productions, something shown on the excellent MMT Tape Series compilation which delved into his early archives, his work as Professor Genuis on Italians Do It Better and Thisisnotanexit was followed by the conceptual Hassan LP on L.I.E.S. which provided a soundtrack to an imaginary film based on a shadowy Middle Eastern cult formed in the 11th century. Here Velez return to Ron Morelli's stable with Territories, a six-track LP that passes through "menacing drones to EBM influenced floor tracks to Sakamoto-esque melodic experiments," with a "distinct atmosphere suitable for home listening or adventurous club play." Even for those who are familiar with the odd structures Velez creates with his hardware, this is a wild trip worthy of much closer inspection.