Smalltown Supersound Norway Vinyl & CDs

Review: In June, Actress delivered an RA mix that was nothing short of surprisingientirely new, unheard material from Darren S. Cunningham himself. Asked if it was an album, he called it "a collage -Braque," leaving interpretation open. This CD edition captures the essence of Actress's sound: fluid, shape-shifting, and unconcerned with traditional definitions. Whether a mixtape or sonic collage, it's unmistakably Actress, offering listeners a raw, evolving soundscape that resists labels and challenges boundaries, making it an essential piece for fans of his ever-innovative style.

Review: Darren Cunningham, known for his work as Actress, continues to evolve with a striking, abstract mix of sound that blends fragmented beats, ambient textures and the odd burst of warmth. Moving away from his club origins, his latest album embraces a more experimental, collage-like approach, echoing the influence of Georges Braque. The music unfurls in unpredictable ways, weaving atmospheric elements like muffled techno pulses, gamelans and r&b vocal samples into an evolving tapestry of sound. Tracks shift from dark, granular tones reminiscent of Boards of Canada's more ominous moments, to bright, celestial glimpses of light. The juxtaposition of stasis and movement, dread and hope, is central to Cunningham's process, creating a unique sonic landscape of ebb and flow. The occasional playful moments, like the quirky synths of 'Dolphin Spray', add to the album's intriguing unpredictability. Fans of Aphex Twin, Two Lone Swordsmen and Boards of Canada will find familiar sounds here, though Cunningham's distinctive approach makes the experience feel like a scientific exploration of sound itself. With a subtle balance of tension and calm, the album draws listeners into a world of synaptic interplay, where every shift feels deliberate and rewarding.

Review: Darren Cunningham's work as Actress has always been top drawer, though you get the feeling that his relationships with record labels have sometimes been a bit testing. The good news is that he seems to have finally found a supportive home in Norwegian experimental music powerhouse Smalltown Supersound. Put simply, Statik, the tenth Actress album, is one of his most immaculate and immersive sets to date, with Cunningham shuffling between heady, slow-born electronic soundscapes, smacked-out IDM, glitchy aural collages full of minor-key melodies, blissed out dancefloor workouts (see the brilliant 'Ray'), experimental ambient dub and spacey excellence ('Cafe Del Mars').

Review: Darren Cunningham's latest full-length LP, Statik, is yet another bullseye for the experimental musician. Seeming to nail that impossible balance on the fulcrum between 'static' or 'still' digital noise and 'watery' melodies alluded to in the many titles on offer here ('Dolphin Spray', 'Doves Over Atlantis', 'Cafe del Mars'), this one is ultimately a worthy proof of concept: that even the most arid, bare-bones music can possibly originate from a flow state; that water itself is not wet. Get ready for an ice-cold plunge into a sonic liquid you've likely never immersed yourself in before.

Review: Actress released a mix for Resident Advisor in June and to everyone's surprise, it was filled entirely with new, unreleased music. When asked if this was a new album, Darren S. Cunningham, aka Actress, responded simply, "It's a collage - Braque." Call it what you likeia mix, a mixtape, a collage, or even an albumiit's unmistakably another bold statement from Actress. Cunningham's approach defies labels and formats, creating music that exists in its own space, evolving without concern for conventional definitions or boundaries. It's just pure, unfiltered Actress, doing what he does best.

Review: Berlin-based producer and DJ Barker has long been an underground innovator associated with plenty of vital labels but he hasn't dropped a new solo EP for a couple of years now. Thankfully he rights that wrong and and steps up to the 30 year strong Smalltown Supersound out of Oslo with a new four track offering that "sees him inverting the musical equation and exploring both the variability and sonic possibilities of a kick-drum." Opener 'Birmingham Screwdriver' will rewire your brain with its fizzing frequencies and skewed bass, 'Wick and Wax' is bright and hyperactive techno-pop and the flipside gets much more raw and dark. A fine return.

Review: Deathprod (Helge Sten), hailing from Norway, deconstructs what we mean by the word 'composition' on this latest LP for Smalltown Supersound. Exploring what could be described as his own style of lowercase music, there is a granular quality to this eerie collection of 17 'compositions', which appear in the chronological order of which they were first recorded. Building the music from an array of salvaged, largely obsolete, and sometimes faulty digital synths - this is a looming, towering monolith of a drone LP.

Review: Marking his fourth album for Smalltown Supersound, Norwegian avant-sax player Bendik Giske is reaching a certain ubiquitous position in his career on the back of sheer talent alone. His minimalist, one-instrument approach is forged in his virtuoso playing, where circular breathing techniques form the basis for cyclical patterns with an alarmingly precise meter. Due to the nature of his art, Giske often refers to his music as being highly physical, and the cover of this self-titled LP confirms that. This time around, Giske has been produced by stellar producer Beatrice Dillon, who pushed him to strip back his sound to a raw essence, all sax key clicks and sharp intakes of breath. The results are endlessly captivating.

Review: RECOMMENDED
It's two exceptional albums in two for Yoshinori Hayashi, with the Tokyo-based producer's sophomore long player upping the ante on almost every level. Exceptional musicality, epic vision, tangible playfulness and plenty of dancefloor potential, this is one multifarious release to say the least. Not that we we didn't also love Ambivalence, the previous LP.


Pulse of Defiance is a beast unto itself, though, with so much worthy of discussion it's hard to know where to begin. Perhaps at the end, with the spatial, futurist jungle vibes of 'I Believe In You'. Or at the beginning, and the soft pianos and plodding downbeats of 'Collapse'. Betwixt those two you've got seductive jazz ('Twilight'), dubby techy techno ('Touch'), rude boy bass breakbeats topped with psyche accents ('Go With Us'), and galactic ambient symphonies ('Frequency'). That's really just for starters, too.

Review: Is there a more iconic modern disco duo that Lindstom and Prins Thomas? The superb Scandic-pair link up here to great effect on a six track record for Smalltown Supersound. As ever the references are far and wide, from world music to deep house, cosmic ambience to synth music. The tracks are stuffed with subtle details and a rich overarching musicality that makes them as good for focussed headphone listening as it does an early evening dance. 'Oranges' is achingly gorgeous, 'Harmonia' is awash in lush arps and 'Small Stream' is dreamy bliss. Once again these maestros have come through with the goods.

Review: The righty much venerated Kelly Lee Owens has tracks from her recent Inner Song album remixed on Smalltown Supersound here. Loraine James opens up with a take on 'Wake Up' that is all broken beats and abstract electronic sounds. 'Re-Wild' then gets a Breaka remix which layers in plenty of UK continuum vibes, skittish perc and bass heavy drums. Last of all is 'Corner Of My Sky' as reworked by Coby Sey, and it is a busy drum workout for tribal dance floors that will pin you to the ground.

Review: Perila's latest double album is a mesmerising exploration of ambient soundscapes, field recordings and vocal manipulation. Spanning 21 tracks, the work unfolds like an immersive narrative, with each side offering its own thematic journey. Her voice drifts through vast, haunting spaces, weaving into ghostly chorals and spectral pulses, creating an eerie atmosphere that blends the intimate with the outer world. Tracks like 'Deza' and 'Sepula Purm' highlight her ability to transform simple vocal echoes into atmospheric wonders, while 'Nia' introduces faint low-end rumbles that evolve into hypnotic rhythms. As the album progresses, Perila delves deeper into industrial and experimental terrain, with tracks like 'Mola' offering a soft, meditative reprieve, before 'Supa Mi' strips everything back to raw, acapella fragments. The sound grows more intense as it moves forward, with 'Darbounouse Song' delivering a creative peak of crackling textures and resonant gong tones, and 'She Wonder' exploring rhythmic digital precipitation. Her use of field recordings, fragmented whispers, and organic sounds results in a deeply personal and atmospheric experience, making this her most cohesive and fully realized work to date. Fans of experimental, immersive sound will find much to admire here.

Review: Norwegian disco titan Prins Thomas returns to his regular stomping ground of Smalltown Supersound with this, his sixth solo studio album. Thomas is sounding as vibrant as ever, his musical ideas spilling forth in glorious arrangements of organic instrumentation and gentling bubbling electronics that melt into a mellow, groovy sonic realm. There are hazy, cosmic moments to be savoured on the likes of "Feel The Love", and more adventurous rhythmic trysts like the nagging, snaking percussive melee of "Ambitions". Thomas' studio proficiency is more than matched by his imagination and creative ambition - would you expect any less from such a titan of Scandinavian electronic music?

Review: Not long after her Only Love From Now On album last year, Carmen Villain is back with another sublime score. This one was done for a contemporary dance performance by acclaimed Choreographer Eszter Salamon. First off, just take a moment to admire the costumes in the artwork. Impressive, right? Well, the music is at least as good. It's drone and ambient that's often empty but never lacking. The details are deft and occasional dub undercurrents are barely there as tracks move at glacial speed and luxurious harmonies glow brightly. It's a masterclass in slowness and subtlety that can utterly disorientate you and disconnect you from space and time.