Search results: Texture

Review: Minor Science is a UK artist who has been exploring the worlds of bass, techno and experimental music over the last few years. This new album on Balmat is the third in a collection of releases that have come across several formats and platforms. Essentially he is reworking stems and source material first intended to be used in his live show into tunes that stand alone. What results is a quiet album of atmospheric and storytelling ambient with plenty of found sounds, odd FX, vocal snippets, watery floods and many more such details. Occasionally they come at the expense of tunes with real meaning but the beautiful catharsis that is 'Life Texture' is worth hearing.

Review: Two key pushers of New York tactile ambient-techno, Anthony Naples and DJ Python, here present a fittingly named compilation (and the third in the series) curating only the best found in that style and scene: 'Air Texture VIII'. Spurred on by a cost of living crisis in Manhattan, areas further afield in neighbouring Brooklyn have become much more central to artists such as Beta Librae, Downstairs J and 5AM, spurring their rise and that of producers like them. Don't miss this important chronicling of the scene, which still unfolds in real time.

Review: Stuttgart's Luca Daniel Schwarz returns to Dax J's Monnom Black with an astonishing take on modern dub techno, featuring six futuristic grooves. LDS is an artist that stands at the cutting edge of technology, influenced by artificial intelligence and digital innovation and the Digi Spa EP extensively showcases this aesthetic. On the A-side, you've got the direct attack peak-time onslaught of sturdy DJ tools like 'Nord Dab' or 'Gl03'. Over on the flip, there's the pounding minimalist terror of the title track and the strobe-lit frenzy of 'Fuend Formen' which will definitely have you reaching for the lasers.

Review: The REPITCH label started back in 2011 with a 12" split three ways between its co-founders, Pasquale Ascione (Ascion), Davide Carbone (D. Carbone) and Nino Pedone (Shapednoise).
Some 11 years on, and the trio are still very much at the heart of the label's activities, celebrated here with the Dys Functional Electronic Music X compilation, highlighting not only their label's scope but also, they say, pointing a way forward for its future intentions. This collection pushes at the edges of the experimental techno genre, whether that be through speed and heaviness (see Buttechno's pummelling 'Ghost Yunost'), smashed up arrangements like opening tune 'Mastice Riddim (VIP Mix)' from Shapednoise and Gabber Eleganza or reconnection with the ruffneck breakbeats that were once an integral part of rave culture (Ascion's 'Plugged' (Heavy-Rotation Mix) and DJ Plant Texture's 'Threat The Music With Respect')

Review: Everyone's favourite low-res poly-rendered rave organism DJ Plant Texture returns to their fave label Ilian Tape for their least forgiving, least fluffy and most wayside-thrown techno EP yet. Contrasting to their earlier lo-fi MPC workouts and electro freak-shows, the best of which were also released on the Amsterdam imprint, Plant Texture here switches things up, offering up four jackbooted 4x4 techno bits so menacing that they verge on a dastard take on the Brummy school. An obsession with rhythm and percussive texture rears its head; A-siders 'DDrumz' and 'Mechanical Bongos' are truly intrigued by the drum, revelling in pure, circular samply bongo and timbalero repetition; the theme continues on B-sider 'Dubbish', which only does so much as add a scopeout dub chord stab to the mix, yet still sounds sick; 'Let The Machine Speak (Jazz Mix)', finally, seems to hold the work of fellow techy rhythmusoidal geek Machinedrum firmly in mind, seeming to cleverly parody the artist's Ninja Tune/Vapor City IDM era with a jeering nu-footwork-jazz half-smile.

Review: DJ Plant Texture is Donato Basile, a diverse producer from Bari. He returns to Munich-based Ilian Tape to follow up 2017's The Bongoman Archive with four slamming cuts on his latest EP. Whether it's pummelling, bass-driven ruckus of 'MPC Jam 1' (Breaks mix) or the off-kilter slam of MPC Jam 2' (Saturator mix) on the A side, to the proper, peak time heads-down stomp of 'MPC Jam 3' (Exp Forever mix). Finally, the early '90s zeitgeist of 'Ciao Ragazze Jungle Style' goes out all guns blazing. On the MPC Thangs EP, this talented Italian producer is at his most fearsome yet.

Notes: Modulated digital reverb with an analogue dry signal path, the clock control lets you adjust the core frequency of the DSP, creating a smooth pitch shift in time, allowing you to create from a sharp traditional plate-like reverb to an underworld cavernous ambience.

Dedicated sustain footswitch to create an infinite modulated ambience, trails option to combine momentary activation and be able to add lush movement at any time.

Soft footswitch bypass latch & momentary
2 Modulation depths (off @ center position) MOD toggle
DSP clock control for deep cavernous textures
Trails toggle
2nd delay line with analog feedback
Pre-delay
Damp control
Infinite sustain footswitch
Top mounted jacks

Notes: A fresh take on granular processing with this stereo DSP module. Grain delay, texturising and freezing with plenty of hands-on control and modulation via CV, gates and triggers. Versatile.

Supplier's Notes:
Melotus Versio is a stereo texturizer that uses granular processing to transform and reshape sound.

Designed to be played by hand or manipulated within a patch, Melotus is everything from a grain delay to a completely transformative texturizer with grain control and manipulation of triggering, direction, and randomness.

Filter audio with a lowpass/highpass combo filter that adds haunting shimmers and subharmonics. Freeze grains by hand or with triggers and gates, or clock them to create rhythmic effects.

Plus, Melotus Versio is part of the Versio DSP platform: transform it into a completely different effect by loading a growing number of alternate firmwares, completely free - or develop your own firmware with our open-source documentation.

Review: Roland Klinkenberg is back on Late Night Burners with his Sim o1/Trance Textures 2 EP and does a fine job of hooking you in form the first beat. 'Planetoide' is warm, surging tech house with an underlapping bassline to die for. 'Loopy Tune' is a different proposition with a much more bumpy and playful rhythm full of bounce and 'Encountings' closes down with the more teary eyed and trance-tinged euphoria of the whole EP. In between is the raw, stripped back 'Subterranean Express' to make for a fourth different tune in this fine and varied package.

Notes: Part of Sonicware's Liven groovebox series, this time focussing on granular synthesis and effects processing. 128-step sequencer and shimmer reverb allow you to create grooves.

Supplier's Notes:
Sample, slice, transform and reconstruct audio to synthesize completely new sounds

The LIVEN Texture Lab offers a wide variety of sound textures ranging from beautifully lush ambient pads to chaotically aggressive experimental noise that will take you to new sonic frontiers.

The Texture Lab uses a granular processor that slices sounds into grains ranging from 2 ms to 1 second in length, then transforms and reconstructs them in a variety of ways, including manipulating grain shape, density, time warp, spatial position, and playback method to create entirely new sounds.

Granular synthesis parameters are easily accessed from 10 knobs and are designed for intuitive control

Granular synthesizer with granular effects processor mode

The LIVEN Texture Lab is a 4-voice polyphonic synthesizer that can record 32 samples of up to 6 seconds, generate grains from any part of a sample, and synthesize them using two modulations sources, an envelope generator, and process the sound through different filter types.

The Texture Lab can also be used as an effects processor for real-time granular processing of stereo signals from the line input. It is also possible to freeze the flowing sounds for 6 seconds to add granulated sound effects.

Shimmer reverb for fantastical and majestic sounding spaces

The LIVEN Texture Lab features six high-quality stereo reverb types. All reverb types have a shimmer parameter that allows you to layer reverb on top of reverb in octaves to create fantastical and majestic sounding spaces.

128-step sequencer with parameter locking

The LIVEN Texture Lab is equipped with a high-performance 128-step sequencer that has earned the LIVEN series a solid reputation. In addition to recording notes, it can also record changes in granular processing parameters over time.

You can record knob operations in real time or directly record parameters to specific steps allowing for more complex sound textures.

Specifications

[Granular processor]

Synthesizer mode
- Sampling up to 6 seconds per sample (16bit - 32kHz mono, Start/end point adjustment)
- Auto start sampling function with the input level (input level can be set)
- Internal resampling function
- 32 sample memory slots

Effects processor mode
- Real-time processing of stereo signals from the line inputs
- Freeze function


- Pitch: Pitch of the sample (i2 octaves)
- Position, Length/FB: The sample range for generating grains (with random position function)
- Speed, Direction: Playback speed, scan direction, and playback direction of the grains.
- Size, Shape: Size and shape of the grains (with random function)
- Timing, Jitter: Interval of generating grains (with our original LUSH setting)
- Density: Number of the grains (up to 64 grains in legato mode)
- Diffusion: Diffusion width of the grains
- Blend: Balance between the sample and the granular sound mix
- Modulation 1: LFO assignable to various parameters (with wave shape selection, start fade-in time, retrigger, and tempo sync)
- Modulation 2: LFO assignable to various parameters (with wave shape selection, retrigger, and tempo sync)


- Attack
- Release


- Low Pass
- High Pass
- Band Pass

Reverb effects
6 high-quality reverbs with Shimmer reverb parameters
- Hall
- Room
- Arena
- Plate
- Tunnel
- Infinity


- 4-note polyphonic mode (Up to 16 grains per voice, internal sequencer records up to 3 voices of polyphony)
- Mono mode (Up to 32 grains, adjustable glide time)
- Legato mode (Up to 64 grains, adjustable glide time)
- Arpeggiator modes (Up, Down, UpDown, DownUp, Up&Down, Down&Up, Up+1, Up+2, Down-1, Down-2, Random, Play Order)

[Sequencer]
- 1 track
- Up to 128 steps per pattern
- 128 patterns
- Step length can be set from 1/1 to 1/32
- Real-time recording
- Directly enter notes for each step when sequencer is on or off
- Enter longer notes (Tied notes)
- Metronome and pre-count function
- Undo/Redo function
- Transpose function
- Swing function
- Pattern BPM / Global BPM can be set
- Pattern chain function
- Parameter Lock function to record parameter settings for each step
- RANDOM function to play back steps in random order
- STUTTER function to play back only the step being pressed

[MIDI]
- Notes, control changes, clock input/output
- IMPORT/EXPORT of user data (Including samples) via Sysex
- Firmware update via Sysex

[Unit]

27 keys (with a hold function)


- 15 physical control knobs
- Optional LATCH function prevents jumps in value when knob position and parameter values do not match.
- One physical encoder for fine adjustments.
- LCD dot indicates when a parameter value matches the saved value, or when the value has been changed.

Review: DJ Plant Texture aka Bari's Donato Basile makes a Return to Disorder with four blistering cuts of jungle, electro, techno and acid. He is a versatile producer who takes no prisoners and considers no sounds off-limits. This one kicks off with the brutalist beats and casuistic synths of 'The Other World' before funky, acid-laced techno bouncer 'Preserve The Rave' takes you to the next level. 'The Man Of The Street' (feat Mike Tansella Jr) is then a deeper, more cosmic cut with thinking synths but still plenty of powerful rhythms and last of all are the dark jungle breaks of 'Hasta La Vista, Baby.' These are highly charged and guaranteed dance floor destroyers from this ever-on-point wizard.

Review: Aubrey's Don Gardon alias was a one-shot decoy deployed in 1997 with the now highly sought-after "Textures" 12" on Aubrey's own Textures label. While the provenance of these new tracks is a little foggy at this stage, what you can be sure of is the grade of techno we're dealing with here. Aubrey's illustrious career speaks for itself, and so do these tracks in the first Textures release since 2001. "The Phase" is an effervescent, funk laced race to the stars, while "Vari Tube" takes a more intimate route through dusty house that wouldn't sound out of place in the Workshop stratosphere. "Slam Dunk" is a cheeky, jazzy affair while "Dons Slide" gets a little more freaky and far out in the finest tradition of B2 tracks.

Review: Stark, uncompromised body music from one of the most interesting unapologetic duos to emerge in recent times - Sha Ru make their debut on Monkeytown with this outstanding five tracker. Visceral, political but, most importantly, fully physical; 'They Are Textural' flexes deep shades of electro, breaks and even d&b in provocative brew. An exploration of queer identity that sits somewhere between Madonna, Modeselektor and Massive Attack but through a brutalist, industrial lens; Sha Ru have a powerful and intoxicating vibe that's genuinely one of a kind. Essential.