ACL 2024 - Winter Music Preview: Electronic

A Closer Listen

In a slight winter surprise, our largest preview is not ambient, but electronic.  Perhaps the winter release slate reflects a desire to dance the cold nights away, and to feel the warmth of summer in sweat rather than in sweaters.  Beneath the drifts and layers the beat goes on.

This season’s listings are meant to resemble a club playlist, starting with downtempo, then proceeding through synth and swirl, and ending up in industrial and hard techno.  We hope you’ll enjoy this sneak preview of the electronic winter slate!

Our cover image is taken from Pyur’s Lucid Anarchy, listed below!

Patient and measured, Trem 77‘s Vivid Vibration EP is more about the texture than the beats, creating a mood of active contemplation.  As a New Year’s Day release, it operates as a resolution. Also downtempo, but not quite chill: Nightdriver‘s Enthusiastic June may seem out of season, but serves as a reminder of the warmer months.  For those who can’t get away this winter, this EP may operate as a daydream (January 5).  Balearic sounds inhabit Pockets of Light, a double album by Leonidas & Hobbes.  One of the early singles, “Water,” remembers the destruction of Hurricane Ian (Hobbes Music, March 1).  We’ve seen an inordinate amount of spring announcements already this year; one of the finest comes from Catching Flies, who fold a warm blend of strings, keys and beats into Tides.  One of the reasons we’re listing it now is the track “Snow Day,” which is already available: a wise move, as this is the season for snow (Indigo Soul, April 5).

What is The Closest Thing to Silence?  Perhaps it’s the sound of improvisors getting together, listening to each other’s ideas, and forging a unit based on mutual respect.  Ariel Kalma, Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer alternate subtly between timbres, as modern composition and jazz can each be gleaned in these grooves (International Anthem, February 2).   There’s a touch of jazz on Millsart‘s X-Ray Zulu, a dash of world beat.  The four-tracker is the fourth in the Axis Expressionist series, which populates the dance floor with an intelligence to match its energy (Axis, January 24).  Sax, guitar, cello, Wurlitzer, piano and … hoopoe?  Dynamic combinations make C. Diab‘s Imerro an adventurous excursion.  Recorded in a hot season but released in a cold one, the music sounds like a drift down an Amazon river, despite being recorded in Vancouver (Tonal Union, February 16).

Kurdish singer Hani Mojtahedy teams with Andi Toma of Mouse On Mars as HJirok, producing one of the year’s most intriguing blends.  Sufi rhythms, setar melodies and modern electronic beats mingle as Mojtahedy sings in Persian and Farsi, lamenting the strife that has affected her native land (Altin Village & Mine, March 1).  What are the chances that the season would see two Farsi-electronic releases?  As Flower Storm writes, “when it rains it pours.” Daf, Tonbak and Santoor are featured on Do, along with the leftfield surprise of a Coil cover (February 2).

The ritualistic drumming of Jonas Albrecht creates a trancelike energy, and SCHREI MICH NICHT SO AN ICH BIN IN TRANCE BABY is awash in nuance and mood.  The video, although tasteful, may require a parental advisory (Irascible Distribution, January 26).  Jlin, Fennesz, Loraine James and more contribute to Moments Remixes, transforming Michael Vincent Walker‘s original album into something altogether new.  The outlines remain legible, but the timbres have been transformed (play loud!, March 15).

No vocals, no drums, just pure, unadulterated synth.  This is what Loula Yorke offers on the reflective, reflexive Volta, leading off with a beautiful title: “It’s been decided that if you lay down no-one will die.”  The construction allows textural patterns to overlap and harmonize; as the artist proclaims, “Let the circle eat each other!” (Truxalis, January 23).  Exactly one month later, Maya Shenfeld‘s Under the Sun is released, a complimentary yet very different synthesized excursion.  Inspired by a passage from Ecclesiastes, partially recorded in a rock quarry, and dancing on the borders of drone, the album offers a richness of tone that mirrors the breadth of endangered creation (Thrill Jockey, February 23).

Out already on the first of the year, Build‘s Orienting Points begins with ambient glitch, but by “Run” has made a leap forward to propulsive beats.  The cover image looks like a (real) burned CD (Audiobulb).  The label will follow this with OdNu + Ümlaut‘s Abandoned Spaces, which merges the talents of the two artists to produce an ambient-electronic hybrid, with calm guitars (February 15).  Neil Cowley completes his four-year Building Blocks project with installment six, alternating between pristine piano passages and bright electronic patterns (Mote, February 23).  As The Who sings, “No one knows what it’s like to be the sad man …” except maybe for Sad Man, who doesn’t seem all that sad on Now, a popcorn bubbly synth trip bearing the rare “wonky” tag, released January 10.  Maps‘ Counter Continuo is similarly perky and poppy, with euphoric timbres and body-moving beats (Mute, January 16).

An early announcement should be rewarded: Jacob Parke‘s video game inspired Disappointingly Bassic EP is out April 1, a fine choice for a fun release.  The first single is Space Cadet 64 – World Record Nintendogs + Cats Speedrun July 2017.  E-Saggila‘s Gamma Tag comes hard and swift, a reflection of a fast-paced society.  The beats are large, occasionally fracturing into drum ‘n’ bass, like a sonic version of The Incredible Hulk (Northern Electronics, January 26).

If Pyur‘s Lucid Anarchy seems to travel a great sonic distance, it’s a reflection of the artist’s own journey, from Berlin to an Alpine village and back.  Thoughts and travels coalesce into a miasma of sound (Subtext, January 12).  Last year we covered Belka and Strelka from Brueder Selke; and now Laika gets her turn in the sun, as Julia Govor imagines traveling through the cosmos, her faithful companion at her side.  From spacious passages to wild techno workouts, Laika and Ulka Were Here exudes a sense of caffeinated adventure (Semantica, February 16).

The Errorgrid label is knee-deep in its industrial strength Raw Øblations series.  The first four installments are in the books, with sets from TL3SS and founder Nundale scheduled for January and February.  Expect dark beats, moody textures and a dance floor flair.  Jørgen Teller‘s Untitled (which IS a title!) is an experiment in percussion enhanced and abraded, an improvisation turned into a composition, a live performance sent to the studio.  Post-punk and industrial influences shine throughout (Blundar, January 19).

Guatemalan producer Fer Franco makes a big techno splash with his debut album Ritos de Paso, joined by friends from multiple genres, who make the listening experience as vibrant and colorful as the cover image (February 9).Hard beats and a shamanistic sensibility decorate CAIV‘s Dwellers, a cavernous four-track release on the renowned Tresor imprint (February 2).  bergsonist brings the beats on Avant, pulsing and pounding in the grand techno tradition (bizaarbazaar, January 5).  Searing guitars, harsh electro and screams populate Gost‘s Prophecy, whose vivid cover art is an apt reflection of the apocalyptic music within.  Not for the fainthearted! (Metal Blade, March 8).  The same might be said of Shit & Shine, who embed video game beats in the chaos of Masters Of All This Hell, as if to wink at a knowing audience (Antibody, February 15).

Richard Allen

A Closer Listen

What will you be listening to as the snow melts, the flowers bloom and the birds return?  What will you play when you open your car windows for the first time this year, letting the fresh air in and the fresh music out?  Our Electronic Music Preview has some energetic suggestions: perfect music for working out, running, highway driving, or getting ready for a night on the town.  From the chill-out room to the factory floor, we’ve got you covered!  We’re already excited about this year’s spring slate, and after reading this article, we’re confident that you will be too.

Our cover image is a photo of Jinjé, whose upcoming MESH release Escape from Luna is previewed below!

Not that Jlin ever needs help, but wow ~ Björk, Philip Glass and Kronos Quartet all make guest appearances on Akoma.  The music is energetic, percussive and swift, one of the season’s most upbeat, enthralling releases, another triumph for an artist whose every release is already an event (Planet Mu, March 22).  Wave Arising‘s The Rooted Sky is crisp and clean, tribal and spiritual, the collaboration between a techno artist and a choreographer.  Monin Yiri is the first taste of a deep album (Ransom Note, April 26).

With guest stars and a style of music described as “hypercollage,” Lorem is set to make a splash with Time Coils.  Drone, dub and rap are only a few of the scents in the smoke-filled room (Krisis Publishing, April 26).  Uganda’s Masaka Masaka is Barely Making Much … for now.  The artist’s conglomeration of styles, from gqom to trap and jungle, makes the album one of the season’s most diverse releases (Hakuna Kulala, March 22).

How does that dress stay on?  We’re not exactly sure, but CLARAGUILAR is the rare artist with a costume designer, reflecting her interest in the visual aspect of her music.  Figura draws from theatre and opera, modern composition and pop; we can’t wait for the live show (Lapsus, March 29). The sublime Drum & Lace‘s ONDA won’t be out until the end of the season, but until then, the single Solstice provides a hint of what’s to come; we’ve already heard the full album, fantastic and phantasmagoric (Fabrique, June).

Ben Chatwin’s Verdigris is a hybrid release, with the skin of modern composition, sinews of drone and a beating electronic heart.  Buried deep in the mix are medieval choral samples, exuding a subliminal sense of spirituality.  The title refers to the oxidization of copper, while the music and video images reflect this alchemy (Disinter, March 22).  As Chris P. Thompson calls the sides of his new album Mirror Images, we’re struck by how the synth on one side imitates the piano on the other.  Stay the Same is an counter-intuitive title, but fitting; the cover illustrates how seemingly opposite principles can both be true (Grin Agog, April 4).

Rejoicer‘s This Is Reasonable is downtempo and calm, a soothing set meant to induce feelings of inner peace.  The music washes over the listener like fresh fragrance (Circus Company, April 12).  Opening with the sound of sampled tears, Hame seeks to bring listeners on an emotional journey.  Almost Home pulses and ripples in equal measure on its way to a measured synthesis (Noire & Blanche, April 3).

Ryan Teague continues to walk the line between modern composition and electronics.  On Pattern Recognition, the piano provides the grounding while synth and drums take the music to the next level ~ this is one of the most active releases ever to come from Bigo & Twigetti (March 22). Cello, electronics and field recordings make an intriguing combination on Forest Scenes, whose mood is as important as its music.  MIZU‘s atmospheres coalesce into structures that seem almost real, like architecture lost in a dream (NNA Tapes, March 22).

Prefuse 73 is known as an electronic artist, but New Strategies for Modern Crime Vol. 1 stretches in multiple directions, from jazz to cinema music to languid rock.  While not an entirely new direction for the producer, it’s an intriguing shift (Lex, March 22).  We first mentioned Catching Flies‘ Tides in our Winter Music Preview, mostly so we could share the track “Snow Day” before the drifts melted.  The full album is just around the corner, a crossover set that includes multiple radio-friendly tracks yet sustains an independent sheen.  Sometimes ambient, sometimes downtempo, and always head-bobbing, the album is primed to break through to a larger audience (Indigo Soul, April 5).  In similar fashion, we expect big things from Christian Löffler‘s A Life, as lead single Ease is one of the most self-assured singles we’ve ever heard from the prolific producer (Ki Records, April).

Live drumming is a selling point for Kelpe‘s LP10 (which ironically contains an alternate drumless take on a key track).  The electronic lattices are always evident, the sub-genres shifting from chill to jazz to drum ‘n’ bass (Kit Records, April 19).  Live drumming meets drum machine on Valentina Magaletti‘s tiny yet tempestous Lucha Libre EP, a cavalcade of percussion tumbling in its wake (March 22).

Tabla meets wet synth on the self-titled album from Temporal Waves, exuding a sci-fi veneer with an 80s sensibility (people | places | records, April 12).  How many harp and synth duos do you know?  Masai may be the first to gain popularity.  By adding chimes and bells, the duo produces a spiritual aura, one that often topples into all-out jams.  The Galloping Cat is out March 22.  As always, Chinabot provides us with something mysterious and otherworldly for our listening pleasure.  Memeshift‘s Echoes travels across multiple continents, scoring the artist’s often harrowing journeys.  Instead of souvenirs, he collects timbres (April 19).

Retro synth is the bread and butter of Clay Pipe Music, our Label of the Year in 2023.  Golden Gate‘s Magic Lantern continues in this vein, with 25 miniature tracks that originally scored an audiobook anthology.  Bittersweet and occasionally foreboding, the set flies by like a series of short stories (March 29).  80s sci-fi synth is the hallmark of Pye Corner Audio‘s The Endless Echo.  Hints of Moroder and even Ultravox make the interstellar journey a cinematic ride (Ghost Box, April 5).  When’s the last time you bought a record with a poster?  It’s probably been a while, and Frank Rodas is ready to rectify the situation with a 50x70cm foldout.  Roger Dean may have been an influence for the art, while Ritual‘s music is subdued psychedelic tribal (Utter, April 5).

Racine extends a fascination with abstraction on Boue, hard-edged and angular, although not inaccessible.  The short story that accompanies the release is open to interpretation, which the title, which translates as mud, may provide an essential clue (Gin&Platonic, March 24).  Loops, distortion and abrasion decorate grain, from the Vienna trio of Bernhard Breuer, Steven Hess and Stefan Németh (Innode).  A video of abandoned metal cylinders cements the industrial association (Editions Mego, April 19).  If Rbia Harsha Cinta is harsh, then so is the problem.  YRLNG‘s album is a “remix” of a film about seaweed pollution in Morocco.  Nothing would please the artist more than if listeners were scared into action (Antibody, May 17).  Abrasive textures appear on Red On‘s Phantom Easy, but are just as likely to be balanced by melodic structures and vocoder (Präsens Editionen, March 22).

Breaking from the chill template, o k h o switches to synth and broken beat, the art of GROUP 1 reminiscent of a shadow play.  If an internal war has broken out, the artist seems to be winning (March 29).  Canblaster presents a cinematic excursion on LIBEROSIS, which visits multiple styles from ambience to breaks to dubstep.  The album arrives in three acts or movements, akin to those of a theatrical performance (April 12).  There’s more than a bit of rock found on Midnight Buffet, as PLESS serves up a healthy platter of dramatic tones and powerful beats (Everest, March 29).

BANKERT follows the template of previous releases, titling the latest work olO5. The beats are harsh, yet playful, sample-filled, chopped and spliced (March 28).  DJ Marcelle/Another Fine Mess, a DJ who does not like cheese, releases her tongue-in-cheek A Different Fridge for Cheese on April 12, filled with amusing samples and a sense of fun.  “Nice Feet” is particularly banging and strange (play loud!).  Machine Records has two EPs lined up for early spring.  Valley Lines‘ 13_16 is filled with abstract electronics, more for listening than dancing, while Phase4our‘s Language Barrier is better suited for clubs, with rhythmic beats that touch upon IDM (April 5).  The Meson Peripheral Mix of “Hpirep” is the most distinctive, with drum patterns sputtering in all directions (April 26).

Kee Avil‘s Spine extends the field to rock and pop, with creative vocals stop shifting textures and patterns (Constellation, May 3).  Gerry Reid‘s Not Quite There Yet is happy and housey, but it’s not happy house; instead, it’s a fun nugget for club goers and kitchen dancers (Shall Not Fade, March 22).  Half-vocal, half-instrumental, Vegyn‘s The Road to Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions will appeal to multiple audiences within the club community; based on early response, we expect crossover success to happen pre-release (PLZ Make It Ruins, April 5).  When samples of the word “love” pop up on multiple singles, one knows an album is drawing back the bow.  Elkka‘s Prism of Pleasure is romantic, accessible and fresh (Ninja Tune, May 3).

Rhythm machine and mini sampler provide the swift and active sounds of Heart Fresh, a deep dive into the hyperactivity of a kinetic Tokyo.  Kopy‘s sounds may be reminiscent of video games, but despite this similarity, she has a sound all her own (TAL, March 28).  For a more direct video game connection, try Jacob Parke‘s rapid-fire Disappointingly Bassic, composed on a Nintendo system, with copious amounts of beats, beeps and guitars, a hyperkinetic tribute (March 29).

Monty Luke‘s Nightdubbing blends two prior EPs with five new tracks for a full serving of nocturnal house.  One doesn’t even need to imagine the rain, already audible in the title track (Rekids, March 29).  Millsart is another name for Jeff Mills, and Neo Tantric Parts offers new and alternate works from the artist’s treasure chest (Axis, March 29).  We’re not sure if Tabliabue knows he shares a name with a former NFL commissioner, but his music is certainly deep and dramatic.  Drawing from both techno and trance, Abisso is tailor-made for rave culture, and maybe even the stadium (Subject to Restriction, April 26).  Jinjé’s Escape From Luna offers four solid club tracks, two with radio edits, that yield little sign of the artist’s former life as a founding member of Vessels.  What is apparent is a love for the trance and an appreciation for a great build and release (MESH, March 29).

The harmonic puddles of Alluvium‘s cover image demonstrate the concept of polyrhythmic structures interacting through collision.  The album’s base may be techno, but the math behind the music is sublime.  Stefan Goldmann‘s sonic experiment is released April 15 on Macro.  For techno of a more pounding nature, Perc‘s The Cut Off is sure to satisfy, with ten bangers selected to celebrate Perc Trax’s 100th release (March 22).  Janek Sienkiewicz releases the 4-track techno EP Pivot on April 9, with each track ready to be sequenced into a DJ set (International Day Off).  peachlyfe‘s Permission to Roam is trancelike and hi-energy, a sci-fi travelogue that addresses gender fluidity and is also offered with an illustrated book (UMAY, March 29).

Noémi Büchi expresses a love for “the physicality of music” on Does It Still Matter, whose sounds can be as intimate as a harpsichord and as devastating as a cyclone.  The contrast between consonance and dissonance, hope and despair is a defining feature (~OUS, April 24).  Hard beats and creative textures inhabit Yosa Peit‘s Gut Buster, which also includes a smattering of vocals.  Lying on the outskirts of pop, the album suggests a new direction for the genre (Fire, 26 April).  Harsh and dystopian, Saint Abdullah & Eomac‘s Light meteors crashing around you will not confuse you is partially a response to the violence in Gaza, mingling anger and grief and showcasing a wide selection of Iranian guest stars (Drowned by Locals, April 4).

Brazen beats populate Container‘s YACKER, which the artist admits was partially influenced by Nirvana.  The music is heavy and distorted, as if it is erupting from cheap speakers in a crowded marketplace (A L T E R, April 5).  Om Unit returns with the breaks EP Fragments, bolstered by psi-trance elements and a remix from Mr. Ho (April 5).  Blistering is a good name for the new EP from Klahrk, as the tracks are filled with rapid-fire beats that make the set seem as stuffed as the cover art.  How fast can one dance before shifting to every other beat? (SFX, March 22).

Heavy, harsh and industrial, Frank Vigroux‘s Grand Bal is nothing like the grand balls of old.  Lead single “Loïc” may even remind some of “Thunderstruck,”  with occasional screams and multiple hands-in-the-air moments (Aesthetical, March 29).  Adventurous ndustrial clubs may be overjoyed at Extinct, a new collaboration between Meat Beat Manifesto & Merzbow.  Percussive, abrasive and clubworthy (especially the radio edit of “FLAKKA”), the album recalls the industrial glory of the early 90s while exuding raw, untamed power (Cold Spring, April 26).  Merzbow‘s own 12″ Tsubute Mosaic will be released April 19 on Modern Obscure Music, its chaotic cover art only a symbol of the unruly music heard within. Long live the noise!

Richard Allen