Fall Music Preview - Electronic

A Closer Listen

Our Fall Music Preview comes to a close with the largest of our five articles.  Together, we’ve listed an average of four albums a day for the next two months.  And since we’ve only included pre-September announcements, we’re expecting the total figure to more than double!

This is a good time to remind our readers that we can’t review everything; even in the instrumental field, we won’t even come close.  That’s why we offer a list of recommended blogs and retailers on our Links page, as well as a constantly updated scroll of samples on our News page.  Those who love hearing as much new music as possible are directed to these resources.

A note on our cover image: with hundreds of albums being released this season, one would think that there would be more featuring fall images.  And yet, this is the only one that stands out.  Congratulations to n5MD and Fall Therapy for riding the wave of autumn!

We wish all of our readers a happy fall ~ may your next favorite album be found right here!

Rich’s Pick:  Puce Mary ~ The Drought (PAN, October 5) Inspired by “transformation and survival,” The Drought is one of the most violent albums on our list, but it’s also one of the most relevant.  In the last few years, we’ve seen an upswing in degrading public statements about women, immigrants and virtually anyone “not like us.”  We need more spokeswomen like Puce Mary, who lays it all out on this album and comes up with a stunner.  Continuing the theme of confrontation, Amnesia Scanner bursts out of the gate with Another Life (also on PAN, September 7), which is about as punk as electronic music gets, including a guest appearance by Pan Daijing.

Electronic Ambient

Artists often split their influences.  We have an Ambient Electronic section in our Ambient Preview and an Electronic Ambient section in our Electronic Preview, but the two are closely related.  In The Ocean Between Us, Diamondstein & Sangam alternate sounds.  The album was born out of sorrow and loss, but seeks to travel toward transcendence (Doom Trip, October 16).  In like fashion, we included two of n5MD’s fall releases in the former section, but Fall Therapy lands here; You Look Different is a perfect evocation of the season (October 19).  Mueller_Roedelius continues their collaboration on the self-explanatory Imagori II (Greenland, October 5).  Mårble‘s Elixir of Immortality exudes serenity with flute and synths (Stamp the Wax, September 28).  Take Leave‘s Inner Sea contains the sounds of birds and waves, but is also packed with gentle beats and tambourines (Project Mooncircle, October 30).

Choreography

Readers may be surprised to find this category in our Electronic section, but it’s been a draw for a slew of modern composers.  After breaking through in a big way with 2017’s Black Origami, Jlin returns with a curve ball: the score for Wayne McGregor’s Autobiography (Planet Mu, September 28).  Nordra‘s multimedia score for Pylon II has been waiting years for a physical release, but will finally get to see the light of day on SIGE September 21.  And while Ital Tek‘s Bodied was not specifically written for a dance performance, its choral touches and internal dynamism make it perfect for the stage, as seen in the video for “Blood Rain” below (Planet Mu, September 7).

Smooth, Happy, Heartwarming

We believe all-female bands Grúska Babúska and Haiku Salut should become friends if they’re not already hanging out.  They each exude a positive, creative vibe, filling nooks and crannies with happy instrumentation.  We’ve already reviewed the former band’s Tor (Moller Records, September 1) and the latter’s There Is No Elsewhere (Prah, September 7), and we’re convinced that those who like one will like the other as well.  A multitude of instruments are played by Daniel Brandt on Channels (piano, trombone, bass, violin, plastic, wood), no surprise given his home on Erased Tapes.  The album offers a perfect synthesis of modern composition and dance (October 12).  Cellist Emil Abramyan adds piano and electronics to his repertoire on Movement, flirting with the dance floor and discovering a willing partner (Kingdoms, 7 September).

We’ve been greatly enjoying the two-sided summer 12″ from Maribou State, sporting “Turnmills” and the New Order-esque “Feels Good.”  Kingdoms in Colour is not far away, and the turquoise vinyl looks spiffy as well (Counter, September 7).  Max Cooper combines visuals with a strong stage presence, and we expect that One Hundred Billion Sparks will have full accompaniment in concert.  Two videos have already been released, the most effective being the clearly needed Hope.  The warm album will follow on September 20.  It’s been a long time since we’ve heard new music from Orbital, but the veterans are returning strong with Monsters Exist (September 14).  We’ve been enjoying “Tiny Foldable Cities” all summer, which reminds us of “The Box.”  If you missed it earlier this year, here it is again:

Synth

Futureset‘s Drawings of Desire and Hate may be only twelve minutes long, but it’s enough to establish a mood of dramatic melancholy.  The EP is out September 14 on -OUS, where one will also find the live, Cairo-sampling stormer Arabian Nights from Bit-Tuner (September 7).  We were initially confused by Mayerling‘s Roche, as the opening track is straight-up rock; turns out it was just an overture.  The remainder is solid electronics (Hands in the Dark, September 7).  disrupt calls on dialogue and “23rd century library music” to tell a science fiction tale on Omega Station (Jahtari Records, September 20).  NHK revisits and reworks a prior album on Reflexes, inserting a number of new tunes in the process (DFA, 7 September).  Double bass joins the action on Chogori‘s Heat Haze, a shimmering album whose title conjures the humidity of the summer that won’t end (Modular Field, September 21).  Rabit changes gears with Life After Death, dialing back the beats to concentrate on strange abstractions and dramatic excursions.  Yes, that’s opera you’re hearing below, with beats (Halcyon Veil, October 5).

A smiling vibe permeates Mirror, the upcoming album from Stefan Smith, preceded by the track of the same name (Sapiens, October 12).  Dustin Wong has a nice positive one coming, as Fluid World Building 101 with Shaman Bambu is released September 14 on Hausu Mountain; check out the playful preview video below.  Mitch von Arx also seems to be in a good mood on Pyramids; we suspect listeners will be as well (Project: Mooncircle, September 28).  Indonesia’s Munir recalls the 70s and 80s with vintage synths and samples on Grand Paradise Hotel (Dopeness Galore, 6 September).  Earlier this year, Brendon Anderegg released an album; now it’s Koen Holtkamp‘s turn.  Recording as BEAST, the artist will release Ens on Thrill Jockey November 9, making it the latest release of our entire preview.

The cover of Marc Aubele‘s Sport should appeal to athletes everywhere, as it portrays fourteen different sports in neon green.  The music itself is quite danceable, and with any luck might find its way to an adventuresome broadcast (Ingrown Records, September 18).  Those with pop sensibilities will enjoy Daniel T.‘s sunny Heliotrope, which contains a few vocal tracks; we suspect a crossover hit (Cascine, September 14).  The same thing holds true for Peter Zirbs‘ What If We Don’t Exist?, which includes a number of vocal tracks and concentrates on the cinematic sound (Fabrique, October 19).

House and Techno

Seven albums in, Thomas Fehlmann continues to make engaging music.  Los Lagos is liquid and immersive, informed by multiple genres including ambient and jazz (Kompact, September 7).  Marcel Dettman‘s Test-File is short, but it packs a punch; there’s no wasted space here (Ostgut Ton, September 14).  Also on Ostgut Ton comes Inland & Julian Charrière‘s audio-visual project An Invitation to Disappear; from the looks of the teaser video, the release party should be a wild event (September 28). After 30 years of DJing, Arnaud Le Texier is finally set to release his debut album ( ! ).  Granular Therapy should be snatched up immediately by the tens of thousands who have been to his shows (Children of Tomorrow, September 15).  Lawrence‘s Illusions sports warm bass and feels like a comfortable couch (Dial, October 5).  Julia Govor‘s 3-track Jujuka Vol. 1 EP comes with a friendly bonus: the artist’s own comic book panels (September 7).   Idealist follows last year’s Source EP with the full-length techno LP Mind Field (Echocord, October 19), while Neel‘s four-track Transition EP offers steady beats and exudes a confident vibe (Token, September 7).  The Lotus Eaters started to collaborate by remixing each other’s material, after which they released a pair of well-received EPs.  Now the duo is set to release their debut album Desatura on Stroboscopic Artefacts.  Not everything is suited for the dance floor, as the music purposely stretches the definition of techno (October 5).  In similar fashion, veteran Jeff Mills leads the band Spiral Deluxe on Voodoo Magic, smoothly splicing techno and jazz (September 7).

Tomás Urquieta mixes samples of Spanish protest into the hard beats of Dueños de Nada, the rare political album that is also worth dancing to (Infinite Machine, September 28).  At 25 tracks and 200 minutes, the self-titled debut of Mutant Beat Dance has been long in the making; techno, industrial, and Detroit grooves are but three of many influences (Rush Hour Music, 7 September).  The stitched foot cover of VTSS‘ Self Will is an indication that the music will be rough, and it is.  The beats are steady, the distortion levels in the red (Intrepid Skin, October 16).  Ancient Methods enlists Regis, Purient, Cindytalk and more to tell the Biblical story of the fall of Jericho on The Jericho Records (October 1).  JK Flesh returns on Speedy J’s Electric Deluxe with the dark and grimy New Horizon (September 14).  More hard beats are found on Kaczmarek‘s K.A.C.Z.M.A.R.E.K., with a twist; the producer also works with a painter, as demonstrated in this video (KCZMRK, October 8).

For Unique Tastes

Peruvian duo Dengue Dengue Dengue incorporates the sampled sounds of Amazonian tribes in the six-track Semilerro. The title means incubator or seed, and the music is meant to honor local cultures while inspiring global cooperation (On the Corner, September 21).  Co La‘s Sensory Dub Example is a 20-minute, four part track on a one-sided 12″, delving deep into the heart of abstraction through the repetition of samples (Orange Milk, September 14).  Tomat Petrella‘s “Trappist 1 e” sounds like an electro-IDM blend at first, but then it melts into a beat-free, trumpet-led suite; it’s the lead single from Kepler, released by !K7 on September 28.

IDM

Beats meet backward masking on MMPH‘s Serenade, an EP that sees the producer continue to stretch boundaries after being signed to Tri-Angle last year (September 7).  A bit of drum and bass is present on Blackfilm‘s Zero One Seven, along with dub and some solid string action.  The album will be released on Denovali on September 28, along with a reissue of Along the Corridors plus a digital EP containing two exclusive tracks.  Warm pads meet hyperactive drums on Elusive‘s retro-minded Consonance, out September 7 on Alpha Pup.  Under the guidance of Frank Bretschneider, the Raster label is releasing the compilation Sichten 1, featuring tracks by Zavoloka, Benjamin Brunn and more (September 17).  Richard Devine returns to Timesig after a six-year hiatus, sounding as good as ever.  Sort\Lave is an obvious match for the Venetian Snares imprint, percussive and deep (Planet Mu, November 2).  How much unreleased music does Aphex Twin have in his vaults?  We may never know; the supply seems endless.  There’s a seizure warning up for the T69 Collapse video, but a million people have already seen it and we haven’t heard of any problems.  The Collapse EP will be out September 14 on Warp.

Industrial Strength

Long Arm‘s Darkly may have “started as a piano album,” but it’s wandered far afield since then, now hovering on the outskirts of a very dark forest (Project Mooncircle, November 2).  The six-track Seraphim is a blast of intensity from Shalt; a harrowing indictment of modern society that one can also dance to (Astral Plane, September 14, pictured right).  Factory Floor has been releasing singles all summer from A Soundtrack to a Film (that film being Metropolis).  On October 12 the full score will be revealed (Heart of Data).  The spirit of Coil and Psychic TV is personified by scene veteran Drew McDowall on The Third Helix, an album that honors the artist’s former bands while paving a new road.  “Rhizome” even bears a hint of modern composition (Dais, September 21).  The industrial club highlight of Djedjotronic‘s R.U.R. is obviously Take Me Down, featuring guest vocals by Douglas McCarthy.  The band spends the rest of the album in a retro homage (Boysnoize, September 14).  It’s encouraging to hear a new album from extremists Sigillum S.  Sporting a new lineup, the trio offers noise without compromise on The Irresistible Art of Space Colonization and Its Mutation Implications (Transmutation Ltd., September 14).  Raum provides all-out distortion on the violent Wreck the Bloodline, due September 15 on Clan Destine Records, channeling the spirit of the aforementioned bands; and Atonal Festival favorites Bliss Signal combine metal and electronics on their self-titled debut, due September 28 on True Panther Sounds.

A Closer Listen

If you like to dance or to groove, this is going to be an incredible autumn.  In the wide electronic arena, we’re talking an album a day from now through December.  From instrumental hip-hop to world music vibe, from programmed synthesizer to random music generator, from techno to industrial, the electronic field is packed with variety; and it doesn’t end there.  Hints of drone, ambience and experimentalism abound here as well, proving once again that genre tags may be useful for class, but not for phylum.  We’re also seeing some exceptional music videos in this field, the finest of which can be viewed below.

Rich’s Pick #1:  PYUR ~ Oratorio for the Underworld (Subtext, October 10) It’s rare for us to make a seasonal pick on the basis on one track, especially as we’ve heard so many albums in full.  But “Flowers and Silvers” is that kind of track, constantly morphing, perpetually resting on the edge of surprise.  PYUR debuted this material at the Atonal Festival, and her “guide through limbo” is an extension of her shamanistic upbringing.  Subtext has given us winner after winner, and we’re confident this is the next in line.

Rich’s Pick #2: Shapednoise ~ Aesthesis (Numbers, November 8) It’s been a long four years since we’ve heard from Shapednoise, and now he’s returned with friends. Rabit, Justin K. Broadrick and more guest star on the foreboding distortions of Asthesis, which sounds like a long, defiant cry against the encroaching night.  This is just what we want to hear in November.

Rich’s Pick #3:  Telfon Tel Aviv ~ Dreams Are Not Enough (Ghostly International, September 27) Three picks?  Yes, that’s right.  Add up this week’s picks and we’ve got a top ten.  We thought Telefon Tel Aviv was retired, and for a decade we were right.  But instead of replacing the dearly missed Charlie Cooper, Josh Eustis has made an album that honors the duo’s legacy, while adding an undercurrent of mourning.  Dreams Are Not Enough floats on an ambient cloud, runs into a frontal system of drone, then produces the thunder and lightning of electronics.  It’s one of the season’s most surprising releases, and one of the most welcome.

One of the season’s happiest finds is a crossover album. London’s O’Flynn caught our ears with the “Sunspear” single, and our eyes with the graphics.  Now he’s ready to deliver his full-length debut, and Aletheia lives up to the expectation.  We expect to hear it on dance floors all season (Silver Bear, September 6).  Tunnelvisions‘ new EP Channel Tropico is designed to get the body moving, and its colorful synths succeed (Atomnation, September 13).  In a similar fashion, Estiva‘s Metamorphosis was “subconsciously written for Ibiza.”  The trance-filled album has already spawned three double-A singles (Armada Music, September 27).  Fejká‘s warm Reunion is making waves at retail, sparked by an appearance from Rökkurró (Ki, September 20).  But of course if you really want crossover, you’ll be buying Lindsey Stirling‘s Artemis.  The album is up for pre-order at Target, t-shirts and posters are available, and the lead video already has 5 million views.  Use it as an entry point for your friends who “don’t like instrumental music” (Lindseystomp, September 6).

We’ve already reviewed Flippies Best Tape, the extensive beats project from Odd Nosdam.  It’s the culmination of a series that incorporates 70s grooves, spy movie vibes, and a healthy portion of humor.  Note: despite the art, it’s not a discount title (Home Assembly, September 6)!  Dominik von Senger turns archival tapes into a bizarre collage on the Krautrock-informed Brüsseler Platz (Inversions, September 6).  After a sabbatical to work on comics and zines, Lawrence Lindell resurfaces with Afrospacetable.  The album addresses race and sexuality in the context of hip-hop, and the hard copy includes a 22-page illustrated zine (September 1).  Acid jazz, “dark hip-hop” and skater culture form an uneasy alliance on Hapa‘s Memory Screen, which is loaded with samples and guest stars (Courteous Family, September 6).

When Max Cooper tackles a project, he goes all out.  This is once again the case on Yearning for the Infinite, which will accompany an immersive AV experience.  The album is inspired by concepts of infinity, and the first single and video are but a teaser for what is to come (Mesh, November 7).  Audio-visual duo L’Age D’Or will be releasing the video side of their project on September 18 and the audio side exactly one month later; Orage Magnétique is filled with drama and mesmerizing beats (XVIIIEMEPENINSULE).  Looking for something lo-fi, distorted and fun?  Dan Friel returns to much Fanfare, now including horns.  This is a happy album for tinny ears, perfect to blast at a backyard party, in a car or when you want to wake someone up really quickly (Thrill Jockey, September 13).

Driftmachine Plays Marien van Oers is exactly what it sounds like ~ a tribalistic interpretation of a classic sound.  The trance inducing set is released September 6 on Ongehoord.  Shackleton‘s latest incarnation is Tunes of Negation.  The ceremonial Reach the Endless Sea is specifically designed to take listeners to a higher plane (Cosmo Rhythmatic, October 17).  A mystical vibe washes over Elephant House‘s Chollima.  A Koyaanisqatsi connection can be heard in the title “World Out of Balance” (Adaadat, October 12).  Octo Octa‘s sample-based Resonant Body seeks to unite dancers through a “message of love,” although lead single Spin Girl, Let’s Activate may remind some of a 21st century “Pump Up the Volume” (T4T LUV NRG, September 6).  Forgiveness, healing and positivity are the stated hallmarks of Bed of Roses, the debut album from Violet, who also includes a sideways shout-out to God (Dark Entries, September 20).  Function‘s Existenz addresses “religion, sexuality, healing and liberation,” with a heavy dose of 80s cable TV (Tresor, November 29).  In contrast, we’re not sure what to make of Tom of England‘s Sex Monk Blues; the title refers to a different breed of religion (L.I.E.S., October 4).

Max de Wardener‘s Kolmar is a fascinating blend of electronics and modern composition, making for an intricate, intelligent listen.  The Palindrome EP made a great teaser, and now we’re excited for the full album (Village Green, September 20).  Shuta Hasunuma might not be aware that Oa is a planet in the Green Lantern universe; here it’s shorthand for “Old Address.”   The album uses multiple textures to paint a sonic picture of Manhattan old and new (Northern Spy, September 27).  Fifteen different synthesizers, some borrowed from famous friends, are used on Carl Oesterhelt‘s self-explanatory Eleven Pieces for Synthesizer (Umor Rex, September 6).  Astral TV also uses an array of synths, modern and vintage, to create semi-improvised journeys on Travelling the Circuits (El Paraiso, September 6).  Santilli plays multiple instruments on the ambient-minded Surface, which produces a peaceful patina (Into the Light, September 20).  Balfa makes many of his own instruments, yielding a scrappy sound on Perfecta Analogía De La Decadencia (BLF Lab, September 10); the same holds true for Coatic Sequence, who combine homemade synthesizer with drawn art on Coatic Plates (Fractal Meat Cuts, September 23).  Francesco Devincenti is yet another artist who solders and builds; perhaps the three should form a club? Brutal Reality is an ambient dub album that sounds nothing like its title (Pregnant Void, September 30).  Multiple styles meet on Face to Phase, the debut album from rRoxymore.  The album “invites deep listening,” which of course is what we’re all about (Don’t Be Afraid, September 27).

Ambience and techno shake hands on Rotterdam, the surprise second album from Philippe Cam following an 18-year absence (Traum, September 13).  17 years have passed since we last heard from 808 State, but the duo sound none the worse for wear; Transmission Suite is out October 11 on their own label.  Soothing synth can be heard on Any%, the latest offering from prolific artist Mukqs (Doom Trip, September 13).  Bochum Welt is similarly calm on Seafire, incorporating light breakbeats in ambient frames (Central Processing Unit, September 6).  Piano and synth form a jazzy pair on the Superbloom EP, which is also available as an LP containing Kiefer‘s Bridges EP from earlier this year (Stone’s Throw, September 20).  Short, punchy pieces are found on the pleasingly positive Aphantasia, from Julien Demoulin recording as Pandorama, a name which distinguishes the project from the electro-acoustic Revealed, released under his own name (Eglantine, September 15).  It would be hard to get more fantasy-minded than Magic Sword on The Awakening EP, which is linked to a graphic novel and sounds like an 80’s/Dungeons and Dragons flashback (Joyful Noise, October 25).  Pulsating synth conjures memories of lava lamps on EIV, the latest throwback set from Dallas Campbell, while old horror movies are referenced on Mr Eff‘s Eyes Down (Burning Witches, September 20).  Another celebration of the decade can be found in Warm Pad, Sharp Stab, from Phono Ghosts, reminiscent of old TV shows (Phono Lith, September 13).  Greeen Linez’ Strange Energy is warm and poppy, with a slightly retro flavor (Diskotopia, September 6).

Ghostly vocals haunt the cavernous halls of Fabulous Diamonds‘ Plain Songs, but never quite emerge from behind the curtains (ALTER, September 20).  Hypnotic synths are the order of the day on Mass Flashback ~ no surprise, as Majeure is half of Zombi.  But make no mistake, those live drums make a difference (Holodeck, September 27).  Next, the label will turn its attention to VVV, whose punk background shows through on the club friendly Spreading Primrose (October 11).  Prog synthesizer makes an appearance on the groovy Pronto Arpeggio EP, from Bawrut.  The 11-minute title track makes a great entry point (Ransom Note, September 13).  “Drums and feedback” create a rhythmic core on the self-titled album from G.A.M.S., leading to a timbre akin to rock.  Mick Harris guest stars, and the 7″ contains a bonus track (Karlrecords, September 27).  Percussion is also on display on 走不出的梦境 Walking in a Boundless Dream, from Guzz.  The artist utilizes Asian instruments to create an authentically international vibe (September 12). More Asian percussion can be heard on “Prop O Deed,” the closing track of Proc Fiskal‘s adventurous EP Shleekit Doss (Hyperdub, September 13).  Cairo and Munich meet on the politically minded Whities 023 (The Act of Falling from the Eighth Floor), from Carl Gari & Abdullah Miniawy.  The subject matter may be bleak, but the music is entrancing.  The 12″ is the second part of The Trilogy Tapes (September 6).

A curious video is the selling point for Alessandro Cortini‘s Batticuore.  The dancers meet, move slowly, finally embrace, seem to wish to speak but never do; it’s all in the body language (Mute, September 27).  Audio-visual artist Sabiwa returns to Chinabot with DaBa on October 2, extending the energy of her breakthrough album. A slew of live drums – even bones – join laptops to create a disorienting, yet percussive mix on Zenit & Nadir, from Dengue Dengue Dengue.  A performance video can be seen here (Enchufada, October 4).  Solo cello meets techno dub on the newest installment of the Decouple series, from Oliver Coates / S P A T I A L.  Don’t be fooled by that first track; the others have beats (OOH-Sounds, September 6)!  Ryan Teague has traveled far in the course of his career, never content to rest in a single genre.  Recursive Iterations places snippets of modern composition in algorithmic settings, calling on the Japanese concept of negative space for inspiration (Morr Music, October 25).  A random music generator is the selling point for the album that bears its name; a_d_a‘s random_music_generator (1) lands wherever it chooses, like an 800-pound gorilla (La Petite Chambre, September 15).  And complex polymeter is the rule for the tracks on Chris Korda‘s Akoko Ajeji; after setting this goal, the composer proved up to the challenge.  The title is translated strange time (Perlon, September 6).

Peaceful techno artist Dominik Eulberg returns after eight years with Mannigfaltig.  The artist (literally) hasn’t missed a beat (!K7, September 6).  Lindstrøm‘s lovely album On a Clear Day I Can See You Forever is preceded by the single “Really Deep Snow,” reminding us of the season that’s still a season away (Smalltown Supersound, October 11).  Amotik‘s Vistār keeps the pads warm and the beats plentiful; it’s the Berlin artist’s first full-length album after a series of shorter releases (September 20).  After two singles and a mix, Floating Points is finally ready to release the Buchla and beat-driven Crush, the follow-up to Resident Advisor’s Album of the Year Elaenia.  It’s fair to say that expectations are high, but we’re not worried at all (Ninja Tune, October 13).  Evigt Mörker blends a bit of ambience in his techno on debut album Krona – like a ribbon of flavor in ice cream (Northern Electronics, September 27).  Complete Walkthru‘s “anti-nihilism” album Scrolls uses samples to challenge themes of modern disassociation (Numbers, September 20).  After releasing the Icer EP earlier this year, TæT Music returns with the full-length Life Detection System, a robotic, futuristic release (Audiobulb, October 25).  Topdown Dialectic‘s trick is to make each track on Vol. 2 exactly five minutes long.  Listeners might be grooving too hard to notice (peak oil, September 20).  Smooth, steady beats decorate the debut album from Bxentric; Desolate drops September 20 on Nanda.  Echoes is the first single to drop from Max Duke‘s My Sins, available with a host of remixes; the album is unveiled September 30 on Redlight Music.  Odd Even’s Andre Knonert returns with the banging No One Ever Told Me EP on his own label; the dance begins October 25.  “Seek pleasure, do drugs, avoid pain” is not the most original electronic mantra, but it fits the vibe of Barker‘s Utility, which was preceded by a white label EP earlier this summer (Ostgut Ton, September 6).

Mo Nahold‘s Tremors places aggressive beats next to soothing ambience, mixing dark and light, techno and drone, without a second in-between (Ventil, September 18).  Ard Bit‘s Six Scores One plays with percussion in a manner that invites musing and movement.  “Clouds” is the early EP highlight (September 25).  Suumhow folds ambience and drone into distorted beats on Secuund, due September 20 on n5MD. Avoiding such pesky things as tempo and time signatures, Velf uses electronics to create a phantasmagorical universe on in a sense (Orange Milk, October 25).  Ricardo Donoso obliterates the distance between modern composition, electronics and drone on Re_Calibrate, the companion piece to 2018’s Calibrate.  It’s yet another dynamic, dramatic set (Denovali, September 27).  It’s hard to believe that Hymn to Moisture is Rrose‘s first solo album; turns out all those other albums were collaborations.  The project’s clean, clinical sound is tailored for techno clubs, as apparent in lead single “Columns” (Eaux, November 8).  One of the fastest releases on the fall slate comes from Monster X.  The breakcore EP Ultra is extended to an album in its digital version (Black Opal, September 6).  Described as a “low fantasy sleepover,” galen tipton‘s fake meat is a crazy collage of samples, video game beeps and ADD beats (Orange Milk, September 27).

Kompact Total 19 keeps the label’s long-running compilation series going; the vinyl drops September 27.  New Arab electronic music can be heard on Under Frustration Vol. 2, with lead tracks from St. Abdullah and DJ Haram (InFiné, September 13).  A happy first anniversary to Disintegration State, who celebrates with the compilation Disintegrated Deviations, containing remixes from across the roster. Proceeds benefit the Mermaids and Bloody Good Period charities (September 6).  A huge variety of works can be heard on the 33-track compilation forever, from Haunter Records ~ something for every taste (October 4).

Matana Roberts makes a special guest appearance on Klein‘s Lifetime, which mixes electronic genres to form new crossbreeds.  Klein describes her album as highly personal, like “giving someone your diary” (ijn inc., September 8).  Seasons (pre-din) divides the distance between drone and beats on Distortion of the Cell.  This crossbreed is a perfect fit for the label who brought us Angry Ambient Artists (Forwind, October 24).  Maenad Veyl offers dark techno beats on the EP Onto Duat, which sports a disturbing x-ray cover (Bedouin, September 20).  The title Bloody & Soul belongs to a set of beats and narrative samples; Lars Hemmerling‘s EP is out September 2 on Fullpanda, with a bonus digital track.  Drum ‘n’ bass never dies, as proven by the Waveforms EP.  Or perhaps old artists never change, as Logistics has been around since 2004 (Hospital, September 13).  There’s also a brand new drum ‘n’ bass label called 1985, releasing Alix Perez‘ Phantonym EP on September 13.  Modern industrial music can be heard in “Someday You’ll Have This Too,” from Diamondstein‘s Reflecting on a Dying Man.  The artist tumbles through styles as he tumbles through thoughts, traveling to see his father one last time (Doom Trip, October 4).  We’re intrigued by the sound of Philipp Gorbachev‘s Kolokol, a techno-industrial album that uses church bells as percussion, sampled from over 40 belfries (PG Tune, October 11).  Machine Listener makes extensive use of sequencers and synthesizers on Colubrid, an beat-heavy offering on Hausu Mountain (September 27). Don’t be lulled by the sound of Pita‘s “Two Top Five.” This surprisingly accessible drone piece is an entry drug for the cold, rapid beats of Get On (Editions Mego, October 25).

I’m not the only one who misses Front Line Assembly, but the individual players are still in action.  Rhys Fulber‘s Ostalgia will make industrial fans nostalgic for the good old days.  Now if only we could get some remixes, our lives would be complete! (Sonic Groove, September 9).  Sarin sounds more like Front 242, as heard in the teaser for the Moral Cleansing 12″ (BITE, November 15).  Sorcery‘s Manufactured Conflicts is heavy on the drums, and the video exudes a classic industrial vibe (Midnight Shift, September 6).  Hot on the heels on Mute’s recent Cabaret Voltaire archival finds, Stephen Mallinder has resurfaced with a new, club friendly album.  Um Dada is out October 11 on Dais, preceded by the single Working (You Are).  2019 is the new 1989!

Richard Allen

A Closer Listen

A Closer Listen

Over 100 releases in this article alone!  The electronic genre is exploding in the absence of the club scene. Perhaps this may represent our desire to dance, or ~ considering the heartbeat pulse of the music ~ to live. Perhaps it is a statement of faith that in time we will commune again.  Whatever the reasons, we are glad to see so much electronic music being produced.  The plethora of choices is astonishing. There’s something for everyone here, even if we’re only listening from our coaches, cars and offices while dreaming of glow sticks and florescent drinks.

Rich’s Pick:  Don’t Problem, Liminality (October 1) We first featured Don’t Problem in Ten Tracks That Sound Like Summer with the cut “CD’s Lament.”  Now Liminality is set for release, and we couldn’t be more excited.  Dance music from an eight-man brass and drums band?  We’re already hooked.

Ambient Electronic

Enter the Kettle is the second release on Alex Patterson’s Orbscure label, following The Heavens.  Along with Fil Le Gonidec, he forms OSS (formerly known as Orb Sound System) and is set to get the feet moving this fall with steady dub beats and the now-ubiquitous spoken word samples (October 15).  Lyra Pramuk‘s Delta; is a fascinating album, technically a remix release but far more than the sum of its parts.  Alternating between ambient and electronic, these vast reimaginings of Fountain operate as an entirely new project, thanks to Ben Frost, KMRU, Caterina Barbieri, Kara-Lis Coverdale and more.  Even the double versions of tracks sound different (Bedroom Community, September 24). Alto Aria uses vocal fragments, vibrators, metal pipes, birds and bass to create the impression of a dream diary.  Shapes is released September 21 on Rhizome.

Ocoeur‘s Connections is calm in tone, even as it ventures into slow IDM.  The music produces a warm feeling that honors its title (n5MD, September 10).  Soon after, the label offers totems, which sounds ambient until the beats kick in.  Offered in smoke vinyl, the look of loess‘ LP is a match for the tone (September 28).  On Splinters, Peter Zirbs creates travelogues within tracks, sometimes waiting until the final third before turning to the percussive side.  Eventually the tracks show his techno roots (Fabrique, October 1).  Gävle-Stockholm Dub (PRO424 and Slim Vic) take listeners on a journey to Ingenmansland, a land of “commuter train scented electronic dub” that appears in word and timbre to reference the end of Risky Business (Lamour, September 3).

Brett Naucke may call Mirror Ensemble his “indie rock record,” but fear not, fans!  While indie flavors are embedded in the grooves, synth and strings hold forth, laden with soft, siren-esque vocals (American Dreams, October 1).  The Album Leaf revisits 2001’s hit album One Day I’ll Be On Time with entirely new arrangements; a fine way to celebrate an anniversary.  One Day XX is out September 17 on Nettwerk. Chloé and Vasselina Serafimova blend their honed skills on Sequenza, an album informed as much by modern composition as by electronics; exquisite mallet work is stretched across the entirety of the set (Lumière Noire, October 29).  Motoko & Myers sample cicadas and church bells on Colocate, an outlier from the typically ambient Students of Decay label.  We’re enjoying this change of pace (September 3).  Kevin Keller blends piano, Moog and Juno-106 to create “ambient chamber music” on Shimmer, which is preceded by the single Orchards and released September 17.

Bureau B is sprinting into action this fall, beginning with Harmonius Thelonious‘ Instrumentals! (A Collection of Outernational Music Studies) on September 3, a ritualistic set that includes African rhythms and chants.  After this will come Niklas Wandt‘s Solar Müsli, whose multi-faceted angles might have landed it in our Experimental or Jazz categories (September 17) and Ulrich Schnauss & Mark Peters‘ Destiny Waving, whose shoegaze timbres almost shifted it to Rock (September 24).  But isn’t it nice to have them all in one place?

The cover may look like an ad for a stalker movie, but Shall Remain Nameless travels down a lighter road.  Entitled is released on September 16.  With “Hippo Dance,” “Gibbon Trance” and “The Immortal Toad,” it’s clear that Joakim is romancing the wild.  On Second Nature, animal sounds abound, and in reverse fashion, the album is preceded by an EP of remixes (Tigersushi, September 24).  Aboutface presents – °s is “inspired by patterns in human nature;” a bonus to those who look up the coordinates named in the tracks (AD 93, September 3).

Retro Groove and Instrumental Hip-Hop

Glenn Fallows and Mark Treffel offer a cinematic, string-laced journey on The Globeflower Masters Vol. 1.  Treffel’s history as part of Blue States shines through, while Morricone guitar lends the album a dramatic flair (Mr. Bongo, September 10).  Few artists start as confidently as Brussels’ ECHT!, offering their debut album Inwane in vinyl and CD t-shirt bundles.  The organic quartet draws from multiple genres but preserves the groove throughout the set (SdBan Ultra, September 24).  Botany returns with an EP that may be the artist’s last work for a while.  We hope this is not the case, but in the meantime we’re happy to have Portal Orphanage. The 25-minute set is billed as a postscript to End the Summertime F(or)ever and samples the same 45s as Fourteen 45 Tails, connecting disparate recordings (Western Vinyl, September 3).

Blockhead is back!  The groove and sample-happy producer still has tongue firmly in cheek with Space Werewolves Will Be The End Of Us, which sounds so happy it may take the mind off of the problems of the world, except for the werewolves (Future Archive Recordings, September 3).  We’re not sure how much of Pepe Deluxé‘s Phantom Cabinet Vol. 1 will turn out instrumental, as we’ve only heard the single Big Fat Woodpecker, but we do know that the album is an excursion into “Golden Age of Records” and includes unique sounds, including “the loudest instrument in the world” (Catskills, October 22).  Hip-hop and jazz share an apartment on Knopperz, a new excursion from Dave Okumu of The Invisible.  RTN is the first single (Transgressive, September 24).  Istanbul’s Grup Ses (please pronounce carefully) collects a career’s worth of beats on the 24-track Beats from the Vaults (2009-2021), adding exclusives and new works for good measure (Discrepant, September 24).

Body and Soul

Kodomo offers “A Meditation on Anxiety” as part of Three Spheres, an album that seeks to carry its listeners through the crisis to the point where they can see “A Brief Light Through the Window.”  Guitar, piano, trumpet and clarinet color the windows like stained glass (September 21).  Sonae returns with a “room high installation” and the sounds of SUMMER, inspired by that summer (the one we didn’t enjoy).  A rare electronic release on laaps, the album looks into the heart of darkness and emerges with gentle hope (October, pictured left).

Anne Bakker contributes violin and viola timbres to Machinefabriek‘s self-explanatory Re:Moving (Music for Choreographies by Yin Yue).  All are invited to dance at home, even without knowing the steps (Phantom Limb, September 10).  The hand drum is a wonderful addition to Cobalt Desert Oasis, the internationally-inspired album from Marco Shuffle.  In this recording, the artist is seeking to soundtrack “a parallel utopian world” (Incienso, October 15).

Prayer, gratitude and celebration feature strongly in the spiritual grooves of Mansur Brown‘s Heiwa, an album teeming with positive vibes (AMAI, September 3).  Another positive album comes from Ride’s Andy Bell, now recording as GLOK.  Pattern Recognition introduces guest vocalists on half of the tracks, but keeps the mood intact (Bytes, October 15).  Proving that spiritual music need not be soft, Galtier presents the pounding Pulchra Es Elementis and proclaims there is “grace in all of life’s aspects.”  Our favorite title:  “Bruised, But Not Broken” (Infinite Machine, September 24, pictured right).

Here’s a surprise sentence:  F.S. Blumm & Nils Frahm join forces to create a dub album.  Their math might seem a bit off, but 2X1=4 is an engaging journey prefaced by a very unusual video (September 3).  Connor Kissel was inspired to make music by SOPHIE, who passed away earlier this year.  The Forest of Things Lost and Found is the artist’s heartfelt tribute (Somewherecold, September 3).

Playful, Happy, Upbeat

Wood Organization is both experimental and fun. Double bass and drums rest at the heart of Drimpo, but synthesizer and plastic duck find their places as well (Gotta Let It Out, September 1, art pictured right). Caribbean-Belgian artist Nala Sinephro possesses a unique blend of space age flavors and jazz improv. She makes her full-length debut with the intricate eight-track suite Space (Warp, September 3).

Mimsy is as whimsical as his Lewis Carroll moniker suggests, a familiar veteran artist returning under a new name.  On Onmeology, loops and lyric fragments dance around the room like siblings in a just-stocked playroom (Karaoke Kalk, September 17).  Please Keep Shimmering, Tom VR asks his listeners, and from the sound of lead single Partner, he’s already doing the same (Studio de Meyer, September 15).  The optimistic Feeling So Fun Reality pivots from the darker tone of Inwards‘ Feelings of Unreality.  Together the two form an emotional diptych (Small Pond, October 7).  Obviously we were going to like a track titled Pancakes, the first serving from B.Visible‘s outgoing In Between Places (Data Snacks, October 29).  Lyckle de Jong offers a playful study of oscillations on the succinctly-title Os; field recordings provide added warmth (South of North, September 20).

Moebius Strips is an ambitious project: a tribute to Moebius that exists as both audio installation and release.  To honor his friend, Tim Story collected thousands of sound samples and reconfigured them to reflect light from new angles.  Sarah Davachi, Geoff Barrow and many more contribute their own distinct flavors (Curious Music, October 1).  Samples of Gaelic, Irish and English folk songs form the basis of Proc Fiskal‘s Siren Spine Sysex, a bright album decorated with beats like curtains on already-lovely windows (Hyperdub, September 24).  Everyday sounds find uncommon arrangements on Kaspar‘s MFD, bubbling and bouncing all over the turntable ~ a temptation for the cat on the cover.  One track is named “Sofa,” a possible nod to the way we listen to music during a pandemic (Lab’ut Labut, September 4).

Synthezoids

Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan continues his journey into history with People & Industry, which remains in the era of Interim Report, March 1979 to celebrate the working class and their hopes and dreams (Castles in Space, September 3).  Headboggle highlights sci-fi synth on Digital Digital Analog by referencing old film scores.  “Hoedown,” “Breakdance Music” and “Spy Show” offer a clear indication of the breadth (Ratskin, September 25).  Tomat defies 7K genre expectations with Distemi, which represents a further expansion of his sound (October 1).  Defset has already released a trio of singles from Proximity, whetting the appetite for the full release on October 29.  We’re giving the edge to Shira2 due to the cool chalk video (EMK).

Field recording meets synth on Just Passengers, a textured excursion in which the background is just as important as the foreground.  Strangebird~Sounds seems just as comfortable with texture as he is with melody (TruthTable, September 8).  Veteran artist Jan Jelenik returns with The Raw and the Cooked, first presented as part of a German radio broadcast.  One can hear the transistors humming inside (Fatische, September 17).  Prolaps returns as astronomical autumn begins with the perfectly timed Ultra Cycle Pt. 3: Autumnal Age.  The duo offers two hours of music split between vocal and instrumental, uptempo and downbeat, to help listeners celebrate the solstice however they would like (Hausu Mountain, September 22).

Club Music

Tresor 30 is one of those extravagant releases that makes me sorry I don’t live in Berlin ~ because the international shipping cost for a boxed set of 52 tracks on 12 12″s is going to be crazy.  But what a great project, an excellent way to celebrate the label’s 30th anniversary, by housing tracks classic and new under one roof.  The booklet is both history and victory lap; we’re wishing Tresor a happy anniversary, and many more (October 1)!  And while it’s “only” ten years, Livity Sound deserves its own congratulations as well, and marks the occasion with the box set Molten Mirrors – A Decade of Livity Sound (September 24, cover art also pictured at top of article).

A big, big congratulations to STAUB, who figured out how to do a festival (proof of vaccination + a negative test or recovery) and met last week in an enchanted forest outside Berlin to test out their dance music with real, live people.  STAUB 06 follows, continuing the template of releasing techno tracks by a variety of anonymous artists (Intergalactic Research Institute for Sound, September 18). 80s drum machines are a big part of the appeal on Kit Grill‘s Fragile, whose bass and beats may remind some of New Order.  Fragile appears October 1 on Primary Colours, and a limited edition (20 copies!) cassette is available for those who act quickly.  When God Ton‘s Ettor.Nollar starts so gently, one would never guess it would turn into a techno-electro excursion, yet soon it does, with hints of melodic industrialism (September 1).

Porter Ricks‘ album may be called Same, but it’s not entirely the same; the music possesses new flavors of disco and funk (Mille Plateaux, September 24).  STL‘s Lost in Musik is promoted with a 98-minute video mix that may end up being better than the double album, as this eliminates the need to get up three times to flip it (Something, October 15)!  All the latest hits can be found on K-Tel, sorry, Kompakt‘s Total 21, the latest in an ongoing series of club compilations, featuring John Tejada and more (September 24).  Ross from Friends introduces his latest album Tread with a surprisingly bittersweet video about speed cubing; watch it below (Brainfeeder, October 22).

On A Million Pieces of You, Lee Gamble completes an album cycle that started just before COVID and stretched through the crisis.  The collection hints at emergence, pointing the way to a happier future that sadly has not yet arrived (Hyperdub, September 10).  Footwork artist RP Boo takes listeners back in time to the origins of the style, with tracks that may remind some of seminal house figures from the fabled 80s.  Established! starts jacking floors on September 17 (Planet Mu).  Also on Planet Mu, Ital is set to return as Relaxer on the decidedly not-relaxing Concealer.  The album delves into many textures and materials, folding in samples from a bygone era (October 15).  Is it footwork?  Reggae?  The answers depend on the track, as Mas Aya plays genre tag on MÁSCARAS (Telephone Explosion, September 24).  Also influenced by footwork is Sputnik One‘s Love From Above EP, which contains a track titled “Michael Cera” (Wisdom Teeth, September 3, pictured above).

Colloboh debuts with the Entity Relation EP, a happy offering on which even the cover figures are dancing (Leaving Records, September 3).  In her life, Hannah Holland has been a DJ, label head and soundtrack composer, but she’s never released an album ~ until now.  Tectonic is aimed squarely at dance floors, and from the sound of the first two singles, we suspect it will be a success (PRAH, September 17).  Shalabi Effect returns with Friends of the Prophet 6, drawn from the same sessions as the Floating Garden EP (Unrock, September 3).  Video game music influences the Molecular Level Solutions EP, a techno-electro excursion from DJ Stingray 313 (Micron Audio, September 1).  CYRK‘s Escaping Earth is a sci-fi adventure in eight parts, referencing classic synth, acid and electro (Childhood, September 24).  While the first single from Pilgrim Raid‘s Anna Agenda concentrates on happy synth, the sample-heavy set traverses many moods, portraying a childhood in suburban Vietnam (Chinabot, October 1).

Melody is the key to Escapism, the new club/pop set from David Douglas.  Guest vocalists share space with instrumental pieces, a more common blend these days that gives everyone a little something to enjoy while raising the chances of crossover success (Atomnation, September 10).  Classic house flavors abound on DJ Seinfeld‘s Mirrors, which includes a guest vocalist who may land the producer on the pop charts.  It’s been a hard couple years, but his optimism remains intact.  The Pantone vinyl color bundle is especially appealing (September 3, pictured right).

Using an old satellite dish as a percussion instrument, Istanbul’s Houschyar had fun during the pandemic!  Mavi is a warm journey, traveling from ambient to dub to club (Macadam Mambo, September 28).  Jazz, house and dub all make their homes on Words and Endings, a daring and hypnotic new album from Uffe (On the Corner, October 1).  The ITNA collective presents a collection of varied tracks, vocal and instrumental, on Supercinema 04, which bounces from ambience to techno-industrial (September 3).  In the same vein, Scratcha DVA will unveil the Afrotek EP, which includes South African rhythms and guest MCs (Hyperdub, September 3).

Dark and Mysterious

Föllakzoid founder Domingæ steps out on her own with Æ, an album whose composition began on one continent and ended on another.  The tone borders on industrial, with fragments of drone and dark ambient: a reflection of the changing moods of the past year (Sacred Bones, September 10).  Simone Faraci presents Echo Ex Machina, a series of experiments with artificial voice that may have some thinking of Alicia Vikander.  Each track takes a different approach, beginning with the singing machine of Apparatus; together they form a portrait of a society on the edge of collapse (Slowth, October 1).  BArTc‘s Insubstantial As Ghosts samples from dark ambience, drone and industrial music, as heard in the chemical-minded visual mix (ICR, September 3).  Sometimes a label’s name matches a release.  This is the case with the self-titled album from Starlings, as the music ~ far from birdsong ~ seems to emanate from a machine shop at full shift.  Hear an early taste on 1 (Machine Records, October 11).

Amon Tobin never slows down ~ but his tempos do.  Expect a moodier than usual set on How Do You Live, which continues the artist’s expansion into new realms (Nomark, September 24).  We hope you hadn’t forgotten about Black Dice, who return after nine years with Mod Prog Sic.  Adventurous fans can order a t-shirt and burger poster with the LP (FourFour, October 1).

Splitting the difference equally between house and techno, NTO offers the aqueous Apnea, preceded by the head-nodding first single Petit Matin (Chapeau, October 8).  Shackleton‘s Departing Like Rivers is a decidedly psychedelic affair, with heavy tribal drums, vocal samples and a sense of disturbance.  The album is released on the artist’s own Woe to the Septic Heart! label (September 9).  Drums – tribal and military – are the draw on Nigh/T\Mare‘s Katharsis, which inhabits a techno-industrial world that hints at an impending dystopia (Thrènes, September 10).

NYC Beat Boxx a beat box album, but it does reference the era during which the style was made popular.  A tribute to the undercurrent of New York club life, the album is Black Meteoric Star‘s attempt to deal with a year of living in the city that never sleeps as the clubs were shut down (Voluminous Arts, September 8).  Dogs Versus Shadows – who will win?  On the four-part Volte Face, it seems the shadows have the advantage.  The suite would work well as a film score, occasionally breaking into beats (Subexotic, September 10).  Holly Childs & Gediminas Žygus‘ Gnarled Roots is a dark suite of spoken word and harsh electronics, covering everything from 9/11 to interstellar disaster; we can already picture the IMAX movie (Subtext, September 17).

Breakbeat and IDM

On Black Smoke Curls, Anatomist offers timbres that stretch from ambient to breakbeat.  Come Closer is the first single from the project, set for release on September 27.  Don’t be fooled by the name, as Pie Eye Collective is a solo project.  Salvation is a blend of broken beats and spliced grooves, out September 17 on Albert’s Favourites.  Clicks, cuts and scissored sounds decorate Criuk, the long-awaited album from Insecto, with mastering from Pole (Nocuedo Editions, September 16, pictured right).  Teetering on the edge of abstract, we find MrUnderwood with the percussive Ams, a hypnotic set on state51 Conspiracy (October 15).  A little sampling, a little singing, a little spoken word, a little vocoder and a whole lot of bells and beats populate Ozone Parade from Parnell March (Uncle Herb Recordings, September 7).  Light IDM meets trip-hop at 4T Thieves‘ Raven’s Cottage; they’ve visited the cottage before via a remix, but it’s worth a return trip (Rednetic, September 27).  Glitch and plunderphonics make an unusual pair on Grossed, an abstract work from Francesco Sistro (September 28).

This is not Aria Rostami‘s section – how did he get here?  The artist shifts gears on Maramar, venturing outside his comfort zone to produce an IDM set only marginally informed by his experience in the ambient realm (Intimate Inanimate, September 10, pictured left).  We enjoyed Galya Bisengalieva‘s Aralkum last year, and now the artist has turned her work over to a diverse series of remixers, including Jlin, Nazira and CHAINES.  Aralbum Aralas deepens our appreciation of the original project, and is out October 15 on One Little Independent.  On Survivalism, Sepehr revives the classic jungle sound of the 90s, sending it to battle against swarms of techno beats (Shaytoon, October 7).  sweetface claims Autechre and Playstation 1 menu music as influences, and each come to fore on speech therapy, a retro-minded IDM set on Theoretical World (September 3).  “Are We There Yet?” asks Delay Grounds on one of the singles from the Genus EP. No, we’re not, but the rapid IDM sounds here give us hope that we’ll arrive soon (Lapsus, September 17).

Hard Beats

“Danger! Danger!” warns the narrator of Vitalic‘s Carbonize, the first single from a two-part release.  Dissidænce is the opening salvo, due October 15 on Clivage Music.  We also enjoy the title “14 AM,” as it implies a longer morning.  Lone returns to the fray with Always Inside Your Head, adding a vocalist on a couple tracks and wandering from ambient to acid to jungle over the course of the LP.  A Bandcamp exclusive offers a bonus 2-track 7″ (Greco-Roman, October 22).

The techno-rave-punk apocalypse of Big Lad is a great place to let out some steam; on the well-titled Power Tools, drums and drum machines go to war (Hominid Sounds, September 10).  Letherique‘s techno-minded release Dawn of the Machines may prompt bouts of synchronized dancing; the only question is whether those machines will dance alone (Tripalium, September 17).  The black and white dance video for P.G. Warren‘s Untruth Amplifiers provides a taste of what to expect from the industrial-inflected How We Lived (Castles in Space, September 17).  Synalegg‘s Computer Series is harsh and distorted, as if the circuitry can’t handle the heat (OOH-Sounds, September 10).  Silkback & Van Boom‘s Skin Tight is one massive track, pushing all the levels to the red.  It’s the first taste of an October album.

Richard Allen

A Closer Listen

This fall the electronic music scene is hot enough to fry circuits and burst sub-woofers.  We suspect this may happen in clubs as they dust off long-shelved equipment.  But the same may be true of vehicles; as the popular sample states, “This should be played at high volume, preferably in a residential area.”

The world has been looking backward for too long, and is ready to start looking forward again.  No one knows where music will head next, only that it’s no longer taking place in isolation.  We’re predicting an outpouring of emotion, from sadness to anger to joy, leading to musical catharsis.  Many of this season’s releases fall into these categories, their common thread a vibrancy of heart.

Cushions with Buttons

New duo Yhdessa delves into synth textures on Along the Simple Line, available on purple vinyl.  The warm tone is an expression of their friendship (Concentric, September 23).  rand is another new duo, combining the piano of Jan Gerdes with the techno stylings of Dr.Nojoke.  Peripherie is simultaneously calm and head-nodding, the release around the corner (September 9).  Another of autumn’s inspired collaborations comes from Frank Bretschneider and Georgio Li Calzi.  Zero Mambo places experimental trumpet in an electronic setting: forces that don’t as much collide as coalesce (Umor Rex, September 8).

We love the cover aesthetic of the Marionette label, now on their 20th release; the Buchla abstractions of Max Loderbauer find matching visual coverage on Petrichor (September 28, pictured left).  Billed as a “sundown record for sunup,” Roman Flügel‘s Balmy Evening fills the club with incense, preserving the beats while taking the anxiety down a notch (Mule Musiq, October 14).  Ambient house meets hauntology on Circuits, a diverse set from Moiré that invites listeners in for the long haul (Avenue 66, September 30).  Hans Berg is both artist and musician.  In the spirit of the polymorph, Waypoints, which collects pieces composed for installations, can be purchased alongside a series of signed prints (2MR, September 16).

Cub\cub alternates between ambient bliss and chilled electronics on Radiant Crush, building to surprising bouts of breakbeat and ethereal vocals (Subexotic, September 2).  On the same day, the label releases Forest Robots‘ Supermoon Moonlight Part Two, an expression of the trials and triumphs of parenthood and a further development of the artist’s sound.  More Subexotic albums will be listed in our Ambient and Drone section on Friday.  With 67 musicians playing 32 songs in 40 minutes, Daniel Patrick Cohen makes good on his promise, We Deliver.  The music is all over the map, from ambient to chill-out to funk, but the project is engaging and the timbres change so quickly the listener never wants to change the channel (Backlash Music, September 16).

Like rhythm and percussion?  Don’t mind half-hour tracks?  Oren Ambarchi‘s ever-morphing Shebang may be for you.  But we call dibs on the cake (Drag City, September 30).  The Evening Chants label has been quiet for a while, but returns with the moody, elegant Spell of Remembrance from Nicolas Snyder.  The album begins calmly before folding in elements of drone and modern composition, especially on “Beekeeper, Lover” (September 30).  Eusebaia may not yet be a household name, but Cosmos seeks to change that.  From ambience to jungle, the album surprises at every turn (Livity Sound, September 30).  Bob Meanza‘s Quandary splits equal time between electronics and drone, but uses organic sources.  The title matches a tone that resists easy categorization (Oxmose, September 16).

Automat musik may have been “barely recorded,” relying on buttons and knobs, but still sounds enveloping.  We first thought the title referred to cafeterias with vending machines, and we hold fast to that association, even if that’s not what Stiletti-Ana intended (September 19).  The twin releases Continuous | Movement include original tracks and remixes, interacting in seamless fashion.  The project is the culmination of a 20-year dream by Radboud Mens (September 10).  Once again Oh No Noh has released a stunning video: “Relying On Words Alone” has quickly become one of our favorites, a fine taste of the upcoming Kanzi (Teleskop, October 7).

After his walks in the forest, Concretism is convinced that The Thetford Beast is real.  The 10″ splatter vinyl investigates the legend through enigmatic titles and cinematic synth (Castles in Space, September 2).  The Burning Witches label is known for horror scores, but is also home to original artists such as Hunter Complex.  Airports and Ports is their latest release, more peaceful than expected given the monikers of the artist and label (September 2).  The Advisory Circle returns from the pandemic with Full Circle, another sprightly collection that indicates they weathered the crisis intact (Ghost Box, September 30).  Analog synth is the musical palette of Cosmic Ground, whose follows a 10-year retrospective with the brand new Isolate (Tonzonen, September 23).

Jacek Sienkewicz sneaks a little space age IDM into the otherwise ambient Pristine, knocking it from that category to this one (Recognition, October 7).  On Dekatron‘s IV, synthesizers travel far beyond our solar system to investigate hidden galaxies (Verlag System, September 16).  Analogue synth, live drums and a sense of spiritual transcendence inhabit Bajascillators, an immersive double album from Bitchin Bajas (Drag City, September 2).

The Days Are Growing Shorter, the Nights Are Getting Darker

Geniuses meet on Cosey Fanni Tutti‘s OST to Caroline Catz’ Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes.  Concurrently, one may purchase Cosey Fanni Tutti’s book RE:SISTERS: The Lives and Recordings of Delia Derbyshire, Margary Kempe and Cosey Fanni Tutti. Together, these releases create a multi-media experience (Conspiracy International, September 16).  Ilpo Väisänen uses the musical platform of Keskipäivän Hetken Sumea Vaillinaisuus to remind listeners that the war is still taking place in Ukraine.  The side-long tracks vibrate with resistance, reflecting the label name I Will Sing Until My Land Is Free (September 1).

Pipo may be a tribute to a friend, but it’s a shadowy tribute, with stated inspirations including the work of John Carpenter.  Yair Etziony‘s album flirts with dark ambience on its way to the midnight club (Lamour, September 30). Mia Zabelka | Henrik Meierkord | IcosTech make a powerful team, presenting a set that lurks in the start before pouncing midway.  One look at the cover, and one knows this will be a dark treat (Subcontinental, October 7).  Tape loops and beats form the basis for Lomond Campbell‘s Under This Hunger Moon We Fell, which grows darker as it moves along, like the transition from fall to winter.  By the release date of November 4, it should sound just right (One Little Independent).  Pas Musique translates a live set to the digital on Silbar, a guitar and electronics celebration of being able to perform again (Pas Musique, September 2).

Samples, beats and abstractions draw the listener’s ear to Elision, a confident sophomore installment from Halina Rice.  Three tracks were highlighted at the WITCH digital festival and should be rocking Halloween parties later on this season (Injazero, September 30, pictured left).  Fables, superstitions, ghosts and magical creatures inhabit Privacy Angels, which ironically (or for the artist’s protection) was recorded in a church.  VISIO‘s album is rife with texture, and finds an appropriate home on Haunter Records (September 9).  The following month, Haunter label boss Heith jumps to PAN for X, wheel, shifting genres in nearly every piece while keeping a tight hold on the album’s cohesion (October 7).

French label La République des Granges just dropped two new cassettes.  The self-titled release from Tapetum Lucidum is fuzzy and percussive, while Takahiro Mukai‘s Dysgraphia delves into distortion and heavy beats (September 1). We’ve grown used to booming music from Subsist & Faith Disciplines, and Puerta Sagrada is no exception.  This pounding set comes from Mr. Tron, but also includes one ambient mix (October 7).  New Dauw sub-label VIERNULVIER sounds nothing like its parent; the opening salvo comes from Use Knife, and is aptly described as “dreamy Arab songs with punky Dadaist touches.”  The Shedding of Skin is released on September 30.  Similarly rough is Bear Spray‘s amusingly titled Enemies Are Just Friends Who Don’t Want To Bear Hug You, a cheekily distorted project from Daniel Menche + Veronica Avola (September 1).

Das Ende der Liebe (The End of Love) creates long, loping tracks with a hint of rock and drone. Schne*e will be released on September 23, but for now, one can watch the band’s studio session for Moped (Anunaki Tabla). Twin Raven injects dialogue samples into shaded synth, creating a nearly industrial tone.  Powerful and Helpless is the latest single from Ego Death, coming September 23.  Precenphix also draws on industrial music, including elements of dark ambience and IDM.  Off Axis refers not only to the off-kilter beats, but to the dislodging of the soul under stress (Not Yet Remembered, September 23).

The Beat Goes On

We really like those horns on Box Seat, the latest single from Liminal Drifter‘s Cortisol 22.  The ebullient music hides the knowledge that the artist suffered a heart attack prior to the recording, and wrote these songs as part of his journey back (Hidden Shoal, September 19).  How much do you like brass?  If the answer is “a lot!” then the news of a new album from The Comet Is Coming will produce a large smile.  Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam is set to drop, preceded by first single CODE (Impulse! Records, September 23).  A connection can be made to KALAK, the anti-colonialist album from Sawathy Korwar, as the band includes members of both The Comet Is Coming and Melt Yourself Down.  Utopia Is A Colonial Project is the first single (Leaf, November 11).

Leftfield is also back with its first album in seven years.  Now a solo artist, Neil Barnes is nevertheless surrounded by a host of collaborators.  Pulse is the first single from This Is What We Do, out December 2 on Virgin Records.  Another of the season’s probable crossover hits comes from Daniel Avery, whose Ultra Truth completes the rare hat trick of being released on cassette, CD and vinyl.  Merging dance floor hits with occasional vocal pieces, Avery may even make the charts this fall (Mute, November 4, pictured right).  Caribou is now Daphni, turning more to the dance floor than ever, as apparent in the title track from the upcoming Cherry (Jiaolong, October 7).  Jean-Michel Jarre, famous for Oxygene, is now back with Oxymore, a tribute to Pierre Henry, preceded by the crunchy single Brutalism (Music Affair Entertainment, October 21).

Deepchord kept fans waiting for only five years, but that’s still a long time in artist years.  Functional Designs is the triumphant comeback, a techno score to long nights and neon lights (Soma, September 30).  The ever-reliable Rival Consoles returns with Now Is, another consistent set of trance-influenced club hits; the title track is an early highlight (Erased Tapes, October 14).  Pole resurfaces with Tempus, preceded by the single “Grauer Sand.”  Active since 1998, the veteran shows no dip in quality and no sign of slowing down (Mute, November 18).

Everything Old Is New Again

Kabuki Dream loves 80s synth, as one can guess from the title of single Giorgio MorOrwell.  The full album Abstract is set for release October 7 on Veidt Records.  Fast-forward a full decade, and FreqGen travels through the 90s year by year, track by track, imitating the dominant style of each.  Future 1990s is out November 11 on FXT Neon.  Oberst & Buchner‘s Marble Arch is synthy and percolating, building to peaks via the addition of layers, including some guest vocalists (Heimlich Musik, September 16).  While XINDL also claims the 90s as an influence, the sound of 11 is more futuristic, as heard on first single A.o.W.D. (subject to restrictions discs, September 22).

Sounding like a lo-fi, hand-held video game, The Gibraltarians offer Monitoring Station, its stated intention to reflect the space between radio stations (Eureka Beat, September 2).  Lake Haze offers a tribute to chiptune and videogame music on the bleepy Henosis, out September 2 on the fittingly named Shall Not Fade.  The breakbeats are back on Quelza‘s 47030 EP, a highly danceable excursion on Berlin imprint 47 (September 9).  On Op·Echo, S8jfou makes classic synth sound new, the product of experimenting with Operator & Echo in Ableton Live.  No sense of restriction can be found in the exuberant grooves, and we’re enjoying the lo-tech, color coded video below (Parapente, September 21).  World music, dance music and more find homes on Elsewhere VXIII, a compilation promoted with a trippy, kaleidoscopic video mix (Rocket Recordings, September 30).

Garage, breaks and hardcore make Shimmer a delirious dance experience.  O’Flynn x Frazer Ray recover the joy of music that has been dented over the past two years (Technicolour Records, October 21).  Deep bass meets dark beats on Steffi‘s The Red Hunter, an electro-IDM hybrid that should appeal to multiple generations (candy mountain, October 24).  Electro and acid share space on Passing Signals, a retro dance album from The Jaffa Kid (Suction Records, September 16).

Clubbed to Death

If RSS Disco‘s Mooncake sounds more like summer than fall, that’s okay; we’re happy to extend the season, and the release date technically lands within the lines (Mireia Records, September 9).  Boy Is Fiction returns with the warm, clubworthy Deeper Than Static, which injects a bit of shoegaze in its rhythms ~ no surprise considering its home on n5MD (September 9).  This will be followed by Jason van Wyk‘s Descendents, a percussive excursion with ambient detours (n5MD, October 21).  Blackford Hill is working on the release of the Echo in the Dark EP, a collaboration between Hanna Tuulikki and Tommy Perman.  The album is a literal Batdance, as sounds of echolocation meet Tuulikki’s voice and Perman’s beats.  An early taste can be enjoyed here.

Instrumental synth pop is offered on Perceptions, a warm album from Model Alpha that seeks to soothe as much as it does to move (Transversales Disques, October 7).  Ian Boddy breaks out his collection of modular synth equipment for Coil, which refers more to the setup than the band (DiN, October 14.  As long as the world keeps turning and records keep spinning, we anticipate Kompakt will continue to release compilations.  Total 22 is the latest, due September 16.  The same concept holds true for Fabric, as fabric presents Mind Against will begin rocking the clubs September 23, followed by fabric presents Nicola Cruz on November 18.  Hagop Tchaparian offers techno at a slower level, perfectly suited for jogging and running.  Bolts is released on September 9, preceded by the single Round (Text Records).  Willem Gator‘s The Encyclopedia of Failure may have a dour title, but the synth work is decidedly upbeat (Hidden Shoal, October 2).

With the title Acid Dub Studies II, one knows exactly what one is going to get.  A love for the 303 energizes Om Unit, who was encouraged by the reception of the previous entry and pleased to pen a sequel (September 2).  Also plunging into dub, F.S. Blumm offers Kiss Dance Kiss, a switch from prior styles.  A touch of reggae can be heard as well (September 16).  Dub also decorates Rasmus Hedlund‘s Far, which encourages listeners to kick back after a long day (Ljudverket, October 10).  Surfers will love the retro big wave video for Across the Ocean, taken from Julien Bracht‘s old-school rave tribute, Rave Flower.  Time to find those glowsticks! (System Records, September 16).  More ocean images are seen in Janus Rasmussen‘s Slóð, including unusual murmurations and disintegrating birds.  The EP will follow on September 23 (Ki Records).  African subrhythms and unusual field recordings are woven throughout Fischerle‘s Zamieć (px5), a swirling cassette on Patalax (September 1).  Surgeon’s Girl offers the brief yet uplifting Sever, with Lapsus’ happily claiming that she “radiates energy with healing powers” (October 14).

Loraine James pays tribute to Julius Eastman on Building Something Beautiful for Me, folding vocals and instrumentals into the same bowl.  The album brings new nuance to the work of an overlooked auteur (Phantom Limb, October 7).  Some vocals may be sprinkled about Waajeed‘s Memoirs of Hi-Tech Jazz, but we like the way the album was sequenced to accompany a Detroit ride.  It’s good to know that the art of the drive mix is alive and well!  This “celebration of Black leisure and play” is out November 25 on Tresor.  Also on Tresor: The Lion & the Ram, a pounding techno collaboration from Maedon and Adam X.  Welcome to the land of funk! (September 30).

Pulses and chops join sirens and street chants, cello and clarinet on Right to the City, creating a heady brew as Dominic Voz expresses his love for Chicago, while highlighting its dilemmas (Accidental Records / Beacon Sound, September 30).  Old skool 2-step is splayed across DJ Perception‘s Journey to the Star and beamed to Earth through a wormhole (Timehri, October 27).  Carl Stone offers sampledelic mutant pop on Gall Tones, a brief EP that packs the punch of a 45 (Unseen Worlds, September 9).

Members of Black Dice and Gang Gang Dance merge their talents on Riders On The Storm, which does not sound like The Doors.  Instead, it’s a happy and funky excursion from Eric Copeland & Josh Diamond on the Post Present Medium label (September 23).  Alien Alarms helpfully shares the opening and closing tracks of 0 to 1 to show their description is apt: slow jam to jungle, 90 BPM to 173.  The middle pieces will be revealed on September 30.  Ibrahim Alfa jnr goes right for the fast stuff on Messier97, breaking out the d’n’b and high BPMs.  If the album ends a bit slower than it began, it’s understandable; few people can keep up with such a pace! (Mille Plateaux, November 11).  Herva‘s Seez stays agitated throughout: this generative album sounds like computers on caffeine (Planet Mu, September 16).

Monster Drinks

Saint Abdullah & Eomac start their album with explosions and distortion before adding crowd chants and prayers.  Patience of a Traitor is inspired by bath houses in Iran, and confronts the stereotypes the West has of the East, especially when it comes to religion (Other People, September 30).  Uganda’s Authentically Plastic sounds a lot harder than its moniker, with a sound like metal and cement.  Raw Space offers ruff beats and no sense of compromise, a combination that has served the artist well while making the authorities nervous (Hakuna Kulala, September 16).

Terence Fixmer is a fixture of the scene, every release an event.  Shifting Signals sees the techno producer in top form, ready to set the club floors on fire (Mute, December 2).  Fans of pounding techno will enjoy Ed1999‘s Body Fluid EP, which hides its genre in the opening moments before letting loose (Porpax, 2 September).   Holldën‘s third EP of the year is called Would I Lie?  The set is filled with bangers and includes many fun titles, the best of which is “Club Gummy Positive” (Kuiper Noise, October 6).

We’re not keen on the moniker Flacid Mojo, as the beats are hard; but as Garbage People demonstrates, the guitar and motorcycles are viscerally appealing (Castle Face, October 28).  Lava Bangers II is slowly coming into focus with tracks released every month until the full release on November 11.  Showing a touch of mercy, Lazerbeak offers moments of relative tranquility, allowing the dancers to take a breather (Doomtree).  Fans of swift music will appreciate Ripatti Deluxe‘s Speed Demon, which is too quick to measure by ear alone, and is the latest alias of Vladislav Delay (Rajaton, October 27).

Richard Allen