15TH SELECTION – A new one every Monday.
Want to stay up to date with the most recent music, for instance for your DJing? Each Monday, we list and comment on our favourite releases of the moment. This week:
#StopWarInUkraine [2022]
VARIOUS ARTISTS
« Peace is not the highest goal in life, it is the most fundamental requirement. » (Sadhguru)
Round tour of the hypnotic techno weapons from the artists and labels which are standing against the war in Ukraine.
Melifera Records – Women Every Day Vol. I [Melifera Records, 2022-03-03]
TRIBAL TECHNO
The French label commits to a noble cause by shedding more light on women’s productions, while the release is for us the result of four talented artists.
Bucle – Regrets [Hxagrm Records, 2022-03-07]
ATMOSPHERIC TECHNO
Barcelona-based artist Bucle is what you call a “good old DJ”, having performed behind the decks for more than 15 years. Son of the Spanish school – NODE Recordings in particular – with its overheated loops, he surprises with “Regrets”, deep and more in restraint, a direction which suits him well.
Viels – A Different Way To Escape EP [Warm Up Recordings, 2022-03-02]
DANCEFLOOR-ORIENTED
End Of Perception’s co-owner Viels from Italy remains true to himself in his new EP, having produced a large catalogue of dancefloor bangers for more than six years. It is with great pride and an undoubted legitimacy that he’s making his debut on Oscar Mullero’s very first label Warm Up Recordings, with four new massive bullets.
Pattrn – Sacrifice [KVLTÖ Records, 2022-02-28]
TRIBAL TECHNO
Belgian artist Pattrn plays a luminous card in his last EP on Martyn Päsch’s label KVLTÖ Records. A bit of warmness is pretty welcome during these mad times: Pattrn releases the pressure through three rich trippy tracks, with the creativity that characterises him.
Shinbu – Eternal Return [Shinbu, 2022-03-04]
DRUM’N’BASS
The Romanian artist is back on his own imprint, with deep cavernous polyrhythmic drums. On the same day, he also released the most generous collection of electronic music samples we’ve ever seen: 573 well-designed loops are waiting for you in his “Sample Pack Vol I“, ready to use. It’s phenomenal!
Esthetic and Reac-Zo – Tentura EP [Onset Audio, 2022-03-04]
DRUM’N’BASS
Zodiac Music and Onset Audio are our current favourite deep drum’n’bass labels: each new release reaches our shores like a tsunami, with no exception from the two accomplices Esthetic and Reac-Zo. Their new EP is massive, featuring a furious remix by Ukrainian artist Spiritual Voices, giving the impression that there is a certain “rage against the machine”…
jjsauma – The Comfort of the Darkness LP [Secuencias Temporales, 2022-02-28]
DUB TECHNO
No matter if he produces ambient, jungle or deep/dub techno, there is always a high experimental touch in the Mexican artist’s music. To some extent, he’s the “Alan Turing” of electronic music: the very first Ableton Certified Trainer of Latin America and Max/MSP’s “mad scientist”, he goes very far in the sonic lab. In his new LP, he brings dub techno into the label’s deep sound signature, through some scientific processes, not easily accessible, but wickedly interesting!
Oxben and Pfaph – RNA [Sephora, 2022-03-03]
ATMOSPHERIC TECHNO
The Mexican scene keeps on developing, now with two local artists who have fulfilled an interesting challenge: creating two tracks with the obligation for each producer to use the same tools. As a result, two versions of each track open a richer musical discovery, in an overall very immersive work.
Boy in a Room – Afar [Deep Electronics, 2022-03-04]
AMBIENT
Boy in a Room remains very mysterious for us, half a year after our review of his past release. He’s back with his smooth ethereal drones, this time complemented by field recordings, explorative sonorities and deep chants, plunging the listener into the warm azure of the artwork. If the label appears determined to hide him, he keeps on developing his art with lots of personality…
* Page’s cover picture: Oye Kreuzkoelln in Berlin, a record shop from a member of our community.
