MUSIC RECOMMENDATION

TRIBAL TECHNO

The EP is conceptualised on the topic of the ancestral temples, and hitting play on the first track, starting with the Aum sound, made us first think that Vardae maybe went too far in the representation, but while listening further, we realised that he actually made a drone out of that sound, which is very creative and works amazingly well. The other tracks confirm what we already know about him: he is a very talented producer.

VARIOUS ARTISTS

The Georgian label doesn’t have a lot of releases since its creation in 2019, obviously privileging the quality over the quantity, which of course doesn’t displease us. A great bunch of very talented artists are reunited in the present VA and important news goes along with it: the label announced that the VA is a milestone in the creation of its sound signature, we may therefore expect more releases on it from the artists who have contributed.

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Codecast is originally an eclectic techno podcast from Argentina and is now officially becoming a label as “THE CODE“, with a VA declined in two parts smartly divided: each one representing a consistent journey. The idea is to link “the nature” of the first VA with “the machinery” of the second one. We highlight the first one here, tribal and evasive, but we also recommend checking out the second one, deep and electrifying.

ATMOSPHERIC TECHNO

Coming from the melodic techno scene, which partly explains the obvious expertise on the melodic layers, Trøm Borg gets subtler over time, which suits him well. We know him from his beautiful EP “Beyond the Jovian Disk“, which we reviewed, and from some of his mixes, that are particularly well-designed. He is now back with a profound EP, on a label that privileges storytelling.

ATMOSPHERIC TECHNO

We’ve always seen Petit Astronaute as a producer capable to design great layers but unable to really have his own recognisable sound, his work being usually very close to what Deepbass does (there could have been worst references). However, his last album on N F E R E E surprises: it has a strong personality and we hope that the Georgian artist will continue on this fabulous path. The release also contains an epic remix by Mesa, who clearly understood the guideline.

ATMOSPHERIC TECHNO

There is a lack of unity in this release, with tracks produced by different artists and processed by different sound engineers, but taken individually, each piece has something interesting to say, through Polygonia’s efficient groove, MTRL’s melancholy, Claudio PRC’s deep amplitude and Mary Yuzovskaya’s intriguing vocals. Happily, the DJs never yield to the lazy temptation of using all the tracks from the same EP in a mix, do they?

DRUM’N’BASS

In an artistic world full of imitators, it’s a pleasure to have a label such as Livity Sound which privileges originality, thanks to a smart choice of artists who are themselves known to be very creative, thinking of Azu Tiwaline and Monotronique for instance. Another label plays such a card: Man Band, owned by Toma Kami. It’s therefore two interesting worlds that merge together in this release, and the result is as expected: a nice moment of sonic discoveries.

DRUM’N’BASS

Zodiac Music, Onset Audio, Inception:Audio, Vykhod Sily Recordings and more: the British artist produces in many deep/dark drum’n’bass labels that we cherish. His last work on Zodiac Music is in line with his sound signature: profound and tribal, waking up unforeseeable territories of the spirit: “to be played at your own risks”.

TEXTURED TECHNO

“Explorations” series, it’s basically the label owner Other Form and his accomplice Alternate Current having fun in the experimentation. “Unknown Movements” is a label mainly made to release their works, and we sense a certain shyness in their music: “having fun” is therefore “all relative”, but as a result: the release is humble, deep and brings interesting minimalism, tainted of trippy textures.

AMBIENT

Son of Chi is an important artist of the label, at a crossroad between the dubby atmospheres of Deepchord and the modular drones of LM58. His soundscapes are particularly evasive, painted with deep extensive pads and intriguing field recording. He’s back alongside Spanish artist Clara Brea, who brought her own material to the sound. As a result, shimmering reflections and a piercing warmth emanate from the subtle textures, forming together a rich sonic experience.