88 Music Blog

This week’s Netlabels special is dedicated to electric ninjas.

4a:
1. Kim Cascone – Grayscape (6:38)
2. Håkan Lidbo – Mass Reduced (6:45)
3. Håkan Lidbo – Ektoplasma (6:29)
4. Håkan Lidbo – Ultrachrome (6:13)
5. Alta Infidelidad – Hielo (6:08)
6. Jay Haze and Argenix – Crack Street (6:48)
7. bLURiX – Tromenia (4:42)
8. Karsten Hammer Hansen – What’s Dub? (5:03)
9. Omara – Tastentelefon und Baustelle – Acidrain Remix (5:24)
10. Digitalverein – Abends am Gasturm

4b:
11. Alta Infidelidad – Oeste (9:08)
12. Alta Infidelidad – Ritmo Propio (6:48)
13. Lump – Sukkula (4:53)
14. Alexandre Bilodeau – Énergy – Vincent Casanova Remix (5:45)
15. Alexandre Bilodeau – Veins-tu (6:14)
16. Alexandre Bilodeau – Goya (6:00)
17. Alexandre Bilodeau – Electrolux (6:02)
18. Kay Grove – Expressions (6:05)
19. Kay Grove – Brothers (PNFA Remix) (6:55)
20. X District feat Jimmy Edgar – Color Correction (2:34)

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 Netlabelism 4a: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Netlabelism 4b: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Miles Tilmann will shortly be welcomed into the X fold, and to establish some familiarity with his work, he’s given us access to a range of his latest material. He’s been producing and releasing for 10+ years now, and has established himself in the realms of ambient/idm/electronica/electro. These are the terms I would use anyway, but his music is extremely individualistic and remains unclassifiable in my opinion.

He’s managed to solidify a style that works beautifully under and condition, plus or minus the beats. Releasing on labels in the past such as sub:marine, Merck, Toytronic, M-Tronic, and The Consumers Research and Development label, he has definitely set some standards. He has recently put out his 2nd full length, the ‘Yes and No’ LP, containing 12 works of excellence that further define his sound.

Choosing 4 bits out of the array of tunes that Miles provided us, I naturally chose my favorites. What can I say, I don’t have any self control. I might have chosen those that I thought might be YOUR favorites, but that would be fruitless…for me.

1. Floating Windows- This is a perfect place to start as an example of his sound, and released on the Yes and No LP. Completely unpredictable structures drive continually evolving melodic themes and textures. Spaced out, floating pads and arps weave over a chunky breakbeat structure. Like the rest of his material, you can’t really put a finger on what’s happening, and just when you do- it’s over. I can’t help but be reminded of …sorry! -Boards of Canada to some extent, which is never a bad thing.

2. Split the Middle – Also on the Yes and No LP, this also has a wonderfully unpredictable nature. Minimal breaks drive this dark electro tinged whatever it is- it’s pretty unclassifiable. The sound palette used is reminiscent of electro, but the structure is again off putting and rather unsettling- causing repeated listens in an attempt to get a grasp on some familiarity. All I can say is: claps, breaks, edgy leads, and filthy bass with a bit of Chris Walken’s favorite percussive.

3. Suicide at Twilight – Unreleased! One of the most strange and compelling things I’ve heard for a while- equal parts ambience and filthy drum/bass workout. What do swamps, compressors and square waves have in common? Listen and be educated in this matter. Semi spastic beats and texture are melded with DEEP bass drops and frog chirps.

4. Through the Tubes- Released on 3D Concepts 12” on Toytronic. Sleepy keys induce a dreamstate while driven by the motion of minimal percussion. Evolving with gentle subtlety, ambient headspace is the focal point, done with charming eloquence. It actually does sound as if it’s coming through tubes as well.

~ Dan Merrill/AM

For more info on Miles Tilmann, and to access his music downloads directly – check the Miles Tilmann website @ http://www.webhole.com/; alternately, check his discogs or myspace page.

In this Third installment of the 88/PMX Netlabels series, we blow up the spot on Stir Sound, Auflegware, MIRmusic and Alquimia labels. Stir Sound was an appropriate choice for many reasons; they are local to the DC area, they are friends of 88 and they have a damn solid catalogue of experimental minimal techno under their belt. Plus, Jeffrey S and Measax will be in town reppin Stir Sound for Pulse this Saturday (BE THERE!)…. So PMX DJs gave the tunes a proper mix and now the sets are archived, so you can get that fuzzy feeling all over again Theme of tonight’s show is Getting Deeper. Both parts 1 & 2 go deep, but part 2 goes into really strange territory. Enjoy.

88 / PMX Netlabelism #3
October 2007

Tracklist:
Netlabelism 3a:
1. Cryo – Dark Day II (5:38) [Stir Sound label]
2. Cryo – Dark Power (5:14) [Stir Sound label]
3. COR100 – Just Done It (5:30) [Stir Sound label]
4. Jeffrey S. – Carpal Tunnel (6:51) [Stir Sound label]
5. April Vallen – Secret Police (5:54) [Stir Sound label]
6. April Vallen – Bad Press (6:34) [Stir Sound label]
7. Elektrodrei – Dripping-Cave (7:01) [Auflegware label]
8. Insel auf Ton – Muehlenstrasse (7:08) [Auflegware label]
9. Matthias Korr – Total Confusion (8:18) [Auflegware label]
10. Audiodox – Minor Ache (5:12) [Auflegware label]

Netlabelism 3b:
11. Topper – Topper – Nunzibus (1:30) [MIRmusic label]
12. Topper – Paris-Skopje (6:35) [MIRmusic label]
13. Hansky & Kleinshmidt – Deep Impact (6:46) [MIRmusic label]
14. Padice – Qwerty (6:43) [MIRmusic label]
15. Mr.Dee – Landing… (original mix) (7:10) [Reamp]
16. John Lagora – Lass es Metall Regnen (6:39) [Alquimia label]
17. John Lagora – Avian Flu (6:23) [Alquimia label]
18. John Lagora – Login to Status 2 (6:06) [Alquimia label]
19. John Lagora – Stay Tune, boy (5:25) [Alquimia label]
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 Netabelism - Week 3a: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Netlabelism - Week 3b: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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[Left] is last month’s winning design by Joe Nicolia. Joe won a HP printer for his efforts. Congrats Joe and thanks HP!

This month we’re bringing a bevy of talent through ‘X’ including a special treat…naked body painting by figure photos. Each ‘X’ installment is truly special, but this one will be extra fun. Here’s a run down of the talent that will be creating LIVE at X:

FASHION Designs by : El Harto Imports: http://www.myspace.com/lindshart — Bring some $$ ladies!

PERFORMANCE: Live Tribal Fusion Belly Dancing by : Belladonna: www.belladonnadance.net — Bring your cameras folks (free printing on site too!)

LIVE Body Painting by: Figure Photos: www.figurephotos.com

DESIGN : Live Graphic Design by: Shannon Tomac: http://www.myspace.com/tomacsh ; Secret Worm: www.secretworm.com

Brian Boyd: www.creativehotlist.com/b-boyd2

CURATOR and Guest Juror: Kim Ward : www.wpacdc.org

PROJECTIONS : Live Video Projections by : Rodrigo Ribeiro — www.rodrigoribeiro.com/

Interactive Collaboration Design, Live Stream by: Peter Corbett: www.advercation.com

MUSIC

Live PA and collaborative, improv performances by

Miles Tilmann (Chiacgo) : www.webhole.com – CDs on hand for sale!

The Beat Shaman (Baltimore) : www.thebeatshaman.com

Aligning Minds (DC/B-more) : www.aligning-minds.com

In addition to the body painting, designers should be sure to keep their eyes out for folks from Conversant Creative. X is partnering with them on creating, in essence, an agency that will utilize and graphic designers associated with ‘X’. Seek them out to find out more about the opportunity.

Finally, as mentioned [left], wear a hat for $3 off General Admission. It doesn’t have to be on your head. You can have hat shoe laces, a hat belt buckle a hat on your t-shirt…get creative, let’s see what you’ve got!

For more details, about the ‘best monthly art happening in DC’ visit: www.xindc.tv and join us on myspace: www.myspace.com/xindc

PULSE:

At PULSE we’re excited to welcome renowned Techno Producer Mikael Stavostrand for his first DC appearance. Mikael’s released on a plethora of labels including: Force Inc., Spectral, Sushitech, Thema, Adjunct, Karat and Sunset Diskos to name a few…

Mikael will be playing a Live PA set that will surely set your ass in motion…here’s a sample of what he can do to wet your whistle:

http://sunset-diskos.com/mixes/MikaelStavostrandLivePA@Malmoe10.08.2007.mp3

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 Mikael Stavostrand - Live PA @ Malmoe: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Joining him will be Nathan Fain, recent Berlin transplant…here’s a mix:

http://www.zshare.net/download/359794928e5a62/

And DC’s own Measax and Jeffrey S. of www.stirsound.com

Visuals will include photographs from Burning Man ’07, taken by DC area burners.

Berlin doesn’t come to DC often folks, let’s make this one count!

TLM is the start-up label of Noah Pred and Evan Marc. Both Pred and Marc hail from distinct regions of techno’s geographically diverse map. Noah Pred has been involved in Canadian techno movement for the past 8 years and since his start in Vancouver has been know for his choice taste when djing and profound sensibility in the studio. Evan Marc is another great turnout from Portland’s rich techno culture, which pours out in his production work for this release and his current full length, “Emotional Ecology,” on Native State Records. Together they have injected two TML releases into the arms of techno via Beatport.com and have more releases slated for the coming months.

Thoughtless Music 001, “Cut the Line,” is an innovative first release to the world of electronic music because it takes the remix approach to a new level. With twelve tracks total it plays like an album rather than a series of remixes and features as many new-comers as established artists. The focus track, “Cut the Line,” comes from Brooklyn based DJ producer Derek Marin who has been in the dance music scene since the mid 1990s. Eleven remixes follow, each one having  a different approach to the concept of a remix with obvious [dance floor] appeal individually. However, the artists here also utilize a broad scope of influence that point towards newer concepts for remixing.

“Cut the line,” by Derek Marian, is the original track of this self titled remix album, which takes a classic approach with a modern feel. It effortlessly loops through a journey of melodically dark grooves reminding the informed listener of where minimal techno came from and where it is going – the perfect setup for any following remixes. First, Jeff Milligan reinterprets it by using a heavily fielded/sampled approach to compose a well textured sound collage that jumps from rhythm to rhythm . Next we hear the influence of southern European techno, e.g., Ibiza’s DC10, in Robert Bardini’s hypnotically lush exposition – think Cadenza. Krampack is rock-steady with his electromicronic monster that makes the robots dance hard, as a stiff in-your-face bass line states, “the humans are dead.” Eric Downer takes us through the mid-set with an electrically fun and jacky mixer, but the the influence suddenly shifts to funky french bubbles from Kilowatts effected Ozio like jazz elucidation that lightly samples the original. We quickly resume the chugging approach with Matea Murphy who takes us into the depths of simple offset techno bass lines and repetitive grooves. With the next mix label cofounder Noah Pred uses a laid back approach to hit us hard with a musty intertwined reinvention of the original melody placed over top of chocolatey delicious drum machine funk. Following Pred, Canada’s Jamie Kidd takes us to the beach using a stylized approach reinventing Marin’s concepts in a journey through the electric jungle that grew up over the original. Taho grabs the ear with a layered motif that finds a more solid fixture in Marian’s original arrangement than other works on this release. The other half of TML, Even Marc, opens up the back door of the club so his palette of shifting dub bass and locked hats can lure in any stragglers. To finish things off Myers Briggs takes a strikingly posh direction with classic techno vibes as he layers chords in conjunction with the original melody – now we’ve come full circle.

- measax

Tracklisting:
1 Cut The Line (Myers Briggs Reconstruction) (6:00)
2 Cut The Line (Evan Marc Remix) (6:12)
3 Cut The Line (Taho Remix) (9:08)
4 Cut The Line (Jamie Kidd Remix) (7:31)
5 Cut The Line (Noah Pred Remix) (9:17)
6 Cut The Line (Mateo Murphy Remix) (7:12)
7 Cut The Line (KiloWatts Remix) (5:47)
8 Cut The Line (Downer’s Trust The Line Mix) (7:26)
9 Cut The Line (Krampack Remix) (6:24)
10 Cut The Line (Roberto Bardini Remix) (6:18)
11 Cut The Line (Jeff Milligan Remix) (7:51)
12 Cut The Line (5:28)

Take a listen and buy exlusively at Beatport.

In this 2nd installment of Underground Knowledge Netlabel series, we start off smooth and ethereal – then move into hard warehouse bleepy techno and oldschool-era acid. About 25 minutes into the first half of the show harkens back to old acid tracks from the likes of Phuture or LFO. Then rounding off the second hour of the show, we give you a proper injection of brand new Proem tracks (4 in a row) to help relax from the brutal acid assault you just bore witness to. Alot of the tunes from this show are just incredible. There’s truly a wealth of exciting, barrier-breaking new music being spawned from the global Netlabel scene; this week’s show should undoubtedly illustrate that. Please listen and enjoy – leave a comment too, even if it’s dirty.

Tracklisting:

Netlabelism – Week 2a
1. Sascha Müller – Envelope [NSI Label] (4:54)
2. Paper – programa ideas [Miga Label] (8:32)
3. Paper – ice (6:33)
4. Paper – despacios (6:16)
5. Lex Bambasy – Gambas al ajillo [Escala Label] (5:12)
6. Lex Bambasy – Una mula y dos alforjas (5:30)
7. Chefetage – Laboratorium [Analogue Mind Control Label] (5:20)
8. Ascon Bates – I Love it [Analogue Mind Control Label] (4:26)
9. Sascha Müller – Aspects Of Physics (6:38)
10. Ascon Bates – Lamp (5:52)

Netlabelism – Week 2b
11. Ascon Bates – Bomb da Phonk (5:09)
12. Ascon Bates – Gamma Implant (5:39)
13. Chefetage – Radical Subway (6:42)
14. sam desborough – join [Retropublik Label] (3:49)
15. Audiogenetics – Lemurian genetix [Auxar Label] (4:28)
16. silencide – impassience [Retropublik Label] (4:46)
17. Technoid – LED [Tribetoolz Label] (6:11)
18. Technoid – Cholera (6:58)
19. Proem – Wall Of Knives [n5md Label] (4:43)
20. Proem – Blacker The Berry (3:47)
21. Proem – Dual Carrier (3:51)
22. Proem – Deepmagix (4:48)

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 Netlabelism - Week 2a * TECHNO BLEEP: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Netlabelism - Week 2b * TECHNO BLEEP: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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‘Netlabels’ are non-profit, community-built entities dedicated to providing high quality, non-commercial, freely distributable MP3/OGG-format music for online download in a multitude of genres. Styles include:

- melodic electronica (e.g. Observatory Online, Please Do Something )
- minimal house (e.g. Thinner, Textone )
- exotica/kitsch/eclectic (e.g. Comfort Stand)
- rock/mellower indie (e.g. Sundays In Spring, MASA Records, Sessions )
- retro bleep (e.g. 8 Bit Peoples)
- ambient/noise (e.g. Webbed Hand Records, Orgasmo Macabro, Zeromoon, Hazard Records )

Besides being totally independent from the rest of the commercial, mainstream music industry – some of these netlabels are putting out the most boundary-breaking and interesting electronic music of our time. This month (and possibly next month?) we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the output coming from netlabels for our Underground Knowledge weekly special (Wednesdays 8-10pm EST) .

88/PMX in conjunction with Christopher Whaley present: Netlabels

Week 1a:
1. Kplecraft – Ydodo (4:41)
2. Kplecraft – Triffid-G (3:35)
3. Kplecraft – Okesuchi (4:57)
4. Mr. Spastic – Ichi Ni San Cuatro (4:02)
5. Mr. Spastic – QWERTY (4:54)
6. Nullsleep – On Target (3:32)
7. RushJet1 – The Voyage (2:00)
8. RushJet1 – Nebula (2:04)
9. Vim – Hazel, Dave, Aaron, and the Tall One (3:23)
10. Vim – Made In Reception (1:49)
11. yuppster – green lens (1:31)
12. yuppster – yellow lens (1:47)
13. datassette – stop (4:30)
14. datassette – eyeballs and elbows (2:51)
15. datassette – computers (7:02)
16. Dead Eros – Specific Ocean (4:33)
17. Dead Eros – Idyll (3:13)
18. prob. – bodyrock (remix) (5:01)

Week 1b:
19. prob. – emotion (4:23)
20. Sense – 203p2 (6:51)
21. Sense – Onel (2:34)
22. Sense – Korma (5:25)
23. 833-45 – Terres inconnues (4:15)
24. 833-45 – Outer Gate (3:39)
25. Formatt – Trnq (4:42)
26. Formatt – Still (2:42)
27. Phasmid – Lakefront Beats (4:06)
28. Skope – Discharged (7:07)
29. Skope – Divided By Time (7:03)
30. Recue – Silversands (7:28)
31. Recue – Lumino (5:04)
32. Recue – Between Stations (3:00)

 

 88 Netlabels - Week 1a: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 88 Netlabels - Week 1b: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

NETLABELS

8bit Peoples

01. Kplecraft – Ydodo
02. Kplecraft – Triffid-G
03. Kplecraft – Okesuchi

KPLECRAFT is an electro-acoustic chiptune duo hailing from Japan. Kuske and Eddie first caught our attention with their KNMS-001 release on Monotonik netlabel in late 2005. In 2006 they released their full length CD Hamlin and cemented their status as some of the most unique and eclectic musicians in the chiptune scene — combining Nintendo hardware with saxophones, a variety of hand-drums, guitar and toy instruments. So its with great pleasure that we present Multi-Boxer, their debut 8bitpeoples release and a truly brilliant one at that. Enjoy the didgeridoo and famicom too.

http://www.8bitpeoples.com/discography_gfx.php?artist=Kplecraft

04. Mr. Spastic – Ichi Ni San Cuatro
05. Mr. Spastic – QWERTY

This release is perfect for nerds, electronica fans, internet gurus and the average 8bit Joe. But, let it be known that it sounds like music hacking your eardrums on massive amounts of jolt cola. Don’t be fooled by the sounds of yesteryear, this is pure retro modern. Mr. Spastic will spas out your system and oscillate your hips to the funky clock ticks and digitized rhythms. Tres l33t!

http://www.8bitpeoples.com/discography_gfx.php?artist=Mr.%20Spastic#8BP078

06. Nullsleep – On Target

Nullsleep tears the space-time continuum a new one, emerging from the 10th dimension to deliver his new 8bitpeoples release — Electric Heart Strike. Equal parts elegant data corruption and unbridled chiptune intensity, it is at once a suitable soundtrack for your next dance party or your first time surfing the superstrings to Alpha Centauri. Epic low-bit rock anthems, beat-driven juggernauts that spontaneously segfault, and romantic squarewave duets are the order of the day here. Until the future, Parity Hard!

http://www.8bitpeoples.com/discography_gfx.php?artist=Nullsleep#8BP077

07. RushJet1 – The Voyage
08. RushJet1 – Nebula

Ever wondered what it’s like in outer space? Ever wondered whether there’s life on other planets out there? In RushJet1′s second 8bitpeoples release, humans venture into space to find out and begin colonizing other planets. All is not well, though, as war ensues over control of a newly-found abandoned alien planet with advanced technology. What will the fate of the human race be? Recorded straight from the NES, these tunes were specifically written with the hardware in mind. Thanks to SLiVeR and Nullsleep!

http://www.8bitpeoples.com/discography_gfx.php?artist=RushJet1#8BP076

09. Vim – Hazel, Dave, Aaron, and the Tall One
10. Vim – Made in Reception

Vim AKA Keith Baylis has been writing some of the most uniquely imaginative chiptunes since 1991. Now, 15 years later we present you with his debut 8bp release, Extended Loo Break — seven Game Boy tracks written by Vim during a stint at an utterly boring job during 2002 and 2003. With little to do during the workday, tunes were written while hanging out around reception, at the bus stop, or (as the title suggests) while in the toilets. The result is an all-out lo-fi assault that flies in the face of workplace boredom — and scores a stunning victory.

http://www.8bitpeoples.com/discography_gfx.php?artist=Vim

11. Yuppster – Green Lens
12. Yuppster – Yellow Lens

This was made over Christmas break 2000. I was at my parents house on vacation and stayed up late making the tracks with Buzz Tracker, which I had just downloaded. I used the same samples and effects for all of them. The EP is full of crunchy beats and melodic sustained synth sounds. Everything is a bit peaked out. As for the concept, each song represents a color on Simon. The color, hopefully, corresponds to the sound in some way.

http://www.8bitpeoples.com/discography_gfx.php?artist=Yuppster

MONOTONIK

13. Datassette – stop
14. Datassette – eyeballs and elbows
15. Datassette – computers

We found Datassette after he linked to Monotonik from his own artist website. Fortunately, it turns out that he hearts us, and we heart him, since the UK-based artist with the retro-hardware themed pseudonym cuts up a lovely mix of previous Monotonik artists like Vim! and Braces Tower, alternating funky electronica with the geekier bleep end of the spectrum, but coming out all wine and roses in the originality stakes.
Starting out with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop drift of ‘Microfocus’, it’s straight into ‘Hidden Area’, all smooth digital funk crossed with bass vistas you can see for miles, before the herky-jerky digital funk of ‘Computers’ cuts a fine sinelike rug. Moving on swiftly, we become lodged inside a funkbox with the surprisingly sharp ‘Zigzag’, before ‘Eyeballs and Elbows’ continues along the fine, unconventional digifunk path, and perhaps the jewel in the crown, ‘Synthesize’, comes off oddly ’80s, with breathless vocals and ticking bass. Finally, ‘Run Human!’ has a scary robot exhorting us all to, likely, run for the hills. But actually, we all want to come closer and admire Datassette’s handiwork, right? Right.

http://www.mono211.com/content/releases/mtkmp143.html

16. Dead Eros – Specific Ocean
17. Dead Eros – Idyll

We first released Michigan-based foreboding idm superstar Dead Eros on Monotonik back in 2005, and are delighted to welcome him back with this 4-track release, ‘Cycle EP’, all slightly spooky, overlapping electronics in a distinctly regional, but distinctly original way.

We start out with ‘Specific Ocean’, which is fuzzed-up angular metal funk, in a laid back way, before going on to the keyboard-flecked, downtempo ‘Ignite Alarm’, which is heavy on the shuffle, almost half-speed drill and bass rhythms. It’s like if you got Squarepusher a bus pass and made him reminisce about the old days of cloth caps, innit?

Following rapidly on, ‘Idyll’ is incredibly ambient, smile-inducing melodic haze, and closer ‘Respite’ drifts almost into Biosphere territory with some powerful drone overlaid with some strong, catchy loops, while the radio chatter jerks up and down, and eventually overwhelms the piece for a blissout, dub-laden ending. This is, my friends, original electronic music, while is why we’ve released it on Monotonik. End.

http://www.mono211.com/content/releases/mtkmp192.html

18. Prob. – Body Rock remix
19. Prob. – Emotion

After a longish period of hibernation, Dice, aka Prob., the Finnish breaks-guru who’s a longtime Dharma collaborator and has previous and forthcoming 12″ releases on Audio Couture, Straight Up Breakbeat and Formation, comes up with a gem of a mini-EP for Monotonik in his more laidback Prob. guise.

First up is the title track, “Emotion”, a wonderfully horizontally-inclined d+b-flecked track, reminiscent of some of the output on Certificate 18, perhaps – all insistent snares and pirouetting bass, but with an overlying melodic structure that’s simply creamy.

Twin that with the remix of Prob+Mirko’s “Body Rock” track, the original of which has already been requisitioned for a public-access interpretative dance TV show, “Praise You”-style, we kid you not, and we think you’ll find the perfect duo. The “Body Rock – Remix” is almost Kernkraft-catchy in a ‘only slightly less cheesy DMX Krew’ stylee, and overhauls the original into a more complete piece of electro madness, if that’s possible. And check the irresistable whitneyhoustonesque keychange for the last verse? Scoore..

http://www.mono211.com/content/releases/mtkmp42.html

20. Sense – 203p2
21. Sense – onel
22. Sense – korma

It’s been a while, but we’re delighted to welcome back Australia’s Sense, aka Adam Raisbeck, an artist on Monotonik since early 2000, and responsible for some of the label’s most beautiful, serene classic idm moments. Though Sense’s output has been borderline prodigous over the last couple of years, including releases on U-Cover, Neo-Ouija, and Merck, plus a tour with fellow mtk.artist Tim Koch and Ontayso, he’s still found time to dig around in some of his 2003-era material and present us with the ‘Further EP’, which goes, well, further.

So, from the starting-point of ‘Onel’, all deep, deep tones and straightahead depthcharge beats, we go through the surprisingly uptempo, groovy ‘Korma’ (previously released on Kahvi and on a Merck Records mix-tape), then the amazingly vibrant, textured deep ambience of ’203p2′, the playfulness and clear tones of ‘Plink’, and finally, the almost Orb-like ‘Church Song’, building and rising and gliding inexorably out of the sea as the sun bakes, the waves lap, and great Cthulhu surveys his empire. And he is happy.

http://www.mono211.com/content/releases/mtkmp138.html

NO TYPE

23. 833-45 – Terres inconnues
24. 833-45 – Outer Gate

Under the name833-45, Kevin M Krebs creates his works from radio interceptions and environmental noise. Currently living in Vancouver, Kevin M Krebs has studied under Barry Truax and has also collaborated with Tomas Jirku.

Each new album by Kevin M Krebs is a source of auditory bliss the like of which is all too rare. Whether under his given name or as 833-45, he just keeps offering us new sonic landscapes which are as formidable as they are unheard of. With Passages, we are happy to present you five brand new pieces which borrow as much from the subtle science of waves as from the elemental forces of nature, closing on a heartfelt homage to Morton Feldman. A keeper by all counts.

http://www.notype.com/drones/cat.e/nt_106/

OBSERVATORY

25. Formatt – Trnq
26. Formatt – Still

Based in Belgium, Formatt started early 2001, after several experiments with analog and digital sounds, as the solo-project of Peter Smeekens. Focussing on the digital enforcement of audio, the main goal for Peter is to achieve a perfect blend of warm, fuzzy analogs and clean, colder digital signals and patterns in his tracks.

http://www.observatoryonline.org/releases/view_release.php?sku=os007

27. Phasmid – Lakefront Beats

Straight off of the release of Phasmid’s full-length 2xCD “Her Friend The Blue Star” (Skylab Operations), Alabama civil rights lawyer and abstract electronic musician Kell Simon brings us a new ep featuring 2 older tracks and 1 new demo track from his upcoming full-length album, coming in mid to late 2004.

The title track, “Lakefront Beats” and “On A Rainy River” take us back in time to earlier Phasmid experiments of a more abstract nature. Where, his newest demo track, currently untitled, shows us just one of the directions Phasmid will be taking with his upcoming full-length. An homage to past influences, “Untitled” takes on a trip through early 90′s UK shoegaze, bringing it up to speed by blending in a lovely array of electronic melodies and pads. Untitled is a track just screaming out for the right vocal pattern, with the appropriate British accent of course.

http://www.observatoryonline.org/releases/view_release.php?sku=os033

28. Skope – Discharged
29. Skope – Divided By Time

Skope 2 grew up in New York City surrounded by music. His musician
siblings impressed upon him the classic rock of Queen, Yes, and Kansas. Following their lead, he purchased his first piece of wax at the tender age of seven Kiss’ “Destroyer”. His father was an avid organ player, and kept the venerable Hammond B3 around the house for several years. Becoming a drummer, it wasn’t long before his Dad’s soulful taste really hooked him – the bop of Herp Albert and the groove of seventies R&B like the Commodores.

It wasn’t until about 1982 when his parallel passions for graffiti art and break dancing began to consume him, along with the electro-funk-hip-hop that rocked the schoolyards of New York at the time: Afrika Bambaataa, Soul Sonic Force, Grand Master Flash. Skope loved the new space beats of electro, and became obsessively focused on DJing. As the electro sound morphed into other forms, his taste morphed with it into his next phase of parallel passions: Chicago House and Detroit Techno. He pushed these emerging underground sounds into after-hours clubs in Manhattan and warehouse parties in Brooklyn, alongside Techno pioneers Frankie Bones, Heather Heart and Adam X. After studying graphic design, he teamed up with long-time graffiti partner-turned producer Jeff Allen (aka Brittle Ones), launching Hydrant Records, and moved to San Francisco.

The pair operated Hydrant, along with the sub label Sprout, from 1994 to 2000, releasing a dozen records, and introducing the world to the artist Proem. Hydrant broke up in 2000 with his partner Jeff’s return to Brooklyn, and Skope decided to call it quits on running a label in order to focus on building up his studio and production skills. This brings us up to the past year, where he has produced a single for an Emanate Records compilation, released a techno 12″ (as Suffix) with new studio partner Jonathan Ojeda on Spundae, released an experimental remix of Phasmid on the Skylab Operations compilation “Cooper Is On Bubbles Remixes”, and now introduces this four tracker, “Buildings EP” on Observatory, which is an absolute fusion of his many influences.

When not losing sleep in his studio, Skope 2,aka Doug Eisengrein, divides his time writing for Remix magazine, running live sound at a San Francisco jazz club, and hanging out with his girlfriend and two cats.

http://www.observatoryonline.org/releases/view_release.php?sku=os029

ONE

30. Recue – Silversands
31. Recue – Lumino
32. Recue – Between Stations

Between Stations is the long anticipated debut EP from Recue (Riku Annala). Already known by some through his live performances with Bad Loop and here at One with his recent remix for If:Then:Goto, the interest in a solo release has been building up for awhile. We’re the lucky ones who bring it to you.

Heavy and equal elements of ambient, dub, idm, and techno are present in Recue’s sound. Rhythms trip around and over strong melodies that together carry a persistent groove along currents of bass and ragged arpeggios. Sublime and sombre introspective moments are here as well – such as the drowned bass of ‘Silversands’, the melodic ambience of ‘Between Stations’, and the enamoring guest-vocals of Jobie on the lush ‘Come away with me’.

http://one.dot9.ca/2/releases.php?id=030

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“Origins of Drum&Bass, a definitive guide”

Before you jump down my throat, think about your history in the music form, then think about the credible information you’ve picked up in that time, then think about the sub-genres in D&B you don’t like in part or at all… Do you pay attention to music you don’t like? I do! This way, you can see the way your vision in the music form can represent what you know and nothing else. I am not here to tell you how it all started, more so I am here to tell you about points in the time line from the conceptualization of D&B to what we now know as D&B in its near-present day setting.

I started a controversial thread a long time ago on http://www.dogsonacid.com to analyze “Who [most people believed] had started Drum&Bass music”. Most of the people that participated in the discussion cited Dj Hype, who I will go into later, but it was very obvious that the other names people tell me about are the names of the people who exposed them to the music, rather than the actual people who set up the foundation of the music form and its cultural scene. Goldie did not create Drum&Bass, neither did LTJ Bukem, Nor Grooverider, but these people and more all played instrumental and landmark parts in making the art larger in terms of respect and composition, and they also pioneered making money and solid names in the music.

This is the point where my personal opinions begin to surface [I like to call them "absolute truthiness"]:

D&B was formerly known as Jungle, before that it went by a wild host of names all related to “hardcore” music. Take your pick, the names of sub-genres came up because everything from Jazz to Hip-Hop to Country music was being remixed into this “underdog” genre of electronic music. Jungle/D&B is a much wider world than the sub-genre you like most, as most of us know. That is why I would never say that “I know where jungle began!” [even though I do], because it all depends on your personal experience, but Overall, I am always right and I use spell check, so I will tell you; Jungle/D&B really began around 1992 [as Jungle] when, in England, DJ Hype and many others decided to experiment and play hip-hop records at [45RPM] instead of at their correct [33RPM] speed. Speeding up these records created the “chipmunk vocals” and faster tempos that Jungle was known for later on. We got rid of the chipmunk vocals pretty much and exchanged it for terror drums and dub stabs, but hey, you’ve gotta move forward somehow right?

Required readings/watchings on the subject matter are as follows:

Knowledge Magazine: http://www.knowledgemag.co.uk
Brian Belle Fortune: All Crews Must Biggup [book]
London Someting [documentary video, possibly on youtube]
The Metalheadz Documentary [documentary video, possibly on youtube]
Archived threads from the 90′s on Dogsonacid.com and
drumandbassarena.co.uk
[pretty self explanatory *duh*]
ATM: [Not "Ass To Mouth"! Its a real D&B magazine! >:|]
Look up “Jungle” and “Drum & Bass” on wikipedia.com

The 90s brought about rules, unity, and structure to the Jungle scene. Rules were based on a tempo range for what made a track “fit” into the D&B world, so it can be mixed with music that was related into continuous mixes. At first the scene modeled traits from the House Music world, which was already grown and flourishing, but that culture couldn’t work for D&B in the longn run because D&B was a much more “underdog” form of music than house; it was hard to get bookings or to get labels to put your music out, or to rent a club for a D&B night, these things created a “militant” movement in England where the culture shifted to a dedication to the music in which true Junglists made it clear that they would not support anything [parties, promoters, producers, etc] that used Jungle to make their crowds bigger or denied Jungle music its right to be heard properly. Thus, the “Junglist Movement” was born, and thats when the unifying “Junglist Movement” t-shirts emerged.

During that same time [early 90s], a breakout group called “Congo Natty” was emerging in the Jungle world, they brought in a reggae influence that had never been heard before, it drew a whole different culture sphere into the Jungle world and added dimension and depth to the art. Dj Hype [probably the most prominent Jungle Dj at the time] picked up tunes by Congo Natty in this time and played them with his Hip-Hop styled mashups. This is when D&B developed significantly into a branded art form, and it began to grab the eyes of industry heads. It paved the way for SHY FX and Roni Size to even make it onto the UK Billboard Charts, which helped the music to begin its flow overseas around 1993-94. Many people don’t know that Dieselboy was known for playing ragga sets in 96, Why? because thats primarily what Drum&Bass was back then…

Top DJs in England in the mid-90s studied dancehall culture, and used tons of vocal samples from live recordings that “Stone Love” a Jamaican MC/DJ crew had made. Producers set up their camps and crews held “soundclashes” to establish their dominance with their Sound Systems, DJ Skills, Production Techniques, and Crowd Support. The culture was vibrant in the UK. Many jungle heads that visit the US tell me that D&B [over there] was like Hip-Hop was [over here] for perspective. They had music videos of Jungle on TV, in commercials and movies while we were putting Hip-Hop onto our channels… A lot of the elements of UK Jungle didn’t transfer/translate here because of the different scenes in which the music emerged.

The US had known techno and house for years and a separate and distinct rave culture was already working here, so US D&B grew independently from D&B in England once it arrived. The US still embraced UK culture by bringing over many UK artists, but we had few exports of our DJs to the D&B motherland of UK well until the late 90s and early 00′s.

In the late 90s, D&B’s popularity surged in England, Parties came up every day of the week, and they were profitable! Production of new tunes was the driving force for D&B thought that golden era… Producers were making money of of the music they worked so hard on because vinyl sales surged and they started selling to markets outside of the UK! Nights out became a practice in listening for the latest tune the Goldie, Loxy, Zinc, Digital & Spirit, Bad Company, Winterman [ha] etc. had done during the past week, those were great times. Here in the US, we were lucky to have a once a year massive with a small D&B back room set, or a Sunday or Monday party, but the D&B vybe was definitely felt as parties grew steadily and gained a bit more success and respect. We grew a few DJs from our continent that became world wide names [Hive, Dieselboy, AK1200 etc...]. We imported UK DJs by the pound, our lineups got better and better, actually things were so promising around this time that even Photek [A very successful producer originally from the UK] decided to settle here an many others thought about following just to witness the gensys of D&B all over again.

The late 90s to 2000s in the US saw the music come up fast, artists thought deeply on how to help the music to gain momentum without “selling out”, and some simply “sold out”. Sampling was wild and free, until many got sued [e.g. Dj Zinc for his Fugees track remix], then people got tight with then “sampling others” game and switched to creating more of their own sounds and only carefully sampling other D&B artists that were cool and understood the culture. This was a move that began to bring D&B back into the underground In my opinion… D&B was so good because when it sampled what people already know, it took it to an altogether new level and then added the underground influence to it. in the mean time producers were making 100% original productions to work with it all and thats a major part of what made the music so diverse and large. These days producers tend to play the sampling game ultra safe for fear of being sued, and people don’t listen because the product is too far away from everything else in music they’ve known up to that point.

Once you get past the “mix intro” in a D&B track, thats when it drops and everything sets in. Many do not take the time to listen to the music beyond 2 seconds because other music is formatted much differently than raw D&b tracks… Many people in the music disregard the roots and culture of the music and try to turn it into something completely different than what is at its foundation, many promoters do not take time to learn about D&B beyond who is selling vinyl and who can make them money, many only show up for a DJ because thats where their friends are going and then they turn around and say they love D&B. No one should be expected to learn about the history of D&B, but if they don’t thats their loss. Sorry I get grumpy form time to time and preachy because hey, [I'm always right] and [I'm still militant about D&B]. >:P

I say all of this as opinion, and say it now because some haven’t taken the time to research D&B because they: A. Don’t want to give D&B a chance out of sheer laziness, B. Hate D&B and wish they never listened to it but may change their minds once they hear a good track, and C. Didn’t really think more than 5 people were doing it until now. and D. Only care about their damn selves and looking good on the Internet. I am not trying to be condescending in my tone here, so please don’t send hatemail to my hotmail, I am mainly a Junglist Soldier aiming like a sniper on the warpath for thoroughness and truthiness! Jah Bless the Jungle Massive! Rock out with your c*ck out!

-Winterman