Old Strikes New - Arcade Awake [snd04]

Album: Arcade Awake
Artist: Old Strikes New
Label: www.somethingnondescript.co.uk
Genre: ImprovJazzHopTronica (?!?) / Acid Jazz
Release Date: March 2007
Download
Music Video

Review:

At first this release did not appeal to me. The first track just never seemed to get anywhere and all the (orb like) talking in the track really just distracted me from actually enjoying it. When I got to the second track "Far Below Zero" I was suitably impressed! Dark and expressive beats, electronic bleeps and plenty of texture made the track stand out from the others.

All the tracks that follow have a deep Jazz influence and their all dark and (very) funky. Sharp production techniques really keep you on the edge of your seat with this one.

If you are into "Amon Tobin" or "Fout tet" (more Amon Tobin) this should really be a thoroughly enjoyable release. If your just a fan of electronica with a Jazz influence the same goes for you.

Its deep, dark, funky, electronic, jazz and really PHAT! It comes highly recommended too.

Renu - Hello How are You [AH007]

Album: Hello How are You
Artist: Renu
Label: www.archaichorizon.com
Genre: Chill / Downtempo / Trip Hop
Release Date: March 2007
Download

Review:

Its been a hectic week and this seems to be the perfect soundtrack to winding down before the weekend. Renu creates a very enjoyable and listenable blend of downtempo chilled beats and some funky Boards of Canada style retro synth lines. The overall feel of the album is almost if you blend Jean Michel Jarre with BoC and throw in a dash of Alex Patterson.

Its ambient, chilled and very relaxing and I think its worth a download.

Younnat - The Duct [foot035]

Album: The Duct
Artist: Younnat
Label: www.bumpfoot.net
Genre: Chill / Easy listening / Electronica
Release Date: 24-March-2007
Download (click it!)

Review:

Younat and bumpfoot send us some pleasant melodies, thick funky beats and some interesting synth lines. its hard to classigy this one again as its got a "easy listening" feel, but yet is not the general cheese that you would expect from that genre.

Instead its a vey mature and funky combination of easy listening with some other elements, I dare say electronica as its just too hard to select one or two genres. As the album progresses the sound becomes more intense, funky and hard. There is a track call "Yesss!" which i found to be very good ... Its house more than anything else and damn funky if you ask me. If you intend to download one track and you like the funky stuff ... get "Yesss!" (its very good)

I found the release very enjoyable and entertaining, one of the tracks didn't do it for me.But you cant please everybody all the time. Who knows, you might even enjoy it.

I really think you should download this album, if you are a fan of most electronic genre's .. .from chill to house, there is something on here for all of us, the last track even contains some flamenco!

Its a must have!

(Side note: Ill try and make up this week for all the album's i missed, remember to mail me if i missed you. I just needed a weekend of relaxation so tomorrow its back to work again!)

Kudu - Photophobia [swm018]

Album: Photophobia
Artist: Kudu
Label: http://www.sonicwalker.com/
Genre: minimal, dub, techno
Release Date: 21 March 2007
Download (click it!)

Review:

Kudu mixes a stunning set of some really mellow minimalist ambient techno. This compilation is really fantastic and its a perfect selection of music if you want some "laid back" vibes. a Lot of the tracks feature IDM elements, glitches, squeaks, bleeps, blips and dub basslines! Its a interesting combination and once again with some good results.

The selection of artists and remixes is really one of the best i have seen in a compilation. It even includes a remix from Juno6 and if you have been following this blog, you know i like this guys work.

If you like ambient techno, ambient house, minimal, techno, or even just chillout with a bit of beat this is a winner!

Its a highly recommended download, you must give it a listen ...

Note: I haven't included the track listing. Its available from the release page. While your there please send these guys an email and tell them what you think. They need your support and appreciate it too. 9/10 times they even reply back to you!

Its gonna be one of those again!

Greetings all!

Well, its been a really rough week so far! i havent had time to even listen to any of the new releases. One of my co-workers is on leave for two weeks and in effect we all need to take over his work load for two weeks.

So enough with all the excuses.

Anyone heard any good releases of late that i missed? Please let me know (my addy is on the page)

I hope to have some more reviews up soon, please leave comments i love hearing from you guys! Also if you want me to reply, leave your email address (i wont publish the comment).

I have been hacking away at my own music for the past few weeks and finally got around to sorting out my studio over the weekend too. (Oooh damn I hate cables)

I hope to hear from you all ...

Iñaki Villasante - Accelerates your heart EP [ANTIRITMO 015]

Album: Accelerates your heart EP
Artist: Iñaki Villasante
Label: www.antiritmo.com
Genre: Techno / minimal (?)
Release Date: March 2007
Download

Review:

Banging techno ... Moderate to fast paced deep, dark and sinister synth grooves and seriously pumping beats ... all the main ingredients are here to give some fantastic food for any technohead. The album's pace never lets down , not even for a second and only seem to get more intense as it moves along. If you ever need to lose a couple of Kg's put this album on repeat and try to keep to the beat.

Overall the album really packs a wallop and sometimes comes across almost evil!! If harder edgy stuff is for you ... this will feed your dark side. (Remember we all need to feed it sometime >:)

Album: Pimp my Llama
Artist: Dirtybird
Label: www.italobusiness.com/content/netlabel/index.html
Genre: TechHouse / Electro
Release Date: 14 March 2007
Download

Review:
This is a very straight forward EP with some reasonable tunes on it. Once again it might be more mix fodder than iPod food, but it is still good enough to get a mention...

Hardmate - Früher, ganz ganz früher [rest034]

Album: Früher, ganz ganz früher
Artist: Hardmate
Label: http://www.rest-label.net
Genre: Tech-House
Release Date: March 2007
Download

Review:
If you want some more dancefloor friendly music, either to use in a mix or to listen to, this album will have something on it for you. Its tech-house all the way from start to end.

The album is good, but i cannot say that it will have a lot of replay value on your iPod / player. It will however work very well in a mix. It just does not have the X factor required to make you go "Whooo hooo!". I think some of you might disagree though, dont get me wrong its not bad by a long shot...

There is one stand out track on the album, "Planet Chaos (Sanomat Remix)". Its tends to be more hard trance and it is a track that will make you go "Whoo hoo!".

Metafame - Sooner EP [kreislauf011]

Album: Sooner EP
Artist: Metafame
Label: http://kreislauf.org/
Genre: Electronica / IDM
Release Date: March 2007
Download

Review:

Kreislauf is proud to give us Metafame's Sooner EP. Its a twisted ride winding through some dark (and insane?) places! Metafame uses dark, low elements, adds ambient texture and sometimes a crooked melody. This creates a pseudo minimalist style with ambient qualities and some remarkable results.

The album might be a little complicated for some to enjoy, but if you have a sense of adventure and an open mind, this album should slide down pretty well.

I'm very impressed with Kreislauf's artists, they seem to choose the artist they "sign" very well and in effect creating a style true to their label. (kudos to you guys)

Bogart Shwadchuck - Vent A+B [FCM010]

Album: Vent A+B
Artist: Bogart Shwadchuck
Label: http://www.fullcodemedia.com
Genre: House
Release Date: March 2007
Download

Review:

Vent A and Vent B? I must be honest and say that the track names are not very inventive, but i suppose its better than "Untitled1" and "Untitled2"? But if you look past the names of the tracks, you will find some top of the line house music. Both tracks are very funky and extremely dancefloor and DJ friendly.

Bumping Kicks, Stinging Hatz, Funky basslines all the main ingredients are here to make a solid set of house music. The album does deliver and will get the party moving. If house or dance is your thing, you have to queue this one for a download. Its good stuff ...

Roborobika - It's Rainy Outside [io016]

Album: It's Rainy Outside
Artist: Roborobika
Label: www.ionetlabel.com
Genre: Breakbeat / IDM / DnB
Release Date: 17-March-2007
Download

Review:

This album features a Good mix of IDM and Drum and Bass. The music is good and overall is listenable and enjoyable. The Album lends itself more to the darker side of Drum and Bass and its not the light jazzy style of DnB mentioned in some of the other releases. Keeping this in mind, the album is very funky at times and also energetic.

Sometimes the tracks lack something ... I have listened to the release 3 times already and im still not able to hum a tune :) The music is also DJ friendly and would make for some good mix fills. Maybe after round 4 ill find something that hooks me more ...

Tony Guinness - Almost

Album: Almost
Artist: Tony Guinness
Label: http://after-dinner.net/
Genre: Tech-House / Minimal
Release Date: 14-March-2007
Download

Review:
Tony Guinness presents to us some pumping and rather funky Tech-House. Both the "Almost" tracks are pretty repetitive but does not get too monotonous or boring at all. I actually think they will both pump up a dancefloor quite well. Its just such a funky groove. The Mr Smith remix of Almost Pt2 is a very good remix and adds and funky bassline into the mix.

Fans of House , Techno , Tech-House and minimalist styles should find this release enjoyable. I can already hear some of these being played on a dancefloor soon.

Juno6 - Queue [1bit023]

Album: Queue
Artist: Juno6
Label: www.1bit-wonder.com
Genre: Downtempo / IDM / Electronica
Release Date: March 2007
Download

Review:

Juno6 is one of my favorite artists currently conjuring up music for the Netlabel scene. With dark gloomy sounds, peculiar melodies and rhythmic elements he is able to stir emotion and create something that defines the term melancholic. It is haunting and melancholic in the true sense of the word. His use of rhythms and sweeping synths are phenomenal, creating a unique rich style that defines Juno6.

Juno6 is an inspiration to me personally, his music has something in it that I cannot describe (and only wish that I could create). This to me is a Must Have piece of music and like all his albums this one is a keeper.

Download it, enjoy it, share the music and spread the word ... "Music is free as it should be!"

Miko9999 - Helix [io015]

Album: Helix
Artist: Miko9999
Label: www.ionetlabel.com
Genre: Break beat / Ambient / Downtempo / Electronica
Release Date: 11-March-2007
Download

Review:

This is seriously an album thats "out there". Its a blend between funky lo-fi beats and ambient melodic elements. This is a very interesting combination and Miko9999 pulls of this blend pretty well. Its hard to put this into a single genre as the elements tend to create a paradox which (in my mind at least) is almost unclassifiable ... pure "electronica" comes to mind *cough*.

The album does have a consistent element of funk throughout which really adds to the longevity of the music and i only found myself skipping past one or two of the tracks at the third listen.

If you have a taste for something laid back , but still funky ... you cant go past this one.

Highly recommended stuff :)

Paul Damixie - Love Feels So Good [micro001]

Album: Love Feels So Good
Artist: Paul Damixie
Label: microme.audio-lab.org
Genre: Tech-House / Minimal
Release Date: 12 March 2007
Download

Review:

This release seems to be the debut of both Paul Damixie and the Netlabel "Microme". The release is dance oriented and blends minimal, techno and house elements to create good Tech-House. So whats the verdict?

The album contains a few groovy, gritty basslines and funky beats. Sometimes it steps well into the hard house arena but still manages to keep vague elements of techno / electro (See "Super Expensive"). The production is also good and is funky enough to appeal to fans of hard house and other dance genres.

To summarize: I enjoyed it.

Revolog - Revolog 1[VRB005]

Album: Revolog 1
Artist: Revolog
Label: www.vorbic.com
Genre: Drum & Bass
Release Date: 14-March-2007
Download

Review:

Revlog is proud to present his album called "Revlog 1", and we are proud to review it too. Its a Drum and Bass album featuring rollin' beats and pumping sub-bass basslines.

All the tracks are very well laid out and I like the first and last tracks the most. In context though, all the tracks are good and have a very DnB vibe to them. It is this vibe that made me fall in love with Drum & Bass many years ago for that reason this one is staying in my collection.

So its pretty much everything you would expect and a little more too. The guys at Vorbic seem to have a nice arsenal of artists lining up to have their work published. They set quite a high standard for themselves with every release and i have yet to be disappointed in one of their releases.

ORG - Mechanized EP [PCR029]

Album: Mechanized EP
Artist: ORG
Label: www.pharmacom-productions.de
Genre: Downtempo / Break beat / Chillout?
Release Date: March 2007
Download 192kbs
Download 320kbs


Review:

With a (somewhat) lo-fi sound on the first two tracks of this release catches you off guard, at first thinking its a low quality production, but as the tracks evolve you realize that it just adds more funk into groove.

The title track for me was the best of all ... swinging through with phat beats and funky guitar rhythm. If downtempo funk is your style then this should give you a smile (at least).

If the album continued onwards with more lo-fi-ness it might have spoiled it, but after tuning your ears to the noise the 3rd track drops in with an almost ambient spacey vibe. a Deep bassline rips the track up and fast paced drumming runs almost undiscovered in the track. The fourth track continues onward with this style, mixing up ambient synths with soft but still distinct beats.

The package is available in a number of formats including mp3, ogg and FLAC. I would suggest getting at least the 320Kbs mp3 or FLAC version, if you can handle the extra bandwidth requirements. It being a lo-fi style you need to get as much detail as hi-fi can give you ;)

Its good for me ... what do you think?

Droog - Alles ist Hermoso [norbu03]

Album: Alles ist Hermoso
Artist: Droog
Label: www.norbumusic.com
Genre: Ambient Techno / Minimal / Techno
Release Date: 8 May 2007
Download

Review:

I'm impressed with this release especially the first track. Its got such a fantastic rhythm ... fantastic atmospheres, haunting melodies and its funky to boot! The second track is a little more devious with a more traditional techno sound building up from start to end. Its definitely something i can see come up in someone's mix pretty soon...

Its a shame its only two tracks though but well worth the small download. There is even a FLAC version for you audiophiles out there.

Tatsu - Wisteria Field [bump030]

Album: Wisteria Field
Artist: Tatsu
Label: www.bumpfoot.net
Genre: Ambient Techno / Minimal / Tech House
Release Date: 11-March-2007
Download

Review:

Tatsu, the brains behind Bumpfoot, brings us some minimal ambient techno. The album contains 7 tracks all of which are superb pieces of music. The music is lush and laid back, slow and funky and gives you sound with enough pulse to put you in a trance like state. ;)

I can't help but feel a lounge sort of feel to all the tracks. Almost all the tracks would go down in a chill room, as background music after a long days work or even something to play during conversation with your friends after dinner. Its sort of dance-able and chill-able at the same time... a few of the tracks are a little louder and more beat driven than the rest and they might even work as opening tracks for a dancefloor.

All the tracks are enjoyable and the production is spot on. It comes as highly recommended and it's free, so you don't need to mortgage your house, take out a loan or even use your credit card!

All you need is some bandwidth and believe me its good value for your bandwidth (so download it ;)

Hek187 - Big Dawg EP [pp022md]

Album: Big Dawg EP
Artist: Hek187
Label: www.plainaudio.com
Genre: Drum & Bass
Release Date: March 2007
Download

Review:
Drum and Bass comes from UK producer Hek187 in this release entitled "Big Dawg". Its got funky and well styled rollin' beats that keep your attention from start to end. The beats get a little more intense as the album progresses but never really move out of mellow land (in Drum and Bass terms!). Some of the basslines are sharp, Paht, deep (the kind that would "knock ya eahz uf ya hed")

The EP only contains 4 tracks so its a small download.

(i'm possibly dropping the "rating" system, i dont like it)

Natural Media - Anniversary Compilation [NM007]

Album: Anniversary Compilation
Artist: Various Artists
Label: www.naturalmedia.com.ar
Genre: Ambient / IDM
Release Date: March-2007
Download

Review:
a Various Artist ambient compilation featuring some amazing ambient tracks. The album blends ambient soundscapes with elements from other genre's but never move too far away from its roots. None of the tracks contain harsh sounds at all, white & pink noise at most and the album progresses as if taking you on a journey. To me this is a requirement for any collected ambient works.

It's definitely headphone / iPod food but can also be consumed whilst lying in bed taking a nap or anywhere else ambient can be enjoyed. a Class-A compilation of some of the best ambient tracks i have heard in a while.

The download also contains a Quicktime movie file which is just a basic "music" video and this grows the download size a bit. But its worth every nibble of your bandwidth. (a nibble = "half a byte" for the non geeks)


4/5

John Lagora - Avian Flu [alquimia001]

Album: Avian Flu
Artist: John Lagora
Label: www.alquimia-netlabel.com
Genre: Techno /Electro
Release Date: 5-March-2007
Download

Review:

John Lagora is featured as Alquimia Net Label's debut release and it is a very good release at that. Its hard to cast the release into one genre. John Lagora seems to blend the techno and electro genre's into his own unique sound creating a styled version of these. This is a good thing as it gives the artist identity.

The music is thumping and solid, dancefloor friendly and damn groovy. All the dance music enthusiasts who like the "New Electro House" genre must at least try out the track "Stay tune, boy". Its Solid beats, funky tribal rhythms and a KILLER bassline!! You wont be disappointed in this one.

This one get s a full and solid 4/5 :)

Mike Breitfeld - Sci-fi Scope EP [brq30]

Album: Sci-fi Scope EP
Artist: Mike Breitfeld
Label: http://www.broque.de/
Genre: Electronica / Techno / Various
Album URL
Release Date: 1-March-2007
Download

Review:

a Collection of great sounds in many different styles. Mike Breitfeld has really impressed me with this release. All of the tracks are top of the line and some create an eerie paradox in sound. Combining constant rhythms to tunes which builds up a lot of energy as the music progresses. Be it slow or faster paced all the music seems to build up to something, be it energy or tension.

His usage of synthesis is also great creating deep dark sweeps and pure analogue phatness. He blends some basic techniques in his production with amazing success, 2 man orbit as an example uses some fantastic panning in the sound creating a virtual orbit of sound around you. (headphones help).

The album contains a array of styles from dance to chill out. I recommend it to all of our electronic music fans. There should be something in here for everyone.

a Solid 4.5/5 goes to this release!

Peter Gual - Crits D´Uralita EP [ANTIRITMO014]

Album: Crits D´Uralita EP
Artist: Peter Gual
Label: www.antiritmo.com
Genre: Techno
Release Date: Feb 2007
Download

Review:

Banging techno tracks with tribal elements mixed in. Its WILD and chaotic at the best of times so beware if you are not into the wild stuff :). But if you are into the more hectic side of techno its a pretty good release. (With hectic, i don't mean harsh sounds that would make you go WTF?!?!). The tribal rhythmic elements do add to the "listenability" of the album giving it more depth and energy.

Its a nice release, good artwork and the production is also good. But I cannot recommend this to non techno fans. It might just be too much for someone who is not keen on fast paced and intense sounds.

This one gets a 2 :)

Oeler - Drum´n´Space [DCC4]

Album: Drum´n´Space
Artist: Oeler
Label: http://www.directorscutcologne.de/
Genre: Ambient House / House / DnB
Artist URL
Album URL
Release Date: 3 March 2007
Download

Review:

Im not sure if this mix is all by one artist but from what i can make out it seems to be the case. The mix is a great selection of music and the artist is pretty damn talented if all of the music on this album is indeed his.

The progressive house sound is merged with some ambient sweeps and pads, funky basslines and weaves a very palatable sound that is hard not to enjoy. At track five the album dives into breakbeat and I think Moon Groove is one wicked ass track. From there on its drum and bass all the way to the last track which is more of a downtempo track than anything else.

I must say that i find the title of the album very well suited. All of the tracks do have some sort of a spacey sound and all of them really go off without a hitch. I could easilly listen to the entire album without skipping one of the tracks and ill definitely be listening to it again.

This one gets a full 5/5 from me :) If Ambient house or Drum and Bass is your game, this album is for you.

Boing & Peng! - The Unmasked Comedia [SSR026G]

Album: The Unmasked Comedia
Artist: Boing & Peng!
Label: Super Six Records
Genre: Hard House / Tech House / Progressive House
Album URL
Release Date: 3-Mar-2007
Download 192Kbs
Download 320Kbs

Review:

Boing & Peng serves up some delicious dancefloor food feeding us house and hard house. Its deep and dark and sometimes pretty hard. Its all aimed at making you dance yourself to death while listening to it on a dancefloor.

But seriously. The release is definitely aimed at the dancefloor enthusiast with pulsing basslines and deep solid beats. The album does delve into a bit of techno every now and then giving off a almost Joe Beltram vibe. The progression in the tracks really build a lot of energy as the music moves along (as Progressive should). Its a really solid release from Boing & Peng and the people at Super Six Records. Kudo's to you all.

So uhm? what time is it again? its Party Time!

4/5

Ratings Version 1.0

5 - This shouldn't be free?? Get it before they realize!
4 - Its fantastic
3 - Its above average
2 - Not bad if the genre is your thing.
1 - If you are a die hard fan of this genre, get it, else give it a miss.

Remember, we DON'T review music that is not worth the effort. We are not in the business of giving out bad reviews (and making enemies in the process). All the music mentioned on this site is hand picked out of the many releases every month. Its music that we find listen-able and sometimes music that we will keep with us forever.

So if you see your album on here got a 1/5 review, dont get upset! Believe me, we sift through a lot of music and only try to find the best.

I still however recommend that you make sure you download music that falls into your musical taste. Don't go downloading ambient if you want something to dance to?!?

Blurb follows-----
I'm trying to think of a better rating system. Should this be out of 10? should we do a worst of the month release? Should we start a chart maybe?
-----end Blurb

Let me know what you think.

Xyn - Blind Alleys - [XSN003]

Album: Blind Alleys
Artist: Xyn
Label: www.xynthetic.com
Genre: Dub Techno / Ambient Techno
Album URL
Release Date: March 2007
Download (click it!)

Review:

This is a decent release from Xyn. a Couple of dance floor friendly tracks that would most probably melt your head if you had to hear it over a loud system. The tracks are all very well produced and if you are a techno fan this will be a really good release.

It pains me to say however that it just does not stand out from the rest. Even though its good all the way through, its just not something that i would find myself whistling one day on my way to work. It doesn't have a hook or at least any hook that i could find.

If ambient techno is your thing, get this ... what the heck, get it in anycase and leave me a comment to say if you agree or not.

Maybe im just tired after last week.

2.5/5 (remember thats still good!)

Userwave - The Down Pipe [XSN004 ]

Album: The Down Pipe
Artist: Userwave
Label: http://www.xynthetic.com/
Genre: Electro /Techno
Album URL
Release Date: Mar-2007
Download (Click it!)

Review:

Some old school electro boogie comes to us in the form of The Down Pipe. 808 and 909 style beats with loads of synth lines, lazer zaps and other things straight from the Electro genre.

I sometimes wonder how these guys can still create original content in this style. Those instruments are relatiely limited in the sounds they can produce, but still some of the artists seem to pull it off. I suppose its the application of your musical talent that shows if you can still bring something original out of it.

This is a decent release but i would not recommend it to anyone who wants 4 beat style dance music, this is electro and if you think thats a new style of house music think again. But if you know your electro, this is all good.

3.5/5

Hybreed - Blossoms of a Neophyte [kpmp3-002]

Album: Blossoms of a Neophyte
Artist: Hybreed
Label: www.Konsum-Productions.com
Genre: Easy Listening / Chillout
Album URL
Release Date: Feb-2007
Download

Review:
Hybreed presents us with some enjoyable tracks. The album ranges from chillout to something a little more funky, but mainly stays in the chill realm.

The album is well done and definitely worth the download if you want some good vibes to fill the air while entertaining people or just relaxing with others.

a Solid 4/5 from me for this one.

---

Note:
Sorry about the short reviews. I'm seriously stuffed after this week and it looks like next week will be the same all over again.

Hardcore week

Sorry i haven't updated the blog in a while. Ive been very busy at work and just havent had the time to listen to anything new yet. a Few releases every now and then (when i can), but i dont have time to listen and give feedback on anything. Its just been too hectic working late nights.

I also got my hands on a Korg Electribe EA1 MKii. Yeah, i know its not much, but it was cheap and i needed something in the hardware realm. I get tired of using purely soft synths.

Whats the general opinion now days? Do you have a personal preference when it comes to hard vs soft?

Ill try and post something for you all soon ...