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Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Louie Vega's famed Elements of Life project - an ever-changing collective of musicians who create live house, disco, Latin and soul tracks - returns to action, this time with old friend Josh Milan in tow. In its original Louie Vega mix form (track 3),'Let Us Shine' is a deliciously deep soulful house number with tribal-influenced percussion, gospel-influenced vocals and Vega's usual impeccably produced instrumentation. Milan provides two top-notch 'Honeycomb' mixes (vocal and instrumental), which opt for a breezier and more tactile vibe with nods to both early New York garage-house and the earlier 'proto-house' wave spearheaded by Boyd Jarvis, Timmy Regisford and Paul Simpson. Rounding off the EP is live Latin house workout 'Los Tonos Segrados', featuring guest musician Axel Tosca.

Review: Anthony Georges Patrice's Ausblick label has trod a fine path over the course of its first five releases and the good work continues on its sixth outing which is a new various artists affair. It is Berlin based Ephem who kicks off with 'Dizzy' and all its bumpy beast and raw perc, then Koln's Hidden Sequence follows with 'Optical Drive' that is more stripped back and powered by warming sub bass. Anthony Georges Patrice himself then completes the hat trick with 'Easy To Love' (Tunnel Vision Mix) which over ten sublime minutes brings some more airy, double doit flavoured and has already been getting plays from Mosaic boss Steve O'Sullivan.

Notes: Erica's flagship drum machine is a thing of beauty. Hybrid four-voice architecture with digital sound engines feeding into analogue filters and overdrive. Beautiful design, brutal sound. A creative and original instrument.

Supplier's Notes:
It's rather sudden- the bolt of lightning strikes quickly, but the roar follows behind, as if giving one time enough to inhale. Finally, it strikes your ears like the skies breaking apart and in all its magnificence it rides the wind. PERKONS - a deity of old known by many names and also by ours on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea - THUNDER, lord of the skies. Erica Synths proudly present our newest creation - PERKONS (THUNDER) - a drum machine and synthesizer that will change your approach to electronic rhythm synthesis - an instrument which bears the weight of a storm beneath its sturdy casing.

PERKONS features four sonically versatile hybrid voices (digital sound engine + analogue multimode filter with overdrive) and a sequencer with simultaneous control over all four percussion tracks.

Each voice has 3 sound engine modes, a HP/BP/LP filter and 8 controls for nuanced sound design, including an internal BBD FX send. All voice parameter settings can be saved as KITS. To add dynamics to the performance, parameter automation is implemented and a modulation LFO can be assigned to all parameters.
For a real thunderstorm, integration with external gear is considered - each voice has a dedicated velocity-sensitive trigger input, individual output and FX send and return with 6.3mm jack sockets, along with extensive MIDI implementation. All voices are summed and run through a built-in optical compressor and master overdrive.

PERKONS HD-01 is a unique live performance and sound design instrument that tears down the borders between drum machine, synthesizer and drone instrument. Time to ride the skies!

Features:

4 hybrid voices (digital sound engine and analogue multimode filter with overdrive)
8 controls per voice
Velocity sensitive trigger inputs for drum pads
Individual voice outputs
Individual sends and returns
64 kit and 64 pattern memory + additional memory on the SD card
Built-in bucket brigade delay and optical compressor
Modulation LFO with morphing waveforms; up to 8 modulation destinations per voice
4 track sequencer, 4 time divisions and 4 time multiplications per track
Per-step ratchets and probabilities
4 shuffle algorithms
MIDI IN and MIDI OUT

Notes: ***B-STOCK: Without original box, product in perfect working order***


Pico BBD is surprisingly great sounding (we were surprised ourselves), full analogue 4092 stage bucket brigade delay module; the smallest BBD in Eurorack. Besides nice and clean flanger and delay effects, at full CW settings of TIME and feedback knobs it can produce extreme sonic artefacts. Tweak knobs and enjoy!

Review: Eusebeia and Artificial Red: Two artists together across three tracks on one beautiful 12" Samurai off-shoot label Mind Games are spoiling us silly right here. The magic is evident the moment those luxury drums swoop and dip on 'Sweet Memories'. More jazz than jungle, there's a cosmic urgency laced throughout that sets the tone for the whole EP. Elsewhere 'Peace Of Mind' goes full GLM with its dreamy pads and soft subs before 'Cloud Nine' finishes with a tender ravey hug. Music for the Mind Games, soul games and indeed body games.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Songs in The Key of E is a new offering the legendary soul man Everis, arriving in limited edition vinyl form just in time for Christmas. It features a number of superb new hair raising soul songs with some top guests too including a pair of award-winning singers, two international rappers, and a cult UK MC and sound system legend. There is an old school r&b tinge to the production and songwriting, with lavish keys and nice fresh beats all topped with emotive vocals that all swell the heart.

Review: A triumphant return for modern synth-pop chart-toppers Everything Everything, Mountainhead is an album-length analogy for our present condition, and an oozing forth of slick, joyous music at that. "Making a mountain out of a molehill" is certainly lent a positive spin when considered in light of "starting from nothing", i.e. music career-making; Everything Everything did just that in the mid 2010s when they charmed their burgeoning audience with their sophisti-synth prowess, and this is a sophistication that can only be continually reinforced hereon. For their latest concept album Mountainhead, all of society is imagined as working towards the creation of a manmade mountain; at the top is rumoured to be a huge mirror that reflects endlessly recurring images of the self, and at the bottom of the pit is a giant golden snake; the primal fear of all believers. Everything Everything make joyous work of the dreaded maxim, "the taller the mountain, the deeper the hole", delivering glitzing, falsetto'ing gems in the form of 'Cold Reactor' and 'R U Happy?', both of which transcend their initial synthpop reveries to become more than their constituent sum.

Notes: Really versatile little MIDI controller designed to add hands-on control to software and even hardware. 16 push-button rotary encoders plus function buttons and OLED display.

Supplier's notes:
This all-rounder has 16 gridless push-encoders, 7 function buttons and a large OLED-display. Encoders are switchable to 16 groups that allow controlling a total of 256 control parameters per setup. The display shows the current values of all controls or editable encoder/group/setup names. Various kinds of MIDI commands are possible, like program change, pitch bend, aftertouch, NRPN, and control change in relative and absolute mode with different acceleration amounts. All these properties are easily and efficiently programmable on the device, allowing personalized customisation for each separate control.

The encoders can work as high resolution 14bit controllers too (NRPN, control change or pitch bend). This makes them suitable for sensitive parameters like resonating filter cutoffs, etc.

Use the internal 16 setups to save your individual settings. Backup and restore of all settings by SysEx dumps are possible too.

The factory settings are perfect to control music and video software products out of the box. Thus, any additional device programming isn't necessary for many applications.

The little box is also a great extension for your Ableton Live setup. There you can control all the continuous parameters like track volumes, rack macros, send amounts, and track pannings. A special control surface script for Ableton Live, including all necessary mappings, is enclosed in the package.

Working with this amazing power box will prove to you that it is a trustworthy, reliable, and invaluable asset to your productions.

Notes: MX12 as successor of the UC44 is a universal controller for all kinds of MIDI controllable hardware and software.

You can combine NEW MODULE devices to a large system. The connections are on the right side to allow a back to back placing of two or more devices. Connect two NEW MODULES by a special extension port.

Furthermore, there are 4 MIDI-ports and one USB-port with various routing possibilities.

It is packed in a metal case with the same dimensions like the famous ELEKTRON devices so it's a great extension for these devices. But you can use the mix controller also with your DAW like a classical 12-track-mixer.

The device has 24 standard pots, 12 Faders and 24 buttons in a 12-track-layout, various kinds of MIDI commands like control change, note on/off, pitchbend, aftertouch and program change are possible. You can program every MIDI command for every separate control on the device very fast and easily.

Of course you can assign the pots and keys to any of these commands by learning incoming MIDI commands, which is the same procedure you know from your software/DAW. The pots work with standard resolution of 7 bit to have full compatibility to any software and hardware instrument, effect and DAW. Use the internal 30 setups to save your individual settings. Backup and restore of all settings by sysex dumps is possible too.

The factory settings are perfect to control music and video software products out of the box if they are freely assignable. So any additional device programming isn't necessary for many applications.

Some special setups are preconfigured for use with ELEKTRON RYTM and ABLETON LIVE.

Check out this amazing power box and you will get a reliable mate...

Notes: More knobs than you can shake a stick at. Add hands-on control to pretty much any MIDI-equipped hardware or software. Upgraded version of the classic PC44, featuring a whopping 72 rotary pots and 12 buttons.

Supplier's notes:
PC12 as successor of the PC44 is a universal controller for all kinds of MIDI controllable hardware and software.

You can combine two or more NEW MODULE devices to create a large system. The connections are on the right side to allow a back to back placing of two or more devices. Connect two NEW MODULES by a special extension port.

Furthermore, there are 4 MIDI-ports and one USB-port with various routing possibilities.

It is packed in a metal case with the same dimensions like the famous ELEKTRON devices so it's a great extension for these devices. But you can use the pot controller also with your DAW like a classical 12-track-mixer.

The device has 72 standard pots and 12 buttons in a 12-track-layout, various kinds of MIDI commands like control change, note on/off, pitchbend, aftertouch and program change are possible. You can program every MIDI command for every separate control on the device very fast and easily.

Of course you can assign the pots and keys to any of these commands by learning incoming MIDI commands, which is the same procedure you know from your software/DAW. The pots work with standard resolution of 7 bit to have full compatibility to any software and hardware instrument, effect and DAW. Use the internal 30 setups to save your individual settings. Backup and restore of all settings by sysex dumps is possible too.

The factory settings are perfect to control music and video software products out of the box if they are freely assignable. So any additional device programming isn't necessary for many applications.

Some special setups are preconfigured for use with ELEKTRON RYTM and ABLETON LIVE.

Check out this amazing power box and you will get a reliable mate...

Review: Fabrizio Fattori has been a deep cover hero in Italian dance music since the mid 80s, and while he may have shifted his attention to tribal house music in the 90s, this collection zeroes in on his earlier afro disco funk work, which drips with Balearic groove appeal. Collecting sought after records and other archival gems, this lengthy EP is a joyous, synthy excursion through sunny climes, from the MIDI brass and plastic slap bass of "Leg Pulling" to the intricate percussion and live sax of "Bara-Hum-Ba." This is a quintessential Best reissue - beautifully packaged, and putting super rare music back in the hands of the fans.

Review: Federsen's Robot Says R EP is an atmospheric journey of deep techno, showcasing his prowess with minimal soundscapes. 'High Pressure' opens the 12' with its captivating crystalline textures and mid-tempo groove, capturing a nocturnal essence. 'Sono' takes a melodic turn, evoking the classic styling of Detroit techno, hypnotic and mesmerizing. On the B-side, 'Fazed' delivers an addictive bassline-heavy groove, while the minimalist approach creates a driving momentum. Closing the EP, 'Quadrata' incorporates elements of house music, developing gradually into a deep and evolving soundscape. With its multifaceted tracks, Federsen invites listeners to immerse themselves in its late-night techno ambiance. You can always count on Federsen for an excellent combination of blending a classic sound, well-produced techno, yet still being danceable and emotion provoking.

Review: Active since the early 1980s, Robert Ffrench is a curio in the reggae scene, with a penchant for extra drum machines and a distinctly wacky sound. Emblematic of Ffrench's approach to music-making is the album 'Wondering', which here comes reissued via 333. Entirely themed around the tumult of Ffrench's relationships while living in 1980s Jamaica, hilarities like 'I Can't Finance You' and 'Heart Breaker' reflect the artist's intense thoughts on the various women in his life. It's all helped along, best of all, by his remarkable synthwork, making this an essential listen.

Review: Unstoppable Munich label Ilian Tape has another entry in its fine ITX Series here and this one is called 'Biospore Farmers' from Fields of Mist, describing it as "Sunrise Beams Through Orbital Mist." In less abstract terms, it is a gorgeously hazy and lo-fi electro-exploration. The first two cuts are slow, doleful and reflective with grainy pads and deep space ambiance swirling around nice rough-edged broken beats. The B-side picks up the pace with the brilliantly kinetic bounce of 'Astral Projection Spores' and then the skittish and celestial trip that is 'Orbital Mist'. A high-class EP once again.

Review: The fourth EP from Florence on their own Florence label is simply entitled 'Funk.' And that is what we get in two different variations on this limited 45rpm' There is an old swing feel to the opener which has vocals that Elvis would be proud of. 'Bossa Nova Baby' is lovely and hard-hitting with hand claps and steel drums adding fuel. On the backside is 'I Got You' which is a more sweet soul sound driven by funky brass and prickly bass motifs. Two golden oldies for sure.

Review: Amsterdam collective Forsvarlig Arkiv is branching out with a new label that is going to represent what they are all about. This debut EP, 'Arkiv I', comes after many years of expert curating of their podcast series and welcomes four different, equally vital artists to offer up some fresh techno. Forest On Stasys kicks off with 'Sunken', a swamp and gurgling bit of mind-melting sound design, Zemog's 'A'te' then rides on silky, meditative loops with rising synth tension and Eyvind Blix follows a similar path with a more psychedelic edge. Biocym shuts down with 'Sabotage', a more percussive and edgy sound for late-night freaks.