EKMAN 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Ekman, DRVG CVLTRE, Cute Heels and Marburg all feature on Club Funny Horse, a killer 12" sized compilation from the Gooiland Elektro label. Taking the New Beat sounds of 1980s Belgian nightclubs as their starting point, the four producers veer off in their own distinct paths and the results are thrilling. Berlin-based Columbian producer Cute Heels is first up with "Silence Complot" which essentially sounds like a proto-Comeme production, all raw drums, cheap synth lines and a corrugated arpeggio that you can almost taste the rust off. Vincent Koreman turns in one of his darkest, trippiest productions yet under the DRVG CVLTVRE on "Year Zero" with the track taking a post-apocalyptic turn midway through. The severely under-rated Ekman takes it to the basement with the viscous "2 To The 64th Minus 1" whilst Marburg ends the release on a more esoteric note with the quietly menacing "XXVIII (Drone Variant)"

Review: Drawing on both mythology and science fiction for inspiration, Dutch electro innovator Ekman comes correct on a new album for Bedouin that follows up three fascinating EPs. The mood on "A Pastime For Semi Gods" is gloomy and oppressive, with drawn out synths whaling in a stiff wind above heavy, trudging drum rhythms and lo-fi designs. Part techno, part electro, part dystopian soundtrack, this is ritualistic machine music from another world. There are atmospheric and story telling scene-setters like "Open" and "Thinking Code" next to more club-ready fair like the blistering "Margin Of Error". This is an album that will work well in a wide range of contexts.

Review: Five years on from the release of his fine debut album, M.S.P, analogue fetishist Roel Djicks AKA Ekman has finally got round to producing a follow-up. Packed full of subtle nods towards vintage electronic styles and artists - think IDM, Drexciya style electro, acid house, basement-bothering techno, Autechre and panicked EBM - the album sees Djicks flit between melodious, well thought-out home listening cuts and blistering, tops-off peak-time club anthems. In the latter category you'll find the foreboding techno psychedelia of "Eulers Lucky Number", the wild and wayward acid hustle of "Mills Constant" and the guttural broken techno bounce of growling opener "Holomorpic Functions".

Review: It's no surprise that Holland's Ekman has sprung up on the Bedouin label. After all, the imprint proposes a very similar sort of deal to the likes of Berceuse Heroique. Both labels love dark iconography and mood sounds; while it is clearly not to everyone's taste, at least they try hard. Ekman rocks up with four nasty cuts, the first "Track 1" attacking the speakers with a brutal shade of distorted bass and wild bass drumming, while "Track 2" adds in a little 303 nuttiness for good measure. On the flip, "Track 3" gargles its gnarly acidity over a layer of bubbling synths and metallic percussion, leaving "Track 4" to provide some much needed, and firmly stripped-down, beat flexing. Heavy gear, as expected.

Review: Nijmegen electro imprint Shipwrec shows us how its done yet again. After a terrific release previously from Welsh mad scientist Dez Williams, its Roel Dijcks aka Ekman stepping up, following up some killer releases on Pankerkreuz, The Trilogy Tapes and Berceuse Heroique. "Autapse" begins proceedings in haunting fashion; spooky church organs provide the backdrop for an epic, soaring acid lead while "Uncertainty Principle" is sub-aquatic, Drexciyan electro for freaks. On the flip is the title track; keeping on like before but with a four to the floor beat for added dancefloor dynamics. Finally "Antinomy" delves into deeper terrain; its razor sharp and morphing synth line leading you further into the darkness of the abyss.

Review: Bang! Bedouin Records returns with another characteristically on-point 12" after a powerful batch of initial releases. After a remix of Dez Williams' track on 003, Dutch electro maverick Ekman returns to the label with a full EP. The man has quite an impressive catalogue now, having released on everything from The Trilogy Tapes to Berceuse Heroique and even Bunker, of course. As you'd expect, the air is distorted and thick with a distinctive metallic edge that makes Ekman's tracks so alluring. Five slices of brain dynamite for all you freaks...

Review: Since he adopted the Ekman guise, Dutch producer Roel Dijcks has graced a small number of well-respected labels with his notably rough edged and dark brand of electro. Possibly most well known for inaugurating the breakout Berceuse Heroique label, Ekman has also released with Netherlands institution Panzerkreuz, the always surprising Gooiland Elektro and UK-based Abstract Forms, whilst delivering a debut album for the Solar One Music label overseen by The Exaltics. Having recently contributed a track to the Club Funny Horse compilation issued on Gooiland, Ekman's next releases arrives through Shipwrec, a Dutch label that specialises in the sort of 3am squat party electro that makes this meeting a perfect alliance - "Sharadia" is a hellish highlight!

Review: Under the Ekman name, Dutch producer Roel Dijcks has been in devastating form this year, haunting the finer dancehalls with his own distinct brand of dark and nasty electro and techno for Solar One, Abstract Forms and impressive newcomer Berceuse Heroique. Reform for the latter label is perhaps our favourite of the lot but the Nervous EP, Ekman's debut for the splendidly deranged Gooiland Elektro is serious stuff. Both the lead track "Do I Make You Nervous?" and "Hail To The Big Worm" have that grotty Rotterdam squat party vibe that's so appealing about Ekman's productions whilst "Don't Let Them In" mixes the deepset paranoia of a D'Marc Cantu production with brushes of new beat synthetics.

Review: We've always wondered what it is about The Hague that makes it a hotbed of stone cold electro talent. The place has a long history of producing top electro talent. Ekman is not a new name - he released his untitled debut album last year - but he's the latest to come to the fore. MSP is, as you'd perhaps expect, incredibly faithful to the analogue electro sound, delivering a razor-sharp blend of alien melodies, booming 808 rhythms and Drexciyan atmospherics. Despite being rooted in the past, it's as fresh and forward thinking as any electro set you'll find this year. Clean and crisp - as most electro is - yet blessed with the fuzziness of vintage equipment, MSP comes highly recommended.

Review: Longstanding leftwing electronica stable Abstract Forms heads to Germany for this generous offering wonk oddball Ekman. Running the fine line between Detroit, early London acid house and the more ethereal electro charms of Jori Hulkkonen, each cut on Tessellation Automata rumps and pumps with off-kilter analogue mischief. Highlights include the draw out bass groans of "Space Is The Circles" and the warbling bass obesity of "You Tell Me". Funky, wonky and minimal... Ekman has the Holy Grail.

Review: Artwork of the week goes to this Solar One 12", with the label enlisting Lowlands don Mehdi Rouchiche to work his Godspill magic on the collective talents of Helena Hauff, Perseus Traxx, The Exaltics, Drvg Cvltre and Ekman. Perseus Traxx's moustache is quite something! These artists join forces for the Signs Of Decay 12", a powerful collective statement on the desiccation some "hard and dirty acid tracks" can do to a dancefloor. Don't come here looking for any lofty concepts, this is just five of the best banging their boxes in the name of all that is grotty and lysergic. Fans of Hauff's Panzerkreuz material will be delighted with the demonic, red lining sounds of her contribution "Culmination Of Frustration."