Juno Recommends Electro November 2018

Review: Detroit electro legends Dopplereffekt return to Leisure System for their fourth release on the Berlin based imprint. Athanatos is named after the angel of the planet Mercury in ancient Greek mythology, but that isn't so much the theme. Here the duo again explore subjects related to genetic conditions and chromosomal influences that define mortality across the EP's five tracks. After the brooding sonic landscapes of the title track , it's classic Mitchell & Nhan all the way on the majestic electronic funk of "Hayflick Limit" while devilishly enchanting slow burners like "Telomere" or "Mitosisin" lock you in with their hypnotic grasp. Raster-Noton founders Carsten Nicolai (who did the artwork) and Olaf Bender are said to have collaborated with the pair on this release.

Review: Long-serving Slovenian techno overlord Unos Umek may have started the electro-focused Zeta Reticula side project almost 20 years ago, but it's only in recent times that he's devoted serious time and energy to it. We think it has been a wise move, because the material he's been delivering is undoubtedly of a very high quality. Further proof arrives in the shape of "EP 7", where a foreboding and intergalactic, Drexciya style workout ("1300 AU From Our Sun") and deeper, more star-gazing concoction (the bubbly dancefloor bliss of "A Common Motion Through Space") come backed by a dose of Italo-influenced electro-funk ("Chromospheric Activity") and a chunk of B-boy-baiting beat-box work (the stabbing melodies and rubbery bass of "Rev 5").

Review: Incoming - straightfire electro bass shenanigans from the ever reliable E-Beamz camp once again, courtesy of Cestrian - the alias of London based veteran Ali Renault. The dark dystopian bounce of "Lard" impresses in its own right, paving the way for a top rework by the legendary Luke Eargoggle (with Obergman) to round up the A side. On the flip, "Underbite" channels the best aesthetics of Motor City style sonic aesthetics, but men of the moment Jensen Interceptor & Assembler Code steal the spotlight with their powerful rendition.

Review: ** REPRESS ALERT ** Timeless electro by UK stalwart Edward Upton, on this much deserved reissue of his 1998 LP Nu Romantix. Permanent Vacation have made the album available for the first time on a loud and sharp double 12" that has been carefully remastered by Lopazz for maximum pleasure. All the tracks you know and love from the orginal are here, such as his spooky Dopplereffekt tribute "You're Not There" featuring his terrific deadpan vocal delivery, the wonderfully creepy "Mouse" with its minimalist vibe and the cheeky vocoder antics of "End Of The Night" channelling some good ol' fashioned Italo vibes. Including the instrumental of "Come To Me" as a bonus track.

Review: Sydney's Jensen Interceptor comes through after a productive and successful 2017, that saw him follow up his material for Boysnoize Records with a killer 12" on the infamous Central Processing Unit. The electro newbie lands with yet more previous industrialism on the E-Beamz imprint, a truly hyping label that is on a non-stop roll at the moment. "Hydro Systems" is a gnarly, headstrong bombshell that's all hands on decks thanks to its wild and fiery percussion, and "Automate" follows up on that with a dark, bleeping wormhole of sonics. The B-side kicks off with "Bubble Boy", a bubbling whirlpool of FX-heavy bass tones, and "Horner Acid" breaks out the techno guns with its twisted, interlinked layers of low frequencies.

Review: NTS mainstay Kasra V joins Kim Ann Foxman's Firehouse Records for the Akasa EP, where the Iranian-born/London-based producer showcases his broad musical taste and his ability to seamlessly blend genres. He collaborates with Detroit electro legends Dopplereffekt on the absolutely majestic "Bloom", while the title track or the breaks-driven "Otaku" explore old-school beats with a modern twist. Finally on the flip, we have a remix of "Bloom" by American retroverts Mike Servito and Justin Cudmore - who inject more dancefloor dynamics into it with their Kv In Full Mix.

Review: Datawave is the project of Brussels based Gaetan Votion, who returns to Natural Sciences for the first time since 2017's "Submersion" - which was featured on their V/A Future Works Vol 3 compilation. Taking up where he left off last time, Votion explores the dark and dystopian realms of electro bass on this self-titled EP, taking the best of the genre's classic aesthetic, while delivering a stylish and contemporary edge. From the A side's introverted and futuristic thriller "Hidden Outpost", through to the high energy workout of "Stellar Wind" on the flip, this certainly proves to be one of the week's highlights in our electro releases.

Review: French electro expert Maelstrom returns to Central Processing System for the second time in 2018, following up his tremendous Alph4 EP earlier in the year. The Bromance and Zone staple takes time out from his RAAR imprint to deliver these menacing bass explorations heard on the terrific Fragment EP. From the frantic electro bounce of "The Scope" or the slow motion acid trip "USSIDD" to the slamming futurist beats of "Utility Shift", Joan-Mael Peneau remains a force to reckoned with.

Review: Last year, Extrawelt delivered their first album for five years, the wonderfully expansive and on-point Fear of an Extra Planet. Less than 12 months on, they're back with another suitably epic full-length outing, "Unknown". Across three DJ-friendly slabs of wax, the German duo eschews the willful electronic eclecticism that's marked out their recent career in favour of 12 tracks that mine the world of electro for inspiration. While there are subtle nuances and incremental shifts throughout - a little more acid here, a nod to early '90s IDM there, and regular tempo changes throughout - the majority of the album is as spacey, weighty and punchy as you'd expect. It's almost as if Extrawelt has spent the last year exclusively listening to Drexciya records. Superb stuff all told.

Review: Pitch black EBM mutations await you on Mannequin's new EP series Death Of The Machines. Volume 1 features the man from the evil empire himself Exterminador, receiving a very Silent Servant sounding remix courtesy of Tegeler on "Mohammed Bin Salman", Providence based newcomer Sean Halpin aka Craow gets the darkwave vibes into full effect on "Lot", while New York City's Richard Gamble nails that classic Zoth Ommog style of old on the electrifying "Dead Advice" (club mix). On the B side, you're treated to some bold minimal wave by Philadelphia's Plastic Ivy - who's in great form on the chilling noir antics of "Exit Strategy".

Review: New Glasgow electro label Tremors presents their first vinyl release, featuring a collection of remixes of tracks from their Bandcamp back catalogue. Aftershocks Volume 1 kicks off with a particularly bold remix by Klakson boss Dexter who turns Old Boy's "Tracer" into an electro-bass monster, James Shinra (Analogical Force) channels the best of the Motor City on his emotive rework of Arctor's "Memory Gene" rounding up the A side. On the flip, Arctor remains the focus, with remixes of "Selfish Lover" by Forward Strategy Group's Patrick Walker and Hungarian newcomer David Harleydson impressed us likewise with his fierce and futurist perspective of "The Gulf".