Juno Recommends Electro November 2020

Review: Sheffield's Central Processing Unit has become a key home for Silcion Scally, the most prolific of all the aliases of Carl Finlow. This is his third outing on the label and another high class affair that ploughs fresh electro ground. Opener 'V Electro' has a dark bassline and super crisp drums. There is a much more unhinged mood to 'Bode,' a jam with ADHD and multiple personalities. 'Proximity Sensor' is the sound of the computers taking over, with squelchy bass and jittery grooves, while 'Dormant' closes with a dystopian atmosphere and layer upon layer of intergalactic energy all vying for attention.

Review: Back in December 2019, Lunar Orbiter Program added Turk Turkleton to its roster via a fine split EP with fellow electro cosmonaut (and sometime Central Processing Unit contributor) Cyan85. Now they've given the mysterious artist a chance to shine via a debut solo EP. It's a quietly impressive affair containing four fine cuts, all of which boast stupendously sturdy drums and tons of intergalactic electronics. Our pick of a very strong bunch is 'Rock It', a throbbing peak-time workout smothered in undulating acid lines and razor-sharp electronic riffs. That said, there's plenty to set the pulse racing elsewhere across the EP, including chunky, funk-fuelled opener 'Safe' and rumbling Drexciya-esque closing cut 'X-Statione'.

Review: Resplendent in sleeve boasting a superb - and rather fitting - illustration, Analogue Soul marks long-serving Maltese musician Sound Synthesis's first outing for the on-point Eudemonia imprint. In keeping with the producer's recent release, all three original tracks showcased on the EP are melodious, deep and quietly funk-fuelled, delivering a take on electro that emphasizes the style's star-gazing ethos and Kraftwerkian roots. Our pick of a very strong bunch is the delightful title track, where lilting electronic lead lines, starry chords and blissful counter melodies dance away atop crunchy machine beats and an electrofunk style bassline. We'd also recommend Detroit artist Shawescape Renegade's deep, hypnotic revision of 'ADSR606', which adds new layers of bittersweet melancholia to the already emotive track.

Review: If ever there was a Hungarian electro trio to walk down the aisle to, it's these guys. Whimsical at their lightest, mischievous at their darkest, the band - who performed live for many years before they put anything to wax - return with the soothing machine soul we all need right now. From the soothing twinkles and Detroitian pulsations of 'Thickening Agent' to the fast lane neon hope of 'Sensitive Tools', by way of classic house struts of 'Paprika Dye Acid' there's an honesty and uplift running throughout. Total escapism, Budapest style.

Review: Dutch mainstay Boris Bunnik is an absolute machine who has been turning out a consistent stream of high quality music for an almost unbelievable amount of time. He has a glut of monikers for a dizzying array of sounds but as Versalife he makes aquatic electro in the same lineage as Detroit greats Drexcyia. Here he goes for a moody opener in 'Synapse' which rocks back and forth on a heady loop, while 'Fractal' cuts loose on more journeying drums and bass that take you into the future. The flip side offers another pair of expertly designed and hugely atmospheric electro cuts for those who like it deep.

Review: MinimalRome comes through with a fourth instalment of their Urbi Et Orbit (which means "to the city and to the world") series and once more it brings together six sizzling hot artists juxtaposing Rome-based producers to others around the globe. Plant43 might be the best known name and he offers up a searing electro trip with intense synth work and Heinrich Dressel gets for a beautiful ambient soundscape that will sooth mind, body and soul. Add in other gems like the rugged and off-grid electro bomb that is 'More Detections' by Microthol and you have a real winner on your hands.

Review: Chromatophore makes a head turning debut in the world of vinyl with a various artists EP that reaches all points of the electro spectrum. Plant43 will be no stranger to those in the know and opens up in urgent fashion with the synth waves and driving grooves of 'European Tides'. Kev Cotter gets a little more introspective and deep in his complex 'The Bronx Executioner' with a mood bassline underpinning the whole thing. The most experimental of the lot is Allward's closing gem 'Slowburst,' a mix of shimming synths and disappearing pads that leave you floating adrift in the skies.

Review: Macedonian producer Stojche joins the Infiltrate stable for a bout of classy, moody electro with bags of personality hot on the heels of his Urban Chaos LP for Tangible Assets. 'Trauma' builds towards an emotive crescendo, while 'Phobia' twitches in a more dystopian framework that rushes at a formidable tempo. 'Thug Life' keeps things edgy with razor-sharp lead lines that shimmer and shudder around the hard-stepping beat. 'Conflict' rounds things out with a more melancholic mood shaped out by choice chords that drape themselves over the snap of the snare and rapid hats.

Review: If 6 was 9 would 4 be 8? Anyways this is 9 and the devil is 7, make sense? Hadamard brings his trademark drums to the rescue and Overdose runs his SP into insanity. Hope you enjoy this crazy ride again!

Review: Earlier in the year, Madrid's Electro Records launched the Electro Transmissions series via Abduction Krew, a five-track, multi-artist EP full of cybernetic dancefloor treats. Here they present the follow-up, a rock-solid mini compilation on eye-catching red splatter vinyl entitled Sterilization Krew. There's plenty to excite electro heads throughout, from the sparkling deep electro shimmer of Kan3da's 'Condoso' and the intergalactic, bassline-driven alien funk of Datawave's superb 'Emeria', to the mind-bending, TB-303 driven acid-electro of Acidulant's 'Rainology' and the Aux 88-style high-octane heaviness of Noamm's 'Telesthesia'. It's a rather good collection all told, and with limited numbers of copies being pressed, you'll need to act fast to secure one.

Review: For the first time ever, VAKUM founders Disrupted Project & Borut Cvajner come together under the D.P.B.C alias for this much anticipated 9th EP. The four cuts cover plenty of territory with 'Sozial' being a real battle cry, a chest pumping electro-techno call to arms that instills you with the confidence to take on the world. 'Body Double' channels an iconic retro melody over sleazy ghetto beats and 'Freq2013' is a scintillating techno cut with razor sharp drum programming that takes you into the next dimension. 'Intergalactic' is busy electro workout doused in sci-fi melody and futurism. What a trip.

Review: As if his second album Serenity wasn't quite enough IDM goodness from RX 101 this year, along comes a special extra. Five more originals plus a powerfully chilling remix from Brainwaltzera. Like the original EPs that first surfaced a few years back (all recorded to cassette in the late 90s), the sound, style and delivery screams classic analogue kit and a lot of live jamming. Highlights include the acidic breaks of 'Aria #3', the subaquatic bubbles and faraway breaks of 'Switched Phases' and the decayed brass head-twisted 'RIP-AXL'. Get to the heart of the matter.

Review: Transparent Sound came back with some big reissues last year and finally continue that purple patch with a new serving of some serious acid techno from 1996. The title track kicks off this welcome package with blistering electro drum work and manic 303 lines. It's a scintillating cut of crispy hits and alien energy, then 'Remanisance' takes us back to broken beat heaven. The synths are manic and cosmic and the drums are crunchy, and the pull between the two is simply lovely. A final remix of 'Remanisance' skews it through another acid filter with curling lines and hammering drums working you into a frenzy.

Review: One half of Loop Exposure and long-time Rakya compadre, HDV releases his first debut solo on the French label and he's marked the occasion with a very special set. Each cut performed and recorded in one take direct from his live set up, 'A Sinner In The City' takes us on a trip through HDV's palettes from sublime, euphoric jacking highs ('Questions & Answers') to poignant emotional shuffling lows ('Farewell Sunset') via runaway late night acid house freight trains ('It Took A Minute To Realize') All analog, all dreamy and warmer than the summer we had taken away from us this year; every sinner is welcome in HDV's house.

Review: Pure Space Recordings hits a fantastic fourth release with IOTA at the buttons. This Detroit artist brings plenty of Motor City sound to his sounds, which fuse electro, techno and breaks into cosmic new forms. 'Terminus' is a tight and bumpy opener to get your shaking those bones loose and 'Cloudtek' then sinks into a chunky tech house groove reminiscent of the early 90s UK scene. There are also more empty and spaced out minimal cuts like 'Noxi' and two superb remixes that bring icy grooves and funky broken beats.

Review: Brand new label from Almeria, Spain, Masa Series sits precariously between acid, techno, electro and Detroit on this fascinating launch release. Running the full gamut, we start with the brittle electro of Natural Language and Texture's ice cold 'Blitzar' before descending into squat party chaos on 6tma's 'Robert De Lirio'. Flip for the soul soothing electro of Tony & Hawk's 'Who Lands Drones' before Roger Van Lunteren closes the show with the swashbuckling big beats and acid off 'Red (Touchee)', a track that wouldn't have gone amiss in the Heavenly Social back in the day. More of this please.

Review: Following up an impressive inaugural release which featured legend Silicon Scally, Joonam - the duo comprised of minimal techno veteran Elon and Nima Khalilian - returns to Brooklyn-based Balagan with the Astra EP featuring some more bass heavy electro beats. There's the darkly dystopian funk of the title track on the A-side, which is followed by an absolutely frantic rework by Allergy Season head Physical Therapy. On the flip, the bleak futurism continues with the suitably titled 'Glacier' which goes down a sublime and cavernous dub techno path, while the sparse and booming breakbeats of 'Shayla' create a captivating backdrop for a truly evocative arrangement. Tip!