14 days

Review: A core member of Dzeltenie Pastnieki throughout the early 00s, Ingus Bauskenieks is all about abstraction and experimentation. Since he came back from a long stint in the shadows, the Latvian musician has self-released a heap of wonderfully surreal music that is often overlooked and slept on. While many talk about freedom of expression, this guy does it for real, and this latest album, Spoki, comes through on Stroom with a very clear concept and a maturity to experimentation that is often not heard. It's not all bleeps and bloops and, in fact, he manages to add in his own nation's heritage thanks to several moments of neo-folk vocalism that works ever so well with the myriad of drum machines and samples housed under tunes like "Roni" or "Lidojums Uz Sauli" - the latter of which is a house reinterpretation of Latvian pop music. This is something for those who want something new, unheard, and attention-grabbing. A fine album - TIP!

Review: The latest instalment in Pinkman's white label Broken Dreams series is a collaborative affair with imprint affiliate Identified Patient joining forces with vocalist Sophie Du Palais, who has previously contributed to one of the producer's other EPs. Du Palais is in full on mascara-clad minimal wave mode on trippy opener "Peaceful Panic", a throbbing fusion of raw synthesizer riffs, mind-altering arpeggio lines and crunchy drum machine hits. Her stylish spoken word vocals come to the fore on dark and psychedelic electro number "Sleep Without Rest", before Lasznikoff joins in the fun on closer "Everything is Done", a fuzzy and up-tempo workout rich in macabre, low-register riffs, incessant percussion hits and trippy, late night aural textures.

Review: Primitive Brumbeat is the order of the day from Minimal Wave on this weighty seven inch presentation of early Karl O'Connor material. Recorded under the Sandra Plays Electronics banner, Her Needs presents two versions of the same track from different periods of O'Connor's musical development and provide further enticing historical evidence of one of techno's most illuminating figureheads. Those who indulged in the brilliant White Savage Dance 12" from Downwards from late 2011 will be all over the DIY odes to O'Connor's childhood heroes such as DAF and Liaisons Dangereuses here. The 1999 version in particular which originates from the same recording sessions that ended in the seminal Diversion Group release A Man Has Responsibilities.

Review: Berlin based Serbian duo Sixth June present their third full length, following up last year's terrific release "Virgo Rising" which also appeared on local imprint aufnahme + wiedergabe. Visual artist Laslo Antal and actress Lidija Andonov are at the forefront of the resurgence of darkwave, and now present to you Without A Sign - a collection of demos and unreleased tracks. Although recognisable as demos, it's not so much the roughness in sound that distinguishes them but the differences in instrumentation, arrangements and vocals as heard on the minimal, beat-free take on "Back For A Day" and the morose and solemn version of "Knife In The Water". Recommended.