Dial Germany 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Carsten Jost is the DJ and Producer alias of David Lieske, co-founder of Dial Records. His latest collection of functional, ultra-utilitarian techno tracks here is essentially a slew of music for Moon exploration. Peaceful, raw and wonky techno tunes with a blue temperament are firmly arranged across 10 portions of wax; all carry the comparative sense of having less gravity weighing them down than techno made on Earth; it's techno made at 1.62 m/s² compared to our 9.807. Standouts include the alien voice cameos on 'IV' and the subterranean cave excursion that is 'VII'.

Review: German label Dial was probably not the most obvious choice for DJ Richard to release his debut album on, but it turns out that Grind is a perfect fit. Tracks like "No Balance" and "Waiting for the Green Flash" are eerie, atmospheric compositions and capture the often times sangfroid sound (and design) of the Hamburg imprint. Elsewhere, there are nods to the classic deep house and techno, especially on the winding, stop-start bleep groove of "Savage Coast" and the fragile, sublime melodies of closing track "Vampire (dub)". However, if there is one track that really consolidates the Dial-DJ Richard relationship, it's the staccato beats and sonorous bass of "I-Mir", an arrangement that perfectly captures the label's wintry escape from the daily grind.

Review: Rhode Island young gun turned Berlin success story DJ Richard has come a long way. After the success of his White Material label (known for its dusty and dirty house workouts) he's snapped up by Hamburg institution Dial for a full length album, and it does not at all disappoint. Grind is an inspired journey through Richard's many musical dimensions, showing off some sides to his sound not heard previously. After the black metal inspired intro of "No Balance" he gives us the smooth and majestic deep house of "Nighthawk" and "Savage Coast" that are more typical of the Dial sound but there's also the dark atmosphere of "I-Mir" and the brilliant "Vampire Dub".

Review: It would be fair to say that White Material co-founder DJ Richard's latest full-length excursion is an album of two halves (to mangle a football cliche). Stick on the first slab of wax, and you'll be confronted with a string of dark and moody treats, from creepy ambient interludes to grumpy electro, to mind-altering dark-Italo (see standout "Vanguard") and pulsating, off-kilter electronica (the restless acid pulse, off-kilter drums and paranoid chords of "Tunnel Stalker"). Whack on the second disc, though, and you'll be comforted and calmed by a series of intensely blissful, occasional melancholic compositions that are much lighter and dreamier in tone. Of these, it's the sublime "Final Mercy" and "Ex Aere" that stand out.

Review: It would be fair to say that White Material co-founder DJ Richard's latest full-length excursion is an album of two halves (to mangle a football cliche). Stick on the first slab of wax, and you'll be confronted with a string of dark and moody treats, from creepy ambient interludes to grumpy electro, to mind-altering dark-Italo (see standout "Vanguard") and pulsating, off-kilter electronica (the restless acid pulse, off-kilter drums and paranoid chords of "Tunnel Stalker"). Whack on the second disc, though, and you'll be comforted and calmed by a series of intensely blissful, occasional melancholic compositions that are much lighter and dreamier in tone. Of these, it's the sublime "Final Mercy" and "Ex Aere" that stand out.

Review: The diverse musical tastes of Phillip Solman are evident once again on this second round of remixes tied to his fine 2014 album Decay. There is something for all fans of contemporary techno here as ERP (aka Gerard Hanson), Don Williams, Johannes Volk and Traumprinz all contribute to proceedings. Typically the ERP revision of "Decay" recasts the album's title track as rough, bouncing electro whilst Mojuba boss Don Williams flushes "Track 93" with new levels of Motor City indebted urgency over a throbbing low end bass groove. On the flip Mr Volk turns in a fine melodic tweak of "Parallaxis" though it's fairly overshadowed by the epic orchestral rendition from Giegling artist Traumprinz.

Review: Dial regular Efdemin returns with a third album of a respected career, with the autumnal theme of Decay inspired by the German producer's three-month artist residency in Kyoto, Japan. Sollmann immersed himself in the local culture while in Kyoto, attending ceremonies with monks at temples and visiting local instrument makers. This results in a ten track set that canvasses the sort of poignant, introverted house music that's characterised much of Phillip Sollmann's work as Efdemin to date. There are however a few stylistic surprises along the way - the stripped back, jacking "Transducer" or the fusion of jazzy licks and noisy bursts of percussion that makes up the title track - but overall you'd be hard pushed to think of a better label to house Decay than Dial.

Review: Dial regular Efdemin returns with a third album of a respected career, with the autumnal theme of Decay inspired by the German producer's three-month artist residency in Kyoto, Japan. Sollmann immersed himself in the local culture while in Kyoto, attending ceremonies with monks at temples and visiting local instrument makers. This results in a ten track set that canvasses the sort of poignant, introverted house music that's characterised much of Phillip Sollmann's work as Efdemin to date. There are however a few stylistic surprises along the way - the stripped back, jacking "Transducer" or the fusion of jazzy licks and noisy bursts of percussion that makes up the title track - but overall you'd be hard pushed to think of a better label to house Decay than Dial.

Review: German veteran Roman Flugel's debut album under his given name, 2011's Fatty Folders, was something of a surprise package - a collection of warm, playful and melodious tracks that belied his reputation for hypnotic techno and eccentric deep house. This follow-up retains that playfulness - not to mention a curious pop sensibility with regards to tunefulness - but douses it in the clanking rhythms of machine drums and industrial strength electronics. The production is still pleasingly finessed, but there's also a pleasingly raw feel to his blends of IDM, deep house, deep techno, electronica and classic Kraftwerk (see the standout "Wilkie"). Happiness is Happening also impressively plays around with mood and tempo, with wholeheartedly positive results.

Review: German veteran Roman Flugel's debut album under his given name, 2011's Fatty Folders, was something of a surprise package - a collection of warm, playful and melodious tracks that belied his reputation for hypnotic techno and eccentric deep house. This follow-up retains that playfulness - not to mention a curious pop sensibility with regards to tunefulness - but douses it in the clanking rhythms of machine drums and industrial strength electronics. The production is still pleasingly finessed, but there's also a pleasingly raw feel to his blends of IDM, deep house, deep techno, electronica and classic Kraftwerk (see the standout "Wilkie"). Happiness is Happening also impressively plays around with mood and tempo, with wholeheartedly positive results.

Review: Many would argue that Roman Flugel has been making All The Right Noises for the best part of two decades. Certainly, the prolific German producer's vast catalogue boasts way more hits than misses, with this latest full-length - his third for Dial - being amongst his strongest work to date. After beginning with the slow burning, late night ambience of "Fantasy", the former Alter Ego producer gently raises the tempo throughout, moving from the off-kilter, experimental techno hypnotism of "Dead Idols" and sparse, out-there dancefloor moodiness of "Warm & Dewy", to the ghostly house shuffle of "All The Right Noises", and John Carpenter-meets-Black Dog creepiness of "Planet Zorg". Throughout, it's hugely thoughtful and atmospheric.

Review: Swiss producer Ben Kaczor joins Dial for the release of his new album Petrovo Uho, an 11 track opus that comes hot n the heels of his last album only back in April, Sun Chapter One. He taps into the classic sound of Dial here with bottomless and heady depths. The artist says a trip to Dubrovnik in summer had a big influence on the album as he was inspired by the sound of a foreign language and tried to reflect the sounds and atmosphere of the trip in the music here. There are just 250 copies of this so move quickly.

Review: Fences is the long awaited new album from Dial poster boy John Roberts, arriving three years after the Ohio born producer's hugely accomplished and widely lauded debut LP, Glass Eights. In the period between albums Roberts has busied himself with a smattering of remixes and the odd 12", though his primary concern outside of touring has been co-editing The Travel Almanac, a high end magazine exploring "travelling and temporary habitation for an increasingly sophisticated and mobilized generation of travellers". Not your typical techno producer then. The ten tracks that form Fences were conceived and recorded during Roberts' worldwide travels, and later sequenced and mixed in NYC and offer a further refinement on the combination of sound design, sample research and contemporary club music that characterised last year's Paper Frames 12".