Headless Horseman Germany 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Its release number five from the Headless Horseman on his own eponymous label and the release notes contain some cannily crafted narrative to go with the pummelling techno beats. Lead track "Cannonball" is apparently dedicated to the method with which the Headless Horseman was decapitated and the music is as brutal as the mental image you have of a cannonball dislodging a head should be. Complementing this, "Ghost" offers an exercise in pressurised wall rattlers, commencing with a stern faced downwards kick that doesn't flinch one iota over seven minutes as a wall of hellish sound is built around it. Finally "Solitude" fizzes into life as a broken rhythm coaxes fields of electric menace into action and the track veers unerringly towards a nightmarish crescendo.

Review: Anonymous hand-stamped white label techno isn't exactly unique these days, but Headless Horseman is at least having fun with their anonymity, adopting a faintly nightmarish persona through which to deliver his music. Thankfully his productions more than live up to the presentation; "Decapitation" sounds like it would be capable of doing just that, combining slamming industrial kicks with a razor edged synth arpeggio delivering doom-laden discordant tones. On the flip, "Graveyard" delivers something altogether more gothic, with a halfstep rhythm that concentrates more on atmosphere than the dance; this makes Perc's remix the perfect counterpart, filling in the gaps with industrial stabs and a more floor-friendly rhythm.

Review: The seventh in the mysterious Headless Horseman series is the most well-rounded release to date. It ranges in mood from the deep, dark textures of "Moonlight" and the menacing, groaning soundtrack that is "Stormrunner" to the heavy, direct techno of "Road To Betrayal" and the more typical Headless Horseman sound on "Haunted", where lithe dense broken beats roll out over twisted horror-scapes. In between these two extremes sit a new direction for Headless Horseman, audible on the dark, almost hip-hop noir of "Raven" and "Her Black Wings". It's the latest, fascinating chapter in the Headless Horseman saga.

Review: Not much is known about Germany's Headless Horseman, an artist who has decided to keep near total anonymity since his first self-titled EP back in 2013. The techno deviant is back with his own (self-titled!) label's sixth release and it's more brash, pounding 4/4 goodness as expected. "Sanctuary" is like a slowed-down d&b tune from the late 90's, while on the B-side, "Battle Hill" is basically a d&b tune from the 90's (in a familiar D-Bridge tone). "Bridge Of Dismay", on the other hand, is a fast-paced and glitchy percussive number with a truly twisted groove. Another winner from this always on-point white label.

Review: The enigmatic Headless Horseman returns! Well, he let the cat out of the bag a while ago, and we all now know that it is American producer Bill Youngman behind the project. Nonetheless, the mystique and allure surrounding the music remains, and the eighth edition of his eponymous imprint brings his idiosyncratic style to the fore once again: bleak and dystopian sonic pathways, via the factory floor, that are not for the faint of heart. The body bashing intensity of A side cut "Bed Of Stone" is akin to the oncoming of a major earthquake, while on the flip, the chilling tension and suspense of "The Distress Subsided" has an almost cinematic quality - you could imagine the villain in a horror film stalking his prey while this plays nefariously in the background. Finally, the seething slow burner "Gallantly Mounted" closes the EP out with its immaculately programmed industrial beats.