Ilian Tape Germany 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: The rise of Ilian Tape has been piloted by Dario and Marco Zenker with a steady assurance, so it makes perfect sense for the brothers to helm the first long player project from the Munich label. Immersion is a vibrant, atmospheric stroll through their various influences and inspirations with plenty to admire amongst the ten tracks. There is the bustling, leftfield breakbeat techno of "TSV WB" and pounding "High Club" (a no-nonsense dancefloor assault blessed with occasional eyes-closed chords), as well as sublime tech-jazz of "Cornel 21" and pitched-down junglisms of "Innef Runs". Interestingly, there are also a number of crusty, distorted ambient interludes, with "Erbquake" sounding particularly potent.

Review: In recent times the Zenker Brothers seem to have spent more time running their inspired Ilian Tape imprint than they have producing music. While we'd hardly criticize their choices - Ilian Tape goes from strength to strength - it's certainly good to have them back. The Munich-based siblings begin their first outing of 2020 with the melodious, far-sighted electro shuffle of "Shaketown", before wrapping mangled, mind-altering electronic riffs around a crunchy techno groove of "Chi Boost". "Bengel Mode" sees the siblings successfully combine alien-sounding riffs with a denser techno rhythm track, while closing cut "Outside" is a sparkling trip into hypnotic, slow-release ambient techno territory with nary a kick-drum in sight.

Review: There's an undeniably far-out feel to the Zenker Brothers' second album, Cosmic Transmission, which adds further layers of trippy textures, hallucinatory sounds and smoky intensity to the aural blueprint first explored on their 2015 debut full-length Immersion. There's much to admire throughout, from the mind-bending ambient weirdness of opener 'When Nothing is Safe', and the slipped dub haze of 'Whose In Control', to the drug-addled IDM of 'Natural Connection', and the polyrhythmic techno trip of 'Divided Society'. Most striking of all is the trio of tracks that close the album, all of which are powered forwards not by heavy techno beats (or even their usual crunchy, off-kilter breakbeats) but rather a series of ear-catching, fuzz-soaked synthesizer arpeggio lines.

Review: With the exception of Skee Mask and the Zenker brothers, no producer has released more EPs on Ilian Tape than Stenny. For that reason, it would be fair to say that "Upsurge", his first foray into the full-length format, is long overdue. In keeping with the creative opportunities provided by the longer format, the 12-track set is framed as a "journey through the ups and downs", with hazy strolls through ambient, IDM and dub techno sitting side by side with skittish, off-kilter and occasionally dark forays into more club-focused electro, post-jungle and broken techno territory. There are plenty of subtle variations to be found within both broad categories, with Stenny managing to provide a unified front thanks to the pleasingly atmospheric and mood-matching nature of the collected cuts.

Review: Jameszoo and Niels Broos are Rolrolrol and Music is their first album. They describe it as "a puttylike exercise in pop, modern jazz and electronica" and it builds on many years of working together on the likes of Brainfeeder and Alpha Pup. The whole thing is doused in vivid and vivacious synth work that brings life and colour to every groove, whether a broken beat or a future hip-hop workout, an experimental cosmic house cut or an infectious bit of boogie. Amongst the magnificent melodies are guests like Jamie Woon who bring real soul to 'Surprise', and it all makes for a playful but triumphant record of brain-cleansing electronic sound.

Review: Building a refuge for exiled planets.
Conscious absorption of rare elements.
Cloudlike observations of evaporated landmasses.
A wistful emulation of escape.
Preparing food for the moon.
Strange situation test for non-terrestrial officers.
Counterfeiting consumer electronics.
Retuning GABAergic interneurons.
Accompaniment for affective picture systems.
Rituals of self-decompression.
Inquiries into trace minerals.

Review: Releases on the Ilian Tape label are nearly always two things - a) shrouded in mystery, and b) a little unconventional. Given that the painter who created the artwork gets a credit on the 12"s label but the musician or musicians themselves get no mention, it's fair to assume a) has been fulfilled. The music itself fulfils b) too, as hard edged rhythms clocking in closer to electro than techno provide a vehicle much softer, more sensitive musical flourishes. 'WantU' is probably the overall highlight, with its crystal clear arp riffing and Kraftwerk-esque bumping, but 'Chiemgau606', the rawer 'OSC' and 'Sinister808' should all appeal to those who like their grooves esoteric and full of personality - but ultimately still dancefloor slaying.

Review: KW has long been a talented producer who has operated in the shadows. He emerges from them now with another EP on Ilian Tape only six or so months after his last standout effort. Altgr is another fine one that opens with 'Midnight Run', a skittish flurry of breakbeats and snares, grumbling bass and kinetic energy that never lets up. 'Paste' is just as rhythmically inventive, this time lurching backwards and forwards but with more pensive pads and 'Copy' keeps up the leftfield inventions that make this return so welcome. 'Lastmin_Res' closes out in head-spinning fashion.

Review: Fifteen years after first starting out, Munich's masterful Ilian Tape is still finding plenty of fresh new ground to explore in its niche world of scuffed-up and broken-beat techno. The latest to do so is KW, who nails the vibe perfectly here with futurist loops 'Source Mag', hefty minimalism on 'Rats Mixing', deeper linear techno on 'ZFGT0505' and a rhythmically playful thinker in the form of 'One Day.' A superbly stylish and perfectly functional EP, as ever, from this crew.

Review: Deetron's been turning out serene house and techno for many a year but he changes tact here and presents Soulmate on Ilian Tape. It's an EP with a wide array of influences and kicks off with 'Path' which is bright, melodic, electric house music with cow bells galore. 'Zoom' is tightly coiled, loopy, dusty, turbocharged tackle with a warming intensity and then 'Screen' pairs more balmy and blissed-out chords with hurried beats and layers of FX and percussion. Last of all is the best of the lot - 'Blade'. It's a tribal, percussive cut that cannot fail to sweep you off your feet.

Review: Ilian Tape have been sympathetic to the sound of UK bass for some time now, but this new drop from Atrice leans even further into the pervading energy of dubstep as a source of club pressure. The Swiss duo first appeared on Ilian Tape with Q back in 2021, and they're sounding stronger than ever on this latest missive. If 'Multiplex' brings a cybernetic sheen to headsy 140, then 'Is It Warm' does similar work with techy d&b as the pair dice up breakbeats with precision and drape exquisite, shimmering pads over the ruffness. There's also space for crafty techno propulsion on 'Broke' and high-tempo trippiness on '83 Steps', making this a versatile, consistently brilliant release from a rising force in the scene.

Review: Turin techno stalwart Andrea has been serving up slabs of goodness on Ilian Tape since way back in 2012, though "Ritorno" is remarkably his very first full-length excursion. The 12 track set is far more varied than his fine club-focused singles, with the Italian variously turning his hand to swelling, Global Communication style ambient techno ("Attimo"), ultra-deep breakbeat dreaminess ("SKLYN"), melodious, jungle-influenced IDM ("LS September"), bassbin rattlers ("TrackQY", the skittish brilliance of moody roller "Reinf"), dreamy soundscape techno ("LG_Amb"), angular fusions of bass music and dark Italo-techno ("Drumzzy") and picturesque ambient dub slow jams ("Twin Forests").

Review: Andrea opened this sophomore album Due In Color mostly during 2020 and 2021. You may reverb that those times were slightly crazy due to the small matter of a pandemic which is what lead the artists to explore a world of more hazy and experimental jazz sounds. That in turn inspired him to use more acoustic sounds in his music and so this is a record that turns its back on dark and booming club spaces and heads instead towards blooming fields of expansive downtempo, textured ambient and dreamy soundscapes.