Ilian Tape Germany 黑胶唱片和CD

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.

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: DJ Plant Texture is Donato Basile, a diverse producer from Bari. He returns to Munich-based Ilian Tape to follow up 2017's The Bongoman Archive with four slamming cuts on his latest EP. Whether it's pummelling, bass-driven ruckus of 'MPC Jam 1' (Breaks mix) or the off-kilter slam of MPC Jam 2' (Saturator mix) on the A side, to the proper, peak time heads-down stomp of 'MPC Jam 3' (Exp Forever mix). Finally, the early '90s zeitgeist of 'Ciao Ragazze Jungle Style' goes out all guns blazing. On the MPC Thangs EP, this talented Italian producer is at his most fearsome yet.

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: 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: The ever-excellent Ilian Tape label regular Stenny's 'Onda' comes as a limited one-time pressing "square wave homage" on 180g vinyl and as ever with this artist both tracks are devastatingly heavy and perfect for ultimate dance floor destruction. The title track takes up the A-side and is a crisp and snappy breakbeat underpinned by vast plunging bass notes and detailed with subtle electric fizzes and fills that are all-conquering. 'Quadra' is no less direct with its mix of physical low ends and microscopic details all warping mind and body in equal measure. Do not sleep on this one.

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: 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.