Boomkat new Drexciya, Burial Hex, Biosphere, etc

‘Journey Of The Deep Sea Dweller’ is Clone’s very crucial compendium of classic Drexciya cuts. It’s the first of it’s kind since ‘The Quest’ rounded up their early works back in 1997, and notably the first release to carry the Drexciya logo since James Stinson’s untimely passing in 2002 and the release of ‘Grava 4’. We’d probably be preaching to the converted if we said it’s one of the most distinctive and incredible collections of electronic music in the last 20 years, but in case you’re not aware: that’s exactly the case. Drexciya’s style of raw, intuitive programming and conceptual narration has created a virulent legacy which is still being explored today. Over four parts, ‘Journey Of The Deep Sea Dweller’ will provide a near-comprehensive, remastered collection of Drexciya’s standout moments, traversing the entire catalogue to present their best tracks in a new, refreshing context offering the committed fan a new perspective and the perfect introduction to newcomers. ESSENTIAL.

**White Vinyl** Following that fine side for the UK’s Public Information label, Konrad Jandavs No UFO’s decamps to Spectrum Spools for a new vinyl edition of his debut cassette, 2010’s Soft Coast. Though it has a clear and central debt to 1970s German electronic music, Jandavs pulls on various other influences – minimal synth, new age ambient, Detroit techno – to craft his hypnotic, pulsating synth-scapes. The weirdest tracks are the most rewarding: the beatless, almost Autechre-style techno of ‘Cajmere Dreams’ and the sly guitar drones of ’00_00_2010′, which makes us think of The Velvet Underground if they’d formed in ’91 under the influence of E. For dedicated fans of reconfigured kraut and kosmische tropes, Soft Coast is beyond essential, but is singular and strange enough to deserve attention from the rest of you too.

*Edition of 300 single-side vinyl housed in silkscreened jacket* Clay Ruby closes the door on Burial Hex with this stunning final LP. Since 2007 he’s been nothing if not prolific, with over 40 releases bearing this moniker including splits with Zola Jesus and Sylvester Anfang. For his ultimate ritual, he’s joined by Troy Schafer – who’s credited with guitars, bass and arrangements – to appropriate the lyrics from an old hymn to the Archangel Michael and effectively “cast a protection spell in psychic self-defense”. The side unfolds as a sort of triptych with wonderfully unpredictable results. First he engages with a mournful post-punk/wave ballad, sounding uncannily like Jhonn Balance set against lugubrious bass and skittish hi-hat triplets not far shy of Araabmuzik’s MPC work (honestly!). We’ve already heard Water Borders attempt something similar this year, but the production here is more murky, swirling and utterly immersive. And much like Julia Holter’s magical ‘Tragedy’ it segues between contrasting sections with supernatural grace, soon enough plunging into a mid-section of sepulchral ambience Helge Sten would be proud of, only to be bludgeoned with pendulous kickdrums and larynx-throttled vocals in the final phase. It’s a truly shocking side, massively recommended to fans of Dominik Fernow’s Prurient or Vatican Shadow projects, Coil, Young Hunting, or genuinely dark and transporting music of any colour.

‘Music From Saharan Cellphones’ is surely one of our most anticipated, exotic deliveries of the year. Serving both a glimpse into the rich contemporary culture of the Trans-Sahara and a bunch of music you’ve likely never encountered before, it comprises nine tracks transferred via bluetooth from the mobile phones of residents in Kidal, Northern Mali at the beginning of 2010. Apparently, across Western Africa everyone loves playing music thru their phone’s loudspeaker – a practice which is usually, unfortunately frowned upon in the UK and elsewhere – with popular tracks simply spread via bluetooth from person to person, phone to phone, creating a profuse and uncontainable sonic landscape as diverse and transient as the sand ocean “port-towns” themselves. Kidal is one of these metaphorical docks, a major hub in the Saharan network, linking North Africa with Sub Saharan regions and further beyond, and it’s also the locus of the record’s compiler, Christopher Kirkley’s attentions. He collected these tracks at night, swapping mp3s from his own collection for everything from local Tuareg anthems to DIY, auto-tuned HipHop produced on cracked software. We reckon you’ll be genuinely surprised and delighted at discoveries like Group Anmataff’s melancholy, low-slung Algerian drum machine and guitar groove ‘Tinariwen’ or the intricate drum programming and microtonal keyboard flourishes of Negib Ould Ngainich’s ‘Guetna’, but best of all has to be the emphatic emotions of Mdou Moctar’s swaying autotune ballad ‘Tahoultine’ or Bayta Ag Bay’s forlorn guitar on ‘Aicha’. OK, granted, the bitrates (included on the insert) are poor, but the mastering makes them quite acceptable, and really if you’ve still got gripes with it then you’re seriously missing the point. And while the irony of these tracks being transferred from mp3 to vinyl shouldn’t be lost on you, it’s nevertheless a marvellous, beautiful record which has already had The Guardian and The Wire singing its praises, if that makes any difference. Wholeheartedly recommended!

*White + grey vinyl* Diverse and deadly jack-pak featuring five tracks from IBM (Jamal Moss), Baris K, Traxx, Steve Summers and Quid Pro Quo. We’re not sure who Quid Pro Quo is, but he certainly knows how to get things kickin’ with his monstrous ‘Dance Planet’ – just wait for the tearout synth and try keeping your composure! His side is shared with a tunnelling Traxx remix of Tevo Howard, while the second plate cocks back a warehouse-crumbling jacker from the prolific Steve Summers – one of his best in 2011 – backed with an incredible piece of Turkish Wave/New Beat called ‘200’ produced by Istanbul ’70 compiler Baris K, besides a spaced-out rhythum trak from IBM (Jamal Moss aka Hieroglyphic Being!). Oh damn, did we mention the bonus 7″ with two splacky jackers from SSPS and Beau Wanzer? Yep. Nice one! Tipped for the wallbangers.

*Limited first edition of 500 copies only packaged in a high-gloss, LP style sleeve* Steeped in gothic decadence, Young Hunting’s ‘The Night Of The Burning’ is a darkly compelling kiss of death to 2011 from one of its finest imprints. An “experimental musick project” based in Edinburgh, Scotland, its two members formed a relationship with Blackest Ever Black on the strength of a self-released debut album ‘Attachment In A Child And The Subsequent Condition’ from 2010, finding mutual aesthetic ties to the nether realms of early ’80s post-industrial atmospheres and the escapism of bedroom arcana. The most obvious, and favourable, comparison is with the music of Coil; whether through ambitious sound design and arrangements, or their theatric affections, the similarities are clear. But it’s certainly not a straight up facsimile – they hadn’t actually heard of Coil until recently. They would be more likely to reference the transgressive literature and philosophies of Bataille or the films of Jane Arden, both of whom directly influenced the haunting lyrics, delivered in a cinematic, earnest style and, refreshingly, without a sliver of cynicism. For those willing or able to sequester themselves from prosaic realities, there’s an achingly lush sound world within ‘The Night Of The Burning’ beckoning your attentions. Strongly recommended if you like Raime, Coil, Swans, Dead Can Dance…

Biosphere makes a fine contribution to Touch’s 7″ series with two pieces originally recorded for Hågoland Teater, Trømso, in 2006 and remastered in 2011. Their date of conception places them roughy around the time of Geir’s ‘Dropsonde’ LP and it’s no push to say they could have happily appeared on that set. A-side ‘Fluvialmorfologi’ is a quietly glacial, droning piece sustaining thin, icy highs over seeping noise and cyclical loops which recede in and out earshot an into infinity (a locked groove). B-side ‘Feber’ strongly reminds of moments from ‘Dropsonde’ with slow, systolic string loops also recalling the magic of Wolfgang Voigt’s Gas output.

**Includes an embroidered, sew-on patch** You should really know by now that Peaking Lights ‘936’ is one of the best records of 2011. Don’t trust us? Check the end-of-year charts from Fact Mag, The Wire or just ask your cool mate. Following the albums’ reissue on Domino, we find four tasty remixes courtesy of Main Attrakionz, On-U Sound, Dam Funk and Patten. Veteran desk-driver Adrian Sherwood remains faithful to the dub instincts of the original with a massive, rolling B-line and relatively clean song structure, standing in stark contrast to the coarse, angular dubbing of Patten’s ‘Hey Sparrow’ mix, full of stray sirens, head-wrecking psych space and lurching lung-splutter rhythms. On a more collected flex, Dam-Funk is entrusted with the undeniable album highlight ‘All The Sun That Shines’, cooling the original’s heavy heat for a proper midnight FM boogie strafe with strange shades of early Dopplereffekt, while Main Attrakionz combine elements of ‘Marshmellow Yellow’ and ‘Amazing And Beautiful’ in a smoked-out cloud-rap headspace produced by Squadda B.

First 12″ of brand new Function material on Sandwell District in 12 months! ‘Ember’ is by far his most diverse offering for the label, spanning functional (sorry!) club tools thru more experimental, atmospheric arrangements. The DJs will be chompin’ for the hypnotic, body-charging impact of ‘Descending’, but the best moments occur elsewhere on the womb-like pressure of ‘Picabia’ and the more sensual, AFX-ian groove of ‘Enter’. Ace.

**Marbled Blue Vinyl** Strong remixes of Pacific Blue (aka Shifted) from Silent Servant and Rrose. LA’s Silent Servant gives a heavy rolling version laden with stereo-panning dub chords and locked into a hip-slinking groove with his signature sleight of hand. Flipside, his West Coast buddy Rrose gives a tightly syncopated revision.

**Transparent Vinyl** Spaced-out and KILLER remixes of Virgo 4 from Hieroglyphic Being, Capracara & Scott Fraser, and. A-side, the soured synth tweaks and feverishly sexy rhythms of Capracara and Fraser’s ‘Lites Go Out’ should be reserved only for the most head-gone moments of the night – check the samples and we’re sure you’ll agree! B-side Hieroglyphic Being’s ‘Pongo’ remix of ‘Boing’ sees him slinging the tempo to a 33-not-45 jack, arriving at a salty arrangement of dissonant Industrial synth strokes and double-timed, almost steppin’ rhythms. Nuts, in the best way!

One year since his defining ‘Croydon House’ session, Pinch returns to Swamp81 armed with two high grade dreadnaughts. Again he’s operating at a 126-128bpm flex, but this time the emphasis is set off the 4, hitting a dark spot between ‘Croydon…’ and his immense album collaboration with Shackleton. A-side is the magisterial ‘Retribution’, a staggering payload of quaking 808 bass hits and shakedown syncopation streaked with artillery strike sounds and heart-in-mouth synth chorales. B-side ‘Get Out Of Here’ is a more stripped-down exercise in iced sound design, rending a slower halfstep rhythm with dank, expansive reverbs and shivering percussion diffused like spent shells. We shouldn’t need to reiterate, this is a mighty, mighty plate.

Superb three-tracker from the highly-rated Shifted project, released on Sigha’s Our Circula Sound imprint. A-side ‘Telic’ is a beast, sleekly stripped down and rolling on syncopated bass swing with crisp, Sleeparchive-like bleeps. B-side ‘Solus’ is defined by a throbbing, itchy friction intended to dominate any club, while ‘Image/Channel’ affords a crucial moment for bleak industrial sound design recalling the work of Zhark’s Kareem. Heavy.

*Includes a killer set of remixes from Marcel dettmann!* Too Far’ is a shark-eyed, dark-house killer with a kind of krautrock momentum, seductive vocals from KAE and swirling Arabesque synths. Marcel Dettmann supplies two remixes, the first a masterclass in stripped, ‘floor-locking techno, dressed with a nice 808 crunch and put through acres of reverb. The second is a Maurizio style dub-techno thumper, all reinforced kicks and elegantly decaying chords. Both versions keep KAE’s vocal intact, or at least fragments of it, and understandably so: her suggestion that “we’ve really gone too far” are bound to strike a chord with the bug-eyed afterhours crowd. Sick 12”.