Both SLC-based labels Backscatter and Dungeon Recording renewing their partnership with both new website designs and they celebrate successfully their mutual course. They released two freely downloadable full-length compilations, one of them musically rather more based in Goth-Rock, Indie and Alternative music, and this one, entitled 'Provocateur' the more Electronic/Industrial-minded alter ego. I refuse to concentrate on this one only ' just check both of their websites, if you're more the 'other' styles of music. 'Proven favorites play along side brand new exclusives from many talented artists', so one of the entrancing statements of this comp. Indeed, favorites can be named with SYMBIONT ('Behind The Lie'), LITTLE SAP DUNGEON ('Empty Rooms Breathe Heavily'), LEXINCRYPT ('Dead By Morning'), or BOUNDLESS ('Seduction' ' feat. LOST SIGNAL and Frank M. Spinath of SEABOUND). So far so good, but none of these most recognized artists of both labels offer anything new ' that's a pity for their die-hard fans, as they surely all know these classic recordings. New compositions would have done better, since there are recently announcements for new recordings by LSD, LEXINCRYPT has new stuff available via Crunch Pod, and also the persistent rumor, that SYMBIONT will reunite are keeping the flame of hope burning. There's also the mysterious project named ALGORYTHMDEKONSTRUCT and it's once again too bad, that this project has never received a comparable cult status like the above mentioned better recognized ones ' I still remember the heydays of MP3.com, where I was able to download a few more tracks from this underrated artist after having heard the straight and pummeling EBM tune 'Love Hate Obsession' on the DSBP compilation 'Cybonetix 2002'. Other remarkable stuff surely hides behind the comeback of CONTROL.ORG with their rather smooth Electronica sound between Futurepop and EBM, as well as the energetic outfit of the follow-up project to BOUNDLESS, XIESCIVE with 'Time To Die'. 'Provocateur' is a groundbreaking collection, if you're new into the Electronica scene around Salt Lake City ' if you're familiar with these artists, you may won't find too much stuff transforming this compilation to a must-have item. However, since this one is freely available, you can't do nothing wrong by downloading it from the web resources of both labels.

01. PCP-The Nothing [V.2]
02. Xiescive-Time To Die
03. Symbiont-Behind The Lie
04. AlgorithmDekonstruct-Love Hate Obsession
05. The Stygian-Killing Time [Insurgent Version]
06. Mourning People-Black Night Battery
07. Empyreus-The Bleeding Hearts
08. Christopher Alvarado-Blades Of The Sun
09. Lexincrypt-Dead By Morning
10. Little Sap Dungeon-Empty Rooms Breathe Heavily
11. Boundless-Seduction [Feat. Lost Signal & Frank M. Spinath of Seabound]
12. Control.org-Analogue Killer
13. Audio Variancision-Hemi Sync [6.1]
14. Twilight Transmissions-Ascending Black Rays

BOUNDLESS is done now ' here comes with XIESCIVE a new chapter in the long-year music career of Trevor 'Xon' Weeks. A new project-name, yes, but musically rather more a step back to the debut album of BOUNDLESS, 'Perpetual', released in 2002 on the Albuquerque-based label DSBP. XIESCIVE features rather more the European Dance-Industrial attitude quite related to those past days, but with a more of updated sounds and developed programming skills ' as far as these featured 5 tracks allow a valid judgement. Trevor writes under XIESCIVE songs for the will to entertain, and for the masses to dance. It can be noticed, that the content of his lyrics are seemingly more light-hearted and easier-minded, as it has been often different with BOUNDLESS. No longer too much intellectual and religion-inspired lyrics, tracks and their title names like 'Time To Die' or 'Sex, Drugs And Electro' may service perfect any cliche. But it generally seems, that Trevor now acts more optimistic ' he writes well-going tracks for the matter of writing tracks, nothing more, and the lyrics are just the required feature to add humanity into his compositions. This all doesn't mean, that XIESCIVE is a fun-project ' I still think he takes his 'job' quite serious. In all a good beginning with diverse sounding vocals, his still blessed synth programming skills, and, and, and. But... how is it about a full-length release?
In latest news it seems that Trevor could arrange a deal with the US-label Nilaihah Records - all the best with your new label, comrade!

First off, there isn't too much mysticism featured behind this at least 4 'passages' pressed onto this silver circle, but an unexpected, humorless hard and uncompromising first outlet for this new Utah-based project. THE STYGIAN is the newest mutual project for Kevin J. Cazier (LITTLE SAP DUNGEON) and Trevor Weeks alias Xon (BOUNDLESS, SYMBIONT). Both notorious protagonists are doing their best to avoid obvious comparison to any of their uncountable music project, as THE STYGIAN slows down the speed and adds purest pseudo-aggressive lyrics rather spitted out than sung, all placed in an unfriendly sound-environment. These 3 tracks 'Crawling Inward', 'Killing Time' and 'Web Of Tatarus' (which features some guitar riffs provided by Chris Alvarado) are their first recordings . The music itself consists of thick and ominous sounding lead synth sounds, a hardcoristic bass line-programming, satanic fx-processed vocals, and bombastic rhythm patterns. This isn't stuff for the fainthearted audience, as this uncompromising kind does not take prisoners. Lesser like an European-like Dance-Industrial sound outfit, but rather more with a 'filthy' undertone, in some parts with classic Coldwave-like arranged instruments. Good and promising for the first recordings, while it can not completely judged on them after only three original compositions and an alternative remix version of 'Crawling Inward'. When comes the expected album? .

Since the beginning of the reproduction, it's quite clear Erik Tokle, aka Etokle, a talented composer and producer from Los Angeles knows many tricks to make ambient music, even if he also tries to intertwine chilled tunes with rock stepping or daydreaming refrains close to the ones by Robin Guthrie througout his side-project High In the Cemetery showing some many-sidedness off. In particular, he knows how to let a sound come in by thinning it down in a dense syrup of guitar carefully stretched frequencies or nebulized in the sound space before becoming more and more "concrete" or facilitating sudden changeover of sound-set as it happen in the very long initial suite entitled Bear Flag Revolution, a sort of tribute to his California, one of the fuzziest hotbed of the world for ambient experiments, lasting almost half an hour, portraying a sort of cosmic gradual ascension. The track oscillates between that kind of featheriness and a sort of goggle-eyed cryptaesthesia, which can be heard in some mental riding by Stars Of The Lid, whereas in La Mort Heureuse (inspired by the notorious novel by Albert Camus), the sound follows a sort of hyperbolic trajectory replaced by a penetrating guitar sound on his journey towards listener's consciousness. Not properly a drone! The final gentle pressure of the last track, queerly entitled Het Mechanische Gebied van De Slaap, seems immersed in the same aural pool where many minimal "ambientalist" washed their synths, floodlighted by those rarefied intimistic glares, that could please many fans of Sigur Ros or other borderline post-rock swimmers.

Tyske Ludder love to provoke and it's nice they had the coincidence that the release of their latest album DIASPORA met the success of the revolt in Egypt and the start of guerrilla all over the north Africa. Dedicated to all the people who are fighting for their freedom (one of the few English lyrics talks about modern politics that exploit people and economics), DIASPORA brings in new ideas: check the use of choruses and classic music, thing that recalled me the Laibach of the mid 90's, or the electro dancey driven sounds on "For their glory" (song that also has distorted and clean vocals duets). If you know Tyske Ludder don't be afraid, because they didn't lose their industrial touch and their hard rhythms. The thirteen new tracks of DIASPORA (sixteen into the limited edition) are able to show a multifaceted band that behind strong rhythms and e.b.m. sounds has a lot more to offer: subtle melodies, catchy atmospheres and intriguing musical solutions.