Different State is a band coming from Poland but which recently moved to NYC. ELEMENTS is their newest release and it has been a surprise for me, because it sounds like a slowed down version of Scorn and Godflesh mixed together like on a sort of ambient limbo where Marchoff and Greg (the guys behind the project) research the right potion to keep their music so magic. The eight tracks of the CD are stated by the band as "eight prepared alchemical songs" and if what Paracelsus was looking for was a right mixture of experimental music, ambient drones, d'n'b rhythms and inspiration, well, Different State reached it bringing tension to the top and playing their tunes. This is one of the best records of the past year!

Wow, it's since the second Earth's album that I wasn't listening to something such intense and grinding at the same time (if you don't know who Earth were, just make a search on www.allmusic.com). SKIN TURNS TO GLASS is the third release of this project leaded by Aidan Baker. The three long suites of the CD combine guitar metal drones, drum machine and unlimited agony. It's like they're painting a desolated canvas which is more desperate respect Earth's approach to music (they were more "chemical" if you know what I mean...). The only note I can do is that sometimes drum is out of sync but this doesn't affect the effect of the music which is always intense. " Your skin turns to glass at my touch / cold & rimed with ice & my skin / freezes to yours & I must tear it off".

As anticipated on the Ninthwave website months ago, the "I Am Gothic Remix Project" as been released and it's a really interesting one. Along with four new Spray tunes it presents to the audience ten new bands that took the challenge of remixing the track starting from the files they downloaded directly from the label's website. Even if the CD is catalogued as a mini it has got a massive amount of music for a total of 76 minutes! Let's talk first about the band's tracks: their 2003 remix version of the main title takes form from the original version giving to it a techno revisitation. The techno influence doens't end with the first tune as "It's all in the drums" takes inspiration from New Order's "Blue Monday" (for the drum patterns and for some bass lines) just to make of it a pumping 80's techno tune. "He Came With The Frame" with the following "The Story Of My Life Is An FX Showreel" and "Whizz For Atoms" keep the dance approach alive but with synthpop melodies. As a general comment, the new tracks seem to be more driving and pumping and that's good... Now let's pass to the ten remixers. First comes the "Back To The Expanded Mono Mix" by The Electroluvs (an good basic eletro version) followed by the "FMU Club Mix" by FMU-Frederik Andersson (which bring us catchy techno ambient version). As third remixer we find Syntetik Fm which mix the original track with Bach giving to both a digital revisitation. Following is the "OccuMix" remix by Occupant (good remix that doesn't change that much the original touch of the track but at the same time Occupant makes of it his own creature), "Virtually Gothic" by the label mates Xero/G (a really weird version which makes of it a distorting vocoder festival with ambient backgrounds), "Don't Like Your Bands Mix" by Raindancer (I already listened to some of his stuff and I liked it just like this electro version), "Synomatic Mix" by Synomatik (excellent version with good sounds. It makes you wanna know more about this project), "Low Technicians Mix" by Technicians (the only version that gives to the tracks an ebm touch), "Absorb Mix" by Absorb Projects (really good techno remix with driving bass sounds). The last one is the "Trance-endental" remix version by Astromill which mix trance, synthpop and electro in a good way. Maybe a little long with its seven minutes and half lenght, but good. Wow, end of the review, at last... After all this, don't tell me you ain't going to give it a listen, ok? :)

Ignore the absolutely anonymous moniker and layout, because this is by far one of the best demo cdr's that I've listened to in the last few months, often better than official releases. Tiziano Milani is an architect and radio dj, here presenting some of his sonic experiments (7 tracks, ca. 70'). Track 1 is a brilliant mix of electroacoustics, microsounds, distant pulses, silences and plagiaristic cut-ups. Think of some Illusion of Safety, early Jim O'Rourke (circa "Tamper"). It is REALLY good, yes. The concrete fragments go on for more than 9 minutes, then a calm drone rises on the wreckages, disturbed by digital shivers. Then it fades into mechanical pulses, vaguely à la Autechre, which close the composition at 24' – very well managed to say the least, would be an excellent 3" ep. Track 3 is more electroacoustic plagiarism, but hey, isn't that Claudio Rocchetti? Sounds like a remix from "A work called Kitano". More samples crawl in (strings etc.) but I'm almost sure it's mostly Rocchetti – so I have mixed feelings judging this track, though it's great in itself. Track 2, 4, 6 and 7 are good mixes of dark dub and heavy rhythmic electronica... Scorn (circa "Evanescence"), Aphex Twin and Muslimgauze come to mind. Track 5 is an obsessive industrial soundscape assembling panicking vocal samples, pulses, feedback screeches... close to power electronics at times. The cdr is varied but surprisingly mature and interesting from start to end, also considering it's a debut. I'd personally choose to separate the different "sections" for listening coherence, but the promo actually works well as it is, mainly due to a dark, gloomy atmosphere which I appreciate a lot. I do hope that Milani manages to spread these tracks as he shows lots of ideas and good taste, something often sadly lacking in experimental musicians.

Harsh electro with filtered black metal voice. Apocalyptic lyrics. Buy this if you're into Tactical Sekt (here remixing one track), Grendel, Cyborg Attack and the likes. Hell, I can hardly distinguish this from Grendel or Tactical Sekt, actually, and it's not as if they were particularly good or original in the first place. The earth has been invaded by metallic electro replicants! Beware!