Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Jonny L - Magnetic

XL Recordings: 1998

I didn't know Jonny L had a second album after Sawtooth. Heck, I didn't know he had the first one either, but I assumed as much. With so many choice tunes floating about his '90s discography - Treading, Piper, I Let U, Tychonic Cycle - it only made sense he'd consolidate them into an LP. Unfortunately, I only discovered Magnetic existed after adding Sawtooth to my Discoggian collection. I recall no promo, no hype, no big singles, no 'word on the street' discourse over Magnetic, but then, I was as far from those circles as one could get in 1998, so what do I know?

Still, ol' Jonny had a lot of competition that year to stand out from the pack. Gander: Goldie's Saturnz Return, Grooverider's Mysteries Of Funk, Ed Rush & Optical's Wormhole, E-Z Rollers' Weekend World, Dom & Roland's Industry, Photek's Form & Function, DJ Rap's Learning Curve (look, it was hyped), Amon Tobin's Permutation (sure, let's include him), Baxter's Baxter (who?), Talvin Singh's OK (okay, we're stretching now). Point being, Magnetic rolled out at a time when d'n'b was rolling hot, and with such a quick turnaround from his debut, it's small wonder Jonny L's sophomore effort got lost in the shuffle.

Not helping matters is just how relentlessly dark and grimy Magnetic is. You'd think this would make it awesome, and for the most part, this album is awesome! But it's rather singular in tone too, which at a time when d'n'b records had to show diversity for crossover success, didn't help Mr. L's prospects. You're either all in for this bridge between tech-step of old and darkstep of new, or will check out after the first four tracks. And even then, twelve tracks of this stuff may be a bit much. I know cutting a few of the standard bangers like Sight Unseen and See Red wouldn't have hurt.

Still, it's hard denying just how primal and visceral most of these tracks go. Opener Intrasound doesn't waste anytime letting you know you're in for a ride of frantic drums, gnarly bass rumbles, and swirles of sci-fi future-funk. It isn't until sixth track Accelerate we're reminded there's humans working in this studio, guest vocalist Lady Kier adding some jazzy soul, but her croon is warped in distorted into dystopian murk. Even Johnny Breaks dropping some bars in as blatant a jump-up tune as I've ever heard from Jonny L can't escape the grit and grime of Magnetic's mood.

A couple outlier tracks do spice things up a little. Focus features some gnarly didgeridoo action (has d'n'b used didge's often? I haven't heard much). Phase Shift features some wildly warped guitar shredding from Guitarminator (told you this was a robot apocalypse album!). A couple interludes slows things down to a trip-hop pace, but remain as chaotic as the rest. It still isn't enough to make Magnetic feel somewhat lesser of an album experience compared to Sawtooth, but nonetheless solid stuff for fans of this sound.

Monday, September 26, 2022

Anzio Green - Lygan

...txt: 2019

You know what this label needed more of? Cover art with the colour blue in it. Yeah, there was a little, scattered about, but I can't say I was compelled to grab these based on cover art alone. Ishqamatics' Waterbound has some blue, but lots of green and aquamarine too, so not a true-blue piece of business there. Hakobune's How Slowly We Regret, that's got a whole lotta' blue, but it's also one of those single-track, hour long drone piece albums, a form of music I'm not keen on grabbing often.

Nay, it seems green has been ...txt's preferred colour of choice (erm, when they do primary colours at all). Plank & Ishq's Zeal Monachorum and Crows An Wra series: lots of green! Reverberant Evenings' After The Silence, plenty of green. Nacht Plank's Echo Ark, a weird green for the sky, but green nonetheless. Wil Bolton's Viridian Loops, green all over that hillside. Heck, even the project I'm dealing with here has 'green' right in their name! Talk about a green agenda!

Anzio Green is a duo consisting of Wil Bolton and Mark Streatfield, who seem to convene for a studio session once every half-decade, this Lygan being their most recent effort. Mr. Streatfield had a rather fruitful career in the '00s making dub techno as Cyan341 and ambient techno, glitchy-hop, IDM musics as Zainetica. Mr. Bolton, on the other hand, has crossed paths with this blog a few times, mostly in collaboration with various Lee Norris projects. Not sure what brings the two together for their intermittent Anzio Green outings, but hey, here's another one for those itching on a follow-up to A Day Without Distance.

Some simple guitar tone plucking and overdub effects opens things up on Marshlands, various layers of droning timbre riding along waves of dub reverb carrying the piece along. Some midway through the eleven-plus minute long track, a melody of sorts emerges, in that abstract, Berlin-School sort of way experimental synth works like to go. Navigations – Part One goes heavier on the abstract layers of sound, but a clear ominous vibe permeates the proceedings. Which is more than can be said for Part Two, getting heavier on the experimental musique concrete blasts of tone and timbre.

I was honestly ready to lump Lygan into my “interesting, but not one worth returning to often” pile of CDs when the titular track caught me off guard. Lovely ambient acoustic guitar playing, building tension through oddball dub electronics, string pads escalating the mood towards the end ...now this I dig. The piece also morphs in such a way that I couldn't tell if the various sounds were either playing regular or in reverse – probably both at times. Final track Bright River features a steady rhythm with a nicely depressive vibe of dub tones, capturing the foggy mood of the cover art better than anything else on the album. Congrats, Lygan, you're rescued for my “interesting, play on rainy days” pile of CDs instead!

Sunday, September 25, 2022

Dance With The Dead - Loved To Death

self release: 2018

Once, a long, long time ago, I had a chance to see Dance With The Dead on tour, the supporting act of long-standing machismo-shredders Dragonforce. I didn't go because in those days, you took clubbing and concerts for granted, always assuming they'd always be there, whenever the whim struck you. Never did you conceive of it all shutting down for 'reasons'. Should they ever re-open, and the band tour once more in my nook of the world, no way in Hell I was gonna' take them for granted, no sir (and I didn't, too).

I bring all this up because, had I gone to that show in the before-times, this was the album Dance With The Dead were touring with at the time. Honestly, that isn't much of a revelation, in that my exposure to the band was so raw and new, I couldn't I.D. any of their songs (I highly doubt they'd perform their version of GosT's Reign In Hell). In some ways, it's irrelevant which songs would have more prominence over others, in that they do all kinda' aesthetically blend together. Some rip faster, others shred harder, but the core elements of each tune – synths, guitars, heavy chugging rhythms, nods to '80s soundtracks – remain intact for much of the band's discography. And it's all the more awesome for it!

Loved To Death gets going with Go!, Dance With The Dead wasting no time getting the goings on. The beats are brisk, the guitar powers forward, and the synth leads are oh-so glorious. How can you not want to bang your head to this? Throw up a devil's horn or two? Epic adventure in spooky, sci-fi dwellings beckon, so strap on your finest Adidas, hop on your BMX bikes, and let's fight against the alien murder robots invading some misty Maine backwoods.

Follow-up Into The Shadows carries on with high-octane shredding synthwave action, then things slow down considerably for a while. Salem lets synth melodies take the lead, though Tony Kim still gets his chance to solo towards the end, while Portraits almost goes reflective and chill, at least as chill as a synth-metal band can go without going full ballad. War almost gets you thinking the heavy beat action is returning with the band's chugging basslines and building arp leads, but the song surprisingly breaks down for some soft electro, piano and burbling acid action. Even a return of the gattling-gun bassline isn't enough to lift War out of its newfound contemplative mood.

The second half of Loved To Death features more tunes of similar ilk as the side A: heavy beat chuggers (From Hell, Become Wrath), moody synth-led numbers (Red Moon, Oracle), and that one rippin' tune that sounds more ravey than rocky (From Hell). Obviously if the idea of synth-metal-wave has little interest to you, then this album ain't for you, doing little to shake the genre's foundations away from its most appealing attributes. For those of us in for the ride though... wooooo!!

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Faex Optim - Look Around You

Carpe Sonum Novum: 2017

Not gonna' beat around the bush here: Faex Optim is influenced by Boards Of Canada. Like, very influenced, to such a point that you could convince a layperson they're the same act. They're not though, Faex Optim the works of one Wesley MacDonald, who, despite also residing in Scotland, is not part of the Hexagon Sun commune. Or maybe he is, but on their super-secret members list, one that even Wiki or Lord Discogs isn't aware of. To sum things up within this first paragraph, if you like Boards Of Canada, you should like Look Around You. Heck, I'll reach for it sooner than I will official BoC media like Geogaddi or Twoism.

And some Boardsy uber-fans may be snarking, “Why should I settle for someone who just sounds like Boards Of Canada, when I could listen to the real deal?” Um, maybe because 'the real deal' aren't really making music anymore? One (1) album in the past seventeen years isn't exactly a robust modern catalogue. No wonder some out there would start making their own hauntology Boards music, dissecting and distilling the duo's attributes to such a point you couldn't tell the difference in a blind test. I'd totally believe there's a robust 'BoC-tology' scene out on the internet by now, sharing music on forums like twoism, with splintering among its participants between soft-synth emulators and purist analogue performers, using only the vintage gear Michael and Marcus utilized.

Clearly Faex Optim is someone who's been deemed worthy of carrying on the Boards brand of music. I've seen no blowback for him being so faithful to their sound, no irate claims of style-biting, riding coattails, or ripping off. Carpe Sonum Records had enough faith in him to release a debut album called Tris·kai·dek·a·pho·bi·a (heh, numerology ...of course), and continue to do so, another out just a couple years ago now (Look Around You was released between the two). Given that the label had an unfortunate incident with another 'heavily-influenced by BoC' producer early on, it's nice to see they didn't lose the faith with this micro-scene.

I feel like I'm doing Mr. MacDonald a disservice by going on about the idea of Boards-influenced music rather than talking specifically about his Boards-influenced music. Really though, is there much else for me to say? I could tell you Irn Bru features lazy trip-hop rhythms, warped backing synths as though played through decades-old over-dubbed tapes, and a charming lead as performed on a half-working kid's organ. Then you'd go, “well that just sounds like a Boards Of Canada tune you're describing”, and I'll be all like “I know, right!?”

The only way the comparison could not be ninety percent on the nose is if I was talking to someone who'd never heard of a Boards Of Canada tune in their life. I know they're out there, folks who's first exposure to this sound will be Faex Optim rather than BoC. Can't see them reading this blog though.

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

John Shima - The Lonely Machine

FireScope: 2019

It's been a spell since I last talked up John Shima. Part of that is due to the man's own output, mostly sticking to vinyl releases these last few years, and about half a dozen of them at that. Not to mention drifting from label to label in doing so, making it such that only the most hardcore of Shima fans could follow.

Which I can't claim being, but as a follower of the FireScope family, I certainly kept my eye on him for any future releases on the print. Sadly, that's been skint as well, an EP, a collaboration with label-head Steve Rutter, and an LP the extent of his works thus far. And that LP, this here The Lonely Machine, was released over three years ago. All these factors combined (plus, erm, my own tardiness in picking this up), and yes, it's definitely been a spell since John Shima last appeared here.

What's funny – at least to me – is with my grabbing of The Lonely Machine, I'm now completely up-to-date on FireScope album releases. At least, those produced by artists other than Mr. Rutter. Granted, the label's roster isn't robust, and their focus on EPs doesn't exactly offer a wide range of LPs to gorge upon. Surely someone else is waiting in the wings for their crack at it though? Bauri's been around for a while, how about him? Or a Kirk Degirogio joint would be interesting. Steevio, mayhaps?

Anyhow, this is another darn fine collection of Detroit-leaning, retro-future techno performed in that vintage FireScope way. Like, I've been covering FireScope for a while now, so folks should have some inkling of what the label's in-house style entails. Gotta' get in those nitty-gritty details though, just so y'all know what differentiates Mr. Shima from the other acts on this label.

Well, if Derek Carr is the more Detroit purist, or Morphology goes more electro, then John is definitely on the chill side of techno. Not outright ambient or anything, but opener Intel certainly has a light, airy feeling with spritely melodies as lean synths glide along laid-back broken beats. Follow-up Airwaves goes even deeper on the 'inner reflection' vibes, with tracks like Migrate and the titular closer not far behind. Some tunes do up the pace to something more dancefloor friendly, Distrust and Linear even getting in a little acid action, though we're still quite far from peak-time techno here. Throw in a couple slightly experimental tracks (Electronic Slaves on the electro side, Accepting on the ambient side), add a loose theme of a future-shock civilization on the verge of revolt, and you have a tidy ten tracker from John Shima.

And then there's Empires! Okay, the sweeping grand synths already made this tune tops in my books, but there's something about those backing, bouncing sounds. The ones that clank and hum in a fashion that has certain nostalgia triggers flaring. Less Detroit techno, more UK. Is that... an Orbital influence I'm hearing?

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Saafi Brothers - Live On The Roadblog

Iboga Records/Carpe Sonum Novum: 2014/2015

Yet another in a long, long, long (oh Gods, just so damn long) list of acts I've sorely neglected. By all accounts, Saafi Brothers are a group I should have dove into sooner. All the pieces are there for me to have checked them out at some point, members with discographies I've crossed with plenty of times.

Most prominent of these is, of course, Gabriel le Mar, who I have heard in scattered amounts over the years, and never been let down by his output. Another member is Luca Anzilotti, whom most probably don't know off hand, but have definitely heard in the past, being one-half of the famed euro-dance outfit Snap! Michael Kohlbecker isn't one I'm familiar with, though he's been active on the scene many decades, his Eternal Basement project probably his most recognizable alias. Alex Azary (of Aural Float and Elektrolux fame) was also with the group on its first album, so all said, quite the super-group of German producers here.

And what sort of music did these numerous talents create together? Why, nothing less than the invention of prog-psy, is what! Okay, maybe not quite, their works more of an ambient dub techno blend with wordly psy-chill, but tell me 1997 tracks like On Air and Internal Code Error don't predict that genre emerging in the coming century.

As you can imagine with a group containing so many busy-bodies, reconvening for an album session isn't the easiest endeavour for Saafi Brothers. It would explain the sparse discography (and my overlooking of said discography), the group seemingly disbanding after 2007's Supernatural, save live gigs. Still, such gigs seemed to inspire the trio to actually start recording some of those sessions, which they did, consolidating the best outings in the studio for this here Live On The Roadblog album. Initially released as a digital item on prog-psy outfit Iboga Records, it was given the CD treatment on Carpe Sonum Records off-shoot Novum. That isn't as strange of a 'worlds colliding' pairing as you'd think, what with Gabriel le Mar being something of a fixture with the sub-label.

Listening through Live On The Roadblog, you definitely get a 'live' feel for how these tracks were crafted, everything quite loose in arrangement. Still, with most hovering around the six-to-eight minutes mark, they seldom wander off in rambly jams, a clear structure in their progression. Just, y'know, not so stiff in execution as most studio works go. As for the types of tunes, you get dubby world beats (Infinity Is Reality, Ghosts In The Tree), prog-psy groovers (Running Free, In The Eye Of The Storm, Moving Crossroads), blissy chillers (Feeling Lone, Touched By An Angel, Moments Of Clarity), and... electro-dub bangers? Wow, where did How High Can You Get? come from?

The music is solid stuff for sure, but man, all the drippy-hippie spoken word bits, I could have done with less of. When the whole album's concept is 'following one's wanderlust' though, I guess it comes with the territory.

Sykonee's 'Sportsing' Surveys: NAS

Gotta' maintain those 'daily steps', yo', and while I get those on the job, I don't work every day (though I'm sure they'd love it if I did). What better way to keep the simplist of physical activity up, then, than by taking lengthy strolls about Vancouver on my off days? And since I'm doing that, may as well take the opportunity to digest some lengthy discographies of artists I've always wanted to check out, but was never compelled to committ dollars to disc. See, folks, streaming services do have some practical uses after all! Naturally, I'll have bite-sized thoughts on what I listen to, and what better way to share those than on a social media app designed for sharing bite-sized thoughts.

As for why start with one Nasir Jones, he's long intrigued me as an "MC's MC", the rapper other rappers always point to as their go-to. Definite high praise from the hip-hop community at large, but aside from Illmatic, seldom ever saw his albums reach the highest tiers of The Discourse. No, Nas' catalogue was one you were gonna' have to actually deep-dive to get the full story, and with Dead End Hip-Hop singing his praises with his recent output, saw it fit as a good jumping-on point for this listening exercise. Let's get to it, then!



Well, that was fun. Who should I tackle next? Hhmm, y'know, I've always wondered about the prog-rock years of the band Genesis...


Friday, September 16, 2022

Apollo 440 - Liquid Cool (Volume Two)

Stealth Sonic Recordings: 1994

Ah yes, the ol' 'why settle for one CD single when you can commission two and charge twice the price!' strategy. Heck, there's apparently a 3-LP vinyl option out there that consolidates everything into one package, though according to Lord Discogs, was only ever a promo?

That doesn't seem right. Why would Stealth Sonic Recordings commercially limit the amount of tracks? Oh right, that whole 'maximize sales' thing. So separate them into two 'volumes', the first one having the Big Names like FSOL, Deep Forest, and Jah Wobble, then if there's interest, here's the other remixes on a second volume. Only there was no second volume released on vinyl, strictly limited to CD. Guess Ollie J and 'Space' weren't enough of a selling point after all.

Still, if there's any complaint to be had about Liquid Cool (Volume One), it's that its offered remixes weren't exactly the most DJ friendly. Yeah, yeah, Sasha and Diggers made Ice Cold @ The Equator work in Northern Exposure, but that set was never intended to be a traditional club dancefloor set in the first place. No, I'm talking about versions where the intro and outros are easily layered and the rhythms are steady, to which Volume Two offers up. Without a vinyl option. How did that happened again?

I mentioned before that there's a remix of Liquid Cool that's even better than Deep Forest's famed rub, and here it be right on Volume Two, Deep Forest's other rub: Trans-Afrique Life Extension Express. Just jettison the downtime of Ice Cold, grab all the dope rhythmic bits and ear-wormy pieces, and rearrange them for maximum efficiency. If Ice Cold is the chakra-aligning, yoga meditating outing, then Trans-Afrique is the cross-fit ripped, sweating workout: no gristle, all muscle.

It still boggles my mind that Deep Forest was capable of such a dancefloor weapon. I wonder how much engineer Ollie J (he of many studio jobs with acts like Leftfield, Sasha, Rozalla, and, erm, The Prodigy's Baby's Got A Temper ...whoof) had a hand in its arrangement. For sure he has a Live Dubs go as well, but it's nowhere near as solid or interesting as Trans-Afrique.

The other remixes on Volume Two come care of Rhythm Of Space, a pairing of Jono Podmore and Steve Musham that has very little Discoggian presence (compared to their other works in the business at least). In case you felt Deep Forest's go was too 'poppy', their Colonization Remix takes Liquid Cool down the most proper progressive house path you could possible pursue in '94: fourteen minutes of relentless rhythms and almost nothing but, not even the chants. If that seems excessive, take a gander at their -320°F Biostatic Ambient Mix, here pared down to just one part, as the 'promo' vinyl version lasted a full twenty-five minutes. It's definitely interesting in that ol' school, noodly ambient dub sort of way, but even at the eleven minutes offered here, it does drag some. Can't imagine enduring the full session.

Thursday, September 15, 2022

Apollo 440 - Liquid Cool (Volume One)

Stealth Sonic Recordings: 1994

Even in the free-wheelin, 'anything goes' Cambrianic explosion of electronic music diversification that was the first half of the '90s, Apollo 440 were all over the place. They did eventually settle on a big-beat rocktronica fusion as the decade wore on, but as is quite evident in their debut album Millennium Fever, it took them a while to hash things out. After a few early singles mostly following hardcore rave tropes, they seemed to hit upon a groove with the Rumble EP, hitching their wagon to the burgeoning progressive house scene. Hah, no, not really, such tunes sharing equal space with sub-par Psykosonik jams like Astral America and Don't Fear The Reaper. Yet it was their proggy stuff that went on to be some of the band's most endearing tunes. Thanks, Sasha and Digweed!

Lodged on the b-side of that Rumble EP was a ten-minute track called Liquid Cool. I don't know if it was intended for a follow-up single of it's own, but boy howdy did it ever get the deluxe treatment when pressed into service. Somehow, someway, Apollo 440 managed to rope in a group that, while popular, were not exactly known for their remixes, their main output primarily studio works. Yes, I am talking about that indomitable powerhouse duo of the ethnic-fusion sample-o-sphere, The Future Sound Of London! What, did you think I was talking about Enigma?

But yes, The f'n FSOL is on this remix package, who take the rocky, world-beaty original into their Earthbeat studio and give Liquid Cool the ISDN treatment. By which I mean they slow the pace down, throw in a few of their own custom/unique/identifiable samples, and add a heavier trip-hop beat. If you know your ISDN-era FSOL, you can hear this track without even playing it.

Also on hand in this remix package is bassist, OG world-beatist Jah Wobble (what, was Bill Laswell not available?). This was actually the start of a mini-comeback for the Wobble one, John Wardle's project having laid relatively low for over half a decade to this point. His go with Liquid Cool starts simply enough, mostly following the same structure as most remixes do with a little extra bass jamming along. Then two minutes in, Jah switches into the highest gear you could go in '94, frantic jungle rhythms and speedy bass playing galore. Again, if you familiar with his works (or Laswell's), you likely can already hear how this goes.

That leaves the Theme For Cryonic Suspension remix (essentially the album version) done by Apollo 440 themselves, a radio version of that (pass), and the one that everyone knows and loves, Deep Forest's Ice Cold @ The Equator Mix. Yeah, it's dope, possibly the best version of Liquid Cool for so many reasons that I won't be able to detail here. Almost out of word count, see. Besides, there's an even better version out there! Yes, even greater than the one you've heard on Northern Exposure. What could it possibly be?

Sunday, September 11, 2022

Warmth - Life

Archives: 2020

It's only appropriate the first artist album I'm covering from Archives is from Agustín Mena. Between this print and its sister one, Faint, the chap has released somewhere in the ballpark of twenty items in the past half decade, with no slowing down in sight. Granted, as the Archives headmaster, it's only natural he'd be publishing his works through them. And hey, if a pile of other artists want to join in on the fun, there's plenty of room in the digital realm. Too much, I sometimes feel. Believe me, the urge to splurge is real, but fortunately I'm too broke right now to do so.

Warmth may seem like a rather generic, bland alias for a project, but when you hear Mr. Mena's style of ambient drone, it's an incredibly apt description. Like many modern ambient composers, he has some lineage in the realm of dub techno, so shares some sonic similarities with the Silent Season continuum. Rather early on though, Agustín ditched the beats and went full-on drone, and has mostly remained there ever since.

Now, I know what you're thinking (my FitBit links me directly into your cerebellum.. oops, shouldn't have typed that out loud!): “Great, just another ambient drone artist among the hundreds to thousands already out there. Why should I bother with this one?” And I says to you, I says, I do: “BECAUSE!! It's just that damn good!”

We all know I go through a lot of ambient music. Like, a lot. Much of it, I generally enjoy, but rarely has the genre provided something that immediately grabs me and won't let go for an instant. Warmth is such an artist that accomplishes this. Right from the start on this particular album titled Life, opener Breathe lays in spacious field recordings, soft analogue fuzz, and a gently caressing melody of airy synth pads and decaying tones. So simple, yet so good!

Follow-up Safe continues with the field recordings ambience, some of which sounds like the rustling of leaves in the wind, focusing more on the layers of sonic timbre, while You're Not Here features a melancholic melody that reminds me of 36. Well, such as you can hear it, performed impossibly quiet and muffled through all manner of fuzz. Life mostly plays out in similar fashion, some tracks going more mysterious (Passage, The Mourning, Leaving), others more melodic (Roads, the titular cut). About the only real quibble I have is the whole LP runs rather short at only thirty-five minutes long, but hey, at least Warmth doesn't needlessly noodle along either.

I suppose you could also say there isn't that much difference between each piece, almost to the point Life could play out as one long composition. I honestly thought that might have been the initial intent, as the pauses between tracks on the CD seemed a little off. I then noticed there is a continuous mix version, but the pauses are there as well. Huh, not so continuous as we were led to believe.

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

The KLF - Last Train To Trancentral (Live From The Lost Continent)

Indisc: 1991

No doubt one of the more redundant singles I've picked up. There's only three tracks on here, and I already have two of them. Yeah, the Live From The Lost Continent version would have been a welcome addition to any UK punter's collection, a wholly different version compared to the album cut in that region (itself a remodelling of an unreleased song called Go To Sleep). Capping off The KLF's 'Stadium House' trilogy, wherein Jimmy and Billy took their Pure Trance singles and turned them into rollicking rave anthems filled with adoring crowds, Last Train was probably the most vain-glorious of the bunch. Well, certainly my personal favourite, even if The Charts say 3 a.m. Eternal was most popular of the trio (to say nothing of the Tammy Wynette featuring version of Justified And Ancient).

Anyhow, that's all a moot point for yours truly, as the American version of The White Room used the Lost Continent version of Last Train instead. Guess Arista figured their audience wouldn't have time for the 'subtler', calmer UK variant – don't bore us, get to the mutha'-fuggin' anthem chorus! Either that, or there was even more sample-clearance issues. Neither would surprise me.

Also included on this single is the 1989 Pure Trance Original. You know this as the version as heard on Chill Out, which I also have, kind of. I guess it's nice having it on its own, separate from the the full album mix, but again, redundant to my own music collection.

That leaves just The Iron Horse rub, and you know what? This actually makes getting the single for exactly one track out of three almost worth it. It's basically a primitive 'prog house' version of Last Train, back when the genre had just started its tentative first walk out onto the shores of UK clubland. The Lost Continent version is essentially stripped down to its most functional rhythmic components, chugging along at a deep, unrelenting pace. Shame its barely four minutes long, but I'm sure enterprising DJs could loop this for a propah' prog journey, if so inclined.

“But, Sykonee, you sexy beast of scintillating sound analysis,” I hear the cries, “why not cover that other remix package for this single?” What, The Moody Boys one? Yeah, that exists, but wasn't among the CD options from where I picked this up. It's not that hard to find, but certainly far from as common as this single is.

And frankly, I'm not sure if there's much to say about them, both essentially rubs on the UK album variant of Last Train. The 808Bass Version adds more rolling deep ends while the 120 Rock Steady version gets ravier with punchier riffs and broken beats, but that's about the extent of differences. Meanwhile, the Mu D. Vari-Speed Version is just Last Train To Trancentral (Remix 1) from the Pure Trance single, only played through a tape reel or turntable pitch shift at various speeds (I'm not sure which – maybe both?). I'll pass.

Monday, September 5, 2022

Specta Ciera - Last Light

Neotantra: 2020

There's no logical reason I should feel surprised at seeing a Specta Ciera album on Neotantra. It's not like Devin Underwood has kept his project exclusive to any particular label. Indeed, he's shopped it around many over the past decade (Earth Mantra, Flaming Pines, Energostatic Records, Distance Recordings, basic_sounds). In more recent years, he has appeared on what I consider the more 'elite' ambient techno labels out there (Carpe Sonum Records, Databloem, Fantasy Enhancing), so it only makes sense that he'd get a crack at Neotantra too.

Yet I still can't shake the notion of Specta Ciera being a dataObscura exclusive. He's released three album there, two of which were collaborations with dataObscura head Anthony Kerby (The Circular Ruins, Nunc Stans). That does leave an impression of an artist a bit loyal to a specific print. Then again, if Neotantra really is the label where artists go to truly get their creative indulgences on, I'm sure Mr. Underwood could leap at the chance at contributing to its catalogue, especially after working as a collaborator for so many years prior (also including Arbee, and Jacob Newman as Gapfield... *whew*, has this ever been a name-drop session).

Unlike some (okay, many) Neotantra albums I've covered, Last Light does appear to have a specific theme in mind. Track titles impart a chronology of deep space exploration, leaving whatever orbit the listener was stationed at before eventually succumbing to the cryo sleep required of interstellar, time-dilating, sanity-sapping cosmic travel.

Despite the name, opener Escape Velocity isn't some high-octane space synth adventure (because obviously ...and Dynatron already did that anyway), but rather a gentle trip of treated string samples and harmonic tones. Follow-ups Soft Glow and LED Circuits paints more of a portrait of life on this starship, chipper synths and twinkling melodies creating quite the atmosphere of charm and whimsy. Wait, did we suddenly turn into a children's movie, with cute muppets on board? Rather reminds me of Hearts Of Space's more upbeat moments.

While the fanciful vibe does maintain throughout Last Light, there is a sense of slowdown as the album carries on. Tracks tend to grow more minimalist as things progress, some pieces even inching just a bit into ominous and mysterious (Time Bending, Memory Freeze). Nothing grows discordant though, Devin mostly keeping things on that whimsical bent. Heck, final track Slumber practically loops back around to the chippiness of Soft Glow. Given the amount of dark ambient that suggests the 'cryo sleep' as some terrifying experience losing one's sense of self, this one instead has me imagining the sleeping crew cuddled snug in their chambers wearing a night cap, a GLO Friend hugged tightly in arms.

I cannot deny it's rather refreshing hearing an ambient album so unapologetically buoyant and jaunty, but it does leave Last Light a somewhat wafer-thin experience for me. Maybe that's more a reflection on my general tastes though, typically preferring deep, introspective drones and the like.

Saturday, September 3, 2022

La Luz - La Luz

Hardly Art: 2021

It feels weird being invested in a contemporary rock band. Heck, any rock band, come to think of it. Yeah, I've done discography dives on many, but almost none have intrigued me enough to scope out their full catalogues, much less keep tabs on every new release. Like, here I was, on the edge of my seat, wondering whatever would La Luz do about the departure of drummer Marian Li Pino? Oh, that pandemic thingy put a hold on all that anyway, so don't have to worry about it just yet.

So La Luz was on hiatus, lead singer and guitarist Shana Cleveland whiling the downtime doing some solo work. When I heard the group had finally reconvened after such a long absence, I was honest and truly excited to hear how they were going to move forward, especially who the drummer would be. Holy cow, I'm excited about a rock band's new drummer! What a strange sensation this is!

Then I was thrown for a complete loop and a half when I heard it was Adrian Younge. Wait... waitwaitwait! That Adrian Younge? The ultra-talented funk-n-soul jazz musician? The one who produced those fantastic Ghostface Killah and Souls Of Mischief albums? That Adrian Younge!? How on Earth did he get involved working with an all-lady psychedelic surf rock band? This is a 'Worlds Colliding!' pairing I never would have dreamed of, yet here it is, within my hands, La Luz' latest, self-titled album with the two least expected genres of music merging together. Well, unless you count 'psychedelia' as a bit of glue.

And while this is unmistakably a La Luz album, Mr. Younge's influence definitely is felt, especially on the rhythmic end of things. I don't think I've ever heard Lena Simon's bass playing given such prominence before, and there's no mistaking those drum tones as anything other than an Adrian Younge joint. Incidentally, these were performed by Riley Geare, the drummer for an indie psych-rock band called Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and a definite dude (that much beard gives it away). I assume he just happened to be in the neighbourhood when Adrian and Luz went into the studio to record this album, as he's not listed as the group's official new drummer on Wikipedia, she currently being Audrey Johnson. Aww, just missed the recording sessions, I guess.

Meanwhile, it's clear keyboardist Alice Sandahl was encouraged to 'jazz' up her playing, and I'm all for it. This includes adding more instruments to her arsenal, such as Mellotron, harpsichord, and... cowbell? Heck, you should see the amount of extra instruments Shana brought in: steel guitar, 12-string guitar, sitar. In typical Younge fashion, no instrument is left off the table!

Which unsurprisingly leaves La Luz a fair bit more funky than some might expect, but never to the loss of a general dream pop and psychedelic soul vibe. The core essence of a La Luz record is here, just with a lot more studio indulgence than past outings.

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Get-ting Phy-si-cal, Phy-si-cal, oh baby! An EMC Update.

So I've fallen down the Fitness Hole.

It all started with getting a new phone, and as new phones are wont to do, proudly displaying its new features as you set it up. On a whim, I indulged the Health Tracker app, just to see how far pedometer technology had come - my first cell phone was a Sony Ericsson, see, bought almost specifically for that feature. Well, not only had 'step counting' tech massively advanced in those dozen years, but just about every other health and exercise tracking feature too. Why, by turning on my phone's GPS, I can even get accurate data for my regular constitutionals, factoring in elevations and everything (Vancouver 'tis a hilly place). Swimming! I go swimming, and this phone app even tracks calories burned during swim sessions! ...kinda'. Obviously you can't take the phone into the pool, so it just correlates an estimate based on the time of your session. If only there was some way to accurately track those.

"Why, of course there is!" says the charming individual lurking further down the Fitness Hole. "You've heard of FitBit, right?" Oh my, yes! Of course! I'll just get one of those little smart watches with all the tracking abilities included and- oh... oh my! Stats! Data! SWOLF scores!! Feed me more! More! MOAR!! Sleep tracker too? Ooh, what a nifty little feature. How do I sleep, I wonder? Eh, aren't I worried someone might steal that information and use it against me? Pft, you over-rate my importance.

Granted, I'm not fully immersed in this Fitness Hole. I really can't be bothered to track my calorie intake - figure if I'm burning 2000+ a day, I'm doing fine anyway. And I honestly kinda' cheaped out on the 'fitbit' for my wrist, settling on an economy model that probably isn't 100% accurate on everything (what device even is tho'?). Like, I already spend heavy on good headphones, I'm not yet ready to do the same on fitness trackers. I've seen how hardcore some get with their fitness regiments, going so far as to track amino acid contents of their drinks and whatnot. I've neither the time nor the care to get that deep into it, but at least keeping a record of these things has motivated me to get more active in general, which at my age probably isn't a bad idea at all.

Incidentally, adding lengthy walks to my off-work routine has given me a chance to deep-dive artist discographies I've always meant to check out. I've even taken to Twitter to share my thoughts on each album I listen to (currently going through the catalogue of hip-hop legend Nas), and will probably eventually post it here. So if anything, this exercise in doing more exercise has generated a little additional content in the long run.

Things I've Talked About

...txt 10 Records 16 Bit Lolita's 1963 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2 Play Records 2 Unlimited 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 20xx Update 2562 3 Loop Music 302 Acid 36 3FORCE 3six Recordings 4AD 6 x 6 Records 75 Ark 7L & Esoteric 808 State A Perfect Circle A Positive Life A-Wave a.r.t.less A&M Records A&R Records Abandoned Communities Abasi Above and Beyond abstract AC/DC Ace Trace Ace Tracks Playlists Ace Ventura acid acid house acid jazz acid techno acoustic Acroplane Recordings Adam Beyer Adam Ellis Adam Freeland Adham Shaikh ADNY Adrian Younge adult contemporary Advanced UFO Phantom Aegri Somnia AEI Music Aes Dana Afgin Afrika Bambaataa Afro-house Afterhours Agoria Aidan Casserly Aira Mitsuki Airwaves Ajana Records Ajna AK1200 Akshan album Aldrin Alex Smoke Alex Theory Alice In Chains Alien Community Alien Project Alio Die All Saints Alpha Wave Movement Alphabet Zoo Alphaxone Altar Records Alter Ego alternative rock Alucidnation Ambelion Ambidextrous ambient ambient dub ambient techno Ambient World Ambientium Ametsub Amon Amarth Amon Tobin Amplexus Anabolic Frolic Anatolya Andrea Parker Andrew Heath Androcell Anduin Andy C anecdotes Aniplex Anjunabeats Annibale Records Anodize Another Fine Day Antendex anthem house Anthony Paul Kerby Anthony Rother Anti-Social Network Anzio Green Aoide Aphasia Records Aphex Twin Apócrýphos Apollo Apollo 440 Apple Records April Records Aqua Aquarellist Aquascape Aquasky Aquila Arcade Architects Of Existence Archives Arcturus arena rock Arista Armada Armin van Buuren Arpatle Artifact303 Arts & Crafts ASC Ashtech Asia Asian Dub Foundation Astral Engineering Astral Projection Astral Waves Astralwerks AstroPilot AstroPilot Music Asura Asylum Records ATB ATCO Records Atlantic Atlantis atmospheric jungle Atom Heart Atomic Hooligan Atomine Elektrine Atrium Carceri Attic Attoya Audiobulb Records Audion AuroraX Autechre Autistici Autumn Of Communion Auxilary Auxiliary Avantgarde Avatar Records Aveparthe Avicii Axiom Axs Axtone Records Aythar B.G. The Prince Of Rap B°TONG B12 Babygrande Balance Balanced Records Balearic ballad Bålsam Banco de Gaia Bandulu Barker & Baumecker Battle Axe Records battle-rap Bauri Beastie Boys Beat Buzz Records Beat Pharmacy Beatbox Machinery Beats & Pieces bebop Beck Bedouin Soundclash Bedrock Records Beechwood Music Benny Benassi Bent Benz Street US Berlin-School Beto Narme Beyond bhangra Bicep big beat Big Boi Big Dada Recordings Big L Big Life Bill Hamel Bill Laswell Bill Leeb BIlly Idol BineMusic BioMetal Biophon Records Biosphere Bipolar Music BKS Black Hole Recordings black metal black rebel motorcycle club Black Swan Sounds Blanco Y Negro Blasterjaxx Bleep Blend Blood Music Blow Up Blue Amazon Blue Hour Blue Öyster Cult blues blues rock Bluescreen Bluetech BMG Boards Of Canada Bob Dylan Bob Marley Bobina Bogdan Raczynzki Bombay Records Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Boney M Bong Load Records Bonobo Bonzai Boogie Down Productions Booka Shade Botchit & Scarper Bows Boxed Boys Noize Boysnoize Records BPitch Control braindance Brandt Brauer Frick Brasil & The Gallowbrothers Band breakbeats breakcore breaks Brian Eno Brian Wilson Brick Records Britpop Brodinski broken beat Brooklyn Music Ltd Bryan Adams BT Bubble Buffalo Springfield Bulk Recordings Burial Burned CDs Bursak Records Bush Busta Rhymes Buttertones bvdub C.I.A. Calibre calypso Canibus Canned Resistor Canopy Of Stars Capitol Records Capsula Captain Hollywood Project Captured Digital Carbon Based Lifeforms Caribou Carl B Carl Craig Carlos Ferreira Carol C Caroline Records Carpe Sonum Novum Carpe Sonum Records Castroe Casual Cat Sun CD-Maximum Ceephax Acid Crew Celestial Dragon Records Cell Celtic Centaspike Cevin Fisher Cheb i Sabbah Cheeky Records chemical breaks Chihei Hatakeyama Children Of The Bong chill out chill-out chiptune Chris Duckenfield Chris Fortier Chris Korda Chris Liebing Chris Sheppard Chris Witoski Christmas Christopher Lawrence Chromeo Chronos Chrysalis Ciaran Byrne cinematic soundscapes Circle of Pines Circular Ciro Berenguer Cirrus Cities Last Broadcast City Of Angels CJ Stone Claptone classic house classic rock classical Claude Young Clear Label Records Clementz Cleopatra Cloud 9 Club Culture Club Cutz Club Tools Cocoon Recordings Cold Spring Coldcut Coldplay coldwave Colette collagist Columbia Com.Pact Records Coma Eye comedy Compilation Comrie Smith Congo Natty Conjure One Connect.Ohm conscious Control Music Convextion Cooking Vinyl Cor Fijneman Corderoy Cosmic Gate Cosmic Replicant Cosmo Cocktail Cosmos Studios Cottonbelly Council Estate Electronics Council Of Nine Counter Records country country rock Covert Operations Recordings Craig Padilla Craig Richards Crazy Horse Cream Creamfields Creedence Clearwater Revival Crockett's Theme Crosby Stills And Nash Crossing Mind Crosstown Rebels crunk Cryo Chamber Cryobiosis Cryogenic Weekend Cryostasis Crystal Moon Cube Guys Culture Beat Curb Records Current Curve cut'n'paste CYAN Cyan Music Cyber Productions CyberOctave Cyclic Law Cygna Cypher 7 Cypress Hill Cyril Secq Czarface D-Bridge D-Fuse D-Topia Entertainment Daar Dacru Records Daddy G Daft Punk Dag Rosenqvist Damian Lazarus Damon Albarn Damon Wild Dan Terminus Dan The Automator Dance 2 Trance Dance Pool Dance With The Dead dancehall Daniel Heatcliff Daniel Lentz Daniel Pemberton Daniel Wanrooy Danny Howells Danny Tenaglia Dao Da Noize Daphni dark ambient dark disco dark psy darkcore darkside darkstep darksynth darkwave Darla Records Darren Emerson Darren McClure Darren Nye DAT Records Databloem dataObscura David Alvarado David Bickley David Bridie David Cordero David Guetta David Morley DDR De-tuned Dead Coast Dead Melodies Deadmau5 Death Grips death metal Death Row Records Decimal Deconstruction Dedicated Deejay Goldfinger Deep Dish Deep Forest deep house Deeply Rooted House Deepwater Black Deetron Def Jam Recordings Del Tha Funkee Homosapien Delerium Delsin Deltron 3030 Denshi Danshi Depeche Mode Der Dritte Raum Derek Carr Detroit Deviant Records Devin Underwood Devroka Deysn Masiello DFA DGC diametric. Dido Dieselboy Different DigiCube Dillinja Dirk Serries dirty house Dirty South Dirty Vegas Dis Fig disco Disco Gecko disco house Disco Pinata Records disco punk Discover (label) Disky Disques Dreyfus Distant System Distinct'ive Breaks Disturbance Divination DJ 3000 DJ Brian DJ Craze DJ Dag DJ Dan DJ Dean DJ Gonzalo DJ Heather DJ John Kelley DJ John Storm DJ Merlin DJ Mix DJ Moe Sticky DJ Observer DJ Premier DJ Q-Bert DJ Shadow DJ Soul Slinger DJ-Kicks Djen Ajakan Shean DJMag DMC DMC Records Doc Scott Dogon Dogwhistle Dooflex Doom Poets Dopplereffekt Dossier Dousk downtempo dowtempo Dr. Alban Dr. Atmo Dr. Dre Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show Dr. Octagon Dragon Quest dream house dream pop DreamWorks Records Drexciya drill 'n' bass Dronarivm drone Dronny Darko drum 'n' bass DrumNBassArena drumstep drunken review dub Dub Pistols dub techno Dub Trees Dubfire dubstep Dubtribe Sound System DuMonde Dune Dusted Dyadik Dynatron E-Mantra E-Z Rollers Eardream Music Earth Earth Nation Earthling Eastcoast Eastcost Eastern Dub Tactik EastWest Eastworld Eat Static EBM Echodub Ed Rush & Optical Editions EG EDM World Weekly News Ektoplazm Electric Universe electro Electro House Electro Sun electro-funk electro-pop electroclash Electronic Dance Essentials Electronic Music Guide Electrovoya Elektra Elektrolux em:t EMC update EMI Emiliana Torrini Eminem Emmerichk Emperor Norton Empire enCAPSULAte Encym Engine Recordings Enigma Enmarta Ensiferum Enya EP Epic epic trance EQ Recordings Equal Stones Erased Tapes Records Eric Borgo Erik Vee Erol Alkan Escape Esko Barba Esoteric Reactive Espacio Cielo ethereal Etic Etnica Etnoscope Euphoria euro dance eurodance eurotrance Eurythmics Eve Records Everlast Ewan Pearson Exitab experimental Eye Q Records Ezdanitoff F Communications Fabric Facture Fade Records Faex Optim Faint Faithless Falcon Reekon Fallen False Mirror fanfic Fantastisizer Fantasy Enhancing faru Fatboy Slim Fax +49-69/450464 Fear Factory Fedde Le Grand Fehrplay Feist Fektive Records Felix da Housecat Fennesz Ferry Corsten FFRR Fictivision field recordings Filter filters Final Fantasy Firescope Five AM Fjäder Flashover Recordings Floating Points Flowers For Bodysnatchers Flowjob Fluke Fluxion Flying Lotus folk Fontana footwork Force Intel Fountain Music Four Tet FPU Frame Francis M Gri Frank Bretschneider Frankie Bones Frankie Knuckles Frans de Waard Fred Everything freestyle French house Front Line Assembly Frou Frou fsoldigital.com Fugees full-on Fun Factory funk future garage Future Sound Of London Futuregrapher futurepop g-funk G-Prod gabber Gabriel Le Mar Gaither Music Group Galaktlan Galati Gang Starr gangsta garage Gareth Davis Gary Martin Gas Gasoline Alley Records Gee Street Geffen Records Gel-Sol Genesis Geometry Combat George Issakidis Gerald Donald Get Physical Music ghetto Ghostface Killah Ghostly International Glacial Movements Records glam Gliese 581C glitch Glitch Hop Global Communication Global Underground Globular goa trance Goasia God Body Disconnect Gorillaz gospel Gost goth Grammy Awards Gravediggaz Green Bay Wax Green Day Grey Area Greytone Gridlock grime Groove Armada Groove Corporation Grooverider grunge Guru Gustaf Hidlebrand Gusto Records GZA H:U:M H2O Records Haddaway Halgrath happy hardcore hard house hard rock hard techno hard trance hardcore Hardfloor Hardly Art hardstyle Harlequins Enigma Harmless Harmonic 33 Harmonic Resonance Recordings Harold Budd Harthouse Harthouse Mannheim Hawtin Headphone Hearts Of Space Hed Kandi Hefty Records Helen Marnie Hell Hercules And Love Affair Hernán Cattáneo Hexstatic Hi-Bias Records Hic Sunt Leones Hide And Sequence Hiero Emperium Hieroglyphics High Contrast High Note Records Higher Ground Higher Intelligence Agency Hilyard hip-hop hip-house hipno Hollywood Burns Home Normal Honest Jon's Records Hooj Choons Hope Records horrorcore Hospital Records Hot Chip Hotflush Recordings house Howie B Huey Lewis & The News Human Blue Humanoid Hybrid Hybrid Leisureland Hymen Records Hyperdub Hypertrophy Hypnotic Hypnoxock I Awake I-Cube i! Records I.F. I.F.O.R. I.R.S. Records Iboga Records Icarus Music Ice Cube Ice H2o Records ICE MC IDM Iempamo Ignis Fatum Igorrr Ikjoyce illbient ILUITEQ Imogen Heap Imperial Dancefloor Imploded View In Charge In Trance We Trust Incoming Incubus Indica Records indie rock Indisc Industrial Infastructure New York Infected Mushroom Infinite Guitar influence records Infonet Inhmost Ink Midget Inner Ocean Records Innovative Leisure Records Insane Clown Posse Inspectah Deck Instinct Ambient Instra-Mental Intellitronic Bubble Inter-Modo Interchill Records Internal International Deejays Gigolo Interscope Records Intimate Productions Intuition Recordings ISBA Music Entertainment Ishkur Ishq Island Def Jam Music Group Island Records Islands Of Light Italians Do It Better italo disco italo house Item Caligo J-pop Jack Moss Jackpot Jacob Newman Jafu Jake Stephenson Jam and Spoon Jam El Mar James Blake James Holden James Horner James Lavelle James Murray James Zabiela Jamie Jones Jamie Myerson Jamie Principle Jamiroquai Javelin Ltd. Jay Haze Jay Tripwire Jaydee jazz jazz dance jazzdance jazzstep Jean-Michel Jarre Jefferson Airplane Jerry Goldsmith Jesper Dahlbäck Jessy Lanza Jimmy Van M Jiri.Ceiver Jive Jive Electro Jliat Jlin JMJ Joel Mull Joey Beltram John '00' Fleming John Acquaviva John Beltran John Digweed John Graham John Kelly John O'Callaghan John Oswald John Shima Johnny Cash Johnny Jewel Jon Hester Jonny L Jori Hulkkonen Joris Voorn Jørn Stenzel Josh Christie Josh Wink Journeys By DJ™ LLC Joyful Noise Recordings Juan Atkins juke Jump Cut jump up Jumpin' & Pumpin' jungle Junior Boy's Own Junkie XL Juno Reactor Jupiter 8000 Jurassic 5 Kaico Kay Wilder KDJ Keith Farrugia Ken Ishii Kenji Kawai Kenny Glasgow Keoki Keosz Kerri Chandler Kevin Braheny Kevin Yost Kevorkian Records Khetzal Khooman Khruangbin Ki/oon Kid Koala Kiko Killing Joke Kinder Atom Kinetic Records King Cannibal King Midas Sound King Tubby Kitaro Klang Elektronik Klaus Schulze Klik Records KMFDM Koch Records Koichi Sugiyama Kolhoosi 13 Komakino Kompakt Kon Kan Kool Keith Kozo Kraftwelt Kraftwerk Krafty Kuts Kranky krautrock Kriistal Ann Krill.Minima Kris O'Neil Kriztal KRS-One Kruder and Dorfmeister Krusseldorf Kubinski KuckKuck Kulor Kurupt Kwook L.B. Dub Corp L.S.G. L'usine La Luz Lab 4 Ladytron LaFace Records Lafleche Lamb Lange Large Records Lars Leonhard Laserlight Digital LateNightTales Latin Laurent Garnier Layer 3 LCD Soundsystem Le Moors Leaf Leama and Moor Lee 'Scratch' Perry Lee Burridge Lee Norris Leftfield Leftfield Records Legacy Legiac Legowelt Lemony Records Leon Bolier Les Disques Du Crépuscule LFO Linear Labs Lingua Lustra Lionel Weets Liquid Frog Records liquid funk Liquid Sound Design Liquid Stranger Liquid Zen Literon Live live album LL Cool J lo fi Loco Dice Lodsb LoFi London acid crew London Classics London Elektricity London Records 90 Ltd London-Sire Records LongWalkShortDock Loop Guru Loreena McKennitt Lorenzo Masotto Lorenzo Montanà loscil Lost Language Lotek Records Loud Records Louderbach Loverboy Lowfish Luaka Bop Lucette Bourdin Luciano Luke Slater Lunarian Records Lustmord M_nus M.A.N.D.Y. M.I.K.E. Mack 10 Madonna Magda Magik Muzik Mahiane Mali Malignant Records Mammoth Records Mantacoup Marc Simz Marcel Dettmann Marcel Fengler Marco Carola Marco V Marcus Intalex Mark Farina Mark Norman Mark Pritchard Markus Schulz Marshmello Martin Allin Martin Cooper Martin Nonstatic Märtini Brös Marvin Gaye Maschine Massimo Vivona Massive Attack Masta Killa Master Margherita Matthew Dear Max Graham maximal Maxx MCA MCA Records McProg Meanwhile Meat Loaf Median Project Medicine Label Meditronica Melusine Records Memex Menno de Jong Mercury Merr0w Mesmobeat metal Metal Blade Records Metamatics Method Man Metro Area Metroplex Metropolis MF Doom Miami Bass Miami Beach Force Miami Dub Machine Michael Brook Michael Jackson Michael Mantra Michael Mayer Mick Chillage micro-house microfunk Microscopics MIG Miguel Migs Mike Saint-Jules Mike Shiver Miktek Mille Plateaux Millennium Records Mind Distortion System Mind Over MIDI mini-CDs minimal minimal tech-house Ministry Of Sound miscellaneous Misja Helsloot Miss Kittin Miss Moneypenny's Mistical Mixmag Mixmaster Morris Mo Wax Mo-Do MO-DU Moby Model 500 modern classical Modeselektor Mohlao Moist Music Moljebka Pvulse Moodymann Moonshine Morgan Morphic Resonance Morphology Moss Covered Technology Moss Garden Motech Motionfield Motorbass Mount Shrine Move D Moving Shadow Mr. Scruff Mujaji Murk Murmur Mushy Records Music link Music Man Records musique concrete Mutant Sound System Mute MUX Muzik Magazine My Best Friend Mystery Tape Laboratory Mystica Tribe Mystified N-Trance Nacht Plank Nadia Ali Nano Records Napalm Records Nas Nashville Natural Life Essence Natural Midi Nature Sounds Naughty By Nature Nav Bhinder Nebula Neil Young Neo Ouija Neo-Adventures Neon Droid Neotantra Neotropic nerdcore Nervous Records Nettwerk Neurobiotic Records neurofunk Neuropa Records New Age New Beat New Jack Swing New Order new wave Nic Fanciulli Nick Höppner Night Hex Night Time Stories Nightmares On Wax Nightwind Records Nimanty Nine Inch Nails Ninja Tune Nirvana nizmusic No Mask Effect Nobuo Uematsu noise Noise Factory Records Nomad Nonesuch Nonplus Records Nookie Nordic Trax Norken Norman Cook Norman Feller North South Northumbria Not Now Music Nothing Records Nova NovaMute NRG Ntone nu-italo nu-jazz nu-metal nu-skool Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast Entertainment Nulll Nunc Stans Nurse With Wound NXP Nyquist Oasis Ocelot Octagen Offshoot Offshoot Records Ol' Dirty Bastard Olan Mill Old Europa Cafe old school rave Ole Højer Hansen Olga Musik Olien Oliver Lieb Olivier Orand Olsen OM Records Omni Trio Omnimotion Omnisonus On Delancey Street One Little Indian Onyx Oophoi Oosh Open Open Canvas Opium Opus III orchestral Original TranceCritic review Origo Sound Orkidea Orla Wren Ornament Ostgut Ton Ott Ottsonic Music Ouragan Out Of The Box OutKast Outmosphere Records Outpost Records Overdream Owl P-Ben Pale Glow Paleowolf Pan Sonic Pantera Pantha Du Prince Paolo Mojo Parental Advisory Parlaphone Part-Sub-Merged Pascal F.E.O.S. Past Inside The Present Patreon Patrick Dream Paul Moelands Paul Oakenfold Paul van Dyk Pendulum Pentatonik Perfect Stranger Perfecto Perturbator Pet Shop Boys Petar Dundov Pete Namlook Pete Tong Peter Andersson Peter Benisch Peter Broderick Peter Gabriel Peter Tosh Phantogram Phonothek Photek Phutureprimitive Phynn PIAS Recordings Pinch Pink Floyd Pioneer Pitch Black PJ Harvey Plaid Planet Dog Planet Earth Recordings Planet Mu Planetary Assault Systems Planetary Consciousness Plastic City Plastikman Platinum Platipus Pleq Plump DJs Plunderphonic Plus 8 Records PM Dawn Poker Flat Recordings Polar Seas Recordings Pole Folder politics Polydor Polytel pop Popular Records Porya Hatami positivesource post-dubstep post-punk power electronics Prince Prince Paul Prins Thomas Priority Records Private Mountain Procs Profondita prog prog metal prog psy prog rock prog-psy progress house Progression progressive breaks progressive house progressive rock progressive trance Prolifica Proper Records Prototype Recordings protoU Pryda psy chill psy dub Psy Spy Records psy trance psy-chill psy-dub psychedelia Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia Psychomanteum Psychonavigation Psychonavigation Records Psycoholic Psykosonik Psysolation Public Enemy Pulse-8 Records punk punk rock Pureuphoria Records Purl Purple Soil Push PWL International Quadrophonia Quality Quango Quantic Quantum Quinlan Road R & S Records R'n'B R&B Ra Rabbit In The Moon Radio Slave Radioactive Radioactive Man Radiohead Rae Raekwon ragga Rainbow Vector raison d'etre Raja Ram Ralf Hildenbeutel Ralph Lawson RAM Records Randal Collier-Ford Random Review Rank 1 rant Rapoon RareNoise Records Ras Command Rascalz Raster-Noton Ratatat Raum Records rave RCA React Rebecca & Nathan Recycle Or Die Red Fog Red Jerry Redman Refracted reggae ReKaB REKIDS remixes Renaissance Renaissance Man Rephlex Reprise Records Republic Records Resist Music Restless Records RetroSynther Reverse Alignment Reverse Pulse Rhino Records Rhys Fulber Ricardo Villalobos Richard Durand Richard Stonefield Riley Reinhold Ringo Sheena Rising High Records RnB Roadrunner Records Robert Hood Robert Miles Robert Oleysyck Robert Rich Roc Raida rock rock opera rockabilly rocktronica Roger Sanchez ROIR Rollo Roman Ridder Rough Trade Rub-N-Tug Ruben Garcia Rudy Adrian Ruffhouse Records Rumour Records Running Back Ruptured World Ruthless Records RX-101 Rykodisc RZA S.E.T.I. 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