Dance With The Dead - Send The Signal

self-release: 2014

Spare some time for an anecdote?

The setting, a little post-clubbing afterparty, which is always nice being at when you're not quite ready for a night to be over. I didn't know these folks in the slightest, but sometimes the conversations you're having are just too good to let die. Still, it became clear to me that our musical tastes weren't so compatible. Lots of Drake, Bieber and the like being played, plus they could tell I was one of those guys, who knew too damn much about music (guilty as charged). But that's fine, I was having a fun enough time chit-chatting about other things (and watching the World Cup Final), so whatever music was playing wasn't a concern for me. Until it was.

At some point, I suggested music a bit more 'peppy', to which I was put on the spot to recommend something. Friends, that has to be the worst thing for me to be asked! Of all the music I know of, I now have to pare it down to just a singular song that my new one-night clubbing pals might enjoy. For some reason, my mind went to Dance With The Dead. It went over like an iridium weight in the atmosphere of Saturn.

I bring this up because, for a time after, I had a crisis of faith, a flailing sense of doubt over my own taste in music. Yeah, I know not everyone will dig what I dig, just as I won't dig what everyone else will dig, but surely Dance With The Dead was bullet-proof? How can some folks not get hype to those pounding darksynth rhythms, the soaring John Carpenter synth leads, and Tony Kim's righteous shredding?

I realize I may have over-committed to this band in buying their entire catalogue off Bandcamp, but man, perhaps I was wrong about enjoying the duo all along. Might they have always been cheesy, corny, and just not cool? Am I so out of touch? I mean, sure, I was one of the 'geezers' when I went to go see them in concert last year, throwing up devil's horns among a crowd of millennials, but might synthwave already be past its prime, with me clinging to a nostalgia of... *checks calendar* a decade old?

Then I listen to Poison off this Send The Signal mini-album, and all is right in the world again. Oh, Dance With The Dead, I can never stay doubtful of you.

Anyhow, Send The Signal is another of the band's earlier EPs, released after the Near Dark album. As such, we're in their era where the synth leads and rhythms dominate over a given track, Tony's guitar action still mostly relegated to a bit of soloing at a track's peak, if featured much at all. Of the six songs (plus an intro), they touch on all the synthwave bases, so a nice little appetizer of the Dance With The Dead stylee. Just, y'know, don't play it for J Cole fans.

Speedy J - Rise

Plus 8 Records: 1991/2021

“The Rise Of Speedy J”? “Speedy J Rises”? “Speedy J ...Arise!”? Hmm? Oh, don't mind me, just mulling over some silly thoughts. Like, you know how “rise” is a total cliche in movie marketing, right? So naturally I can't help but think of this EP in those terms. “Jochem Paap is... The Speedy J, Risen!”, and such nonsense. Look, when one has exhausted nearly all the Very Important talking points regarding an artist's catalogue, the temptation to succumb to the cockamamie grows ever more prominent. It happens to the best of us, and I'm far from the best of us. Maybe the best of us of what's left of us.

Anyhow, after Jochem had made his mark on the Detroit techno scene with International, he followed it up with this EP, four tracks that, for better or worse, showed just how diverse his early career would go. The titular cut kicks things off right where International left off, a near ten-minute rinse out of Detroit future funk with bright synth stabs and soaring strings. As per the title, all the elements in play keeps building upon itself, such that Rise has all the momentum going for it by track's climax, needing a good two minutes worth of cool down. Still, a strong opener, letting folks know the Dutchman is keeping the 'proper techno' spirit alive and well in Europe.

Then second track Something For Your Mind hits. Okay, it's not as inane as Pull Over, but this is still a fairly dumb track, just barely on this side of the 'Good Dumb – Bad Dumb' divide. I guess because this is a live recording (lacking any crowd noise), there's a bit more free-wheelin' flow with the thumping percussion and playful effects on the vocal. I don't have much else to say about Something For Your Mind at this point because, hoo, I'll have a better opportunity down the line.

Tresor's an odd one, in that on its surface, it's a more straight-forward bumpin' techno tune. For some reason though, I can't help but think I'm playing an old arcade racing game while it plays. Or maybe a subway station level in a beat-'em-up. Some of the synths used sound so... arcadey, y'see. There isn't anything as immediately ear-wormy as the first two tracks either, so maybe that's why Tresor has a feeling of a background tune, or a transitional one in a late set towards the end of a night.

And speaking of 'end of night', here's De-Orbit, the track that put Speedy J in the headlights of those 'intelligent' followers of techno. In the context of Rise, it's a wonderful little chill tune, Jochem showing off his downtempo side for the first time (no, I don't subscribe to the theory the speed was a mispress). Really, this whole EP plays out like a condensed night out: the 'get pumped' start, the big anthem, the 'deep' cut, and the afterhours tune. “The Rise And, um, Come-Down, Of Speedy J.”

Blue Hour - Reference 97

Blue Hour: 2014

Hearing honest-to-Gods, true blue trance music from that positivesource compilation naturally had me wondering, was there any more from these guys? The label may be far too new to have cultivated much of a regular roster, but surely all these artists didn't just suddenly sprout up from the ground like so many Tolkien dwarves. You bet, but that's a lot of digging through discographies, some of which may only have a few scant releases to their name. No, best to stick to labels for now, and fortunately for I, it turned out positivesource is a sub-label. Which means there's a parent label I can check out! Oh, goodie!

Sure enough, said parent label is Blue Hour. You might remember that name as one of the artists I mentioned in the positivesource 'Bundle' review (it was only a month ago). I touched on it there, but here's more details. Started by Luke Standing way back in 2013 (yes, that's 'way back' now, deal with it), the eponymous print carved out a tidy little niche in an overcrowded techno market in Germany. Maybe not the most flashy label thereabouts, but successful enough to carry on releasing a few records every year to this day. I don't have the time to sift through the label's entire catalogue to hear just how consistent the trance vibes that lured me in had been lurking throughout, but I figure scoping out some early works might give me an idea. Ah, this Reference 97 looks promising, perhaps referencing techno and trance from the year 1997?

Or maybe not. The titular opener of this single hits you immediately with the thudding, thunderous techno beats you'd associate with Ostgut Ton releases – maybe the snare action is a little vintage Detroit? But what's this? An emergent synth pad, pulsing to the rhythm as it slides along its sine wave? Yeah, that's kinda' trance, even has a little breakdown where it's just the melody doing its thing. Those big ol' beats waste no time coming back though (fuck d'em builds, yo'), keeping Reference 97 firmly in techno's domain.

Second track is called Don't Speak. Ooh, is that a reference to the No Doubt song? Right, the album it came from was released in '95, and technically had a single released in '96, but it did most of its chart damage in '97, so there could be a tie-in! Ha-hah, oh of course not, this Don't Speak a strict exercise in techno minimalism (but not mnml, thank Lord). There is a weird sound that oozes out after every eighth measure, which might be an ultra-dubbed vocal sample, which could be a clip from the No Doubt song? No, I doubt that.

Final track Moments also brings the boom in its beats, but in a broken way, boy. There's also some synth pad work in support, giving this track a real classic Artificial Intelligence vibe. Could almost appear on B12's label, if that bass kick wasn't so beefy.

Spicelab - Quicksand EP

Harthouse/Solieb Digital: 1992/2013

I've held off buying Oliver Lieb Bandcamp remasters for far too long. Always that niggling hope though, that maybe, just maybe, he'd release a hard copy version of his early singles across various aliases, gathering them into a compilation, as done with his L.S.G. works. And I suppose there's still a chance it will happen, but really, if it hasn't happened by now, chances are it never will ...and watch me get proven wrong by this summer.

Anyhow, the early Spicelab singles remained highest on my 'Want' list, so naturally they were the first I sprung for. The Quicksand EP in particular was a unique item in the Spicelab canon, as the titular track is among the first tunes Mr. Lieb released on the downbeat. Perhaps not as notable overall since he'd release the ambient-leaning Constellation on Recycle Or Die the following year, but for a producer who was mostly making blistering, raw acid and techno, Quicksand is a significant step in Oliver's musical evolution.

I already touched on the track as it appeared on the Harthouse Dark Hearts, Vol. 1 compilation, but I may as well re-iterate. Maintaining that experimental sci-fi bent Spicelab often enjoyed, this one opens with lengthy, spaced-out synths gliding and sliding along sine waves, all the while someone hurriedly rushes up a flight of hallway stairs. Man, I can feel my calves getting a work-out just listening to this!

Seriously though, Quicksand has most of the hallmarks of a typical trance tune of the era, just played in a far more chill way, the groove a steady, soft rhythm while all sorts of electronic sounds bubble about. It's an extremely slow build getting to a point where everything's in play, and even then, it doesn't make a big fuss about it, simply cruising along for the track's duration. For those used to the harder side of Spicelab – heck, Harthouse in general – this had to be quite the ear-opener. Small wonder it was tapped for label retrospective consideration.

On the flip, however, is where you'll find the bangers. Amorph is probably the most famous of the lot, an early example of Oliver steering German trance music into the acid techno of the day. It starts out typically of the genre in '92: noisy noises, simple rave riffs, and speedy 150 BPM beats. At the two-minute mark though, those distinct Lieb space synths emerge, flying along with simple pitch bends and squiggly electronics, sending the track into outer orbit. There were examples of these sounds in the debut Spicelab EP, but never used to this effect. The cheeky 'gabber' beats towards the end are just silly fun.

The third track on this EP is called 56387. It's got an annoying hook that sounds like a cyborg strangling a synthesizer. It's mostly just boshy acid techno with some ol' school German trance choir pads. It's not as interesting as the rest of this EP. It was just the style at the time.

Speedy J - Krekc

NovaMute: 2001/2021

Aww yeah, finally returning to Loudboxer-era Speedy J. Enough with the early forays into Detroit techno, or the critically heralded indulgences into 'intelligent dance', let's get back to the years when Mr. Paap stopped giving a fuck and simply ripped shit up. On the dancefloor, I mean. And what better track to get us back to the relentless bangin' techno than the single that not only led into Loudboxer, but kicked off the album's pummelling second half, Krekc.

What else needs to be said about it? It's straight-forward bass kicks and rumbling bassline for a solid ninety seconds, hi-hats, snares, and other assorted percussion building in layers, occasionally ebbing so other propulsive noises squall in the background. It's positively unyielding, letting the energy climax out with barely a sputter at the end for the quick mix-out. It's a track intended for 4am techno, played at the peak of a set. No, seriously, even in the year 2001, there weren't many tunes that went as hard as this one did. Or at least, not released by as Very Important person in the world of techno as Speedy J was at the time.

I do still wonder how folks took this turn of events. I first heard Loudboxer when it was new, and it was certainly something of a shock, having only been familiar with Jochem's G-Spot era of music making. I missed out on the two albums between, to say nothing of any singles floating about, but even stuff like Electric Deluxe couldn't have prepared folks for just how hard Krekc would go. Like many genres out in clubland though, bangin' techno was seeing something of an arms race in the early '00s, where the need to go bigger and bolder was necessary to remain king of the heap. Then everyone got old, knees weary, ketamine the preferred drug of choice, and we all know what happened to techno after that.

Anyhow, another track on this single that appeared on Loudboxer is Krikc, if only partially. This was the tune that was featured as a live snippet, and quite frankly cemented the album as the propah' warehouse experience it was being sold as. Nothing like a little crowd whooping and cheering to sell that 'in the moment' vibe, amirite? This track is even more bonkers than Krekc, basically all looping percussion and flange effects, with heavy emphasis on those mid-range snares as the bass drum thrums along. By comparison, third track Krakc is almost quaint, much slower in tempo, and rather deliberate in how it progresses in layering it's various loops. Even if it's at a pace more typical of traditional minimal techno, there's still plenty of crunchy sounds and flange effects in making this a worthy companion piece to the high-octane Krekc and Krikc.

So there you have it: Krekc, Krikc, Krakc, three tunes of- Wait a moment... are the titles of these tracks a Dutch play on Rice Krispies onomatopoeia...?

Dance With The Dead - Into The Abyss

self release: 2014

So I got all of Dance With The Dead, the entire Bandcamp catalogue, all ten main releases. Why would I go and do something like that? I've only heard one track of theirs, and it's a remix at that. Yeah, but it's also one of the most awesome tracks I've ever heard, their go with Gost's Reign In Hell an all-timer in getting me absolutely fuckin' hype. If the rest of their catalogue is even a fraction as dope, then a bounty of kick-ass synth-metal must exist.

Where to start though? I could sift through each album before dropping some coin, but y'all know I prefer the exhilarating reactions of unheard purchases. All the cover art is retro fun, like browsing the Horror section of your local VHS rental shop, so hard to decide just on those merits. Wait a minute, everything is only two dollars more than buying a single album? Heck, may as well go with that option. Might help break up my ongoing coverage of the entire catalogues of Lucette Bourdin and Speedy J.

And thus, by Alphabetical Decree (re: what's currently slotted in the ongoing queue), we're starting this deep dive into Dance With The Dead with Into The Abyss. It's... not the most typical of their releases, that's for sure. Like, their iconography is very much in a George A. Romero vein, and this cover art is anything but. I guess it being one of their earliest EPs – in fact, their second release overall, if the Bandcamp dates are believed – the duo had yet to establish much of a proper identity. If finding influence from something a little more Cameron than Carpenter was where their heads were at, so be it.

After an intro of sonar pings and ominous tones letting us know that, yes, we are indeed descending into the depths of the bounding main, Battle holds little back in delivering the epic synthwave stylee: epic build, choir pads, stomping rhythms, squealing vintage synths, and that triumphant guitar action from Tony Kim. Perhaps not as tear-out as you'd expect from a track titled Battle, but gotta' save a little of that for later in.

From there, we get Moon Runner, a track that- wait, “Moon” Runner? I thought we were going into dark, oceanic domains. What's a tune that would sound better fitted in a Dynatron collection doing here? Well, it's a cool tune regardless, if rather typical of mid-'10s synthwave. Let's get back to that propah' Dance With The Dead synth-n-metal action on Mask (and hey, sonar pings again – way to tie things back to the EPs theme, guys!) and Odyssey (ooh, that bassline's almost as good as the on on Reign In Hell). By contrast, Suede sounds more like it should be the opening credits theme to a classic arcade game, while No Survivors wants to be the closing credits to a Cameron film, orchestral swells and all. Mmm, stick to the shredding, mates. (and they would too)

Speedy J - Intercontinental

Plus 8 Records: 1990/2021

The first ever Speedy J release, and boy does it show. Actually, that's unfair, some of the tunes on this four track EP already offering glimmers and hints of where Mr. Paap's career would lead. This being a 1990 record though, there are certain, inescapable sonic markers that have a young producer still playing by the rules as laid out by his contemporaries, whether they be British or Detroitish.

What's weird for me is to even think there being a 'ground zero' for Speedy J records in the first place. Like, obviously he had to start somewhere, but as I only became aware of him during his G-Spot era, his earlier stuff seemed but a mystery. Even when I finally 'caught up' to his debut album Ginger, it didn't feel like I was getting the whole Phase 1 Speedy J story. And sure enough, there were even older records than his Artificial Intelligence era, breaking out with the techno freshmen making their mark on a fledgling Plus 8 Records. Yet still, my brain is convinced there must be something even older than Intercontinental. Some unreleased demo tapes, maybe, or a secret, shameful alias of generic freestyle funk Jochem refuses to acknowledge. There has to be something out there!

The Intercontinental EP – indeed, Speedy J's entire career! - kicks off with Wicked Saw. And yep, that synth line sure sounds like a saw, about as jagged as those sound waves could get in ye' olde year nineteen ninety-aught. Despite some more ominous segments, I can't help but draw comparisons to Adamski's N-R-G, released late the previous year. Yeah, that track is a bit silly and free-flowing, about as you'd expect of UK acid house, whereas Speedy J's Wicked Saw plays things mostly straight and ravey. Just something about those rhythms and funky fills tethers it to Adamski in my mind. Like I said, sonic markers and such. Minimal is minimal techno before minimal techno was really a thing, so here it just sounds like monotonous techno. Or tool techno, if you're being generous. Pass.

Now Journey, that's a Detroit space jam if I ever heard one. Those stuttery synths though, there's something almost... trancey about them. Never mind, here comes some classsy organ licks, breakbeat fills, and bleepy goodness. Why, this tune could even have appeared on early Warp Records, if it wasn't already on a Detroit label. Final track Spectrum gets deeper into bleep territory, and almost, dare I say, “intelligent” take on techno.

So a promising start to a youngling J. He definitely had an early ear for dancefloor effectiveness but some care and thought put into arrangements too. Considering this was still an era when few had many sounds at their disposal, the Speedy one shows how much could be done even with the standard tools of the techno trade. It'd still be a couple years before Jochem would truly stretch though, instead a brief flirtation into ravey anthems just around the corner.

Speedy J - Evolution

Plus 8 Records: 1991/2021

Alright, the first propah' Speedy J record from my massive Bandcamp bundle, and one of his earliest ones at that. In fact, ask some discerning Speedy J fans, and they'll tell you this is the first propah' Speedy J record period. Yeah, he had a couple items out prior, but that was old techno, still playing by old standards and following old tropes from two or three months in the past. And would still be heard in Euro techno for many years after, come to think of it. Not 'propah' techno, as disciples of Detroit would have it, in any event.

While I'm sure there were many factors influencing Jochem Paap's musical development, signing to Plus 8 Records had to be high among them. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Richie Hawtin, John Acquaviva, Kenny Larkin, and Daniel Bell undoubtedly showed the Dutchman there was a fresher way of doing techno than what his countrymen were churning out. A better way. A Detroit way. Maybe even a 'warped' way, down the line. No, his sound had to evolve from obvious bangers like Something For Your Mind, so here's the Evolution E.P., with a lead track of Evolution.

And right from the jump, you can hear that Hawtin influence, the track's rhythm steady and deliberate. Slower too, compared to earlier Speedy J tracks, which were generally quite, um, speedy. A piercing little synth lead carries through the track, while various rave riffs and tension-building pads come and go. And through it all, that rhythm keeps marching along, snares crashing out as we get to the climax of the track. Yet that peak doesn't overstay its welcome either, giving us just enough of a tease to want more, which would likely be whatever weapon the DJ has lined up to follow.

If the Detroit overtures weren't already apparent enough, here's Destroit, a more straight-forward banger of a track with a janky lead that occasionally squelches and squeals. Apparently Hawtin did some additional tinkering to the track, though it's not clear what. Those sporadic rewinds? The choppy interruptions? There's a little synth-pad action towards the end, fairly standard stuff where Motor City vibes are concerned. Analogical Dub gets groovier. Dare I say, housier? Detroit house! No, wait, there's acid burbling about, so that officially makes it acid house. Scratch that, this sounds nothing like Chicago, what with the backing pads and all. Way too spaced-out for anything terra firma based, so space house it is. Or it's still techno, but of a more 'intelligent' sort. No, we can't call it trance, it's too early for that.

Anything else? Uh, not really. Despite the significant jump in songcraft compared to the Intercontinental EP, this is still Speedy J in development. Give a Dutchman a break though, it was only 1991. Why, the Artificial Intelligence series hadn't even debuted yet, so who knew just how creative this techno thing could potentially get. Gotta' let the technology catch up to our modern expectations, yo'.

Higher Intelligence Agency - Discatron

Headphone: 2020

*PREVIOUSLY, ON EMCRITIC...*

Man, what I wouldn't give for something new [from The Higher Intelligence Agency]. Something new... something new... something new...

*AND NOW, THE CONTINUATION!*

When I left the last HIA review off on that cliff-hanger, it was with full intent of Discatron being that “something new... something new...” item. Wouldn't you know it though, Bobby Bird released another item since then, and a full LP at that, Song Of The Machine. Goodness, that's more music from the Agency this decade than the previous two combined! Heck, you'd have to go even further back for any solo material. Something must have lit quite the creative spark under Bobby's muse to have put out two whole new joints in such (relatively) rapid succession. Methinks it was uploading his catalogue to Bandcamp that did the trick. Revisiting one's past artistic accomplishments has a habit of doing that.

Given that massive gap between Birmingham Frequencies and Discatron, surely Mr. Bird has gathered all manner of new toys to tinker with, new sonic roads left unexplored, fresh angles to approach his songcraft. Hah, no, not really. Seems HIA has taken the B12 route in maintaining his distinct style of ambient-bleep techno-dub, just giving it a modern production spit-shine. And frankly, I doubt fans of HIA, myself included, would have it any other way. When you already have a unique approach to music making, one that honestly has never been replicated or duplicated after thirty years in the business, there's little sense in messing with that formula.

And the titular opener of this EP allays any worry folks may have of that. Chirping, singing bleeps, wobbly acid bassline, and dubby percussion that's tight and crisp, with a vibe that keeps things firmly tongue-in-cheek, never letting anything grow tedious or self-serious as dub techno is so wont to do. The only thing that keeps Discatron in the here and now and not some long, lost older tune is just how cavernous the dub delay reaches now.

Second track 3P mostly focuses on Bird's brand of broken beat with acid in support, reverb effects wishing and washing about as the rhythm cruises along. B-Theory, the track that first clued me in that HIA was even on the rise again, really pulls on those vintage Artificial Intelligence feels, less pulpy than other Bobby works. Finally, Sound Matter goes about as deep into dub as you'll ever hear HIA, a languid pace for a slow burner of a moody tune. Oh, and the digital version of Discatron includes an experimental piece called Colourmotion. Is probably more interesting for those into musique concrete, and I'm sure Bobby had fun twiddling nobs in getting some of these drone tones, but I'm more about his cool grooves, y'dig?

So a solid (motion) return for HIA, all said. As for Song Of The Machine, eh, I dunno. Looks like an 'experimental Steampunk' album to me, and I prefer my HIA pulp-fiction indulgences '50s sci-fi.

The Future Sound Of London - Cascade

Virgin/Astralwerks: 1993/1996

I do wonder, just how much of a shock this EP was when it dropped. The lads behind Stakker Humanoid and Papua New Guinea going full sample-heavy world beat? Why we never! Yeah, yeah, calling Cascade that is almost blasphemous in some quarters, but let's be real here: 1993 was peak world beat. You already had two juggernauts of that sound making bank across the globe (Enigma and Deep Forest), with many quarters of dance music raiding all manner of sample libraries and fusing them with club rhythms. FSOL, who's omnipresent hit single was no less guilty in doing such, had to feel some pressure to move beyond the association. They had greater artistic aspirations than what rave culture was offering, so time to head back to the lab and start concocting something more evolved from their Earthbeat era (big advance money after signing with the mighty Virgin helped).

Which all seems academic from our lofty vantage point three decades on (holy COW!), but not so much in those short few years of the early '90s. Far as '93 folks knew, FSOL were crafting proper follow-ups to the warehouse techno stompers as heard on Accelerator, not conceptual art music. Oh, that Tales Of Ephidrina thing? Well, they used a different alias for it, Amorphous Androgynous, so clearly it's an album satisfying their expressionist outlet, not a sign of things to come with their most profitable pseudonym. Besides, Tales still had somewhat of a techno pulse, here and there. Nothing to suspect, oh no.

So Cascade drops, the glistening digital rendering of a neuron drawing you in. Glancing at the back cover, you notice something strange for a lead single: it's all in parts, as if one long musical piece. What, were there no remixes commissioned? Not at all, son, marking the start of FSOL handling their singles as nothing less than mini-albums in their own right, demands of clubbing culture be damned.

Still, listening through this EP, and comparing it to where they'd go with future singles, it's apparent Garry and Brian were still in a feeling-out process with this idea. Part 1 is the version most know of (if nothing else than for getting featured in the first Northern Exposure), while Part 2 is mostly the same, just in a slightly extended and dubbier version – so, the Extended Remix. Part 3 goes weirder, sounding like an extended take of sound effects and alien landforms. Why yes, they were already getting the Tangerine Dream comparisons, why do you ask?

Part 4 is where the idea of 'different paths' really takes hold, a harsher, grittier IDM tone prevalent as the base melodic elements contort around gnarly electro basslines. Part 5, meanwhile, edges closer back to the domain of regular techno, surprisingly almost vintage Detroit in execution. Jettisoning most of the 'world beaty' elements (woodwinds, ethnic drumming, etc.), there's still sonic weirdness going on along with sci-fi synths, and man, gotta' love the ol' tikkity-tik-tik drum programming there too.

Beat Pharmacy - Safety In Dub

Silent Season: 2020

Ah, a simple digital EP from Silent Season. These feel so retro, so quaint from them now. They're almost a relic of a bygone era when the label was just finding its footing, before they made the jump to physical medium. Almost everything they release now gets a CD or vinyl option, but as this item came out shortly after the start of ~THE PANDEMIC~, perhaps Silent Season couldn't get the necessary pressing plant time booked for a record roll-out? Nah, that's just a coincidence, I'm sure.

Still, this isn't the first time Beat Pharmacy has appeared on the label. Under his birth name of Brendon Moeller, he released the Arcadian Rhythms EP back in 2017. That did get a vinyl option, in the thick of Silent Season's SSX series of back and white records. Aww, Beat Pharmacy didn't get the same love? I mean, it is an older alias, the one Brendon primarily used throughout the '00s. The albums he released on Deep Space Media practically kept the François K's sub-label afloat, with plenty of explorations in the various facets of dub as it stood back then. Seriously, a number of tracks off Earthly Delights or Constant Pressure could fit snuggly in a Swayzak set. Dammit, that's two more album's triggering my collector's itch now.

Deep Space Media folded before the 00's came to a close, but by then Mr. Moeller was moving onto dub techno as Echologist as well as his own name. Still, he brought out Beat Pharmacy for occasional singles on labels like Echocord Colour, ZamZam Sounds, Solardisco, and Throne Of Blood (blood throne!?!), each just as wayward in dabbling in dub as his earlier albums were. One could go as dub techno as Echologist, another as peppy as Hed Kandi house. So we could expect almost anything out of Beat Pharmacy's Silent Season debut, though it's pretty safe hazarding a guess it'll lean more towards the techno side of things than anything purely roots.

Not so much opener Carried Along, one of those ultra-deep, smooth ridin' downtempo dub outings, with little more than whispy synth-pads gently moving through the beats like a breeze through the trees. Generating Love feels more conventional where chilled out dub techno is concerned, more of an abstract exploration of echo and reverb with nothing but a bassline as a rudder. By contrast, the titular Safety In Dub almost comes off like a throwback to some of Beat Pharmacy's jazzier material from ye' olden days, more going on in the percussion even if the dubbed-out synths remain fixated on stretching their tones as far as musically possible. Closing out with the minimalist techno pulse of Tape Syndicate is fine, but there aren't enough things done with reverb washes to sustain eight minutes of interest.

Overall, Safety In Dub is an okay EP, but I still find myself more drawn to older Beat Pharmacy material. At least this one gave me an excuse to scope some of it out.

The Higher Intelligence Agency - Reform

Beyond/Headphone: 1994/2014

Another of those almost mythical EPs I suspected of existing, but could never confirm until the burgeoning days of Lord Discogs. Pentatonik's remix was among the first rubs of a HIA track I ever came across in my early ambient dub explorations, while two more remixes were discovered through the old AudioGalaxy app. Imagine my surprise when I found out there was a whole single dedicated to 'reforming' tracks from the Agency, with such names like Autechre, A Positive Life, and The Irresistible Force attached to the project. Okay, that last one I guessed immediately, since even in the dodgy days of mislabeled MP3s, there was no mistaking Mixmaster Morris' distinct sound with his go on Speedlearn.

Though knowing of Reform's existance was half the battle (huh?), I still didn't see much need in nabbing myself a copy. I technically already had three of the four tracks, and despite the CD not being that expensive on the used market, those international shipping fees sure are, especially for what I was getting. So I let it slide, content in having what I had, and oh what's this? HIA has a Bandcamp, with remastered versions of all his old material? Sure, why not. Be worth finally hearing that APL remix, I wager.

I wish I could say it was worth the wait. Music from Stefan Pierlejewski is skint enough as it is, and Ketamine Entity was one of the quirkier, fun tracks from Bobby Bird. I was quite anxious in what the downbeat acid-ambient producer would cook up, but the results are rather tame and ultra-mellow. The sweeping space synths, subtle acid burbles, softly chugging rhythms and languid pace are nice enough in a stripped, dubby fashion. I just know what APL is fully capable of, and for whatever reason, if feels like Stefan was holding back.

Well, that was that. Time to revisit the tunes I did already hear, starting with Autechre's rub on Conoid Tone, titled Speech3. Fun fact: this was the first time I heard anything from the IDM darlings, and my conclusion was... “huh, like a harsher HIA”. Yeah, this being early-years Autechre, don't go expecting something circuit breaking. Just a moody, crisp little reformation of acid bleep-dub. As for TIF's go with Speedlearn, it's Mixmaster Morris. There's swirly sounds, buoyant tones, trippy sound manipulations, and ooh, watch as the fractals twist and contort when the LSD trip hits!

As nifty as these rubs are though, Pentatonik's Alpha 1999 reformation of Delta remains king. I mean, right from the drop, that bassline! Then, a funky rhythm that has you strutting in the sun within a genre that has no damn business being so struttable. And that synth lead, so perfectly complementing the original's singing bleepy goodness! Is more of Pentatonik's music like this? I've only heard a few tunes, and they aren't like this, but the dude debuted with a double album (Anthology), so surely there's some like this. Maybe it's about time I look into that...

36 - C45 Dreamloops 5-6

3six Recordings: 2019

Am I a hypocrite, liking 36's brand of overtly emotional music so much? I've gone on and on about how obvious sentimentality can turn other forms of music into hokey tripe (Dutch eurotrance the most egregious example), so you'd think I'd have similar thoughts on Mr. Huddleston's brand of ambient. This is a genre built around nuance and subtlety, freeform music making and abstract concepts. For sure Dennis does this too, but when he goes big on the emotional front, it's all in. Yet slide an overwrought breakdown and generic trance beat under some of these melodies, and I'd likely be rolling my eyes to the back of my head.

I honestly don't have an answer for this. Whatever it is that Dennis does with his compositions, it just hits that perfect sweet spot for yours truly, sometimes pushing close to the brink but never crossing that threshold. It's like the difference between perfectly crafted cheese, and a lump of dairy product that'll give you the lactose-runs. I suppose if a 36 track does get to be too much, I can always wash the palette with another D#m session from Michael Mantra.

But nay, I'm far from reaching that point with these Dreamloops. Even after four sessions and ninety minutes, the concept hasn't grown stale or run out of musical ideas. Yet here's Dreamloop 5, with a lovely three-chord sequence of layered pads that feels like the cosmos itself is doing meditative breathing, all the while a gentle piano plays along in support. That may sound New Agey, but something about the 36 stylee transcends such hokum, never sounding cliched or forced. And got'dang, when those airy choir pads emerge, escalating the emotional resonance within this piece, how can one not feel as though your soul's getting a good cleansing scrub? This keeps going for a full twenty-two and a half minutes, never growing tired or repetitive, only leaving this person feeling strangely refreshed in mind and soul. Hey, it takes a lot for me to get these sort of feels from music, and by gum, I ain't gonna hold back on the hyperbolic praise when it does.

I'm honestly rather thankful Dennis decides to tone things down a little for Dreamloop 6. There's definitely still an emotional undercurrent here, but doesn't quite build the same way the previous Dreamloops do. We're mostly in drone ambient territory here, synth pads harmonized in a warbly-warped sort of way (the authentic tape sound!). Different tones and timbre come and go throughout, the sparsest of piano occasionally heard beneath stretched melodies. And geez'it, that final, melancholy fade-out, sounding like a dirge coming from the catacombs of Cryo Chamber. How did this piece turn so dark and lonesome at the end? Considering how sparse the actual musical ideas are between these two Dreamloops, this EP sure takes one on quite the ride of emotions.

Perhaps a sad conclusion is fitting though, as this concludes 36's Dreamloops sessions. For now...

36 - C45 Dreamloops 3-4

3six Recordings: 2019

It's absurd how much of a 'tape industry' remains, isn't it? Vinyl I understand, the DJing circuit keeping it afloat long enough for a collector's market to emerge. How did tapes hang on though? Their initial unique features – portability and home recording – were completely and utterly usurped by the digital age, MP3s doing all that tapes could, and more. You'd think the market for blanks, much less professionally produced copies, would have utterly died by the 2010s. Yet here we are in the 2020s, the medium clinging on by the slimmest of margins. I wonder if there was some warehouse filled to the brim with unused blanks, just waiting for the time when a website like Bandcamp would emerge, suddenly creating a collector's demand curiosity for a format time would rather forget.

And it feels weird that there are two music formats I will never own for practical reasons. Vinyl is understandable, records bulky and expensive, but surely tapes are no more inconvenient than CDs to store. I've no means to playing them though. Sure, I could go out and buy a tape deck and hook it to my home theatre system, but why would I want to invest in an inferior playback device? Just to have a physical copy of something? I'll admit, there was a time that line of thinking might have worked on me, but I've since come around to digital if no CD option exists. Plus, with a Bluetooth hook-up to my main system, I can now play those Bandcamp exclusives on the big speakers!

Not that I'm saying artists shouldn't toy with whatever formats they wish – I'm no arbiter of what must be done for time eternal. I'm just wondering if I'm getting the full, proper Dreamloop experience by not hearing them as played from tape. Am I denying myself some ultimate listening euphoria in bypassing all that analogue hiss and occasional warping from repeated plays? Oh, what the heck, I'll take the digital. This music's great no matter where the sound originates from!

Anyhow... Dreamloop 3 carries on with the opulent layers of drone, but instead of relying on escalating loops, ol' Dennis gets his synth soloing on. Not that you didn't get a sense of him playing these live in the previous Dreamloops, it's just more pronounced here. Some five minutes in, they synth soloing dies off, letting a subtle twee-bleepy melody play. Most 36 tracks would end around here, maybe fading off, but no, we're only a quarter way through! Can he somehow maintain interest for the duration? Damn straight he does, though the synths do get to be a bit much towards the end.

Fortunately, Mr. Hiddleston dials things back some for Dreamloop 4, a piano melody the main focus while one of those vintage 36 heart-tuggers glides in the background. Oh dear, I hope it doesn't start taking centre-stage. I... I don't know if I could handle that much feels. Aahh, there it is... Fighting... manly... tears...

36 - C45 Dreamloops 1-2

3six Recordings: 2019

I'd seen these Dreamloops plenty of times while browsing 36's Bandcamp, but didn't give them much thought. Not that they didn't intrigue just a little, but as they were specifically designed as tape releases, I figured them another of Dennis' more idiosyncratic indulgences. Then I noticed they were on Spotify, so gave them a listen and... oh. Oh my! These are wonderful! Heck, I'll even spring for digital, since I've no use for tapes (they're all sold out anyway). Six tracks, each around twenty-two and a half minutes long, essentially a double-LP album then. Will probably be a bit on the pricier side as far as digital buys go, but it's worth it. Wait a tic'... There isn't a 1-6 option for Dreamloops, only the original three EPs? I mean, I don't mind paying for them separately either, but dear me, now I have to do individual reviews of each one.

The concept behind Dreamloops is simple enough: maximize the playing time of a standard 45-minute tape, a single composition per side. Indeed, this was how most ambient was produced in its underground scenes (shaddup, there was underground ambient scenes ...you just hadn't heard of them). It's just... a perfect length of time, twenty-so minutes. Stupid CDs and streams, making things longer than they need to be, all because the space is there.

Still, I did initially wonder if this would work in the 36 stylee. Part of Mr. Huddleston's appeal is that his ambient songs typically don't endlessly dawdle. I've checked out a few from him that breach the double-digit mark (Seconds & Forever the most prominent to my recollection), and I'm sure there's more in his discography. For the most part though, his music gets in quick, hits you with the big feels, then gets out before they overstay their welcome, even when you want them to linger longer (Sine Dust forever and ever...). Can these Dreamloops hold my attention in a similar fashion, or will they simply fade into the background, lulling me into a half-attentive daze?

Since I did spring for all six of these, that should answer the question. I mean, how can you not instantly get swept into the gentle lullaby of a melody in Dreamloop 1? It may be repeating the same simple notes over and over, but with the accompanying pad and soft rhythm that sounds like a spongy metronome, it's remarkably hypnotic such that it holds your attention for as long as it plays. This isn't a static series of loops though, grander pads building in intensity as the track carries on, giving Dreamloop 1 a startling sense of urgency for something supposedly intended to relax you. It's as though Dennis is forcing tension out of you before easing you back out. Dreamloop 2 is more straight-forward, getting in on that opulent space ambient vibe I so much enjoyed in Sine Dust, and never grows old even as it keeps going, with plenty of gentle lead-out. Cosmic dreams ahead, Captain!

Lars Leonhard - Burning Clouds

Ultimae Records: 2014

A bit of unfinished business here, tackling the honest-to-God last item from Lars Leonhard in my music collection. Will it for really-reals be the last thing I ever review from the chap? I cannot deny feeling plenty sated on his discography at this point, but there's still more releases to his name that I haven't checked out. All those astronomy-themed albums of the past couple years, that one collaborative record from his BineMusic days, not to mention numerous EPs and single-track outliers. Reviewing Lars Leonhard music could forever be unfinished business, insomuch as reviewing all the music I own could forever be unfinished business. In my present state, however, with something of a natural conclusion drawing closer, Burning Clouds does indeed appear to be the final item I'll be covering from Mr. Leonhard for a while. It's only the twelfth one.

The second of two EPs Lars did for his brief stint with Ultimae, I was initially a little hesitant in getting this one. Stella Nova was the no-brainer, if only because of the wonderful cover-art. It was a perfect representation of the label's dub-chill direction as any, with Lars leading the way. Released the following year, Burning Clouds didn't quite capture the same sense of awe from yours truly, so kinda' passed me by, until I sprung for it out of Ultimae completionist sake. Finally listening to it though, I find this one better out of the two.

Warmth. There's no better word to describe it. Dub techno, but its very nature, tends to be a rather cold and sterile genre, an intriguing counter-point to the surrounding sonic depth dub production tends to create. There can be warm textures in dub techno, but you're then treading into ambient dub's waters. What I'm getting at here is while Stella Nova was fine as another collection of downtempo dub techno tracks from Lars, the clinical nature of the genre could still be felt. Like, sounds and effects perfectly placed, the waves of reverb carrying with it a polished-chrome sheen. And, if I'm being honest, the sort of style I instantly attribute to Lars' overall discography, despite plenty of examples to the contrary.

So I went into Burning Clouds expecting more of the same, but no, there's actual warmth to these three pieces, as though the techno attributes have been softened and given a soak in a steam room. Real dub, yo'. Songcraft wise, the titular opener does the usual minimalist downtempo tune I expect of most Leonhard tracks, just warmer. Halos has more techno sounds, including a very subtle bit of bleepiness that I couldn't help but think of ancient Artificial Intelligence. Still, that softening of the edges is present. And Northern Lights...

I never thought I'd say this about a downtempo dub techno track, but you know that feeling of pulling a light blanket over your body, completely enveloping your senses from a cool evening in its warmth? That's what it feels like listening to Northern Lights. Seems appropriate.

Nine Inch Nails - Broken

Nothing Records: 1992

Feels like I've come another full circle, having started this blogging project with an unexpected dive into Nine Inch Nails' discography. Closer, The Downward Spiral, Further Down The Spiral, and Fixed came from a previous owner of those CDs, but I was intrigued enough by Reznor's music to also spring for The Fragile and Ghosts I-IV. Now, as I crawl ever closer to some sort of proper conclusion to this project, I've come to Broken, the last of the big EPs from the band's '90s output. Except The Perfect Drug, but I kinda' already have that since Lab 4 nicked it.

Broken came out at an interesting time in the Nine Inch Nails saga, by which I mean an utterly turbulent, tumultuous test of Trent's resolve. Despite the success of his debut album, Reznor wasn't reaping all the rewards for his efforts. He felt TVT Records was dicking him around (because they were), and was looking for a way out of his contract with them, even going so far as to record new music on the sly under different aliases. It did land him with Interscope Records, and his own Nothing Records, but TVT somehow still had their fingers in the pot (to say nothing of how those label deals turned out later, but that's a discussion for another time). Throw in the killer combo of a world tour that wasn't turning out as they'd hoped, and it's unsurprising that angst-filled thrash vibes were seeping into Trent's sonic palette. Hey, anything to distance themselves from the 'synth-pop' tag TVT so carelessly tossed on them.

The result was Wish, where distorted guitars sound like they're being ground up and chewed back out by the machinery of industry, only to finally unleash their full fury in the chorus (a few 'fuck's thrown in for good measure). Heavy metal industrial was already in existence, but few put as much production detail as Reznor did here, a song remarkably dense for something so primal. Last is more of a standard thrash rocker, while Happiness In Slavery gets thicker in the industrial muck with EBM basslines and digital distortions. Final track Gave Up comes off rather quaint in comparison, muffled for much of its duration, at least until a raucous close-out of shouty, thrashy noise, as if to drive home the point that Nine Inch Nails is anything but a 'synth pop' band.

When Broken first came out, it was followed-up by a mini-EP with extra songs, a gimmick that would carry on with Closer. That was soon changed, second runs of Broken simply adding the tunes to the regular EP, but indexing them as tracks 98-99. Yes, this is one of those CDs, with 90 seconds of silence eaten up by second-long tracks. Hey, if there's fun to be had with the format, have at her. Oh, the songs themselves? Decent hard industrial rockers, but not worth the wait to hear them. Thank god for instant access on computer devices!

B12 - Bokide 325

Soma Quality Recordings: 2015

Steve Rutter and Michael Golding gained a decent amount of prestige with their B12 alias back in the '90s, so the story goes. Before that decade ended though, their partnership with Warp Records ended, and seemingly too did the project. Nearly ten years after their final record, however, the duo re-emerged with a new album on their own label, plus a bevy of archive material. Guess someone was paying attention to FSOL's marketing strategy. In any case, it looked like the B12 saga was primed to carry on into the '10s. Except it didn't, Last Days Of Silence instead serving as a cap on their careers, the duo going quiet once more.

Except that's obviously not the whole story, since I've talked up B12 and Steve Rutter's continued exploits quite a bit on this blog. I bring all this up only to put into context where this particular EP stands, as the re-relaunch of the B12 brand, appearing on a totally different label. Oh yes, we're in the 'wandering label' years with Steve Rutter, before he got FireScope off the ground. I mentioned in the Transient Life review that this may have been a means of shopping B12 around after being absent from the techno scene again, but whatever the case, I find it fascinating that his first port of call ended up being on Soma Quality Recordings.

The label that Slam built were no strangers to techno, but vintage 'intelligent techno'? Aside from their signing of The Black Dog, not so much. As Soma was never shy from hitching its wagon to whatever trends were happening in the genre, they were fully committed to the purveying bang-on Berghain style by the time B12 entered their sphere. Was there room for a little slice of pure Detroitism in their catalogue then?

I don't think it even matters, because Bokide 325 is downright minimalist for a B12 outing. I don't mean 'minimal techno', for the classic sci-fi bleeps and IDM bloops are present, just performed in a chill, unassuming way, as though soundtracking the lonely traverses of interstellar flight. Not the usual fare from what folks familiar with B12 then, much less Soma's typical output at the time. Would have made more sense on De:tuned than Transient Life, is what I'm saying. But hey, at least Soma could claim to have had another Artificial Intelligence alum on its roster.

Particulars, then. Into The Void is an aptly named opener, lonesome, mysterious pings echoing through the emptiness before a simple electro beat and ominous synths join in. Descension gets a little busier in the rhythm department, but maintains the general mood and minimalist songcraft. Unsound Mind adds a little acid action, and closer Terra Incognita strips things right back to mysterious pads, spare beats, and subtle bleeps. All said, Bokide 325 is an interesting little EP of dark space electro from B12, but hardly the sort of dancefloor weapons Soma was churning out. A strange addition to Slam's label, all said.

Vector Lovers - Solstice EP

self released: 2015

So this EP's taken on a bit more poignancy, now that I know what Martin Wheeler was going through around the time of its release. When I first spotted all these self-released Bandcamp singles, I just assumed it was a trickle of items while other things ate up his time. Boy was I ever right, just not in a way I ever suspected. Still, game development takes time, especially when essentially doing it all on your own. But if some Vector Lovers folks weren't keeping tabs on Mr. Wheeler's other ventures (*cough*), the occasional Bandcamp EP would do in a pinch. I mean, no sense carrying on with Soma Quality Recordings if an app for personal self-promotion is available.

If the timeline is accurate, this Solstice EP was the first of a yearly run of EPs that's more or less carried on to this day. I can't imagine it gaining any sort of attention at the time of its release, the market on Vector Lovers singles all but dried up by that point. There was a lone vinyl with Soma in 2013 supporting iPhonica, plus an MP3 digi-single, but aside from that, the fruitful year of 2008 was the last time Martin contributed much to the EP market. Folks just weren't looking for Vector Lovers records anymore, is what I'm saying, so it's no surprise to me that this one wasn't even on the Discogs database yet. Excuse me while I do my duty for The Lord That Knows all now.

Okay, that's sorted. So what else can I blag about before getting into this EP? Well, it was apparently made solely on an iPhone, using some softwear called NanoStudio. That's kinda' cool, and fits with the whole 'iPhonica' theme Martin's music was all about prior to those years. I wonder if these were done as a lark during those sessions, ready to be used for b-side consideration, or just on his spare time while getting his game developer muse on. Either wouldn't surprise me.

I'm dallying again, mainly because I feel like I've said just about all I can say regarding Vector Lovers music. Unless there's something truly unique in the release I'm covering, I'll just be reiterating points I've previously covered. Solstice EP sounds about as typical a tiny collection of Vector Lovers tracks as there can be, which is great if you can't get enough of his melancholy electro, which I can't!

So key differences between tracks then. Almost Human does the aforementioned 'melancholy electro', while Glacial treads more the sentimental ambient-pop route, if that's any way to describe a tune. The titular track is more along his tech-house lane, with beats that softly pitter-patter and crispy-crunch along with a heart-tugging melody. Okay, it's a little 8th notey, but at least it's not McProggy in the process. Crestfallen carries on the Almost Human vibe, with a moody lead-in, followed upon a tender melody and electro rhythms. How much more vintage V-L can one get?

Vector Lovers - Pale Blue Star EP

self-released: 2017

Martin Wheeler is... back? Wait, when did that happen? I saw no big promotion for new singles, not even drive-by blurbs when I was diving into Soma Quality Recordings a couple years ago. Then again, it's not like his iPhonica album got a tonne of attention either. Indeed, I only knew he'd released that record when I was browsing about the Vector Lovers Discogs page. So it was again, with his latest album – or rather, soundtrack – but I'll get to that in due time. What I discovered, however, is it was self-released, which naturally led me to give a slap of the head, realizing in all this time, I never bothered to check if there was a Vector Lovers Bandcamp page.

There certainly is, and it looks like Mr. Wheeler's kept himself active even if Soma or any label isn't supporting his stuff anymore. Not super-busy or anything, about an EP a year since iPhonica, but it's enough to keep the Vector Lovers name out there for those who can't get enough of that sentimental electro stylee. If he's even still doing that. When I looked at some of these singles, I couldn't help but wonder if he's moved on from the anime influences and into more proper sci-fi, and maybe even some synthwave. While the Vector Lovers sound was never exactly '80s retro, it wouldn't take much to make that leap, should Martin fancy himself such a step.

So Pale Blue Star is the first EP I'm digging into here. And yes, it's 'pale blue star', not 'dot'. I know you keep seeing 'dot' in that title, keep hearing 'dot' in your mind (probably in a Carl Sagan voice) but your brain is lying to you. For one thing, that dot you see in the cover art is actually the sun as seen from the surface of Mars. As for the blue, that has to do with the Red Planet's thin atmosphere, where- ah, whoops, getting all astronomy geeky in here again. Just remember that it's 'pale blue star' in the title, not 'dot'.

As for the music, it's definitely more upbeat than a lot of Vector Lovers' album orientated tunes, but then his EPs have typically been aimed for the dancefloor. Not that the titular opener will have you bustin' your sickest moves or anything, an incredibly atmospheric slice of... prog, I guess? I'd technically call this EP a tech-house one, but man, if Pale Blue Star doesn't have you floating out among the stars (or dusty alien skies), I really don't know what else to say? There is a slight undercurrent of post-apocalyptic desolation here, rather like the vibe of his Afterglow album (or Boards Of Canada's Tomorrow's Harvest, if you must), but in that traditional, melancholic Vector Lovers way.

The remaining tracks play out in similar fashion, with Alphaville switching things up with a broken beat, and Android Nightlife getting more on that robo-boogie vibe. Good stuff, all round.