Thursday, February 12, 2015

Solarstone - Rain Stars Eternal (Original TC Review)

Solaris Recordings: 2008

(2015 Update:
I recall being harsher in my words towards this album, but aside from a few snarky digs here and there, clearly that wasn't the case. I know I didn't outright hate the album, and my opinions of euro-trance music had mellowed some, but surely not to such a degree that I'd give the sap on
Rain Stars Eternal a pass without flying off the ragin' deep end. Whatever, at least we can all agree Breakaway remains as pants as ever.

What's more fascinating about the Solarstone saga is how his DJ career's gained far more critical plaudits compared to his album output. He's released a couple more LPs since this one, but about all folks go on about these days are the
Electronic Architecture and Pure Trance series. They're hailed as shining examples of trance as it should be, though I wouldn't know since I haven't indulged in any of them - what many figure as 'real' trance often contradicts my own notion on the matter, especially where traditional fans of Solarstone's material are concerned. Still, all that high praise can't be for naught, and it probably wouldn't hurt to check out one or two of those. I mean, what else am I gonna' spend my 'obligatory trance-cracker DJ mix CD' money on, more In Trance We Trust discs? Haha, ha.)


IN BRIEF: A decade in the making?

Lately, when there’s talk of melodic trance producers who had hits during the big late-90s boom, a degree of frustration and disappointment comes up when reflecting on their current output. The list of fallen-off names that long-time fans of the genre are disgruntled with is a long one, and needn’t be brought up here. It has gotten to the point, though, where you can’t even bring them up online without a flame-war erupting.

Yet, there are a few respected individuals that escaped such harsh fates, retaining their credibility even as the genre itself crumbled around them. As should be quite obvious to you since you clicked a link to this review, Solarstone is amongst this group. It seems no matter the particular taste in trance music, general consensus has deemed tracks like Seven Cities and Solarcoaster as class. With such promising early singles, folks eagerly waited for an album. And waited... and waited...

Now over ten years since breaking out with The Calling, and minus long-time producing partner Andy Bury, Rich Mowatt has come correct with a proper long-player (the previous two-disc Anthology was essentially a greatest hits package of various projects). It’s been a long time coming, but thanks to the odd single over the years and continued fond memories for his prior hits, fans of Solarstone have kept a vested interest in the name. And yet strangely enough, there haven’t been high expectations for Rain Stars Eternal either. It’s as though folks know the days of Seven Cities and Solarcoaster are behind him, so they’ve given Mowatt the good grace of delivering an album which makes sense in the here-and-now rather than clinging to the past.

With such freedom at his disposal, it may come as a bit of a disappointment that Mowatt has opted for the pop route, though shouldn’t be too surprising since the Solarstone moniker always leaned more to the melodically accessible side of trance music. What this means, however, is Rain Stars Eternal is filled with oodles of vocals, an attribute that more often than not sends up red flags when it comes to trance producers. Are these flags warranted this time out? The answer, my friends, is yes and no. Since this answer isn’t the least bit helpful, allow me to elaborate, starting with the ‘yes’.

If anything, Mowatt has crafted an album that paints a world where all that is vile and abhorrent in life has been whisked away. Instead, loving emotions and sentiments that caress the soul are ever present. At times, you almost feel like you’ve stumbled upon some kind of fantasy-land where unicorns and fairies frolic in fields of flowers. Yet, it doesn’t come across as sickly sweet as you might think, as Mowatt keeps things at a level of class, never the least bit embarrassing.

Case in point: Lunar Rings. When I first heard this one, the oh-so precious sugary vocals by guest-singer Essence had me instinctively irate and aggressive. It wasn’t from actually hating the song, though, but from my body reflexively surging me with testosterone, probably to make sure my testicles were still there after hearing something so syrupy and effeminate. After going back to listen with a properly objective perspective, I found Lunar Rings a rather decent slice of euro-trance goof-ball pop; there’s no point in criticizing a song that succeeds in its aim, even though it’s not something I’d likely willingly ever listen to again.

Tracks like the ode to an unborn child (Part Of Me) and about relationships (Late Summer Fields and Slave) are also well produced with vocals that are quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, the other two vocal tracks - Filoselle Skies and Breakaway - are rough stumbles. While the former starts nicely enough, Julie Scott’s singing soon clashes with the pleasant musical backings Mowatt provides; it’s rather shocking how off it sounds when compared to their other collaboration in Slave. Meanwhile, Breakaway is totally misguided, Mowatt trying his hand at ‘emo-dance’ with an over-emoting American-based male vocalist and production that’s about as watered-down as pop-rock dance music gets; considering Rain Stars Eternal is mostly filled with airy ethereal melodies, Breakaway’s contemporary backdrop is completely out of place. Heck, why even get such a sappy singer for it anyway? As evidenced in Late Summer Fields, Mowatt is more than capable of carrying credible vocal duties himself.

There are also a few standard instrumental trance tunes scattered about, but aside from the titular track, these aren’t much to get excited about. Although they are nice enough, Spectrum and 4Ever are going through the motions, as though Mowatt wasn’t as concerned with them. Fortunately, he easily makes up for such basic tracks with a very lovely bit of music on the closer The Last Defeat. While it may dip somewhat into New Agey soundscapes, it’s of the sort that is still quite soothing and relaxing, and ends Rain Stars Eternal on a strong note.

A positive final impression, however, isn’t enough to save this album from a middling score, albeit a high middling score. The trouble is, despite a strong opening sequence of songs, the decided lack of anything innovative or unique firmly keeps Rain Stars Eternal in the realms of ‘merely pleasant pop music’. Mowatt is a better producer and song-writer than many of the folks over at Armada or Anjunabeats, of that there is no doubt, yet he still hasn’t progressed much from his output earlier in the decade. If the Solarstone of old still holds fond memories for you, this proper debut will probably satisfy to some degree. Unfortunately, unlike those classic singles, there isn’t enough on here to leave the same kind of lasting impression.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2008 © All rights reserved.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Ragged Glory

Reprise Records: 1990

This album took me from “Yeah, Neil Young's got some nice music, I guess.” to “Neil is God!” That might not be as impressive as it seems, despite Ragged Glory being the second record I picked up from Mr. Shakey (and first with the Crazy Horses). Had I nabbed one of his early efforts like Rust Never Sleeps or After The Goldrush before this, it’s probable I'd fall sway to his musical allure just the same. I can't even remember why I took the plunge on this one in particular, since all I really knew of his output was the Harvest Moon folksy material (Rockin' In The Free World notwithstanding). I'd heard good things about Ragged Glory, sure, but nothing that suggested it was a life-changing album or the like. Took that plunge I did though, after which I was compelled to consume all that Mr. Young had released. Fortunately for my bank account, the country hoe-down Old Ways was my follow-up, quickly instilling some caution in any further explorations of Neil's discography.

For all intents, there isn't anything about Ragged Glory that should have had the impact on me that it did. It’s a great rock album, no doubt, but it’s not reinventing the wheel or leading the charge of a new, unique scene. The music is catchy and unchallenging, with guitar riffs going down easy and sweet vocal harmonies that’ll lodge themselves in your brain without ever overstaying their welcome. The lyrics have little nuggets of aging wisdom about them (or, in the case of Farmer John, are just sloppy good fun), though seem written as mere service to the music performed. At most, Ragged Glory serves as a definitive statement for aging rockers that one not need fade away like so much bad ‘80s hair. Unlike many of his fellow ‘60s and ‘70s alum, he found kinship with the new generation of alt-rock and grunge bands emerging from the underground, and was fearless in joining their ranks. If his prior album Freedom was a rebirth of sorts, then Ragged Glory finds Neil full of fire and flying high above his contemporaries.

I can’t say any of you will have the same notions about this album should you hear it, especially as you’re reading this on an electronic music blog (mang, crunchy guitar solos are totally electronic!). I guess in my case, Ragged Glory represented the sort of rock that I always imagined rock music should sound like, but seldom heard performed. Believe me, with all the garage bands I’ve been exposed to over the years, none had such a rugged edge while retaining bar-blues affability and dismissing arrogant posturing. Young’s solos here are wild and messy, yet I hang on each chord, eagerly anticipating which unpredictable direction he’ll go in next, always reassured he’ll find his way back to Crazy Horse’s steadying rhythm. I imagine, had I heard Ragged Glory before ‘techno’ seduced me, I’d have picked up that damn guitar like my old man always hoped I would.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Kraftwerk - Radio-Activity

Astralwerks: 1975/2009

No, Kraftwerk, don't do it! No one's ready for a concept album from your group. Lengthy songs, sure that's fine, but sound experiments and quirky odes to Ohms is going too far. It'll be years before your promising, influential career will rebound from Radio-Activity. True, it'll all work out in the future-tense, when everyone goes back to these disregarded efforts with reverent eyes and ears. Can you afford that gap though? No, not yet, so just go make another Autobahn, over and over and over. Curses, why doesn't this time-travel portal let me interact with the past? More radioactive power, that’s what I need. Once accomplished, maybe I then could use this time-travel portal to go back a few minutes in the past and convince myself starting this review in such a goofy manner is a bad idea, yes?

The German quartet though, they had a vision, one where the future was now (then), and leading us into this undiscovered country were some of mankind’s greatest scientific discoveries of the last hundred years: the invisible realms of electromagnetic radio waves, and the radioactive energy emanating from everything that surrounds us. This wasn’t just Kraftwerk’s attitude either, as many Germans looked to the years ahead with fascination and optimism (the recent past was something of a sore spot) – it’s no coincidence many early electronic musicians hailed from Deutschland. That the Dusseldorf band would temporarily abandon the autobahn to explore things like transistors and Geiger counters makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, where Radio-Activity is concerned, a couple problems arise.

One, those darn experimental bits. As pieces of a concept album exploring the different aspects of radio transmissions and radiation, they’re fine, but man does it ever derail whatever musical momentum Radio-Activity has going for it. Okay, Geiger Counter is a cool opener, and The Voice Of Energy has that wicked-awesome Kraftwerk robot voice utilized for the first time. News though? Sorry, muffled German broadcasting items of the day isn’t compelling, especially following Intermission pings. And Radio Stars could have been a neat little bit of space-meditation if all those bleeps weren’t so grating.

Still, all this talk of radio activity, concepts of electromagnetic radiation, and evil-sounding robot voices, and it’s small surprise a few folks were sore at Kraftwerk’s seemingly thumbs-up for the nuclear age, potential nasty side-effects and all. Even the bouncy, chirpy tunes the group’s known for are rather absent, much of Radio-Activity cold and sterile as musique concrete of old. When our intrepid Germans do get melodic, it’s almost always melancholic (Radioland, Ohm Sweet Ohm) or ominous (Radioactivity, Uranium). Things aren’t out-and-out bleak on this album, but it sure isn’t as campy-fun as Autobahn or pop-tasty as their later work. At least Airwaves and Antenna bring a little peppy novelty for our listening consideration.

If you fear not these factors, then Radio-Activity is worth checking out. Though it’s the least essential of Kraftwerk’s Fabulous Five albums, it’s still interesting hearing the group discover their way through new ideas and gear.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Asura - Radio Universe

Ultimae Records: 2014

Though Radio Universe came out in the back-half of 2014, its Ultimae catalogue number suggests it should have come out at least a year earlier. Did Asura initially not feel satisfied with his latest LP and withheld it? Some legal hiccup with sample clearances? Waiting for the label to work out its dub techno 'grey' phase? Hoping to catch some backwash interest in space music once Interstellar hit theatres? The people wish to know these things! And by people, I probably mean only me, but I are people too, dang'it.

Ah, you noticed ‘space music’ in that sequence of supposition. ‘Tis true, Mr. Farewell has dabbled in the classic side of synth composition before, some of his best work the out-worldly pieces in his albums. It was only a matter of time before the sounds explored on tunes like Galaxies and Halley Road would feature in a full-length concept. For that matter, I’m surprised Asura’s taken this long for an attempt, but then he does have a rather sluggish output compared to his roster mates at Ultimae (and Altar!). Half-a-dozen albums in twice as many years is downright glacial against Aes Dana, Solar Fields, AstroPilot, namedrop, namedrop, and namedrop.

As for the type of space music we’re dealing with on Radio Universe, it’s primarily of the droning ambient sort. A beat doesn’t emerge until well after the album’s midway point, though second track Interlude Sky does have building synth arpeggios as a peak feature – you have no idea how much I was hoping for a fierce prog-psy beat towards the end of that one. Meanwhile, ten-minute long opener Overture has a little more cinematic, orchestral flourish, twelve-minute long Oblivion Gravity goes darker, eight-minute long Ascension In Blue feels rapturous and bliss, and one-minute long Gaea (Transit) sounds like those converted electromagnetic radio emissions of planets NASA likes giving out (and space drone composers love sampling). For that matter, I’ve noticed a bit of omnipresent hiss throughout all these tracks. Charles! Charlie! Charl-mang! Have you added the CMB to your music too? Nice.

As for the back half where the tempo picks up a bit, much of it comes off like standard Asura chill-out with HD production chops. Farscape 7 has a world-beat trip-hop thing going for it, Lonely Star’s got charming, melancholic piano but is undone by way-overdone side-chained bottom ends, Illuminations grooves along nicely enough, and Everlasting heads for the stars in blissed-out rapture. Frankly, the earlier drone compositions were more interesting, coming off bolder in their arrangements and sound design, though I’m not sure folks would be keen on a pure ambient drone LP on Ultimae.

Radio Universe is an intriguing listen, especially with good playback headphones or stereo. As a concept album, however, it falls a bit short, losing its way in the back half compared to the absorbing first. Probably will be a disappointment if you go in expecting another Life² (sorry, no psy here), but all said, it’s another solid offering of music from Asura.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Gilles Peterson - Broken Folk Funk Latin Soul

Muzik Magazine: 2003

The title's a pisstake. It must be. True, the music within this CD does fit the mould of what a 'broken folk funk Latin soul' collection would sound like, but using five descriptors as a genre is plain ol' silly. Not that Gilles Peterson couldn't get away with it though. As the guy who coined the term ‘acid jazz’ when he threw events called Acid Jazz promoting material on his label Acid Jazz, why not go for the ultimate in redundancy, especially as everyone was making up ridiculous genre names for magazine CDs? Muzik had released a 'hooligan house' disc just prior, while rival Mixmag featured 'disco d'nb' with their freebie the same month this came out. Damn it, The UK, stop trying to invent new genre names all the time. It's too confusing for us North American bumpkins.

Wait, is this the first time I’ve talked about Mr. Peterson at this blog? Crap, gotta’ turn this review proper serious now. Not only was he influential in making acid jazz a thing in Britain, but he exposed many a young ‘90s English post-clubber onto various cultured music scenes from the world abroad. Mostly they were jazz fusions from the realms of New York, Latin America, and Afro Nation, but he helped bring some degree of class to the UK’s early garage movement too. No matter how far off the beaten path his records were culled from, ol’ Gilles always kept one foot in London’s urban jungle too.

Still, if you’ve a passion for bringing such music to a willing audience, heading an influential label and DJing out at events is limiting. Nay, to reach the maximum potential earholes, one must go to the airwaves, radio that is. And, at the turn of the millennium, that’s what Mr. Peterson done did, getting him a show called Worldwide on the omnipresent Radio 1 of BBC fame, which he’s maintained to this day. It was about the time this Muzik CD came out that Gilles had firmly cemented itself as a broadcaster on peer with the likes of Tong and Peel, even earning himself an award for Top Radio Show from the magazine that year. Why yes Broken Folk Funk Latin Soul is totally designed to promote that fact, why do you ask?

More compilation than DJ mix, this disc holds a nice assortment of the movers and shakers of the UK’s jazzy urban-soul that consistently bubbled in London’s underground. Mr. Scruff is here! Harmonic 33 is here! The Cinematic Orchestra is here! Roots Manuva is here (because he was everywhere in the early ‘00s)! Talib Kweli’s here! Nirvana’s here! …er, I mean, their song Come as You Are is here, by way of a soul cover care of Dani Siciliano. There’s also conscious rap from Lone Catalysts, jazzdance from Micatone, soul-shuffle jazz from Kuusumun Profeetta, and a cool groove thing by some duo called Underworld. Perhaps you’ve heard of them? You haven’t? Oh, you’re here for that Osunlade joint. Fair play.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Various - Radikal Techno - Too Radikal (Original TC Review)

Quality Music: 1993

(2015 Update:
I still can't believe this CD turned up as a Random Review less than a year after I wrote about the first
Radikal Techno. Makes me wonder, had I stuck to doing occasional reviews by random selection, would the third, fourth, or even multi-CD box set have come up. Not sure how that'd be possible, as I only have two Radikal Technos, but those Digital Disc Imps, they're a tricky bunch. Always moving your music out of place, somehow shuffling CDs out of sight even as you diligently scan spine by spine looking for that one album you just gotta' pull out to show off to house guests. Ahem, what I mean is, I wouldn't put it past those Imps to add something too. For reals, where'd this dusty garage rock demo suddenly come from?

You know what else surprised me? Discovering Radikal Records is still in operation, now a full-on festival house and brostep outlet. Wait, that's not surprising at all, the label's choice in music output always skewing towards the commercially friendly side of the dancefloor - of course they'd jump on the latest hot bandwagon. Still, maybe they should have rebranded their name as well. Calling yourself 'radikal' is just too damn '90s, man.)


IN BRIEF: Not as good as the first.

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Yes, I know I have a fair deal of old dance CDs in my music collection, but it can’t make up more than 5% of everything I own. Yet, these Random Reviews have seen an inordinate amount of them crop up. Club Europa, The Movement, Scooter’s Age Of Love, Maxx’ No More, Snap!’s Welcome To Tomorrow, the first Radikal Techno… What’s next, Euro Dance Pool, Club Cutz, or Ice MC’s album? (2015 note: it came true! …kinda’) Why can’t I ever pull one of my many Moonshine Records discs? A classic trance compilation? Hell, even a Turbo Recordings choice again – I haven’t picked one since the very first Random. I suppose the good news here is that I have to eventually run out of these.

I’ll be honest with you. The trouble is, unlike the first Radikal Techno, there isn’t much to say about Too Radikal. The first one had enough quirky things about it that the compilation actually makes for an interesting Random: remixes that are rather rare, well-known producers cutting their teeth with early works, plus a scrappy attitude that went part-and-parcel with the ’92 rave scene. The sequel, however, lacks any of this. If anything, Too Radikal shows how, within a year, the commercial dance business had cleaned itself up from its grubby rave days and present itself with a far more slick sheen that would go on to define euro dance of the mid-‘90s. Even the cover, despite the somewhat goa attributes, comes across squeaky clean in comparison.

Fourteen tracks are to be had here, but nearly all of them could also easily be had on several other compilations, making this far from unique or necessary. The music, for the most part though, isn’t bad. Mostly, you have ‘underground’ versions of big euro-hits, which is just another way of saying trancey mixes. A few cuts have held up remarkably well: Te Quiero’s almost-psy leanings is still an infectious tune; with moody acid burbling about, Joey Beltram’s Old School Dub Mix of Open Your Mind is quite good, if somewhat simplistic; and the Abfarht team struck gold once again with Wanna Feel The Music as Public Art. Meanwhile, euro dance fluff from A.B. Free (who’d go on to bigger things as DJ Company), Apotheosis (completely abandoning their original rave sound), Afrika Bambaata (yes, that Bambaata, now hanging out with Italian producers for some reason), Dance 2 Trance, Love 4 Sale, and Ramirez are all agreeable, though dated. For instance, the backing pads in Do You Feel So Right are pure trance bliss, but the rest of the track is quite muffled; Go Deeper’s production is so hilariously flat, you’d think it was an ‘80s tune; and what the hell is with those chicken noises in El Gallinero?

On the other hand, little holds up in the offerings from R.T.Z., 2 Unlimited, Deadly Sins, and Mars Plastic, coming off like knock-offs of better productions of the time. In The Name Of Love has some decent beats, but that looping hook will quickly irritate; We Are Going On Down is silly with those rollercoaster samples and ‘whooaAAAAooohhh’ chants; not the best version of No Limit here; Find The Way is generic garage house from that time. Oh, and then there’s the hopelessly corny It’s A Feeling, which rips off the marching rhythms of The Good Men’s Give It Up, and throws in sappy happy hardcore sentiments. I cringed with this one even back in the day.

Y’ah, see how fast I wrapped this one up? There’s just not much else to talk about here. I suppose you could be wondering why I’d even still have a compilation like Too Radikal if it’s this generic. Well, I have to admit there are quite a few personally nostalgic reasons. If the first Radikal Techno was my second CD, this was something like my fifth, so obviously I’d end up replaying it often. I certainly do have amusing memories of Te Quiero (oh my god, that woman’s having an orgasm!) and We Are Going On Down (are they saying ‘funky town’ or ‘fucking town’?); and although there really isn’t much on here that’d be true-blue trance, there was enough trancey attributes here to undoubtedly make an influence on my early music tastes (even if I wouldn’t take the full proper plunge for another couple years down the road).

I dunno. If you see this around and don’t have any of these tracks… ah, you might still be better off just downloading the good ones. Like I said, this isn’t a bad compilation, just really unnecessary to have. Do what you like if you see it lying in a used shop.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2009. All rights reserved.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Various - Radikal Techno (Original TC Review)

Quality Music: 1992

(2015 Update:
"Objective straight-faced criticism"? What does that even mean? And, oh-ho-ho, shame on you, 2008 Sykonee, for even suggesting every review you wrote was truly objective. I'd tried toeing the 'hard but fair' line most of the time, but there were plenty instances of throwing any supposed objectivity out the window in favor of a long-winded rant or gush. Ah well, at least I get to wear all my biases in plain view for this blog, and not rely on lengthy opening paragraphs explaining away such changes in writing tone.

There's two things I neglected mentioning regarding the
Radikal Techno series that I may as well bring up now. 1. The name comes from the record label that released most of these tunes, Radikal Records, a New Jersey print that specialized in commercial dance singles from Europe - Quality Music handled their Canadian distribution, hence why I've so many of their CDs. 2. Radikal Techno actually lasted for a good decade, reaching a sixth edition featuring the likes of ATB, Cosmic Gate, and Brooklyn Bounce. Of course, by that time, Quality Music had long-since folded, so it was a case of Radikal Records using the name of a compilation series promoting their material created by another label. And I've gone cross-eyed.)

IN BRIEF: They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

I tried. Really, I did. As much as I’d love to dive into this Random Review with all the objective straight-faced criticism I approach any other release, the history I personally have with this compilation makes it incredibly difficult. You see, my friends, this simple little release titled Radikal Techno is the second CD I ever owned. It’s survived accidents, theft during parties, drunken vandalism during parties, transportation from a number of different homes, and desperate pawn-shop plundering during periods of destitution, yet has remained in remarkable condition during it all.

“So what?” you say. “It’s just an old CD with a bunch of early 90s techno on it; not like it’s some rare original 7" Cybotron record.” True, but as anyone who has had a habit of coddling their music for years can attest to, such nurturing inhibits objective perspectives of the actual material on display.

Fact is, I still enjoy Radikal Techno. Yes, some of the production is hopelessly dated (there are frequent uses of the oh-so cutting edge Stereo-Pan Effect). Yes, some of the crappier trends in techno of the early ‘90s are present. And yes, I completely agree my continued enjoyment of this CD could simply be attributed to fuzzy warm nostalgia. Yet nor could I pass this off to an associate of mine to get their objective opinions of it because pretty much everyone I know quite enjoys the old school. And shouldn’t that be enough to convince you, the reader, that Radikal Techno has more going for it than starry-eyed trips down memory lane? Just look at some of these cuts!

For sure, there are overly familiar names here: 2 Unlimited, Age Of Love, Human Resource, Joey Beltram... and that’s just what anyone with basic background of electronic music should recognize. However, with the exception of Age Of Love, where Jam & Spoon’s remix would go on to see endless compilation duty in the years to come (I don’t think anyone in ‘92 could have predicted that), Radikal Techno offers some true rarities from them. The Two Little Boys remix of Twilight Zone plays around with those famous hooks, providing a funkier spin for the underground to appreciate. Rush To The Rhythm, a track featuring super-fast breaks, raps, and cut’n’paste production, is one of Beltram’s more obscure releases. And Glitch’s long-forgotten remix of Dominator is stellar, bringing blistering techno beats to this hoover anthem, spiking it with intensity benefitting of thrash metal throughout.

Elsewhere on this tracklist are a bunch of tunes that were quite popular ‘back in the day’ and, although mostly forgotten now, hold up remarkably well. Everyone knows Apotheosis’ O Fortuna, but the follow-up Obumbratta was just as good. Here we have their Dynamic Techno Remix featuring proto-gabber beats and production quality that is leaps and bounds above nearly everything else on Radikal Techno - it really does sound like the apocalypse is nigh as the Gates Of Hell are opened. WestBam’s Mayday Anthem, a track written for the Mayday party, is a fun piece of riff-tastic techno, while Razormaid adds sinister grumbling basslines to Die Schwarze Zone from LDC, an EBM-inspired project from euro-house legend Torsten Fenslau. And speaking of old house legends and rumbling basslines, StoneBridge shows up to remix the oldie house-gem Take Me Higher from Hysteria. Quite possibly amongst the oddest tracks is Ave Maria from the anonymous Noys, whom sampled the climax of Strauss’ Blue Danube, looped it, added some beats, and then dive off into a nifty piece of techno in its own right (that bassline... damn, but are there ever some kick-ass basslines on this compilation!); it screams one-off novelty, yet somehow works in spite of itself.

Unfortunately, Radikal Techno also finds one of the more abysmal novelty trends to be found in early ‘90s rave, the cringe-worthy ‘toytown’ phase. Here, we have Raving On Sesame Street, which is so hopelessly lame, this was about the only place you could find the track (according to Discogs, anyway). Thankfully, it’s placed at the end of the CD, and can simply be forgotten it even exists.

The remaining tracks mostly amount to rip-offs (Dance Your Ass Off is practically James Brown Is Dead) or style-biting (big-riff techno in the case of Stylophonia, hoover-house in the case of Life At Wunderbar, and anthemic hip-house with The Nervous Zone). None of them are essential but they do help round out the compilation with filler that won’t have you reaching for the skip button.

As an interesting aside, Canadian DJ Chris Sheppard helped compile this release; however, this is in his pre-fame days when he was just starting to expose all that crazy rave music from Europe to Canadians. As such, he only has a token “Compiled by” credit near the copyright alongside Quality’s frequent dance compiler Markus Klinke. As evidenced by his track selection here, Sheppard definitely had an ear for the underground, and this release confirms it was a shame Shep’ was lost to the mainstream soon after.

Anyhow, Radikal Techno is the kind of compilation that you just might find sitting in a used shop (probably Canadian). Considering the quality and scarcity of a number of these tracks and remixes, it makes this CD quite the bargain for anyone who fancies the old school. Don’t miss out.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2008. © All rights reserved

Thursday, February 5, 2015

AstroPilot - Iriy

Altar Records: 2014

Mythologies and ancient mysticisms of the world, you ask? Oh, are they ever plentiful and famous: Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Hindu, Abrahamic, and plenty more have served as inspiration for the arts and culture, especially when re-contextualized with contemporary fashions. The Slavic States, however, don’t get as much love with modern audiences, content in letting the ‘gypsy lifestyle’ be their one defining historical trait. Not even Deep Forest, at the height of their commercial clout, swayed the public to the sounds of Eastern European traditionalism. Fortunately for AstroPilot, he caters to an audience a little more open to such ideas, despite many remaining stuck in their love of many things derived from the shores of Goa; he’s already explored that though (you’re kinda’ obligated to if you dabble in psy chill/dub/prog/trance/zydeco). Still, Mr. Redko’s muse remains ever restless, and for his eighth LP in as many years (!), he released Iriy, an album drawing plenty of influence from Eastern European folklore.

What is an Iriy, you ask? To save you the Wiki trip, it’s essentially a sort of ‘paradise’, like Eden or Shambhala, though based on Russian mythology. Tracks within this album include titles like Svarog’s Morning (Slavic god of celestial fire), Makosh (Slavic goddess of life cycles and fertility), Gamayun (a prophetic bird connected to Iriy), and Back To Midgard-Earth. Okay, that last one’s technically Norse, but seeing as how the Slavic States are situated in the middle of civilized Euro-Asia, one could call the region ‘Middle Earth’ too, if you’re willing to stretch your folklore to the extreme. Wait, I’m supposed to review music here, not conduct mythology lectures.

Honestly, all this comes off as window-dressing where AstroPilot goes in this album. Iriy is essentially another collection of ultra-lush prog-psy and wide-screen chill-out from the Siberian native, no real musical theme tying it together other than that. If there are sonic nods to Slavic traditionalism within, it’s very minimal (or I’m just too Canadianized to recognize it). The places and names in these titles could just as easily be a wholly created fantastical realm, but I cannot deny it was a cool trick on AstroPilot’s part in opening my eyes to an overlooked segment of humanity’s bountiful culture. Also, it doesn’t hurt having such a unique context for these tunes - The Last Night Of Svarog’s groovy trance pulse and layered synth drones carries more emotional heft if you picture the dying embers of a celestial fire deity along with it.

Iriy’s a no-brainer of a pick-up if you’ve got an itch for more prog-psy in your diet. AstroPilot’s been in a remarkable zone of quality for years now, this album further cementing an already praise-worthy career. Damn, am I in hyperbolic mode now because of this? Fine, here’s a criticism: most of these tunes stick to a very similar, lengthy prog-psy structure (ambient intro, gradual build, etc.), lending to a rather repetitive trip throughout. With scenery this gorgeous though, who gives a hoot of a svirel?

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Androcell - Imbue

Altar Records: 2014

I’ve said it before, but it’s been a long time since I last said it. When was it, the last Androcell review? Whatever, here’s what I’m repeating: I’ve been spoiled by great music. No, I don’t go into every LP demanding nothing less than a 12.2/10, but it has created certain expectations upon certain artists. They are by no means obligated to meet the whims of a single West Coast Canadian – musicians do as they mean to do – but when I hear the highs some have achieved, it's all too common coming away from new material underwhelmed if they don't reach those peaks again. All this, of course, is just wishy-washy reasoning for why Tyler Smith's latest LP doesn't do it for me the way I hoped it could, even though there's nothing fundamentally poor about it.

No, this isn't yet another case of me bemoaning the lack of a follow-up in his Distant System moniker. He'll get around to that whenever he wants to, and if Mr. Smith is feeling the psy-dub flow more than the space-dub, that's his call. Though, I have to wonder, is he hesitating on Distant System due to conceived pressure? Lord knows I’ve hyped Spiral Empire to the high moons of Jupiter, but I’m just a single West Coast Canadian. Then again, I know a number of folks who hope for a follow-up. It may not receive the ridiculous anticipation of, say, The Bug’s Angels & Demons, but for those in the know, we’re jonsing something fierce here, mang.

Sorry, there I go again. Okay, focus. Androcell, new album, Imbue. This comes care of Altar Records, the psy-chill label out of Quebec that’s gaining itself a reputation as an outlet on par with Ultimae Records. I don’t know if they’re quite there yet, but having AstroPilot as one of your featured artists sure doesn’t hurt. Asura’s popped up on there too, and now Altar’s added Androcell to their ranks – gotta’ have that Shpongle inspired psy-dub stylee in there somewhere, right?

And Imbue is a perfectly fine psy-dub album. The rhythms are wordly and funky, the psychedelia is tasteful and never over-indulgent and everything flows as though you’re hearing these tunes jammed live. Though ol’ Tyler doesn’t offer any sounds psy-dub veterans won’t have heard before, his sense of song craft and musical progression remains top-notch, always throwing in little twists and turns holding your attention throughout the album’s run-through. A solid effort, all said.

Wait, if that’s true, then why the apologetic opening paragraph? Unfortunately, I’m not getting the same sense of imagery or journey as his prior work. The Distant System stuff is obvious, and even the last Androcell album had me feeling like I was out traversing ancient, mystical roads and that. Nothing comparable goes down with Imbue, unless one considers a jolly ol’ flailing time at an outdoor psychedelic party good enough. Fair enough if so, and I hope I shake this spoiled attitude towards Mr. Smith’s music too.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Various - Dub Selector 2

Quango Records: 2002

Quango's '90s compilations had several sequels to their names, but when the label relaunched at the turn of the millennium, only Dub Selector managed second and third entries. There are two strong possibilities for this. One, it garnered enough sales to warrant sequels, though it seems odd that only this one did (no love for Afrotech or Cosmic Funk in this world?). Two, Quango head Bruno Guez knew he couldn't hope to give the wide world of dub music its full due in a single CD serving. Heck, remember that Bug fella's attempt with Virgin? He resorted to two discs worth for the first volume of Macro Dub Infection, and even that only scratched the surface. So, for all intents, Mr. Guez intended for another showcase of dub music, but of a different style compared to what was featured on the first volume. It would explain the omission of Jamaican roots artists in favour of European producers – they were being saved for this compilation.

If you guessed the second option, you're slightly wrong, though you wouldn't know it without a glance at the track list. Dub Selector 2 is still very Euro-centric in who's behind the consoles, including a few of the same acts showing up. Boozoo Bajou returns, G-Corp returns (this time as their old name, Groove Corporation), Grant Phabao returns, and Noiseshaper returns with their one track Quango just couldn't stop promoting. High-profile acts new to the series here include Thievery Corporation (what's with all these dub corporations?), Nick Holder, and that Dorfmeister guy so many downtempo producers were influenced by. Rounding things out are names like Stereotyp, Scientist, and The Butch Cassidy Sound System, again all European. So it goes with Dub Selector I guess.

Any-however, we get plenty of proper reggae flavour up in this dancehall too, even if it comes in remixed form most of the time. Big Youth, Paul St. Hilaire (aka: Tikiman), and Cutty Ranks make the cut, and unlike the remixed acts of the previous volume, these are presented as authentic Jamaican jams as you'll find. Put another way, I have hardly a clue what ‘d’em rude b’wans’ are going on about, but damn if it isn't wicked-cool hearing their toasting to bouncy roots rhythms and shoulder-shufflin' basslines.

Whether you'll stumble upon any of these Dub Selectors, I haven't a clue, but should these two reviews intrigued you enough to pick up just one (??), I suggest nabbing volume 2 for yourself. The first edition comes off all too safe for a downtempo dub collection, which is fine if you're only just dipping your toes into those warm waters. Isn't it better to challenge that palette of yours every so often though? This CD should do that, honouring the roots of roots music far more than the previous disc. Eh? Dub Selector 3? I don't have that one, though at a glance, holy cow, are there ever a lot of large bands on it. Maybe that one goes proper-proper reggae dub, then?

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 2024 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 Abstrakce Records AC/DC Ace Trace Ace Tracks Playlists Ace Ventura acid acid house acid jazz acid techno acid trance 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 Aesthetical 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 Antares 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 Arctic Hospital Arcturus arena rock Arista Armada Armin van Buuren Arpatle Artifact303 Arts & Crafts As If 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 Ben Sims 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 Boom Boom Satellites 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 brostep 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 VonStroke 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 Cymphonica Cypher 7 Cypress Hill Cyril Secq Czarface D York 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 deep tech 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 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 Ellen Allien 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 Erot 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 Filteria 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 Frame Of Mind Francis M Gri Franck Vigroux 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 Function 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 Gerd Get Physical Music GGGG 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 God's Groove 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 Havoc Hawtin Headphone Hearts Of Space Hed Kandi Hefty Records Helen Marnie Hell Hercules And Love Affair Hernán Cattáneo Herne 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 Imba Imogen Heap Imperial Dancefloor Imploded View In Charge In The Face Of 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 Jeannine Sculz Jefferson Airplane Jerry Goldsmith Jesper Dahlbäck Jesse Rose 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 John Tejada 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 Justin Timberlake Ka-Sol 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 Kiphi Kitaro Klang Elektronik Klaus Schulze Klik Records KMFDM Koch Records Koichi Sugiyama Kolhoosi 13 Komakino Kompakt Kon Kan Kontor Records Kool Keith Kozo Kraftwelt Kraftwerk Krafty Kuts Kranky krautrock Kriistal Ann Krill.Minima Kris O'Neil Kriztal KRS-One Kruder and Dorfmeister Krusseldorf Krystian Shek Kubinski KuckKuck Kulor Kurupt Kwook L.B. Dub Corp L.S.G. L'usine La Luz Lab 4 Ladytron LaFace Records Lafleche Lamb Lange Lantern 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 Life Enhancing Audio 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 Logan Sama Logic Records 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 Magicwire 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 Martyn Marvin Gaye Maschine Massimo Vivona Massive Attack Masta Killa Master Margherita Masterboy 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 Michael Stearns 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 minimalism 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 Nebula Meltdown Nebulae Records Neil Young Nelly Furtado Neo Ouija Neo-Adventures Neogoa 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 Music 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. 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