Carpe Sonum Records: 2014
Seven discs in, and one thing’s remarkably never faltered throughout this whole box-set: music quality. I’d expect nothing less from the first half, where musicians with tons of experience and skill made up the bulk – even the weird, abstract ones were interesting on a conceptual level. I won’t deny having some hesitation before diving into this back-half though, what with so many unfamiliar names to my eyes. When further sleuthing of Die Welt Ist Klang revealed a number of these acts were contributing music for the first time (as Lord Discogs has decreed), I suspected some dip in craftsmanship had to arise. Yet here we are, CD seven of eight, and nary a drop. This consistently high quality of music wasn’t some fluke of chance with submissions though; rather, it was culled by way of voting, with the crème of the crop arriving at the top. Can’t find much fault with that process. Maybe a bit too ‘homage’ compared to the originality of the first four discs, but then that’s the point of these last four discs anyway, so no blame.
That all said, I must admit the ‘listening fatigue’ did start settling in by CD7. It isn’t as bad as I suffered with The Electro Compendium - after seventy tracks of nothing but sinister electro, I felt like a robot. Die Welt Ist Klang holds my sanity enough through some diversity of genres, though given this is a Pete Namlook tribute, even that only goes so far. Mr. Kaulmann was known for a certain sound throughout his career, and by g’ar these producers are gonna’ honor that legacy, even if it means grinding the same general tone for a few hours’ worth of music. If you’re only now joining my OCD coverage of this box set, do unlike I and only listen to these CDs in occasional spurts, not all at once. You’ll appreciate these tunes more. Now, onto CD7.
Oh man, there’s more fun stuff here! Once again, the tempo is given an additional nudge, opening with a chipper ambient breaks beast running thirteen minutes in length (almost progressive breaks, really). It’s followed with a similar, subdued tune from Si Matthews, then goes total old-school trance on Music Hypnotizes from Gianni Parrini & Twoplusone! Okay, the rhythm’s more prog, but that high-pitched synth hook is right out of German trance’s playbook of 1993. It’s cheesy, but man does it ever tickle that nostalgia lobe – no surprise these guys are from that era.
In fact, quite a few names on CD7 have a wealth of material listed at Lord Discogs (Johan Agebjörn, Interconnected, Autumus) along with relative newcomers (Sven Kössler, Suit & Tie Guy), all offering variations of electro, chilled-out IDM, and ambient techno. Special mention must be made to Michael Brückner though, who’s apparently self-released around one-hundred albums of ambient and Berlin-School synth works in the last two decades! Holy cow, talk about a kindred spirit to Namlook. Get this man his own deserved box-set.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Various - Die Welt Ist Klang: A Tribute To Pete Namlook (CD6)
Carpe Sonum Records: 2014
Ambient’s about the journey, but sometimes it’s nice knowing where we’re going too. I’m a busy guy, and though the local gardens are pleasant diversions, this hair ain’t gonna’ cut itself. Thus, we leave the meandering synth works of CD5, and unto CD6, where there’s all manner of barber shops. Gosh, that was a strained metaphor. I think my subconscious is telling me something. Ah yes, my coif doth needs a cut. Also, coming up with new ways of starting each of these reviews for Die Welt Ist Klang is getting ever more difficult. By the end of this one, I’ll have spent three-thousand words detailing this box set, with another two CDs to go. Unless there’s an individual even more obsessive than I spending the same amount of words on each individual track, you’re likely not finding a lengthier review of Pete Namlook’s tribute. At what point does this venture turn into ‘quantity-over-quality’ though? Maybe it already has, given the opening of this paragraph.
Anyhow, as was the case with the first half, the back half of Die Welt Ist Klang opts for a gradual increase in tempo. Unlike CD2, however, things get rather brisk in CD6, even entering trance’s domain by track six! And no, this isn’t like earlier in the box set, where trance was more hinted than executed. Steve Hanlon’s Freefloating has the burbling acid, arpgeggios, hypnotic pads, and simple rhythms that earned many an old-school track duty on trance compilations. Following that, VAAST’s Syzygy has many similar attributes, while including other touches like soft, dubby atmospherics and gentle piano flourishes. And following that, Mia Rischmann’s Travels strips things down to a subtle, trance pulse that wouldn’t sound out of place on an old Laurent Garnier EP; or even a Fax +49-69/450464 collection, come to think of it. Call these melodic techno or ‘deep house’ if you must, but this is the sound of trance I’ve long associated with Namlook’s label. When he wasn’t doing the earlier hard acid bangers at least.
I should also mention these three artists currently have nary a presence at Lord Discogs, and they’re not alone in their, um, lonliness. Jason Hissong (ambient techno) and Michael & Spider (ethno’ psychedelic ambient) have absolutely nothing beyond Die Welt Ist Klang. A couple others have an EP or two under their belt (and if Mark T. Warren’s widescreen ambient dub Spin Cycle is anything to go by, one of the big chill labels had better snag this guy up post-haste!), but some veteran names from as far back as the ‘90s show up too. Within Reason (meditative chill-out), I’ve already covered, though he went by Open Canvas for that album. There’s also a curious group called Drøn (clicky, dubby downtempo), and Ben Zonneveld, who some trance heads might remember as one-half of Orientalist (of Tron microfame) – his track Liberation Through Hearing sounds an awful lot like Silence’s Omid/Hope, though at only a quarter the length. Mmm, tasty bite-sized ambient doodling.
Ambient’s about the journey, but sometimes it’s nice knowing where we’re going too. I’m a busy guy, and though the local gardens are pleasant diversions, this hair ain’t gonna’ cut itself. Thus, we leave the meandering synth works of CD5, and unto CD6, where there’s all manner of barber shops. Gosh, that was a strained metaphor. I think my subconscious is telling me something. Ah yes, my coif doth needs a cut. Also, coming up with new ways of starting each of these reviews for Die Welt Ist Klang is getting ever more difficult. By the end of this one, I’ll have spent three-thousand words detailing this box set, with another two CDs to go. Unless there’s an individual even more obsessive than I spending the same amount of words on each individual track, you’re likely not finding a lengthier review of Pete Namlook’s tribute. At what point does this venture turn into ‘quantity-over-quality’ though? Maybe it already has, given the opening of this paragraph.
Anyhow, as was the case with the first half, the back half of Die Welt Ist Klang opts for a gradual increase in tempo. Unlike CD2, however, things get rather brisk in CD6, even entering trance’s domain by track six! And no, this isn’t like earlier in the box set, where trance was more hinted than executed. Steve Hanlon’s Freefloating has the burbling acid, arpgeggios, hypnotic pads, and simple rhythms that earned many an old-school track duty on trance compilations. Following that, VAAST’s Syzygy has many similar attributes, while including other touches like soft, dubby atmospherics and gentle piano flourishes. And following that, Mia Rischmann’s Travels strips things down to a subtle, trance pulse that wouldn’t sound out of place on an old Laurent Garnier EP; or even a Fax +49-69/450464 collection, come to think of it. Call these melodic techno or ‘deep house’ if you must, but this is the sound of trance I’ve long associated with Namlook’s label. When he wasn’t doing the earlier hard acid bangers at least.
I should also mention these three artists currently have nary a presence at Lord Discogs, and they’re not alone in their, um, lonliness. Jason Hissong (ambient techno) and Michael & Spider (ethno’ psychedelic ambient) have absolutely nothing beyond Die Welt Ist Klang. A couple others have an EP or two under their belt (and if Mark T. Warren’s widescreen ambient dub Spin Cycle is anything to go by, one of the big chill labels had better snag this guy up post-haste!), but some veteran names from as far back as the ‘90s show up too. Within Reason (meditative chill-out), I’ve already covered, though he went by Open Canvas for that album. There’s also a curious group called Drøn (clicky, dubby downtempo), and Ben Zonneveld, who some trance heads might remember as one-half of Orientalist (of Tron microfame) – his track Liberation Through Hearing sounds an awful lot like Silence’s Omid/Hope, though at only a quarter the length. Mmm, tasty bite-sized ambient doodling.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Various - Die Welt Ist Klang: A Tribute To Pete Namlook (CD5)
Carpe Sonum Records: 2014
With many musical collaborators, associates, and influences wrapped up in four CDs, where else could Carpe Sonum Records go with their Pete Namlook tribute box-set mega-ganza? Why, a showcase of all the artists Mr. Kaulmann's had influence upon, of course, with another four CDs worth doing the deed. It can't be denied he's had an impact on a lot of ambient noodling wibblers and ambient techno knob twiddlers, so when word spread of a tribute collection, several producers outside the old FAX alumni piped up they'd be interested in providing music to the project. The fact things bloated out to ninety-one tracks across eight CDs may seem excessive, but I wouldn't be surprised if what we have for Die Welt Ist Klang isn't even half of what Carpe Sonum could have included. Also, instead of doing something silly like 'covering' Namlook compositions, these are all originals. Ha, take that, Cleopatra Records!
I should mention from here on out, my familiarity with the remaining artists fast approaches nil. Even Lord Discogs won’t be terribly helpful, many names relatively new to His mighty knowledge. Hell, on CD5 alone, some has this set as their lone entry (mamonu, Ray Rod In Sun Age), while others have a mere additional track or EP appearing elsewhere. Of course, in this age of Bandcamp releases, Soundcloud exclusives, and music sharing with online communities, a producer can have a wealth of experience and compositional background before ever landing anything with a format Lord Discogs recognizes as official. The ambient and drone scene in particular is notorious for its limitless amount of laptop writers. How on earth Carpe Sonum came about deciding these eleven acts for CD5, I can’t imagine. No, I won’t toss about wild theories; this is a tribute to Pete Namlook, dang’it, so happy, respectful feelings, yo’.
Since we’re now taking in a different perspective with the Namlook influences, it’s only appropriate that Die Welt Ist Klang starts featuring the extreme outlier genres- hah, no, we’re back in ambient’s realm again. Mostly it’s soft, meditative stuff (Jacob Newman & Devin Underwood’s Day Stretch, Veil Of Alchemy’s Sea Of Transcendence, Guides’ Flood) and dubby drone (Illuminum’s Principles Of Life, Bubble’s Ashes, mamonu’s So Long And Thanks For All The Chill...). Some go for the expansive layers of synths (Tha Silent Partner’s Tongue) while others choose the subtle road instead (Bing Satellites’ Caterpillar Dance, Ecoutez’ Just In A ...). And finally, the honoured elder of this CD, Sense (Adam Raisbeck, who’s been releasing music since the long-ago year of 2001), teams up with Jesse Somfay in a thirteen-plus minute piece that dabbles in much of the above. No wonder they titled it 3 Songs (Forever).
If most of these names are hopelessly obscure to your eyes, I warned you we were leaving familiar ground (if they’re not, holy cow!). I honestly wouldn’t blame ya’ if you tuned out for the remaining three discs, but who knows, you may discover some cool new names worth following.
With many musical collaborators, associates, and influences wrapped up in four CDs, where else could Carpe Sonum Records go with their Pete Namlook tribute box-set mega-ganza? Why, a showcase of all the artists Mr. Kaulmann's had influence upon, of course, with another four CDs worth doing the deed. It can't be denied he's had an impact on a lot of ambient noodling wibblers and ambient techno knob twiddlers, so when word spread of a tribute collection, several producers outside the old FAX alumni piped up they'd be interested in providing music to the project. The fact things bloated out to ninety-one tracks across eight CDs may seem excessive, but I wouldn't be surprised if what we have for Die Welt Ist Klang isn't even half of what Carpe Sonum could have included. Also, instead of doing something silly like 'covering' Namlook compositions, these are all originals. Ha, take that, Cleopatra Records!
I should mention from here on out, my familiarity with the remaining artists fast approaches nil. Even Lord Discogs won’t be terribly helpful, many names relatively new to His mighty knowledge. Hell, on CD5 alone, some has this set as their lone entry (mamonu, Ray Rod In Sun Age), while others have a mere additional track or EP appearing elsewhere. Of course, in this age of Bandcamp releases, Soundcloud exclusives, and music sharing with online communities, a producer can have a wealth of experience and compositional background before ever landing anything with a format Lord Discogs recognizes as official. The ambient and drone scene in particular is notorious for its limitless amount of laptop writers. How on earth Carpe Sonum came about deciding these eleven acts for CD5, I can’t imagine. No, I won’t toss about wild theories; this is a tribute to Pete Namlook, dang’it, so happy, respectful feelings, yo’.
Since we’re now taking in a different perspective with the Namlook influences, it’s only appropriate that Die Welt Ist Klang starts featuring the extreme outlier genres- hah, no, we’re back in ambient’s realm again. Mostly it’s soft, meditative stuff (Jacob Newman & Devin Underwood’s Day Stretch, Veil Of Alchemy’s Sea Of Transcendence, Guides’ Flood) and dubby drone (Illuminum’s Principles Of Life, Bubble’s Ashes, mamonu’s So Long And Thanks For All The Chill...). Some go for the expansive layers of synths (Tha Silent Partner’s Tongue) while others choose the subtle road instead (Bing Satellites’ Caterpillar Dance, Ecoutez’ Just In A ...). And finally, the honoured elder of this CD, Sense (Adam Raisbeck, who’s been releasing music since the long-ago year of 2001), teams up with Jesse Somfay in a thirteen-plus minute piece that dabbles in much of the above. No wonder they titled it 3 Songs (Forever).
If most of these names are hopelessly obscure to your eyes, I warned you we were leaving familiar ground (if they’re not, holy cow!). I honestly wouldn’t blame ya’ if you tuned out for the remaining three discs, but who knows, you may discover some cool new names worth following.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Various - Die Welt Ist Klang: A Tribute To Pete Namlook (CD4)
Carpe Sonum Records: 2014
Scratch what I said at the end of the previous review. Here's where we find our offering of old-school trance, at the start of CD4! Pino &Wildjamin's Some Filter For Namlook has gated synths, subtle acid tweakage, minor key melodies, and even bleepy sci-fi arpeggios. Yeah, they use an electro break for their rhythm, and the track was originally from 1995, but dammit, it's the closest thing I've heard to any sort of vintage German trance in the box set, so I'm counting it. Honestly though, this probably should have been on CD3, were it not for the forced compromise of limited space on such antiquated technology. Playing Die Welt Ist Klang as a digital playlist of music, Some Filter For Namlook follows quite smoothly from Glitch's Kick The Habit. Oh, and about that track, turns out it was a remastered 1994 cut, hence the classic vibes I got off it. It’s difficult back-checking every single track in the FAX catalogue, y’know.
Some Filter For Namlook is also something of an outlier for CD4. The artists that make up this disc are primarily the artsy abstract sorts that cared little for house, techno, or even ambient. As ol’ Pete’s muse grew ever more restless in years following his ‘90s breakout, he started branching out into psychedelic rock, jazzy futurism, cinematic orchestrations, and throwback musique concrete. Not so much his own output, mind you, but he did take on such musicians within the Fax +49-69/450464 fold. The only name I recognize out of this bunch is Move D, who’s Regentropfen (Reprise) is all sorts of druggy jazz sludge. And yes, Mr. Moufang gets two solo tracks on this collection. Twenty-plus albums with Namlook!
I can’t deny CD4 is an interesting disc, but only as far as you’re willing to indulge the most extreme of music expressionism. Some of it goes for the New Berlin school of krautrock experiments (Aerial Service Area’s Cloud 2, Nikolaus Heyduck’s Lago Largo, Ludwig Rehberg’s Pink Pearl), others for improvised tonal harmony with pianos, taiko drums, and woodblocks (okay, only Hane’s Dazwischen). There’s some really naff jazz on here too, Sprya’s Sodbrennen sounding like a preloaded keyboard demo – at least that one’s only three minutes long.
And then there’s the plain ol’ weirdness. Victor Sol plays metal resonance in Gong #1, and Oskar Sala spits white noise and reverberating blips and bleeps in Anwendung Elektronischer Musik Für Den Film Von Oskar Sala. Wait, didn’t he start this electronic music shit; and this the thanks I give? I don’t think he ever worked with Namlook or on FAX, but you cannot deny the influence he undoubtedly had on a young Kaulmann.
In comparison, the surrounding tracks aren’t quite so leftfield. Gate Zero does dubby, chill trip-hop with The Ache, Burhan Öçal’s Seyh'in Rüyasi sounds like it belongs on a Six Degrees Records compilation, and Bardo Thödol lays echoing prog guitar over gentle braindance beats. Man, after all this, where else can Die Welt Ist Klang take us?
Scratch what I said at the end of the previous review. Here's where we find our offering of old-school trance, at the start of CD4! Pino &Wildjamin's Some Filter For Namlook has gated synths, subtle acid tweakage, minor key melodies, and even bleepy sci-fi arpeggios. Yeah, they use an electro break for their rhythm, and the track was originally from 1995, but dammit, it's the closest thing I've heard to any sort of vintage German trance in the box set, so I'm counting it. Honestly though, this probably should have been on CD3, were it not for the forced compromise of limited space on such antiquated technology. Playing Die Welt Ist Klang as a digital playlist of music, Some Filter For Namlook follows quite smoothly from Glitch's Kick The Habit. Oh, and about that track, turns out it was a remastered 1994 cut, hence the classic vibes I got off it. It’s difficult back-checking every single track in the FAX catalogue, y’know.
Some Filter For Namlook is also something of an outlier for CD4. The artists that make up this disc are primarily the artsy abstract sorts that cared little for house, techno, or even ambient. As ol’ Pete’s muse grew ever more restless in years following his ‘90s breakout, he started branching out into psychedelic rock, jazzy futurism, cinematic orchestrations, and throwback musique concrete. Not so much his own output, mind you, but he did take on such musicians within the Fax +49-69/450464 fold. The only name I recognize out of this bunch is Move D, who’s Regentropfen (Reprise) is all sorts of druggy jazz sludge. And yes, Mr. Moufang gets two solo tracks on this collection. Twenty-plus albums with Namlook!
I can’t deny CD4 is an interesting disc, but only as far as you’re willing to indulge the most extreme of music expressionism. Some of it goes for the New Berlin school of krautrock experiments (Aerial Service Area’s Cloud 2, Nikolaus Heyduck’s Lago Largo, Ludwig Rehberg’s Pink Pearl), others for improvised tonal harmony with pianos, taiko drums, and woodblocks (okay, only Hane’s Dazwischen). There’s some really naff jazz on here too, Sprya’s Sodbrennen sounding like a preloaded keyboard demo – at least that one’s only three minutes long.
And then there’s the plain ol’ weirdness. Victor Sol plays metal resonance in Gong #1, and Oskar Sala spits white noise and reverberating blips and bleeps in Anwendung Elektronischer Musik Für Den Film Von Oskar Sala. Wait, didn’t he start this electronic music shit; and this the thanks I give? I don’t think he ever worked with Namlook or on FAX, but you cannot deny the influence he undoubtedly had on a young Kaulmann.
In comparison, the surrounding tracks aren’t quite so leftfield. Gate Zero does dubby, chill trip-hop with The Ache, Burhan Öçal’s Seyh'in Rüyasi sounds like it belongs on a Six Degrees Records compilation, and Bardo Thödol lays echoing prog guitar over gentle braindance beats. Man, after all this, where else can Die Welt Ist Klang take us?
Monday, May 11, 2015
Various - Die Welt Ist Klang: A Tribute To Pete Namlook (CD3)
Carpe Sonum Records: 2014
Of all the discs in this box set, CD3 has the highest ratio of artists I'm familiar with. That isn't an impressive stat, if I'm honest, as nearly everyone following this one is entirely new to my eyes. You'd think someone with a music collection nearing the four-digit mark should know a more than this. 'Tis not so, my knowledge but a mote of dust in the impossibly vast realm that is Pete Namlook's Influence. I'm not even sure whether these are all new names or scene veterans that have burbled in obscurity for all this time – guess I'll find out when I deal with their discs. Meanwhile, let's have a gander at the 'techno' CD of Die Welt Ist Klang.
First up is Thomas P. Heckmann. You might know him from such labels as Mille Plateaux, Wavescape, and the charming Acid Fuckers Unite. If you’re worth your techno salt at all though, you know him as Drax. For his offering to Namlook’s legacy, he gives us Ode To A Friend, sounding not a touch out of a 1974 krautrock album. Wait, what? Oh, right, talented producer makes music across tons of genres. That’s a running theme with a lot of these Namlook and Fax +49-69/450464 associates, isn’t it? Speaking of, second tune here is from Biosphere, though it’s one of his early demos sent to Mr. Kaulmann way back when, before they hooked up for Fires Of Ork. Holy cow, you guys, it’s Microgravity-era Biosphere! Robot voices! Bleepy techno! Rave-house groove! Long time fans have waited an age to hear something like this from Geir Jensenn again.
Following that, it’s Pascal F.E.O.S., most famous for being one-half of Resistance D., but having made plenty of music on his own too. His track is called Sax On Dub, and it’s... Balearic chill-out? Huh, are we getting any techno on this disc? Not if Oliver Lieb can help it, treating us to a tune that might have once been an Into Deep outtake. Man, the final run of tunes from CD2 was more techno than this. Where’s, like, Anthony Rother when you need him – he made music for Fax+, right? Right, so here’s Anthony Rother’s See Beyond, though more sinister EBM than robotic electro as you’d expect of the guy. It’s XJacks’ Acidbob that finally gives us a proper techno cut, all old-school acid weirdness with a little 808 cowbell for good measure.
A couple more names I recognize from recent digging is Gabriel Le Mar (a proggy breaks tune, plus an acid techno workout with Dr. Motte) and Mick Chillage (getting way-back FSOL vibes on this one). Both their tracks are the best on CD3, though a special mention must be made to Glitch’s Kick The Habit, a vintage hard trance track that’s got everything but a kick. Oh, you tease, we almost did get that which I thought not possible. Or maybe we still will later in the box set. Five more to go. Man, I’m earning this experience.
Of all the discs in this box set, CD3 has the highest ratio of artists I'm familiar with. That isn't an impressive stat, if I'm honest, as nearly everyone following this one is entirely new to my eyes. You'd think someone with a music collection nearing the four-digit mark should know a more than this. 'Tis not so, my knowledge but a mote of dust in the impossibly vast realm that is Pete Namlook's Influence. I'm not even sure whether these are all new names or scene veterans that have burbled in obscurity for all this time – guess I'll find out when I deal with their discs. Meanwhile, let's have a gander at the 'techno' CD of Die Welt Ist Klang.
First up is Thomas P. Heckmann. You might know him from such labels as Mille Plateaux, Wavescape, and the charming Acid Fuckers Unite. If you’re worth your techno salt at all though, you know him as Drax. For his offering to Namlook’s legacy, he gives us Ode To A Friend, sounding not a touch out of a 1974 krautrock album. Wait, what? Oh, right, talented producer makes music across tons of genres. That’s a running theme with a lot of these Namlook and Fax +49-69/450464 associates, isn’t it? Speaking of, second tune here is from Biosphere, though it’s one of his early demos sent to Mr. Kaulmann way back when, before they hooked up for Fires Of Ork. Holy cow, you guys, it’s Microgravity-era Biosphere! Robot voices! Bleepy techno! Rave-house groove! Long time fans have waited an age to hear something like this from Geir Jensenn again.
Following that, it’s Pascal F.E.O.S., most famous for being one-half of Resistance D., but having made plenty of music on his own too. His track is called Sax On Dub, and it’s... Balearic chill-out? Huh, are we getting any techno on this disc? Not if Oliver Lieb can help it, treating us to a tune that might have once been an Into Deep outtake. Man, the final run of tunes from CD2 was more techno than this. Where’s, like, Anthony Rother when you need him – he made music for Fax+, right? Right, so here’s Anthony Rother’s See Beyond, though more sinister EBM than robotic electro as you’d expect of the guy. It’s XJacks’ Acidbob that finally gives us a proper techno cut, all old-school acid weirdness with a little 808 cowbell for good measure.
A couple more names I recognize from recent digging is Gabriel Le Mar (a proggy breaks tune, plus an acid techno workout with Dr. Motte) and Mick Chillage (getting way-back FSOL vibes on this one). Both their tracks are the best on CD3, though a special mention must be made to Glitch’s Kick The Habit, a vintage hard trance track that’s got everything but a kick. Oh, you tease, we almost did get that which I thought not possible. Or maybe we still will later in the box set. Five more to go. Man, I’m earning this experience.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Various - Die Welt Ist Klang: A Tribute To Pete Namlook (CD2)
Carpe Sonum Records: 2014
No, of course ninety-one droning, calm ambient tracks would be ridiculous. Namlook made his namesake with the stuff, but he produced far more forms of electronic music than that. If you’re doing a tribute collection, you gotta’ show respect to his techno, jazz, orchestral, and even hard trance heritage. Okay, maybe not that last one, but wouldn’t that be something, hearing ancient German trance in a modern release? Come on, retroism, do your th’ang!
Wisely, Capre Sonum Records gave each disc of Die Welt Ist Klang its own genre showcase, gradually upping the tempo with each successive CD. All the beatless ambient now out of the way, CD2 provides us with some ambient techno chill and rhythms on the downbeat. Honestly, I’d have sprung for this collection almost entirely for this CD alone, what with two new tracks from Peter Benisch and The Higher Intelligence Agency on it! These aren’t previously unreleased pieces from their reserves either, each specifically made for this collection. Yeah, most of the music on all these discs is new material, but having already come across a couple cuts that were old, unused pieces from former collaborations with Namlook, I had to wonder whether that’d be the case with Benisch and Bird too. It’s not like they’re making anything new lately – and if they are, they sure aren’t making their efforts public. Oh hey, long tangent. As for their tunes, Benisch’s Farväl is utterly lush, while HIA’s Sky One works the bubbly, bleepy ambient dub groove with spacey synth drone, neither sounding like any time’s passed since their last albums. I love it!
I can’t say I know much about the remaining artists on CD2, but hot damn they make some lovely music. Autumn Of Communion (Lee Norris and Mick Chillage) offers eleven minutes of soothing keyboards, dubby synths and soft beats, Massimo Vivona provides a chipper piece of Balearic chill, Material Object shoots for the stars with another eleven minutes of pulsing pads and spacey drone, and even Namlook himself gets in, care of Lorenzo Montanà working with an unfinished piece they worked on. Then there’s Krystian Shek doing the widescreen chill-out thing I usually associate with Ultimae, Benjamin Wild & Daniel Esswein go for a low-key ambient techno groove, Fanger & Siebert get a little more electro sci-fi with their tune, and Future Research Technology (Simon Ellis, who gave Fax+ one of their earliest commercial successes as Houdini) goes for the alien electro-funk vibe. Kind of reminds me of Namlook and Johah Sharp’s Alien Communication project, though he already got his tribute in on CD1 as Spacetime Continuum. Oh, and Gaudi’s here too, doing his heavy ambient dub business, but I already know him and he’s still making music, so I don’t get quite all atwitter over his tune.
Yeah, that’s a major reason why I sprung for this box set. Seeing new music from old favorites is nice, but discovering a plethora of new artists in the process is pure cream.
No, of course ninety-one droning, calm ambient tracks would be ridiculous. Namlook made his namesake with the stuff, but he produced far more forms of electronic music than that. If you’re doing a tribute collection, you gotta’ show respect to his techno, jazz, orchestral, and even hard trance heritage. Okay, maybe not that last one, but wouldn’t that be something, hearing ancient German trance in a modern release? Come on, retroism, do your th’ang!
Wisely, Capre Sonum Records gave each disc of Die Welt Ist Klang its own genre showcase, gradually upping the tempo with each successive CD. All the beatless ambient now out of the way, CD2 provides us with some ambient techno chill and rhythms on the downbeat. Honestly, I’d have sprung for this collection almost entirely for this CD alone, what with two new tracks from Peter Benisch and The Higher Intelligence Agency on it! These aren’t previously unreleased pieces from their reserves either, each specifically made for this collection. Yeah, most of the music on all these discs is new material, but having already come across a couple cuts that were old, unused pieces from former collaborations with Namlook, I had to wonder whether that’d be the case with Benisch and Bird too. It’s not like they’re making anything new lately – and if they are, they sure aren’t making their efforts public. Oh hey, long tangent. As for their tunes, Benisch’s Farväl is utterly lush, while HIA’s Sky One works the bubbly, bleepy ambient dub groove with spacey synth drone, neither sounding like any time’s passed since their last albums. I love it!
I can’t say I know much about the remaining artists on CD2, but hot damn they make some lovely music. Autumn Of Communion (Lee Norris and Mick Chillage) offers eleven minutes of soothing keyboards, dubby synths and soft beats, Massimo Vivona provides a chipper piece of Balearic chill, Material Object shoots for the stars with another eleven minutes of pulsing pads and spacey drone, and even Namlook himself gets in, care of Lorenzo Montanà working with an unfinished piece they worked on. Then there’s Krystian Shek doing the widescreen chill-out thing I usually associate with Ultimae, Benjamin Wild & Daniel Esswein go for a low-key ambient techno groove, Fanger & Siebert get a little more electro sci-fi with their tune, and Future Research Technology (Simon Ellis, who gave Fax+ one of their earliest commercial successes as Houdini) goes for the alien electro-funk vibe. Kind of reminds me of Namlook and Johah Sharp’s Alien Communication project, though he already got his tribute in on CD1 as Spacetime Continuum. Oh, and Gaudi’s here too, doing his heavy ambient dub business, but I already know him and he’s still making music, so I don’t get quite all atwitter over his tune.
Yeah, that’s a major reason why I sprung for this box set. Seeing new music from old favorites is nice, but discovering a plethora of new artists in the process is pure cream.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Various - Die Welt Ist Klang: A Tribute To Pete Namlook (CD1)
Carpe Sonum Records: 2014
Not to humble-brag too much, but oh yes, I gots me one of those proper box sets of Carpe Sonum Records’ epic tribute to Pete Namlook. Just barely too, with a mere three left of the project's second run when I took a look. Maybe the label will manufacture a third run if there's enough interest, but for now I'll bask in that smug glow of having such a wonderful package in my possession. Ahhh....
Hm, wait, what is this sinking feeling all of a sudden. Oh yeah, now that I have a physical copy of Die Welt Ist Klang, that means I have all eight CDs too. Which means I must now review each. Single. One. For the next week. Like, I'm kinda' obligated to, what with having done the same with Neil Young’s Archives last year. I hope y'all are strapped in for a Namlook Tribute extravaganza on this blog. Also, since I've eight of these things to get through, I'll detail most of the background information regarding this box set as we go along – no sense burning self-restricted world count all on the first CD.
With ninety-one tracks collected for this set, who could ever have the prestige to kick things off? Why, none other than one of the few men in the music industry that has a discography even larger than Namlook’s extensive catalogue: Bill Laswell. He teams up with keyboardist Bernie Worrell (member of tons of groups, most famously Funkadelic) for a track that’s rather typical of Laswell’s brand of ambient (bass tones, dubby atmosphere, jazzy improvisation). Hey, it’s not like we’re re-inventing the wheel with this tribute. The number two spot goes to David Moufang, also known as Move D. Why? He and Namlook released over twenty albums together in a fifteen year span. Holy cow, did they just put every jam session of theirs to CD? I’m guessing the answer to that is “most probably yes.” Oh, and his track is a piano ambient composition, with rainwater falling about on an open gazebo.
Another big name from the old school crops up with Dr. Atmo, who was instrumental in lending his hand to some of Namlook’s earliest ambient breakouts (can’t call them ‘hits’, can we), specifically the aliases Silence and Escape. Heck, it was his selections for the Stud!o K7 tape 3 Lux-3 that gave me a real crash course in Namlook’s work. His track here is also ambient.
Yeah, CD1 is pretty much all ambient straight through, nary a beat in earshot. Even the guys known for techno (Steve Stoll, F.U.S.E., Spacetime Continuum) stick to synthy drone and sequenced noodling. Mind, some of these are unreleased material sent to Namlook way back in the day too, not just former Fax+ alumni contributing fresh material. It’s all very calming, relaxing, and warm music here, though I hope it’s not the only genre explored across eight discs. As that Electro Compendium proved, too much of the same thing makes Sykonee coo-koo for Kaulmann cuts.
Not to humble-brag too much, but oh yes, I gots me one of those proper box sets of Carpe Sonum Records’ epic tribute to Pete Namlook. Just barely too, with a mere three left of the project's second run when I took a look. Maybe the label will manufacture a third run if there's enough interest, but for now I'll bask in that smug glow of having such a wonderful package in my possession. Ahhh....
Hm, wait, what is this sinking feeling all of a sudden. Oh yeah, now that I have a physical copy of Die Welt Ist Klang, that means I have all eight CDs too. Which means I must now review each. Single. One. For the next week. Like, I'm kinda' obligated to, what with having done the same with Neil Young’s Archives last year. I hope y'all are strapped in for a Namlook Tribute extravaganza on this blog. Also, since I've eight of these things to get through, I'll detail most of the background information regarding this box set as we go along – no sense burning self-restricted world count all on the first CD.
With ninety-one tracks collected for this set, who could ever have the prestige to kick things off? Why, none other than one of the few men in the music industry that has a discography even larger than Namlook’s extensive catalogue: Bill Laswell. He teams up with keyboardist Bernie Worrell (member of tons of groups, most famously Funkadelic) for a track that’s rather typical of Laswell’s brand of ambient (bass tones, dubby atmosphere, jazzy improvisation). Hey, it’s not like we’re re-inventing the wheel with this tribute. The number two spot goes to David Moufang, also known as Move D. Why? He and Namlook released over twenty albums together in a fifteen year span. Holy cow, did they just put every jam session of theirs to CD? I’m guessing the answer to that is “most probably yes.” Oh, and his track is a piano ambient composition, with rainwater falling about on an open gazebo.
Another big name from the old school crops up with Dr. Atmo, who was instrumental in lending his hand to some of Namlook’s earliest ambient breakouts (can’t call them ‘hits’, can we), specifically the aliases Silence and Escape. Heck, it was his selections for the Stud!o K7 tape 3 Lux-3 that gave me a real crash course in Namlook’s work. His track here is also ambient.
Yeah, CD1 is pretty much all ambient straight through, nary a beat in earshot. Even the guys known for techno (Steve Stoll, F.U.S.E., Spacetime Continuum) stick to synthy drone and sequenced noodling. Mind, some of these are unreleased material sent to Namlook way back in the day too, not just former Fax+ alumni contributing fresh material. It’s all very calming, relaxing, and warm music here, though I hope it’s not the only genre explored across eight discs. As that Electro Compendium proved, too much of the same thing makes Sykonee coo-koo for Kaulmann cuts.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Scuba - Claustrophobia
Hotflush Recordings: 2015
Cry to the westward winds, o’ forlorn faithful of dubstep’s techno hybrids. Whatever hopes ye’ may have for one of your chosen few to return grows ever so slim with every new release. If Paul Rose, also known as The Scuba One, has committed so completely to techno, tech-house, and techy tech-ambient (?) as he has on this album, the odds of him going back to the broken beat bin are small indeed.
Fortunately for Mr. Rose, his transition’s been so perfectly gradual, an album like Claustrophobia still makes good sense within his discography. He may have left behind the genres that built his base, but he's retained a distinct, expansive aesthetic to his music; these tunes could work equally well in a slummy warehouse setting as a mainstage festival show. On the other hand, Scuba's lately suffered from 'Dubfire Syndrome', a rejection from some of techno's core followers, figuring him nothing more than a bandwagon jumper as his old scene's credibility waned. Frankly, that's a bunch of bull for a couple reasons. One, even if some of Scuba's recent tunes have peak-time rinse out squarely in sight, they're still stylistically less trendy than minimal ever was. Two, Mr. Rose makes far better music than Mr. Shirazinia did. You know it's true.
As the album’s title states, Claustrophobia is a darker outing compared to Personality, with charming track names like Why You Feel So Low, All I Think About Is Death, Black On Black, and Needle Phobia making up the bulk. Hell, even something seemingly benign like Family Entertainment is all sorts of fucked-up, two-plus minutes of static hiss (or shower water?) as wailing kids and stern adult voices echo off tile walls. Geez, I feel like I’m in a Silent Hill hospital. I guess poor ol’ Paul was having some difficulty coping with a bout of sickness that left him home-ridden for much of 2014. Or maybe he’d recently watched Jacob’s Ladder.
That’s about as unsettling as this album goes though. There’s still a menacing tone throughout, but Scuba finds room for melodic moments and tempo builders even in his sparsest tracks. And those rhythms, mang! He’s always had an ace ear for quality kicks, yet somehow he’s upped the ante here, unleashing beats so beefy it fucks up my colon. He doesn’t over-utilize them either, reserving them for his three main techno cuts in Why You Feel So Low (near the beginning), PCP (mid-track), and Black On Black (album climax), spacing them out with shorter, ambient techno constructs. Speaking of Black On Black, it’s got one of those big effects builds in it, but it actually has a payoff! My God, it’s glorious to have all that tension come with a proper release for once in contemporary techno. See, it’s not so hard to do.
I won’t deny the musical ideas Scuba presents on Claustrophobia aren’t terribly original, but he executes them with skill and finesse. Good for a casual throw-on - just mind your lighting.
Cry to the westward winds, o’ forlorn faithful of dubstep’s techno hybrids. Whatever hopes ye’ may have for one of your chosen few to return grows ever so slim with every new release. If Paul Rose, also known as The Scuba One, has committed so completely to techno, tech-house, and techy tech-ambient (?) as he has on this album, the odds of him going back to the broken beat bin are small indeed.
Fortunately for Mr. Rose, his transition’s been so perfectly gradual, an album like Claustrophobia still makes good sense within his discography. He may have left behind the genres that built his base, but he's retained a distinct, expansive aesthetic to his music; these tunes could work equally well in a slummy warehouse setting as a mainstage festival show. On the other hand, Scuba's lately suffered from 'Dubfire Syndrome', a rejection from some of techno's core followers, figuring him nothing more than a bandwagon jumper as his old scene's credibility waned. Frankly, that's a bunch of bull for a couple reasons. One, even if some of Scuba's recent tunes have peak-time rinse out squarely in sight, they're still stylistically less trendy than minimal ever was. Two, Mr. Rose makes far better music than Mr. Shirazinia did. You know it's true.
As the album’s title states, Claustrophobia is a darker outing compared to Personality, with charming track names like Why You Feel So Low, All I Think About Is Death, Black On Black, and Needle Phobia making up the bulk. Hell, even something seemingly benign like Family Entertainment is all sorts of fucked-up, two-plus minutes of static hiss (or shower water?) as wailing kids and stern adult voices echo off tile walls. Geez, I feel like I’m in a Silent Hill hospital. I guess poor ol’ Paul was having some difficulty coping with a bout of sickness that left him home-ridden for much of 2014. Or maybe he’d recently watched Jacob’s Ladder.
That’s about as unsettling as this album goes though. There’s still a menacing tone throughout, but Scuba finds room for melodic moments and tempo builders even in his sparsest tracks. And those rhythms, mang! He’s always had an ace ear for quality kicks, yet somehow he’s upped the ante here, unleashing beats so beefy it fucks up my colon. He doesn’t over-utilize them either, reserving them for his three main techno cuts in Why You Feel So Low (near the beginning), PCP (mid-track), and Black On Black (album climax), spacing them out with shorter, ambient techno constructs. Speaking of Black On Black, it’s got one of those big effects builds in it, but it actually has a payoff! My God, it’s glorious to have all that tension come with a proper release for once in contemporary techno. See, it’s not so hard to do.
I won’t deny the musical ideas Scuba presents on Claustrophobia aren’t terribly original, but he executes them with skill and finesse. Good for a casual throw-on - just mind your lighting.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Capitol Records: 1969/2009
The only Beatles album you're supposed to have, even if you're not much of a Beatles fan. Sure, they're no longer at the crest of their creative powers, but it's arguable they indulged in their ideas a bit too much (not to mention the drugs). Concept albums? Studio experiments? Bunch of nonsense. You're a rock band, lads, why you no rock anymore? Even the Liverpool Four knew they weren’t firing on all cylinders, lacking the creative synergy that propelled them above and beyond all other bands of their era. Individually, they were doing fine for themselves (even Ringo!), but imagine if they combined their forces to their fullest potential as in the old days. Oh, the wonders they could create, a tight-knit band once more, with genre exploration learned and now with the wisdom to use it effectively.
At least that was the hope on Paul McCartney’s part. He somewhat succeeded too, Abbey Road officially the final studio album The Beatles recorded together as a band, though that wasn't the original intent. The creative conflicts that had led to the various gulfs between each member had simply grown too wide by '69 for any lasting truce, so it's all the more remarkable this album is as cohesive has it turned out. In the ultimate of compromises, side one features songs that, though not related to each other, at least fed off their rock and blues influences; side two would shoot for an album-orientated concept that Paul still wanted, in this case as a medley of short pieces.
I'll level with ya': for the longest time, I had no idea which Beatles songs were even on Abbey Road. Hell, some of the tunes that are on this record I didn't know were Beatles songs. I always thought Oh! Darling and You Never Give Me Your Money were Rolling Stone songs, while I Want You (She's So Heavy) sounds far more like something the progressive rock camps were churning out at the time, including a lengthy runtime for any rock tune of the day (nearly eight minutes!). I'd heard it plenty of times on the classic rock station, but never clued in this aggressive song was from the same group that once did Help! and Norwegian Wood. Plus, that Moog. When did The Beatles ever use a got'dang Moog when there was maybe a half-dozen in existence at the time? Oh Harrison, and your never-ending search for weird instruments. The big ones, however, are Come Together, Something, and Here Comes The Sun. I guess Carry That Weight’s memorable too as a sing-along anthem, and folksy Octopus’s Garden is so corny that it wins you right over.
Of course, the lasting impression everyone has with Abbey Road is that cover. It just might be the most famous photo shoot The Beatles ever did, inspiring many to replicate it themselves. Oh yes, along with all the other things the Liverpool Four innovated, you can include creating the first Rock Meme to that list. Probably.
The only Beatles album you're supposed to have, even if you're not much of a Beatles fan. Sure, they're no longer at the crest of their creative powers, but it's arguable they indulged in their ideas a bit too much (not to mention the drugs). Concept albums? Studio experiments? Bunch of nonsense. You're a rock band, lads, why you no rock anymore? Even the Liverpool Four knew they weren’t firing on all cylinders, lacking the creative synergy that propelled them above and beyond all other bands of their era. Individually, they were doing fine for themselves (even Ringo!), but imagine if they combined their forces to their fullest potential as in the old days. Oh, the wonders they could create, a tight-knit band once more, with genre exploration learned and now with the wisdom to use it effectively.
At least that was the hope on Paul McCartney’s part. He somewhat succeeded too, Abbey Road officially the final studio album The Beatles recorded together as a band, though that wasn't the original intent. The creative conflicts that had led to the various gulfs between each member had simply grown too wide by '69 for any lasting truce, so it's all the more remarkable this album is as cohesive has it turned out. In the ultimate of compromises, side one features songs that, though not related to each other, at least fed off their rock and blues influences; side two would shoot for an album-orientated concept that Paul still wanted, in this case as a medley of short pieces.
I'll level with ya': for the longest time, I had no idea which Beatles songs were even on Abbey Road. Hell, some of the tunes that are on this record I didn't know were Beatles songs. I always thought Oh! Darling and You Never Give Me Your Money were Rolling Stone songs, while I Want You (She's So Heavy) sounds far more like something the progressive rock camps were churning out at the time, including a lengthy runtime for any rock tune of the day (nearly eight minutes!). I'd heard it plenty of times on the classic rock station, but never clued in this aggressive song was from the same group that once did Help! and Norwegian Wood. Plus, that Moog. When did The Beatles ever use a got'dang Moog when there was maybe a half-dozen in existence at the time? Oh Harrison, and your never-ending search for weird instruments. The big ones, however, are Come Together, Something, and Here Comes The Sun. I guess Carry That Weight’s memorable too as a sing-along anthem, and folksy Octopus’s Garden is so corny that it wins you right over.
Of course, the lasting impression everyone has with Abbey Road is that cover. It just might be the most famous photo shoot The Beatles ever did, inspiring many to replicate it themselves. Oh yes, along with all the other things the Liverpool Four innovated, you can include creating the first Rock Meme to that list. Probably.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
ACE TRACKS: April 2015
Oh hey, look at that, “R” is all wrapped up now. Yep, in a bizarre turn of events, the alphabetical back-half of the letter had barely a week’s worth of albums for review, unlike the near 1.5 months of the front half. I honestly have no idea how this came to be. Maybe if I had more CDs in my collection from rock bands, where they sing about rocking and rolling in titular singles, but nay, most things are rave with this techno boy. Anyhow, I felt it best to finish the letter off before posting the playlist for ACE TRACKS: April 2015.
Full track list here.
MISSING ALBUMS:
µ-Ziq - Royal Astronomy
Seraphim Rytm - Aeterna
Various - Rising High Trance Injection
Percentage Of Hip-Hop: 0%
Percentage Of Rock: 0%
Most “WTF?” Track: Most of the Aphex Twin stuff, but only if you’re not used to his zaniness.
Whoa, that’s my second straight Playlist with nary a rock or hip-hop cut found. The August 2013 one is understandable, what with such a short collection of albums to cull from – I had plenty more to draw from for April 2015. On the other hand, a sizeable chunk was devoted to Altar Records compilations, not to mention a plethora of other alphabetical backlog.
Speaking of alphabetical, I tried something different for this Playlist, arranging tracks in alphabetical order. With so much psy dub, psy chill, and dark ambient (hi, Sabled Sun!), I figured doing so would randomize the sequence a little, engaging the listener with the unexpected rather than steady familiarity and flow. Will AstroPilot align with Amon Tobin? Might Moss Garden meld with Model 500? Could Cosmic Replicant conflict with Chronos? Find out within, plus Faithless too!
Full track list here.
MISSING ALBUMS:
µ-Ziq - Royal Astronomy
Seraphim Rytm - Aeterna
Various - Rising High Trance Injection
Percentage Of Hip-Hop: 0%
Percentage Of Rock: 0%
Most “WTF?” Track: Most of the Aphex Twin stuff, but only if you’re not used to his zaniness.
Whoa, that’s my second straight Playlist with nary a rock or hip-hop cut found. The August 2013 one is understandable, what with such a short collection of albums to cull from – I had plenty more to draw from for April 2015. On the other hand, a sizeable chunk was devoted to Altar Records compilations, not to mention a plethora of other alphabetical backlog.
Speaking of alphabetical, I tried something different for this Playlist, arranging tracks in alphabetical order. With so much psy dub, psy chill, and dark ambient (hi, Sabled Sun!), I figured doing so would randomize the sequence a little, engaging the listener with the unexpected rather than steady familiarity and flow. Will AstroPilot align with Amon Tobin? Might Moss Garden meld with Model 500? Could Cosmic Replicant conflict with Chronos? Find out within, plus Faithless too!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
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
acoustic
Acroplane Recordings
Adam Beyer
Adam Ellis
Adam Freeland
Adham Shaikh
ADNY
Adrian Younge
adult contemporary
Advanced UFO Phantom
Aegri Somnia
AEI Music
Aes Dana
Afgin
Afrika Bambaataa
Afro-house
Afterhours
Agoria
Aidan Casserly
Aira Mitsuki
Airwaves
Ajana Records
Ajna
AK1200
Akshan
album
Aldrin
Alex Smoke
Alex Theory
Alice In Chains
Alien Community
Alien Project
Alio Die
All Saints
Alpha Wave Movement
Alphabet Zoo
Alphaxone
Altar Records
Alter Ego
alternative rock
Alucidnation
Ambelion
Ambidextrous
ambient
ambient dub
ambient techno
Ambient World
Ambientium
Ametsub
Amon Amarth
Amon Tobin
Amplexus
Anabolic Frolic
Anatolya
Andrea Parker
Andrew Heath
Androcell
Anduin
Andy C
anecdotes
Aniplex
Anjunabeats
Annibale Records
Anodize
Another Fine Day
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 Trio
Omnimotion
Omnisonus
On Delancey Street
One Little Indian
Onyx
Oophoi
Oosh
Open
Open Canvas
Opium
Opus III
orchestral
Original TranceCritic review
Origo Sound
Orkidea
Orla Wren
Ornament
Ostgut Ton
Ott
Ottsonic Music
Ouragan
Out Of The Box
OutKast
Outmosphere Records
Outpost Records
Overdream
Owl
P-Ben
Pale Glow
Paleowolf
Pan Sonic
Pantera
Pantha Du Prince
Paolo Mojo
Parental Advisory
Parlaphone
Part-Sub-Merged
Pascal F.E.O.S.
Past Inside The Present
Patreon
Patrick Dream
Paul Moelands
Paul Oakenfold
Paul van Dyk
Pendulum
Pentatonik
Perfect Stranger
Perfecto
Perturbator
Pet Shop Boys
Petar Dundov
Pete Namlook
Pete Tong
Peter Andersson
Peter Benisch
Peter Broderick
Peter Gabriel
Peter Tosh
Phantogram
Phonothek
Photek
Phutureprimitive
Phynn
PIAS Recordings
Pinch
Pink Floyd
Pioneer
Pitch Black
PJ Harvey
Plaid
Planet Dog
Planet Earth Recordings
Planet Mu
Planetary Assault Systems
Planetary Consciousness
Plastic City
Plastikman
Platinum
Platipus
Pleq
Plump DJs
Plunderphonic
Plus 8 Records
PM Dawn
Poker Flat Recordings
Polar Seas Recordings
Pole Folder
politics
Polydor
Polytel
pop
Popular Records
Porya Hatami
positivesource
post-dubstep
post-punk
power electronics
Prince
Prince Paul
Prins Thomas
Priority Records
Private Mountain
Procs
Profondita
prog
prog metal
prog psy
prog rock
prog-psy
progress house
Progression
progressive breaks
progressive house
progressive rock
progressive trance
Prolifica
Proper Records
Prototype Recordings
protoU
Pryda
psy chill
psy dub
Psy Spy Records
psy trance
psy-chill
psy-dub
psychedelia
Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia
Psychomanteum
Psychonavigation
Psychonavigation Records
Psycoholic
Psykosonik
Psysolation
Public Enemy
Pulse-8 Records
punk
punk rock
Pureuphoria Records
Purl
Purple Soil
Push
PWL International
Q-Burns Abstract Message
Quadrophonia
Quality
Quango
Quantic
Quantum
Quinlan Road
R & S Records
R'n'B
R&B
Ra
Rabbit In The Moon
Radio Slave
Radioactive
Radioactive Man
Radiohead
Rae
Raekwon
ragga
Rainbow Vector
raison d'etre
Raja Ram
Ralf Hildenbeutel
Ralph Lawson
RAM Records
Randal Collier-Ford
Random Review
Rank 1
rant
Rapoon
RareNoise Records
Ras Command
Rascalz
Raster-Noton
Ratatat
Raum Records
rave
RCA
React
Rebecca & Nathan
Recycle Or Die
Red Fog
Red Jerry
Redman
Refracted
reggae
ReKaB
REKIDS
remixes
Renaissance
Renaissance Man
Rephlex
Reprise Records
Republic Records
Resist Music
Restless Records
RetroSynther
Reverse Alignment
Reverse Pulse
Rhino Records
Rhys Fulber
Ricardo Villalobos
Richard Durand
Richard Stonefield
Riley Reinhold
Ringo Sheena
Rising High Records
RnB
Roadrunner Records
Robert Hood
Robert Miles
Robert Oleysyck
Robert Rich
Roc Raida
rock
rock opera
rockabilly
rocktronica
Roger Sanchez
ROIR
Rollo
Roman Ridder
Rough Trade
Rub-N-Tug
Ruben Garcia
Rudy Adrian
Ruffhouse Records
Rumour Records
Running Back
Ruptured World
Ruthless Records
RX-101
Rykodisc
RZA
S.E.T.I.
Saafi Brothers
Sabled Sun
Sacred Seeds
SadGirl
Saitoh Tomohiro
Sakanaction
Salt Tank
Salted Music
Salvation Music
Samim
Samora
sampling
Samurai Red Seal
Sanctuary Records
Sander van Doorn
Sandoz
Sandwell District
SantAAgostino
Saphileaum
Sarah McLachlan
Sash
Sasha
Saul Stokes
Scandinavian Records
Scann-Tec
sci-fi
Science
Scooter
Scott Grooves
Scott Hardkiss
Scott Stubbs
Scuba
Seán Quinn
Seaworthy
Segue
Sense
Sentimony Records
Sequential
Seraphim Rytm
Setrise
Seven Davis Jr.
Sghor
sgnl_fltr
Shackleton
Shaded Explorations
Shaded Explorer
Shadow Records
Sharam
Shawn Francis
shoegaze
Shpongle
Shuta Yasukochi
Si Matthews
Side Effects
SideOneDummy Records
Sidereal
Signature Records
SiJ
Silent Season
Silent Universe
Silentes
Silentes Minimal Editions
Silicone Soul
silly gimmicks
Silver Age
Simian Mobile Disco
Simon Berry
Simon Heath
Simon Posford
Simon Scott
Simple Records
Sinden
Sine Silex
single
Single Gun Theory
Sire Records Company
Six Degrees
Sixeleven Records
Sixtoo
ska
Skanfrom
Skare
Skin To Skin
Skua Atlantic
Slaapwel Records
Slam
Sleep Research Facility
Slinky Music
Slowcraft Records
Sly and Robbie
Smalltown Supersound
SME Visual Works Inc.
SMTG Limited
Snap
Sneijder
Snoop Dogg
Snowy Tension Pole
soft rock
Soiree Records International
Solar Fields
Solaris Recordings
Solarstone
Soleilmoon Recordings
Solieb
Solieb Digital
Solipsism
Soliquid
Solstice Music Europe
Solvent
Soma Quality Recordings
Songbird
Sony Music Entertainment
SOS
soul
Soul Temple Entertainment
soul:r
Souls Of Mischief
Sound Of Ceres
Soundgarden
Sounds From The Ground
soundtrack
southern rap
southern rock
space ambient
Space Dimension Controller
space disco
Space Manoeuvres
space music
space synth
Spacetime Continuum
Spaghetti Recordings
Spank Rock
Special D
Specta Ciera
speed garage
Speedy J
SPG Music
Sphäre Sechs
Spicelab
Spielerei
Spinefarm Records
Spiritech
spoken word
Sport
Spotify Suggestions
Spotted Peccary
Spring Hill
SPX Digital
Spy vs Spice
Squarepusher
Squaresoft
Stacey Pullen
Stanton Warriors
Star Trek
Stardust
Statrax
Stay Up Forever
Stealth Sonic Recordings
Stephanie B
Stephen Kroos
Stereo Raptor
Stereolab
Steve Angello
Steve Brand
Steve Lawler
Steve Miller Band
Steve Porter
Steven Rutter
Stijn van Cauter
Stimulus Timbre
Stone Temple Pilots
Stonebridge
Stormloop
Stray Gators
Street Fighter
Stuart McLean
Studio K7
Stylophonic
Sub Focus
Subharmonic
Sublime
Sublime Porte Netlabel
Subotika
Substance
Subtle Shift
Suction Records
Suduaya
Suicide Squeeze
SUN Project
Sun Station
Sunbeam
Sunday Best Recordings
Sunscreem
Suntrip Records
Supercar
Superstition
surf rock
Susumu Yokota
Sven van Hees
Sven Väth
SVLBRD
Swayzak
Sweet Trip
swing
Switch
Swollen Members
Sykonee Survey
Sylk 130
Symmetry
Synaptic Voyager
Sync24
Synergy
Synkro
synth pop
synth-pop
synthwave
System 7
Tactic Records
Take Me To The Hospital
Tall Paul
Tammy Wynette
Tangerine Dream
Tau Ceti
Taylor
Taylor Deupree
Tayo
tech house
Tech Itch Digital
Tech Itch Recordings
tech-house
tech-step
tech-trance
Technical Itch
techno
technobass
Technoboy
Tectonic
Telefon Tel Aviv
Telstar
Terminal Antwerp
Terra Ferma
Terror Cell
Terry Lee Brown Jr
Tetsu Inoue
Textere Oris
The 13th Sign
The Angling Loser
The B-52's
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
The Black Dog
The Boats
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Bug
The Chemical Brothers
The Circular Ruins
The Clash
The Council
The Cranberries
The Crystal Method
The Digital Blonde
The Dust Brothers
The Field
The Frozen Vaults
The Gentle People
The Glimmers
The Green Kingdom
The Grey Area
The Grid
The Hacker
The Herbaliser
The Human League
The Irresistible Force
The KLF
The Micronauts
The Misted Muppet
The Movement
The Music Cartel
The Null Corporation
The Oak Ridge Boys
The Offspring
The Orb
The Police
The Prodigy
The Real McCoy
The Roots
The Sabres Of Paradise
The Shamen
The Sharp Boys
The Sonic Voyagers
The Squires
The Stills-Young Band
The Stray Gators
The Tea Party
The Tragically Hip
The Velvet Underground
The Wailers
The White Stripes
The Winterhouse
themes
Thievery Corporation
Third Contact
Third World
Tholen
Thrive Records
Tiefschwarz
Tierro Cosmico
Tiësto
Tiga
Tiger & Woods
Tijuana Panthers
Timbaland
Time Life Music
Time Warp
Timecode
Timestalker
Tineidae
Tipper
Tobias
Tocadisco
Todd Terje
Toki Fuko
Tom Middleton
Tom Tom Club
Tomas Jirku
Tomita
Tommy '86
Tommy Boy
Ton T.B.
Tone Depth
Tony Anderson Sound Orchestra
Too Pure
Tool
tools
Topaz
Tosca
Toto
Touch
Touched
Tourette Records
Toxik Synther
Tracing Xircles
Traffic Entertainment Group
trance
Trancelucent
Tranquillo Records
Trans'Pact
Transcend
Transformers
Transient Records
trap
Trax Records
Trend
Trentemøller
Tresor
tribal
Tricky
Triloka Records
trip-hop
Triquetra
Trishula Records
Tristan
Troum
Troy Pierce
TRS Records
Tru Thoughts
Tsuba Records
Tsubasa Records
Tuff Gong
Tunnel Records
Turbo Recordings
turntablism
TUU
TVT Records
Twisted Records
Type O Negative
Týr
U-God
U-Recken
U2
U4IC DJs
Überzone
Ugasanie
UK acid house
UK Garage
UK Hard House
Ultimae Records
Ultra Records
Umbra
Underworld
Union Jack
United Dairies
United DJs Of America
United Recordings
Universal Motown
Universal Music
Universal Records
Universal Republic Records
UNKLE
Unknown Tone Records
Unusual Cosmic Process
UOVI
Upstream Records
Urban Icon Records
Utada Hikaru
V2
Vagrant Records
Valanx
Valiska
Valley Of The Sun
Vangelis
Vap
VAST
Vector Lovers
Venetian Snares
Venonza Records
Vermont
Vernon
Versatile Records
Verus Records
Verve Records
VGM
Vibrant Music
Vice Records
Victor Calderone
Victor Entertainment
Vidna Obmana
Viking metal
Vince DiCola
Vinyl Cafe Productions
Virgin
Virtual Vault
Virus Recordings
Visionquest
Visions
Vitalic
vocal trance
Vortex
Voxxov Records
Voyage
Wagram Music
Waki
Wanderwelle
Warmth
Warner Bros. Records
Warp Records
Warren G
Water Music Dance
Wave Recordings
Wave Records
Waveform
Waveform Records
Wax Trax Records
Way Out West
WC
WEA
Wednesday Campanella
Weekend Players
Weekly Mini-Review
Werk Discs
Werkstatt Recordings
WestBam
Westside Connection
White Cloud
White Swan Records
Wichita
Wiggle
Will Saul
William Orbit
Willie Nelson
Wintersun
world beat
world music
writing reflections
Wrong Records
Wu-Tang Clan
Wurrm
Wyatt Keusch
Xerxes The Dark
XL Recordings
XTT Recordings
Yahgan
Yamaoka
Yello
Yes
Ylid
Youth
Youtube
YoYo Records
Yul Records
zakè
Zenith
ZerO One
Zoharum
Zomby
Zoo Entertainment
ZTT
Zyron
ZYX Music
µ-Ziq