Mohlao - Landforms

Silent Season: 2017

This album feels like Silent Season going back to its earliest dub techno roots. No, earlier than Pacifica. No, earlier than the first Wandering Compilation. I'm talking those initial digital singles, before they added Pacific northwest artwork, giving the label its distinct style. Back when dub techno was more a hot trend than a way of life, erm, a brand to build a label out of. And while Silent Season wouldn't outright abandon the sound, more elements of ambient and melody would continue creeping in, such that the more clinical mid-'00s style became a mere afterthought.

In the back-burner the genre was kept though, such that when Silent Season started feeling that vinyl itch, it made sense to release techno tools of this sort in the format. There was even a ten year anniversary roll-out of numerous vinyl, letting folks know they were serious about providing fresh material for the black crack fiends who'd been clamouring for the format. Naturally, I skipped out on all these because I don't buy vinyl, yet held out going digital just in case Silent Season opted for a CD option at some point down the road. That still hasn't happened, and I guess I'm just deluding myself into thinking it ever well happen – this label isn't really known for its re-issues. Very well then, some digital buys of items I've missed, then.

And Landforms from Mohlao felt like a no-brainer for yours truly. Artwork reminiscent of Ultimae's forays into geological porn, dorky track titles like Rotar, Neptune, and Vector, a relative unknown I get to discover. The man behind Mohlao, Samuel van Dijk, has a few aliases under his belt, VC-118A leaning more Detroit, while Multicast Dynamics treads into abstract ambient drone. So behind these and Mohlao's dub, you have a nice trifecta of techno from mister van Dijk, none of that trendy business bosh.

We even get a taste of the experimental stuff with opener Rotar, where a bunch of drippy, minimal sounds slowly emerge over the course of two minutes. The arrival of a subdued rhythm just adds to the sparse arrangement, this track all about the noises that are barely there. Follow-ups Voltool One and Neptune do more to get things moving along, but even then these are dub techno tracks more as tools than music.

Some traces of backing melody do make their way into this album in tracks like Vector and Outline (ooh, big synths!). This mostly alternates between pure dub techno works, and while not bad, doesn't really do much to ignite this album beyond an exercise in functionalism. I cannot deny this left me a little wanting, Silent Season releases typically offering more than that. Like that titular closer, that's the sort of floating headspace dubby techno I wanted to hear more of.

I dunno. It just feels weird coming away from any release on Silent Season with such lukewarm feels. There's 'returning to the source' but maybe it's not best going all the way back.

Frame - The Journey

Glacial Movements Records: 2019

No way I could resist an album like this. The cover art alone invokes so many sonic possibilities, all of them frigid, remote, isolated, and barren – perfect summer music! And gosh, it looks like the whole label is like this, with familiar names like Rapoon, bvdub, Chihei Hatakeyama, Scanner, and Skare. Hello, my new obsession!

With no frame of reference, I went into this one cold (puns for days!). Doing a little background reading wouldn't have helped much anyway, this being Frame's lone entry within Lord Discogs' tomes. The players involved have been around many, many years though, with releases dating back to the early '90s. Andrea Benedetti was among the earliest adopters of Detroit techno out of Italy, heading up a few labels in support of such sounds at the time. He's also released sporadic material as Sprawl, but it seems DJing has been his primary passion. His Frame partner, Eugenio Vatta, has even less info on his Discogs page, but apparently has worked with Andrea since ye' olden days as well, skint though those releases are.

Apparently Frame is something of a long-running live P.A. project of improvised gigs performed at artsy shows. They never committed anything to CD, figuring the spontaneity of a live performance couldn't be replicated within a studio. That didn't stop them from recording many sessions though, building up a library of material for possible consideration. Thus it turned out with The Journey, an attempt at creating some sort of narrative from these disparate performances.

Ah, a journey as in the journey Andrea and Eugino have taken as Frame over the years? Sort of, but that'd make for a boring concept album. Ah, so a journey to the frozen clime's of our planet, as indicated on the cover art? No, not that either. Going by the tracklist, this is nothing less than a journey to the cosmic reaches of... just our solar system. Well hey, plenty to explore here.

Truthfully though, Frame opts for the ultra-minimalist scenic tour. Often played real quietly too. Things start out rather typically for a dark drone outing, Mercury imparting a foreboding tone, while Venus brings in creepy, echoing rattlers while static hisses in the background. Almost feels like you're in a steamy, sticky hot jungle, which kinda' makes sense for the Hell planet.

Things go extremely minimal after that though. Heck, most of Mars' eight-minute runtime is just a sustained tone (oddly relaxing mood for the War planet). From there, a lot of abstraction, a lot of experimentation, all played impossibly quiet, such that the sounds often fade into whatever background ambience surrounds you. Yes, even when played on headphones – the sound of your own heart beating may be louder than some of this stuff. It's not until Neptune that something harmonic emerges, with synth pads gradually building, while Pluto And Charon goes more industrial. And hey, The Arrival finally gives us some actual melody! Hoo boy, what a journey to get to it though.

Segue - The Island

Silent Season: 2019

I can't help but feel that Silent Season's shine has diminished some. Oh, not the quality of their releases, they remain top-notch. It feels ages ago, though, since the little dub techno label out of the Canadian west coast broke out of the underground thanks to a spiffy Resident Advisor spotlight, Segue's own Pacifica leading the charge. For a time after, Silent Season couldn't drop an album without everyone wanting in on that action, making nabbing a physical copy something of a mad scramble. Not so much anymore, but don't worry, all ye' investors of the label's older catalogue: those CDs still command upwards of three-digits on the Discogs Marketplace.

It was with this framing some couldn't help but think Segue's third album with the label was something of an attempt at re-capturing that initial hype. Never mind that journey over the Coastal Mountains, Jordan is taking his muse back to the Pacific waters, to another of those charming little island one finds sprinkled about the Strait Of Georgia, tide waters nipping at its steep shores. There's trees, and blue skies, and gosh, doesn't The Island art remind you of Pacifica? None of that sepia-toned alpine cloud cover, nosiree.

I kid, as musically, Mr. Sauer's come quite a ways from those days. Melody's been creeping ever more noticeably and gracefully into his dub techno output, to such a point that it practically dominates over the deep under-belly of his tracks. Opener Sunrise Over Malaspina leads with more of those vintage Segue synths, dubbed out with plenty of tasteful reverb, soon joined by a soft rhythm and sprinkly arps. Shore Breeze keeps the mellow vibes going, sparse synths backed by melancholic pads and minimalist crunchy static. Mirage quickens the pace, but the beats remain soft and... is silty a way to describe a rhythm? Like stepping in the beach where the water's just receded, as the cosmic vista above you is revealed in quickly approaching twilight. Yeah, some music is just best described in simile.

As should be abundantly clear by now, The Island is more of that Segue stylee I'm sure everyone reading this already loves. It's maybe not quite as 'floaty' as Over The Mountains or 'functionalist' as Pacifica, but if you liked those albums, you'll like The Island. The only two cuts on here I found my own interest drifting on was Beacon Point and Midnight Dip, tracks that were more about dub techno sound design than anything my mammal brain could latch onto (the former too plodding for any repeat plays). The ship is nicely righted for the final two tunes in Galaxies (so spacious!) and Deep Current (so chill!).

Which leaves me in a conundrum regarding Segue's larger discography. I like what I hear from him, but getting hard-copies of it all isn't exactly easy anymore. Do I keep holding out for a chance deal, or just bite the bullet on his Bandcamp? Ooh, four of his albums, including Pacifica, that I don't have yet? Tempting...

Hollywood Burns - Invaders

Blood Music: 2018

Is synthwave dead? Haha, no, of course it isn't, what a silly thing to insinuate. No genre truly dies, and this one's too young to go into remission just yet. It does, however, feel like the hype behind it has tapered off, which isn't that surprising. The genre's been around for about a decade now, and had its peak of popularity in about half that time. Most of the scene leaders are now firmly established and entrenched, band-wagon jumpers and copy-cats having come and gone. That doesn't mean there isn't room for some new hotness to emerge and make a run for the top of the mountain, but such things seem fewer and further between. It's not enough to just slap some retro synths, Moroder rhythms, and Carpenter themes into your music anymore. A healthy scene needs evolution to remain vibrant, but how can it when the whole point of its existence is thematically singular?

Hollywood Burns may have found a way. If synthwave is all about celebrating the soundtracks to an '80s that never existed, why not extend that to other decades? Say, the '50s, when bombastic Biblical epic scores could rub shoulders with pulpy sci-fi sound experiments?

Opener Opener Titles doesn't shirk on letting you know what you're in for. The orchestra is in full swing, with a Theremin in support (or something emulating it). Don't worry though, folks, you didn't accidentally get something way off the beaten path. This is still a synthwave album from a French producer on Blood Music. Follow-up Black Saucers is full-on Perturbator stylee, is what I'm saying. Just, with more '70s retro synths and pulpy sci-fi sounds, is all, and a wonderful shot of fresh vitality in a genre that can sound all too samey the deeper you dig.

I guess I should mention that a couple of the tracks that appear on Invaders previously appeared on his debut EP First Contact. Given how strong tunes like the aforementioned Black Saucers and Came To Annihilate (vocoder!) are, it's plenty 'nuff to build a full concept album on. And what concept is that? Eh, running through a matinee of old movies being played in some grungy '80s back-alley theatre, I guess. Can't escape that synthwave aesthetic.

But it all sounds in service of laying out all manner of different orchestral swells and wailing synth noises while riding out aggro dark-synth rhythms. Bazaar Of The Damned gets in on some Arabic harmonies, and now you're in a wild chase in some desert adventure movie. Scherzo No. 5 In Death Minor has creepy poltergeist chasing you through foggy graveyards. Revenge Of The Black Saucers has U.F.O.s chasing you through L.A. skylines. Have I mentioned a lot of Invaders as a real 'outrun' feel to it?

So a solid, unique album in synthwave canon. I can't wait to hear what else Hollywood Burns has done! What do you mean he hasn't released anything since? Oh no, please don't be another 'one and done' artist!

Mick Chillage - Intervals Of Light

Fantasy Enhancing: 2018/2019

Of course Mick Chillage would have an album out on Fantasy Enhancing. It's more a question of how many albums he'll have on the label run by his Autumn Of Communion partner. He's up to two now, and that doesn't include the items made in tandem with Lee Norris or Árni Grétar (ooh, new Skau Atlantic, say wha...!). What I wonder, however, is exactly which of his projects gets consideration for which labels. Like, does he offer one stylistic album to Carpe Sonum Records, then something completely different for Databloem? Why has Neotantra landed three LPs, but Touched only two? Is all this rendered moot now that Mick's taken to self-releasing his own stuff, even setting up a label (Before & After Silence Recordings) to do so?

Of-course of course, what sets Fantasy Enhancing apart from all these other prints is the prestigious DVD-sized packaging their releases come with (box-sets, too). It makes you feel like you're getting something extra-special, the sort of item one proudly displays upon your shelves. Surely, then, an artist like Mick Chillage would want his best music on a product with the best packaging on the (CD) market. Seems appropriate.

Does that make Intervals Of Light the best Mick Chillage album? Heck if I know, I've only heard about eight of them, while Lord Discogs lists about another fifty in his catalogue. I may never hear them all! Of what I have heard, however, Intervals Of Light certainly sits among the top half.

This is almost an entirely pure ambient album, and at just five tracks long, you might expect another one of Mick's more indulgent works. Not this one though, the noodling melodies actually feeling like they're going places worth seeing, even on the twenty-one minute long titular track. This is the sort of ambient you'd likely have found on ultra-obscure mini-discs in the '90s, most likely made on an Italian print. It may not sound like much just playing in the background, but gosh, those lovely, gentle tones, they sure do seem to last forever, and wouldn't mind them carrying on for even longer, no sir.

Of the four other tracks, two breach sixteen minutes, the others eight. Time Zones makes good use of its runtime, going on a nice little journey of various ambient sounds, samples, and tones, the sort of weightlessness one might sense while about airports. Acuapor and Wavelength bring some some rhythmic energy to the floaty synth pad action, more so the latter, while final track To Journey Without You goes all upper-astral on your aural centres.

So in all, a tidy little collection of pleasant tracks, with melodies that, while don't leap out and coddle your cochlea, should send your headspace into soothing serenity. I like this one, is what I'm saying, and even sticks with me after it plays, more so than some of Mick's other albums. Better than Zen Diagrams? Sure. Better than Saudade, then? Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Sandoz - Intensely Radioactive

Touch: 1994

I really should have gotten this sooner. I adore Digital Lifeforms. I enjoy Chant To Jah. Why has it taken me this long to scope out all the Sandoz albums between? Are they ultra-rare or something? No more rare than anything else from Touch, which can be rather rare indeed. Not this one though, at least such that it hasn't reached ludicrous prices on the Discogs market yet. So why the long delay?

Uncertainty, mostly. The stylistic gap between those two Sandoz albums was wide, and Richard H. Kirk is a man of many muses, so who knew just how many different avenues he explored in the interim. Still, this Intensely Radioactive was released shortly after Digital Lifeforms, plus it retained The Designer's Republic artwork of whatever that body-horror abomination is. Odds were good we'd still be on that Afro-techno industrial dub tip.

Indeed, opener Beneath The City Streets practically picking up right where White Darkness left off. Eerie tones echoing of rusting monstrosities, mechanical beats cruising along a primitive rhythm, dubbed-out basslines reverberating off the deepest chambers, chants from the lands of Mali, and those distinct bleepy sounds that are a Sandoz staple (probably other Kirkian works too). In fact, it all sounds evolved from Digital Lifeforms, Richard far more confident in what this project is capable of. And while I still prefer the simplistic elegance of his earlier works, Beneath The City Streets does paint a richer canvas with similar elements.

Follow-up Inner Rhythms carries on, with another eerie opening that sounds right out of vintage Biosphere. The pace soon quickens though, and we're in for another tribal-techno work-out, all that wonderful industrial sonic grit dirtying the drums up in classic Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia fashion. Goodness though, does this track ever go on. The opener was over nine minutes, and this one hits the eleven minute mark, a little over-indulgent given the limited sounds on display. In fact, much of Intensely Radioactive feels longer than it needs to be, most tracks hovering around the nine-minute mark. There are occasions where my attention drifts, which didn't happen once on Digital Lifeforms. Quibbles, quibbles, always a quibble.

So Exoskeleton and Atro City Reaction get down to some Afro-boogie, Revolution and the titular cut are almost ridiculously brisk, and closer Luminous takes us out on the same vibe as opener Beneath The City Streets. Only, there's more of a benign feel now, as though we're finally acclimatized to this future-shock landscape, remnants of our humanity still lurking in the shadows, waiting to re-emerge after all has turned to rust.

Okay, I may be overstating things again, but what can I say? Sandoz' music ofttimes does weird things to my mindspace, transporting into a unique sonic realm few others manage. I'll never claim it's for everyone, but for the adventurous, there's little quite like what's heard on Intensely Radioactive. Including subsequent Sandoz albums, Mr. Kirk apparently going more jazzy. I, um, may skip on those for a while.

Various - In Trance We Trust 022: Menno de Jong

In Trance We Trust: 2018

Heck of a leap here, going from the earliest hard trance out of Germany, to the latest hard trance out of the Netherlands. Yet I can't help but regard the two a little similar. In their respective eras, both are quite niche, a sound primarily enjoyed by a select few in specialized scenes.

And you may think, how can that be true of In Trance We Trust? Isn't trance still the biggest gateway genre with guys like Armin van Buuren as popular as ever? His brand of barely-trance, sure, but that's not what we have here, Menno's style far too beefed up on steroid beats to be of any service for the masses. Why, all these breakdowns and builds actually lead to something, a propulsive explosion forward, none of that anti-drop business Dutch house is saturated with. This is 'second-room' music, the former domain of d'n'b at raves, now occupied by 140 BPM eurotrance because some folks just have energy to spare, and ain't no way the plodding bollocks played in main rooms will cut it.

Heck, Menno opens this edition of the label's mix CD series with psy trance! Well, as close to psy trance as we could ever expect. With its full-on bassline, spacey synth leads, and occasional wibbly fills, GMO's Forty-Two is honestly rather generic for prog-psy, but loads more interesting as an opener than nearly anything I've heard out of In Trance We Trust. That's followed by a Liquid Soul & Zyce rub on Paul Oakenfold's Full Moon Party that's rather goa-leaning itself. Yes, that Oakenfold, when he re-dabbled a bit in goa a decade ago. Goodness, are we in for a complete re-invention of the In Trance We Trust brand, bringing psy to the party in a bid to maintain underground cred? Heck, I see a Flowjob track among the label's recent singles!

Yeah, no, Menno's own Ananda bringing things back to the usual sounds we're familiar with. Actually, this tune reminds me more of older In Trance We Trust, with a solid, strident hook and all, but even that bit of nostalgia bait (plus another updated remix of Beautiful Things) quickly succumbs to the 'steroid trance'. As I've said before, I don't mind this stuff too much, so long as the breakdowns don't last long, and the mastering gives some room for the synths to breathe. There's a few tracks in here that are hilariously bricked though (dear Lord, does Amir Hussain's Mana ever sound buried under the over-driven beats), and I can't help but start checking my watch the tracklist as the set carries on. Spoiled by the tease of psy at the beginning, I guess.

So In Trance We Trust 022, despite the slight hint/tease of evolution at the start, is mostly more of the same from Menno's relaunch of the label. I like it better than where its been, but still feel it's only three-fourths of all that it could be. Needs to rid itself of tired eurotrance tropes, methinks.

Hearts Of Space - Hearts Of Space

Fax +49-69/450464/Ambient World: 1993/2008

Even among the numerous Namlook collaborations, his pairing with Pascal F.E.O.S. goes way back. To the start of Fax+. To a time before Fax+ ever existed! True, it was only a couple of one-off tunes released for ZYX Music, but they're there, listed within Lord Discogs' tomes. Not that the Resistance D. member was the only such techno dude Pete was working with in those pre-Fax+ days. There was also Christian Thier (Deltraxx, Sequential), Uwe Schmidt (Jet Chamber, Subsequence), and Maik Maurice (4Voice), all lending talents to records on Harthouse, Pod Communication, and Trigger (?). Not to mention Mr. Kuhlman's time in a jazz-rock band called Romantic Warrior throughout the '80s.

The Fax+ years is where most figure Namlook's star truly started shining though, and Hearts Of Space truly was among the first 'big' collaborations that got folks looking in. And 4Voice, I guess. Look, when you get to work with both members of Resistance D., the folks of Techno Town are gonna' notice. Hearts Of Space though, that got my attention for two reasons. One, the clear nod of recognition towards seminal '80s ambient and New Age label of the same name. Two, the track Drawn appearing on the personally influential VHS tape 3Lux3. Such space ambient, very CGI, so wow.

Drawn is a pure Namlookian slice of ambience though, hardly indicative of the Hearts Of Space stylee. This being a techno-trance outing from early '90s Frankfurt, you bet your bottom Deutsche mark the BPMs are blistering fast, the synth pads are outer-orbit, and the acid loops are never-ending. A track like All About Sensuality may be downright shocking to those not familiar with these earliest Fax+ offerings, proto-gabber beats and Cosmic Love claps aplenty. Why wasn't the whole album just Sensualitys and Drawns?

That's because those were ambient B-sides to Drawn To The Thrill and All About Sensuality. While I don't doubt Namlook was quite fond of this style of music, it's clear they weren't the initial selling points, figuring the techno A-sides would get his fledgling label attention in clubland. Still, it's funny that while a vintage trancer like With A Medium Into Trance can't help but sound dated nearly three decades on, the simple synthy beauty of Drawn remains timeless.

If it seems like I'm not getting too deep into Hearts Of Space, it's because there isn't that much to detail. Like many early Fax+ albums, it was more a consolidation of singles, and if you aren't into the Frankfurt style of early trance, this probably won't change your mind. The ambient pieces are nice, though you can find them on many other collections of Namlook ambient. I'm not even sure if Pascal F.E.O.S. fans would deem this essential, his later techno explorations far removed from this era. Still, Hearts Of Space remains a nifty time capsule of a label finding its footing, hinting at the sort of collaborative star-power that would soon propel it into one of the '90s most intriguing ambient techno prints.

Haddaway - Haddaway

Arista: 1993

A reconciliation? After a fashion. I ragged on Haddaway's debut album before, though it was based on hazy recollections of it, only a few stand-out tracks surviving into my lasting music collection. As the years wore on, a part of me started wondering, was it really so bad? What Is Love?, Life (Everybody Needs Somebody To Love), and Rock My Heart remain solid jams, so surely there's a couple forgotten gems I was too stubborn to appreciate at the time. Like, that Mission Control Mix of Life that closed the album out, that was a dope tune. Maybe not a sterling example of anthemic prog-house, but definitely something that wouldn't sound out of place rubbing shoulders with a Rollo track (not to mention an “'Any crew?' 'Negative'” sliding nicely in with the rest of the radio chatter).

So into a bulk bundle of eurodance Haddaway went, and yeah, there's a few tunes on here I'd forgotten about that I don't mind hearing again. Shout is the closest thing on par with the aforementioned club hits, with our leading man belting out the title with just as much enthusiasm as the other titles. Only thing holding this peppy tune back is the questionable bassline, a tad over-aggressive for the What Is Love? guy. Sing About Love is a surprising bit of variety, Haddaway getting his rap on over a darn smooth beat and chill pad leads. And, um... ah... hmm.

I really don't want to call the remaining seven tracks 'filler', because they are well produced for eurodance of the time. Some housier jams (Yeah, Come Back), some down-time ballads (I Miss You, Mama's House, Tell Me Where It Hurts) and a cover or two (Stir It Up) are fine for padding an album out, but do little in elevating Haddaway's profile. He's a competent singer, but compared to how much personality he exhibits in the big hits, the rest lack in memorable moments.

That in of itself isn't a complete deal-breaker though, if the tracks are paced out well, but the North American version of Haddaway's self-title doesn't do him any favours. Two lead singles at the jump, then little of note until track eight. Not even the Rapino Brothers Mix of What Is Love? mid-album (aka: the version suitable for New York City clubs) is enough to maintain interest. Plus, even with the rest of the uptempo tunes where Haddaway shines all bundled in the back-half, they are broken up by ballads. The European version (titled The Album, and featured on Spotify) paced things out far better.

Why did Arista arrange the songs like this? Did the label think Americans couldn't handle so much eurodance all at once? Sillies, folks are getting this album because of one of the genre's all-time biggest hits. Give 'em more right at the jump! No wonder I had such wack memories of Haddaway's debut, a big ol' stretch of nothing smack in the middle. Still, t'was nice reconnecting with a couple forgotten tunes.

ACE TRACKS: May 2021

Well, Spotify sure got an overhaul, didn't it? Yeah, the app's continuously done things to create algorithmic-approved playlists and recommendations, but I seldom pay attention to it, sticking to my own interests and leaving it at that. This last update though, a total face-lift happened, such that you now see album art in all your playlists. Gosh, that sure is spiffy. And hey, you can actually search for songs within the playlist app. That sure saves time from using the search featuring, finding the track, then adding it to playlist. Dang it though, can't find Local Files again. Ah well, that always happens with major updates.

I'm sure some are wondering how I can continue to support a company like Spotify when it notoriously pays below a pittance to most of the artists on the app. True, but here's the deal, fam': almost all the music I build playlists with there, I've already bought and paid for elsewhere. Sometimes directly from an artist or label on Bandcamp, other times through a retailer (usually online now), and occasional times second-hand. One way or another, the artist has gotten some financial reparation before I ever add them to a Spotify playlist. Whatever percentage of a penny they get from me playing their music on the app is just added cream. Dribblets, sure, but even that can eventually add up to one of those tiny little cups.

I'm by no means suggesting they shouldn't keep fighting for better payouts from Spotify, because they absolutely should (and bitch out the greedy labels getting their fingers in before they do while they're at it). It just boggles my mind that I've encountered a few artists who still discourage me from using the app when they'd get extra money from me when I do use it. Like, they sure ain't getting payouts every time I play a CD after I buy it (though I'm sure labels would have tried if it were possible). There's being principled, and then there's being stubborn.

Anyhow, here's the ACE TRACKS from this past month of May:


Full track list here.


MISSING ALBUMS:
Various - fabric 43: Metro Area
Hypertrophy - Eternal Flames
Mick Chillage - Epinaz

Percentage Of Hip-Hop: 10%
Percentage Of Rock: 23%
Most “WTF?” Track: Nothing much this month. The Viking metal, you say? Still, you say? Oh c'mon, we should be used to it by now.

A reasonably well-rounded selection of tunes this time out. Some old, some new, some old-sounding new. Some popular, some obscure, and even a dash of cheddar too. Even the alphabetical arrangement flows well. Ooh, that's another new feature I found, instant sorting! Mind, it doesn't sort specifically to how I like, but it sure beats dragging every single track into place.