Favorite Releases from April 2022
„For one empire to rise, another must fall.
For us to reach the highs, through dark holes we must crawl.
For the vision in the deep, we need,
we sacrifice and bleed, to make the leap.”
- Anna, The Allegorist
The breath of Spring brings sunshine, warmth, rain showers, fresh flowers, and a wealth of musical talent blooming with new releases, albums, and remixes.
JakoJako
Affekt
Bigamo Musik
Following releases on Leisure System, Muzan Editions, and a contribution to Tresor's 30-year compilation, Berlin-based artist and Berghain resident JakoJako released her debut album "Metamorphose" through Frank Wiedemann's Bigamo Musik.
"Metamorphose "is one of those albums that can easily quiet a bustling room in an instant, regardless if you're a connoisseur of this kind of music or not. It's a compelling and highly absorbing collection of tracks, a surprisingly immersive experience designed for nocturnal listening (and beyond) that is difficult to not lose yourself within. Still, the nine tracks on display feel almost like a paradox: they are fundamentally propulsive, yet they seem to decelerate time and space, they generate tension yet offer a weirdly soothing effect, they feel high-brow and imply endless intellectual stimuli, yet they are deeply felt and simply want to provide simple truths about ourselves," the label explains.
His Master's Voice
Lion
Delsin Records
Master's Voice makes his second appearance on Delsin. In late 2019 the low-profile German producer released his first EP on the label, backed with a remix by Vril — who's taken care of the mastering on this EP again. 'Carry On In My Name' contains four original works of engaging electronics.
It's a fresh combination of dusty breakbeat and stuttering rhythms boosted by rough yet emotive melodies. A very well-balanced package melting together all sides of electro, drum & bass, and glitchy atmospheres.
Marvin Boettcher
Lagrange
04177 Records
Leipzig-based imprint 04177 Records welcomes back a good friend Marvin Boettcher for a gorgeous lo-fi house EP, "Droptop Rain Drive." Across five tracks, the sound palette encompasses multifaceted shades of dusty, pastoral kosmische and lo-fi-infused house. We had the pleasure of premiering the track "Lagrange" from the EP. Read a full article here
Axel Boman
BHUKA feat. Kamohelo
Studio Barnhus
Nearly a decade after the release of his breakthrough debut album "Family Vacation," Axel Boman returns with tremendous force: Two albums, titled "LUZ" and "Quest for Fire," dropped simultaneously on April 15th, 2022. The two albums contain nine songs each and feature guests like Off The Meds frontman Kamohelo, Baba Stiltz, Bella Boo, Man Tear, Miljon, and saxophonist Kristian Harborg. The albums are separate but corresponding works, communicating through music, design, and words. With longtime collaborators Robin Ekemark (design) and Erik Lavesson (words and art direction), Axel has spearheaded a project with plenty of layers available to those who dig deep.
Frantzvaag
After
Fuck Reality
Norwegian producer Mats Frantzvaag presents his debut album via Smallville Record label offshoot Fuck Reality. Through nine tracks, "Solo Super" showcases the overall vintage vibe led through deep exploitation of refined deep house rhythms, blossoming patterns of lush lo-fi electronics, elegant melodies, and vocal samples. The new album follows Frantzvaag's two EPs from 2016 and 2018 subsequently.
Saturated in melancholy, the third track, "After" sparks intricate harmonies and intricate arrangements that melt beautifully into a dreamy deep house landscape.
Calibre
Rare Groove
The Nothing Special
Irish artist Dominick Martin, better known as Calibre, returns to Craig Richards' The Nothing Special label with a brand new LP, "Double Bend." Drawing on a multitude of gender explorations, the prolific producer injects his signature sound of drum'n'bass into a fusion of techno, breakbeat, and leftfield house. The nine-track album is pressed on three vinyls and features the artwork by Craig Richards.
A beautifully atmospheric, "Rare Groove" is hinged around a liquid groove built on warm bass, hypnotic breaks, and elegant melodies.
Rave Child
It Never Was
Kokölò
The Portuguese producer Rave Child inaugurates his new imprint Kokölò with a gorgeous EP, "The Birth."
"Kokolo can mean many things, depending on who hears this seemingly odd word. It can be a bird's song, a children's made-up word, a game, a place... But for us, it means moving forward! And this sentence clearly describes the ethos of the label that has just been brought to life in early 2022 in Portugal. Its purpose is to not focus on a single genre of electronic music but to convey a specific mood... or a state of freedom," described in the press release.
We premiered a deliciously euphoric track, "It Never Was," from the record. Read an entire article by Elena Lisovin here
Ben Kaczor
Lights
KCZ
Spring brings the release of a new long-player from Swiss artist Ben Kaczor. Released through his imprint KCZ, the "Sun Chapter One" LP shows a cohesive collection of six-track tracks that flow freely between an intricate house and dusty dub techno with a warm, hypnotic feel.
The opening track "Lights" has been premiered at Delayed. Read the entire article by Sabrout here
Tom Vernon
Could This Be
Lost Palms
Swansea-based rising producer Tom Vernon returns to Shall Not Fade sub-label Lost Palms with his second solo EP, "Minoby. "Throughout its five tracks, Tom Vernon paints dazzling images of Japan's rural landscapes and urban surroundings. Here is what the label intends to say about this release:
"Following the success of his debut EP released on Shall Not Fade's sub-label Lost Palms, Tom Vernon returns with a blissed-out 5-tracker. Taking its name from the ancient temple district at the foot of the Japanese mountain, Minobu EP sees the emerging producer fuse field recordings with the stylistic tropes of house and broken beat, creating intricately woven tapestries imbued with memory and place."
The closing track, "Could This Be," brings a levitating lo-fi vibe embellished by silky vocals and groovy deep house rhythm.
Plastikman & Chilly Gonzales
Locomotion (In Key)
Turbo Recordings
Nothing less than magnificent couldn’t happen when two worlds like these collide. Turbo Recordings presents its grandest achievement yet, a reimagining of Plastikman’s 1998 magnum opus ‘Consumed’, Transformed as a new collaborative composition between original artist Richie Hawtin and sad musical genius Chilly Gonzales… This is the story of an album three decades in the making, brought into the world by Executive Producer & co-visionary Tiga.
‘Consumed in Key’ is born of the obsessive love of a timeless work of art, an obsessive fascination untempered by fearful reverence. It is the result of a 30-year cycle of musical evolution and inspiration, a touch of Canadian kismet (all three are from Canada) and artists finding common ground where others would see none.