Ruins
Marea / Tide

Caracol by João de Bruço / R.H. Jackson

In the early-to-mid 1970s, Belgian recording engineer and synthesist Daniel Lacksman née Lanckmans recorded and released a series of pop music records, using early analog synthesizers as a central sonic element. Under an admittedly confusing array of names, Lacksman (who later founded the group Telex) created music that was equal parts innovation and ear-candy accessibility. Those often happy-go-lucky records gained some popularity throughout Europe, but their lasting influence can be heard in the music of Portishead, Massive Attack, The Moog Cookbook, and Air, not to mention among the lengthy list of 21st century artists who have sampled these recordings. And a casual survey online quickly reveals that these records are among the most collectible of their kind, with original copies commanding hundreds of dollars. Among those albums, the one Lacksman recorded in 1973 under the pseudonym Electronic System featured the first full flowering of his synthesizer mastery. His hit recording 'Coconut' had enabled him to buy a modular synthesizer, which offered a vastly expanded sonic palette'if you had the patience to re-wire for each sound you wanted to achieve. Which was the perfect set-up for a studio engineer like Lacksman'the result is an album full of sonic surprises, with each track presenting multiple, unique synthesizer tones and attacks, even on such nakedly commercial moves as his cover of Ritchie Valens' 'La Bamba.' An analog synth tour de force! Our Real Gone Music reissue has been mastered for CD and LP from the original tapes by Lacksman himself, and feature liner notes by Bill Kopp that include exclusive quotes from Lacksman and photos from his private archive.

Razor-N-Tape co-founder JKriv delivers a trio of all-original cuts on his Something Else EP, bringing together a cast of featured hometown Brooklyn talent to center dynamic songwriting with club-ready vibes. On the A1 title track, a playful funk-laden bassline lays the foundation for an explosive hook and soaring vocal performance from Brandon Markell Holmes. Dynamic live instrumentation take center stage in the soulful Try Again, which builds to an anthemic peak as guests Nic Hanson and Phenomenal Handclap Band intone the song’s hopeful message. On the flip, the laid-back boogie groover Shoulda Been Me slow-burns with heavy bass, percussive rhythms, and serene synth-work to support the layered vocal textures by Toribio (of Conclave). Detroit legend Alton Miller takes the tune in a classic soulful deep house direction, with a bouncing rhodes pattern revolving over solid drums, and showcasing Toribio’s vocal prowess in a new light.

SONIC002, consists of four tracks that confirm and continue the concept of the label. In the first three tracks the search for "club" sounds focuses on innovative and futuristic sounds. The fourth track, "Timeless", changes the rules with an experimental 100 bpm imprint; it represents a timeless journey where sounds seem to create "parallel dimensions". Vinyl Only.

Figurant sur le second various de Kump, Maahrt signe ici son retour parmi nous. Ce septième disque est une pièce aux deux faces traversées d'un même trouble. Quand « Gault » martèle des réminiscences big beat contre l'austérité d'une trame industrielle, « Clag » vibre de breaks habités d'échos et de voix. L'un frappe, l'autre fuit, tous deux se déploient en artefacts mitoyens et pourtant si singuliers. Il faut bien attendre le dernier titre « Noma » pour tenter un pont dans le lieu mince laissé par ces deux masses noires. Ce pont, A Strange Wedding l'imagine en plan-séquence cyberpunk aérien tandis qu'Odopt le sculpte en angles bruts. Osez pénétrer dans ce labyrinthe plus grand qu'il n'y paraît, il se pourrait que vous souhaitiez y rester davantage que ce que vous croyez.Featured on the second various out on Kump, Maahrt is back among us. This seventh record is a two-faced coin pierced by a single disturbance. When « Gault » pummels big beat remains against an industrial frame, « Clag » vibrates from breaks resonating of voices and echoes. One hits, the other flees, both extend in twin yet singular artifacts. The track « Noma » comes at last as an attempt to bind both sides in this narrow place in between two dark spaces. A Strange Wedding re-imagines this bridge as an aerial cyberpunk movie sequence whereas Odopt sharpens its angles. Dare to penetrate this labyrinth bigger than it seems, you might wish to stay there longer than you think.