Thanasis Zlatanos
A Retrospective

The Alias Sessions by MurcofMurcof, the primary project of producer Fernando Corona, returns to The Leaf Label for the first time in thirteen years with a mammoth and visionary double album, The Alias Sessions. This collection brings together all the elements incorporated into the project to date - meticulous sound design, ghostly samples, forceful beats, diaphanous atmosphere - but pushes the sound even further in terms of both abstraction and beauty. This is electronic music of exquisite tension and ecstatic release, moving from barely audible details to explosive peaks, much of it delivered by earth-moving bass.Murcof first emerged during an exciting period of electronic music, operating at its cutting edge. Debut album Martes appeared on Leaf in 2002, when alternative possibilities enabled by advancing technology were just starting to come into focus. By combining stark beats - minimal techno, microhouse and glitch were all entering their heyday - with carefully layered sampling drawn in part from modern classical music, Martes was compelling in its moment but also looked to the future. It refused classification, even as its parts had clear antecedents. It grooved, but wasn’t quite dance music; it experimented with tonality, but each track was memorable. And it sounded like no-one else.

Following their first album in 2016, The Pilotwings are back – having gone from two to three members - with the LP « Les Charismatiques » on the infamous Brothers From Different Mothers label.As witty and sparkling as ever, the trio’s given birth to a 2020 millesime that dares to oscillate from synth-pop to digit dub, psych-rock and new-age ; combining acoustic sounds with traditional music, all tainted with an 80s summer-hit influence…As whacky as it may sound at first listen through its melting-pot of personal anecdotes and dated corporate speeches, the album does succeed in avoiding the totally-offbeat ; by adjusting sensibilities and altering the way one listens to music these days, these tracks transcend and fly. Guided by anti-conformist synth-sounds, « Les Charismatiques » embarks on the path towards the gilded light of remission and spiritual rebirth !New collaborations have also emerged on this album from long-lasting friendships but also impromptu meetings, with HAJJ firstly, the Dawn Records’ boss who needs no introduction, but also with their Lyon friend Amélie Arcuri alias Bigoudi, half of Schmilblick ; or more surprising, with the cult underground figure of Robert Lapassenkoff, crooner and singer from the 80s band of the same name who’s been recently re-issued on vinyle before joining the Pilotwings on tour.5 years later the Pilotwings are back on BFDM with an album that seems ripe for tasting, like a fine wine with a mouthful of flavors.

JUZER by Beau Wanzer and Dan Jugel finds new stomping grounds at RUBBER with a four track release including a fresh remix by Unit Moebius Anonymous. Wanzer and Jugel, two pillars of the Chicago underground are known for their distorted jacked techno which is heavily rooted in the Chicago tradition. Together with Beau Wanzer we have selected three archival tracks made prior to Jugel's passing in 2018. The result is a grinding ensemble of raw techno jams that tips its hat to the different electronic flavors of Chicago and The Hague.

3 remixes and 1 new track here.Davy Kehoe, from Dublin’s Wah Wah Wino delivers 2 remixes of Triangle Days, a highlight from Gilb’R’s LP On danse comme des fous. While the instrumental remix drives us into a melancholic vibe, where Davy uses harmonica in a subtle way as he did for his latest live show, the vocal mix is an unusual approach to remixing. Davy decided to add his own vocals on top of his mix, and arranged it in a different way. The result is that the track is brought into a total pop territory.Ruutu Poiss, an Amsterdam based Estonian producer has deconstructed Super Spreader, to rebuild it into a complex yet driving form of club music.And last but not least, Gilb’R offers L’inconscient rebel, an unreleased jam recorded live during the Triangle studio days in Amsterdam. Some latin electronics? Digital guaguancó? Definitly a weird groover.

For its sixth release, Anetha invited outstanding DJ and producer Ryan James Ford on MTY-005 'Rules are meant to be broken', a 5 rule-breaking tracks EP. But for now, the question remains: who will dare?

For the very first time, ITDR spaceship travels back in time to unearth 4 tracks from 'Genuine' (aka Chris Zippel) finest productions originally released on Ninetysix sounds in 1997. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of this project, 'Nu Ambient Grooves' is the ultimate mindtrip experience for downtempo, IDM and TB-303 lovers.