Rare and unreleased cuts from the early Lowtec vaults.

Written and produced by Jens Kuhn aka Lowtec
Published by Copyright Control
© 2021 Avenue 66
Mastered By Stefan Betke @ Scape
Manufactured By Optimal
Distributed By Word and Sound
Sales@wordandsound.net
Design atact.uk

Lowtec - Easy To Heal Cuts preview

Ten years ago, Acid Test began with a simple concept—each track the label released would make use of the Roland TB-303. Like a producer purposefully paring down their studio setup, or the continuous imperative within underground electronic music to reduce, this concept engendered creativity with the introduction of what seemed to be an aesthetic limit. However, the decade that followed, which now culminates in the triple-LP compilation Ten Years Of Acid Test, proves acid is limitless.

That the Berlin-via-LA label would expand upon the classical conception of acid house and techno is no surprise considering the cast of characters that have come in fold over the past decade. Ten Years Of Acid Test gathers key material from the label's extended family of acid acolytes. There's that Vienna-via-LA maestro of sad, elegant acid Tin Man (Johannes Auvinen), whose "Afters Acid" is both a highlight within his prolific catalogue and a distillation of his symphonic approach to the 303. Detroit giants Erika and Marcellus Pittman, both of whom have released remixes on Acid Test, present their respective and singular Bass Line visions. Erika, the Interdimensional Transmissions lynchpin, crafts a dark, delicate take on broken techno on "Violet Fungus" while Pittman continues his cubist house explorations on "Unknown Species," both tracks straying from typical acid lines in favor of the intricate textures achievable on the 303.

This variation in approach applies to tempo as well. Irish-based master Lerosa, as well as Delsin affiliate VC-118A, delve into downtempo atmospherics. Meanwhile, Japanese deep techno virtuoso Wata Igarashi, SUED co-founder SW. (a regular on Acid Test's leftfield sub-label Avenue 66) and Patricia (one-half of Acid Test act Ociya) use acid as a creative jumping-off point for complex melodic concepts. Wata layers an orchestra of synth-bliss drone overtop a squelchy bassline on "Ephemeral." SW.'s "ChaIAnJAzzz" cycles through an array of dusted chords eventually landing in skewed, fuzzy rave nostalgia, anthemic chords held aloft by a wicked UK-flavour bass line. Patricia's “Higher Still” explores dreamy, IDM-flavoured acid, cinematic synthlines counterbalanced by propulsive, squelching acid.

Acid Test devotees will be thrilled at the return of various luminaries from the catalogue, including Achterbahn D'Amour, Skudge, AAAA, John Tejada and Donato Dozzy, whose memorable remix of Tin Man's "Nonneo" from Acid Test 01 served as a kind of proof of concept for the label. There's new blood too. San Francisco up-and-comer Sepehr makes his label debut with the excellent "Persian Acid Prince," as does Andreas Tilliander's beloved hardware techno project, TM404.

Like the original Hot Mix 5 Acid compilation, which highlighted the original cohort of Chicago acid innovators including Pierre, Fingers and Armando, Ten Years Of Acid Test is a valuable portrait of a group of artists linked by a dedication to innovation within acid, in line with the genre's storied roots. Over ten years, Acid Test has gracefully made a case for the 303's past, present and future, the story of acid continuing to unfurl in unpredictable, addictive patterns.

Published by Copyright Control
© 2021 Acid Test
Mastering by Stefan Betke @ Scape
Manufactured by RAND
Distributed by Word and Sound
Design by Floating Bastard

10 Years Of Acid Test 3LP Preview

Accompanying the cassette album of Lerosa’s fourth full-length, Catena, this heavyweight 12” features two originals from the album and two remixes from familiar faces: childhood friend Donato Dozzy and long-time fellow traveller Jordan GCZ (of Juju & Jordash). Album closer ‘Suite De Paris’ places pitch-bent liquid acid over a huge skanking bassline, the perfect material for Dozzy to make hay with his simmering techno take. Meanwhile, album opener ‘Apollo’ churns with industrial fervour, before Jordan GCZ reduces it down to its acid techno essence, leaving little space for us to catch our breath.

Lerosa - Catena Remixes (snips)

Lerosa’s fourth full-length, Catena, is also his second for Berlin-via-LA label Acid Test. It sees the Dublin-based producer once again draw deeply on his diverse influences – dub, industrial, electro, trance, funk, IDM – and transform them into a sound signature that has always been uniquely his own.

This alchemy is no accident. Rather it is driven by Lerosa’s ongoing pursuit of the fundamental meaning of dance music: to immerse ourselves in sound to the point where our only desire is to move and feel in the moment. Hence how, on Catena, the slow and sensual sway of a cavernous bit of dub can sit side-by-side with hands-up trance-like ecstasy, and all still sound like Lerosa.

This achievement is the result of a dedicated daily studio practice. Each track starts from a dynamic studio jam in which Lerosa plays drum machines and synthesisers live and then overdubs them with further modulated layers. He uses looping techniques to build up the density of certain instruments while mixing the layers on-the-fly, using something as unassuming as an iPad. This imbues each track with a spontaneous shifting quality that defines the entire album.

What comes through is a sound that speaks of Lerosa’s love for the studio, for the tangible substance of an audio frequency – analogue and digital, raw and processed, pure and saturated – and the intangible, indeed bewitching mystery of how these frequencies can transport us to other places.

Lerosa - Catena (Snips)

B2. Nature Thinks For You

B1. Easy To Heal Cuts

A3. Red Sparrow

A2. Going Nowhere

A1. Flatdog

D3 - Wata Igarashi - Ephemeral

B2 - TM404 - Rysa

B1 - Erika - Violet Fungus

A3 - VC - 118A - Silver

A2 - Tin Man - Afters Acid

A1 - Lerosa - Uneasy

B2 Suite De Paris

B1 Suite De Paris - Donato Dozzy Remix

A2 Apollo

A1 Apollo - Jordan GCZ Remix

5 Propwash

4 The Woods

3 Mentat

2 Tank

1 Apollo

Circuit 8 from the forthcoming album Circuits on Avenue 66.

Over the past decade, the mysterious, London-based artist Moiré has perfected a syrupy, addictive brand of dance music via labels like Actress's Werk Discs and illustrious imprints like Ghostly and Rush Hour. For most of this period, Moiré seemed pramarily concerned in creating alternative universe club tracks. The beats were hypnotic, if wonky. The pads were deep before they were refracted through an oblique filter. In a discography bearing a surfeit of leftfield high points, Circuits, Moiré's latest album for the Berlin-based Avenue 66 (Lowtec, John Frusciante, Joey Anderson) is a massive creative leap that fully breaks with the strictures of a "conventional" dance music.

While there are still nods to the low-slung, slow house style Moiré's perfected in the past ("Circuit 1"), as well as the looming shadow of hardcore ("Circuit 8), Moiré's style now billows into a liminal, cinematic zone that recalls the canonical SAW albums, BOC or even Seefeel's enduring, genre-free experiments. Rhythms come and go at all tempos, from Hauntological four-on-the-floor to flickering downtempo and ambient house approximations. But the emphasis lies with the melodies. From the queasy orchestral style of "Circuits 1" to the glacial, "end credits"-style synths that close out the album, these motifs bear an uncanny familiarity, as though they always existed. You recognize them, not from a previous listen, but rather, some half-remembered dream, or, perhaps, a previous lifetime.

A1 Circuit 1
A2 Circuit 2
A3 Circuit 15
A4 Circuit 16
B1 Circuit 4
B2 Circuit 8
B3 Circuit 7
B4 Circuit 17 

Out on September 2nd 2022

https://acidtestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/circuits

Moiré - Circuit 8

After appearing on Acid Test’s 10 Year Anniversary compilation Patricia, aka Max Ravitz, debuts an EP on the label with Less Than 7, a collection of tracks that sits squarely in the club-focused end of the label’s output. Ravitz grew up in Chicago and has family roots in Detroit; these cities cultivated his affinity for mid-western dance music, with early Trax Records being a standout favorite. Years later, while living in New York, collaborator Alexis Georgopoulos introduced Ravitz to Tin Man’s Neo Neo Acid LP (released on Acid Test in 2012). This album struck a particular chord, impacting his creative vision for the Patricia project and setting him on the path towards a fruitful collaboration with Tin Man as Ociya (also released on Acid Test). 

After 2021's IDM-leaning Blue Ridge LP, the Less Than 7 EP marks Patricia's return to the dance floor. Here, Ravitz explores four dimensions of acid music, each track deploying that classic squelch to differing effect. Both tracks on the A side pack a gut punch. The almost industrial beat on ‘At A. Gallop’ stomps along under moody pads and dripping acid lines until, midway, new harmonies reveal fresh vistas. ‘Head Gap Width’ is the EP’s most direct statement, a bolt of dubby techno energy with gurgling acid bass and rhythmic Detroit stabs. The B side then shifts things to a more emotive plane. ‘Winding To The Side’ uses its 9 minutes to fully explore the harmonic interplay between its buoyant braindance acid lines, which are engineered to suspend the late morning dance floor in time. ‘Coffee Computer’ closes things out, with its detuned pads, walking acid bassline and child-like piano lending it a wistful air that falls between house and IDM. 

Less Than 7 was recorded at Ravitz’s home studio in Asheville, NC, and mastered by close friend Josh Bonati.

https://patriciaaa.bandcamp.com/album/less-than-7

A2 Head Gap Width

A1 At A. Gallop

Moiré's rain-streaked and masterful Circuits album dropped this past September. RA's Andrew Ryce stated the eight-track album cast the shadowy producer into "a rarefied air occupied by the only the finest and most influential of ambient techno artists."

Now, in short order, the label returns with a remix EP charting out multiple hubs of oblique dance floor innovation. If there's a sonic motif on the A-side, it's vastly reactive interpretations of the "factory floor" element that inspired techno's pioneers. Matthew Herbert, a pioneering force in his own right, mixes steam engine percussion with the dreamy atmospherics of "Circuit 15" and comes up with eight minutes of cerebral machine funk. Tolouse Low Trax, meanwhile, continues his masterclass in modern motorik on his remix of "Circuit 7," integrating a chiming piano into a fascinating, perfectly-timed 110 BPM rhythm.

The B-side, meanwhile, doubles down on the oneiric nature of the original material. Workshop head and Avenue 66 alumnus Lowtec builds allows "Circuit 04"'s synths to billow into Gas-like immersive layering, sheets of melody are anchored by a restrained beat for an ambient techno track that doesn't tip the scales too far in one direction or the other. Rather, it achieves a perfect balance. Dial mainstay Lawrence closes things out with his version of "Circuit 18," which also concludes the original album. While the original has a wistful, Deckard's dream quality, Lawrence's version is deeply-rooted in the late-night German style; a low-slung bassline will keep dancers deeply rooted while those wistful chords sweep in like the violet before dawn.

Preorder: https://acidtestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/circuits-remixes

4 - Moiré - Lawrence Remix

Johannes Auvinen (Tin Man) and Max Ravitz (Patricia), two devotees in the cult of the TB-303, return to Acid Test with the Celestial Body Music series, a follow up to their 2020 LP Powers Of Ten.

Recorded in Ravitz’s studio in Asheville, NC, Celestial Body Music once again showcases the pair’s penchant for raw yet emotive dance music. With Auvinen’s signature TB-303 programming and Ravitz’s typical melancholic flair, the duo’s styles merge seamlessly over the course of 8 tracks that harken back to the heyday of American techno and house. Following on from Powers of Ten, the pair continue to fix their eyes firmly on the stars, as Celestial Body Music’s song titles conjure visions of listening to Dance Mania 12”s on the ISS. With a tonal palette that features the well-trodden sounds of classic analog hardware like the TR-808, TR-909, TB-303, and SH-101, Ociya demonstrate their ability to breathe new life into these old instruments through thoughtful programming, arrangement, and mixing. This is made all the more significant when considering every song was recorded live to 2-track with no editing over the course of a few days. Sweet and savory both, the new material strikes a perfect balance between emotive sensibility and dance floor appeal.

Preorder - https://acidtestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/celestial-body-music

Ociya 2 Red Shift

Ociya 1 Helium Flash

Acid Test 09 marks the first true collaboration from Tin Man and Donato Dozzy. After spending studio time together in Rome the two have completed a beautifully deep EP of music. Tin Man's emotional acid lines become shooting stars in Dozzy's hypnotic atmosphere.  Limited hand painted sleeves. Mastered by Rashad at Dubplates & Mastering.

B2 - Donato Dozzy & Tin Man - Test 3

B1 - Donato Dozzy & Tin Man - Test 2

A1 - Donato Dozzy & Tin Man - Test 7

Donato Dozzy - In Bed from Acid Test v.3 (ASD017)

Donato Dozzy - In Bed - clip

https://acidtestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-afterworld

Om Unit and TM404 have both been researching production and compositional elements in the crosshairs of dub and acid for the last few years - Om Unit most notably with his Acid Dub Studies 1 & 2, and TM404 with his Acidub album in particular.

Om Unit has been a longtime fan of TM404’s use of the TB-303 and the deconstructed space he brings to the house and techno template. Meanwhile Om Unit’s own leaning towards breaks and reggae instrumentation has offered a different approach to the acid sound they both love so much. So an LP with Acid Test seemed the perfect opportunity to combine those approaches and see what kind of mutations could be discovered. The result is a primordial soup that is in parts acid, dub, breaks and ambient, full of spaced-out synths and psychedelic bass, where the pair enjoyed building tracks with a feel for where the music wanted to go, irrespective of stylistic constraints.

Rolling opener Motorway Acid sets the pace high and strong, conjuring both wide open spaces and fast-paced travel at the same time, with weightless pads, stroboscopic breaks and a mighty 303 riff that can teleport you to the middle of a foggy dancefloor. Microdose Mondays on the other hand, slows the tempo down and veers into cosmic territory, with perfectly dubbed drum rolls and burbling squelch. But it’s London Stock that kicks the album into hyperspace, finding its futuristic steppers groove somewhere in the answer to the hypothetical question ‘what if Shaka had produced Stingray?’

Speaking of underwater electronics, Meanwhile In The Smoking Area delves deep into submarine territory, delivering the kind of bass weight and sonar acid signals you’d need a diver’s suit for. It’s a vibe that’s continued on the tracks Thursday and Refracted, and speaks to the record's title - otherworldly, dreamy bass meditations that aren’t of this realm. The album closes out with Praha, a pacey yet ambient vista of warm wide synths, layers of 303, and dub echoes that sound like the machines are slowly coming to life.

It’s in this altered state that the album resides, somewhere between worlds and styles, emerging out of the space around the TB-303 that Om Unit and TM404 have created, with their open-minded approach to the music and to this collaboration. Free the 303!

B4. Praha

B3. Refracted

B2. Thursday

B1. Meanwhile    In The Smoking Area

A3 London Stock

A2 Microdose Mondays

A1. Motorway Acid

https://tinmanofficial.bandcamp.com/album/hidden-acid

Vienna-based producer and 303 maestro Tin Man returns to Acid Test for his first solo EP for label in over 5 years. It's another impeccable outing of romantic acid variations, especially tailored for unforgettable dancefloor revelations.

Tin Man has been setting the pace for forward-looking acid lovers for close to two decades now, and on his 15th Acid Test appearance he takes the vibe back to early and proto-house roots, stripping back the musical elements while layering in the euphoria with four perfectly crafted slices of feelgood 303.

Opening track Hidden Acid already sounds like a long lost classic, with strings draped over bouncy acid and motorik drums, stretching out over nearly nine minutes, and beautifully capturing the feel of house music circa 1991. Swaying Acid comes in all propulsive, toms and congas setting the foundation for melodic acid lines to weave through your heart strings.

On the B Side, Running Acid is fully optimized for the autobahn fast lane - a gradual, slow-filtered acid meltdown that builds and releases in tandem with driving hats and vaporous pads that hang over the track like early morning mists. Wrapped Up Acid brings the EP to a fitting close, slowing the tempo for a low-key easy dance excursion par excellence - smooth yet spikey 303 riffs punctuate the chords that drift through with a hint of Badalamenti in the progression.

With the Hidden Acid EP Tin Man might hark back to more vintage times, but the emotive power is as strong as ever. The naivety of the ‘90s is instead replaced with a conviction behind the musical choices that brings even more weight to the heartwarming vibes. This is acid in some of the best shape it's ever been, enhanced and upgraded specifically for the dance.

B2. Wrapped Up Acid

B1. Running Acid

A2. Swaying Acid

A1. Hidden Acid

Trickfinger – s/t (2LP)
Release date: April 6th
Cat # ATLP05

Purchase here:
2LP http://bit.ly/1zhyPlD
CD http://bit.ly/18z6crw
iTunes - http://apple.co/1Firnqt

The latest chapter in the electronic evolution of guitarist John Frusciante features a new project under his Trickfinger guise and has him utilizing the classic hardware that spawned the eternal acid template. Frusciante's desire to cede control to machines has paradoxically allowed him to present a singular take on elemental dance music, a brilliant and unexpected entry into Acid Test's growing canon of modern, 303-focused dance music.


Trickfinger - After Below

Brand new single which precedes the release of Recondite's upcoming album 'PLACID' - Placid will be released in October as 2LP + 2CD. CD version will feature 'Placid' as well as Bonus 'On Acid' - Recondites first Album first Time on CD ! 

A2 - Undulate

Achterbahn D' Amour - Acid Test v.5 (ASD019)

B1 Achterbahn D' Amour -Trance me up - Skudge remix (clip)

Recondite - On Acid (Acid Test LP01) - out March 5th

D1 Recondite - Jaded (Snip)

C2 Recondite - Sultry (Snip)

A2 Recondite - Tie In (Snip)

DOVS aka Tin Man & AAAA – Acid Test 014 

Release date 26.04.19

On their debut album as DOVS, Tin Man and AAAA summon the ethereal spirit of acid. Tin Man, AKA Johannes Auvinen, has been studying the emotional potential of the Roland TB-303 for 15 years now, and AAAA (Gabo Barranco), a fixture of the Mexico City underground, might as well be his acolyte. While the coincidental similarities of their studio and live approaches make this collaboration feel natural, even expected, Silent Cities is anything but.

Acid Test 14 features remixes from select trackboth Tin Man & AAAA individually as well as label mate John Tejada. 

A1 – Nostalgic  Oblivion – John Tejada remix
A2 – Distand Buildups – AAAA remix
A1 – Whining Acid – Tin Man Sweet Harmony mix)
A2 – Whining Acid – Tin Man’s Weepy mix)

MST A1 - Nostalgic Oblivion - John Tejada Remix

Years back Mike and I chatted about his passion for Sun Ra and talked about how Space Is The Place was his most accessible work and a gateway, and his love of sharing his edits. I invited him to come and perform a reel-to-reel tribute set at Amoeba. I dug up the recording and uploaded to soundcloud. RIP Huck.

Mike Huckaby - Sun Ra Reel To Reel Session LA

Artist : Pépé Bradock
Album Title : Acid Test 07
Release Date : March 28th 2013
Label : Absurd Recordings / Acid Test Cat #: ASD021
Format : 12”

The first release of 2013 sees Acid Test release their most surprising 12" yet, an EP from none other than Pépé Bradock! Acid tracks from the mad French man!

This marks his first release on a label outside of his own Atavisme imprint in 10 years. All instruments jammed and programmed by Pépé Bradock - Recorded in LA assembled in Paris.

Limited hand painted jackets. Original painting by Pépé Bradock himself.

Mastered by Rashad @ Dubplates & Mastering 

Distributed worldwide by Groove Distribution Chicago
Pre-order - http://www.amoeba.com/acid-test-07-12-p-p-bradock/albums/2888745/

Pépé Bradock - Lifting Weights

Acid Test featuring artists: Tin Man, Donato Dozzy, John Frusciante, Recondite, Pepe Bradock, Achterbahn D'Amour aka Iron Curtis & Jool....

Avenue 66 featuring artists: Joey Anderson, Lowtec, Trux, Relaxer, SW. Trickfinger

Acid Test / Avenue 66

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