The 23 Enigma

Two years after releasing the acclaimed Crash Recoil, Anthony Child aka Surgeon returns to Tresor with new LP, Shell~Wave. Retaining the minimal equipment list and studio-version-of-live-show-sets approach of the previous album in order to focus on the work itself, Shell~Wave is a deeply personal document of both where Surgeon is and has been, converging three decades of experience with a continued curiosity in the untested.

"To make this project, I had to dig really deep in terms of what my relationship was to techno; I've been involved with it for a really long time and there's a lot about it I feel dislocated from, so I had to really think hard about what techno is to me. I often get asked "what is techno to you?" but I can't answer that with words; this album is the answer."

From the complex, twisting track Infinite Eye to the caustic Soul Fire, the eight tracks that make up the body of the album are single-take explorations of the vast, hard yet minimal techno Child is synonymous with. 

Neatly dividing the record in two, the emotional centre of the record comes in the form of Dying, a vibrating, beatless piece that with a mantra-like vocal loop steeped in reverberating effects.

Further echoes of dub production appear throughout the record as tracks like Divine Shadow, and Empty Cloud have an almost ever-present mist of reverberation, driven by the appearance of a new delay unit in the equipment list; while much of the philosophy of Crash Recoil's creation is present, the process and the instruments have changed as Child again switches up his approach to studio work.

This insistence on trying novel techniques doesn't preclude returning to old ones, as this use of modern digital machines with live, hands-on takes that are as inspired by 60s producer Joe Meek and 70s reggae as they are by this year's synthesiser expos.

"For me, it's an interesting experience returning to old techniques again after 30 years. [I'm] always exploring and finding myself back at the beginning. Connecting the present with the past."

This philosophy of 'time travel' is inherent to the music itself as the synchronised loops repeat while the delay and effects branch out, forming unique eddies; distinct quantum moments within the circular whole; the future leaking through the spaces between the sounds. All of the concepts on the album are perfectly communicated through the painting by Taiwanese artist Jazz Szu-Ying Chen which suggests the movement of water, sound waves, and the chitinous shells of sea creatures.

BANDCAMP

Surgeon - Infinite Eye

Annuled Music is back with another gem, this time introducing Aawadh - a new alias from French producer and Cielo Records boss JC Laurent. Known for his deep, hypnotic take on techno, JC flips the script on Dyadica, an 8-track debut album that trades 4/4 for halftime pressure and lands somewhere in the 80/85 BPM zone. It’s packed with groove, weight, and that sweet spot between heady and physical. There’s room for ambient detours (Ignys), tribal techno nods (Nyteris), and and straight-up pressure with Oscillia, but the core vibe? Forward-thinking halftime drum & bass with real depth.

We’re premiering the second track from the album, Alkymis, which together with the opener Evolys kicks things off and sets the whole vibe. Eerie and energised, with a kind of ritualistic swing to it. The drums snap, the synths melt, and everything flows just right. There’s a UK breaks feel underneath, but it’s doing its own thing. Big system or headphones, club or commute, it hits. One of those tracks that makes the world move a little faster. 

Dyadica drops May 2 via Annuled Music.

Write by @gilleswasserman

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/aawadh
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/annulled_music

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aawadh/
Bandcamp: https://annulledmusic.bandcamp.com

Dyadica

PREMIERE: Aawadh - Alkymis [Annulled Music]

EKKEL - DRUM RING SEISIMIC003
Returning to an aphotic minefield of sound - Seismic Records is back with its third release, Drum Ring, crafted by Norwegian producer and Ute Records co-founder Ekkel. Emerging from the forests of Nordic electronic heritage, Teo Bachs - aka Ekkel - channels the raw energy of ’90s progressive sounds into his mind-bending productions. From the studio, his signature blend of breaks and intricate percussion create soundscapes that are as cerebral as they are propulsive. Titled Drum Ring, the EP captures the feeling of a complete mental trip through a narrative of tension, ancient textures, and enchanting melodies.  
Poised with a sense of urgency, the A-side unfolds with a neatly rolling rhythm. Hradec Fog Fever builds a controlled frenzy of percussive elements, with layers stripping in and out, consistently driving the track forward. Slipping into A2, Owl Foot casts a sonic mist, a haze that tentatively creeps forward, flickering between atmospheric dips and shadowy contours. Vocal-cut whispers transcend through the soundscape, shy yet impactful, drawing you closer. It’s a tender introduction to a minimalist, dark progressive journey - a delicate balance of intrigue and mystery, where each sound lingers like a secret waiting to be discovered.
The B-Side strikes with poignant, powerful drum kicks that reverberate through layers of distortion. Drum Ring displays echoes of tension and unease, building a restless energy that urges deeper introspection. Ancient, enchanting tones weave through the chaos, grounding the frenetic soundwaves in something timeless and mystical. Sealing the EP, Endphase begins with faint, distant string notes that offer a fleeting, hopeful moment of rest. Growling chords and textures swirl, edging you to a meditation, only to be punctuated by sharp, deliberate drum patterns, adding a sense of momentum and purpose - a glimmer of light breaking through the mist.
Experience the full cycle of a delicate trip as Ekkel guides you through Drum Ring - a precious and dark progressive journey.

Written, produced and mixed by Teo Bachs
Mastering by Nik Kozub
Graphic design by Ema Doležalová
Distribution by One Eye Witness

Available for pre-order now on our Bandcamp - Limited edition vinyl & digital - link in bio

Ekkel - Drum Ring [SEISMIC003] Previews

Premier épisode de mon projet de série de podcast documentaire “Et toi, c’est comment ta vie de DJ?”.

Ce projet a pour objectif de réfléchir sur notre scène, et de parler de la vie des artistes de musiques électroniques sous le prisme de la santé mentale. Entre janvier et juin 2024 je me suis donc entretenue avec des artistes mais aussi des expert•es (professionnelle de santé, journaliste, activiste etc) pour évoquer les différents enjeux auxquels peuvent être confronté•es les artistes de musiques électroniques. 

Toutes les interviews ont été enregistrées dans le studio de la Gaité Lyrique que je remercie chaleureusement pour leur accueil en résidence. 

Il y aura 4 épisodes thématiques en tout. Voici donc le premier qui aborde la question du métier passion! 

Un grand merci à mes invité•es sur ce premier épisode de m'avoir livré leur précieux témoignage et expertise : 

abs8lute 
Emma Barron, psychiatre et cofondatrice de l’INSAART  
Julien Jaubert, aka Shkyd, cofondateur du collectif CURA  
A strange wedding 
Keut 
Mars O10c 

Mixage son et mastering : Timothée Lesven
Artwork : Pierre croco 
Ecriture, montage, réalisation : Emma Feldhendler 

Merci aussi à Alessandra pour ses précieux conseils !

J’espère que le projet vous plaira ! 

—
For the non French speakers, I’m launching a documentary podcast project in French to reflect on our electronic music scene, and talk about DJs life and mental health. There will be 4 episodes, each one dealing with a specific thematic and featuring health practitioners, artists, and other experts. 



Et toi, c'est comment ta vie de DJ ? - Episode 1 : Le métier-passion

On June 27, 2025, a long-dormant signal reactivates from Hamburg's hidden places: Helena Hauff and F#X return as Black Sites with R4 on Tresor Records—their first full-length album and the first release under the moniker since 2014. Like a hieroglyphic recently discovered and translated, R4 feels more like a long-awaited resumption than a comeback.

Recorded to tape with minimal editing or post-production the record is a classic example of the symbiotic relationship that can come from the interaction of human and machine. This punk ethos isn't invoked through distortion alone, but through method; in the album's breaking from the received wisdom of hardness tethered to speed as most of the tougher pieces are lower BPM and vice versa (with one notable exception in the mind-melting stomp of BLOKK).

Across ten tracks, Black Sites traverse a landscape where genre dissolves into intention. It migrates through electro's danceability, acid house's corrosion, and into the liminal realm of machine funk—a genre coined by Andrew Weatherall, which sounds like the results of technology dreaming of soul where the emphasis is on live execution, on immediacy over perfection—a sound forged in the act of creating, not polishing.

In a 2013 interview, around the time of the first Black Sites EP, Hauff was quoted as saying that she wants "things to fit together properly, but on another level, I really want them to make sense together." That principle animates R4: The album's form reveals itself in time, with each movement echoing and amplifying the others to create a synergistic whole.

From the opening crawl of C4 (a name that like the music foreshadows the explosions to come) to the end-of-the-night bliss of MOTHERJAM via the intense peaks of BLOKK, 707, and classic acid track 3D it's clear that R4 is a work made with serious intent; a refutation of a world where streaming has made the two-minute single the dominant musical form again. R4 demands immersion, not just attention. It is not a collection of tracks, but a singular, recursive experience: a mirror in which sound and listener repeatedly rediscover one another.

Black Sites - FLIKK

Black Sites - 3D

Black Sites - SKKETCH

@ferma_athens
@Fragedis
Bandcamp: https://ferma.bandcamp.com/album/nature-causing-chaos-ep
Release Date: May 29th, 2025
Info: For our next physical release, FERMA proudly welcomes Fragedis. A driving force in the local underground for over two decades, Fragedis is renowned for his eclectic, genre-blending, DJ sets and productions. Staying loyal to the craft and deeply committed to the culture, he is also co-hosting Healthy Summer in Crete, one of Greece’s most revered festivals for authentic rave culture.

This release features six tracks that perfectly encapsulate FERMA’s sound identity and forward-thinking vision. The A-side opens with “Teras”, an atmospheric piece with immersive vocals that lay the foundation for the journey ahead. “Thrust Reverse” cranks up the intensity with industrial-driven arpeggios, primed to ignite the dancefloor. Closing out the first side is a stripped-down reprise of “Teras”, reimagined by a legendary artist who has shaped the Athenian industrial sound - true name strictly confidential.

Flipping to the B-side, “Live in Lies” drifts into deeper territory, weaving atmospheric pads and trancey synth sequences for introspective, eyes-down moments. Bringing it all home, “Fasaries” delivers an electro spinoff that rounds out the release’s sonic character and journey.

Physical wasnt enough and "Body Pressure" has been added in the mix as a digital bonus :)

We are beyond excited to share this release with you – play it loud, folks!

Bandcamp

*PREMIERE* Fragedis - Live in Lies

Kaspiann - Suohunaja [VALA]

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Support the release: https://liquiddropgroove.bandcamp.com/album/chronoscope-vol-2

@thegodsplanet & @liquiddropgroove return with their second collaboration, Chronoscope vol.2 - a four cuts of refined techno and minimalism. On side A Mike Parker delivers two uncompromising compositions showcasing his signature precision with relentless, tunnel-vision aesthetic. Side B opens with Yuta / O-MA’s minimal, stripped back and bleep-heavy piece, while Ness closes the release with a deep tribal-infused techno journey.

Tracklisting: 
A1. Mike Parker - Torosaurus
A2. Mike Parker - Satellite Cell
B1. YUTA/O-MA - Nautilus
B2. Ness - Labritex

TGPXLDG 001
Mastering by Artefacts Mastering
Artwork by Pianeti Sintetici
Distributed by Space Cadets
Vinly on 27 June
Digital on 11 July

Follow Ness
SoundCloud: @ness
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Ness8Live
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ness8bit
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ness_tgp/
Bandcamp: www.ness8.bandcamp.com

Follow 6AM Group
Website: www.6amgroup.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/6amgroup
Twitter: www.twitter.com/6amgroup
Instagram: www.instagram.com/6amgroup
SoundCloud: @6amgroup
YouTube: www.youtube.com/6amgroup

Premiere: Ness "Labritex"- The Gods Planet & Liquid Drop Groove

Tune into the Telepathic Heights show on SWU.FM
First Tuesday of each month, 23:00hrs (GMT) >> https://www.swu.fm

For bookings, please contact elasticdreamsmusic@gmail.com
For label enquires/production contact elasticdreamsmusic@gmail.com

The 23 Enigma

A Sagittariun

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