Adiel (@a-diel) - Method EP (FIGUREX27)
Artwork by Eva Vuillemin.
Out: May 10th, 2021
Preorder: http://bit.ly/FIGX27

Adiel slowly emerged from the Rome underground onto international dancefloors, from local residencies to renowned festival stages. Following a steady slew of quality releases for her own label, the Italian producer now signs with Figure to show just how far she’s gotten.
Right out the gate, Adiel proves her versatility.

Method is an intricate, moody stepper, harking back to early Burial with its grimey atmosphere and skeletal breakbeats, complete with ghostly vocals and a cascading synth line, which ties it all together. Showing Adiel’s love for analog drum machines, Mad builds on a dry but lively pattern, with swelling acid arps slowly creeping in until it all breaks down in a sea of squelches, only to emerge again with full force.
The B-side goes deep and fast, panning percussion setting the bleak scene for a vividly arp-driven ride beneath a starry sky.
Slowing things down to a half-time measure, the final composition leaves lots of room for the finely measured details such as bubbling acid, raw drums, and trippy voices to merge in one last soothing swirl of sound. With such a strong repertoire at her fingertips, Figure X27 shows Adiel as a promising producer who has found her unique voice and is sure to make her way in the years to come.

Written and produced by ADIEL
Mixed by Tobias Freund at Non Standard Studios Berlin 
Additional production on A2 Mad and B2 In your power by Tobias Freund.
Method Drums composed by ADIEL and vocals by Sabrina Federici.
www.figure-music.com

Method EP

ADIEL - METHOD EP (FIGURE X27)

Kangding Ray (@kangding-ray) - Branches EP (FIGUREX28)
Artwork by Bernhard Holaschke.
Out: June 4, 2021
Preorder: https://bit.ly/3e7kUsY

Ever effervescent producer Kangding Ray continues to connect experimentalism and dancefloor, hitting home hard on his newest EP on Figure.

Storming out of the gate, Doppler Shift packs the momentum to take off, its dry-thumping arp-ride raising the levels from zero to hero. Meditating on murky sounds, Branches displays the producer’s extraordinary skills at splicing together seemingly disparate DNA of sounds to create otherworldly but compelling tapestries of rhythm.

Turning things for the flip, from colourful dub chords emerges Salt and Iron, a driving tune reminiscent of the 90’s spacey chill-out-rooms. Taking it a notch deeper, Robust Version Nine builds its lively groove around modular experimentations, the machines ultimately becoming an extension of the artist himself.

The final Bandcamp exclusive track, Digital Salt—a revision of Salt and Iron without the Iron—begins unassumingly beatless, only to pick up the pace for a blissfully trancey journey.

Written and produced by David Letellier
www.figure-music.com

Branches EP

Kangding Ray - Branches EP (FIGUREX28)

Longtime Berghain resident, Figure Music founder and Berlin techno stalwart Len Faki is known both for his discerning, impeccable taste, so when we heard that he had agreed to remix French artist DNGLS for the enigmatic Anemone Music label, we were understandably enthused.

What Len ended up turning in, however, was much more than simply a remix, but, as the label calls it a “whole new realm of possibilities” – three different versions of DNGLS‘ “Hooly” – and we’ve got an exclusive listen below.

“When I heard the track first time, I instantly loved this special melody a lot,” Len tells us. “It was a pleasure to work on it, also because it is a little different than my other productions and a great experience to work in this direction. In the end, this is how the three different versions were formed, mirroring three different club moments. The first one is more like an energetic moment on the floor, while the ‘Tool’ is clubbier, more subtle, focused on the late night club moments. The ‘Beatless’ version is to listen to outside the club, or starting/ending the night.”

Hooly (Len Faki Beatless Version)

ARTHUR ROBERT - ARRIVAL PART 2
(FIGURE X20)
Format: 12" & digital
Artwork: Sebastian Haeger
Preorder: bit.ly/FIGX20

A1 Kataract
A2 Cautious
B1 Forceful
B2 Forever

Part two of this stellar debut EP proceeds exhibit a burgeoning artist’s vital take on the classic techno formulae. These four tracks see Arthur Robert, Austrian-born but now Amsterdam-based, expand on his deeply mesmerizing, richly detailed yet minimalist style. With the A-side holding two hypnotic cuts that carefully chug down the rabbit hole, the flipside unveils more of his refreshing approach to techno production. B1 impressively displays how to pair meticulous sound design and sheer dancefloor goodness into an electrifying rush of enormous propulsive force; the EP’s last track then harks back to the composer’s personal upcoming as a devoted follower of drum & bass music, pairing low-slung basses and eerie breakbeat science for a captivating ride along the hardcore continuum’s ceaseless ripples.

Coming soon.

www.figure-music.com

ARTHUR ROBERT - ARRIVAL PART 2 (FIGURE X20)

Preorder: http://bit.ly/FIG_X22

Benjamin Damage reports back for a fresh slice of his singular strain of modern-day Techno. 

Alpha Centauri institutes the record atmospherically, setting up the scenery of ethereal winds, prowling basses, and muscular drums. Picking up the pace, Circle Machine is a busy tune, rigidly rattling towards an array of tripped-out synths, yet captivating with their off-key harmonics.

Heavier but equally distinctive, Damage opens the B-side with his skillful blend of assaulting, rough-edged machine sounds, and soothing, celestial ambiance. He then twists around again, cleverly seeing us out with a surprisingly lively arrangement of sneaky synth squelches, making for a well-rounded as accomplished EP-package.

Artwork: Bernhard Holaschke

Algorithm

BENJAMIN DAMAGE - ALGORITHM (FIGUREX22)

@jeroensearch - Protocol Omega EP
FIGUREX23
Release: December 14th 2020
Buy: https://bit.ly/FIGX_23

Dutch mainstay Jeroen Search is a true genius of building linear grooves, either subtly breathing or powerfully bouncing. His Figure release following the 2018 LP Monism reflects this aptly once more. Minimalistic, hypnotic loops simply introduce the varied 5-track EP, followed up some by some heavyweight acid-house punchlines.
The flip makes its name, changing course again in order to head deeper for a more heads-down exploration of the bleep-space nebula. Sitting firmly nestled in the center of the record, Magnet Tapes is that endless loop suspended in time and space, slowly working its way into one’s consciousness with every repetition. Search cleverly captures this moment to introduce some sounds beyond the structure of track and loop, challenging our conception of music yet playfully igniting the mind’s imaginations.
Aiming for the finish line, the EP comes to a halt only after another taster of Jeroen Search’s deadpan efficient loop science, effortlessly stacking layers of rhythms for an ultimate straight-up techno workout.

Protocol Omega EP

JEROEN SEARCH - PROTOCOL OMEGA EP (FIGURE X23)

Wata Igarashi (@wata) - New Dawn EP (FIGUREX24)
Artwork by Bernhard Holaschke. 
Out: February 15th, 2021
Preorder: http://bit.ly/FIGX24

What better way to start the new year than with New Dawn, the Figure premiere of Japanese techno exporter and groove connaisseur Wata Igarashi.

His psychedelic grooves are currently some of the most sought after material out there, shimmering with life, richly laden with crystalline arps and swirling synth lines.

On his first outing for Figure hi finely detailed compositions merge into a sound that is equally dense as it becomes wildly mesmerizing. Loops stacked on top of each other for maximum effect, building a sense of depth and connection, and developing their captivatingness over each track’s full runtime.

Igarashi uses strict linear progression and a set of vibrant ideas in order to create four hypnotic pieces that range from rumbling low-end bass to propulsive and driving acid to rattling percussion and finally round out the package with some trippy off-kilter rhythms.

New Dawn EP

WATA IGARASHI - NEW DAWN EP (FIGURE X24)

From: Placid Angles - Touch The Earth (FIGURE LP07)
Out: March 29th 2021
Preorder: http://bit.ly/FIGURE_LP07

When the first Placid Angels album dropped in 1997, Jon Beltran was already an established force within dance music’s then-emerging scene. He had a knack for both the melodic side as well as intricately designed rhythmic programming. A signature style that went for his early records in the 1990s as much as it does for this new installment of the Placid Angels series.

The blissful synths, Aphex Twin-era IDM and loose percussive patterns take you right back to where it all began when genres didn’t mean anything and Beltran was just starting out to experiment with any sound that would elevate your consciousness.

The Michigan-born artist since has spanned a career of nearly four decades, remaining relevant all the while, by playing the music he found himself most drawn to express. By working with artists like Detroit veteran Carl Craig, labels such as R&S or more recently his LPs for Delsin or his joint work with Four Tet. Whether it be his more Techno-leaning or New Wave-inspired works, his takes on Ambient, or the more Latin-influenced productions - he has always stayed active and re-invented himself while painting his records with a clearly own palette that is full of beautiful melodies and a timeless sound-design. 

The album Touch The Earth itself comes as diverse as the artist’s own legacy, ranging from skittish, colorful UKG to proper pulsing sub-basslines as it progresses deeper into intelligent drum programming and further into the melodic ventures of what’s at the core of Beltran’s work. Drawing to a close, ambient tones overweigh, as Beltran oozes the last drops of emotion from this LP, leaving the angels to look down placidly.

Artwork by Tim Calver Photography.
www.figure-music.com

Touch The Earth

PREORDER

Premiere: Placid Angles - Beauty Begins With Us (Feat Malibu And Baby Blue)

READ > https://inverted-audio.com/premiere-wata-igarashi-cylinder

Kicking off the 2021 season, Wata Igarashi (@wata) steps up to bat for Len Faki’s @figure-official, delivering four shades of his mesmerising signature style.

New Dawn

Wata Igarashi - Cylinder [Figure]

Arthur Robert (@arthurrobert) - Transition Part 1 (FIGUREX25)
Preview part 2: http://bit.ly/3aMPw2s

Sleeve design by Marius Jopen | THE PEOPLE°.
Out: March 15th, 2021
Preorder: http://bit.ly/FIGX_25

A1 Screening	
A2 Tranquility
B1 Loyal
B2 Disenfranchised

Breaking out on Figure with an exciting debut double EP in 2020,  Arthur Robert now returns with yet another equally impressive pair of records. Here the artist once more shows his unique mix of psychedelic elements with a deep hypnotic edge and a straight-up dancefloor approach.

This two-part release comes as a varied collection of strangely beautiful melodies and lively modular sounds that infuse each track with far more life than is visible on the surface.

Transition Part 1 starts out strong with stomping kicks and crushing percussion, it’s the glitchy effects that etch in a memorable listening experience. Similar goes for the booming, more spacious A2 and the colorful Drum and Bass-reminiscent B1. Finally, Robert closes part one with a stripped-back stepper, honing in on that sweet spot between radical melodic repetition and finely textured effects.

www.figure-music.com

Transition Part 1

ARTHUR ROBERT - TRANSITION PART 1 (FIGUREX25)

Arthur Robert (@arthurrobert) - Transition Part 2 (FIGUREX26)
Preview part 1: http://bit.ly/37F2spq

Sleeve design by Marius Jopen | THE PEOPLE°.
Out: March 15th, 2021
Preorder: http://bit.ly/FIGX_26

A1 Peacekeeper	
A2 Shift (feat. Naty Seres)
B1 Volatile
B2 Trivial

Transition Part 2  continues Arthur Robert’s reduced style, opening with a sleek tunnel-vision thumper, but then deviates for a playful breakbeat space exploration in collaboration with like-minded modular nerd Naty Seres. Eventually closing out the B-side of his strong 8-track package, Robert first boils the energy down to essential deep minimalist trip first, then ramps up the levels one last time for an exquisite example in rumbling dub-techno.

Both parts of the Transition EPs firmly establish Arthur Robert further as an expert craftsman, merging the sonic textures of psychedelic jams with the forceful rhythms and intricate melodies of purist techno.

www.figure-music.com

Hooly (Len Faki Beatless Version)

Len Faki - Official

Recent comments

Deidokht Afshin

Related tracks