STUD01

 7 months on from TP#4, Demdike return with the 5th instalment in their ongoing research and development series - a double-headed monster split between gnarly reductions on the A-side, and industrial strength edits on the flip. ‘Procrastination’ edges through Grimey detritus and gunshot snares within a vast open space perfectly primed for that Demdike slow build. ‘Past Majesty’ on the flip offers up a feral take on some kind of cyber-industrial insanity, somewhere between Ministry and Powell - with a denouement which should probably come with a public health warning attached to it. All we’re saying is - watch yr eardrums.

Past Majesty

B2 Calling (AOKI takamasa Remix)


Release date (3LP, cd & digital format): 3rd of November

TRACKLIST
1. Ø [Phase] - Insectoid
2. Lucy - Sana Sana Sana Cura Cura Cura
3. Ctrls - x.y
4. Rødhåd - Haumea
5. Planetary Assault Systems - The 808 Track (Parts 1 and 2)
6. James Ruskin - No Trace
7. Surgeon - Fixed Action Pattern
8. Inigo Kennedy - Arcing
9. Karenn - Pace Yourself

INFO
It was early 2007 when Inigo Kennedy inaugurated Token. Since that Identify Yourself 12” the Belgian label has gone from strength to strength, integrating both Kennedy and Ashley Burchett, aka Ø [Phase], into becoming integral cogs in the Token machine. In between releases by Grovskopa, Oscar Mulero and Go Hiyama, both Ø [Phase] and Inigo Kennedy dominated Token’s output, but it wasn’t until Burchett’s watershed Binary Opposition that Token received the shower of praise it deserved. Following this, label founder Kr!z issued three remix 12”s of that release which, including Token regulars, took in a profound cast of producers to reprocess “Binary Opposition” by the way of Sigha, Peter Van Hoesen, Planetary Assault Systems and Ben Klock. It was here Token stamped their authority on contemporary techno.

Since then Token has grown exponentially, bringing into their fold artists like Xhin, Mark Broom and Rødhåd, while Ctrls, formally one half of Northern Structures, has seen his solo career flourish on Token with the release of five records to date, and he joins Inigo Kennedy and Ø [Phase] as a label stalwart. Additionally this year, Orphx and Ancient Methods debuted their relentless Eschaton collaboration on Token, and Christian Wünsch’s Spherical Coordinates dalliance with Oscar Mulero has gained even more momentum with a second release called Kinematics Equations. Now, seven years after that debut Kennedy record, Token present Aphelion, a nine-track CD and triple vinyl grandstand of new and exclusive material from label regulars and like-minded artists whom Token founder Kr!z specifically commissioned for this milestone release.

The penultimate record before Aphelion was a second Token 12” by Rødhåd, another artist adding to the cultivation of the label’s sound and roster, and for this compilation the Berliner supplies his cosmically inspired “Haumea”. Joining the Dystopian founder on Aphelion are three of the UK’s most influential techno artists: Surgeon, James Ruskin and Luke Slater under his Planetary Assault Systems alias who provide Token with solo material for the first time after previously appearing on the imprint in remix form. Entirely new names to grace the label via Aphelion include Stroboscopic Artefacts founder Lucy, and Blawan and Pariah's Karenn project, while label faithfuls Inigo Kennedy,  Ø [Phase] and Ctrls naturally commit three Token defining productions.

Casting one’s eye over Token’s back catalogue and it’s clear to see the label is a staunch advocate of absolute techno, remaining steadfast in issuing quality material that remains true to classic strands of the genre regardless of its popularity flux. In that respect, Aphelion - a word used to describe the point in orbit when a planet or comet is farthest from the sun - provides a simple analogy that the magnetic force of Token, unfazed by the shadows cast by popular opinion, will proudly shine light on their artists and given styles. 

“We started in an era where our genre was very unpopular,” Kr!z explains. “And in the end that seemed a big advantage for us, because when everyone was giving up, we started our mission.” Regularly hosting label nights in prominent clubs around the world, Token has become a label supported by a wide-ranging body of artists like Âme and Ben Klock to Efdemin, Truss and Ancient Methods. With the label now branching out into album and compilation territory, Token’s duty to techno may not yet be accomplished, but it’s been a job well done.

www.tokenrecords.com
www.facebook.com/tokenrecords

Aphelion

Inigo Kennedy - Arcing

The simplicity of the elements is the strength here - the creeping discord of the piano, the slow sub rolls - baked together with sharp drum boxes, space echoes and ADV's years of production wisdom.

The celestial Mr Fingers inspired tones of 'First Time' provide the flip.

Adesse Versions - Pride

Peaking Lights Bad With Good DISCOMIX

http://klockworks.de/shop/kw04/
https://pro.beatport.com/track/pulse-original-mix/4525373

Ben Klock - Pulse

Release date (vinyl & digital format): 6th of July 2015.

TRACKLIST
A1. Efdemin 'Journey To The Stars' Mix
A2. Kangding Ray 'Dies Irae' Remix
B1. Regis 'Human Host' Mix
B2. Dasha Rush 'Requiem For Humanity' Remix


Inigo Kennedy's Vaudeville LP was undoubtedly one of Token's highlights of 2014. Now, following hot on the heels of Antigone's twisting 'Cantor Dust' EP and Ø [Phase]'s sweltering 'Tunnel Vision/Internal Conflict' 12”, 'Requiem', a standout cut from the album has been resurrected across an all-star remix EP from the label. The release sees some of the most notable figures operating in the techno scene today turn their hand to the track, from sonic explorer Efdemin to Birmingham veteran Karl O'Connor, aka Regis.

The original's twisted melodies are beautifully fragmented across Efdemin's opening offering. The Berlin based artist drops the mesmeric riff down a few semitones, unleashing them alongside nitro-charged rhythms.  Dial-tone bleeps and razor sharp hats are set in contrast to the original's sleek, melancholic synthesiser-play, vaulting forward swelteringly intense.

As the EP progresses the interpretations seem to get progressively more bent out of shape. Raster Noton mainstay Kangding Ray for example provides a skittering, paranoid recast of the track. Groaning, ethereal soundscapes hover imposingly above thudding, broken-beat rhythms and jagged hi-end drones. Regis on the other hand harnesses the original's bulging low-end, putting his characteristically rugged stamp on the track. Whilst an ominous low-end throbs in the blackness, vapourous atmospherics are put into full-effect alongside a warped riff, steadily decaying as the track progresses.

Closing the release, Dasha Rush pushes the original as far as it can possible go, bringing discordant piano melodies and distant voices together in a thoroughly disorienting reinterpretation. The Russian born artist is patient in her building of the track; it is not until past the two minute mark that she lets booming kicks and stuttered hi-hats fire.

The artists selected for the project have been curated with much care – pushing 'Requiem' to its outer limits and re-imagining the track in ways difficult to conceive of before. However given Token's history of bringing to light the most diverse corners of dancefloor music, maybe nothing less should have been expected.

Words by Theo Darton-Moore. 

www.tokenrecords.com
www.facebook.com/tokenrecords


Requiem Remixed

TOKEN54 - Inigo Kennedy - Requiem Remixed

atom™‘s EP »riding the void« is, together with the visual works of »HD+«, the conclusion of his critical yet delightful examination of pop music and culture on raster-noton.

like the previous EP »ich bin meine maschine«, »riding the void« is set up very functionally, aiming at being used in the club. techno maverick scuba, for example, turns the track with his »pulse mix« into a straight and dense march, whereas atom™ himself shakes the groove out of »riding the void« with his own two lighthearted remixes. his »nought remix« presents itself as slimmed-down yet very vibrant, while »tool« is a perfectly dance floor-ready reinterpretation of the original track. furthermore, an additional remix by hanno leichtmann can be found on the digital version of the release.

the EP is available in bundle with atom™‘s data dvd »HD+« as well as separately. so far, there were released the full-length album »HD« (r-n147) and the 12-inch ep »ich bin meine maschine« (r-n146).

catalog number: r-n160
release date: july 27, 2015
www.raster-noton.net

atom™. riding the void (tool) taken from atom™. riding the void

DJ Dickey Doo :: Cutting Up feat. DJ Lina :: GUR048

DJ Dickey Doo - Cutting Up Feat. DJ Lina (SOLLORS Remix)

Rest in power, Matt. Your kind spirit and influential music will be sorely missed. I know you're slaying it up above, we'll make sure your beats are not forgotten down here.

RESTINPOWER (a tribute to dr derg)

Coming soon on the S'Express 'Enjoy This Trip' album! A collection of remodels, remixes and remakes. Out May 27th on Needle Boss Records!

S'Express - Enjoy This Trip
CD on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ENJOY-THIS-TRIP-Sexpress/dp/B01DE8XPHE

Digital on Juno (WAV or Mp3 + 4 bonus tracks Including Primal Scream's cover of Mantra For A State Of Mind)
http://www.junodownload.com/products/sexpress-enjoy-this-trip/3101263-02/

www.markmoore.com

S'Express - Lollypop (Chris & Cosey Remix)

LIES-073
33.10.3402-Mecanica No 1
from three track ep to be released March 2016

buy direct

33.10.3402-Mecanica No 1 (LIES-073)

'That’s What Friends Are For’ showcases Adesse's touch for building tension. Think back to those twelves from the dons of dancefloor drama - Ron Trent, Carl Craig, DJ Duke and Murk - music built for a world where the lights don't come back on.

Adesse Versions – That’s What Friends Are For
Released 25th March 2016 on 12" vinyl and digital formats

1. That’s What Friends Are For
2. That’s What Friends Are For (dub)
3. In The Sticks
4. In The Sticks (no kicks)

Vinyl and digital from
Apple Music: http://nmb.rs/TWFAF-apple
Bleep: nmb.rs/TWFAF-bleep
Boomkat: nmb.rs/TWFAF-boomkat
iTunes: nmb.rs/TWFAF-itunes
Phonica: nmb.rs/TWFAF-phonica
Redeye: nmb.rs/TWFAF-redeye
Rushhour: nmb.rs/TWFAF-rushhour
Spotify: http://nmb.rs/TWFAF-spotify

That's What Friends Are For

iTunes

Adesse Versions - That's What Friends Are For

LEMONLIME

silent e

Lifted off the forthcoming album Lighthouse Stories, out March 25th on Modern Love.

Low Jack - Six In The Morning

Having lain out it's darkened techno vision with the epic and enthralling Inertia compilation over the last few months, Delsin's little sister, Ann Aimee, is back. Back with another bang, this time from mysterious Vault Series associate Sawlin who drops four cuts of grainy, scratchy sounds with his Techno Dumping EP.

'Boring Feels' is the deepest offering, gently pushing forward as sharp percussion sounds roll off the heavy and hunched over bottom end. 'Techno Dumping' is a punchier affair with trippy background atmospherics and a cantering bottom end that’s paranoid as hell, whilst 'Datamen Working' is a dubbed out destroyer with eerie shapes craft sounds and muffled vocals throughout. 

Closer 'Neid Auf Vacuum' lets in some shafts of melodic light to its clappy house heart, with rippling keys and train-track sounds fleshing out the backdrop: more finely crafted dance floor weapons you simply need in your collection.

Track "Datamen Working" taken from release:
Sawlin - Techno Dumping
ann016

Techno Dumping

Datamen Working

Buy the metal tin CD version here http://perctrax.bandcamp.com/album/labour-division

FACT review http://www.factmag.com/2012/05/24/forward-strategy-group-labour-division/

Juno Plus review http://www.junodownload.com/plus/2012/05/23/forward-strategy-group-labour-division-review/

Forward Strategy Group present Labour Division, their debut album that follows a string of releases on Perc Trax, their own eponymous label, Stroboscopic Artefacts and Dynamic Reflection. Since their early days releasing on net labels to their current position amongst Europe's most respected techno outfits the Leeds/Edinburgh duo of Al Matthews (Smear) and Patrick Walker have always done things their own way. Drawing on their vast knowledge of electronic music's history Patrick and Al produce music where notable reference points are fused with new ideas to create their own distinctive sound.

Labour Division finds the Forward Strategy Group at their most melodic but also their most brutally uncompromising. Throughout the album the tracks shift between a range of atmospheres and timbres which in turn guide the listener though a number of different listening states, holding their attention and encouraging active listening rather than the passive, barely-there engagement often induced by less adventurous electronic albums.

The first five tracks aim to grab the listener's attention from the very first bar, whilst the tracks making up the second half of the album go deeper the listener, introducing more immersive sounds that hint at influences far beyond the realms of dancefloor techno.

Album opening 'Ident' surprises from its opening moments, being more melodic than you have ever heard the Forward Strategy Group before. The track harks back to the synth workouts of the 1980's but coated in a layer of industrial grime that sets out an aesthetic that runs through the rest of the album. Mandate and Elegant Mistakes both revolve around the kind of semi-broken rhythms which have been a characteristic of both the Forward Strategy Group's output and that of the Perc Trax label of late. The former track builds up layers of delayed stabs and whilst the latter has echoes of classic UK hardcore as the distinction between drum sounds and processed human voices begins to blur.

From then on the duo serve up a blend of metallic percussion and reverberant stabs, effortlessly switching from widescreen soundscapes to razor sharp exercises in minimalism. Metal Image and Industry & Empire trade on their depth whilst Cultivar rounds off the album hinting at post-punk guitar textures without you ever being sure if your ears are hearing live instrumentation or not.

As you reach the end of the album it is clear that this is one of the rare occasions when a collaboration is exactly that, a meeting and melding of the history and skills of two individuals to create a cohesive album that is the key moment for the Forward Strategy Group so far and opens up endless possibilities for their work after the album.

Labour Division

Sawlin's debut EP on Delsin off shoot Ann Aimee went down so well it only made sense to have him craft another. 'Eviment' is that EP, made up of three more deep and subterranean techno cuts that play with plenty of textures.

Title track 'Eviment' is a tortured and paranoid offering that has a nagging vocal stretched out over splashy claps and a foreboding bottom end thud. It's vast and dark, spare and haunting where 'Kretze' is a bigger and bolder track. The analogue percussion and serrated lines all sound old and aged as they mark out a scraping, dystopian vision of a world well away from here.

'Sour Tear' has a more syncopated, techno-funk groove but is still padded out with plenty of dubby undercurrents. Sawlin's percussion sounds are wholly non standard, from clanking metal to twanging strings, everything sounds like a real world sound, which makes his music as arresting as anyone's, despite being made firmly for the techno backroom. 

Buy at Delsin Webshop

Sawlin - Eviment [ann017]

Factory Floor drummer Gabriel Gurnsey presents an alternative mix of the band's 2010 10" smash, lying. For more on Factory Floor, visit www.thequietus.com

STUD01

studley.io