German electro producer Martin Matiske has recently breathed new life into his Blackploid alias. The project’s revival continues to bear fruit with the Strange Stars EP, Matiske’s third Blackploid release of 2021 and second for Central Processing Unit after issuing March’s Cosmic Traveler EP through the Sheffield label.
Blackploid’s two CPU drops have more in common than just stargazing titles. Those who enjoyed Cosmic Traveler will find plenty to like again in these four tracks, with Matiske serving up another quartet of snappy machine-funk joints this time around. However, while there is certainly a throughline between Cosmic Traveler and Strange Stars, this EP also finds Blackploid pushing the envelope at points by taking risks with his synth tones which thrill and enliven the record.
In keeping with the cosmic theme of Blackploid’s recent output, Strange Stars kicks off with ‘Star Patrol’. While this opening cut is full of the same needle-gun basslines and dinky synths that characterised Cosmic Traveler, the drum programming eschews the broken beats favoured by many in the scene for a straight house/techno snap. It makes for a very groovy jam, one with Drexciya, Computer World-era Kraftwerk and a pinch of Space Dimension Controller in its mix.
Indeed, the only track on Strange Stars which skips along on a broken beat is second entry ‘The Signal’. ‘The Signal’ also features some of Blackploid’s most impressive electronics programming to date, announcing itself with a brilliantly unusual synth that sounds like an old video game unit which has just gained sentience. When this alien tone is combined with another precision-engineered bassline the track invokes the grizzly bangers of the L.I.E.S. label, though the keyboard stabs which enter periodically also hint to the funkier electro of, say, Egyptian Lover.
‘The Unseen’, the first B-side of Strange Stars, finds Blackploid bringing together many of the things which made the two previous tunes such standouts. A steady four-on-the-floor and a slightly haunted feel to the synth choices casts back to ‘Star Patrol’, but much like ‘The Signal’ this joint also features some rather weird tones which are a hair’s breadth away from machine malfunction. It’s a feeling which runs through to closing cut ‘Light Corridor’, a number where melodies and anti-melodies zip around an array of gurgling electronic cells.
Martin Matiske’s fine run of Blackploid EPs continues with the intergalactic electro stylings of Strange Stars.

Strange Stars

PREMIERE : Blackploid - The Signal

The restaurant was teeming with wonderful smells that seeped through the doors to the kitchen and filled diner's nostrils. There was nothing more inviting than a freshly prepped dish made with the finest quality ingredients, and this was truly the spot to frequent if this was what you were after. As soon as that first mouthful hit your lips you were in heaven; food truly was the key to anyone's heart.

Miami-based producers DJ Ray and Goiz welcome a new batch of producers for the second instalment in their Club Tools series. Just like their first collection, round two brings a pack of tunes custom-made for the "explorative club deejay", ranging from raw drum workouts to hypnotic, shuffling beats. On this one we're treated to fresh material from a handful of US producers - Miami's Bong Soup, NYC producer Will Dimaggio and Canadian-bred-Berliner Logan Sturrock aka FlØrist - as well as Seoul-based maestro Mogwaa.

PREMIERE: Bong Soup - Dr. Eggman [Open Space]

There was a harsh chill in the air this evening; it was a sudden departure from the warm days they'd become accustomed to of late. Shorts and T-Shirts were quickly exchanged for jumpers and scarves and the smiling groups who'd gathered each day to bask and bathe in the sunshine were no longer anywhere to be seen. What a contrast from one day to the next, not only in the weather or the people's attire but the mood that it provoked...

As a producer, remixer and collaborator, Rome's A-Tweed has been busy at work of late. His productions have been coming out think and fast on the likes of Playground records, Feines Tier, Duro, Sinchi Collective and Electric Shapes - the Lithuanian label he's making a return to for his newest release Crack Of Dawn. Two originals and two reworks from Electric Shapes affiliate Rambal Cochet and Aditya Permana make up the release, all of which are built on sludgy, crawling acid, trance and EBM influences.

Crack Of Dawn

PREMIERE: A-Tweed - Dragonfly [Electric Shapes]

Artist: https://soundcloud.com/michaelgeorgian
Track: Televised
Label: https://soundcloud.com/strongislandrecordings
Format: Single EP

Michael Georgian is a twenty-something South East London based producer employing an array of analogue synthesisers, heavy drum machines and dulcet vocal tones to make you move. For his debut effort he presents ’Televised’, out via Strong Island Recordings.

PREMIERE | Michael Georgian - Televised [Strong Island] 2022

As the mothership celebrates its second year of cruising through the boundless stars towards the Unknown, it is once again time to bring on board a new batch of like-minded souls. Collectively, we probe the myriad of cosmic layers that form the Ursa Nebulas.
After delving into the darkest depths of the Aranea Nebula, the captain woke up one day feeling an irresistible attraction towards a gentler, lighter glow. Far-off. Unusual in its presence and echoing rather exotic pulsations.

Chasing the chants of these galactic sirens, we set course to new and uncharted territories that dramatically expand the Ursa universe. This is a realm where ethereal atmospherics and eerie vocals casually meet trancey shoegaze, acid blends in with chic breakbeats, and alien rockstars appear to perform video game music. But still... be wary of the occasional grasp of elegant creepiness and cinematic constructs, palpable remnants of our previous journey.

Out of this astral maelstrom of sonic oddities, a new series has emerged that we’re proud to present to you today: Nebula Scarabea.

Its first opus will be released digitally on all platforms, but also on an alluring laser-etched C-90 cassette tape spruced up with an uncanny analog collage from one of the crew’s most-valued members: Bill Noir.

https://soundcloud.com/volta-cab
https://soundcloud.com/bellaursa

PREMIERE⚡Rambal Cochet - Lunar Jungle [Bella Ursa Records]

He'd become a master in the art of lying; his charm, wit and good looks helped him in that arena. The lines had blurred so much between fact and fiction that he almost believed his own tall tales these days - he'd created a persona that was so far removed from the way he used to be. Many of his old friends no longer felt like they knew him; his priorities had changed and somewhere along the road he'd lost himself.

Art punk ravers The Umlauts are following up their recent release for PRAH Recordings with a remix package featuring several producers and label alumni. Each bringing their own styles to the table, and all a perfect fit to amp up the frenzied energy of the originals, the EP rallies the likes of London based sound-designer Yuri Suzuki, Teleman drummer Hiro Ama and duo Uh, among many others. 

Speaking about Yuri Suzuki's track, the band said: "Yuri Suzuki’s remix of The Fact was pure joy to hear, we love it. It remedies the samba punk of the original with pure unfettered dance groove. Am I tapping my foot? Yes. Am I nodding my head? Yes again. Am I doing a slightly awkward side step? Indeed I am, oh yes. Yuri is the perfect birthing partner. Go and listen to everything else he has made, listen twice, it’s all brilliant."

Remixes

PREMIERE: The Umlauts - The Fact (Yuri Suzuki Remix)

A 12” filled to the brim with talent, Schrödinger’s Box have collected three juggernauts of wave tainted electronics for the latest. Dmitry Distant teams up with Norwell for a partnership of serious intent. The pair deliver a trio of blackened tracks, opening with the ghoulish caverns of “Transient State” before the long shadows, acid stains and painful echoes of “Visionary.” The duo venture into brighter territory with the computer funk of “On A Verge of Veil”, crisp beats and bubbling melodies changing the tone. Following Beyond the War, Cute Heels returns to occupy the flip. The Colombian is immediately on it with the swirling mirrors of “Kuriyaki Horizons,” a kick drum offering solid footing in this entrancing piece. An aloof, yet alluring, disco hook takes hold for “Litua”, a low thump keeping time. The finale arrives with the clipped industrial gait of “Determinated In Order.” Marching to a military beat, this work is industrial inspired with Cute Heels keeping a close ear to the pressure release gauge.

PREMIERE : Cute Heels - Kuriyaki Horizons

https://soundcloud.com/ethnoservice
https://soundcloud.com/littlebeatdifferent
🛒 https://littlebeatdifferent.bandcamp.com/album/nma

Ethno Service, a moniker for two electronic musicians based in Prague, are here with their debut long-player ‘NMA’. Released via LBD Sounds tape series, it comprises six masterfully crafted original compositions and a couple of remixes, including an uneasy jungle rework by Exhausted Modern’s new alias Oblaka and a spaced-out ambient escapism remix by voodoo priestess Lucie aka Avsluta. It’s not an easy listening affair, broken and sometimes unnerving rhythms blended with duo’s uniquely moody atmosphere, ever morphing and taking you places you didn’t even know existed. Expect percussion-heavy tracks on a lower side of bpm spectrum. You may dive into this album horizontally, or try to find out if it’s still danceable. Is it? Sure it is!

Tracklist: 

1.Ethno Service - NMA 02
2.Ethno Service - NMA 03
3.Ethno Service - NMA 04
4.Ethno Service - NMA 05
5.Ethno Service - NMA 06
6.Ethno Service - NMA 08
7.Ethno Service - NMA 04 (Oblaka remix)
8.Ethno Service - NMA 02 (Avsluta remix)

PREMIERE: Ethno Service - NMA 04 [LBD Sounds]

Katsuya Sano - Seduction (Original Mix)

SEXROBOTS

good feelings -  between rock - rap - enjoy 

salala

Ransom Note is an online music, arts and culture magazine. We provide a home for readers and writers with boundless enthusiasm, esoteric knowledge, fierce opinions and impeccable taste.

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