Solar One Music have been making ripples in the electronic community for some time, and based on their output there has been good reason for the interest. It is not just the roster of talent that the label has cultivated over the last five years, but the quality of their releases.
In 2005 Solar One Music came to life with a crackle of radio interference. For five years the label, set up by Nico Jagiella and Robert Witschakowski (The Exaltics), released limited runs of CDR’s featuring artists like AS1, Manayst, Beta Evers, Nimoy and Sprawl. Solar One has been the setting for Jagiella and Witschakowski’s dual project, Crotaphytus. Since last year, the German imprint has started down the vinyl path with its brand of mechanical electro.
Bite of the Reptile came out in 2007, with remixes by the likes of Komarken Electronics and Frank Sarrio. In 2010 Solar One went vinyl with Bite of the Reptile 2. The EP is a diverse six tracker that toes and teases the lines between ambient experimentation and tough electro. Cerebral encounters are countered with sharp snares and dingey club echoes. The track titles are some serious mouthfuls, from the dark and harsh “Cnemidophorus Sexlineatus ” and on into the terse soundtrack paranoia of “Don’t Look Behind – Cycle Of Life.” The DJ’s pick is the broad shouldered and industrial tainted “Hydromantes Platycephalus,” relentless and powerful. Mr Pauli is drafted in for this second instalment, offering a remix of “Cnemidophorus Sexlineatus” before the nightmarish “Cnemidophorus Sexlineatus” brings down the curtain.
With the vinyl teeth now cut, Solar One were ready for more wax in 2011. Komarken Electronics from Sweden was first up with the Granular Material EP. The 12” is solid electro-mechanics, but with an unmistakable soul. The title piece brings together cold beats alongside warm wrenching synth chords. The isolation of electro is never far away, with the dehumanised “Science Saved Us.” The Exaltics take on “Spaciousness,” ebbing away some of the astral plains of the original and injecting some extra rawness. The EP consistently provides throughout, the lush backdrop of “Test Tube Funk” being invaded by the chemically constructed snare. The relief comes in the form of “Moonlight Beat,” a deep and thoughtful piece whose acid lines throw up memories of AFX’s Analord 303 melodies.
For their latest, Solar One have hooked up with Impakt for a full digital album: Resonant Escape. Impakt is Jorgen Indal, who some may remember having an EP out on Ed DMX’s Breakin’ a few years back. He’s brought his electro to Germany for his debut album. Indal’s style is quite diverse, taking electro through the dark avenues with tracks like “Squelchy Belchy,” but primarily he is a man who likes to play with sounds. In some respects there is something of Ceephax to Impakt’s sound, quirky melodies often taking on an plinky electronica guise. Styles jump and influences split, such as the Squarepusher echoes of “Big Tim’s Lush Pad” or the more electrical soul of “Drink.” Acid lines shimmer with “At the End” and solidify in “Dance the Pain Away.” The listener is never too sure what avenue Indal will next take, from the techno moodiness of “Lucky Strike” to the bleepy electro of “Lid.” Drill and Bass arrives once more for the finale, a whirlwind of beats and knob twiddling in the shape of “Virebia.” The album has just been given the vinyl treatment with the Resonant Escape EP, featuring two tracks from the CD and four unreleased pieces.
Solar One Music have been making ripples in the electronic community for some time, and based on their output there has been good reason for the interest. It is not just the roster of talent that the label has cultivated over the last five years, but the quality of their releases. The difficult choice to move to vinyl was undoubtedly the right one. Now Solar One is getting to an ever growing audience, creating a widening fanbase and cutting clever new sounds. A label exploring the darker side of electro, but one not afraid to stroll into the light.
For more information about Solar One Music, visit their website at www.solaronemusic.com.
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