🕳 was mastered at the Bolamachine by Darryl Fitton (aka Bola), and everything is tied together perfectly, despite having such an extensive range of artists and genres. Fans of Rephlex, Planet Mu, Touched Music, and Analogical Force will certainly find this collection of underground music delightful and refreshing.
Bursting onto the underground music scene
Barcelona-based X4 Records presents its second compilation since bursting onto the underground music scene in 2019, straightforwardly titled Hole, or simply just 🕳.
This collection of energetic electronic music curated by Purpledaughter (of Passionate Hiss Recs) features a dynamic contrast of tunes—shifting from gentle, finessed productions, to full-on audio onslaughts. The description on the label’s Bandcamp site has a short story about the 🕳, and how it begins to grow larger and larger, consuming human life as we all know it. It’s very interesting because the reader can interpret this little fictional tale however they would like to, much like the music that is highlighted in this compilation.
With a defined, cohesive aesthetic from the first track to last, listeners will hear many different styles of electronic experimentation on display. Electro, and acid compositions like Lee’s “Digi6” and Mause’s “Rubicks Alt5 (Bedtime Funk120)” both showcase an abundance of 303 bass lines coupled with analog synth leads—creating a pleasant and uplifting vibe. Jerohme (whom also provided the stylish artwork for the release) contributes detuned synthetic atmospheres and jilted percussion on his song “Tribbs.” Velum Break’s “Ub Eh” veers to a slightly higher tempo of cut-up jungle and drum’n bass styles. Other tracks that most certainly deserve an attentive listen here are: Florian Försters “Beeep,” and the lovely collaboration between Utopia Cloak & Marie Ork titled “Falling Into a 🕳 (Eq On Every Track Mix)” which is also not to be missed. The compilation wraps up with Fxbip’s “Love Theme 2″—a trippy downtempo number that is somewhat of a departure from his normal production techniques.
🕳 was mastered at the Bolamachine by Darryl Fitton (aka Bola), and everything is tied together perfectly, despite having such an extensive range of artists and genres. Fans of Rephlex, Planet-Mu, Touched Music, and Analogical Force will certainly find this collection of underground music delightful and refreshing.
🕳 is available on X4. [Bandcamp]
