Reviews

V/A :: Unit Shifter Compilation 2 (Unit Shifter)

Unit Shifter has been quietly building a catalog that spans the breadth of contemporary electronic music, and Compilation 2 is a strong showcase of that vision. For a label ten years in, this is exactly the kind of release that reinforces their place in the scene, varied, charitable, and committed to curating music that actually takes you somewhere.

Icky Reels :: DL Poisons (Self Released)

The downtempo chug is still there, but it’s been processed through decades of IDM evolution, filtered through the same sensibility that informed Beans’ abstract hip-hop work and Schematic’s experimental roster. DL Poisons’ unsettling in the way that the best experimental electronic music should be, familiar enough to feel grounded, strange enough to keep you off balance.

Nora & Tess :: Mira’s Loop EP (Clean Error)

Mira’s Loop is a dazzling, forward-thinking electronic release full of melodic warmth, fractured rhythms, and inventive sound design, showcasing Nora & Tess at their most playful, abstract, and emotionally resonant across five brilliantly futuristic and imaginative compositions, each track sparking a quiet exhilaration that is so resonant for the times.

Sound Signatures :: Crafting your electronic music identity — by Nick Feldman (Routledge)

By providing a slew of tips for the creative use of the tools, and by really diving into all that is on offer here, the person who uses this book is going to give back new imaginative music electronic music community, just as Feldman shares the knowledge. Put the work in, and have fun while you craft your own sound signature, the sound of your musical imagination, that uses the tools to realize the composition you first heard in your mind and soul. This alone will be what sets you apart from the clones.

Yu Su :: Foundry (Short Span)

Overall, Foundry has a lot of diversity in it. It leans toward ambient, but given Yu Su’s background as a DJ and her ability to move fluidly between genres, it makes sense. This is an interesting listen. It’s not as immediately accessible as Yellow River Blue, but it’s more cohesive in its vision. The collaborations add depth without overshadowing her voice, and the album feels like a natural progression rather than a lateral move. For a label like Short Span, which has been championing forward-thinking electronic music, this is a fitting release.

Yulyseus :: Nothing Under Heaven (n5MD)

The nostalgia embedded within Nothing Under Heaven is particularly striking. It is not tied to any singular past, nor does it lean on sentimentality. Instead, it manifests as a kind of emotional afterimage. A sense of having felt something deeply without being able to fully recall its shape. This gives the music a haunting familiarity, as though it is reflecting something the listener already carries but has not yet named.