Based on the strength of these first two 12”s (by Frak and Celldöd), a new, interesting, and forward looking label has just been established here in Spain and one, which I have no doubt, will be a success. Femur.
After five years of running a club night, after a compilation on Clasicos Del Ruidos, after enough hints being dropped by my fair self, Femur the record label is up and running. Up first for the new imprint is a partnership from colder climes. After working closely with Börft over many years, Frak inaugurate the newly minded Madrid platform with Diseases.
Although you never truly know what you’re going to get with the Swedish trio, it’s usually something good. Diseases is no exception, the journey heading straight down the electronic rabbit hole. “Span Clarity” occupies the A-Side. A full bodied belter, the opener bulges in the blocks. Clean percussion is bolstered by basslines before keys soar skyward. The track has a real energy and power to it, one for igniting floors and sitting rooms. Sounds begin to blur on the flip. “Cromos Faction” stomps, chords ghost behind flattened beats as drunken keys stagger and sway. “Imagined Rash” comes from a similarly hazy place. Hi-hats poke through a bulwark of burbling bass, jittering feedback and squawk bubbling to the surface.
Staying in Sweden, Celldöd follows his countrymen. The Suction artist, Solvent having been the first to play at Femur, serves up three tracks previously unavailable on vinyl. “Terrorbalans” is a track drowned in distortion. Beats are central, all soaked in static and brazenly strutting into the red. A piece of tempered aggression, at its core “Terrorbalans” is a work of EBM blackened techno. “Socker,” the sibling, is a more experimental effort. Sample circle, warbling keys and beats are subdued as guttural chants boil out of speakers. “Svart Syra” is easier to digest but is still going to cause heartburn for some. Snares crash against a bulwark of twisted metal and buckled bars, broken glass and crushed cars come to mind in this harsh and harrowed grunt. Fishermen take on “Pulsedisco 2,” a track previously released on Suction, with devastating effect. Acid oil is poured over the original, beats are bolstered and an utterly evil interpretation is the product. Mean, menacing and maniacal from the Skudge men.
It’s a curious thing to see the formation from the inside-out. I’ve known Aitor for nearly as long as I’ve been in Madrid. I attended his nights religiously and was even given the honour to DJ there. I know his passion, his enthusiasm, his taste in music. But above all, I know Aitor’s unwavering desire to release top quality electronic music. With all this in mind, and based on the strength of these first two 12”s, a new, interesting, and forward looking label has just been established here in Spain and one, which I have no doubt, will be a success.
Visit Femur on Bandcamp or Soundcloud.
