In rotation for the past several weeks, this multi-view reveals the latest (electro) sonic landscape from 7 talented musicians. Plenty of brittle, glitch, abstract, noisy, mechanical and bass-infused sounds with releases by 96 Back, Datacrashrobot, IXRQ, Julia Bondar, NonZero!, SIM80, and XY0815 (and remix support by Jensen Interceptor, Happa & Jabes, Sync 24, and Volruptus)
96 Back :: Issue In Surreal (Central Processing Unit)
Four original tracks and four remixes, 96 Back maintains a colorful blips’n bleeps electro prowess and originality on Issue In Surreal, a dense assortment of raw electronics and modular rhythms that keeps everything afloat even with its brightly polished composition. It’s when the melodies on “Typeface 333” glitter that we get a good glimpse into the 96 Back’s ability to keep a lightened mood. On remix duty are Jensen Interceptor, Happa & Jabes, Sync 24, and Volruptus—all detailing their versions with a darker hue in signature abstract electro molds. Ultimately, a baffling array of triggered electro’nics set to reignite the genre and take us straight into the ’20s with plenty of fuel left over.
Datacrashrobot :: Bytestream EP (Lasergum)
The Romanian sonic sculptor (aka Sorin Paun) revisits his Datacrashrobot moniker for four experimental electro/acid slices with the title track flickering its bass thuds and rugged rhythms across a myriad of glitch tentacles. It’s a formula that is tried and true—and with Datacrashrobot behind the cables, tracks like “Phased Array” set the patches on fire as they come to life with an old-school structure. “Simultaneous Multithreading” ties this release together with darker glitch breaks and furious undertones revealing that this busy artist still has enough ideas to keep one of his electro alias’ active and engaged.
IXRQ :: Wielding Hand EP (SEQ:RUN)
Four tracks and a mind-altering collection of classic electro that is raw, rugged, and robotic from all angles—IXRQ warms up modular machines with added vocal bits on tracks like “Et Cetera” and “Valve Fashioned”—keeping a high-octane mix of acid-bass roughness and melodic sandblasting. “Cities” is perhaps the highlight sonic artifact, its ’80s synthesized edginess has an unstoppable inertia from the start. A lively extended player offering vintage electronic music with a futuristic slant.
Julia Bondar :: In My Neighborhood (Detroit Underground)
Suited for late night warehouse events, In My Neighborhood oozes with a rugged/classic techno quality that is simple yet effective, dark, and utterly propulsive. Each piece a pseudo slow-motion reiteration of itself, the rumbling bass lines and raw thuds coalesce like a molten lava flow. The backbone of vintage machines are warmed up and imploding with textured viscosity. Reminiscent of early Adult. and The Final Cut, Julia Bondar maintains a sense of clinical precision via darker techno strains and finds a good home in this Detroit Underground neighborhood.
NonZero! :: Matrix Equation (Touchin’ Bass)
Long lost in the Touchin’ Bass catalog and finally unveiled in November of 2019, Matrix Equation was to be catalog #TB036, and now that the gap is filled and updated for 2019 as its 50th release and “mixed up” by Carl Finlow. The multi-talented guitarist and drummer (Maria Gamboa Perez) isn’t new to the scene and brings forth an album that is full of tension and aggressive. Taking us back to the late 80′ / early 90s, Matrix Equation is chock full of rugged mechanical noises, dystopian rhythms, and harsh beats reminiscent of The Final Cut’s Deep Into The Cut—which saw a re-release in 2016 on We Can Elude Control. What this album does so well is its ability to unearth a myriad of gritty techno slabs with a post-punk aesthetic that is as raw as anything we’ve heard this year. Veering just outside the Touchin’ Bass terrain, Matrix Equation is firmly drenched in sound synthesis and simultaneously cultivates visceral sonic shadows cloaked in industrial electro/techno spheres. A masterpiece in its own field.
SIM80 :: Kinetic Origins EP (Detroit Underground)
A Chicago native, SIM80 continues to venture through swaths of electro and Detroit inspired techno. The Kinetic Origins EP is a sweet collection from earlier this year that we almost missed out on—a six-pack of haunting, curious, and baffling bass with moody melodic hooks. Each piece given just enough low-end punctuation and rhythmic acrobatics to launch into outer space, there’s a certain dosage of nostalgia taking me back to early/mid ’90s era Detroit records that has a vintage quality to it. SIM80 lays it all out in this brisk, hard-punching release well worth adding to your collection.
XY0815 :: XY0815 EP (brokntoys)
Two tracks and enough of a punch to keep our attention, XY0815 exudes finesse on this self-titled two tracker—”Cleo’s Theme’ a dense foray into modular electro and blissful blips and bleeps that is surreal and infectious. On the Drexcyian techno voids of “Geist Körper Synergie,” XY0815 transmits simple yet dancefloor ready rhythms that are fluid and slow moving. While it may seem that two tracks is not enough substance to keep a release engaged, this EP holds a firm grip and simply doesn’t let go.
