early 2014 albums outlook (part two)

continuing with the second half of my list... (here's part one)

LUCY - CHURCHES SCHOOLS AND GUNS (stroboscopic artefacts) lucy returns with his second album, which comes just about three years after his first. this one sounds even better; the SA boss has only become more focused on detail in the designing his steely, atmospheric techno soundscapes. release date: february 17th, 2014

LUKE VIBERT - RIDMIK (hypercolour) i've never really been a fan of hypercolour, but i'll definitely be seeking out ridmik. it's vibert's first album under his own name since 2009, and it's supposed to have plenty of 303, so yeah. release date: april 7, 2014

LUNATIK SOUND SYSTEM - THE JOURNEY (something) stephan laubner might be best known as STL (see below) but he's also got a beatless album of "relaxing and psychedelic sounds" coming from his other alias, lunatik sound system, due out in the next couple months. release date: march/april 2014

MICK FINESSE - [?] (broken20) denver-based purveyor of "melodramatic death rattles" is readying an album for broken20 (which is home to a personal favorite, isodyne's dreams torn from the sky EP). no other details, but one to keep an eye out for. released date: tba

MILLIE & ANDREA - [?] (modern love?) a new LP from miles whittaker (aka miles aka MLZ aka one half of demdike stare) and andy stott. details for this seem scarce, but FACT says it's due out later this year. release date: tba

MONDKOPF - HADÈS (in paradisum) i can't lie, i've gotten really fucking tired of a lot of "industrial" "noise" "techno" bullshit. but mondkopf has previously put out some interesting stuff (i really liked their joint track with saåadon on last year's the black ideal compilation), so i'm willing to give this one a try. release date: february 5th, 2014 

Ø - KONSTELLAATIO (sähkö) released a couple weeks ago, i'm incredibly excited to finally listen to this. it's the first proper full-length from mika vainio's Ø alias since 2008's excellent oleva LP (heijastuva from 2011 was made up mostly of tracks already out but freshly put on vinyl), so it should be interesting to see where this project is in 2014. release date: late january, 2014

PAN SONIC - OKSASTUS (kvitnu) vainio and ilpo väisänen return! well, not really; this is a new *live* album from the finnish masters of heavy, often-rhythmic noise, pulled from a recording of a show they played in kiev in 2009 for the kvitnu crew. sadly, this is getting a limited and expensive vinyl release, along with a CD release. but with the pan sonic project apparently shelved, it's hard not to bite when 'new' material comes out. release date: february 20th, 2014

PERC - THE POWER AND THE GLORY (perc trax) his first one was pretty good - a proper full-length that was more than just banging techno - and perc's next one is (at least) an early contender for best album artwork of the year. it sounds like another wide-ranging trip, too. currently you can hear the whole thing on RA. release date: february 17th, 2014

POEMSS - POEMSS (planet mu) i partially picked this because of that artwork, but also because it's apparently filled with "dream-like ballads," and because it's a collaboration between venetian snares and joanne pollock. venetian snares, usually a purveyor of harsh, cerebral breakcore, aiming for a big stylistic switch-up... could be interesting. release date: february 11th, 2014
 
SENDAI - A SMALLER DIVIDE (archives intérieure) the second album from this duo of peter van hoesen and yves de mey - their first, 2012's geotope, had some really brilliant moments - and "the result of six months of intense remote collaboration between both artists." it'll come by way of the two artists own label archives intérieure. release date: february 24th, 2014

STL - AT DISCONNECTED MOMENTS (smallville) curiously this one (at least on CD) includes a couple of stl's classics, "neurotransmitting clouds on the secret freeway" and "silent state," but it's on smallville, whose LPs are generally worth a try, so this one is on my to-do list. release date: january 21, 2014

THUG ENTRANCER - DEATH AFTER LIFE (software) the next LP on oneohtrix point never's label, and it comes from a denver native apparently now based in chicago. abstract, angular analog jams abound, touching upon rapid-fire juke and weirdo house and techno. release date: february 10th, 2014

TOBIAS. - A SERIES OF SHOCKS (ostgut ton) he linked up with margaret dygas for a very nice and spaced-out two-tracker late last year, and now "dark and raw techno" is promised on this, tobias freund's second solo album. release date: march 31st, 2014

TODD TERJE - IT'S ALBUM TIME (olsen records) one of today's best disco/house producers is preparing his debut album. disco usually isn't my thing but this one should be a good one, given terje's penchant for penning irresistible gems (ahem, "inspector norse"). release date: april 17th, 2014

UNTOLD - BLACK LIGHT SPIRAL (hemlock recordings) the debut label from hemlock boss untold. his more recent output has interested me the most (he's been hit or miss otherwise, i say), and this one sounds more unhinged than his previous EPs, yet still strangely cohesive... release date: february 24th, 2014

VERMONT - VERMONT (kompakt) this one is billed as an "ambient project" of innervisions artist marcus worgull and danilo plessow, aka motor city drum ensemble, with "loose jams sessions" apparently led by "an armada of vintage analogue synthesizers." you can try out this track from the album, which sounds like it'll be at least a decent addition to the kompakt catalog. release date: march 17th, 2014


... well then, lots to look forward to. also, i'm happily finally able to say truthfully that there'll be a few more anatomy mixes soon!

early 2014 albums outlook (part one)

we're about six weeks into the year, and on my radar i've spotted a few dozen albums worth keeping track of. some have already been released, and there's a bunch more due to arrive in the next few months. exciting! here's the first half my list, arranged (i think) in alphabetical order.

ACHTERBAHN D'AMOUR - ODD MOVEMENTS (acid test) this one, from the duo of iron curtis and edit piafra, was actually just released. we're promised "a wintry retreat from the club" that's heavy on the 303. release date: early february, 2014

AMBIQ - AMBIQ (arjuna) a collaborative project from experimental producer max loderbauer, clarinetist claudio puntin and percussionist samuel rohrer. having recently discovered the joys of loderbauer's debut solo LP from last year, transparenz, and having heard the very cool stuff he's been making with vladislav delay as heisenberg, i'm really interested in hearing what he's up to next. release date: february 14th, 2014

ARCHANGEL (aka BRUNO PRONSATO) - THE BEDROOM SLANT (foom music) a 'new' project from bruno pronsato that actually seems to have begun last year, it apparently has the experimental house producer working more with live instrumentation, on a sound that's more informed by rock and post-punk music. should be interesting, given bruno's roots as a (speed metal) drummer. release date: april 7th, 2014

BROCK VAN WEY - HOME (echospace [detroit]) just released, and i wrote this RA news about it. it's more than two and a half hours long and you can hear it all at the label's bandcamp page. release date: february 9th, 2014

D.Å.R.F.D.H.S. - DET STORA OVÄSENDET (clan destine) with a really long name, the swedish duo of varg (i did an RA review for his misantropen LP last year; he also collaborates with anatomy favorite abdulla rashim as ulwhednar) and michel isorinne, specialize in dark, wintry ambient soundscapes, as previously heard on a cassette release for funeral fog records last year. this one will come out on vinyl limited to 250 copies. release date: february 14th, 2014

DONATO DOZZY & NUEL - THE AQUAPLANO SESSIONS (spectrum spools) kudos to editions mego offshoot spectrum spools for doing this reissue of dozzy and nuel's first two records on their own label aquaplano. these days, the original versions command ridiculous prices over at discogs, so hopefully these hypnotizing techno tracks will reach more eyes and ears in 2014. release date: march 4th, 2014

EDIT SELECT - PHLOX (prologue) the next album on munich's prologue imprint is the full-length debut for glasgow's edit select, and prologue promises a mix of sounds including "emotional ambient tracks" and "hypnotic" dancefloor stuff. release date: march 3rd, 2014

EFDEMIN - DECAY (dial) it's the german producer's third album, recorded in kyoto, japan and focusing on "the deeper side of techno." (you can learn more by way of this RA news/interview piece) i wasn't too keen on his previous two LPs but this one sounds very, very interesting... release date: march 31st, 2014

EKOPLEKZ - UNFIDELITY (planet mu) the label likens this album to "the fuggy feeling of a teenage bong intake" and talks about a "dreamy, nocturnal feel" - two very appealing descriptions, methinks! release date: march 10th, 2014

EOMAC - SPECTRE (killekill) as one half of lakker and on his own as eomac, this UK producer has crafted an intriguing array of genre-jumping tracks over the past few years, usually with raw, heavy percussion and druggy atmospheric vibes. this will be his debut album, and berlin's killekill describes it as "a unique mix of distorted techno, slow-mo lo-fi hymns, and breaky, wonky dubstep/rave experiments." release date: sometime in april, 2014

FRANCIS HARRIS - MINUTES OF SLEEP (scissor & thread) the second album from francis harris (aka adultnapper), following 2012's leland, composed in dedication to his late father. this one is a tribute to his late mother. expect another dose of lush, indie-tinged, heavily emotional house music. release date: february 24th, 2014

HANDS (aka THE FIELD) - THE SOUL IS QUICK (ecstatic) axel willner is well known for the looping, ambient-ish techno he produces as the field, mostly for cologne institution kompakt - and late last year, his source material was reshaped into a lovely pair of remixes from wolfgang voigt's magnificent GAS project (which had been silent for years). this new alias, hands, seems like it'll be a darker, noisier endeavor, one conceived as "a protest record" and inspired by "human decay." release date: february 10th, 2014

JEFF MILLS - CHRONICLES OF POSSIBLE WORLDS (axis) the latest album project from the mighty jeff mills is a soundtrack made to be broadcast from suits worn by choreographed dancers, and inspired by the axis boss's study of exoplanets. release date: january, 2014 

JULIUS STEINHOFF - FLOCKING BEHAVIOUR (smallville) a co-founder of smallville, steinhoff recently revealed details for his debut solo LP. i'm expecting some smooth, deep and vibrant shades of house for this one. release date: springtime, 2014

KANGDING RAY - SOLENS ARC (raster-noton) this is the album i'm looking forward to the most in early 2014. kangding ray has turned into one of my favorite producers; i think each of his previous three LPs has its own enduring value, and each shows a clear sense of stylistic progression as he's gradually refined his evocative, abstract approach to techno. and look out, solens arc - whose twelve tracks are to be heard as (side-long) arcs - will be kangding ray's first album put out on vinyl! release date: february 24th, 2014

KASSEM MOSSE - [TITLE TBA] (workshop) yes, great news: kassem mosse, another one of my favorite experimental house/techno producers, has confirmed that his debut solo LP is on the way, and due out "soon" on the always-interesting label workshop. no other details to share for now, but it would probably be a good idea to jump on this one when it comes out, given that workshop releases are often hot commodities. release date: tba 


... and onto part two...