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!

try out the new LP from ZEITGEBER

quite graciously, the stroboscopic artefacts crew is offering up a full soundcloud stream of the full-length album from zeitgeber, AKA speedy j and lucy, which is officially due for release next week. glitchy, experimental soundscapes abound, along with a few expansive techno constructs... check it out below.

anatomy picks: movement 2013

yes, really lame, i know: i won't be traveling to detroit this weekend for movement 2013. (it hurts, seriously.) but! that won't stop me from pointing out some artists that i think are worth seeing, should there be any detroit-bound techno fiends in need of some tips. this is certainly not a comprehensive list, as the festival's lineup looks particularly good this year. nonetheless, i submit these ten anatomy picks for your consideration:
[UPDATE. lucy and marcel dettmann have canceled their appearances due to - you guessed it - "visa issues".]

LUCY the stroboscopic artefacts boss has a two-hour slot to open the underground stage. intriguingly, lucy is booked before a pair of (relatively) more house-oriented dj's in nina kraviz and steffi. but i'd be surprised if he did not stuff that room full of dark, atmospheric techno. anyway, lucy is certainly one of the movement 2013's most forward-thinking bookings. an excellent reason to get to the festival early, and my top pick for saturday at hart plaza. underground stage, saturday, 2-4pm

DAVE CLARKE his previous detroit appearances are seemingly spoken of only in hushed, reverent tones, and he does not play the US very often (up until a few years ago, it had been close to a decade since his last visit). a rare stateside opportunity - on the big stage, no less - to see the so-called "baron of techno" at work. rbma stage, saturday, 8:30-10pm

BEN KLOCK b2b MARCEL DETTMANN oh how this duo should have gotten a longer set. methinks techno heads surely would have been satisfied with a slimmed-down program where klock and dettmann would have three or more hours to work with; at least, it would be more must-see if they had a longer set time. still, look for these two berghain favorites to hit it pretty hard while they can. underground stage, sunday, 7:30pm-9:15pm

AUDION hooray for the return of audion! i've grown a bit weary with matthew dear's 'pop' meanderings over the past few years; it's usually interesting stuff, but i think he's better when he gets out of his big black car and dives into the intensely hypnotic sounds of his audion alias. there's hardly been any new material or live shows from audion in three or four years. and now there's this return to detroit (he's also billed for wavefront festival in chicago in july). dare we hope for more action from audion this year? rbma stage, sunday, 8-9pm

DANIEL BELL i'd be a fool if i didn't recommend some of detroit's top homegrown talent, because as usual, there's a ton of it at the festival. you could probably get a pretty wide-reaching history lesson by setting up shop at the made in detroit stage all weekend. i'd also recommend checking out terrence parker and ryan elliott, to name a just a few, but my top pick of the locals is daniel bell, whose closing set is likely to be filled with smooth, minimalist techno and house. made in detroit stage, sunday, 9pm-close

PLANETARY ASSAULT SYSTEMS unfortunately, this one has a bunch of overlap with daniel bell's set. if you've got the courage, the underground stage is the place to be sunday evening, as it marks a very rare US appearance for luke slater - and his live alias, planetary assault systems (he'll also be dj'ing at an afterparty, see below). slater is one of my favorite artists: his 2011 album the messenger, produced as PAS, ranked #2 on my top LPs from that year, and to my ears, it's been unmatched by almost every techno album released since then. either way, he certainly ranks among the genre's finest, most open-minded talents. this is my top pick for sunday - and for the entire weekend! underground stage, sunday, 9:15-1030pm

DABRYE tadd mullinix is a man of many hats. one of them, dabrye, is filled with abstract hip-hop jams. though i only occasionally tune in these days, his 2001 LP one/three was one of my first "favorite" electronic albums. this set could be pretty good way to ease into monday afternoon. rbma stage, monday, 3pm-430pm

ECHOLOGIST aka brendon moeller, he'll be opening up the underground stage on monday. the charmingly spaced-out echologist album subterranean was (like the PAS LP) one of my favorites back in 2011, but i'd expect him to be a bit more floor-friendly with this set. underground stage, monday, 2-3:30pm

MIKE PARKER he just played an unsurprisingly fantastic set here for his chicago debut, and i'm sure his bag will be properly packed as he plays the festival for the first time (and he'll be playing a friday-night party in his detroit debut, see below). consider mike my top pick of monday's program. underground stage, monday, 3:30-5pm

RROSE okay, now i'm just going through monday's underground program one by one - i'll stop now, but it's really that good, especially on the front end. mysterious man/woman rrose has been moving beyond his affiliation with the (apparently) defunct sandwell district, and further refining her psychedelic style via his own label, eaux. this set should have your head swirling by the end. underground stage, monday, 5-6pm

... and then there's a whole catalog of afterparties happening around detroit. i helped write this guide over at RA, which i think is pretty comprehensive. then there's this very long listing. here's some quick recommendations, along with a few choice artist picks.

friday
perc trax showcase - the works | perc, mike parker, rrose
smart bar/tv lounge opening party and bbq - tv lounge | derek plaslaiko, cassy

saturday
CLR detroit - st. andrew's hall | marcel dettmann b2b radio slave
deep detroit v.5 - 1515 broadway | kyle hall, norm talley, kai alce

sunday
interface 42 - scene 10 - the works | luke slater, rødhåd (top afterparty pick), silent servant
ok, cool - tv lounge | rick wade, mike huckaby, michael mayer
ghost in the sound - 4264 grand river ave. | deepchord presents echospace, population one (aka terrence dixon)

monday
klockworks label night - the works | recondite, ben klock

... and that's all from me. what shall i be doing this weekend, you might ask? i'll probably be staying indoors and off my feet, listening to music, and menacingly closing my curtains. to those going: safe travels, stay out of trouble and have fun!

speedy j and lucy reveal their ZEITGEBER project

electric deluxe boss speedy j and stroboscopic artefacts mastermind lucy are teaming up to release an album under the name zeitgeber. the self-titled eight-tracker will come out on SA by way of a 2xLP pack - the first album to be released on the label in that format. (it'll also be released digitally.) zeitgeber looks to be filled with cerebral techno pointed away from the dance floor... given each artist's experimental tendencies, the project sure seems like a natural pairing. as usual, SA studio wizards dadub - who recently put out their own very nice album you are eternity as well as an RA podcast, and who also mixed anatomy 13 way back in april 2011 as part of this blog's series of stroboscopic mixes - will handle the mastering.

zeitgeber hits the streets on june 10th. check the tracklist and artwork below, and add this to your list of LPs to look out for in 2013.

A1 Closely Related
A2 These Rhythms
A3 Skin
B1 None Of Their Defects
B2 From Here
C Now Imagine
D1 Before They Wake
D2 Display 24

fresh mixes

we're taking a break from our regularly scheduled programing - the 'SA anatomized' project - to talk about a few other mixes making their way around the internet. dadub's anatomy mix is coming soon but for now, check these out:

yuka - heart of darkness [nu podcast 027] moscow-based artist yuka serves up a deliciously dark brew of slow-burning techno. no tracklist, but check out the accompanying text on soundcloud, where yuka offers a bit of insight into her approach to music.

forward strategy group - CLR podcast 111 yes! anatomy mixers smear and patrick walker join forces as FSG for an excellent set of twisted, relentless techno for chris liebing's mix series. it's basically a live set, with tons of unreleased stuff from the corporate family. check that first link for a direct mp3 download, and head to mixes db for the full tracklisting.

jan kruger - CB 076 i've been paying attention to jan kruger for some time now. he barely ever produces music (check out his slim discogs page) but as a dj he has very good tastes, as seen in this set for clubberia. the theme here is house music pitched quite sensually around 120bpm, so be patient: the tracks are given time to stretch out and breathe as the mix digs into a deep groove, culminating in an excellent blend between basic channel's 'quadrant dub' and luomo's 'class' and ultimately leading to an emotional finish.

irakli - night will fly you there i met irakli in barcelona in june of 2009 during sonar week. we managed to stay in contact and it turns out he's also a vinyl addict, as well as being quite the intriguing visual artist (he created the image at the top of this blog post). check out the tracklisting: tons of abstract techno gems. for more info on irakli, check out his homepage design provocation.

hubble - mixture 2 last but not least, a set of sounds from a promising new mix series at the brussels-based mixture blog. born in italy but now living in berlin, hubble takes a pleasantly abstract approach to both his productions and his studio mixes. for nearly 100 minutes here, he plunges into a steady, driving groove, forming long, hypnotic loops into an organic whole. for dancefloors or headphones... very nice.


okay, that's all for now... but if you need a stroboscopic fix right away, you're in luck, with lucy in the mix for RA255! otherwise, stay tuned: lucky anatomy 13 will go live very soon....