Favorite Releases from June 2021
I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June.
– L. M. Montgomery
June continues to resonate as an outstanding month for electronic music bringing fresh releases from incredibly talented artists in the likes of VC-118A, Tom Vernon, Lemna, Innere Tueren, Laura BCR, Forest On Stasys, Orion, Dycide, Mary Yalex, Olorun, Estrato Aurora, and Island People.
VC-118A
Aurora
Delsin Records
Dutch electronic music producer Samuel Van Dijk brings his IDM and techno-infused electro moniker VC-118A to Delsin Records. Releasing music under a wide range of aliases such as Mohlao, Multicast Dynamics, and VC-118A, the multifaceted producer showcases his superb musicianship again on his fourth studio album as VC-118A. Entitled "Spiritual Machines, "the thirteen-track album" encompasses "more fluid shifts into abstract and downtempo, dub-inflected realms, without losing sight of the elements that have made VC-118A so compelling from the beginning." A sophisticated, gently meticulousness makes "Spiritual Machines" an undoubtedly intriguing installment to Samuel Van Dijk's vast catalogue.
A slowly blooming "Aurora" fuses machine-driven electro rhythms with the freeform energy and delicate melodicism of flowing atmospheric textures and dub-influenced effects.
Tom Vernon
Amber Fade
Shall Not Fade
The Swansea-based newcomer Tom Vernon brings dazzling house sensibilities beautifully crafted in a refreshing way with his debut vinyl release on Shall Do Not Fade. Inspired by memories of his travels, the six-track "Amber Fade" EP folding touches of acid, sonic traces of piano melodies, and field recordings into tracks that build on the young producer's charismatically positive aura.
Gorgeously atmospheric, the title track drifts over the hazy instrumentals, field recordings captured during Venon's travel to Japan, and fluttering chords adding the melodic flair to the blissful example of lo-fi house.
Lemna
Malayan Banyan
Delsin Records
Delsin Records on a strike with a fifth release of the Mantis series from Japanese artist Lemna, a solo project helmed by Maiko Okimoto, a composer, and producer based out of Tochigi, Japan. For this release, Lemna creates a unified EP emphasizing the intricately layered and looped drum machine percussion, shifting electronic textures, and endless meditative atmospheres.
The opening track "Malayan Banyan" draws the listener into a reverie with a lush haze of ambiance and meditative techno-utopia, which intertwine with distant bells and hypnotic drums-driven rhythms combined with ambient music psychedelia.
Innere Tueren
Florence
KANN Records
Innere Tueren returns to Leipzig-based KANN records with a new EP ‘WELTEN.’
The driving force behind Innere Tueren is Turkish artist Ergin Erteber, who has previously released a mesmerizing self-titled album on the label. His latest offering, the seven-track 'WELTEN' LP, has been conceived with a rewarding palette of sound timbres, blending evocative washes of dreamy electronica with cinematic instrumental motifs and influences from kraut.
Emanating from gloomy silence, the third track, "Florence," is an elegant and slowly unfurled multi-layered beauty centered around the alchemy of meditative rhythm, atmospheric tones, and light percussive textures.
Laura BCR and Forest On Stasys
5 Elements
SoHaSo
Dutch imprint SoHaSo welcomes the On Board Music label head and Rinse FM resident Laura BCR into the fold with an impressive debut EP. Featuring four original tracks of deep, mood-setting introspective techno, "Initial" EP also includes the collaboration with the Buenos Aires-based producer and Danza Nativa owner, Forest On Stasys.
We had the pleasure of premiering the naturally flowing and immersive "5 Elements" from the EP. Read the full review by Zach Huenink here
Orion
My Streets
RDV Music
RDV Music presents the "Récit De Voyage 4", the fourth installment of their compilation series curated by the label founder Parisian artist, Molly.
The compilation brings together a kaleidoscopic set of tracks that blend deep techno, atmospheric house, and fusion aesthetics. The fourth volume showcases the talents of Mary Yalex, Rein, Katie Drover, Laura BCR, Modern House Quintet, A77EN, Grazon, and Orion.
The compilation closes with "My Streets," by the Italian production tandem Orion. The Milan-based duo dives slowly into mystic realms of the hypnotizing sounds embedded deep within a lattice of driving rhythms, minimal ambient soundscapes, and background vocals.
Dycide
Movement I
Different Exhibition
Different Exhibition is an independent record label that combines the art of painting and sculpture with the art of music. Their third release comes courtesy of the German producer and co-founder of the techno collective "IO" Dycide, who is pairing the David, a sculpture by Michelangelo, with three deep and aquatic techno tracks. The package comes complete with a remix of the track "Movement II" from the talented Blazej Malinowski.
The second track, "Movement I," utilizes the synergy built on gauzy layers of eerie atmosphere, enigmatic techno rhythms, and delicate synth melodies dancing between the razor stabs of sound.
Mary Yalex
Coral Reef
Frank Music
Leipzig-based producer Mary Yalex flexes her musical versatility with the new ambient album released via Frank Music as part of their eponymously titled tapes series. The ten-track "Sentimental Journey" draws on elegant sonic sketches capturing the raw ideas and beautifully molding them into impressionist compositions.
Blooming with ambient flourishes over widescreen pads, "Coral Reef" is bubbling around textures overriding a compelling tom-driven rhythm with lagoons of spacey drift.
Olorun
Instability Of Opacity (Estrato Aurora Remix)
Danza Nativa
Earlier this year, French producer Olorun released his first solo album, "Indirect Image," through Argentinian imprint Danza Nativa. This June sees the four tracks of the long-player getting the remix treatment by Estrato Aurora, Alfred Czital, Simone Bauer, and Lanoche.
With previous releases on On Board Music, Dial Records, Appian Sounds, NNY Records, Estrato Aurora's version of "Instability Of Opacity" veers towards deep and tribal rhythms weaving a trembling sense of tension through sound effects coarsening its edges and organic textures.
Island People
Loneliness Has A Purpose
Raster
After releasing a self-titled debut album back in 2017, Island People are presenting the second album, "II," via the same experimental label, Raster. The masterminds behind the Island People project are the four Scottish-Irish musicians; the sought-after mastering engineer Conor Dalton, grammy award-winning producer David Donaldson, Graeme Reedie, and guitarist Ian Maclennan. "Compared to their debut, »II« sounds more mature and complex," the label describes. "The arrangements unfold like the long tracking shots of an early Antonioni film - time seems to stand still, circling the moment. Impressionistically, one feels transported into the Scottish island landscape with its contrasting lights and harsh elements. Gloomy, darker, richer textures have conquered their space on »II« as much as the more present acoustic components. As much as its predecessor, also this record was skilfully produced, the musicians' entire experience is audible (Conor Dalton is a sought-after mastering engineer; David Donaldson a Grammy Award-winning producer) – but anything fashionable or sensationalist has been intentionally waived. The musical serenity, holding up a craft that neither has to show itself off every minute nor wants to respond to the latest trends impressed us the most."
The delicately balanced track, "Loneliness Has A Purpose " combines an expressive lyricism with dazzling harmonies slowly drawing listeners into a world of everlasting ambient tranquility.