Favorite Releases from March 2023
Look at winter
With winter eyes
As smoke curls from rooftops
To clear cobalt skies.
Breathe in winter
Past winter nose:
The sweet scent of black birch
Where velvet moss grows.
Walk through winter
With winter feet
On crackling ice
Or sloshy wet sleet.
Look at winter
With winter eyes:
The rustling of oak leaves
As spring slowly nears.
- Douglas Florian
Spring has quietly arrived in the electronic music realm with its fresh and vibrant musical colors, exciting albums, releases, and remixes in the likes of I:Cube, Ronny Pinazza, Normal Stage, Sanguine, .Vril, Dorisburg, Mown, Andrea, Chestnut People, and Serge Geyzel. Tracks are listed in no particular order.
I:Cube
0_0_01_48
Versatile Records
Parisian veteran producer Nicolas Chaix, better known as I:Cube, returns for his first self-titled album in a decade. Multilayered and mostly inspired by his 'Cubo Live Sessions' series, the artist provides improvised vibrant sonic canvasses created almost entirely on hardware machines and recorded in real-time with minimal editing. Here is what the label intends to say about this release:
“I:Cube has made a new album. It is a very “hands on” album, as the eight tracks on show were created almost entirely by improvising with electronic hardware – synthesizers, sequencers, drum machines and effects units – and recorded in real time, with very little after-editing. It is also his first album in a decade, should you be keeping track.
During the time he spent recording it, which was in part inspired by the processes behind his ‘Cubo Live Sessions’ series, I:Cube had fun, experimented, unleashed the raw, primitive energy of his machines, and emptied his head of thought. The resultant tracks are instinctive, immersive and otherworldly, driven by the emotion of the moment rather than the formulaic structures of dance music. They are unpolished and immediate, but also immersive and sincere. “
Brimming with dynamism and vibrancy, “0_0_01_48” is drawing immersive atmospheres through deep techno rhythms and widescreen pads, gently blurring the line between the futurism of gentle synth melodies and an emotional twist of analog past.
Ronny Pinazza
Beta
Cellar Door
Ronny Pinazza brings deep, shape-shifting meditative sounds to UK-based Cellar Door records with a new EP “Meandri dell'anima.” Across its 4 tracks, the artist explores abstract and aquatic low-slung techno worlds by blending textured ambient and fluid, abstract patterns of rhythmic disarray.
In the artist’s own words:
“It was then that I realized I could make the experience even more special. I took pieces of my original one-hour meditation track and split it into four parts, offering a new adventure with each piece. And so, I invite you, dear listener, to join me on this quirky and mystical journey. Grab your imaginary headphones and let me guide you to a place of peace and tranquility, where you can unlock the secrets within and find enlightenment in the depths of your soul.”
The closing track, “Beta” is an intrinsic beauty of meditative, deep, and atmospheric techno rhythms, bass frequencies, and subtle vibrations of distant melodic timbres.
Normal Stage
FV1
Amplify Records
After a 3 year hiatus, Normal Stage is back at Amplify with his ‘Funny Valleys’ EP. The first composition opens up with a dub tech micro rhythm which evolves gradually along with heavenly-like vocal atmospheres. A little riff modulates along with the hypnotic synthtopia and chord stabs vibrate as they are washed over by their dub echoes. In the second track, the raspy atmospheric pads and bouncy dub tech prepare us for a tour in the depths of dextrous tape echo tweaking. Empty land, misty air and a calm atmo that becomes entangled through live fx manipulation are the gists of a deep listening experience. Track 3 is an audio pool of dreamesque digitalia. Slomo dub and nostalgic melodies evaporate in the deep jungle of the tropics. The locked dub groove which dominates track 4 takes us on a journey into a spiral of dark vibrations and tense echo manipulation. On the whole, Normal Stage delivers a playful, improvised yet profound and structured body of work which are traits of his unique sound signature. Time turns into space, sound, accidents and tape hiss.
Sanguine
First Leaves
Sure Thing
The New York-based record label Sure Thing presents its first label compilation, “My Own Mirror To Stay.” Composed of six tracks, the record unites electronic music producers from all corners of the globe featuring music from Sanguine, Lukas Urban, McGregor, ENA, Will Alfred and Soreab. Each artist “provides an acutely personal reflection of the dance floor suspended in a singular crystalline moment, from wide-eyed to weightless, together seeking new horizons inward and out.”
Embracing an immersive atmosphere, Sanguine‘s “First Leaves” brings a spring vibe interwoven with dreamy floating harmonies elevated by the distant voices in and around the hypnotic downtempo groove.
.Vril
Sohn
Delsin Records
Channeling his own explorations in search of the soul inside the machine, .VRIL draws from the deep well of his live performances to present his third LP for Delsin, Animist. Inside lie 12 pieces that seem to probe at the unknowable distance between tangible consciousness and the astral plane, imbuing even the most seemingly synthetic of materials with a living essence. Given his illustrious back catalog, it’s no surprise to hear VRIL conjure explicitly electronic music with such loaded emotional impact and seemingly organic animus, but in the process, he also toys with the idea of how far the technology’s spiritual potential can reach. The closing track, “Sohn” has been featured in Delayed’s “TRACK OF THE MOMENT” rubric.
“The track 'Sohn,' the closing track of the album, is a perfect example of his mastery of sound design. Sohn's blend of raw sentiment made of lush pads and intricate details creates a soundscape that takes the listener through a range of emotions. The track's wonderful crescendo is the perfect ending to an energetic album, leaving the listener satisfied and emotionally moved. The track is hauntingly beautiful and profoundly moving, leaving a lasting impression on the listener long after the song ends.“
Dorisburg
Voices
Aniara Recordings
Following four years of hiatus, Aniara Recordings returns to a groove with the release from Dorisburg, who inaugurates the first of three new Aniara 12” releases. Entitled “Aniara28: Voices”, the two-track record showcases the artist’s signature intelligently crafted atmospheric hypnotism.
On the A-side, the opening track ”Voices” is carried by an elegant tapestry of evocative acid-tinged soundscapes, infectious bassline, and percussion-dominated rhythm injected with endless atmospheric minimalism.
Andrea
Lush In End (Drum Version)
Ilian Tape
Italian producer Andrea unveiled his sophomore full-length album for Ilian Tape, “Due In Color.” Offering up twelve diverse tracks elegantly manicuring with artistic drum programming, Andrea creates fine fusions between breakbeat, IDM, and atmospheric soundscapes. Here is what the labels intend to say about this album:
“Andrea’s second album “Due In Color“ was primarily created in 2020 and 2021. During these crazy and decelerated times he explored more hazy and experimental Jazz, which inspired him to use more acoustic sounds in his productions. Dark loud clubs are in a far away distance, while Andrea takes us to wonderful blooming fields.”
”Lush In End (Drum Version)“ is one of the many stand-out tracks on the album. It utilizes delicate atmospheric tones and airy synth sequences layered over mesmerizing tranquility infused with vividly expressed breakbeat drum patterns.
Mown
The Cave
On Board Music
Laura BCR’s On Board Music continues its hot streak into 2023 with a brand new various artist complication, “Point D.” The fourth installment of the Point mini compilation series “dives deep into a colorful and rhythmically unpredictable collection.” The resulting sonic landscape reaches far and beyond from the utopian spirit of Jin’s “Spring,” polymorphic beauty of Polygonia’s
“Avifauna”, drone-infused ominous tranquility of Laura BCR’s “Enter” to artists like Ukrainian duo Na Nich & Vera Logdanidi, who veers between deep and low-slung grooves, Nicole’s infectious techno “Much”, or Mown’s ostentatiously beautiful “The Cave.”
Rich with dubbed-out electronic textures, infectious rhythms, and evocative motifs, the slow-burning “The Cave” is deftly underpinned with drifting electronic ripples with drums and atmospheric sounds.
Chestnut People
III
Exo Recordings International
Exo Recordings International introduces the first collaborative project in its history. The Canadian producer Priori and German Exo Rec. founder Ludwig A.F. join forces to create a little slice of happiness that comes with the labels guarantee: works at the club, works at home!
The eponymously titled record sees the duo moving with real style and grace. The four-track package is a dazzling sonic exploration of downtempo electronica with a sublime tinge.
The second track, ‘III’ transports listeners into the duo’s reflective dimension of nostalgic downtempo electronica filled with melancholic harmonies and liquid atmospheric sounds.
Serge Geyzel
As Fallen Leaves
Brokntoys
Berlin-based multitalented producer and musician Serge Geyzel continues to show his impeccable talent with the release of his new “All fallen Leaves” EP through London’s imprint Brokntoys. The dazzling four-track package channels delicate torrents of vibrant broken rhythms danced in harmoniously sequenced melodies and beautiful sonic effects.
The title track, “All Fallen Leaves,” is a nuanced futuristic journey into a sublime electronic world of driving breakbeat-driven rhythms, liquid melodic elements, and atmospheric flourishes, all cloaked in abstract lyricism.