Favorite Releases from September 2021
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
- Albert Camus
As the air grows crisp and the leaves begin to change, all flavors of the fall season and spectacular foliage of red, golden, and orange signal a beautiful season of new albums, releases, and remixes featuring Shielding, Aspetuck, Arkajo, Forest Drive West, Cleveland, Sputnik One, Tom VR, Surgeons Girl, Synkro & DYL, Sebastian Mullaert, Claudya, and Ripperton.
Shielding
Allt-I-Ett-Musik
Kimochi Sounds
Following the release of the "Ense" EP at the beginning of the year, Swedish producer Shielding returns with his third EP for Chicago-based imprint Kimochi Sounds. "Diffus" is built on the foundations of its predecessors with a substantial quotient of fractured polyrhythms and a vibrant palette of spectral ambient and dubbed-out electronic textures.
The tone of the release is immediately established on the opening track, "Allt-I-Ett-Musik." Evocative moods and microtonal vibrations are drawn in by rhythmic loops while subtle piano chords and more ambient sounds drift around them, forming shimmering, mirage-like structures.
Aspetuck
Lost The Key
Lyssna Records
The rising producer Aspetuck crafts another record which complements coherently the previously released music for the XL8R+ series, This Is Our Time, A Friend In Need, and Lagaffe Tales. The four-track "Lost The Key" EP creates an instrumental mosaic of acid-tinged rhythms, rich textures, and subtle melodies.
The opening title track floats into the void through rolling acid-driven rhythm and shifting synth melodies evoking surrealistic soundscapes languidly drifting through space.
Arkajo
Truth (Forest Drive West Remix)
Arkajo
Arkajo releases the third installment on his own imprint. Entitled "Arkajo 3," the record is built with a focus on funk-infused breakbeat-driven rhythms combined with tribal elements, dark ambient sounds, and electronics. The contrasting two-track package comes complete with two remixes from the UK-based producer Forest Drive West and Swedish stalwart Ebende.
East London artist Forest Drive West gives the "Truth" a unique twist. He layers its sonic landscape with resonant, organic tones and textures over the deep techno rhythms imbued with an eerie ambiance.
Cleveland
Golem
Kalahari Oyster Cult
Luxembourg-based producer Cleveland returns to Kalahari Oyster Cult with his first solo material of 2021. "Golem" EP carries the familiar abstract retro-futuristic sound that lies underneath infectious rhythms and vintage resonance. The record features three original tracks and a remix from Kalahari Oyster Cult affiliate Junes.
A perfectly executed and rhythmically abstract sonic adventure, "Golem" breaks forward with intricate percussion shifts, colorful swirls of blips'n’bleeps, and injected with a leftfield vibe electro flourishes.
Sputnik One
Microbead
Wisdom Teeth
Facta and K-LONE's Wisdom Teeth welcomes Sputnik One to the family with the "Love From Above" EP. The Dublin-based promising artist follows up his 2021 "Warm Body" EP released on Wall Street Records with four tracks melding influences from broken techno and syncopated UK bass laced with a tribal energy and psychedelic accents. Here is what the label intended to say about the release:
"Fans of his standout outing on Well Street Records earlier this year will have a good idea of what to expect here: uniquely voiced and refreshingly forward-thinking bass-heavy club tracks at a range of tempos, all unified by a distinct sonic palette that pits glossy digital synths against raw organic samples and found sounds."
Sputnik One opens the EP with "Microbead" pairing his extravagant broken-beat fusion approach with an underlying funk-inspired quality.
Tom VR
Partner
All My Thoughts
London-based multi talented artist Tom VR unveiled his second album for Seb Wildblood's "All My Thoughts" imprint marking a fourth appearance on the label. "Please Keep Shimmering" LP was conceived in 2020 due to a long creative process during the lockdown and work-related stress. The ten-track album draws from a rich tapestry of ambient minimalism, atmospheric drum & bass, breakbeat, and elegant downtempo.
In artist own words: "It permeates through the screen of your computer and into your life. As you much as you try to disconnect afterward, doing this every day while isolated in your home, can get strange. I started to lose confidence in what I was doing creatively and why I was doing it. "
"I sometimes envision my creativity like a flame shimmering. I was constantly worried about it fading out. This album is a sonic reminder to anyone that when you feel burned out and exhausted, searching for the spark deep in your chest can feel impossible, but you have to believe it still exists."
"Partner," the album's fourth track, is a gorgeous blending of musical impressionism colored by breakbeat rhythm intricately weaving in and out of beautiful, sparkling melodies.
Surgeons Girl
Grass Labyrinth
Livity Sound
Perevelist's mighty Livity Sound marks its tenth anniversary with the extensive compilation featuring 19 artists from the label's roster, which "present an honest document of where the label is at in the present moment." "Molten Mirrors" is a collection of 18 tracks that includes contributions from Azu Tiwaline, Forest Drive West, Batu, Two Shell, Surgeons Girl, Facta, Hodge, Bruce, Simo Cell, Peverelist & Kowton, among others. "Club music continues to mutate and break new ground with each passing year, and as a faithful document of one microcosm within an ever-expanding music culture, Molten Mirrors reflects the multifaceted, technicolour energy of the here and now while celebrating the possibilities of an open, unpredictable future," the label explains.
"Grass Labyrinth" by Bristol-based audiovisual artist Surgeons Girl closes the compilation in a lavishly cavernous cosmic atmosphere created by melodically expressive synth and irresistible percussive rhythms.
Synkro & DYL
Voices
re:st
UK artists Synkro and DYL have joined forces to create a beautiful EP full of dreamy and evocative vibes. Filled with an infectious groove and pristine sound effects, the four-track "Empty Faces" presents an immersive world of atmospheric Drum & Bass.
The opening track "Voices" combines cinematic and futuristic moods into a singular musical expression with shifting breaks dancing alongside elegant melodies and cinematic atmospheres.
Sebastian Mullaert
No Menace
Kilómetro 4.5
Tulum-based Kilómetro 4.5 launches the record label with an outstanding selection of pioneering producers contributing a diverse collection of tracks exclusively for the occasion. Branching out from the Papaya Playa Project umbrella, its curators have created an exceptional home for electronic music idols and up-and-coming artists alike.
"Compilation Vol. 1" features tracks by Dorisburg, Sebastian Mullaert, Wareika and Kalabrese.
A high-class, sublime, percussive, introspective, dancefloor masterpiece from an all-star line-up that inaugurates a brand new label! Welcome to the world of Kilómetro 4.5.
Claudya & Ripperton
Hey Kid (Ripperton Remix)
Mina Records
Swiss house music maestro Ripperton teamed up with his long-time friend and Mina Records label boss Claudya, formerly known as Masaya, to deliver the "Can You Realize" EP. The gorgeous package offers one original title track by Claudya and two remixes of "Hey Kid" creatively co-produced by both artists. Unique in their approach and feel, both versions emphasize the vision of each artist taking this track to sonically different places.
Ripperton's take on "Hey Kid" accentuates his iconic mixture of melancholy and beauty intensified by the poetic melodicism of subtle rhythms and elegant vocals.