Tripeo: Ugani / Opuvar

It may happen that if we mention the name of Tripeo most of us would not connect the name with the techno scene. But I'm sure that if we say the person behind this moniker is Darko Esser then, the situation would be different.

If you have read some of my previous blog entries I'm sure you have already noticed that I tend to post information about art forms that (for whatever the reason is) don't seem to get the attention of the public but that I think they should do. I mean, I could be posting about lots of releases that will see the dark in the next few days, I also love and play most of them, but all the blogs an webs are already talking about those releases.

That's why I dedicate this blog entry to Tripeo/Darko's last release on Deep Sound Channel, a label that already caught my attention with their first release by ARC# and that I believe as some great things coming over.

I've specially liked Opuvar's construction. Very well worked beats, filtered atmosphere and dense synths.



Press release:

" Following up ARC#'s excellent album is a new series of 12"s from Deep Sound Channel. DSC proudly introduces the pioneering Darko Esser, under his Tripeo moniker to set these series in motion.

Tripeo gouges out chasms of bass for "Ugani". Industrial murmurs are supplanted by earthy rhythm patterns. The ever pervasive clank of the machine is never far away, coils and circuitboards creeping over organic growth to choke and overcome. Insular dub spirals into "Opuvar". Oscillators bend and bulge, waiting for Tripeo to inject ever more voltage. But the temperature is tapered, hi-hats bolstering intensity for a work of cerebral and contained Techno.

Fit for the armchair and subterranean dancefloor, dark and deep from the hands of Tripeo. Comes in special designed artwork, vinyl only. "

Source: http://pullproxy.com/

ARTIST: TRIPEO 

 TITLE: UGANI / OPUVAR 

 LABEL: DEEP SOUND CHANNEL 

 RELEASE DATE: 2013-11-12 

 FORMATS: VINYL

GEORGE ISSAKIDIS: KAREZZA

George Issakidis' new album will see the light next Monday (May 13th).

I ignore the reasons why but I feel like he's one of those artists that didn't get all the attention his music could deserve. He's got not many releases out there but all of them are quality. I still use to fill those special moments on my sets with both of the collabs he made with Speedy J on Novamute. There's also a special track (vinyl exclusive) featuring Speedy J in this album.

Perc and Mickey Moonlight have also collaborated in this release. I've got to say Perc's track is one of the best pieces I've recently discovered.

For those who don't know Issakidis' music, I'd recommend not to expect anything. No styles, no moods... just music, so just listen to it and understand that we're not talking about an average artist but about an artist with a special musical approach.

Press release:

" George Issakidis, true hero of the first „pre-daft punk“ french touch wave with the project THE MICRONAUTS and their hit „the jag“, finally returns after years of semi-silence. His first solo album KAREZZA is highly awaited amongst the early listeners of electro and is to be released in May 2013.Between psychedelia and highly subversive electronic experiments, George Issakidis offers an ambitious LP with great featurings such as Mickey Moonlight (Ed Banger rcds) Perc and a veteran from the techno scene : Speedy J.The album‘s artwork is by the famous Parisian duo M/M, who were recently awarded by a Grammy for their collaboration on the cover of Bjork‘s latest release.CHERRY RED is the first single from the album released digitally on the 4th of March.It‘s the most clubby and discoïd track taken from the LP, and has been remixed by IT‘S A FINE LINE (Ivan Smagghe and Tim Paris). "

More info:

Label. KILL THE DJ RECORDS

Artists. GEORGE ISSAKIDIS

Title. KAREZZA

Format. CD – Digital – Vinyl double pack deluxe edition [ cat n°KTDJ027]

Cat.Number. KTDJCD011

Release Date. May 13th, 2013

Distribution. Physical : KOMPAKT worldwide / DIFFER-ANT for France

Digital : Believe [www.believe.fr]

Domain. www.killthedj.com

Emika: DVA

Ninja Tune announced this week Emika's new album [ZEN199]. June 10th 2013 is the date and the formats will be LP, CD and digital.

The 16 track album can already be previewed on the label's site, and I'm sure fans will be delighted and impatient after visiting it. It appears to me as a more serious and mature sound and, by injecting her usual high bass dose (which never ends on an overdose) Emika shows us again her total control on sounds, mixing at her will synthetic and organic resources to captive listeners on every track.

There's also a free track available to download on the album micro-site (after a quick sign-up)...

One on the top of my to-attend-before-is-too-late shows list!!!

" Emika's forthcoming sophomore album, Dva, is a return to the music of her roots, a triumph of keenly felt and brilliantly expressed reflections of oppression and freedom, be it political, sexual or artistic. Dva is an exploration of self-expression and sound, taking dark dub pop, sound design inspirations and melding them with classical music of her upbringing, taking Emika's production a giant step forward. "

LIBER 1 – METEMPSYCHOSIS by The Hermit

Label. Broque
Artists. The Hermit
Title. Liber 1 – Metempsychosis
Format. Digital
Cat.Number. broque 088
Release Date. February 1st, 2013
Distributor. Beatport
Domain. http://www.broque.de/



It's been a very long time since I listened to such an original music. It reminds me the kind of sounds that hooked me to electronics for life. Some kind of evolution of that music we didn't know how to name two decades ago and nobody dares to classify into a single style nowadays...

I could not find many information about The Hermit, but it's obvious there's a deep work and a very special musician under this name. This release will see the light on February on Broque and this is the presentation letter I've received (thanks to Dina, Philipp and their team):

" The Hermit is Broque’s latest discovery, and is immersed in a fairly mystical aura, what extends as well to his new EP „Liber 1 – Metempsychosis“. As his music suggests, he is far from being a no-name and can look back already to a long and productive history in the Munich techno scene of the 90s. But for now, his past shall remain as mysterious as his music. After an extensive creative break throughout the past years, his recent EP marks not only a fresh start but also a complete turning point where everything that matters lies in the future, not in the past. “Liber 1” is filled with symbolism and transcendental references, most notably to occultism, kabbalah occultism and one of its most prominent masters, Aleister Crowley. At the same time it opens up a whole new musical microcosm formed out of dub, glitches, electronica and polyrhythmic hip hop. What sounds like an adventurous and mind-blowing combination of Adrian Sherwood, Autechre und King Tubby in fact surprises the listener with every single track. Still, the EP features a charming pop appeal, not least induced by a range of vocalists who bring in some indigenous grounding again. Each and every track tells its very own unfathomable yet engaging story and keeps revealing entirely new facets and storylines continuously. Luckily these stories did not come to an ending yet and we already are looking forward very much to their continuation as part of the upcoming “Liber 2 EP”. "

Cicuta & Heaven to Hell: 10/10 x 10

 Two of the labels I've been following really close since I started to use digital sources to prepare my sets have just released their 10th reference. I'm talking about Cicuta Netlabel and Heaven to Hell Records.


I could be posting separate entries for each label, of course both deserve it. But the fact is although there are important diferences between these two labels, for me both have the same value and I have a special love for them. I like how the creators of Cicuta (Drugstore) and Heaven to Hell (Peter DL-E) managed to quickly put the name of their labels in all our minds with quality music.


How could someone proof that the only way of showing quality is releasing quality? I think this question is the answer itself and Cicuta and HTH are clear examples. And if you check their releases you'll see it. People like Voidloss, Bran Lanen, José Pouj, Quantic Spectroscopy have released with Cicuta so far (and totally free, thumbs up for Cicuta!). The tenth Cicuta is pure quality music, I love their criteria to select the tracks on every release they do and I think this time they've even gone a level higher. And names like Glenn Wilson, Gonzalo MD and Unam Zeniteb among others just confirm that HTH is not playing child games... Check the recently published double release, it's a huge one.


So nothing else to add, two labels to keep an eye on. Two labels to congratulate and that I thought I should mention together.

Portishead 2012

I'm very pleased to say I've just bought my ticket for one of the most important (for me) events I'm going to attend during my life. I've been listening to this group for more than fifteen years, since they published their first album, Dummy. I think no introduction is needed, so I wont be writing a long entry for this, who doesn't know Portishead and their greatness?

Portishead return to Barcelona this summer. The format of the concert, designed by the British group also includes a number of groups chosen by the band and will continue until the morning at Razzmatazz. They will be making two shows in Barcelona so two of the five concerts of their 2012 European tour are going to take place in this city.

Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley are working on what will be their new album, the fourth in study, of which very little is known so far.

More to come...

Senoid Recordings

Everybody knows Kike Pravda but maybe only some of their followers can feel what I feel when talking about him and his work during all these years. When I say "some" I don't pretend to refer to a little quantity of fans (although it is, compared to the total number of followers he's got), neither to mean I'm one of the chosen few (although I was lucky enough to spend some of my late teen years dancing to his early sets on the club that gave him his "surname").

I can't deny it's a fact that my techno evolution has been always guided by some special artists and he's been one of them. Everyone infected by the techno virus during the mid-late 90's in the North of Spain knows what I'm talking about. Sunday mornings were great during some years and we took the chance to learn about those deep, dark and even acid atmospheres that gave sense to the struggle through the week. Yes, I feel proud of see that he keeps fighting as a veteran but still strong techno soldier. I love to see both Psychoskunk Recordings heads keep working and giving amazing results (don't forget Víctor Martínez and his recent album... a masterpiece). And now, Kike has announced he's about to release a new imprint, Senoid Recordings. Was that release on M_REC digital some kind of warning? Lots of questions come to my mind but what I'm sure is this is going to be about quality serious music, real techno!

Good luck and congratulations for this one, Kike.

Djorvin Clain: Pattern Of Thought

This time I'm bringing here another kind of sounds. Another kind because the processes used to create this album have been really different from what we're used to and we can easily feel this difference while listening to the result. Musical landscapes taking the listener to somekind of round travel from the purest forests to the center of the universe. The album includes some ambient pieces combined with some more dub almost techno tracks. All together form a  perfectly written (on sounds) story that no audiophile should miss.

I'm talking about last Silent Season album release, by Djorvin Clain:

Pattern Of Thought speaks a believers language. It was created and processed with care. We experience time and our conscious emotions in a most individual space of mind. Our thoughts are formed by what we feel. Our own personal diary, the mind and heart guides us through.

All tracks and sounds where recorded in Belgium with the use of hardware instruments and several recording techniques, from field recordings to reel to reel tape. The sounds of the album are kept authentically as possible, away from what was happening in the music world around me, it is a deepest personal reflection.

Pattern Of Thought is best listened without headphones, on a comfortable level in the right environment for sound. Written & produced by Djorvin Clain.

Source: silentseason.com

February techno promo set

Anahata (Sanskrit: अनाहत, Anāhata) is the fourth primary chakra according to the Hindu Yogic and Tantric (Shakta) traditions.
In Sanskrit the word anahata - means unhurt, un-struck and unbeaten. Anahata Nad refers to the Vedic concept of unstruck sound, the sound of the celestial realm.

Lots of music have passed trough my ears during this month. Some of the tracks are available for free and some of them are not, but what it's obvious is that techno has lived a great evolution during the last two years and I think no one has been able to scape from the influence of this new era, no matter the format... and I'm not an exception. I feel really comfortable playing with those so called Berlin sounds and I like to mix them with some non regular 4x4 techno tracks when I think it's needed.

I've recently discovered the music of the BCR Boys and I found on it that kind of effective darkness that in my opinion is perfect to punish any dancefloor. I came across some BCR free tracks on soundcloud so I've used it alongside some other free tracks that Mattias Fridell and Plus Eins generously offer to their regular fans.

I also find really interesting Isomer Transition's and Peel Seamus' (one of Marsel Delsin's alias) music but never used any of their tracks on a set, so I felt this was the right time to use two of them to mark what I think are the two turning points of this set.

There are also tracks from Mike Dehnert (pure fun for a dj), Pigon and Mr. Van Hoesen among others... It may sound even a bit trendy using so much of their music on the same set but hey, this is all about having fun and telling a musical story and, as I said before, I feel really comfortable using this kind of sounds for that purpose.

I hope you also have fun listening to the result. Any comment is more than welcome:

   humo - techno promo - febrer 2012 by humo

January chart

First chart of 2012 (a bit late). January uses to be more quiet when talking about releases and this has not been a big exception.

The first record I've added to my list this month is a quite deep two track EP that I'm really enjoying. I'm talking about the 8th reference on Dekmantel. 

My second choice, has been Chimera EP on one of the most difficult to type (for me, of course) but most active labels during the last 3-4 years: Nachtstrom Schallplatten. Yes, I know, that's not such a long name. I have memorized lots and lots of labels and references. But when I try to write the name of this one, I always put a letter in a wrong place or something like that... Pure darkness on an EP that I'll play a lot. Specially Perc's remix, a quite industrial track that makes want to dance agressively. Both tracks by Ralph Mirto are also great if you want to deliver some punishment to the dancefloor.

Figure is one of my favourite record labels and A. Mochi has always been a really interesting artist for me. If you check this EP you will know what I'm talking about. I think "Black Reign" and "Phantom" could be a great definition of what could be considered Figure's message when looking into its pure dark techno oriented side, and "Stray" contains the restrained dose of dub that this label uses to supply.

Let's go a bit more serious and continue punishing the dancers down there with Perc Trax' nr. 51. When it comes to this, this label doesn't use to have any punches, and I love it. I mean, is like when you're buying a Token release. You know that you're getting a very useful tool when looking to get some response.

And as if I were preparing a set right now, I think it would be really effective to continue with any of the tracks included on Gynoid's 8th reference. Original by Sev Dah, remixes by Mr. Suckut, Donor / Truss and Grovskopa (it looks like this is going his last released track for a while...).  I think that could be enough to start a bit of self-punishment if you miss your copy of this... I think this could be my favourite on this chart, and I'm sure it'll be a faithful sidekick. Ultrarecommended!!!

A bit of good and hot dub from Eduardo de la Calle in his own label Ánalog Solutions. This is not the firts time I talk about EDLC and AS, but the fact is he's been doing a great job during several years now and I think he's not getting as much attention as he deserves. I love the classic feeling he keeps in most of his tracks. I sometimes miss the mixture of dub and acid I used to listen in the late 90's stuff and Eduardo keeps working on that feeling and he does it at a high level.

The man of the moment, Marcel Dettman has released on Music Man an EP that has really surprised me. The oringinal track is just perfect in my honest opinion. I've never seen this kind of sounds on Dettman's portfolio before and I'm loving it... Deep, hard, away from the typical 4x4 fat bass techno beat he uses to deliver and a perfect deeper, in possible, and more hot remix. A must, even just for listening.

Let me add a bit of Electro-House to my collection. When talking about originality and effective music, I think Modeselektor is name to mention. Please, let me know if you don't agree. But I'm sure you won't. I think this is their 3rd year running their own label: Monkeytown and this is the 20th release. Ain't that amazing? Well, we all know what's the deal when talking about this duo. Freek techno, electro and house. That let me be a amateur soothsayer will be followed but some remixes EPs that will gild the lily. Let's see, maybe I'm wrong.

Token, nr. 20, Phase, sold out. I won't say anything else.

And last but not least, limited edition on M_Rec by Mr. Ben Gibson. For me, he's one of the techno lords in the line of people like Inigo Kennedy, Jeff Mills, Surgeon, James Ruskin... well, you know what I mean, right? This release, sold out too, is a clear example of what I'm talking about. The sounds on it are on a level above most of all the stuff coming out lately. That's my opinion of course. Three tracks by Gibson and a really well worked remix by Samuli Kemppi... ah! I was late for this one. I hope I can put my hands on it!!!

Check my January chart here

Obey Your Master: A Tribute to Metallica at Exhibit A Gallery (Los Angeles, USA)

Interesting and well deserved exhibition is planned from Jan 23rd to March 23rd. Art pieces by Shepard Fairey, Nicola Verlato (oil on canvas), Brian M. Viveros (oil/mixed media on maple board), Gail Potocki (oil on linen), Patrick Fogarty (sculpture), will show the personal and unique feeling and inspiration Metallica has ment to them along all this years. The artists themselves will show the explanation of these influences and memories next to their artworks or simply explain what Metallica's music means for them.

The opening will be invite only but the show will be open the rest of its existence. 

 " Limited edition Shepard Fairey prints of his piece will be available, as well as a limited number of "Obey Your Master" Alva Exhibit A Gallery skateboard decks, with the proceeds going to the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.  

For more information, visit Exhibitagallery.com. "

Source: Juxtapoz.com

Sigur Rós: INNI

I still remember that night, about three years ago. It was one of those nights you are not awake nor sleeping in front of TV watching everything but watching nothing at around 2 a.m. trying to find a reason to get up and go to bed. On one of those many times your eyes are closed and open again and again, something made me keep them open and focus on the screen again. An amazing staging that reminded me some kind of "Cirque du Soleil" spectacle and a mixture of sounds I had never had the chance to listen to until that moment, made my eyes and ears open widely and suddenly feel awaken. At the beginning I was a bit confused, because that concert took place at FIB Benicassim Festival, and although I always tried to avoid prejudice at that moment I didn't like at all that indie/pop/neo-hippie way of life FIB represents, at least for the ignorant people like me. I'm still not a fan of all that movement but at least, I want to show my gratitude to FIB and that channel playing that show that night because on that night, my mind opened a bit more and, since then, my musical hungry is even more voracious, or maybe we could say I was just eating meat until then and now I also like vegetables and fish (even sushi sometimes!)... I think I love even more every form of emotional music (which is almost all of it, except mainstream music of course) and I take even more time trying to find new and different sounds. I also think with Sigur Rós I've learned that electronica and acoustic music can go together as far as they express a common mood. And Sigur Rós' music, uses to be close to my mood...

" 'inni' is either the first-ever sigur rós live album, or second live film (and follow up to 2007's acclaimed iceland tour film heima). in fact, it is both: a 75-minute film and 105-minute double live album of the band captured in full flow at the close of their last tour in november 2008, here housed within one single fat package.
filmed at alexandra palace over two nights by director vincent morisset (arcade fire's 'miroir noir'), the movie 'inni' could best be described as the anti-'heima'. whereas that film took a band about whom the world knew little, and placed them in the cultural, social and geographical context of their homeland, (with winning and humanising results); the new film strips away everything save the raw performance of the four musicians themselves. where 'heima' was widescreen and open, 'inni' is close and single focussed.
this is intentional. for while 'heima' was successful at "explaining" sigur rós, it was less so at conveying what it feels like to actually watch sigur rós play. that is the job of 'inni'. in order to accomplish this goal, morisset has taken his time and employed a number of different analogue post-production techniques to create an emotional understanding of being in the room with the band and going 'inside' the music. ("inni" literally means "inside").
unlike many concerts, watching sigur rós is seldom a communal experience; it is instead intensely personal. by almost entirely removing awareness of the crowd and any sense of place, morisset brings you closer than ever to the players, using multiple camera angles to reveal in sometimes minute close up the concentration and effort involved in delivering such a powerful rock show.
originally filmed on hd digital, 'inni' was first transferred to 16mm film and then projected and re-filmed once, sometimes through glass and other objects to give a strong impressionistic look, a feat accomplished with the help of godspeed you! black emperor visual collaborator karl lemieux. the film was then meticulously pieced together by 'heima' editor nick fenton, who chose to break up the flow with unexplained archive footage, including interview and concert material from before the band's exposure to the wider world at the tail end of the last century.
it's worth mentioning also that the film has only one song in common with 'heima' (the closing 'popplagið') and that it draws for the most part on the darker end of the band's material. the double live album by contrast, covers the entire sigur rós spectrum over its hour-and-three-quarters, the songs played in the same order as on the night. mixed by sigur rós house engineer birgir jon birgisson, 'inni', the live album, stands as the definitive sigur rós live recording.
the performance captures the band playing as a stripped down four-piece for the first time since they were joined by string section amiina at the start of the decade. this fundamental 'boiling down' makes 'inni' a more forceful and primal proposition, much at odds with the popular misconception of the band as purveyors of instant emotional heft for film-makers in need.
the album features 15 tracks, with songs taken from all five sigur rós studio albums. there is also the bonus of an unreleased studio track in the form of 'lúppulagið', which is used both over the credits of the film and as the final non-live track on the album. the dvd/blu-ray, meanwhile, also includes four extra songs from the night. "

Source: http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/