Cicuta Netlabel

A new interesting label has been launched. I'm still a vinyl defender but it'd make no sense to deny that the digital scene is growing day by day and there are a lot of serious people working behind some of this labels.
My last thoughts about this situation and the facts I'm seeing lately make me rethink about this digital vs vinyl discussions and well, I'm seeing my mind changing because of (in my honest opinion) some obvious facts: I think vinyl has become a platform for not risky projects. I mean, it looks like the last vinyl releases only publish tracks that sound like a safe product in order to be saleable. Opposite to this, I find some interesting digital labels that dare to publish really interesting, original and more risky stuff that most of the traditional (vinyl) labels wouldn't release because they maybe won't sell as much as needed. There are a lot of exceptions of course, classics (Blueprint, O-Ton, etc) and newcomers (SA, Dub Chronicles, etc).
I fully understand both positions. Vinyl releasing needs an investment that, unfortunatelly, most of the labels can't afford and netlabels look like a cheap alternative to let really good artists release their music... Well, this could be a never ending discussion. So let's go for bussines and let themselves present a new label with a very interesting first release.

After most of two years involved in netaudio scene, and even more after the sad demise of 2 of the most respected labels in the Creative Commons scene, like Antiritmo and Offaudio, from Drugstore felt that we had to contribute to try to return all the satisfaction that this community has given us. This is the beginning of Cicuta Netlabel.

Cicuta Netlabel is a project focused on bringing quality techno music throughout the world, for free, without prejudice. Our differentiator is that we want to have well-known artists, those that are not typically seen in the netaudio scene, and combining its proven quality with talent and drive of those artists who are growing and only need the world to discover your work to seduce.

Our intention is to publish a monthly EP. These EPs will always be licensed under Creative Commons, and will can be downloaded for free from archive.org.

To complement the aforementioned, we also want to have the best mixers of the techno scene, providing a regular podcast to all our supporters.

What kind of music can you expect on our releases/podcast? The response is TECHNO, in upper case, and with several shades: dark, hard, industryal, melodic,…. We don’t want to lock ourselves in a unique style. If its techno, and we like it, we will publish it.

Big respect for Cicuta Netlabel, specially because they offer their releases for free, and we're not talking about one of those people offering for free tracks that no one would play, not at all. A big proof of it is the tracklisting on their first reference:

01. Kike Pravda – Quantum (04:55)
02. Vegim – Librium (06:19)
03. i1 Ambivalent – Home (05:21)
04. Mootiv – Work ‘Em Out (07:18)
05. One D & Edrian Sailing – Growing Shadows (06:13)
06. Drugstore – Udayan (06:17)

If you're not thinking in downloading it yet, you can also look at the feedback some artists have already given:

Excelente pack de techno inteligente y maduro. Me ha sorprendido en especial Vegim y como no mis favoritos Mootiv, One D & Edrian, creando dos tracks espectaculares!
Dosem (Sino, Soundfate, ES)
Cool EP gentlemen!. This label will definetly fill an empty void of techno netlabels. As for this first release, I really like Growing Shadows but the others are nice as well. Mastering sounds proper too!
Mattias Fridell (Mastertraxx, Planet Rhytmic, Audio Assault, SW)
I1 ambivalent & Kike tracks for me
Kr!z (Token Records, BE)
Geniales todos los temas!!! Un gran comienzo!!! Con la desaparición de Antiritmo y Offaudio hace falta un poco de buen techno en la escena netlabel española!!
Hermético (Inoquo Netlabel, ES)
The work from Vegim, i1 Ambivalent and Drugstore is really resonating with me at Darkfloor on this compilation EP. Of the 6 tracks that constitute this netlabels inception release these 3 are the darker and fit our vibe well. Expect support for these on air and in my sets.
DVNT (Mantis Radio, UK)
We like Kike Parvda track very much. Support for this project from Drugstore.
Concrete Djz (Armatura Records, RS)
I will play Home and Quantum!
Andreas Florin (We call it Hard, Planet Rhytmic, Subsequent, Take More Music, DE)
Congrats for the first one. The playlist looks great. Much diversity of techno inside there. My favourite track it’s he first one by Kike but it’s a solid release in general.
Peter Arendt (Heaven To Hell Records, UK)
Some great sounds on there. My personal favourites are Kike Pravda and i1 Ambivalent, they will be on the playlist for sure. And also full support for the label.
Doryk Aka P.C.M.N (Audio Exit, HU)
Really good sound. Nice to hear great techno on netlabels!! You’re the worthy “followers” of Antiritmo & Offtechno.
DJ L’embrouille (Mixotic, Loopzilla, FR)
El promo EP es bastante completo, lo usaré en mis sets en directo y radio Shows (DI.FM) New York y Spanish Wave ELECTIONRADIO.FM (Argentina)
Lady K (Nxt, Phrenetic Agency Sevilla)
Muy bueno el EP, me han gustado todos los tracks pero me quedo con el de Drugstore. Gracias por compartir.
Kill Minimal (Offaudio, ES)
Great tracks!. Vegim,Drugstore and i1 Ambivalent are my favs!
Stefano Infusino (Gynoid, HTH, Parallel 125, IT)
Some good driving techno tracks on this release! Good tracks for the modern techno floor, especially for the peak time hours at the club!
Patrick Krieger (M_REC, Elektrax, Sonntag Morgen, DE)
I support and I’ll play Kike Pravda’s track!
P.God (Prototypes, IT)
My favourites is i1 Ambivalent followed by Vegim. I will play both their tracks in my personal sets. I will also put the rest of the tracks in standard rotation on Fnoob Techno.
Daz Furey (Fnoob Radio, AR)
It is really amazing and good quality techno I found in this release !!!! Kike Pravda,Drugstore and Vegim are my favorite there. You did good job and I really hope some day I could join one of your releases!!!
Po (Ante-Rasa, Limetree, Afterstate, LV)
YetTken: Muy buen EP. Se nota muchísimo la influencia de Drugstore en todo el lanzamiento. Mis tracks preferidos son “Librium” de Vegim y “Growing Shadows” de One D & Edrian Sailing.
Armida: Me encantó. Excelente primera referencia, muy bien balanceado. La segunda parte del Ep es la que más me llamó la atención. Mis elegidos son: “Growing Shadows” de One D & Edrian Sailing y “Work ‘Em Out” de Mootiv.
Sound & Motion Netlabel (SV)
I find it amazing… There is no better way to start a Netlabel…As for the songs… I like the “heavy” beats (but you already knew that)Also nice to see Udayan on this… Unreleased song from the Drugstore podcast on 1MC.
Steve (1MC Radioshow, UK)

Awesome release! My favs are kike pravda and drugstore! Lovely stuff
Steve Pain (DE)

For me, One D and Edrian Sailing's track sounds pretty interesting but all the tracks are very nice.

A special name for me: Kike Pravda. I was a teenager going to highschool when I was infected by techno virus and I think that he's guilty for that. I remember Sunday mornings dancing on the little underground club that has given the name to Kike: Pravda club in Vitoria city... great, great, great stuff he played. I'd love to rescue some of those sets he used to play.

Well, this is their presentation. Let me mention a couple of words before I finish, that I think could describe Cicuta: eclecticism and professionality. And repeat the biggest point that has made me make the decision of making an entry for them: they'll serve quality techno for free... some other labels could learn a lesson...

August chart

Well, the last hot month of this 2011 is coming to its end and good music keeps being released. As far as I remember, normally this is not the best month for record labels but well, I think 2011 has definetely been an exception. I hope I can say the same on January 2012... we'll see...

That new Figure by J. Search and M. Suckut is a delicious plenty of dub record. Specially on B2, a track I think I'll be playing as much as I can. The new Perc sounds great too, it's one of the most interesting releases on this label, B side is my side. Really deep tracks, not normally my style but this time I'm feeling them. I also would like to mention there's a Radial remix on A side, welcome back Mr. Liebregts and Boyconstrictor. It's been a while since was waiting everymonth to get the new AAR and ARMS stuff. Well, maybe those were another times...

New Echocord is one of the best in my opinion and also another pure dub present on wax format is the 2nd Dub Chronicles... Long life for DUBCNS!!! And long life for Semantica too. I've charted two of them... I  must admit I don't have them yet, but they release such an special music that I felt the obligation of putting them on my list.

I was waiting to put my hands on that Orbis since it was posted on souncloud, it reminds me all good times and I'm pretty sure it has been created in the old way. Dolly 7 sound pretty different but makes me feel "oldie but goldie" too... and oldies but goldies are also the heavy weights I've selected this month, I think The Black Dog's release on DUSTV is going to be my favourite release this year. Broom's and Ruskin's ? Yes, nothing new on A side and maybe on B1 but pure class sounds and useful tracks are included on BEARDMAN 11 and B2 is a really beautiful piece in my opinion.

Let's see what comes in Autum, really inspiring season for me.

August 2011 chart

Smoke Machine Podcast 023 Obtane

It's been a long time since I'm following this quality techno podcast series and everytime a new edition is out I think  should talk about it... maybe I didn't before because they already have their own blog.

Smoke Machine Taipei is for me a synonymous of good taste. I won't explain much about SM because you can check their blog but I want to talk about the great, classy, moody, serious music they serve. If you look at the previous editions, almost all the artists are part of, if I you let me repeat Lucy's words, the so called compressed dub sounds that's being released lately. Names like Xhin, Donor, Giorgio Gigli, Edit Select (amazing podcast he served)... etc all, with no exception, have been great.

Maybe this one I want you all to check is a bit different. A completely new name for me, but a well known and experienced dj and producer serves the best SM Podcast edition I've been able to listen to so far... Obtane/QuitQuiteQuick is a techno artist, owner of Zooloft, involved to electronics since the mid 90's. He's released in Synewave and Sonic Groove among other and, after this podcast was out, I've been checking some stuff from him and I got to admit I was missing an original artist that serves really useful material on which I'm going to put my hands as soon as I can...

Back to this top quality set he's recorded for SM, I must say I've listened to it four times now and I've perceived different shades on every listen. I think this is one of those kind of sets that you listen to back to from time to time...  It starts with a terror film intro followed by an amazing track that makes you get into the set and don't leave until it wants to let you go. And that's when it finishes of course. Amazing, deep, dark, serious, some times outer space tracks follow during around 85 minutes. Technically, is also one of the best sets I've listened to lately. So what else could I ask for? Pefect music, perfect mixing and a new (for me) and interesting artist to check.

Only as a cheesy anecdote: humo means smoke in Spanish...

Stroboscopic Artefacts - 1 to 10 in a row

I woke up this morning and I checked twitter after breakfast. What I found is some great news for me, I've got no excuses now to not to add to my vinyl collection the whole catalogue so far of one of the best record labels at this moment... and this is my opportunity to mention SA in my blog too.

Well, it's known by all of us the great work Lucy's label is doing. In my opinion, easy to say if we just look at the facts but still true, they are making all of us keeping the faith in techno music future. I think the unique sound this people is bringing to the scene shows there's still a lot of techno to discover and we are not into another repetitive loop as a lot of people think.

For many, the embedded craftsmanship, sonic superiority and tangible artwork of vinyl captures a singular musical vision. Stroboscopic Artefacts' exploration of the sonic dialect is helping reshape how we dance, listen and percieve music. We now celebrate our tenth release, a story of evolution told by ten inspirited flowers, each blossoming and evolving among an otherwise dystopian order. Focusing on substance, Stroboscopic Artefacts' complete vinyl catalogue is now available to purchase as a whole via a 10x12" shipment. Stroboscopic Artefacts invite our fans to cherish in a legacy and own a concord time capsule of the labels' fledging music evolution.

Source: http://www.stroboscopicartefacts.com/vinyls.html#sa010a

August 2011 techno set

I always try to record at least one set per season and here it's what I could call a "trendy summer mix".

When I say trendy I think I should explain myself: I want to mean it's pretty easy to see on this set that I've been seduced by all the stuff coming out lately, mainly that Berlin sound that we all quickly identify.  I've been infected by the Berghain virus too and I feel really ill... I find on it a deep, serious and dark feeling that really inspires me.

I would like to highlight O-TON 42 by Ben Klock and Mike Wall &Tex-Rec –Unknown EP on PlusEins as my favourite records on the set. Special mention of too for Orphx's release (see my post below) on Sonic Groove, my fave on 2011 so far.

Of course, as every artistic expression, the author's personality makes it go its way. So maybe it's not exactly what you could expect after reading my description... As I said some time ago, let's let the music speak, so have a listen and judge by yourself:

Humo - some twelves august 2011 by Humo on Mixcloud

July chart

There's so many stuff fixing my mood lately that I can't buy all the amazing records. I use to choose 10 MUST-have every month and put it in a chart on Juno, so I've decided to post my charts here as they'll be a great representation of what I'd be playing again and again on that moment...

July 2011 chart

Orphx - Traces EP

Richard Oddie and Christina Sealey are Orphx, a really experienced duo and, in my honest opinion, a clear example of the kind of sounds that will always fix on any of my sets. They sound quite classic and modern at the same time and they maintain the darkness and the dub on their productions just in the right balance. So they're really close to perfection for me, specially their latest stuff.

This EP that I can't stop playing since I got it, around two months ago, has been published by Sonic Groove, a Berlin based (but Brooklyn born) label owned by the well known DJ Adam X. I've got to say SG is one of those labels that have always been there (founded in the early 90's) and that I feel really happy when I see they're still publishing records on these hard times...

I think this three tracker perfectly keeps SG and Orphx essences in a good point, more than the previous one (Division-EP). A side, comes with a track sounding a bit like those recent Blueprint EPs but with a more analogic, even xylophonic, touch which I really dig. "Vapour", the first track of the B side, is a track full of bass with a martian ambience around that sounds pretty useful track for me. It softly comes and goes to you while you don't even notice. The last track "Density Current" is the best for me. Starting with a growing melody that also suggest a martian invasion, it suddenly explodes to bring you to a broken beat that calls the rest of the elements of the track to come back in order to show us the real power inside of this track.

Again, that's what I'd call a great release. Thanks to Orphx and thanks to Sonic Groove.