Showing posts with label techno. Show all posts
Showing posts with label techno. Show all posts

12 March 2013

Pan:core - "No Way To Win"

Brilliant diverse electronica (10/10)
this is my first 'more than 8 tracks' album.
the tracks are of different type.
i think, i dont want to keep a style forever, if you know what i mean.

the classical sample in 'cant stop' IS NOT ripped from try^d.
track 4 is a little 'hello' to black era - an amazing triphop-combo from italy, which you can find also on jamendo.
their track 'in front of the corner' inspired me somehow, as you can see at the name of my album :)

enjoy. :)

This is a very diverse recording. Each track is completely different from the others. Some are calm and hypnotic, some are noisy and aggressive, almost industrial. They have only two things in common. They all belong to the genre of electronica and they are all great. Each melody is very original and artful. The album is under half an hour but has more bright ideas than whole discographies of some other artists. ;-)

You can also download this album for free directly from the artist at his website in .mp3 file format.
  
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[mirror @ archive.org]
[Artist's website]

07 March 2013

Sound-Ra - "In Your Face"

Good original techno (7/10)

Dès ses débuts, milieu 90, ses compositions furent largement influencées par les sons techno de Détroit. Grande passionnée de hardtekno et du label primate entre autre.

Ses productions aux allures parfois dures, proches d’un courant electronique mais aussi aux univers intimistes comme When I Was A Child et Délice interpellent un large public.

Ses sets sur machines ont pris aujourd’hui l’ascendant et lui offre ce côté tactile qui fait la part belle à l’intuition et provoque l’envie de danser.

Looking for good techno/electronica? Look no further. This album should appeal to people who like a bit more experimental side of techno. There are no simple beats, it's not a shallow record for disco fans. Many strange sounds connected in a clever and original way. Keep up the good work, Sound-Ra. Oh, and another great cover (I rate only music, but it's a nice addition).

The only complaint that I have regards sound distribution between channels. A hi-hat banging constantly in the right ear can be really annoying (see the first track or no. 05 - Fever).

[mirror @ archive.org] | [Myspace] | [Facebook]



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06 March 2013

Akusto, Ben - "Disturbance"

Great electronica (9/10)

Rare "Golden Oldies" saved from c-casettes, dat-tapes and old harddrives. Just counterplay it very loud next time your neighbour downstairs is banging the roof with the broom.

However, these are old and rusty songs made late 90's or in other words 10 years ago. About same time as the two previously published: TeddyBear Trilogee and Ambience Session. I just didn't dare to mix&master any track anyhow (except the Camel Boost just a little bit) - so don't expect too high quality and don't ruin your hi-fi stack. I still hope you like what you hear.

It's not pure ambient. At least it's not so simple and quiet as typical ambient tunes are. Nevertheless it's a very very good album. It's not rusty at all, but colorful and brilliant.

[mirror @ archive.org] | [Artist's Website] | [Myspace]



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07 February 2013

Troy - "Best Music For Sex"

Strange techno / electronica (5/10)
TROY a fine disco-new age-industrial one man band is located in Tel aviv Israel.

A rather tiring effort from the Israel-based one-man act. The main problem that I have with this album is bad production / mastering. All the tracks sound like they have been recorded through a concrete wall. Very flat ugly sound. In terms of genre, the album is quite diverse, exploring various styles of electronic music with an experimental approach and a retro feel to it. Therefore, it is difficult to label it otherwise than by using general terms like techno, electronica, disco, sometimes even synthpop. Several tracks are quite entertaining and listenable, despite the terrible sound. Others are simply dull. You can check it out if you like exploring techno wilderness.

[mirror @ archive.org] | [Artist's Website]


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22 November 2012

Placid - "Sound Lake City"

Very good techno (8/10)
Schaut mal vorbei!

mit placid versuche ich meine art von musikalischem experimentalismus auszuleben. es handelt sich vorwiegend um melodisch angehauchte elektronische musik, zu der aber auch getanzt werden darf.
Mehr kann ich dazu erst mal nicht sagen! Hörs dir an und schreibe deine Meinung!

Es handelt sich hier um frühe Werke, die ich mit einem Yamaha CS1X, Cubase, Rebirth und einer Roland TB303 gefertigt habe.

Very good techno. Intelligent tunes, professional production. Keep up the good work.



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[mirror @ archive.org] | [Artist's Website]

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31 August 2012

DJ Blackwidow - "North Star"

Very good, creative electronica (9/10)

This album was composed January 2006 - August 2006. I was on a creative high after finishing up the BlackJaq CD with my collaborator. I really went into this CD with an idea to create a more straightforward electronica sound. I kept some of the ethnic influences and added elements of space music and chanting (listen for Catholic and Ba'hai faith chants). If Leaving Town was a more personal album, then this one is more broad in it's mission. Some aspects are cold, while others seem personal, yet at a distant.

The song, Jupiter, was originally composed in October 2005 and was originally written to be a new track on the original BlackJaq Cafe CD. The song, Again, features my BlackJaq collaborator, DJ Jax and this song is actually a special remix created exclusively for this release.

The song 2012 was my highest and longest charting song on AcidPlanet. It was also the most reviewed and downloaded song I've ever released on the site.

This is the first time this album has been released in its entirety.

Thank you for your support of my music.

This album is dedicated to my dad. He was the one who inspired the title song.

Copyright 2007 BlackJaq Studios


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Straightforward electronica of superb quality. Calm downtempo tunes sit next door to nu jazz flavored tracks, followed by disturbing sounds of breakbeat. Despite the diversity of used styles and techniques, all these songs have one thing in common - the highest quality. Pure pleasure for ears - do not miss this one!

[mirror @ archive.org] | [Myspace]



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If you like this album and you can afford it, consider supporting the artist by making a donation on this page - use the button "Donate" in the upper left corner.

Embolism - "This Means Fucking War!"

Speedcore classic (7/10)
Early Embolism speedcore action! 6 tracks built on an Amiga 500.

released 15 December 1995
Written and produced by a 14-year old Ryan Leeman in his bedroom on an Amiga 500 running through a small television speaker, whilst bunking off school in mid-1995.
Originally released on 12" vinyl December 1995.

A speedcore classic written by then 14-year old Ryan Leeman, one of the pioneers of hardcore techno, recording for the famous label Bloody Fist Records.

It is not a secret that hardcore techno is not my favorite genre of electronic music, because of its repetitiveness, monotony and overuse of irritating sampled speeches. Yet this album is another proof that with enough talent, one can write great tunes in each and every style. Only the final track Pillow Talk suffer from these weaknesses. All the rest is great - original, creative and catchy (in the wicked "hardcore techno" sense of this word), while still being fast, aggressive and uncompromising. And it was made by a 14-year old kid on an Amiga 500 computer. Wow.

The album is available on Bandcamp for 6 Australian dollars in a variety of formats, including a FLAC version. You can also listen to the full album before making a decision on purchase.

30 August 2012

Various Artists - "Newcastle Sampler"

Interesting hardcore techno compilation (6/10)
All Tracks Built In Newcastle, Australia
Published By Len & Jen Music (ASCAP)
Distributed By Soundbase Music Germany

Newcastle Sampler is a compilation released by the label Bastard Loud Records, presenting several acts from the Newcastle hardcore techno scene, recording for the famous label Bloody Fist Records. This is an interesting album, offering quality tunes, and although I personally dig only two tracks out of six, the compilation remains a great insight into the history of hardcore techno.

My favorites are Nasenbluten - Treadmill and Disassembler - Ants. They are fast, aggressive, disturbing, but without being too repetitive and without overuse of speech samples - two weaknesses of so many hardcore techno tunes.

The other four do not fit my taste, being haunted by the said flaws. They represent the type of hardcore techno, which is totally boring for me, despite its aggressiveness and high tempos. Still, they should appeal to hardcore hardcore techno fans out there. If you happen to be one, you can safely add some points to my 6/10 rating.

I guess this album is very rare now, but if you happen to run into it somewhere along the links, be sure to check it out, if you are a fan of hardcore techno. And do not forget to visit the official Bandcamp website of Bloody Fist Records, where you can listen to and buy some other releases from this label.

03 July 2012

Nasenbluten ‎– "500 / 600 / 1200 EP"

Pioneer of hardcore techno (6/10)
Nasenbluten were a Newcastle, Australia recording and performance group, who pioneered hardcore techno, gabber, amigacore and cheapcore music. The group was founded in the early 1990s by Mark Newlands, Aaron Lubinski and David Melo. Nasenbluten take their name from the German word for nosebleed, a reference to the phrase "nosebleed techno" that was then used to describe the harder and faster variants of the genre.
[Read more --->]

Nasenbluten were pioneers of hardcore techno, so this is the first reason this recording is interesting. The second reason is they are talented pioneers. Maybe their tunes are not too original, but on the other hand, the very genre was original back in 1994. Hardcore techno is not my favorite type of techno / electronica, as I find many songs too monotonous for my liking. But I have to admit all the songs on this album are full of energy, straightforward and well produced (especially considering the limited equipment of the band). And some of them are still catchy (in the hardcore techno meaning of the word, of course) and creative. I particularly dig the following tracks: A1 - Garbage; A2 - Painbringer; A3 - Skullbash; B2 - Disassembler. The other three are less successful, with a notably bad B3 - We've Got The Balls being worth a special mention for awful use of samples from Metallica.

To summarize, if you are interested in history of electronic music or if you are a fan of the genre, check this album out (if only you manage to find it somewhere). Fans can easily add 3 points to my rating.


[Artist's Myspace]

30 May 2012

Various Artists - "Newcastle Hardcore Vol. 2"

Interesting hardcore techno compilation (7/10)
Bloody Fist Records was an independent record label based in Newcastle, Australia.

Bloody Fist was one of the most prolific labels involved in hardcore/gabber, industrial, breaks, noise, and related genres. Founded by Nasenbluten's Mark Newlands (formerly known as Stigs/TDU) in 1994 as a platform for local artists, the label initially began distributing cassettes and moved on to become a major label in the hardcore techno scene.

Newcastle Hardcore Vol. 1 & 2 [1994] was a first vinyl release of this label, presenting a compilation of artists from the local Newcastle hardcore techno scene. Vol. 2 supposedly contained 7 tracks from 6 acts. The version I had a chance to listen to included only 5 tracks:

a1 - The Shaftman - Shaftman
a2 - Xylocaine - Luftwaffe
a3 - Pendulum - Uncle Sam
b1 - Overcast - Rougher
b2 - Syndicate - M'shit Hardcore

The album is very interesting, as they all are quality offerings, and although I personally dig only two of them, the compilation remains a proof that the guy behind Bloody Fist knew what he was doing right from the start.

My favorites are Pendulum - Uncle Sam and Overcast - Rougher, two fast pieces reminding me of The Prodigy from the Experience period. Even if they are not the most original songs ever recorded, they are catchy, energetic and never venture near the border of plagiarism.

The other three do not fit my taste, being comprised almost exclusively of samples from other songs or speeches mixed with extremely fast techno-style drums. This is not creative, this is not catchy, this is not original, this is not anything interesting - for me this type of hardcore techno is totally boring. Still, I guess all three acts are good at what they are doing, so for the purpose of such a compilation they are suitable.

I guess this album is very rare now, but if you happen to run into it somewhere along the links, be sure to check it out, if you are a fan of hardcore techno / breakcore. And do not forget to visit the official Bandcamp website of Bloody Fist Records, where you can listen to and buy some other releases from this label.

29 May 2012

Various Artists - "Newcastle Hardcore Vol. 1"

Interesting hardcore techno compilation (6/10)
Bloody Fist Records was an independent record label based in Newcastle, Australia.

Bloody Fist was one of the most prolific labels involved in hardcore/gabber, industrial, breaks, noise, and related genres. Founded by Nasenbluten's Mark Newlands (formerly known as Stigs/TDU) in 1994 as a platform for local artists, the label initially began distributing cassettes and moved on to become a major label in the hardcore techno scene.

Newcastle Hardcore Vol. 1 & 2 [1994] was a first vinyl release of this label, presenting a compilation of artists from the local Newcastle hardcore techno scene. This is an interesting album, offering quality tunes, and although I personally dig only two tracks on each of the two records, the compilation remains a proof that the guy behind Bloody Fist knew what he was doing right from the start.

My favorites on the Volume 1 are Pendulum - Feel The Pain and Syndicate - Lower Level. The latter reminds me of the early The Prodigy from the Experience period, but while the inspiration is very clear, this is not a blatant copy. The former has great disturbing dark atmosphere. Both songs are catchy, energetic and just pure fun to listen.

The other six do not fit my taste, being comprised almost exclusively of samples from other songs or speeches mixed with extremely fast techno-style drums. This is not creative, this is not catchy, this is not original, this is not anything interesting - for me this type of hardcore techno is totally boring. Still, if they are typical for 1994 Newcastle hardcore techno scene, they fit this compilation.

I guess this album is very rare now, but if you happen to run into it somewhere along the links, be sure to check it out, if you are a fan of hardcore techno. And do not forget to visit the official Bandcamp website of Bloody Fist Records, where you can listen to and buy some other releases from this label.

24 February 2012

Nationale2 - "Painful Experiment"

Intelligent minimalistic electronica (8/10)

Painful Experiment is a resolutely electronica album. It was entirely composed with a Roland MC-303, a vocoder MAM VF-11 and a speak and spell. Painful Experiment is probably, to date, the concept of the more intimate Nationale2. Folded back on itself after the loss of two years' compositions, because of the crash of a HDD, he began a return to the source with the machine's most controversial by the purists when it was released.

Intelligent minimalistic electronica. When someone is creative, he does not need much equipment.

Thank you for sharing your work.

[mirror @ archive.org]



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20 February 2012

Nationale2 - "19901999"

Nice straightforward techno (8/10)

The album entitled 19901999 is a compilation of songs composed between 1990 and 1999 that were never marketed. N2 has selected titles that took the most heart and not lost any of their power despite the passage of time.

Nice straightforward techno - minimalistic, but not primitive. Just check it out.

[mirror @ archive.org]

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24 January 2012

R3TR05P3CT3R - "Stop ACTA - Music Is Free"

Not as good as the title (5/10)

Unfortunately the title is the best part of this song. This is monotonous breakbeat, without particularly creative samples, rhythms or melodies. It can be checked out, but I doubt anyone would be impressed.

[Artist's Myspace]

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16 January 2012

DJ Blackwidow - "Lucid Dreams"

Good electronica/techno (7/10)

All songs written, produced, mixed and mastered by DJ Blackwidow.
This CD basically was an experiment as I was writing and testing new songs for my compilation CD. I wanted to try new styles and new approaches to various sounds I had in my head. The DJ Blackwidow sound comes full circle on this one. Enjoy!
Special thanks: DJ Jax, Schmedhead, Buffalo, Juice, Gabe (for allowing the BlackJaq remix of his song to exist), Nikki, Jenny, Soundgirl Sue, Erin, Jay, mom and dad.
Remember to check out further CDs by DJ Blackwidow, BlackJaq, and DJ Jax...all available on Jamendo.
2007 BlackJaq Studios

Good electronica/techno album. Some tracks are better, some are only good - overall, a nice recording, worth recommending.

[Artist's Myspace]

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10 January 2012

Nationale2 - "ElectroService"

Minimalistic approach, yet quality kept at the maximum (10/10)

9 years after the release of 1 opus of ElectroService 1 on the label UCMG, Nationale2 offers the album "ElectroService." We have kept the 4 tracks from the EP most other tracks of the same ilk. What lovers rejoice electro old school !

Minimalistic approach, yet quality kept at the maximum from the beginning to the end. Intelligent electronica, not for disco freaks. Just brilliant.

Thank you for sharing such a great recording for free.

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05 January 2012

Floating Mind - "Krak" [EP]

Interesting minimal techno (7/10)

Floating Mind is Roberto Vitali, the man behind monoKraK.
first release on the netlabel from Geneva (Switzerland) mainly oriented in ambient and minimal techno music.

Interesting minimal techno, characterized by repetitive sound patterns. Making such music is difficult, because it is easy to fall into boredom, if things get too repetitive. Floating Mind succeeds in almost all the tracks utilizing broken beats and strange samples - successfully building disturbing atmosphere. The one exception is the tune "Loving U", which seems to drag on forever with annoying vocal samples in the front (if I hear "I'm still loving you" one more time I'm gonna go postal).

The album has been released by the monoKraK netlabel in mp3 format and is available for a direct download as well as at archive.org.


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02 January 2012

Various Artists - "Behind The Corner"

Very good drum & bass compilation (9/10)
We would like to present our first release : "Behind the corner" as a FREE twelve tracks compilation. Melody and liquid side of drumandbass from such a great producers like Dissident, Drone, Radicall, Atmospherixz, Ultracode, Silrbfish and more. Enjoy !

Very good compilation of independent electronic music. This is the first release of the netlabel Absys Records and right from the start they set the bar very high. The album is oriented mainly on (but not limited to) drum & bass. Some elements of breakbeat and nu jazz can be easily found too, making the record more diverse and interesting. All the tracks are top quality, so if you like intelligent electronic music, do not hesitate to check it out.

The album has been released by the Absys Records netlabel and is available for downloading at the netlabel's website in mp3 format.



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22 December 2011

Dollar Rex - "Chromatic"

Professional recording, but not quite my style (6/10)

All tracks composed > january > december 2004 by P.Regnier
mix - additional vocals on tracks 02 - 04 by P.Regnier in june 2005
Electric bass on tracks 09 - 11 by P.Regnier
Ze Sweetie Pink House 2005

This is a professional recording, showing expertise in producing catchy techno / house tunes, heavily based on disco and to a less extent on hip-hop and funk. Some tracks heavily reminded me of the works of the French duo Air, with their vintage sound.

Disco-based house is definitely not my favorite genre and while these tracks may probably work on the dancefloor, the most of them are too primitive to be enjoyable. Still I managed to find three tracks that are quite interesting for me, despite their disco origin (nos. 03, 07 & 09). The rest is rather tiring with monotonous marked beats and uncreative and repeating sampled vocals.

Fans of disco music can safely add 2 or 3 points to my rating, as it is a quality work from the technical side.

It is strange, because this album is shared two times on Jamendo, in exactly the same versions, governed by the same type of a license. The second one can be found here. It has been also archived by archive.org.

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18 December 2011

Akashic Records - "Christmas Party"

Not my piece of cake, but... (6/10)

Cheerful and energetic trance based on Jingle Bells.

Definitely not my piece of cake, but I have to acknowledge that the rendition is flawless. If you are into such simple dance music, you will love it.

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