Best New Releases from May 2018
Summer is upon us, and with it we herald the arrival of stunning albums, gorgeous releases, and exiting remixes from the likes of Llewellyn, Lawrence, Konduku, Eduardo De La Calle, Arkajo, Ripperton, Superpitcher, Marcus Worgull, Skee Mask and Upsammy .
We hand pick 10 favorite tracks for you to enjoy. Tracks are listed in no particular order.
Talaboman
Dins el Llit (Superpitcher remix)
R&S Records
Talaboman is the musical project of John Talabot and Axel Boman. Last year the dream team delivered a stunningly magnificent debut album “The Night Land” which was heavily supported by top echelon producers and got a massive acclaim. It now gets a remix treatment in form of a four-track EP, where German maestro Aksel Schaufler, a.k.a. Superpitcher, Swedish sound guru Samo DJ, Luke Slater under his L.B. Dub Corp alias, and Japanese underground electronic music queen Powder transform a gorgeous record into a dance floor gold.
Powerful, moody, and elegant, Superpitcher’s version of “Dins El Llit” is bound to entrance dance floors across the globe.
Konduku
Altın Saat
Nous’klaer Audio
Konduku’s debut album “Kiran” finally hits the streets, delving into deeper, polymorphic spheres of techno and house. The Rotterdam based producer with Turkish heritage Ruben Üvez, also known as Konduku, makes his impressive appearance on the stylish Nous’klaer Audio label. The masterfully crafted eight tracks are a multifaceted fusion of Eastern Europe Minimal and UK Bass influences and inspirations.
Here is what Konduku has to say about the album and the opening track: “The tracks have a serious elegance, but the fun that went in making them is undeniable. When I proposed a tracklist for the album, I had no idea Altın and Mavi Saat quite literally meant start and finish (Golden and Blue Hour)”.
"Altın Saat translated means Golden Hour in Turkish, the track that is at the start of the album, and also the hour that is either the beginning of the day or the end of the day, starting the night. It is a moment that, when not paid attention to, flows by quite unnoticed. Just like the golden hour, this one feels like a warm wool blanket pulled over, with its wall of sound. I feel like it’s more the second half of the Golden Hour when the colors are at their deepest and warmest. As with a most of my tracks, the main inspiration gradually becomes more clear to me when working on them. I usually start with a basic idea of what kind of track I want to make and during the creation, it will resemble a certain feeling, memory or emotion. With its steady and minimal groove, it draws you in more and more. Gradually hypnotizing and easing you. For me, Altın Saat feels like the perfect start for the album.”
Lawrence
Cany
Kann Records
Launching back in 2008 with the “Kann” EP from map.ache, Bender & Sevensol, Brotherhood and Johannes Beck, Leipzig-based Kann Records celebrates 10 years of releases. Over the years, the label founders map.ache, Bender, and Sevensol carefully curated releases which have gained international exposure and appreciation.
To mark the label’s 10th anniversary, Kann Records released an extensive “Family Horror X Good Times” compilation album. The rich and diverse collection of 15 tracks features an exclusive contribution from artists like Axel Boman, Lawrence, Mary Yalex, Matt Karmil, CMD Q, Underspreche, Philipp Matalla, Inner Tueren, map.ache, Sevensol & Bender among others. To celebrate this milestone, KANN artists will tour in many countries such as Germany, Romania, Austria and the Czech Republic.
The German electronic musician and producer Peter Kersten, better known as Lawrence, dives into synth-driven sonic futurism, with the elegant and hypnotizing “Cany”.
Impellent yet subtly tinted with emotion, it is a gorgeous tripped-out late-night house track that will keep the deeper dancefloors locked into an irresistible groove.
Llewellyn
The Light Above You
Riotvan
The multi-talented Leipzig-based producer, live-performer, and DJ Martin Enke, better known as Lake People makes an impressive return to Riotvan with his more house-oriented project Llewellyn. The new four-track package ‘San Junipero’ showcases evocative, deeply hypnotic, and breathtakingly expressive jams from a producer who is perfecting his already beautifully pristine and distinct sound.
With irresistible, evocative harmonies, and hypnotic arpeggio-driven groove, the second track “The Light Above You” is a stunning tune, atmospheric and beautiful in equal measures.
Ripperton
Midnight Sun
Tamed Musiq
Constantly pushing boundaries and masterfully exploring a colorful palette of sounds, Rafael Ripperton returns to his own imprint Tamed Musiq with the “Midnight Sun” EP, a gorgeous musical reflection of his recent visit to Iceland. “Exactly a year ago,” explains Ripperton, “we set out on the journey of our life. I always wanted to visit Iceland, so for my forty years we rented a motorhome and we slipped on the road one, walked on volcanoes and under waterfalls, rains, we saw melting snow, glaciers crashing on the ground, Icebergs leaving the island and felt spring very violently... under the Midnight Sun.”
The “Midnight Sun” EP is backed by two impressive reworks from the experimental Leeds-based band Vessels. Across the seven-and-a-half minute run time, the title track beautifully flows through hypnotic atmospheres shimmering with a colorful vibrancy conjuring distant imagery of the gorgeous Icelandic landscapes.
Arkajo
Tape 16
Aniara Recordings
Aniara Recording, the Sweden-based label, continues to be a great platform for releasing quality, innovative music from forward-thinking producers. The latest release sees the welcome return of Swedish artist and half of the infamous Genius Of Time duo, Arkajo to the imprint with a breath-taking “Avasarala” EP. The new record features three original tracks of sophisticated musical landscapes and dazzling melancholia.
Second of the original tracks, “Tape 16”, strikes the imagination with subtle layers of delicate nostalgic undertones, ambient atmospherics, twinkling melodies and hypnotic groove, transporting listeners to distant lands.
Eduardo De La Calle
Yajur
Endless
Madrid’s machine-music torchbearer Eduardo De La Calle returns to Luca Bacchetti’s Endless imprint with a powerfully affecting release. Entitled “Restrain Control”, it’s an invigorating change-up EP that shines in his already immaculate discography.
The four-track record starts off with a spacious and poetic “Yajur”. Embracing an immersive and compelling atmosphere, it floats seamlessly between sun-drenched rolling synth arpeggio, cinematic ambient textures, and sparks of emotive harmonies that melt beautifully into a dreamy and atmospheric techno landscape.
C.A.R.
Cholera (Marcus Worgull Remix)
Ransom Note Records
With an admirable, highly anticipated release of the sophomore album ‘Pinned’, C.A.R. a.k.a. Chloé Raunet invites artists at forefront of the diverse electronic music scene to give the album a new treatment in form of the two diverse remix compilations. The “PINNED Up” and “PINNED Down” compilations feature reworks from the likes of Marcus Worgull, Micheal Mayer, Bawrut, Man Power, Fantastic Twins, Hologram Teen, Anna Lann among others.
Innervisions' fine producer Marcus Worgull delivers a frenetic version transforming “Cholera” into a seductive, adrenaline-filled ride.
Skee Mask
50 Euro To Break Boost
Ilian Tape
May sees the versatile techno producer from Munich Bryan Müller a.k.a. Skee Mask dropping his second album, entitled “Compro”, via Bavarian Ilian Tape imprint. Following on from his debut 2016’s rhythmic vitality “Shred”, Skee Mask’s new album is a kaleidoscopic journey through esoteric techno, breakbeat, and gorgeous multidimensional abstract electronic sounds.
Here is what the label is intended to say about the album:
“Skee Mask’s endless search and fascination for fresh music, weed, and burgers channeled into his own vision of sound. Enjoy the ride through his second album, a detailed experimental universe of a young dedicated hustler.”
“50 Euro To Break Boost” is a mesmerizing breakbeat affair. The grainy break-beat rhythms, glistering electronic textures and mystic church bells form an exquisite tapestry of sound and transport the listener into his masterfully crafted universe.
Upsammy
Words R Inert
Die Orakel
After debuting on Rotterdam’s Nous’klaer Audio imprint with two tracks in the Paerels compilation and a gorgeous “Another Place” EP, Dutch leftfield sound explorer Upsammy makes an impressive appearance on Oliver Hafenbauer’s Die Orakel record label with “Words R Inert” EP. Made up of three tracks, the record successfully merges the remnants of enigmatic electro and experimental electronic music.
On the flip side, the electric title track offers up an irresistible hypnotic fusion of the electro genius.