The ill-ec-tro-nic

Since having heard Production Unit's 'It's Personal' on The Highpoint Lowlife 2010 Mixtape I've been waiting eagerly for it's release. It seems like an age has gone by since then but the Ghost Track EP on which it features is now available via the HPLL website and I think will be hitting the main digital retailers within the week. The track and in fact the whole EP itself is not something that's easily pigeonholed although both dubstep and techno influences can clearly be heard throughout. The net result on It's Personal and, to a lesser extent, Axel, sounds like some kind of futuristic spaghetti western soundtrack. The rest of the EP is similarly intriguing and melds together distorted vocals, rave stabs and a variety of other electronic trickery on top of common themes of throbbing bass and crisp percussion. My biggest gripe about the whole thing is that (I think) it's a digital only release as this would surely have been an addictive piece of black crack.

It's Personal can be downloaded via the link below and the full EP can be previewed via Production Unit's Soundcloud page although if you've got any sense, you'll just head on over to HPLL where for the paltry sum of £3 you can bag the full release for your takeaway pleasure.

To help promote the EP, Production Unit has also put together a mix for Clash magazine - I've not checked it out yet but the tracklist is pretty interesting so I'm looking forward to doing so.

Production Unit - "It's Personal" by highpoint lowlife

For those not aware, Production Unit was part of the now defunct Marcia Blaine School For Girls which takes me nicely onto this little video which involves the other two members - Bryan Kerr on visual duties and Ruaridh Law aka TVO on the sonics. As regular readers will know, TVO has featured several times on these pages previously and given his varied musical output, each new offering is both a treat and a surprise. This time, the music is abstract and experimental and one for headphone listening. Taken from the forthcoming album 'Amid The Blaze Of Noon', again out on HPLL but not until late summer. The album will be out on both CD and DVD and while I tend not to spend masses of time watching visuals in a home environment the A/V pairing on this particular project seem to complement each other perfectly.

Dalston. Ala from Bryan Kerr on Vimeo.

Labels: Highpoint Lowlife, Marcia Blaine School For Girls, Production Unit, TVO

Another slightly overdue post, this time featuring two heavyweight releases from the rather prolific TVO.

First up is his 'Rooks' 12" for Stuff, a two-tracker featuring a fresh mix of Afanc plus a new track Dots & Hashes. The original version of Afanc featured on the limited CDR given away with early copies of the Dark is Rising EP, although it's probably the 2562 remix on the aforementioned 12" that's the best known version to date. It's TVO on the remix duty this time round and he takes the track back to it's original techno structure but ups the pace a bit and delivers a constantly evolving version that sounds, in parts, not dissimilar to Aril Brikha's early works but finsihes in glitchy cinematic soundscape territory. Dots and Hashes is another constantly shifting affair but this time the haunting melodies and broken percussion kick off the proceedings before the track morphs into a full blown 4/4 workout around the halfway mark, throwing more ideas into a single track than the average minimalist manages in a whole EP and delivering a barrage of low-end party fun.

Copies of Rooks are still available here.

Moving onto 'The Starry Wisdom' on Highpoint Lowlife, opening track Akio Cut With Saffron carries on perfectly from where Dots & Hashes left off with another helping of old-school bass but this time underpinned by hypnotic percussion and a dark, Detroit-tinged undercurrent. Where Rooks had a broadly techno feel, Starry Wisdom leans more into electro and electronica territory although as ever with TVO's work he tends not to get stuck into any one particular camp for too long, so it's no surprise that so many influences are on display here. 'Akio' is probably my favourite track but the booty bass fun of Non-euclidian is also a particularly strong offering as is The king in Yellow. All in all, this is a very solid package and Highpoint's decision to put this out on vinyl after following a 'digital only' path for a while pays testament to the quality of the goods on offer here.

TVO - Non-euclidian // Highpoint Lowlife - buy vinyl or mp3

Before I go, one final thing to mention is TVO's recent mix for Fact magazine. Sure, I'm going to be a little enthusiastic about this one as it happens to feature one of my own productions, but putting that aside, this is a seriously killer mix, taking in all manner of electronic delights and exhibiting the vast influences and creativity that can be heard in Ruaridh's own work but also showing that he can cut it with the best of them behind the DJ booth too. Check it out here.

Labels: Highpoint Lowlife, Stuffrecords, TVO

As the summer draws to a close, the relaxing sounds that have been keeping me company in the garden on many a warm evening are sure to feature in the soundtrack of my autumn whilst looking onto the outside from the comfort of my sofa.

Top of the pile for laid-back listening is LJ Kruzer's excellent Manhood & Electronics LP on Uncharted Audio. Equal parts synthesised ambiance and lazy piano melodies, this LP has fitted the bill perfectly on several occasions when the repetitive 4/4 thump that typically soundtracks my life doesn't quite suit the moment as I'm looking to totally unwind. Squeezing 10 tracks into 34 minutes might suggest a fast pace but things couldn't be further from the truth here and as each piece unfolds, you are dragged deeper into the soothing textures Stephen Fiske has conjured up. As hinted by the title, the album was written whilst LJ Kruzer was on on the brink of fatherhood; a timing that can only have assisted with developing the rich emotions exhibited within the album.

LJ Kruzer - Tam // Uncharted Audio buy

With a lengthy list of releases and remixes under his belt spanning the last 16 years, Chris Jeffs aka Cylob has established himself as an electronica producer of considerable note. His largely instrumental work for labels such as Rephlex, Breakin' and his own Cylob Industries also feature on numerous compilations although it's perhaps the disjointed electronica pop of Rewind! that is arguably one of his better known tracks. Jeffs' latest project is known as Ambient News and his album of the same name showcases yet another angle of his take on abstract electronics. Encompassing bells, playful melodies, abstract guitars and a whole plethora of effects, Ambient News delivers a pleasant dose of laid back tunes spanning the ambient and downbeat electronica genres. If you're new to Cylob and like what you hear here, his back catalogue certianly provides plenty of space for exploration; and somewhat generously, you can get your mitts on a healthy pile of it for free via his website.

Ambient News - Lang // Cylob Industries buy

Taking things about as deep into ambient listening as possible, the next release to feature today is another offering from the excellent Highpoint Lowlife stable. Alpine's 'fr:om harmed weather to stark, micro, climates' isn't exactly the snappiest album title I've ever heard but if repeating the name gets your tongue in a twist the ambient sounds that follow will help it unravel itself as the pace of life here provides plenty of time for thought. With abstract ideas incorporating running water, birdsong, passing planes and all manner of other sonic observations this stuff certainly isn't going to generate much movement from your limbs but if you're looking for some intrigue in your headphone listening then it could be just the ticket.

Alpine - micro, // Highpoint Lowlife buy

Dance music DVDs are one of those things that always seem interesting whilst still in the storefront but when you get them home, rarely seem to make repeated viewing. This isn't down to the quality of goods on offer but sitting in front of a TV when great music is booming out never really seems appropriate. Nevertheless, there must be a market for this stuff and one of the latest acts to venture into this ambitious world is Minilogue. Their Animals album has been a a firm favourite of mine right since it's release last year and even some 18 months on, makes regular visits to my turntables. The mellower cuts to be found on the CD version's second disc are more for the home than the first CD (and vinyl version) and it seems fitting that these tracks form a large part of the soundtrack for 'Animals the Movie'. While this DVD isn't the kind of thing you're likely to want to give undivided attention to for repeated viewing, it's an excellent piece of work and as background entertainment whilst chatting with friends it holds its own as the music still sounds fresh and when people devote a few minutes to watching the visuals, the constantly evolving images provide an extremely pleasant interlude. The official release for this DVD was a good few months back now but it's limited presence in the UK is perhaps the main reason why I haven't seen it given much press. You can however, pick up a copy online.

Labels: Alpine, Ambient News, Cylob, Highpoint Lowlife, LJ Kruzer, Minilogue, Uncharted Audio

Until recently, the delights of the Highpoint Lowlife label were unknown to me but but over the past few weeks I've been giving some air time to some of their releases and have been generally delighted by the results. As with many a 'discovery' these days I first took note when something leapt through my headphones but due to my poor file keeping I wasn't quite sure where I'd got the tracks by 'Kwaidan' from. A search of discogs failed to provide any results and it was only when I noticed an e-mail bearing a similar catalogue number from the amongst the mountain of junk we get sent that I started to dig and realised that I'd been sat on a whole heap of promotional gems for way too long.

The Kwaidan tracks are kind of hard to describe as they don't sit easily with usual categorisations - there's definitely dubstep overtones remisicent of the likes of Skull Disco but at nearly 12 minutes long apiece, the two tracks on HPLL030 encompass so much more as they mutate along their trajectory taking in all manner of haunting wails and machine drones amidst the pervading dark atmosphere.

Kwaidan - Hoichi //HPLL030

Highpoint's roster is a pretty varied affair but from the handful of releases I've checked out, there's a strong electronica presence; a genre which seems to have been relegated to the lower leagues these days. Ranging from atmospheric textures through more dancefloor oriented experimentation all the way to distorted mentalism, Highpoint Lowlife is bound to have something for anyone with even a passing interest in this genre but for me the real gem in my current explorations comes from two Hungarian guys. I've not heard the original of Tigrics' Boko but the Friskfisk remix is simply stunning and up there with some of Aphex's finest moments - in fact had this come out on his Analord series from a few years back it would surely have been considered one of the standout tracks. The release notes that come with this one state that Friskfisk is somewhat reclusive, makes music for himself and his friends and has no intentions of getting anything else released - surely a tragedy if he has other moments of genius like this up his sleeve!

Tigrics - Boko (Friskfisk Remix) //HPLL035

As well as its openly experimental side, HPLL also releases more 'straight up' material such as Hot City's house rhythms or the dubtec stylings to be heard on Gravious' Futurist EP, the label's latest release.

Gravious - Jupiter Jazz //HPLL036

The final point of mention goes out to whoever's doing the mastering for these releases as, bar none, the sound quality on everything I've checked out is impeccable - not only loud but super crisp and really allowing all of the individual elements to breathe.

So, all in all, a damn good discovery and a label I'll definitely be keeping an eye on. Recent releases have all been digital only and can be purchased from the usual players such as Juno Download or Boomkat but the label also has it's own shop which you can access direct from their site.

Labels: Dubstep, Electronica, Friskfisk, Gravious, Highpoint Lowlife, Kwaidan, Tigrics