!Exclaim.ca Reviews - Dance & Electronic Reviews

The Black Dog - Tranklements

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:52 -0400

The Black Dog have always been one of the less celebrated members of that '90s IDM movement that included Aphex Twin, Autechre and Squarepusher. Led by original member Ken Downie, the Black Dog's 12th LP, Tranklements, works as both a nod to their pioneering beginnings and culmination of 21st century instrumental electronics. Tracks like the arctic, melodic "Cult Mentality" and robotic, rhythmic "Pray Crash II" employ a vintage 606 sound, while the chopped, choral "Hymn for SoYo" and the Balearic, pulsing "First Cut" are nestled in-between, giving Tranklements a rich exploratory...Read More

Vår - No One Dances Quite Like My Brothers

editorial@exclaim.ca (Duncan Boyd) — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:31:37 -0400

Vår are the electronic project of four Copenhagen-based musicians, including members of Lower and Iceage frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt. If previous releases from the other projects of Vår's members were any indication of a frowning morbid streak, No One Dances Quite Like My Brothers feels like the ultimate realization of these sulking Danes' darkest collective musical visions. On their debut full-length, Vår exhibit an ambition to spiral as far as possible down into some dark abyss while maintaining a constant impression of strange beauty. On single "The World Fell," Vår mix a...Read More

Loscil - City Hospital

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:16:00 -0400

Early last year, as part the ongoing Book Report Series, Loscil recorded City Hospital, a selection of incidental instrumental music created for Malcolm Lowry's haunted, posthumous 1968 novella, Lunar Caustic. Expanding the run from 100 to 350 copies, handmade record label Wist Rec. has reissued City Hospital on three-inch CD-R, complete with stunning, jackdaw-style packaging, including reproduced maps, photographs and postcards from Lowry's boozy, gloomy version of the '30s. Presented, this time around, as a single track, the nearly 19-minute, titular piece manages to...Read More

Minilogue - Blomma

editorial@exclaim.ca (Dustin Morris) — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:38:15 -0400

For Marcus Henriksson and Sebastian Mullaert, it's all about living in the moment. Since the release of their acclaimed double-disc album, Animals, the pair have been taking an improvisational approach to the studio. Acknowledging their chemistry, which has been polished through years of recent touring, where the duo have been seen sharing the stage with improv sensations like Cobblestone Jazz, the decision to treat their latest record as a live piece feels like a natural one. Blomma comes in the form of two one-hour-long sessions, each with its distinct aim. Much like the...Read More

Paula Temple - Colonized

editorial@exclaim.ca (Vincent Pollard) — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:33:12 -0400

Astonishingly, Paula Temple is the first female artist to be signed to the R&S label in the three decades of the legendary Belgium label's existence, and Colonized is prime R&S material. Temple's releases under her name may have been frightfully sparse over the past decade, but the Leeds, UK-based DJ has kept busy with more hands-on activities, such as developing MIDI controllers and running DJ workshops for local kids. Colonized is an exceptional release of energetic, hard-hitting techno that's surprisingly bright and accessible, given its close proximity to noise. The EP...Read More

Steffi - Panorama Bar 05

editorial@exclaim.ca (Ian Schober) — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:13:22 -0400

For ten years, Steffi (Steffi Doms) lived and worked in Amsterdam as a DJ prior to scoring a coveted residency at Berghain's Panorama Bar. Logging off on a second career in graphic design, Steffi packed up her belongings for the world's dance music capital. Playing to Berlin's premier house room once (or more) monthly for the past seven years, plus touring, two labels and an increasing number of stellar original productions, has established Steffi as a conveyor of quality in contemporary dance music. Split between recent (Fred P's "Project 5") and unreleased tracks (Big Strick's "Hayday," a...Read More

Bibio - Silver Wilkinson

editorial@exclaim.ca (Ashley Hampson) — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:11:58 -0400

Bibio's latest release on Warp finds the English producer taking a rawer approach, with more live instrumentation than previous albums. Silver Wilkinson runs with a quiet eclecticism; it's nights around a campfire, flip-flopped feet pushing through dew-sodden grass, a blanket stretched out in a park, your head in someone's lap. Opening track "The First Daffodils," with its static crackle, is reminiscent of morning sunlight seeping through shutters, catching particles that twirl blithely mid-air. As the album rolls into subsequent tracks "Dye the Water Green" and "Wulf," with sounds...Read More

Four Tet - Rounds

editorial@exclaim.ca (Vincent Pollard) — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:39 -0400

It's been ten years since Four Tet (aka London, UK's Kieran Hebden) gave us Rounds, his emotive slice of crate-digging electronica and follow-up to the equally excellent Pause. Domino is commemorating the occasion with a reissue of the often melancholic, hip-hop-, folk- and jazz-infused masterpiece. Listening now to Rounds, you get a sense of just how much Hebden's music has evolved in the past decade away from the headphones and onto the dance floor, via a period of collaboration with late jazz drummer Steve Reid and a plethora of remixes. The vinyl and CD versions of...Read More

RP Boo - Legacy

editorial@exclaim.ca (James Williams) — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:01 -0400

This is another sterling release from Planet Mu, which is leading the way when it comes to juke/footwork projects. This one is from a pioneer of the genre, RP Boo, who released the first acknowledged juke single in 1997, "Baby Come On." Considering Boo's O.G. status in Chicago and the fact that juke/footwork has been blowing up rather dramatically in the last few years (much thanks to the aforementioned Planet Mu), it's surprising that we have only just been graced with a full-length RP Boo album. This is a testament to the regional and insular aspect of juke and other area-specific sounds,...Read More

Adult. - The Way Things Fall

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:01 -0400

Many outsiders might point to the latest emergence of the dark wave electronic scene, helmed by newcomers like Austra, Cold Cave and Zola Jesus, as the impetus for Adult.'s long-awaited return to music. But you can thank their passion for visual arts for something as laidback and unscripted as The Way Things Fall. The Detroit duo's fifth LP (and first in six years) was conceived after recording a few tracks for an art gallery performance. The resulting ten tracks that make up The Way Things Fall feel coyly uninterested in keeping Adult.'s brand of shivering paranoia alive....Read More

Deco Child - Skinless

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400

Skinless, the EP from South London knob-twiddler Alex Lloyd (aka Deco Child), feels like it was ostentatiously ripped from a bygone era: the early 2000s. Fully absorbing the fragile song structures and minor key vocal lines that defined millennial artists like Jeff Buckley, Remy Zero and, later, Radiohead, Deco Child bathes each of the EP's four tracks in haunted, barely there melodies and poetic phrasings. Opening track "Skinless (Part 1)" works well, thanks to Lloyd's rising tide falsettos, as 8-bit electronics and handclaps pull the majestic number back to Earth. "Heartbeats" might...Read More

Dalhous - An Ambassador For Laing

editorial@exclaim.ca (Vincent Pollard) — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:08:47 -0400

You may have noticed that there's something building in the UK lately around several acts producing dark, cinematic almost-techno. Just like during that other wave of dark, hopeless music in the early '80s, the UK economy is still in crisis, the Tories are up to their usual tricks and that frustration is again being channelled in musical form. Think of Demdike Stare, Andy Stott and the Modern Love label, think of the Haxan Cloak on Tri Angle and, most of all, think of Blackest Ever Black. The newest release on Blackest Ever Black is the debut album from Dalhous, the Edinburgh-based duo of...Read More

Jaw Jam - The Truth

editorial@exclaim.ca (James Williams) — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:06:55 -0400

New Jersey's Will DiMaggio is Jaw Jam, a producer who, despite being only the tender age of 20, is producing some of the most forward-thinking bass music currently out there. Drawing inspiration from the UK bass scene, the spatial awareness of luminaries such as Night Slugs' Bok Bok and Zed Bias is very evident in his productions — the sparse percussion drags every last ounce of atmosphere out of the skittering R&B samples, which provide the tracks with their menacing soul. The tracks on The Truth possess a claustrophobic vibe that many strive for, but few actually achieve....Read More

Various - Grime 2.0

editorial@exclaim.ca (James Williams) — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:04:35 -0400

As the name suggests, Grime 2.0 is a document of the second coming of the titular genre, the bombastic, sinister and often violent voice of the UK underground (which has, as this release makes clear, gone worldwide). Compiled by legendary writer and A&R Joe Muggs for ever-cutting-edge Ninja Tune subsidiary label Big Dada, Grime 2.0 collects instrumentals from a slew of rising and more established producers in the genre, which is currently enjoying a resurgence in creativity after a few slim years, where accusations of selling-out and Americanisation damaged its reputation. While...Read More

The Haxan Cloak - Excavation

editorial@exclaim.ca (Philip James de Vries) — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:17:02 -0400

To say Excavation is a dark record would be an understatement. The sophomore record from multi-instrumentalist Bobby Kric as the Haxan Cloak takes the listener beyond death into a realm of the unknowable, in which he creates an oddly comforting experience — a sonic experiment analogous to the absurd horror that is non-existence. Kric's explorations in sound are outright hallucinogenic, blending extreme aggression with vastly spacious atmospheres. While so much blackened experimental music is fatiguing and off-putting, Excavation is a terror that invites the listener to embrace fear and...Read More

Clouds - Man Out of Dubs

editorial@exclaim.ca (Ashley Hampson) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:32:24 -0400

Scottish duo Clouds have made fans of Boys Noize and the Chemical Brothers, among others, and their latest EP, Man Out of Dubs, is a bit like being swallowed by sandpaper yet emerging intact. If you took all the drops from Proxy songs, lengthened them considerably and looped them infinitely, you'd have Man Out of Dubs. The EP is a mangled, robot dystopia, a breakdown of the natural presented through rugged techno. "Tropical Fuck" runs on a leaden build, gaining strength with scratching hi-hat and warped vocals that have the grind of a saw. The bruised, metallic feedback on...Read More

Graze - N.K.42

editorial@exclaim.ca (Anthony Augustine) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:17:48 -0400

Exploring the underlying connections between forward-thinking bass music and deep techno may feel like a natural evolution, but few have done it as well as New Kanada boss Adam Marshall and Toronto, ON dubstep-turned-house-producer Christian Andersen's (aka XI) new project, Graze. Tracks like "The Sust" and "Cathode Bias" are anchored by complex, skittering drum patterns and subterranean bass that barely allow the underlying melodies to squeeze through, while Marshall and Andersen coax out analog synths lines that add to the unnerving ambience. The duo's tracks never get overpowered by the...Read More

Adventure - Weird Work

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:39:42 -0400

Now that Benny Boeldt (aka Adventure) has gotten chipwave and chillwave out of his system, the Maryland-via-South Carolina instrumentalist is free to focus on the more textural and subtle aspects of synthetic music on Weird Work, his third LP. Crafting eight traversing instrumentals, Boeldt abandons the genre-sculpted absurdities of his Wham City cohorts for something resembling a straight-faced post-IDM record. Allowing his work to adopt a less-structured mould, tracks like the standout, Aphex Twin-esque "Laser Blast" and instructional-video-gone-funky "Constantly" possess...Read More

Beacon - The Ways We Separate

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:18:46 -0400

Last year, when Beacon released a pair of EPs, many critics were ready to write them off as the latest in the bubbling sea of hipster R&B clones. But on their first full-length, The Ways We Separate, the Brooklyn, NY duo have demonstrated a notable amount of stylistic (and artistic) growth. Still sounding stunningly similar to shit-hot Canadian/Danish duo Rhye (both have male vocalists who sound remarkably similar to Sade), Beacon have absorbed this of-the-moment genre wholly into their art, leaving the listener with ten songs that feel naturally more definitive and classic. Taking...Read More

Pan American - Cloud Room, Glass Room

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:00:41 -0400

A decade-and-a-half ago, Mark Nelson created minimalist side-project Pan American in order to release material he felt was too electronic-based for drone-core trio Labradford. Since then, ambient music has evolved to the point where guitars and live drums sit snugly alongside synthesizers and processors. On Cloud Room, Glass Room, Pan American's seventh full-length, Nelson finally merges these two musical archetypes. With the addition of Fennesz and Aidan Baker percussionist Steven Hess as a full-time member, much of Cloud Room, Glass Room works off of organic/inorganic...Read More

Cosmin TRG - Gordian

editorial@exclaim.ca (Ian Schober) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:50:00 -0400

Bass stalwart Cosmin TRG is a Romanian ex-pat now living in Berlin, working as a touring DJ and producer. TRG's abstractions of windy and weird techno are pulled towards career high realizations on second full-length Gordian. The considerable groove found in each song often becomes somewhat clouded by gently saturated noise, as in "Divided by Design" or interlude "Epsilon, Epsilon." Similarly, the distant introductions of numerous samples, as in "New Structures for Loving," evoke impossible sounds collected from a dream of dripping machinery. Most insightful is the contrasting, buried...Read More

Kalabrese - Independent Dancer

editorial@exclaim.ca (Ashley Hampson) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:46:17 -0400

It's been six years since Kalabrese (aka Sacha Winkler) dropped his debut album, Rumpelzirkus. His second LP, Independent Dancer, plays out like an impromptu LCD Soundsystem album — epic-length tracks run on a simple looped beat with a bit of synth exploration while the overlaid vocals move from monotone musings to clamouring expression before falling right back. Independent Dancer sounds like LCD Soundsystem if James Murphy toned everything down, turned off the amps and decided to take no chances. (Kalabrese opened for Murphy on a 2012 tour, which would explain the...Read More

Miss Kittin - Calling From the Stars

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:39:18 -0400

Miss Kittin may be a serial collaborator, but it's only because her sense of ambition is too large to tackle alone. When the French electro-clasher isn't releasing records with Felix da Housecat, Golden Boy or the Hacker, she's lending her voice to Chicks on Speed singles, crafting DJ mixes or covering artists like Serge Gainsbourg and Primal Scream. But Calling from the Stars, her third solo LP (and sixth overall), finds Miss Kittin creating her most ambitious and independent-minded work yet. A sprawling 23-track set, Calling from the Stars is Miss Kittin's first full-length...Read More

Various - Traxx: The House That Garage Built

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:36:28 -0400

British dance label Needwant conceived of their latest collection, Traxx: The House That Garage Built, as a tribute to NYC's early '80s garage house scene, but instead (or as intended), this 16-track compilation works as a showcase for some of Europe's best up-and-coming disco traditionalists. Focusing on artists favouring vintage production techniques, sounds and equipment, Traxx is presented as a modern DJ mix, complete with digitally processed low-end and faultless beat matching and fading. Seemingly anchored by patented piano chords and diva vocals, most of the producers on...Read More

DjRUM - Seven Lies

editorial@exclaim.ca (James Williams) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:11:32 -0400

Felix Manuel is DjRum (pronounced "drum"), a London, UK-based producer who's created quite the name for himself in the last year due to a string of stellar releases on the consistently excellent 2nd Drop label. DjRum's latest project, Seven Lies, is a culmination of everything that's great about the current crop of genre-defying producers currently making abstract electronic music out of the UK. It's music that's meditative and aggressive, minimal and maximal. Dub echoes, techno muscle and two-step shuffle are coupled with a pleasingly cavalier attitude towards traditional song...Read More

Clockwork - B.O.A.T.S. (Based on a True Story)

editorial@exclaim.ca (Anthony Augustine) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:20:16 -0400

Italian duo Francesco Leali and Federico Maccherone (aka Clockwork) aren't afraid to take some chances on first full-length B.O.A.T.S. (Based on a True Story). From slow-burning broken beat numbers like "Places" to the arpeggiated, synth-driven "Prisms" and "This World is Not Designed for Us," with former Footprintz member Clarian handling vocal duties while a patchwork of scattering beats propel the bottom end, Clockwork have crafted an eclectic debut that broadens the duo's focus, but doesn't do enough to highlight their strengths. You also get the dub-heavy "Second Floor" and the...Read More

COMA - In Technicolor

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:06:15 -0400

On paper, Coma's affiliation with Kompakt looks like a no-brainer, as the duo, growing up in Cologne, Germany, weaned themselves on their hometown label's rich stable of long-form minimalists. But once the listener delves deeper into Coma's debut full-length, In Technicolor, it's apparent that these Krautpoppers' vision of techno extends further than just the Rhine. Working off the same skeletal, strident beats that defined their slew of twelve-inches, In Technicolor shows the duo blending and layering rounded-edge rhythms and elastic grooves, giving the slinky "Maybach" and...Read More

Solar Bears - Supermigration

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:05:39 -0400

Anyone not convinced that the latest wave of electronic music from the Anglo-Celtic Isles lacks a definitive sound needs to hear Solar Bears. As Scotland's Rustie and Hudson Mohawke have helped revive UK big beat, the genre's rubbery rhythms and Bonzo drum-style have even found themselves imbedded within Solar Bears' brand of lofty, introspective psychedelia. On Supermigration, their sophomore release, the duo filter minor-key piano and soft-wave keyboards through a larger, more dynamic studio sound, leaving the listener with a dozen high-concept, low-end psych-runoffs. Tracks like...Read More

Rainbow Arabia - FM Sushi

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:03:47 -0400

On their debut LP, 2011's Boys and Diamonds, Rainbow Arabia bedecked secular synth pop with Arabic textures and polychromatic transmissions, placing the L.A. duo squarely on the path towards more ethereal, eclectic material. However, for their follow-up they decided to release FM Sushi, a waterlogged collection of synth-driven electro pop. Over ten tracks, vocalist Tiffany Preston manages to retain her pre-Blondie, post-Siouxsie film-noir delivery, stretching her melodies over husband Danny Preston's monophonic analogue rhythms. But on the pop-corny "He is Sorcerer," dark waver...Read More

Simian Mobile Disco - Live

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:00:31 -0400

On last year's criminally underappreciated Unpatterns LP, Simian Mobile Disco finally broke the 16-bit code, delivering a long-form, skeletal, techno think piece that felt just as beefy as it did heady. Bringing this M.O. on the road, the duo's live show brought together both dance floor enthusiasts and headphone contemplators, using tracks from all four of their vastly diverse albums as elements in a dynamic-fuelled DJ set. Capturing a night in Philadelphia, Live works better as a 45-minute mix than a time capsule. It's no secret that Simian Mobile Disco have become lean producers, as...Read More

Letherette - Letherette

editorial@exclaim.ca (Ashley Hampson) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:00:25 -0400

After four EPs and remixes for the likes of Bibio and Machinedrum, UK duo Letherette drop their self-titled debut on Ninja Tune. Immediately, it feels like being tossed into a Euro club a decade ago. There's the muffled build and encompassing drop on "After Dawn," spastic, screeching keys and soprano voices feeding a loop at the close of "The One," a time warp and spiralling synths on "Warstone," and a remarkable resemblance to Daft Punk and Bag Raiders on single "D&T." The album is ridiculously fun and surprising, in that it sounds like much older UK electronic rooted in the present. What's...Read More

The Knife - Shaking the Habitual

editorial@exclaim.ca (Vincent Pollard) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:42:24 -0400

You can't accuse Swedish siblings the Knife of becoming stagnant, musically or otherwise. In addition to Karin Dreijer Andersson's solo output as Fever Ray and the duo's recent out-there opera (in collaboration with fellow oddballs Mt. Sims and Planningtorock), Olof Dreijer also found time to get his PhD in Political Science and Women's Studies. Aforementioned avant-opera aside, Shaking the Habitual is the first album from the Knife in seven years, following the release of the award-winning Silent Shout. Fans of that record and the preceding Deep Cuts will be barking up...Read More

Pursuit Grooves - Broadcasting a Sensory Sequence

editorial@exclaim.ca (Philip James de Vries) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:12:51 -0400

The latest release from Toronto, ON-based beat-crafter Vanese Smith is caught somewhere between hip-hop, funk, soul and techno. Over 11 instrumental tracks, save for some sporadic vocodering and vocal accenting, Smith blends her unique take on abstract grooves into a journey guided by deep, heavy kicks that yield to directional signals provided by her tribal-like toms and often '80s-laden synth textures. Smith's talent on Broadcasting A Sensory Sequence, like many of her previous releases, lies in her ability to tap into primal rhythms while simultaneously exploring uncharted rhythmic...Read More

Pick a Piper - Pick a Piper

editorial@exclaim.ca (Ashley Hampson) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:13:30 -0400

It's often easy to hear the stylistic similarities of a collaborating musician in their myriad projects. Fans of Caribou, then, should gravitate towards the polyrhythmic, multi-layered percussion of Caribou live drummer Brad Weber on Pick a Piper. Weber's side-project, and self-titled debut, is a bit of a departure from the digital EPs released years prior. The organic dance and acoustic bass of the former have been replaced by electronic percussion, synths and samples, though this latest release still manages to root itself in a natural, atmospheric setting. For all its percussive...Read More

Boundary - Boundary

editorial@exclaim.ca (Vincent Pollard) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:25:14 -0400

Boundary is the new moniker for the Juno-nominated Ghislain Poirier (usually known as simply Poirier), who steps out of his familiar electronic dancehall territory to bring us a 13-track album of minimal techno. Unlike the recent resurgence in dark, banging, dystopian techno, Boundary is far more optimistic. Bright, cinematic and heavily digital — several analogue synth parts aside — Boundary is more akin to the output of early Warp or underground Finnish producer Ukkonen than the canon of Detroit or Berlin techno. Poirier's penchant for Caribbean and Latin rhythms is still...Read More

Heterotic - Love & Devotion

editorial@exclaim.ca (Vincent Pollard) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:47:26 -0400

This is the debut release from Heterotic, the husband and wife team of Mike Paradinas (aka IDM producer µ-Ziq and Planet Mu label boss) and Lara Rix-Martin. Four of the eight tracks on the album feature the lyrics and vocals of Nick Talbot (otherwise known as Gravenhurst). Blending contemporary production with '80s pop, and even some piano house on "Blue Lights," the album will hit those nostalgia buttons for listeners old enough to remember the late '80s and early '90s electronic dance scenes. Varied in tempo and style, this release hangs together well, not feeling at all disparate, but more...Read More

Bonobo - The North Borders

editorial@exclaim.ca (Ashley Hampson) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:10:51 -0400

Bonobo's slow, steady build may not be typical for an artist nowadays, but his longevity has given rise to a career spanning over a decade and five studio LPs, including 2010's highly celebrated Black Sands and his fifth and latest release, The North Borders. The latter could almost be seen as a continuation of the former — organic, spacious down-tempo laden with oscillating percussion and a movement of tracks that runs from those that scuff the dance floor to the quiet sought after a late night. The North Borders introduces a host of vocalists to accompany solid...Read More

DJ Koze - Amygdala

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:00:34 -0400

Over the past decade, Stefan Kozalla has kept his fingers in many pies. Besides recording his debut LP as DJ Koze in 2005, Kozalla has released a handful of DJ mixes, remixed songs for a slew of Kompakt artists and has recorded singles under aliases like Monaco Schranze and Adolf Noise. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that Amygdala (DJ Koze's forever-in-the-making sophomore release) would utilize such an overwhelming array of ideas and voices. Pulling in an impressive roster of guest musicians, Kozalla manages to organically incorporate Caribou's soft-psychedelic ("Track ID...Read More

T-Polar - Feetwork

editorial@exclaim.ca (James Williams) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:37:24 -0400

Irish electronic label Champion Sound releases the new EP from established bass producer T-Polar, Feetwork. His mutant strain of house is informed by all the right influences: a little two-step shuffle here and some '90s rave synths there, all underpinned by the rolling bass lines and skewed vocal stabs we've come to expect from tracks like these. It's all put together very nicely, but T-Polar isn't breaking any new ground. The remixes come courtesy of Unknown, a mysterious character who's been keeping himself busy lately uploading incredible remixes to YouTube and being all...Read More

Lapalux - Nostalchic

editorial@exclaim.ca (Ashley Hampson) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:00:23 -0400

It's no small feat to have Flying Lotus respond to a one-off email and subsequently end up as the only British artist on Los Angeles-based label Brainfeeder, but such is the fate of Lapalux. The 25-year-old Essex native's debut album, Nostalchic, finds its strength within its layered approach, melding elements of R&B, hip-hop, house and soul. It's the textures Lapalux create that move and sustain the album — the stuttered, twitchy beats of "Flower" or the heavy distortion and controlled chaos atop the errant synths on "Kelly Brook." It's easy to see why Brainfeeder was eager to...Read More

Footprintz - Escape Yourself

editorial@exclaim.ca (Anthony Augustine) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:13:59 -0400

Montreal electronic duo Footprintz are obviously interested in the synth-draped sound of the past, but Escape Yourself allows Clarian North and Adam Hunter to recontextualize their underground pop for those bleary eyed after-parties or summer patio sessions that nobody wants to leave. "Heaven Felt Like Night" relies on low-slung grooves and melancholic synths that carry just the right emotional weight, whereas "Uncertain Change" explores themes of confusion, alienation and the insecurities of growing up. "Dangers of the Mouth" reflects upon battles of the heart, with its goose bump...Read More

Karl Bartos - Off the Record

editorial@exclaim.ca (Alan Ranta) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:06:09 -0400

Karl Bartos was a member of Kraftwerk from 1975 to 1990, during the creation of such influential albums as Radio-Activity, The Man-Machine and Computer World. Ever-striving for more during this period, Bartos worked on a secret acoustic diary free from the confines of the increasingly perfectionist Kraftwerk collective. In his spare time, he jotted down bits and pieces for personal projects that never ended up being fully realized. That is, until now. While the extent to which his source material was "reconceived and re-contextualised" remains unclear, what is apparent is...Read More

John Beltran - Amazing Things

editorial@exclaim.ca (Dustin Morris) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:31:37 -0400

Nearly two decades into his career, John Beltran returns in fine form to deliver a new album on Amsterdam's Delsin Records. Amazing Things is a diverse 17-track effort and a substantial undertaking for Beltran, whose earlier works have been hailed as some of the most influential of their time. Recognized lately for his achievements in the field of ambient music, the Michigan native continues to ease off his techno roots while delving deeper into ethereal territory. This is Beltran's most personal feat, not just from a musical standpoint, but a personal one, given the majority of the...Read More

Mark Templeton - Jealous Heart

editorial@exclaim.ca (Vincent Pollard) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:18:29 -0400

On Jealous Heart (a sort-of sequel to his Scotch Heart cassette), Edmonton, AB musician Mark Templeton melds an analog, William Basinski-like stutter with the dark electronic atmospherics of the roster of the Blackest Ever Black label or even Andy Stott, at least tonally. Meticulous production and skilled musicianship are brought together by tight-but-loose compositions whose apparent subtlety belies a deeper complexity that is at once soothing and unnerving. Several moments of sweetness, such as the buried vocals on "Sinking Heart" and the playfulness of "Kingdom Key," are...Read More

Atom - HD

editorial@exclaim.ca (Vincent Pollard) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:10:38 -0400

Atom's pairing last year with Raster-Noton for Winterreise seemed somewhat of a surprising choice. But with HD, the combination of Uwe Schmidt (the name behind the Atom moniker) and the famed German glitch/techno label makes sense, coming across glitchier and more minimal, but with the sense of fun we've come to expect from the German-born producer. As well as the precise glitch, HD is chock-full of gorgeous, vintage synths and vocoder paying homage to proto-techno pioneers Kraftwerk, both in tone and delivery, especially on "Strom" and "Ich Bin Meine Maschine." However, "Stop...Read More

Various - 20 Jahre Kompakt/Kollektion 1

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:01:01 -0400

On March 1, 1993, Jörg Burger, Jürgen Paape, Reinhard Voigt and brother Wolfgang opened a record store specializing in techno music and dubbed it Delirium. Within five years, it would evolve into Kompakt, one of the most respected labels on the planet. Working as both a 20th anniversary celebration for the shop and a best-of compilation for the label, 20 Jahre Kompakt/Kollektion 1 assembles some of the record store's favourite Kompakt releases since 1998. Covering 25 different artists over the same number of tracks, 20 Jahre Kompakt does a fine job blending their heritage acts...Read More

Brandt Brauer Frick - Miami

editorial@exclaim.ca (Alan Ranta) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:25:21 -0400

Brandt Brauer Frick may sound like a badass law firm, but they are, in fact, a badass trio of Germans hell-bent on morphing the lush timbres of classical instrumentation into raunchy beats and bass lines, eschewing the shortcuts of synthesizers and laptops in the process. Miami is their third album together, and one for which Daniel Brandt, Jan Brauer and Paul Frick pulled out all the stops. The pedigree of collaborators here are top notch, featuring contributions from Warp soul man Jamie Lidell, Jay Z producer Om'mas Keith, Monika Enterprise boss Gudrun Gut and Russian producer Nina...Read More

Ellen Allien - LISm

editorial@exclaim.ca (Alan Ranta) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:00:17 -0500

The creative process for LISm brings to mind "Boléro" by Ravel, which was originally written as a commissioned ballet, but grew to take on a life of its own, becoming the composer's most famous piece of music. Similarly, LISm was originally created by BPitch Control boss Ellen Allien as a collaborative dance piece, performed as "Drama per Musica," under the direction of Alexander Roccoli and Séverine Rième. Like the structure of "Boléro," LISm picks up steam as it moves forward. The piece starts with light, processed flutes, transitions to a repeating guitar figure and...Read More

Prurient - Through the Window

editorial@exclaim.ca (Daniel Sylvester) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:33:35 -0500

It should fly in the face of reason that an artist working within the noise genre could release such a high output of resourceful music. As contemporaries Whitehouse and Wolf Eyes remain faithful to their black magick, Ian Fernow has used noise as an ashy template to explore endless musical avenues. On his first release of 2013, Fernow (aka Prurient) serves up sampler of genre excursions with three-track LP Through the Window. The titular opener follows an echo-y, replicating, (almost) dance-y synth line through grinding, low-end atmosphere, ominous whispers and throbbing beats....Read More

Daniel Dexter - Focus On: Daniel Dexter

editorial@exclaim.ca (James Williams) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:19:34 -0500

Hamburg-based Poker Flat, the house (label) that Steve Bug built, releases the inaugural full-length from DJ/producer Daniel Dexter, Focus On: Daniel Dexter. Containing a selection of past, present and future cuts, as well as salacious remixes from Dexter's considerable back catalogue, it will no doubt bring the Berlin party-starter's highly percussive and innovative house sound to a considerably wider audience, which is a very good thing. Possessing a great ear for abstract melody and a genre-bending knowledge of percussion, which raises his tracks out of the four-on-the-floor mire...Read More