Desert Wolves - Pontification
The Desert Wolves were one of the best groups from Manchester in the late 80's. You might argue now: "And the why haven't i heard of them until today ?" And we will reply: Quite easy. In 1987/88 the band put out two great singles on the Ugly Man label, where Black released his first single, Man From Delmonte one 7" and two 12"s (now rereleased on Vinyl Japan) and Too Much Texas, while being fronted by Tom Hingley, later singer of The Inspiral Carpets, had a great 12".Trully one of the best bands from Manchester in a rare compilation. Total C-86 gem.
http://www.M/F.com/?ouvftpcp8d4d070
Kettel - Myam James 1
Reimer Eising, producing under the name of Kettel, is no stranger to the IDM scene. Since 2001, Eising has vigorously released a dozen EPs and nine full length albums on a handful of respectable labels, such as Planet Mu, Neo Ouija, DUB, Merck, Kracfive, and his home label (which he co-runs with his brother, Wouter Eising and Kristian Peters), Sending Orbs. His last album, Myam James Part 1 was originally scheduled to be an EP, but Eising's onslaught of his mind-to-music-stream has borne not one, but two albums in the Myam James series. Based out of Groningen, The Netherlands, Eising is a classically trained musician, growing up playing piano since he was five years old. His love for Bach is clearly evident through complex, mathematical, and harmonic progressions in the acid driven, micro programmed, and organically acoustic pieces. From the album page on Sending Orbs: "Kettel manages to squeeze uplifting, warm, cheerful and enjoyable music out of his kettle and pottery factory, which is sad, melancholic and sensitive at the same time." The tracks on Part 1 are as intelligent as Inteligent Dance Music can be, with excellent production, masterful effect control, and instantly memorable melodies
http://www.M/F.com/?l68strv26zgy2di
Maps and Diagrams - Antennas and Signals
Japanese outfit Art Union's Moamoo label has only released a few things so far, but when you consider that the first two releases were both from Ampoule's Pub, you'll get the idea of exactly where they're coming from quality wise. This third release comes from Cactus Island's very own Maps + Diagrams and showcases Tim's wonderful talent for constructing melodic, incredibly deep and strikingly beautiful Electronica of the highest possible quality. Luscious production and a series of wonderful soundscape tones give this CD a delicate and fragile feel, but with an earthy oomph that will keep you engaged all the way through. Rhythmically he keeps it crunchy and lively and the ease with which the beats flow belies the fact that it's actually incredibly complex. Essentially it's the kind of music that you'll easily make friends with and no doubt stay in touch with for many years to come! Fans of Cactus, Toytronic and Expanding will simply adore this gorgeous album and it comes highly recommended.
http://www.M/F.com/?i8d3s811slo97w5
Loess - Wind and Water
Somewhere between ambient drones and drifting beat programming is the world of Wind and Water, the new release by Loess on n5md. The duo of Clay Emerson and Ian Pullman sought to create a record that paralleled the natural progression of creation and dissolution, and the ebb and flow of the twelve tracks of Wind and Water captures a gentle progression -- both airy and fluid -- that is captivatingly natural.
Seemingly a blend of Biosphere's gentle electronics and Chris Watson's environmental recordings, "Creshiem" finds waves of wind transforming into delicate melodies and ticking percussive motifs; while "Greenland" hums with the echo of bells across frozen tundra and the noisy chatter of digital crickets. Emerson and Pullman fill their organic landscapes with the micro-detritus of IDM arrhythmia, a laconic programming that seems like nothing more than the redistribution of dust and pollen beneath swirling breezes and winds. Squirts of bird noises are caught in the wake of a organ-like melody in "Lomond," a gasping, swaying song filled with the huff and puff of air through air bladders and hoses.
http://www.M/F.com/?k8y32ec1ojri8wx
Balil - Parasight
Balil is the solo project of Ed Handley. Handley was once part of the trio The Black Dog along with Andrew Turner & Ken Downie.
http://www.M/F.com/?4711ohg2h50m040
Rowland S. Howard - Teenage Snuff Film
After the demise of These Immortal Souls in 1992, Rowland S. Howard and his uncompromising brand of lush, skeletal Post-Punk gloom fell silent until his surprising re-emergence in 1999 with the stunningly dark Teenage Snuff Film. Easily one of the most distinctive guitarists to emerge from the early Post-Punk movement, Howard weaves his tortured, razor-sharp vamps into a starkly intense aural fabric on his solo debut. Songs such as "Dead Radio" and "Breakdown (And Then...)" immerse the listener into near-perfect distillations of Howard's unique musical vision: desolate, dusty ambiance cut through with a slightly refracted spaghetti-western twang and Howard's lovely wreck of a croon. Teenage Snuff Film even features a cover of Billy Idol's "White Wedding," but in Howard's hands, the song is transformed from bubble-gum goth into an ominously twisted waltz. And then there's "Autoluminescent," an absolutely gorgeous song of redemption, which exudes the kind of sincere, crumbling pathos that is rare to find in this age of commercially-packaged art. Highly recommended.
http://www.M/F.com/?ta5t47834o5d2k3
Exuma - Exuma
One of the most unique and hard to classify artists of the 1970s, Exuma was a singular talent. Mixing the infectious rhythms and folkloric qualities of Bahamian music with rock, country, and other U.S. influences and adding a sharply satiric element of social commentary, Exuma's music aimed for the heart and the feet at the same time.
Signed to Mercury Records in 1969, Exuma quickly released two albums, Exuma the Obeah Man and Exuma II (both 1970). Mixing powerful Afro-Caribbean rhythms with Exuma's shamanistic exhortations and vividly Obeah-inspired lyrics, these albums were conceptually similar to what Nigeria's Fela Kuti was beginning to do around the same time. Like Fela, however, Exuma was largely ignored by American press, radio, and consumers, and Mercury quickly dropped him.
http://www.M/F.com/?iltgf2w9j9dpwxp
Purtenance - Member Of Immortal Damnation
This overlooked Finnish gem, from 1992 sees an act from the Southern Finnish town of Nokia (the same town that gave the world Convulse, and a phone company of it’s namesake) playing death metal in the style that characterizes their native country. It is quite raw, sludgy and semi-melodic, yet in terms of rhythmic dynamics, has quite a lot in common with American acts such as Autopsy and Incantation. The seminal music of Demigod also garners a valid comparison though the production is much more murky, with the guitar tone having something more in common with the likes of Rippikoulu, and the drums having a quite jilted, and occasionally offbeat syncopation, aesthetically complimenting the strangulation strings. Keyboards, and additionally acoustics, used quite sparingly, accentuate a gothic sense of clarity amidst an aural dimension that conjure mental images of wriggling life beneath cemetary dirt.
http://www.M/F.com/?enhzgguvxz664n2