Rvng Int'l US At Juno Download

Review: There's definitely a high surge of experimental music coming out of New York at the moment, with Rvng Intl being at the forefront of this wave. Holly Herndon makes her debut for the label after an interesting first release on cassette for "Third Sex", and "Movement" sees her sound mould into a distinctive mixture of noise and synthesis experimentation. The opener, "Terminal", sets the scene for what is inevitably going to head down dark, unknown territories - its brooding bass howls protruding between glitchy noises. "Fade" adds a more familiar percussion arrangement but is quickly disemboweled by echoing lyrics and swirling polyphonies; not to mention its following track, "Breathe", another apocalyptic bundle of groans and swirling effects. "Control And" is as daunting as it is marvellous, but it's the muffled, delayed techno of "Movement" which truly stands out as Herndon's best work so far. It's her most focused moment yet, one which seems to be heading towards more grounded territories, only to be torn apart by the awkwardly brilliant "Dilato". Highly recommended!

Review: Andrew Field-Pickering is a unique talent. Under the Maxmillion Dunbar guise, he's treated listeners to a string of gorgeously kaleidoscopic releases that join the dots between sparkling electronica, E'd-up disco, next-level Balearica and effervescent deep house. With Woo, his first release for RVNG INTL, he's at it again. "Woo" is deliciously fluid, pitting brightly coloured electronic melodies and darting synths against stuttering drum machine rhythms and cascading chords. The beatless "Shampoo" is similarly lucid, delivering a steamy tropical shower of glistening electronics and synthesized steel drums. It's only the formidably robust "Drift" - a Disco Nihlist-ish exercise in analogue groovery - that breaks the spell. Essential.

Review: Andrew Field-Pickering is a unique talent. Under the Maxmillion Dunbar guise, he's treated listeners to a string of gorgeously kaleidoscopic releases that join the dots between sparkling electronica, E'd-up disco, next-level Balearica and effervescent deep house. With Woo, his first release for RVNG INTL, he's at it again. "Woo" is deliciously fluid, pitting brightly coloured electronic melodies and darting synths against stuttering drum machine rhythms and cascading chords. The beatless "Shampoo" is similarly lucid, delivering a steamy tropical shower of glistening electronics and synthesized steel drums. It's only the formidably robust "Drift" - a Disco Nihlist-ish exercise in analogue groovery - that breaks the spell.

Review: The excellent RVNG have indulged in some niche reissue projects in their time, but this mammoth compilation from obscure Italian trio Sensations Fix might be the most intriguing to date. Rising to prominence in the 70s through several albums released through Polydor over four years, each was self-recorded and produced with a Minimoog, guitar, drumkit, four-track recorder and several keyboards, creating a unique hybrid of progressive rock and kosmische that still sounds unlike anything else since. Moving effortlessly between the drivetime rock of tracks like "Barnhouse Effect" and "Grow On You" and the experimental synth-driven psychedelia of tracks like "Moving Particles" and "Scraping Delay", this album is an essential document chronicling one of the 70s' great lost bands.

Review: Flitting around many sturdy and well-regarded underground institutions such as Olde English Spelling Bee and Black Dirt, this latest release for Stellar OM Source may well be her biggest move yet, signing up to the expansive plains of Rvng Intl, and sparring with the inimitable Kassem Mosse in the remix department. "Elite Excel" is a wondrous excursion propelled on submerged drum machine rhythm firing off in an urgent breakbeat, while psychedelic strands of synth dart around the mix before a more prominent main riff manages to come pealing through the mists and give the track some emotional gusto. It's the perfect jump-off point for someone like Kassem Mosse, who get slow and sizzling on his version with a glorious mural of melodic twists and turns while keeping the mechanical funk of his machines whirring constantly.