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Downwards
Played by: Juno Recommends Experimental
Review: At the time of its release in 2020, Hidden... was Regis' first album release in nearly 20 years. That's not to suggest he hadn't been busy. In addition to his own Downwards label and releasing on Blackest Ever Black, he also established and ran the storied Sandwell District collective with Function and Silent Servant. Traces of all those diverse projects are audible on what was effectively his comeback solo album. It means that Hidden... features dense, lithe steppers like "Calling Down A Curse" and "I See Fire" sitting side by side with atmospheric drones like "Eros In Tangiers" and "Alone Of All Her Sex". And while the album is peppered with those distinctive styles, Regis
still leaves room for an element of surprise - most notably on the grayscale ambience of "Eros II" and "Everything is Ahead of Us", which breaks down with moody, neoclassical piano keys.
still leaves room for an element of surprise - most notably on the grayscale ambience of "Eros II" and "Everything is Ahead of Us", which breaks down with moody, neoclassical piano keys.
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DNLP 028R
05 May 23
Experimental/Electronic
05 May 23
Experimental/Electronic
Played by: Juno Recommends Experimental
Review: Eros is a new collaboration between Downwards label chief Regis, Liam Andrews of MY DISCO, and Boris Wilsdorf of Einsturzende Neubauten. Rejoined by more key collaborators; Anni Hogan and Wilsdorf's bandmate in EN Jochen Arbeit, A Southern Code was recorded during long days and nights in the studio across 2020 and 2021 at Wilsdorf's pivotal Anderesbaustelle studio. The result is five pitch black and experimental cuts that take on a wider view of industrial music. The dense rumble of "Uncommon Fears" has a resemblance to O'Connor's more techno oriented work, while the seething post-punk attitude of "The Crawling Man" is reminiscent of material on his D/N label offshoot.
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DNLP 100
09 Sep 22
Experimental/Electronic
09 Sep 22
Experimental/Electronic
Played by: Juno Recommends Experimental
Review: Let The Night Return is a unique one-off performance by Karl 'Regis' O'Connor which took place at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus in Peloponnese, Greece. A remarkable UNESCO world heritage site devoted to Asclepius (Greek god of medicine), Regis took to the stage with pianist Ann Margaret Hogan, the soundscapes of Vasileios Trigkas and Justin K Broadrick on guitar for a special one-off performance, miced up and recorded for future prosperity. With the heavyset and poetical language of Regis' music still firmly intact, beat driven numbers come through "The Blind Departing" and "Calling Down A Curse" - which will appeal to fans of his Kalon project to tracks like "Blood Witness" - with O'Connor's all time post punk sound ringing true in "Clean Air". With shadowy, industrial murk and distorted edginess to be explored in "Epidaurus (live extract 1)" & Epidaurus (live extract 2)" - it's as if Regis went as far to channel Lou Reed in "Temporary Thing". Best thing since BMB Live In Tokyo.
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LINO 89
11 Jun 21
Experimental/Electronic
11 Jun 21
Experimental/Electronic
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LINO 82
29 Mar 19
Coldwave/Synth
29 Mar 19
Coldwave/Synth
Review: Kerridge's long association with Downwards continues on his first release of 2018. The I marks a shift in sound, with his trademark viscous white noise replaced with something starker and stripped back. On "Silent Notes", this manifests itself in the form of chilling strings, swinging, robotic drums and haunting atmospheric textures. "Fascination Sustain" also ploughs a chilling furrow, with the UK producer laying down a jittery rhythm that acts as a backdrop for tingling electronic tones and menacing bass. "Propagates of Desire" marks a return to the frazzled darkness of Kerridge's usual layered sound, albeit playing out against a high-paced grime back drop, while "Actuality Repeats" is an abstract affair, as he retreats back into the shadows.
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LINO 78
14 Sep 18
Techno
14 Sep 18
Techno
Review: A longtime collaborator with the legendary Marc Almond (Soft Cell) as well as a vocalist and keyboard player, Anni Hogan has also worked with Nick Cave, Paul Weller, Barry Adamson and Gavin Friday. She teams up with Simple Minds/Propaganda bassist Derek Forbes here in a new project named Zanti. Broken Hearted City has been engineered by Ando Wright at Parr Street studios in Liverpool and consolidates the rich musical heritage of these two veteran artists, who have honed their craft over the last 40 years. From the brooding and bluesy swagger of "Lonesome" that features powerful vocal performances by both artists, the sultry dance-pop of "Planet Sweet" or the evocative and bittersweet title track - this is a fantastic return to form from the pair.
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ZANTI 01
24 Aug 18
Techno
24 Aug 18
Techno
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LINO 77
01 Dec 17
Techno
01 Dec 17
Techno
Review: Following on from their excellent 2013 album Nightshade, new wave/punk act DVA Damas return to Karl O'Connor's label with Wet Vision. The title track sees the duo fuse the rockabilly guitar chimes of late 80s/early 90s The Fall with atmospheric textures as Taylor Burch's breathy meanderings makes its way up through a stepping rhythm. "Wet Vision II" is more abstract, held together only by reverberated claps, while "Silence" is like a spikier, more forthright version of Tropic of Cancer, its mysterious textures supported by broken beats. DVA Damas also make concessions to the dance floor on this release and "On Your Heels" is a brilliant, dubbed out stepping techno track.
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DNNA 12 01
09 Mar 15
Techno
09 Mar 15
Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Experimental
Review: Brandishing a dark sound that draws from electronics and string-based instruments and adds a touch of the crepuscular to finish, the Lupine-fancying OAKE have become a most suitable act for the current iteration of Karl O'Connor's Downwards label. First emerging on DNS early last year with the Offenbarung EP, the Berlin duo have subsequently committed another EP of claustrophobic electronics to the label as well as contributing to the rather fine Halha compilation. Auferstehung is an 11-track debut album from OAKE, which offers the pair more of a canvas to work with. With a title that translates as "resurrection" and a rather opaque theme that apparently "marks an end and a beginning at the same time," there is plenty that is open to interpretation about Auferstehung, and the album is largely free of any techno aspirations. Instead OAKE elect to coax you deeper into their web of sonic paranoia, which at times is a joyously crushing experience.
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DN 64
13 Jan 15
Experimental/Electronic
13 Jan 15
Experimental/Electronic
Review: The mysterious Grebenstein is the latest artist to grace Downwards. S/T boasts a similarly bleak, eerie approach to producers like Samuel Kerridge and Oake, undercut by the kind of tribal broken beats that made Regis' own In A Syrian Tongue such a landmark release. It starts with the searing drones and rumbling drums of "Acting Within Your Terms" before progressing into the utterly menacing tones of "No You Don't" and "Principles of Trust". The latter's dark soundscapes are underpinned by crashing drums and it is this element that makes the final track, "That's Where The Answer Was, In Your Body" so memorable, as bombastic kicks and percussive volleys underpin the air of gloom.
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DN 063
03 Nov 14
Techno
03 Nov 14
Techno
Review: Johnathan Krohn and Karl Meier are Talker, the latest addition to the Downwards stable. Meier, as Kalon, is also credited for releasing one of Sandwell District's strongest records with the dynamic Born Against 12" in 2008, while Krohn has appeared on Downwards once before by contributing "Cut The Weight" to the label's Halha compilation. For Talker's debut album, the duo combine industrial overtones and mechanistic screeches with blustery clouds of Dadub-like atmospheres and wailing walls of emotional synth drenched in reverb. There are regimented drums throughout too, and for some gritty, beaten down Downwards techno check out "Frame Capture" and "Anthony".
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DN 062
20 Oct 14
Techno
20 Oct 14
Techno
Review: Well, it has to be said that Karl 'Regis' O'Connor has a knack for discovering more than just techno. This latest Downwards missile is a mini-LP from the foreboding Autumns, an introspective Irish outfit working on the outskirts of both punk and techno. It's a band which knows how to blend the two, without seeming forced or out of place. "Tired Eyes", for instance, knocks out a gorgeous guitar riff which is moulded and re-shaped thanks to a heap of delay. It might sound simple, but they way Autumns do it different, more challenging on the ear but nonetheless seductive. As new post-punk music goes, thank *&%! for this! Finally a proper EP of two-chord nastiness!
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AUTDN 1
28 Jul 14
Techno
28 Jul 14
Techno
Review: First surfacing with an impressive debut EP for the Horizontal Ground label, it makes perfect sense that Berlin-based Samuel Kerridge should then gravitate towards Downwards to further expand on his own brand of industrial techno. You get feeling that the knowing sense of humour apparent in many of the titles to Kerridge productions appeals to someone like Downwards label boss Karl O'Connor. After several EPs for Downwards, Kerridge unveils his debut album A Fallen Empire which comes brandishing "7 pieces of sonic warfare" that lodge the producer ever deeper into the crawlspace between jagged industrial techno and white noise laden experimental sounds. The huge "Death Is Upon Us" is a morbid highlight.
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DNKLP 01
16 Jun 14
Techno
16 Jun 14
Techno
