Helmed by Patrick Marsman, the Rotterdam-based label Pinkman caters to dreamers navigating postmodern cybernetic dystopias, embarking on nocturnal escapades in industrial wastelands, and discovering a profound connection in the bass-heavy ambiance of subterranean basements drenched in sweat. Bold, unadulterated, and infused with emotion, Pinkman's electronic sounds are meticulously crafted to compel listeners to dance with a sense of pride. Deeply rooted in Rotterdam and guided by Marsman's vision, Pinkman not only mirrors the essence of the city but also plays a pivotal role in shaping its distinctive sonic landscape.
Review: L.F.T. makes a bold statement with his latest six-track release on Pinkman, following a string of acclaimed releases on various labels like Mannequin and Return To Disorder. With Electric Vampire, L.F.T. crafts a sonic journey aimed squarely at the dancefloor, blending tough drums and raw basslines with spectral vocals and percussive quirks. The result is a fusion of Dutch electro heritage and horror-movie soundtracks, creating a synthetic super-highway where bright lights meet solid concrete underfoot. With heavy acid electro defining the sound of other numbers like "Cattle Beast", it's straight up Vampire techno in "Asche (Vox by Nils Fock)" with reflections of a Simian Mobile Disco sound in "Demonic Toys". Gritty but classy productions all round.
Review: Any release from Credit 00 is noteworthy - and when it's his first album in seven years, it's a really special milestone. Midnightlife Crisis documents his ability to make a diverse range of sounds. Electro is well represented through the futuristic sheen of "Leaving the Field" and the stripped back Euro-centric "Hope". Pivoting to the dance floor, he drops the low-slung bassy grooves of "Plague of Men" and "Villa Park 911". On "Outtabahn", Credit 00 focuses on a heads-down ebm groove. Maintaining that thematic approach, "Cars Rule Everything Around Me" is a more visceral take on that 80s-influenced sound, with urgent vocals and sirens playing out in the background. Regardless of his focus, there is no doubt that the prolific producer's range is nothing short of impressive.
Review: Rounding off a busy year that included releases from Rude 66 and Credit 00, Pinkman now delivers its debut from Adam X. As you'd expect from the techno turned industrial icon, it's an intense affair. "Laying It On Thick" resounds to pounding, visceral drums and tortured acid tweaks, while the spiralling builds of "I've Been Here Before" recalls the raw techno of early Underground Resistance.
"Trailing Effects" also sees Adam make use of the 303, but on this occasion, the sound is more contained and unravels against the backdrop of a low-slung groove. Meanwhile, "It Seems Like Yesterday" is closer to the typical Pinkman sound, centred on a bruising, throbbing rhythm.
Review: Frenchman Pablo Bozzi is undoubtedly one of the leaders of EBM's next wave, known for his work as one half of Imperial Black Unit, and more recently with Phase Fatale as Soft Crash. However it's his solo work that's really piqued our interest of late, with tracks that are bringing back the sounds of Italo and new beat. His latest release here on Pinkman is a real showcase of this; across Street Reign's seven tracks there's the pitched-down rave breaks of the title track, the A Split Second influenced energy of "Overload" and the euphoric, slow motion replay of bonus track "Outrun". Street Reign is the definitive '80s throwback fantasy.
Review: With a discography split both ways between Pinkman and Brokntoys, Gamma Intel relishes the releases of Generatie Desinteresse, a sound the label calls slowbeat electro biz! At seven tracks large this mini-LP goes deep and heavy in its penultimate number, "Doelloos" while holding down something bassline driven and evocative of something Silent Servant might make in "Nonchalance". Fetish electro makes its way into "Nul Perspectief" making way for some lo-fi and bent out of shape rave in "Angstig En Onzeker" next to the snare-happy "Argwaan". Undeniable floor-filler in "Eigenwereld" too. Menacing.
Review: Goth industrial now makes its way into the oeuvre of Australian electro producer Jensen Interceptor with this fetishised Strings Of Fear EP. Keeping it most electro of all is the title-track that licks at the edges of EBM and new wave that should appeal to fans of Interceptor's classic material most. For the deviant techno DJs out there it's all about the raw intensity and 80s industrial demeanour of tracks like "Promise" and "First Day" with their metalworkers' percussion and gnarly basslines. Keeping it dark and delineated, with a touch of Fixmer McCarthy is "Leather Athletics". Not for the faint hearted.
Review: Pinkman has been willfully submerging itself in all the grubbiest kinds of lo-fi house and techno it can possibly get at, and so it presents this first EP from Reckonwrong. The title track is a marvel of discordant synth lines spluttering through broken equipment, and it has an absolute ball while doing so. "Hansie" reaches for more emotional heights with its lofty lead synth lines and atmospheric rhythmic lunges, while "Morton" sports a more overtly club-minded drum set that holds together a touch more than the A side offerings. "Innerzone / Atmosphere" takes the deepest route of the bunch, keeping the drums simmering while the melodies take on a Rosemary's Baby level of uneasiness.
Review: Art Crime was responsible for two of 2015's most overlooked 12" singles, the fine Renessence EP on Creme, and the Phonica released Obsession EP. Still Life marks his first appearance on the mighty Pinkman imprint, and contains four distinctive chunks of melodious deep house/Detroit techno fusion. The title track is particularly potent, featuring as it does a relentless piano riff, dreamy pads and unfussy house beats, but the more cosmic, heavily electronic "Distant" isn't far behind. Elsewhere, "Hectic" combines the rush-inducing bliss associated with early Italian deep house, with the rhythmic surge of techno, while "Dead Carnation" is simultaneously oddly bittersweet and deliciously hypnotic.
Nordic Nights (S. Olbricht remix) - (8:04) 127 BPM
Death Of A Star (Delta Funktionen remix) - (6:51) 123 BPM
Death Of A Star (DJ Overdose remix) - (5:30) 123 BPM
Review: Norwell's Death Of A Star E.P, released last year, mixed his usual kosmiche-inspired sounds with the distorted grittiness of '80s industrial music. It was impressive, and now Pinkman has decided to offer up two remixes apiece of EP highlights "Nordic Nights" and "Death of A Star". The former track is given the acid-flecked, 8-bit techno treatment by Antenna, before S Olbricht turns it into an unsettling, Motor City-influenced roller. Delta Funkitonen channels the spirit of EBM pioneers Nitzer Ebb on his throbbing interpretation of "Death Of A Star" - all psychedelic synthesizer arpeggios and restless kick drums - before DJ Overdose steals the show with an inspired electro remake of the same track.
Review: Vincent Koreman has a brace of albums to his credit as Drvg Cvltvre, but Night is the first time that one of his long-players has appeared in vinyl format. Perhaps as recognition of that achievement, this release on Pinkman is a sprawling, epic affair. It starts with the breathy vocals and drawn-out ebm of "Where Embers Die" before moving into the splurging acid of "Charge Of The Haploids' and the more typical gritty Dutch techno of "Shock Corridor". "Brakes Are Death" sees Koreman embark down a grating industrial path, but it isn't an entirely nocturnal affair - the title track revolves around a curiously euphoric, infectious riff wrapped up in a fuzzy, bass-heavy groove.
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