Review: Earlier in the year, Marie Davidson signed a high-profile deal with Ninja Tune. She makes good on that contract, following a couple of killer singles with what could be her strongest album to date. After setting the tone with clandestine, tongue-in-cheek opener "Your Biggest Fan" - a creepy spoken word cut taking aim at stalker-line fans to the accompaniment of heavy analogue synth bass and creepy computer bleeps - Davidson giddily flits between elastic dancefloor workouts (the brilliantly sleazy "Work It" and mind-altering "Workaholic Paranoid Bitch"), attractive post-EBM instrumentals (the psychedelic and fizzing "Lara"), meditative ambient melodiousness ("Day Dreaming"), bizarre experimental weirdness (the suitable dystopian "The Tunnel"), and stylish analogue pop (the whispered vocals and off-kilter early morning funk of "So Right").
Review: Glow Wall is a first outing for Via Maris on Livity Sound, having started his relationship with the seminal Bristol label in 2017 with an EP on its sister imprint, dnuoS ytiviL. This two-tracker is an understated affair: "Glow Wall" resounds to warbling, esoteric melodies and an intricate, stepping rhythm. However, it never reaches a point where it will have an impact on a peak time dance floor. "CU2" is more stripped back and centres on spiky beats and hoarse percussive ticks, but here too Via Maris retains an ethereal sensibility that is all too rare in underground electronic music,
Review: Illegal Alien re-ignites its No Boundaries split series with a red hot release that brings together artists from around the world. "That's All We Know" is the work of Stanislav Tolkachev, Mari Mattham and label owner Ricardo Garduno, and sees them work together to deliver a gritty, bleep-led slice of techno. The trio ups the intensity levels and tempo on "That's All You Know"; powered by a raw, insistent rhythm and hypnotic tones, it's a hypnotic but dynamic peak time track. French producer DJ Saint Pierre also contributes two tracks: "Markarian 876" is a raucous broken beat affair, while on "Markarian 501", he diverts his energy to deliver a slamming, peak-time industrial workout.
Review: Canadian in Berlin Mary Velo drops her best release yet for Gynoid. While previous outings have seen Velo take inspiration from dub techno and bleak post-Sandwell subsonics, there is a leaner, meaner dynamic at play here. It's clearly audible on "Dynasty", where tribal beats provide the backing for a brooding, pulsing bass and a hail of razor sharp hats. "Silent Hill" is just as menacing; although it takes inspiration from dub techno's spatial awareness, the sounds are eerie and disturbing rather than dreamy. Set to rattling percussive licks and raw acid lines, it makes for a compellingly dark sound. Finally, "Black Out" is a dramatic chord builder that recalls Len Faki or further back in time, classic Slam.
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