Legowelt Releases Free Album | ‘The TEAC Life’
Though it is not always apparent, like every other form of music, techno has its purists and its innovators; its lovers of analog and its pushers of digital. As an artist who emerged right as the transition between these two schools of thought really began to take hold, Legowelt is one of the most prolific of the last standing proponents of true “old school” aesthetic, and he wants you to know there is a difference. So, earlier this week, the man gave us all a gem, a new free album, called The TEAC Life, which you can grab directly from his site. He says about this latest effort:
Its got a hella lot deep tape saturated forest-techno tracks on it and when I say Techno i dont mean that boooooooooooring contemporary shit they call techno nowadays …
F*ck that, I am talking about: Raw as fuck autistic Star Trek 1987- Misty Forests- X-FILES,- DETROIT unicorn futurism made on cheap ass digital & analog crap synthesizers recorded in a ragtag bedroom studio on a TEAC VHX cassettedeck in DOLBY C with an unintelligible yet soulfull vivacity.
But of course, if you like what you hear, do throw him a few bones so at the very least, he can repair his Juno 106 and do it all over again. It’s only fair when it sounds this good.
Mix of the Moment: Emperor Machine on Beats In Space
Tim Sweeny’s weekly radio show, Beats In Space (WNYU 89.1 FM New York), hosted DC Recordings’ own The Emperor Machine this past Wednesday, and the resulting mix is one hell of a lot of funky and psychedelic electronic sounds for just one hour’s time. If you’ve never heard him before, this may make for a very interesting introduction, as most of the tracks he includes are his own unreleased edits and remixes. Even more interesting is that we get to hear not only a couple of cuts from his forthcoming and as-of-yet-not-really-announced album, but the final track is even something he’s crediting with his real name, Andy Meecham—at least so far. You can download the mix here, or check out the rest of the details for this installment (including the track listing) here.
Donnacha Costello’s Entire ‘Colorseries’ Available in FLAC Format!
For those of us who came to minimal techno somewhat late in the game, the 2007 compiled release of Donnacha Costello’s acclaimed Colorseries on his now-defunct Minimise imprint was bittersweet at best. Though the compilation itself was comprised of ostensibly the best cuts overall, it was hard not to feel that the release itself was lacking—as it in fact was, by design. What was a collection of ten 12” records—each with two tracks expanding on a particular theme—was whittled down to a mere ten cuts in total, some of which weren’t on the original releases (yay!) and some of which were edited down (boo). Not that there’s anything wrong with that; as an overall release, it’s nothing short of stellar top down, but for those of us eager to get our hands on the original set of now nearly impossible-to-find discs, well, the loss was palpable.
And so we land today with some brilliant news: for the first time in more than six years, the entire series is now available, and in FLAC format, no less. Donnacha has teamed up with brand new digital release distributor Flacbox on this one, and you can grab your copy of the entire Colorseries for €9.99 here.
Finally, to give you an idea about what was missed in the compiled version, below is the A side to the Opal disc, for your listening pleasure:
Labels to Love: Färden Records
As the dissemination of the bass music aesthetic expands its reach, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that techno artists are ready and willing to try a few tricks on for size. Cue Stockholm’s Färden Records, bringing dark techno further into lush low-end soundscapes with fist-pumping drive that moves the whole body. Jacking rarely gets much better than this, and there’s definitely a little something for all fans of dance music in here. Have a peep at their available catalog over at Clone—it makes an incredibly tempting argument for vinyl. And last but not least, your listening homework:
Mark E | ‘Stone Breaker’
Coming from the school of disco re-edits and long-winded soulful house emerges Mark E with his first album on Spectral. A sure departure from his roots, Stone Breaker is a mature look at analog-based house that, at it’s core, never loses its disco soul, but very tastefully reimagines the standard formula in a way that sounds both challenging and yet immediately accessible. This is one that, on the second listen begins to reveal all of its hidden secrets, so give it time to grow on you.
For a preview, here’s the very soulful album closer, “The Day”.
And in case you miss that old school disco flavor, check out his Stonebreakin’ Mix from March.
Mark E Stonebreakin’ Mix by warmhq
In the meantime, if you have the good fortune of being in the EU and Asia, check out his tour dates below, which run through July. We’re hoping for a North American leg to this tour here, but so far, it’s fingers crossed.
The Most Perfect Song.
After being reminded today of my extreme love for Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works 85-92, I submit to you the one song that stays with me always: the impeccable second track, “Tha”. I consider this to be better even than Paul Simon’s “Graceland” (which always moves me to tears when he sings, “and she said losing love/ is like a window in your heart/ everybody sees you’re blown apart/ everybody sees the wind blow’”); better than David Bowie’s heartbreaking solo toward the end of his and Queen’s epic collaboration, “Under Pressure”; better than Sam Cooke’s masterful “A Change is Gonna Come”; better even than pretty much anything the Beatles’ catalog has to offer (which is a grave statement if you know my rabid love of the Fab Four). For me, this is the best there is, and it never fails to soothe, even on the darkest days.
It’s almost time for the rain to begin again here in Northern California, and this is just the right speed.
Moogerfooger CP251 Schools You.
Reading the manual for this http://tinyurl.com/qcgseg should be required reading for understanding VCO.
