NEWSLETTER
BLANK MIND IN-STORE // FLORIAN T M ZEISIG // JOHN ROBERTS // PINTAI // ELECTRONIC BEATS PODCAST // THREEHZ x NEWTYPE RHYTHMS
IN-STORE //
BLANK MIND WITH SAM PURCELL & H.CHILD
Saturday 7 December, London-based record label Blank Mind join us at Inverted Audio Record Store in Peckham (6-9 PM) for an all out DJ assault with label boss Sam Purcell and Ottomani Parker group member Hayato Takahashi aka H.CHILD.
Sam Purcell had been circling the peripherals of the underground music scene long before launching Blank Mind, the UK-based record label, in 2011. An early urge to create music settled quickly in his youth, eventually morphing into roles for the persistent interest in chronicling sound. A few adventures in this order stand out as wisely articulated audio narratives – exposing a quality of his innate nature and intellect as evidently visible in Blank Mind’s discography.
Each Blank Mind release hits with impeccable precision, never missing a nerve. Recent highlights include “Suitcase in the Water“ (Best Album of 2023), the thriller spoken word D&B record produced with Jacob Dwyer will have your guts in a twist.
Their most recent compilation "Lost Paradise: Blissed Out Breakbeat Hardcore 1991-94" uncovers classic UK Hardcore, including rare and legendary cuts from Skanna, DJ Mayhem and Xray Xperiments (aka B12) 2x12" - all tracks remastered by Beau Thomas.
Cementing our final in-store party of 2024, we cannot wait to hear what Sam and Hayato Takahashi bring to the store.
REVIEW //
ØJERUM: IKKE EN SJÆL [VAAGNER]
WRITTEN BY ASMI SHETTY
‘Not a Soul‘ translates to “Ikke En Sjæl” in Danish. The title of øjeRum’s latest album on Vaagner holds home to classical interventions in ambient drones, which speak with a depth equivalent to the movement of the waves or the birds on mountain ranges at the break of dawn.
Unlike its literal definition, Ikke En Sjæl breaths life into phantasmic landscapes of the mind, soundtracking sentimental moments of silence from the wakeful morning hours to the lucid blues of the evening’s calm. Exquisite beauty lies within the keys that moan and stretch, and pensive melody narratives slither between feelings of comfort and grief.
The album opener, “Bærende På Alle Sine Digte Vandrer Månen Gennem Tågen,” reads, “Carrying all his poems, the moon walks through the mist.” Emotionally dense, the song’s pacing is slightly hollow as it kicks in, stabilised slowly by what feels like focused respiration of piano notes making their way to a colossal symphony.
NEWS //
BEN KACZOR & MARTINOU RETURN AS TARIK HENSEN WITH ‘GULDSTUND’ EP ON ALPENGLÜHEN
Four years since the release of their debut ‘Saknar Ände‘ EP on KCZ, Swiss producer Ben Kaczor and Swedish producer Martinou join forces again as Tarik Hensen to deploy their delicate, profound, and dub-influenced deep house and techno flexes through Spanish label Alpenglühen.
Having formed an initial friendship via Soundcloud almost 10 years ago, Kaczor and Martinou have continued to forge their own paths in the deep house and techno cosmos with Kaczor releasing music through Dial, Orion Records and his own imprint KCZ and Martinou issuing music through Nous’klaer Audio, Mule Musiq, Turbo, UntilMyHeartStops, Baka Gaijin, Melifera Records and his own imprint sewer sender.
Now the two producers come together to unearth a 4-track EP featuring music produced together in the studio dating back to 2022. ‘Guldstund‘ is a deep, emotional, and hypnotic four track platter, diving deep into your mind to soundtrack the most discerning of after-hour club nights. One for the heads!
REVIEW //
VARIOUS ARTISTS: ALLEY OF THE SUN
WRITTEN BY JASON CABANISS
With its inaugural release in 2004, California based Not Not Fun was born as a bedroom operation documenting a growing scene within the greater Los Angeles area. Beneath the glitz and glamor of Hollywood was a sound that reflected the darker edges of the region.
The small collectives operated in the smog-drenched Valley and apartments of Chinatown, in living rooms, makeshift warehouse venues, and DIY spaces such as the Smell. Anchored by Britt Brown’s and Amanda Kramer’s respective projects Robedoor and Pocahaunted, most early Not Not Fun releases featured burnt out psychedelic sludge, bad trip jazz, and tar pit folk. A handful of bands, including No Age, Peaking Lights, and Weyes Blood, to name a few, nabbed the attention of larger publications and labels.
The label’s aesthetic became the subject of academic music conversations with their feature in Simon Reynolds’ 2010 work ‘Retromania‘ and its focus on hypnagogia. While the wider coverage and acceptance from upper level publications and scenes brought larger audiences, Not Not Fun works best when you drop the classroom analysis and embrace the vibes.
For a time, it seemed like Not Not Fun was poised to break off from the underground, DIY spaces from which it originated, and become the LA version of Dischord Records, Thrill Jockey, or Sub Pop Records. While their success allowed the label to shift from cassettes and CD-Rs to the occasional larger vinyl run and distro deals, they remained a boutique operation by choice. As they round out their second decade, Not Not Fun’s sound is still fiercely independent but has gradually morphed into an outlet of offbeat ambient and experimental electronics.
NEWS //
FLORIAN T M ZEISIG SURFACES AS ANGEL R ON ENMOSSED, ANNOUNCES ‘MOSSED CAPABLE OF BEING OBSERVANT’ LP
German producer Florian T M Zeisig unveils a new production alias and album project as Angel R, scheduled for release in December through American experimental record label Enmossed.
Spanning 5-tracks, ‘Mossed Capable Of Being Observant’ delivers deep swathes of ambient textures and granular dub acoustics emboldened with “grainy pads, chewed-up percussion, and monstrous sub bass.”
Lifted from the press release, “Angel R uses delay as a method of recall and deterioration, at once creating the new and delineating the end of the passages provided. At times reserved, at other moments bold and declarative, the LP takes on the gamut of emotive signals to take the listeners through a narrative of complexity.”
NEWS //
ELECTRONIC BEATS WEEKLY PODCAST DEBATE THE ETHICS OF POSTHUMOUS RELEASES WITH CHRISTA BELLE
Next up on Electronic Beats Weekly Podcast, hosts Juba and Kikelomo discuss the convoluting ethics of releasing music posthumously with Berlin-based artist, curator and cultural commentator Christa Belle.
Citing Shackleton’s iconic track ‘Death Is Not Final‘, this is pertinent in the case of many deceased artists including the likes of Avicii, DMX, Klaus Schulze, Lee Scratch Perry, Mac Miller, MF Doom and Sophie. Begging the question whether issuing music after the death of an artist does justice to the legacy of their art, or if it is a muddling profit making leverage for interested parties.
In the case of this edition of the podcast series, Christa Belle shares her thoughts about the complicated emotions posthumous releases create, honing in on the case with SOPHIE’s self-titled album, which was released in September 2024 after the artists tragic death in Athens in January 2021.
NEWS //
AMSTERDAM COLLECTIVE PINTAI PRIME FIRST PHYSICAL RELEASE FEAT. GRÅZON, HAME, PANGO AND TREN
Following a series of intimate events in Amsterdam with Boaksi, DJ Dustin, Eric Cloutier, Lola Haro, Martinou and Pale Product (ATEQ & Orion), Pintai step into the record label realm with their inaugural physical release enlisting the talents of Gråzon, Hame, Pango and TREN.
Established in 2023, Pintai began its initial forays into events as a small get-together in Amsterdam, built around friends, friends of friends, coffee, food and records. They have since progressed into a music collective by hosting events (and the occasional dinner party concert) in collaboration with NYC platform Delayed, Far Blue and Lola Haro’s record label Small Steps.
The EP brings together four artists, each delivering productions that are surefire to enamour even the most discerning of listeners. Doused with heartfelt emotion, ‘PIN001‘ traverses deep atmospheric house from Gråzon, weighty dub techno from Pango, hands in the air euphoria courtesy of Hame and sun saturated downtempo electronics from TREN. One for the heads and feet!
NEWS //
JOHN ROBERTS RELEASES SIXTH ALBUM ‘SWAN’ ON BRUNETTE EDITIONS
American producer John Roberts returns to Brunette Editions in October with his sixth album ‘Swan‘. Consisting of 10 tracks, Roberts deploys a medley of short form electro acoustic compositions spanning pensive piano, deep house and glitch electronics that you’d expect from Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The album complements his albums on Dial and subsequent releases on Brunette Editions. For those seeking deep reflection during Autumn, ‘Swan‘ is the one.
NEWS //
LISTEN BACK TO ‘KULTURE GALERIE VOLUME 3’ RELEASE PARTY AT INVERTED AUDIO RECORD STORE
Friday 11 October, London record label Kulture Galerie celebrated the release of their third vinyl compilation at Inverted Audio Record Store with label boss Filippo MSM B2B Caspa Mono.
MIX //
THREEHZ GUIDES A SUBSONIC EXPEDITION FOR OUR SISTER MIX SERIES NEWTYPE RHYTHMS
Newtype Rhythms returns with a guest mix from New York local and burgeoning bass stalwart; the ever-adventurous threehz.
Between their The Lot Radio monthly show (entitled “no dawn”) – as well as their event series “dream/self” – threehz is a regular presence between the sub-frequential pockets that exist between the meandering thought-teasing at the start of the rave and the dreamlike peak that envelops the expanse of anyone who is listening.
The focus between the frequencies that are both building and blanketing made for a perfect addition to Newtype Rhythms, as their contribution to the series has a transfixing focus that’s heavy on the percussion and seldom contains a 4/4 beat; even it’s considered techno to some. Check out threehz’s guest mix at 36 minutes in – with resident Sheepshead warming things up per usual from the jump.