This was a request, I had honestly forgotten about it; but after listening to it again after those few years, I have to say it has aged extremely well. Full of loopy, dark techno with industrial references both sonically and thematically (see Coil), it's a classic Surgeon album revealing in full his idiosyncratic tendencies for bastardizing righteous techno beats with weird atmospheres and post-breakbeat loops. On that account, he always reminded me of early PWOG, amongst others; but that may be just me. Anyway, it's no wonder he made a turn towards the tech/dubstep crossover during the last few years.
His downtempo interludes are (according to Anthony Child himself) influenced by the work of his mentor/friend, Napalm Death's ex-drummer Mick Harris aka Scorn or Lull, who also contributed a dub in a 12" of remakes of tracks from the album.
Surgeon - 1999 Force + Form
Info here.
Most people would call it 'experimental techno'. I like to think that techno music is experimental by nature, although I would have to be braindead and/or deaf to believe something like this for all that music categorized as 'techno' and published in the last two decades.
P.S. I found the EP (not my link), so check it here:
Surgeon - 1999 Force + Form Remakes
Info here.
P.S.2: Link updated. Original post 2010-05-05
Force + Form
The Way Eye See
Late '90s techhouse, somewhere between Svek's minimalistic house excursions and the various US hybrids of house and techno, from Alexi Delano - who has of old built his reputation in creating soulful and deep tracks with dancefloor appeal and still releases quality stuff under various monikers, in collaborations and through various labels. This is an one-off project
through Germany's Plastic City, full of lush chords and groovy elements over tight and phat beats for house lovers with open ears.
A.D.N.Y. presents Leiva - 1999 The Way Eye See
Info here.
Sheen
It's been some time since I posted some music from KK Records, so here's a classic compilation - full of techno, harsh industrial beats and dark atmos.
Highlights include legendary Test Dept.'s excursions in electronics, plus classic stuff from artists already presented in this blog, like Uwe Schmidt's Lassigue Bendthaus project, PWOG, Riou, etc. The first CD focuses on technoid beats, the second one is more abstract and experimental in its sound.
VA - 1995 Sheen. Kk Records Compilation
CD1 - CD2
Info here.
Leichenschmaus
C64. Romero. Gigolos. Atomic energy. Splank! & Mooner. TV. Cars. Machines. Machines.
Zombie Nation - 1999 Leichenschmaus
Info here.
Pink Eyed Pony
Wonderfully titled, this is the only album by Crane A.K., a project known for its releases in ForceTracks (*) and a couple more 12''s in Poker Flat and Audiomatique. Teutonic techhouse that still sounds fresh, fat and groovy.
Crane A.K. - 2001 Pink Eyed Pony
Info here.
Morgernstern
I had promised a Christian Morgenstern post ages ago. You've waited for long, so it's gonna be a big one. A large bio can be found in his discogs page, so check there first.
I first encountered him in Kanzleramt (*) compilations and for years mistook him for a typical techno artist; then it came that I listened to Forte and realized there was more, so much more to like. I won't try to describe his style, as it shifts from record to record. The only thing certain is that as time passed, as he gathered experience through his (numerous) releases, his music became more and more personal, more than an amalgam of his various influences - attempting a crossover sound with electro and techno elements and pop sense, keeping his attitude and aesthetics underground and uncompromising.
All albums posted here were found through the net at some time or another. They're generally low bitrate, yet who cares... I consider 'Hawaii Blue' to be his masterpiece, but you knew anyway I'm a sucker for retro electro. Although the tracks I have (and have posted here) sound weirdly like a bad cut-up; don't know if it's bad ripping or the CD is like put together that. His last one 'Carolea' was left unfinished and released post mortem. He had also compiled his Kanzleramt records in two CDs. The only album missing here is 'Re:Death Before Disco' of which I have only half of it, I hope I'll up it at some time later on.
Rest in peace, man. You did more than well.
P.S. Mario was kind enough to send us a link for missing CD 'Re:Death Before Disco'. I added it below. Thanx, man.
Original post 2010-11-15
Christian Morgenstern - 2000
The Future Is On Fire. The Kanzleramt Years
Info here.
Christian Morgenstern - 2001
The Future Is On Fire Pt.2 More Kanzleramt Years
Info here.
Christian Morgenstern - 1999 Death Before Disko
Info here.
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Christian Morgenstern - 2000 Re.Death Before Disko
Info here.
Christian Morgenstern - 2000 The Lydia EP
Info here.
Christian Morgenstern - 2001 Hawaii Blue
Info here.
Christian Morgenstern - 2003 Carolea
Info here.
Life's A Gas
One of Wolfgang Voigt's peak moments in my opinion, collecting his mature work as Love Inc.,out through Force Inc. From groovy techno to sample based chilled soundscapes, his minimalistic approach and those beloved and characteristic obsessions of his leave us little room to comment on - you'll either love it or just pass it by. As for the final track, I could listen to it anytime, anywhere, on repeat for hours.
Love Inc. - 1995 Life's A Gas
Info here.
I've been playing it a lot these hard days, so I'd thought I'd share it. CD rip by UOU...
Ocean Club
I've mentioned Gudrun Gut and the Ocean Club before here and here, so I won't go into all that again. Just remember: Malaria! and Monika Enterprise. Anyway, this is the 2CD version of the Ocean Club album I was looking for back then (took me a year and a half... nice...).
The first CD is a reprint of the original 1996 album, with some video clips added (posted separately). Honestly, sometimes it sounds like trance made by non-dancers and it did so back when it was first released; but a couple of tracks are good and guests include Blixa, Anita Lane, etc (see pic above).
The second CD is a compilation of remixes from the several 12"s they released, by artists like (...deep breath...) Klaus Schulze, The Orb, Thomas Fehlmann, Ian Pooley, Paul Van Dyk, Ellen Allien, Effective Force and more; definitely the one to check first, some dreamy moments inside here, plus a lot of trancey tracks for those who can take it.
Gudrun Gut - 1996 Members Of The Ocean Club
Gudrun Gut - 1996 the Ocean Club videos
Gudrun Gut - 2004 Mixes For The Ocean Club
Info here and here.
Kraftwork @ Nu Skool Elektro 2
It's been a while since I did a solid electro post, so here's a compilation of robo breaks and nervous basslines with acid tweeks from all over Europe.
Contributions include a few tracks already posted before (by Scan X and A1 People), others by established artists like Scanner (*), Luke Slater, Carl Finlow (*), Stanny Franssen, Zzino, etc.; and a host of less known names of whom Ultradyne and Prozack are the only ones I knew and most of whom have disappeared ages ago.
Bad artwork and ridiculous titles are long-standing traditions for generic compilations like this one, solid soundwise but full of less known names - and we shouldn't like it otherwise. Awful covers scare away the hasty customers that don't reach the tracklist at all, leaving the CDs stored in dusty shelves, waiting for us to pick them up.
There was a Vol.1 (obviously...) that sounds promising, which I never managed to track down anyway.
VA - 1998 Kraftwork @ Nu Skool Elektro 2
CD1 - CD2
Info here.
Adventures In Techno Soul
From Russ Gabriel's label, here are the two compilations that along with the '[313] Soundtrack' should be enough to establish Ferox in our minds as a forward thinking label to respect and cherish. With tracks and remixes by the likes of Carl Craig, Derrick Carter, Bjørn Torske, Aubrey, Mark Broom, etc., etc., these are a must for all lovers of the '90s sound, be it techno, house or whatever.
The first one is in 192kbps, found around the net; the 2nd one is a typical 320kbps CD rip.
VA - 1996 Adventures In Techno Soul
Info here.
VA - 1998 Further Adventures In Techno Soul
Info here.
P.S. New 'Further' link added. I think it's OK this time; although I noticed that ripping took some extra time, so it's probably a typical damaged CD case. First posted 2010-10-24.
Staedtizism
Unfiltered Sky
Here's the CD by David Alvarado & Kenneth Graham's project Sunkiss, appropriately released through Plastic City.
No time to write much. Check earlier post here for descriptions, though this one sounds more like typical Plastic City late '90s techhouse.
Lovely artwork, by the way.
Sunkiss - 1998 Unfiltered Sky
Info here.
Airbag Craftworks compilation
From the same guys that were mentioned here and later built the Workshop label, here's an early compilation of mostly unreleased tracks I managed to track down only a few years ago.
Airbag Craftworks is a fashion design company producing tasty and rather expensive bags, t-shirts, etc. - and putting out music apparently. Unsurprisingly, I first spotted Out To Lunch in one of those tasty and rather expensive shops Berlin has by the dozens, where my wife was window-shopping overpriced bags, coats or whatever. I found inside a bunch of CDs and two packs of 12"s, respectively parts 1 & 2 of Airbag Craftworks Compilation Vol.2, which I unthinkingly grabbed for less than a fiver each, if I remember correctly. I'd very much like to post them as well, yet I haven't found them around the web (and vinyl ripping is still not an option). Anyway, this one came later and sealed the deal; now I watch Workshop growing and I feel that there is some justice in this world after all.
Besides artists mentioned before, there are also contributions by Isolée, Soylent Green and Freestyle Man vs. Corrado Izzo (*). It could have been a Source record, don't pass it by.
VA - 1999 The Airbag Craftworks Compilation
Info here.
Raw Elements Vol.1
A Superstition compilation of funky techno and house tracks with acid flavor, compiled by Steve Bug, showcasing early material, his and his friends - most notably Hans-Georg Schmidt of label mates Humate and old rave dog Fred Giannelli.
VA - 1995 Raw Elements Vol.1
Info here.
Digital Disco
This is ForceTracks' (*) disco vision; german techno and minihouse icons combine the original dance archetype with their repetitive rhythms, trying to build what they obviously hoped to be the new hyped resurrection. History proved that their bet was misplaced, still some efforts were genuine and still sound interesting. Others did worse; also, some tracks in here have little to do with disco (like that Swayzak exclusive). Interestingly, many of the relatively unknown artists contributing in Vol.2 later became really well known in the electro house circles. Anyway, I think that as compilations go they're good; and also tacky, cheesy, or kitsch - call them what you want.
There was also a later 3rd part, mixed by Unai, but I never did persuade myself to buy it.
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VA - Digital Disco (2002)
Info here..jpeg)
VA - Digital Disco 2 (2003)
Info here.
Lakeside
Estelle Montenegro is Kenneth Graham's alias for Electrolux, this one being his debut there.
I only have a couple of his 12" and the Sunkiss album; besides that I know very little about him; some info on HisSpace. The keyword here is techhouse; repetitive arrangements of traditional house sounds and themes, deep dubby treatments and (as far as I can understand) mostly hardware made. Closer to the mid/late '80s sound than to the over-produced '90s typical house stuff. Also some chilled electronic stuff in here, being an Electrolux record; but over all it's an uptempo album.
Estelle Montenegro - 2000 Lakeside
Info here.
Microfunk Klickhouse
While on that trip, here's a 2CD compilation by techno devoted distributor Neuton, presenting a multitude of artists from their labels cluster to define the (2003) cutting edge sound of ... (insert fanfare) ... Microfunk. Or Clickhouse. Microhouse, maybe. Noticed the initials? Anyway. I was going to post Akufen's track (that appeared as an extra in the 2nd print of his 'My Way' album, as noted here), then decided to post the whole compilation anyway.
The thing is, gathered here are artists from the rosters of Force Inc., Perlon, Boxer, SubStatic, etc., etc.; most of them have been presented through this blog before, so just check the tracklist. CD1 focuces more on techhouse a la Forcetracks, while CD2 delves more into mini-techno and occasionally experimental territory. In all, a representative comp of the tendencies of the time; once more, it's easy to recognize here the blueprint of what shortly became mainstream everywhere.
It was really weird to see Neuton crash (as was with EFA earlier); its labels did at that time really well; most of them still do, after all.
VA - 2003 Microfunk Clickhouse
CD1 - CD2
Info here.
Four times I wrote and erased the above text, took me more than an hour; which probably reveals more for the state of my mind during these last weeks (I'm working two office jobs overtime...) than a genuine oh-so-blogger-like gut spilling would do. Sorry for any delays in requests, keep annoying me for what I promised; assume I've forgotten everything.
Anima - Naima
The following two CDs are actually one piece of work, the original and a live performance. They signify one of the peaks of Mr. Ripatti's fame, while he was still enjoying the world's general wonderment and critics' ramblings about releasing in the same year (2000) the great 'Multila' in Chain Reaction and three albums in Mille Plateaux, ForceInc. and ForceTracks ('Entain' as Vladislav Delay, 'Vapaa Muurari' as Uusitalo and 'Vocal City' as Luomo). The volume of releases was not surprising as such (especially for an 'experimental' artist). The big surprise was the quality and originality of the material, as well as the chameleon-like way he overruled genres' stereotypes and norms, whether he chose to play techno, vocal house or just glitchy reverb noise.
The next album (out 2001) was a daring release in Mille Plateaux. Although there was also a 3x12'' release, it works best in the CD format as it's one solid ambient track, to my ears an improvisational smocky piece based on excellent quality raw material and tons of effects. It's obviously the closest he ever came to gallery 'art' music, still he manages to preserve all these qualities that make him that good in what he does as a musician and without the academic stench of most of the already mentioned 'art' works.
Not surprisingly, he performed that work in Ars Electronica 2001 in a more clear and a bit more abstract form, with a female beautifully accented voice on top giving a different meaning in this sea of reverberations. The recording of this version was later (2002) printed as a limited release in Staubgold, named 'Naima'.
P.S.: Both links were erased without notice. 'Anima' is reprinted through Huume (with an extra track), but 'Naima' remains in obscurity so I re-upped it. Original post 2008-03-30.
Vladislav Delay - 2001 Anima LINKS OFF
Info here.
Vladislav Delay - 2002 Naima
Info here.
My Way
Akufen's seminal debut album in Force Inc. (*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*); along with 'Psychometry 3.0' EP his best work to date.
In my opinion, a landmark for minimal techno, signaling its mid '00s US-driven quirky phase, before it became that post-M_nus mainstream norm we all know. Similar (but not the same) stuff here; another Akufen track here.
Akufen - 2002 My Way
Info here.
Blue Skied An' Clear
Another quality Morr Music compilation; check that post first for more info.
It's actually a tribute compilation to Slowdive; in CD1 Morr artists do covers of their tracks, in CD2 there are original tracks inspired by them. Purists might not like it, no many wall-of-sound guitar sounds in here; most of the tracks are simplistic and transparent sound-wise and retro-electropop stylistically. But the dreamy/smokey spirit is still there, bittersweet vocals dominate and Slowdive's influence on this scene becomes apparent, more notably in the second 'originals' disk.
VA - 2002 Blue Skied An' Clear
CD1 - CD2
Info here and here.
This was a request, yet I was planning on posting it at some time anyway. Enjoy.
