Bunnik’s take on electro is a perfect fit for Delsin Records, as he combines rugged, mechanical grooves with soulful, warm atmospheres. “Phosphorescence” opens the EP on a more subtle tip with a fuzzy acid bass line and sparkling synth stabs, while “Cone Of Silence” cleverly oscillates between foreboding and uplifting. The energy picks up with “Hybrid Form,” a grinding, robotic cut with a playful, melodic edge. Rounding out the EP is “Instinct,” a sinister, stripped-down ride through growling low end, sci-fi sequences, and snappy percussion.

A Bit About Bunnik

Active for over a decade now, Bunnik has released 10 full-length albums and more than 20 EPs on legendary labels such as Delsin Records, Soma Records, and Rush Hour across numerous aliases, while also running his own label Transcendent since 2014. Whether he’s creating spacious, ethereal techno as Conforce, pure, crisp electro as Versalife, or leftfield, ambient soundscapes as Hexagon, Bunnik explores the interaction between analogue and digital, old and new, and human and machine. He also regularly releases presets and sample packs via his website, allowing fellow producers to engage with his creative process and find their own interpretations of his aesthetic.

Shape Shifter 2 is available now on limited edition colored vinyl and digital via Bandcamp.

Selector’s Sounds series follows a procedure that puts music quality before status or industry relationships. Learn how it works.

Detroit Underground provided a platform for 313 Acid Queen and Sickboy‘s collaboration, BUILDINGS, back in June. By popular demand, the record label has issued a 200-copy white vinyl repress of the six-track record.

313 Acid Queen (real name Rebecca Goldberg) and Sickboy (real name Stefano Piseddu) put BUILDINGS together as a concept EP based on the visual designs contributed by Neubau Berlin. Located at various coordinates on the stylistic range between electro and techno, each song on its tracklist derives inspiration from a different Detroit landmark.

Goldberg and Piseddu have never met in person, according to a product description for BUILDINGS. The EP marks her fourth release and his second on Detroit Underground, which was founded in 1997 by Kero with a strong emphasis on visual art as well as music.

Detroit Underground has played no small role in Goldberg’s career as the title of her 2017 debut on the label became her moniker. She has also written original scores for classic films like Gojira, La Lune and Le Voyage Dans.

BUILDINGS is available in digital and white 12-inch vinyl record format via 313 Acid Queen Bandcamp.

Selector’s Sounds series follows a procedure that puts music quality before status or industry relationships. Learn how it works.

Ireland-born, Liverpool-based DJ and producer Cosmic Chaos has effectively put himself on the map with a one-of-a-kind techno release. The Danse Freak EP marks a step up for his dynamic signature sound. It came out on Natural States in digital format June 25th with a vinyl release slated for July 30th.

The title track is arguably the most unique for its resonant textures and intentional use of space in the arrangement. “Caliber” then brings a stripped-down, Detroit-reminiscent appeal, followed by the dubby, dreamlike atmospheres of “Rebirth.” “Atomic” provides stylistic variety by encapsulating the producer’s inventive approach to electro, complete with cinematic samples atypical of the genre.

Long before his release on the label arm of Natural States, Cosmic Chaos (real name Sam McLaughlin) performed as a DJ at their Liverpool club nights. His only other releases thus far are two 2019 singles: “mk ultra,” a wonky acid techno groover, and the progressive-tinged electro opus “1943.”

The Danse Freak EP is available for purchase in digital format and preorder in vinyl record format via Cosmic Chaos Bandcamp.

Selector’s Sounds series follows a procedure that puts music quality before status or industry relationships. Learn how it works.

Berlin artist Ravn Jonassen‘s latest endeavor was inspired by U.K. politicians’ suggestion that workers in the arts must “retrain and find new jobs” last fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Fatima, The Struggle Is Real! comprises three sonically crisp electro tracks along with remixes by Radioactive Man and DJ Frankie. It releases via the producer’s own Burial Soil record label March 5th.

“Fatima” opens the EP with spacey, nostalgic synth work, and Radioactive Man reimagined the single as a bright IDM groover in his remix. “The Struggle Is Real!” offers a grittier manifestation of Jonassen’s sound, with a rerub by DJ Frankie that adds more layers but maintains the same overall motif. The effort closes out with “There Will Be Light,” aptly titled as it exhibits more uplifting melody than any of the preceding tracks.

“It was an advertisement by the U.K. government, suggesting that a ballet dancer called Fatima, should retrain in cyber security, that caught Ravn’s attention and initialized his thoughts about the situation artists find themselves in during and after the on-going pandemic,” reads the EP description. “That’s why he dedicated the title of his EP to this fictional character, which stands for all artists that are left without much perspective, or help, or even any appreciation of their government and the general public: Fatima, The Struggle Is Real!“

Fatima, The Struggle Is Real is available for purchase in digital and limited edition vinyl formats via Burial Soil Bandcamp.

Making an eclectic debut on Art Of Dark is Essex, England DJ and producer DAWL. His house, breaks and electro-tangential style is on full display in the four-track Something’s Going to Happen EP. The 12-inch vinyl record released on July 27th, 2020.

The title track pairs 8-bit sound design elements with distorted vocal samples to yield a compelling minimal house cut. “Compute” and “Rhythm Activated” encapsulate a more breakbeat electro-leaning iteration of the DAWL sound, with “Project 3” closing out the EP with a hint of hardcore techno. Gritty nostalgia and hip-hop influence are among the common threads tying the effort together as a cohesive whole.

DAWL Demystified

Despite his scarce presence on most social media platforms, DAWL (real name Darren Woollard) is well-respected among in-the-know techno/house fans. The Tone Dropout label boss routinely puts out true-to-tradition dance music while keeping it innovative enough to avoid redundancy.

Art Of Dark are a suitable label for Woollard’s latest work. An event brand catering to fans of minimal and electro breaks, they expanded to the recording industry in 2018 according to Trommel.

Purchase the Something’s Going To Happen EP in vinyl format via deejay.de.

Among the more risk-taking artists to deliver an EP in recent months is Parisian producer Liam Fattori. Never one to shy away from pushing the envelope, he has bridged the worlds of house, techno and electro in his I Create Chaos EP. It’s the inaugural release on his own label, Comics Trip Records.

The four-track effort kicks off with “Point Of View,” which melds the high tempo of techno with the wonk of minimal house. “911 Funk Rescue” and the title track see Fattori meander through the urban syncopations of acid electro, with the final track closing out on a more melodic note.

One-Way Trip

According to verbiage on the Comics Trip Facebook page, the label will take a story-driven direction with its releases similar to that of Gene On Earth. “Each episode will highlight a multifaceted protagonist as he breaks free from the existing musical boundaries,” it reads.

Liam Fattori’s I Create Chaos EP is available in 12-inch vinyl format via deejay.de.