From obscurities uncovered during trips down Bandcamp rabbit holes to the latest releases from legendary artists, Crate Digging is here to keep your collection up to date.
1. The Southern – Consciousness [CLR]
The Southern lands on CLR with gnarly, bass-heavy broken techno that hits full-throttle early on and never lets up. “Consciousness” blends dystopian sound design with bone-crushing drums and warped acid sequences.
2. Andrey Sirotkin – Kyiv-Lviv Express [Vyrii Records]
Ukrainian veteran Andrey Sirotkin layers lush, dusty chords over shuffling beats and sharp percussion on “Kyiv-Lviv Express” to create a tunneling groove aimed squarely at the dance floor.
3. Ana Antonova – Can’t You See [Form & Terra Records]
“Can’t You See” harks back to the golden era of tech house, with its warm, melodic lead and precise, mechanical drums.
4. Emmanuel De La Paix – Ekkos [Seven Scales Records]
Inspired by the rugged beauty of nature and the unique perspectives that digital image editing can create, “Ekkos” sees Emmanuel De La Paix combining soaring synths with distorted guitar drones, exploring the overlap between organic and synthetic.
5. Plaster – Lazy Tongues [Pyteca]
One of the final pieces of music written before Plaster sold his Roland SH-101, “Lazy Tongues” is a mostly improvised, low-slung IDM trip into the acid zone.
6. Hurdslenk – False Pretence [Hardgroove]
“False Pretence” is rugged, peak-time techno from Hurdslenk. The U.K.-based producer centers the track around a spiraling, dubby lead and crunchy percussive loops, making it a perfect fit for Ben Sims‘ label, Hardgroove.
7. Desinformant & Hedchef – The Perennial Question [Feed The Void]
Naarm (Melbourne) producers Desinformant and Hedchef team up on “The Perennial Question,” a devastating U.K. bass cut with razor-sharp, stuttering beats and LFO-modulated, overdriven bass.
8. Mike Nasty – Mind Made Up [Nasty Tracks]
Proper, soulful house from New York’s Mike Nasty. “Mind Made Up” is a delightful, jazzy journey through sultry vocals, fluttering pianos, and a welcome surprise in the form of a flute solo.
9. Head Front Panel – Surdo [Dark Machine Funk Recordings]
John Heckle dons his Head Front Panel alias for “Surdo,” balancing light and dark elements by combining rolling percussion with hypnotic pads and a big, funky bassline.
10. Dominic Capello – Not For Instagram DJs [Alien Communications]
“Not For Instagram DJs” is just one of many highlights on Sub Club resident Dominic Capello‘s debut album. True to its name, this is an expansive, slowly unfurling journey with a meticulous attention to detail that rewards patient listeners.
11. Mark Williams – All About The Bass [Music For Change]
Veteran techno producer Mark Williams takes his sound into new territory with “All About The Bass.” His trademark crisp percussion and tightly controlled melodic elements are still present, but they’re twisted into a more melancholy and hypnotic form than in his previous work.
12. Pugilist – Destructor [Self-Released]
Gritty, cross-genre pollination like only Pugilist can deliver. “Destructor” is a unique blend of the sound design typically present in techno and conventional garage or 2-step arrangement, with the end result being more than the sum of its parts.
13. Bassbin Twins – Tuff 125 [Bassbin Beats]
Big, brash, mid-tempo breakbeat from one of the best sample hunters in electronic music. Absolutely chock full of obscure samples and reworked classic breakbeats, “TUFF 125” is quintessential Bassbin Twins.
14. POD & Tamen – Uma [Straight Up Breakbeat]
“Uma” is a raucous yet intelligent slice of jungle from POD and Tamen. Fluttering, trancey synths and washed-out chords are layered over rugged, chopped-up breaks and massive sub hits, creating an engaging interplay of light and shade.
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1. Neil MacLeod – Curer (Second Self Remix) [Particle Recordings]
2. Fantastic Man – Nebula Nights [Superconscious Records]
A digital-only bonus track from the second installment of his Visions Of Dance series, “Nebula Nights” is a low-slung, psychedelic trip. Fantastic Man deftly weaves together euphoric chords, wonky bleeps, and warm bass together, all underpinned by a steady breakbeat loop.
3. Scotch Rolex & Shackleton – Shattered [Silver Triplet]
Death by Tickling by Scotch Rolex and Shackleton
New label Silver Triplet storms out the gates with a collaboration between Scotch Rolex and Shackleton, two of electronic music’s most fearless mavericks. “Shattered” takes the recognisable sonic palettes of each artist and mashes them together into a off-kilter mixture of tribal drums, gnarly echoes, experimental sound design, and unpredictable rhythm changes.
4. Adolpho & Franky – Red District Ballade (Zillas On Acid Remix) [Folklor Nation]
Folklor Nation bosses Adolpho & Franky land on their fledgling imprint with “Red District Ballade,” a chuggy, mid-tempo house track full of attitude. Zillas On Acid add some extra grit in their remix with an undulating, acid-tinged bassline and skippy drums, peppering the groove with the original’s tripped-out vocal hits.
5. Amy Kisnorbo – Squidge [Pineapple]
A rapidly rising talent in the bass music scene, Amy Kisnorbo is making a name for herself as a forward-thinking artist who combines elements of grime, breakbeat, jungle, and electro. On “Squidge,” she adds ghetto-tech to the mix, delivering an up-tempo, snappy, and unabashedly fun dance floor burner.
6. Men From The Nile Feat. Peven Everett – Watch Them Come [Undaground Therapy Muzik]
Legendary label Undaground Therapy Muzik, originally launched in 1996 by Roy Davis Jr. and Odell Brazier, is re-releasing their entire back catalogue digitally, starting with their biggest hit “Watch Them Come.” A collaboration between Roy Davis Jr., Jay Juniel, and Peven Everett, it’s a classic deep house cut with an instantly recognizable vocal refrain and a quirky, future-jazz lead synth.
7. Angus Mills – Herbert St [Moonshoe]
Taken from Angus Mills‘ debut release on Moonshoe, “Herbert St” is deep, meditative electronica with tasteful nods to dub and psybient with its swirling reverb washes and hypnotic sine sequences. This one fits perfectly in the space between the dance floor and the after party couch.
8. Forest On Stasys – Ritmica Natural [Danza Nativa]
Forest On Stasys cement their position amongst the upper echelon of artists producing heady, intricate, and spacious techno with “Ritmica Natural.” Stripped-down, organic drums and wispy, echoed atmospherics give the track an eerie atmosphere only amplified by the French spoken word passage that sits on top.
9. Peter van Hoesen – Imposter [Time To Express]
A Swing Is Not A Throw by Peter Van Hoesen
Constructed from just a fragment of the countless hours of individual sounds he has been using on-the-fly during his live shows over the past 12 months, “Imposter” is quintessential Peter Van Hoesen. Tunneling, sharp-focussed hypnotic techno with a gnarly, worm-like lead synth.
10. Pugilist & Tamen – Lithium (Dwarde & Tim Reaper Remix) [DEXT Recordings]
An absolute dream team come together for all-out breakbeat hardcore madness. Contemporary dons of drum break manipulation Tim Reaper and Dwarde remix regular collaborators Pugilist and Tamen‘s “Lithium,” turning it from a deep, atmospheric jungle cut into an assault of chopped-and-screwed breaks, rave-ready synths, classic vocal samples, and massive sub bass.
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In fall 2013, Nous’klaer Audio inaugurated with an EP by Mattheis. Eight years and 50 releases later, the refinement of the Rotterdam Label’s sound is evident in its upcoming compilation, Nous’klaer Audio Summer Sampler ’21. It releases in digital and vinyl record format September 24th.
The eight-song effort straddles the wide range between techno and ambient without settling on the more accessible sounds between. From Djoser‘s psychedelic “Faded Red” to Raff‘s suspenseful “Yeye” to the wobble bass of “Extrakt” by Konduku, a diverse signature style is encapsulated in the compilation.
About Nous’klaer Audio
Mattheis (real name Matthijs Verschuure) offered up the debut Nous’klaer Audio release: the three-track Isms EP. Verschuure has released on the label nearly a dozen times since, most recently with his and Amandra‘s ambient and drone-leaning February album, Lettre Ouverte.
Among the other artists afforded a platform by the imprint are live musician-scientist Paul Twin, pop/electronic outfit Meetsysteem, and former De School resident Tammo. Of the contributors to the upcoming compilation, Konduku, Oceanic and Pugilist stand out as notable label regulars.
Nous’klaer Audio Summer Sampler ’21 is available for pre-order in digital and 2×12-inch vinyl record format via Nous’klaer Audio Bandcamp.
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