Tons of new music out this month, including full releases by Beardyman, Instra:Mental, Gold Panda, The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble and Wagon Christ. Those that aren’t represented in the mix include Battles, Mobthrow, Kryptic Minds, Submerged and 2562. Really digging Bird of Prey’s Stray Feathers, which is an EP of Torin Goodnight’s early tracks, the quirky tunes from Beardyman’s I Done A Album, and the Puzzles EP from Pixelord.

01. Pixelord – Oh Lord
02. Kito & Reija Lee – Broken Hearts
03. Take – Begin End Begin (Take Remix)
04. Beardyman feat. Foreign Beggars – Oh!
05. Bird of Prey – Stargazer
06. Bowser – Headrush
07. Rusko – Lick the Lizard
08. Hecq & Exillon – Spheres of Fury (Stochastic Process Remix by Techdiff)
09. Instra:Mental – 8
10. BD1982 – VHS Nite
11. +verb – Puddlegum (Dev79 Remix)
12. Gold Panda – Back Home
13. Sub Zero – Brighter Days
14. Ruckspin feat. J Sparrow – Blessings
15. The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble – Cotard Delusion
16. Wagon Christ – Mr. Mukatsuku

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We’re just over a month into 2011 and have already seen a ton of new releases by some of the top electronic producers and a handful from fresh new faces. This 20-track mix highlights some of the most recent advanced electronic songs to come out this year. This mix spans the gamut, including dubstep, drum & bass, tech-house, IDM, grime and electro styles.

01. Ill-Esha – Black Ice (Hxdb Remix)
02. FreQ Nasty – Dread at the Controls
03. Magnetic Man ft. John Legend – Getting Nowhere (Breakage Remix)
04. Submerse & Resketch – Get Away
05. Dodge & Fuski – Devil Inside
06. Lethal Bizzle – POW 2011 (Skream’s Murky Mix)
07. Evol Intent & Ewun – Reality Check (J. Rabbit Remix)
08. The Glitch Mob – Fistful of Silence (ESKMO Remix)
09. Meat Katie – Bizarre is Beautiful
10. Hackman – Bam Bam
11. Sascha Sonido – Uh Mamacita
12. Orphan 101 – Propa
13. Brokenchord – A Girl of 13 Summers
14. Tayo and Acid Rockers ft. PupaJim – Vampayaa (Starkey Remix)
15. James Blake – I Never Learnt to Share
16. Shy Fx ft. Donae’o  – Raver (MJ Cole Remix)
17. DZ – The Beginning
18. Camo & Krooked – Cliffhanger
19. Elfkowitz – Needles
20. Command Strange – She Said

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I got a message from Chris over at Aentitainment about a new 12″ featuring Enzym and Moogulator. Although I couldn’t get a hold of my favorite tune on the release, the two tracks posted are pretty sick. They remind me of cEven Key/Download albums from the late 90s/early 2000s. Any seasoned rivethead should know what I’m talking about. Here’s the note from Chris:

“Moogulator and Enzym, two true analogue loyalists share wax!

On the latest release on Aentitainment Records, the two german producers are playing the whole claviature of their machine’s possibilities creating a modern and timeless sounding record of spastic beats and Bladerunner-ish micromelodies.

Notoriously, the label “handmade in Germany” stands for a high level of quality and dedication during the production. As we have two musicians here who actually work on hardware (physical machines!) this catchphrase fits perfectly. To honour and to preserve this rare species of artists we’re glad about the consolidation of these two live-electronic ambassadors.

As we’re well aware about the fact that such music is best heard live, we’ll give you the next best solution, serving a hot plate of shiny red wax that should easily win over the heart of each friend of advanced electronics.”

Check out http://aentitainment.com to hear samples from the entire release.

MP3 1: Enzym – Irching25D01
MP3 2: Moogulator – Errorism

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Rebellion Der Traumer, the latest album by Kollektiv Turmstrasse, is a departure from their previous minimal tech-house releases which both reflects their development over the years and proves that true artistry is in the ability to reinvent and grow.

Rebellion Der Traumer begins with the soft melodies and thin percussive bursts from “Affekt.” Over time, the songs become richer with drums, vocals, piano melodies, stringed instruments and organic atmospheres. Between the 10 full compositions are minute-long ambient interludes—all beautiful on their own—that serve as fluid transitions from song to song.

Rebellion Der Traumer is best heard from beginning to end. To catch and appreciate all the sonic details, listen with headphones or high quality monitors. Trash the speaker docks.

MP3 1: Kollektiv Turmstrasse – Affekt
MP3 2: Kollektiv Turmstrasse – Uneins
MP3 3: Kollektiv Turmstrasse – Goldmarie

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Etched in Salt is a unique collaborative album from Netherland producers Tapage and Meander, which stands out in a genre completely saturated with indistinguishable and forgettable albums. The interaction between beautiful, delicate melodies and distorted breakcore rhythms is right on point. Think Venetian Snares meets Plaid and Brian Eno. If you haven’t already, put this on your list of albums to catch up on from 2010. To hear more, check out Tapage & Meander on iTunes.

MP3 1: Tapage & Meander – Tolopea
MP3 2: Tapage & Meander – California Blue
MP3 3: Tapage & Meander – Oceanographic

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Ruine Noire is the debut release of Slovakian producer, Stroon (Dalibor Kocian). I found out about this EP from a post by Eleven Tigers earlier this week. If you’re into Access to Arasaka, Deru, Clark or early Starkey, you’ll probably dig these abstract tunes. To pick up the full EP, visit stroon.bandcamp.com/

MP3 1: Stroon – Envy Slashing
MP3 2: Stroon – Useless Harness

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The Electronic Heart is the latest EP from producer/video artist Pierce Warnecke. It’s a 6-track electro-glitch feast for the senses. As the title suggests, there’s a good balance between organic and synthetic properties here. The music is almost entirely made from distorted synth sounds but the arrangements are incredibly sophisticated and human. The EP starts off with a straightforward lo-fi electro track—but as it progresses, the beats become more fragmented and unexpected. In “The Art of Error,” sounds are skipping, splitting and regenerating into new forms—creating the perfect soundtrack to a cellular-level science video.

Warnecke is incredibly successful at making everything sound machinelike. Hi-hats sound like hydraulic pumps, pads sound like electrical surges and the beats pump, pulse, tick, breathe, repeat, spin, click and power down. In “Excision of the Heart,” a robot voice repeats “H. E. A. R. T.,” while synth arpeggiations mimic an internal body process reacting to the removal of a human heart. Things begin to spiral out of control by the final track, “RnBeast,” which is chock full of millisecond samples and florescent rainbow-style synth riffs. If this EP were to represent the health of a patient during medical procedures, they would have definitely died by the end. It’s safe to say they didn’t go without a fight.  ~ tom

To view Warnecke’s experimental video projects, check out www.vimeo.com/user1185399. To purchase or sample more of The Electronic Heart, visit iTunes or BEE Records.

MP3 1: Pierce Warnecke – Used Romamtricks
MP3 2: Pierce Warnecke – Excision of the Heart

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Dave Tipper is one of the most influential producers in the breakbeat, and underground hip-hop scene, known best for his signature wobbly bass and twisted soundscapes. He’s been cranking out mind blowing tunes since the late 90’s and has produced, remixed and mastered material for countless other influential artists. Tipper was one of the first DJs to mix and spin in 5.1 surround sound and he used to hold the record for the loudest car in the world. Sub frequencies have always been a huge part of his music as he loves the way it makes people feel “all warm and wobbly.”

At 16, he got into rave and drum & bass but eventually grew bored of the fast repetitive beats. After much experimentation in 2000, he slowed things down for his debut full length release, The Critical Path. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever heard. It’s a dark electronic album full of morphing synths, beats and tempos. It has beautiful pads blended with crunchy stuttering drums and soft female vocals—glitchy alien synths, haunting atmospheres and loads of ridiculously cool sounds.

In 2001, Tipper released his second full length, Holding Pattern. This album is slightly cold compared to The Critical Path, but took sound and tempo manipulation to a new level. The 2003 release, Surrounded, was one of the first electronic albums to be mixed in 5.1 surround sound. Where it lacked in dancefloor breaks, it made up in thick haunting atmospheres and chilled out downtempo beats. The ability to change up one’s styles effectively on every release is a sign of a true artist and Tipper has no interest in spending too much time in one genre.

In 2005, Tipper released Tip Hop, his first hip-hop album. He told Clash Magazine that he had offered all he could to the breaks genre and wanted to focus on new styles. The 2006 album, The Seamless Unspeakable Something, dug deeper into sound design and quirky melodies. By 2008, Tipper’s releases had surpassed categorization. Wobble Factor transcends all previous conventions of electronic music. It’s an incredibly fun ride through sub bass anarchy and sonic manipulation. Tipper confesses that he just loves to make strange noises, regardless of their lack of chart success. He makes music solely for himself. The fact that so many of us can’t get enough is beside the point.

A new downtempo album called Broken Soul Jamboree was supposedly coming out at the end of 2008 but I haven’t been able to find out any more information on it. I would love to post Tipper’s entire discography here for those that haven’t heard his music yet, but unfortunately, I can’t do that. Since one track isn’t nearly enough to encompass his wide range of styles, I’ve included five.  ~ tom

MP3 1: Rare and Plentiful – Relish the Trough (2005)
MP3 2: outsideinsideout – The Seemless Unspeakable Something (2006)
MP3 3: Sort Code – The Critical Path (2000)
MP3 4: Paperthinreality – Tip Hop (2005)
MP3 5: Over the Coals – Surrounded (2003)

*Use the right and left arrows to scroll back and forth through tracks.

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Chris Clark’s new album, Totems Flare, was released today and the sound is huge! My first listen was on my iMac speakers. My second, on my car stereo and my third on my crystal clear Mackie HR-624’s. I do this so that I don’t pay too much attention to the production right off the bat. Now that I’ve heard it all the way through about four times, I can honestly say that this album rocks. The synths on the opening track, “Outside Plume,” are so freakin’ thick. It’s a great introduction to the album single, “Growls Garden.” The break in the middle of “GG” is one of baddest things I’ve heard all year. Big up, Clark!

Although the album seems predominantly digital, it feels human. It sounds like the future of the past. Beats are missed, pitches slip and notes get dropped. The best example of this is in the seventh track, “Future Daniel.” If you’ve ever tried playing chords with a monophonic synth patch, you’d understand. There’s something special in every track—the beginning of “Luxman Furs”—the end of “Totem Crackerjack”—there’s a lot of cool shit going on here.

Clark apparently had an extremely hard time narrowing down 30 tracks that he had originally recorded for the album. I’d love to hear the tunes that didn’t make the cut. My only complaint with Totems Flare is that I can’t play it really loud because of the overwhelming distortion. Those of us with tinnitus have to be careful.

If you dig it, check out Boxcutter, Autechre, Venetian Snares, AFX and Telefon Tel Aviv. If I’ve left some key artists out, leave a comment. Totems Flare is available now from bleep.com and iTunes.

MP3: Clark – Growls Garden

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Last week, I stumbled upon the musician/digital artist, Ultre. His latest release, The Nest and the Skull, is a beautiful blend of acoustic instruments and electronics. The abstract tracks feature an array of instruments including guitars, pianos, violins and cellos. The music is accompanied by electronic beats, sampled sounds, breaths, hiccups and manipulated beat boxing rhythms. The sound is thick and atmospheric, similar to Burial’s 2007 album, Untrue. A lot of records sound dead and cold when too many electronic elements are used, but The Nest and the Skull utilizes nice, warm production techniques. Similar artists include Autechre, Dntel, Cex, Mouse on Mars, Prefuse 73, Access to Arasaka and early Telefon Tel Aviv.

This release is going to join my collection of “work albums.” Among the others are Funki Porcini’s Fast Asleep, and FFWD’s self titled album. They’re perfect to listen to when I need to sit down and design/code for hours.

To view artwork and videos by Ultre, visit Ultre on MySpace. The Nest and the Skull is available from Amazon and other online music retailers for a special price of $5.99.

MP3: Ultre – Struggle and Nothing

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