Some worrying developments in Technoland this month. The first being the sale of Bandcamp resulting in layoffs and concerns about the future of the company. This was soon followed by news that NTS Radio has been partially bought up by Universal Music Group.
These are both disturbing signs of the ever-growing corporatisation of the scene, suits and ties and investor bros burying innovative producers and selectors with even more homogenous business techno.
So, support independent whenever you can, music is art, not a platform.
Oh yeah – and let’s throw an extra couple of fuck yous to both YouTube and Spotify for their ever-increasing dickheaddery while I’m at it.
In other moody news, DJ Shadow released a new album, didn’t like it, very disappointing I felt so anyways, that’s the grumpy part of the post done and dusted for this month, let’s get onto more fun stuff…
It’s Mushroom Season!
Harvests may vary, of course, depending on your location and how erratic the weather is but at least there’s plenty of psychedelic music to enjoy this month.
First of all, we got the first release from The Orb since April’s Prism, called Metallic Spheres In Colour.
Released right at the end of September, it’s a essentially remix/megamix of 2010’s Metallic Spheres, their collaboration album with David Gilmour.
This 2023 re-imagining swings far more in the Orb direction than the Gilmour side, taking the originals and dubbing them out even further than before.
Floyd fans will no doubt prefer the original which is more of a 50/50 Orb/Gilmour split, while In Colour works more as an interesting companion piece. So if you’ve not heard the original I’d recommend you check that out first.
We also got the first new album from Children Of The Bong since 1995’s Sirius Sounds, called Sonic Ambulance, essentially a collection of both live and studio outtakes.
Musically it varies from more traditional prog rock influences to extended ambient jams. It’s more experimental and a less cohesive album than Sirius Sounds but I’m just delighted to hear these guys are back at it and releasing material again.
Currently looking forward to yet another release from the duo which is set to be released in December. It’s called Not Sirius and once again more previously unreleased material. That said, I really hope they start putting out some new stuff soon also. (hint hint)
And finally, just in time for the feast of Samhain, we got a new album from Ozric Tentacles, Lotus Unfolding. There’s not really much I can say about this one other than it sounds like an Ozrics album, which, as those in the know already know, is high praise indeed.
So expect plenty of soaring arpeggios, floaty synths and swirling synesthesia – all elevated by the masterful guitar solos of the mighty Ed Wynne.
EP OF The Month October 2023
I’m surprised to see I’ve not featured Móatún 7 yet, so allow me to address that glaring omission right now. Keeping up to date with this eclectic and wildly prolific and Icelandic label is a full-time job in and of itself, but is infinitely more rewarding than actual paid employment.
Sure, I’m not necessarily a fan of all the experimental ambient stuff they put out, but can at least appreciate the efforts. So reassuring to know there are still labels out there taking chances on releasing weird new music in 2023.
But for me, Móatún 7’s more dancefloor-friendly output is what interests me most. That means electro, techno and, of course, acid.
The Troiscenttrois EP, released October 26th, is a four track EP of pure, old skool acid techno. No frills, no gimmicks, no drops, no breakdowns, no bollocks, just perfect dancefloor-friendly analogue jams from start to finish.
Not Brand New, But Good Retro
Another album I was curious to hear was the new Tricky Maxinquaye Reincarnated album.
1995’s Maxinquaye is easily one of my top 5 albums of all time, this new version is packed with remasters of original tracks, plus live performances and remixes old and new.
One of the “reincarnated” tracks is Brand New, No Retro, remixed by Leftfield, which, admittedly, doesn’t sound that new but rather like vintage Leftfield, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much.
Alas it doesn’t feature the Bad bassline which Tricky nicked from Michael Jackson and used on the original but if you’re a fan of old skool Leftfield then you’ll enjoy this – I’m going to guess 1996 for this one since the beats have more than a passing resemblance to their track A Final Hit from the Trainspotting soundtrack.
Also very much on a retro tip, we got Waterfall Reverse from Lone, a high-speed, almost happy hardcore style track, complete with frantic breaks and cheesy pianos but with that distinctly lush Lone gloss. But those who know me well will know it’s that gushing, sweat-drenched 303 that really gives me the goosebumps on this one.