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Planet Mu Records
Solar Bears 'She Was Coloured In'
£14.99
Planet Mu Records
Solar Bears 'She Was Coloured In'
£14.99
Hailing from Ireland; Wicklow and Dublin to be precise, Solar Bears are John Kowalski and Rian Trench, the sole producers and musicians on the album 'She Was Coloured In'. They met and formed at Pulse Sound Engineering School, started recording and were swiftly picked up by Planet Mu. The album follows in the wake of expectation laid down by their recent "Inner Sunshine EP" and a series of remixes.
Solar Bears' music is the soundtrack to a good life. Their song writing and production has a languid, pastoral grace that intertwines rock and electronics, twisting melodies through prog rock's structures and sounds, occasionally making sharp turns into more tense post rock territory, sliding between longer tracks and short mood-setting miniatures. The album mixes analogue electronica with the quietly epic perspective and shimmering neon synths of late 70's, early 80's Kosmiche music and the synth pop it informed.
The album starts moving again with the sophoric trance of 'Cub', before synth pop is evoked with the laidback evocative arpeggios of 'Hidden Lake'. 'Dolls' pits a children's choir against rolling guitars while 'Neon Colony' mixes gliding bottleneck guitar and triumphant synths. The album finishes with 'Perpetual Meadow's' sleepy sunkissed drone before stopping abruptly and making you drop down to earth. Spend some time with the Solar Bears.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. Forest Of Fountains
2. Children Of The Times
3. Twin Stars
4. She Was Coloured In
Side B:
1. Head Supernova
2. Crystalline (Be Again)
3. Cub
4. Hidden Lake
Side C:
1. The Quiet Planet
2. Solarization
3. Division
4. Primary Colours At The Back Of My Mind
Side D:
1. Dolls
2. Neon Colony
3. Perpetual Meadow
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Mike Paradinas, veteran producer and Planet Mu label owner has written a new album called ‘Grush' and it's full of weird bangers that reclaim the 'dance' part of the woeful term IDM. A back-to-first-principles record, inspired in part by the group of artists IDM was coined for; melodic dance music that didn't come out of urban scenes, but interpreted them from a distance.
The tracks on ‘Grush’ are all road-tested live favorites developed with feedback from Mike's touring partner and visuals guy Mora (Jan Moravec). It's a detailed and energetic journey which replicates the flow of a live gig. A lot of the tracks have been made in hotel rooms in response to shows, ‘Imperial Crescent’ is named after a Japanese Hotel, as is ‘Belvedere’ in Prague, while some tracks such as ‘Hyper Daddy’ were created specifically to play live.
Drums are confidently at the fore here and the album feels like it traces Mike's musical history and interests neatly around his sweetly nostalgic melodies, with atmospheres and structures which twist and turn with a charming softness which contrasts with the tension in the drums. Take ‘Hyper Daddy’s’ spiralling notes and twinkling piano which remind one of early Black Dog or Omni Trio rushing alongside splashy jungle drums, or the aquatic acid footwork of the title track with its drums softly bubbling and kicking.
Elsewhere there's territory which harks back to his Tusken Raiders pseudonym, like the heads down Drexciyan funk of ‘Windsor Safari Park,’ which transforms from moody electro into a sunny hardcore track midway.
The album is interspersed with Reticulum A, B and C at the start middle and end of the album which suggest a theme which carries across the music in an effortless and joyful way. ‘Grush’ is a strong album that works both for listening and DJing and a great snapshot of where Mike Paradinas musical head is at in 2024.
Tracklisting:VinylSide A1. Reticulum A2. Hyper Daddy3. FogouSide B1. Magic Pony Ride (Pt.4)2. Imperial Crescent3. Reticulum B4. GrushSide C1. Belvedere2. Raver3. Windsor Safari Park4. HastingsSide D1. Manscape2. Metaphonk3. Reticulum C
CD1. Reticulum A2. Hyper Daddy3. Fogou4. Magic Pony Ride (Pt.4)5. Imperial Crescent6. Reticulum B7. Grush8. Belvedere9. Raver10. Windsor Safari Park11. Hastings12. Manscape13. Metaphonk14. Reticulum C -
DJ Manny's 'Hypnotized' is full of fresh ideas which push the footwork format of 160bpm hyper-rhythmic music in really enjoyable new directions. He builds on the romantic themes of his last album 'Signals In My Head' and evolves them with shades of blue, taking very natural sounding experimentation into new moods and musical colour while never making the album inaccessible.Visit product page →
Arguably this is a fine successor to the ground broken by DJ Rashad's 'Double Cup' album, which of course Manny also worked on. 'Hypnotized' solidifies Manny's style, from relaxed r'n'b rollers to moments of romantic distress - like 'WTF Goin On' and the reflective 'You N You (ft. DJ Phil)', to more intense moments like the dubstep inflected 'Ooh Baby' from the vaults, co-produced by DJ Rashad himself.
Other tracks like 'Want U Bad' retool Robert Hood style minimal techno whereas dark, nervous belters like 'Turn Me Up' sound like Paul Johnson at his most wild but welded to footwork rhythms and a pumping jump up drum & bass-line.
There are also moments of enjoyably hype daftness like the acid and diva head-fuck of 'Opera' or the old school Bukem style jungle homage 'Lost In Da Jungle'. 'Hypnotized' is an album that expands footwork's template with natural ease and outstanding skill.
Tracklisting:
Side A
1. Hard Drive
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3. Hypnotized
4. Ooh Baby (ft. DJ Rashad)
5. I Can Luv U
6. You N You (ft. DJ Phil)
Side B:
7. Overnight Flight
8. Want U Bad
9. Turn Me Up
10. Opera
11. Lost In Da Jungle
12. Deep In My Mind -
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After playing a club gig in Spain as lockdown rules were loosening, Rix-Martin was reminded of the power music and people coming together creates. ‘Loverboy’ is peppered with influences from friends past and new as well as artists that have transformed the sound of Meemo Comma over the years, including Autechre, Guy Called Gerald, Orbital and Shitmat as well as others.
On this journey we follow ‘Loverboy’ through the club as the night builds and different characters are met, from dropping the first pill to a euphoric ‘Cloudscape’ whilst waiting in the queue, to meeting some shady sorts in ‘Loneheath’.
The album changes pace throughout with different rooms of the club being explored which add to the brevity of Rix-Martin’s production style on tracks such as 'Kyle' and 'AK47'. What started as a personal joke about Rix-Martin’s background formed a narrative for some darker, cheeky breaks that echo back on title track ‘Loverboy’, a track that Rix-Martin describes as “working class gender euphoria”.
Maybe the mask has come off, and the shackles of pseudo-intellectualism have been put to rest for an honest, fun and ‘propa cheeky’ rave album instead.
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Side A:
1. Cloudscape
2. Loneheath
3. Bit Of A Boy
4. Whitehawk
5. Ignite
6. Kyle
7. AK47
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8. Loverboy
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By now, the story of how Jlin went from working in a steel factory in Gary, Indiana to being one of the most widely appreciated electronic musicians is well known.Visit product page →
'Black Origami' was one of the most reviewed and lauded albums last year.
Seriously prolific and seriously hard-working, she has toured constantly since its May 2017 release and despite being involved in a wide range of projects, still manages to find a balance and 'do some personal healing and growing.'
Here we are over a year later with 'Autobiography,' the score for her collaboration with renowned British choreographer Wayne McGregor arranged by Unsound. This isn't technically her third album (that's due to arrive in 2019 or 2020), but the soundtrack stands up on its own with all the emotional peaks and troughs of a well-sequenced longplayer.
For Jlin, making music for dance is the fulfillment of one of her lifelong dreams - and remarkably, Company Wayne McGregor's performance was the first show she'd ever seen. She describes the process of working with Wayne: 'We first met face to face in October 2016 in a downtown Chicago hotel, talking for about a solid two hours. Immediately, I saw Wayne was very friendly and energetic. He's brilliant, witty, and knows exactly what he wants; an absolute gem to work with.
Before I even started composing for Autobiography, Wayne told me so gently that he trusts me completely with my direction of creating the score. That was the best feeling in the world. I would wake up at two in the morning and work until six in the evening until I completed all the pieces. We were both very happy with the outcome. Creating the score for an impeccable piece of work such as Autobiography changed my life as an artist.' 'Autobiography' is a highlight in an evolving and growing career.
During the last year, Jlin has also become an in-demand remixer, securing her place among a roster of music heavyweights. Unsurprisingly, given her positive and outgoing nature, she also developed friendships with the artists she has remixed such as Björk, Max Richter and Ben Frost. Jlin will be touring with Company Wayne McGregor performing 'Autobiography' this year in addition to completing a commission for the Kronos Quartet titled 'Little Black Book.'
She still approaches every performance 'with the same attitude of doing my best to execute a good show, no more, no less. Doing my best is what's most important to me.' She also still lives in Gary, Indiana, which keeps her grounded. She notes with her typical humility, 'The local community is a little more knowledgeable of me now. But I don't mind my community taking its time.'
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. 1st Overture (Spiritual Atom)
2. Annotation
3. Carbon 12
Side B:
4. Unorthodox Elements
5. Anamnesis (Part 1)
6. The Abyss Of Doubt
7. Mutation
Side C:
8. First Interlude (Absence Of Measure)
9. Permutation
10. Kundalini
Side D:
11. Anamnesis (Part 2)
12. Blue I
13. Second Interlude(The Choosing)
CD:
1. 1st Overture (Spiritual Atom)
2. Annotation
3. Carbon 12
4. Unorthodox Elements
5. Anamnesis (Part 1)
6. The Abyss Of Doubt
7. Mutation
8. First Interlude (Absence Of Measure)
9. Permutation
10. Kundalini
11. Anamnesis (Part 2)
12. Blue I
13. Second Interlude (The Choosing)
Release Date: 28/09/2018
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