Aurèle
Aurèle & Friends Vol. 1

UK-born producer Luke Standing aka Blue Hour has made a considerable impact since his emergence in 2013. A move from Bristol to Berlin precipitated a run of stellar self-released EPs that immediately won him an ardent following among techno's most revered DJs for a sound that offered a fresh takes on classic techno and electronica, while always maintaining a supreme dancefloor functionality. Among those fans was Function, who included an exclusive track from Standing in his Berghain 07 mix and part I of its accompanying 12-inches.Now Standing's self-titled outlet launches a new remix series, calling on some of those aforementioned fans to offer their own takes on a trio of the standout tracks from his label's first five releases. Ostgut resident Answer Code Request applies the driving hybrid techno-bass approach that has made him one of Berghain's brightest stars to Blue Hour 002 title cut Axis Motive; Paris-based Tresor resident offers an ethereal take that focuses on Blue Hour 003's Reference 97's more hypnotic elements; and Ostgut Ton's Steffi is perfectly matched to the third EP's Moments, employing her signature sound that similarly offers a timeless anthemic quality to the original.

Swedish vinyl only label Kvalia Records breaks a 9-month silence by introducing a meticulously executed 3 track ep by DJ Nobu and Artefakt. Hiiro consists of two original, psychedelic techno trips produced by DJ Nobu, and one re-interpretive sonic journey by Artefakt.

Following a stellar run of releases and contributions from the likes of N-GYNN, LVCA, Thoma Bulwer, Voigtmann, Dawl & Desert Sound Colony, the transcontinental Superlux imprint announce their 8th edition by way of Paul Blackford’s ‘Weekend Warrior’ EP. There was a degree of serendipity in the genesis story of the ‘Weekend Warrior’ EP. When label head Mike Gill’s wife Ines posted a video of him playing a Blackford track from deep in the crates, it quickly found its way to Paul via happenstance and the way of the web. Upon Paul sharing his entire back catalog as a token of appreciation for the support, the conversation started moving towards a contribution to the label. Following a trawl through Paul’s extensive library of electro WIPs both new & old, four were selected for a mixdown in Thoma Bulwer’s studio. The result is the ‘Weekend Warrior’ EP. The release speaks to the talent and versatility of Paul Blackford as a producer. The EP employs elements of classic Detroit electro & Drexciyan soundscapes with facets of modern house fit for an afternoon at Houghton. A truly diverse release suited to many moods and record bags.

Orphic Apparition follow up their inaugural release by RAFRAM, the collaborative project of Toronto's Raf Reza aka Raf Rizzla and UK acid house luminary Ramjac Corporation, with a new two-tracker from the transatlantic bass warriors. Where the RAFRAM 12" gifted us five variations on the same live jam cut from Grow Tottenham, here we have a spontaneous track written by Paul (Ramjac) on the A-side and a fully warped dancehall mix from Raf on the B. (short)'Press 1 to Repeat' began as an on-the-spot demonstration of the musical self, a natural response to being asked 'What is it that you do?'. Within a few minutes Ramjac had his laptop out and was bashing out a quintessentially English sort of kitchen tabletop version of Kraftwerk - Numbers, the tongue in cheek automated voice on the other end of the line querying his account balance in tow. Proudly showing his friend Ryoko his improvisatory skills, a £10 hifi from a Japanese 2nd hand shop served as the portable monitors whilst the track waited to be brought back to his studio in London. The track is anchored by a bouncy, Irdial-reminiscent percussive workout which punches above its weight for its humble beginnings. Add the dubbed out synth pads and sort of electrical static FX in the background and everything syncs together in cosmic harmony. Hopefully Ryoko now gets the gist!Raf Rizzla takes the stems and channels some inspiration from the Jamaican movie “Third World Cop” by turning the track on its head with a double-time baseline and half-time melody to craft a big dancehall version with a bit of a modern day On-U twist. Here Raf shows yet another side to his truly versatile production chops which have seen him release house, trance, breaks and downtempo cuts on a variety of Canadian labels prior to starting Orphic Apparition.

No Moon joins the roster, delivering four sleek cuts, ranging from modern trance to bleep electro.

Yoshi Records is back with a bangin´ Electro 5-Tracker by Nino Šebelić. For lovers of carefully orchestrated modular escapades, this probably is not the right record. For lovers of stone cold Electro vibes straight from the streets, this is the right record.