Various Artists
Anthroposcéne

Morphid and x(eptional signed to Lucid Recordings in quick succession back in the day, their complementary styles helping to establish the label as a purveyor of pioneering and divergent quality techno sounds. They often worked in the studio together, and now they’re gleefully doing it all over again with this perfectly pitched platter of originals and remixes from the two duos.x(eptional’s epic breakbeat techno sound always went down a storm at the original Lucid events – live and on disc – and second-hand prices prove their Lucid releases have lost none of their dancefloor appeal.Morphid’s sparse, offbeat sound was always different, otherworldly. Delightfully strange while always warm and witty – and a little bit spooky!Side 1 presents two classic originals, one by each duo: x(eptional’s a-whole-night-in-one track classic Dark Waves, a ten-minute-plus banger of epic proportions and soaring highs, followed by Morphid’s ethereal Gezouten Dessert, with its pared down bare breaks and brooding tones.Side 2 sees x(eptional and Morphid switching roles to present radical and thrilling reworkings of each other’s tracks. Morphid strip down x(eptional’s Dark Waves into a cut-up of eerie, angular funk rhythms, voices and sounds, while x(eptional extract the beats from Morphid’s Gezouten Dessert and transpose it into a whirlwind of jazz-tinged breakbeat techno that gets a grip from the get-go and just won’t let go.

Steevio is perhaps one of the most influential electronic artists you’ve never come across. With more than forty years of knob-twiddling experience, this modular magician boasts enough cable to bring you to the moon and back. Away from the blinking racks, Steevio runs music festivals, like Freerotation, manages record labels and generally paves the way. Now this pioneer and Firescope are teaming up for a very special EP.With Acatalepsy, this veteran dives deep into his machines before resurfacing with four tracks of melting organic techno. “Tarantism” comes to life with drums, percussive textures that prove fertile ground for ever more intricate patterns while orange blossom keys bloom. From understated chatter, a hive of beats soon forms around “Cynefin” as dewy notes float on the warmth of a new dawn. The natural world is an integral part of these compositions, the industrious movement of rhythms, the change and reshaping that comes with growth. Another presence on the 12” is the musician himself and his own influences. These early inspirations come to the fore in the hazy hi-hats of “Oxytocin” with its satellite-like bleeps and dreamy basslines that echo both the armchair and club of sounds of 90s techno. Those bleeps grow ever more distant in the fragile finale of “Intonation.” A melody precariously perches, thawing like ice, above delicate echoes that ghost behind modular bulges as drums fade.Acatalepsy encapsulates the ephemeral nature of sound. Through this selection of one-off recordings, through these live jam sessions, Steevio captures a palpable and primal energy with an expert’s ear. An EP that casts spells from beginning to end, an EP from a true waveform wizard.

The second reissue of NETWORK 23 classics features remastered tracks by R-ZAC (Crystal Distortion and 69db) also known as the original Spiral Tribe Live Set. If you missed out on these tracks from the past you should definitely get your hands on it now.

DJ Yirvin is one of the most prolific and important music producers that have emerged out of the Venezuelan underground since the early 2000s. Alongside DJ Baba, DJ Deep, DJ EL Mago, DJ Yoiser and others, he is one of the true originators of Venezuelan dance music continuum known as Changa, with subgenres such as Street House and Raptor House, though his sound later evolved into a unique style of his own known as Hard Fusion.

For this 5th delivery from Mephis, label boss Alfalfa shares with us a nostalgic and dystopian interpretation of his migratory experience in a sonic format. Imagine Kafka fidgeting with a 303 in a waiting room, with a happy ending.