Various Artists
Cymatics Records 001

Contact is now established with mystic entity Rambal Cochet. Metallic movements and biological compositions project 4K renders to your mind’s eye. Voice fragments and expertly controlled oscillations advance you along the ascension path. Download these nebulous chronicles to the depths of your subconscious.

a1: main-room energy radiated by arpeggios and chords, with a nostalgic nod to the evergreen Italia novanta sound. a 'New World’ is on the horizon. a2: as 'Godspeed' takes the inner circle, hypnotic sequences infuse the journey with tension, while synthesisers intertwine creating idiosyncratic textures. b1: like a 'Sunbeam' on a cloudy day, a synth line shines through, coming out of left field, weaving a narrative with melodies and harmonies. b2: the ep reaches its crescendo concluding with 'Retrograde': an unwavering, euphoria-driven homecoming.

And another! One Eye Witness rounds up 4 more acts to deliver the latest instalment of their V/A series, WITNESS07. The EP brings together names from across Europe: here fresh faces — the likes of Bristol’s JoeLy — rub shoulders with more established dancefloor exponents such as SameSame from Germany and Rome’s Christopher Ledger, all utilising the hypnotic tech house aesthetic championed by O.E.W.Young Adults’ “It’s Only Temporary” kicks the EP into gear, a perky cut loaded with bounce. The The Hague duo employ a rubbery bassline and sound palette with plenty of boing, whilst working in a playful nod to a certain 1997 Loveparade anthem. Christopher Ledger gets classy on “Change That”, its slinky, steady break keeping hips in motion whilst tricky dubwise FX swirl across the stereo field. JoeLy slows things down and reigns it in with “Transitional”: beneath the filter sweeps, a seductive, sliding acid bassline is accompanied by augmented 303 action. As punchy as it is textural, the fittingly titled “Novel End” by SameSame seems draped in gauze — delicate drones wrap the drums in a soft cocoon, offering something a little more cerebral. WITNESS07: A tech house Tour de Europe, brought to you by Amsterdam’s all-seeing eye!Art by Susanne JanssenWords by Cameron Leaf

An exercise in control of auditory limitations and possibilities, GAEL redefines techno production with their comprehension of cold atmospherics and meticulous world building. Exemplified in their first solo EP ‘Frozen White Horse’ released on BITE Records, fervent, hurtling drums are underpinned by hopeful euphorics and circulating, breathy cybernetics. A culmination of sophisticated sonic dialects reared from the intersections of soundscaping and electronic music, the berlin-based DJ/Producer from Dagestan (by-way-of Kyiv and Odesa) commits their practice to the inclusivity of borderless, capricious and emotive dance- floor synergy. This energy was previously captured on BITE last year with their appearances on the Shedding Skin VA and The Soft Moon’s Exister Remixed. GAEL’s harmonic and organic approach to techno production echoes the heartbeat of dancefloor resistance,captivating audiences across venues from Berlin’s Berghain to Kyiv’s ∄ as a resident at the queer event series XITb. Delivering thunderous feeling through experimental sounds and masterful pacing, the 4-track-EP blurs the margins of moody techno exploration with remarkable attitude and a foreboding sense of uphill struggle. For the opening title track, a procession of stacked chords,synths and snares are met with a cyclone of galloping percussion building to maximum intensity until dispersing into echoey chimes. As the listener is able to catch their breath, the second track ‘prpttcxsstnc’ reignites - this time with trepidatious yet ethereal vibration, as the track continues to inject GAEL’s post-punk style of galvanised energy, rich layered drums maintain the undercurrent of resolute chaos into the following track ‘there is nothing left’. Sombre track titles are off-set by triumphant vigour for the third instalment, pushing through gale force drums and the clanging zaps and bleeps of electronic debris. Concluding with the final cacophony of collaged beats and drums, bellowing siren-like cold wails meld with GAEL’s calamity crescendo of crashing cymbals, the procession of rapturous drums slipping into a distant echo of warped hollow gleams.

Bristol-based, vinyl-only imprint Sex Tapes From Mars continues its voyage through the cosmos of underground electronic music with Suburbia head-honcho, Cam Stockman. His latest EP, “All Juiced Out”, is a raw, hypnotic four-tracker, and deep-dive into the world of vintage analogue synthesis, acid-drenched basslines, and sensual vocal hooks - a bold statement from an artist unafraid to push boundaries.