Various Artists
The Chants Of The Holy Oyster

Undersound returns for its third Various Artists compilation! Following the tradition of the previous outings, we present a mix of veteran producers and fresh faces but, most importantly, 4 newcomers to the label.The record kicks off with a “Cyberbells1”, a previously unreleased track from the legendary duo Human Beings composed in their hardware-laden studio in Utrecht in 1996.For the rest of the EP, we welcome three upcoming producers to the label: Caramel Chameleon, Anton Vegel and Limile. “Toxic Food” is a breaky number from the Italian IDM prodigy, where he showcases his trademark sound with emotional detuned melodies and vocoders. “Hologrammatic Waveforms” is inspired from Detroit Electro and crafted live with moving basslines, catchy melodies and smooth chords. “Tuesday” closes this compilation with its emotional overtones over up-tempo broken drums.

"‘Beneath the beauty’ Transparent Sound inbound on PTX028 with Freddie Fresh on the cut."

For more than twenty years, Roel Funcken has been a cornerstone in electronic experimentation. Alongside his brother Don, this Dutch sound sculptor melted hip-hop, industrial and soundscapes under monikers like Funckarma and Shadow Huntaz. A prolific solo musician and collaborator as well, Funcken teams up with Cor Bolten to revive the Legiac project with the eight tracks of Banisteriopsis Caapi. Keys appear through a sorrowful haze in "Mimosa Hostilis", this machined mist difussing as distorted strings penetrate before a dawning of icy brightness. Modulated forms and shapes billow in the bubble and trill of "Pyschotria Viridis" before the orbiting interference and introspection of "Epicatechine." Percussion is reduced to a texture, the duo finding structure in droplets of water, the stretch of steel and a litany of field recordings. The partnership dive deep into their chosen sounds, elongating and expanding tones to find harmony in the absence and isolation that is their focus. Pieces like "Solanaceae" bristle with an understated elegance, like starlight piercing a brooding night sky, while "Banisteriopsis Caapi" finds an eerie solace in its repurposing of voice as an undulating elegy. Legiac achieve a distant intimacy with their listener, a relationship forged through complex compositions, gentle movements and subtle shifts.

INTEASE 003 is the result of the third Intease Contest. The idea is that a godfather imposes tracks/samples to the producers and that they do what they want with them and produce a track at the end.Then, the jury makes a pre-selection, and the community of producers votes for its favorites. So here we have the track of the godfather Vitess who produced the track DewDew. The winners of the contest are Doublure, Palorim, Jake Scully and Yahzi.

Pyramid Of Knowledge fires up the jets again for the Seoul-based producer's second interstellar adventure on Dream Ticket. Almost 30 years on from the precise, angular breaks and acid of UR's Electronic Warfare and the components of those potent battle weapons remain in full service, here honed by POK's controlled studio hand and ready to dash full-pelt against the enemy. Whose side are you on?

V World is Vitess AKA Vytamin’s second album. It follows on from Cyber Zone, the Frenchman’s first LP that was released to widespread industry acclaim last year. Eight months have passed since, with several releases springing up in between. From Up The Stuss to Locus, to Pont Neuf, Shall Not Fade and more, his musical footprint is plain to see.Now the latest step will be placed in March with the release of his second LP: V World.“My first Retrofutura album, Cyber Zone, was inspired by nocturnal cities, like the progressive house side of the ‘90s. V World represents the brighter side. The LP features a strong electronic sound, with tech house touches and robotic voices that symbolise the universe of the album.” – Vytamin.Critical Battery gets proceedings underway, with four-four drum patterns forming a groove-fuelled, club-ready backbone. The near seven-minute cut feels spacey and dream-like in one, opening into the similarly ethereal world of TSD. Wavey synth pulses converge on acid-esque soundscapesthroughout, before Fake Planet arrives next.Shimmering key patterns transport us to worlds far removed from our own, leading us deep into heads down, hands up territory, whilst thick kicks marry up alongside. Unatural comes next and manifests as a fizzing, no-nonsense club cut to begin, with dreamy melodies brought in as the trackunfurls.Playful and bouncy, it sets the stage for Kangoo, a more breakbeat-esque number that draws inspiration from the French car of the same name. Robust percussion gives the track a hardened edge, paving the way for V World to come soon after.Starry female vocals help us drift into a surreal musical landscape, whilst Insane ratchets up the pace courtesy of low-slung, echoing bleeps right the way through. We’re then treated to the penultimate cut on Twister, an out-and-out club piece that swings neatly into the closing sounds of Final Warning, rounding off proceedings on a hazy, blissed-out note.Vitess is the genre-hopping DJ and producer leading the charge for France’s underground renaissance. Known under several pseudonyms, including Vytamin, Grand V and Flamant Rouge, his musical output has caught the attention of some of dance music’s leading publications, one being Resident Advisor.2022 was a particularly fruitful year for the Frenchman, with a slew of releases landing on several of the scene’s most well-known labels. Be it Shall Not Fade, Locus or Chris Stussy’s Up The Stuss, his productions prove that quality and quantity can come in equal fashion.Now V World ushers in a new era for his own Retrofutura Records imprint, picking up where Cyber Zone left off and setting the tone for a highlight year ahead.