Out now: DDR60 on VEB89

This video trailer for the DDR60 compilation features The Party Machine's 'A-SED Haus', a counter-factual hardcore post-new beat remix of East German reality.

For full details of the compilation, limited to 100 copies only, see the label website.

Review: MARCELUS Shine EP TRESOR269

This is the third EP by Marcelus (French producer Cédric Bros) Marcelus returns with the ‘Shine EP’, third 12" to be released on Tresor, which is increasingly coming to seem like a natural home for him.

Opener 'Red Dance' innovatively re-works the classic techno-minimalist sounds of Pacou's late 1990s Tresor releases. It's centred on brittle sounds with a metallic edge that produce a strong impact without sacrificing complexity.



'Worship The Bass' gradually intensifies and accumulates power and packs a strong punch, but is misleadingly-titled as it's not actually a massively bassy track. Instead Marcelus'  cold, filtered sounds compete thoughtfully with a muffled kick.



The B-side tracks (for vinyl listeners) are much more atmospheric and abstract, reminding us of the ambient side of Tresor's vast back catalogue. A filtered, metallic sound circles through 'Shine', accompanied by gauzy sounds and a disembodied female voice in a digital fog. It's certainly not a typical track and all the better for it.



'Astral' is suitably ethereal and makes for a graceful end to the EP. It's a deep and beat-less outro with a trace of the ambient textures of Harold Budd.

Review: Isolated Lines - Stride

Isolated Lines - Stride

Creaked Recordings CRDS44

12”/Digital

One of the more distinctive releases of recent months has been this set by the Swiss producer Isolated Lines, who is described as being influenced by “by old industrial and purely analog synth music.” Yet these are absolutely not backward-looking tracks. The temptation to wallow in fake, neo-80s nostalgia is completely avoided and has a very fresh feeling.

I played Stride at my recent Fluid set and it's both a very strong set builder and a great listen. It kicks in hard from the start, but when the militant hardcore bass sneaks in it becomes massive. Still, there's plenty of subtle detail and finesse in the mix and this is much more than a dancefloor tool. Definitely one of the more memorable tracks of the year to date.

In contrast, 'Raze' is more introspective and minimal, yet still focussed and dynamic. Around the halfway mark, the coldly bleepy sounds and drones are temporarily pushed back by brighter tones before the track returns to its original path.

'Uphold' is an unusual blend of darker bass and components that might have been assembled into a funky party track by other producers. It's full of minimalistic tension and marked by a very forward-thinking use of hovering bass stabs and eventually by darker bass elements that recall the more dance-oriented work of his Swiss predecessors Yello.

I was also strongly reminded of Yello on 'Induce'. The effect here is similar to Yello's more panoramic, wide-screen ambient tracks. The slowly pounding beats only intensify a surprisingly emotional conclusion to the release.

While I have to strongly challenge the press release's fanciful claim that this is "techno at its very darkest", these remain distinctive hardcore/minimal tracks that get under the skin and bear repeated listens (itself a victory in a time of endemic over-production).