Electro/Ambient

Artist: Bardspec Label: BY NORSE MUSIC

Artist: AQUARIUS SOUNDS Label: Jamaican Recordings

Artist: BEN LUKAS BOYSEN Label: Erased Tapes

Artist: Tangerine Dream Label: Invisible Hands Music Limited

Artist: Roots in Heaven Label: Zehnin

Artist: SI BEGG Label: Shitkatapult

Artist: Various Artists Label: Act

Artist: ELZA SOARES Label: Mais Um Discos

In celebration of Thrill Jockey's 25th Anniversary Oval’s classic 1998 album Dok gets a first time vinyl re-issue. Pressed on clear vinyl and packaged in a jacket with metallic ink and free download card. This record is part one of a counter-remix-project embarked upon by Berlin-based sound innovators Oval and Tokyo-based installation artist/sound designer Christophe Charles. The record is primarily an Oval record accessing the soundfile archive of travel and field recordings by Christophe Charles. On previous records 94diskont and their debut Systemisch, Oval explored deconstruction and reconstruction, assault and aesthetics creating a unique semantic on top of the exploration of generic features and bugs of electronic music media. Their music has always been a naturally occurring phenomenon that documents their adaptation process of digital (music) media as a whole. On this new LP, Dok, the preparation of the recording process itself was a challenge in its own right. The challenge centers around the widely static and very delicate environmental recordings of sound designer Christophe Charles and the difficulty in creating music out of sounds with no sustain, no rhythm, and in no linear stucture or relationship to each other. Charles, who holds a Phd from Tsukuba University and a Phd from Institut National De Langes et Civilasations Orientales in Paris, has spent considerable time exploring the often forgotten aspect of music, its spatial dimension; in other words the effect and/or location of amplification, position of the origin and dimensions of space in which music is performed/played. These considerations have led him to work often with "Found Sounds" or actual environmental (urban or otherwise) recordings. Charles provided Oval with a selection of field recordings of bells from around the world. The bells' sounds and monolithic travel recordings were static with almost no rhythmic index. Oval transformed the static character of the found sounds and made them fluid. The resulting record documents a compelling merge of two vast, very distinctive soundfile archives, effortlessly two extreme, sometimes even contradicting approaches to both music and music technology - encouraging the listener to see sound shape and form in entirely new ways by adding an entirely new spatial and lively index to Oval music. Through the additional processing of the bell and other environmental sounds, the addition of bass tones and the use of as well as "as is" environmental recordings, Oval have once again created a complex, yet accessible soundscape. Dok is nonetheless still firmly grounded in what Oval always was all about: intervention into simulation, and theory and above all a musical result that may be enjoyed without any knowledge of the technology or theory behind it. Record Label: Thrill Jockey Style: Electronic

Laurel Halo returns to Hyperdub for her third LP with a fresh approach and a new sound. Routed out of the electronic abstraction of 2015's In Situ - but with clear reference to 2012's sleeper-hit Quarantine - Dust is an album revolving around loose and languid songs; warped, sun-filled, melted and at times, heavy-hearted and obscure. Recorded over a period of two years, the writing process began at EMPAC in upstate New York in January 2015. With access to microphones, percussion, keys and a wide range of routings, Laurel spent days alone in the cavernous space, later inviting musicians Eli Keszler and Lafawndah to join her there. Those sessions would eventually become this album: a collection of breezy, broken songs, based on woody instrumentation, sub bass and restless, intricate electronics. Earnest songwriting meets with modal cut-up strategies, improvisational playing with higrade digital dust. Tactile and fibrous throughout the record, the vocals and percussion coalesce and breathe life into each other. Swung grooves eddy and collapse; acoustic drums are warped into sensual, febrile melodies. The lyrics are themselves bricolage, without a specific narrator or place in time. They slip in and out of view, something that is visualised in the album's inner panel. Extending the influence, the album opener 'Sun To Solar' is an adaptation of 'Servidao de Passagem' by Brazilian concrete poet Haroldo de Campos. In line with the album's sound, Dust is 'Laurel Halo' as a flexible cast of characters. Filled with dialogue, the album helms an interchangeable ensemble of vocalists and musicians, featuring vocals from Klein, Lafawndah, and Michael Salu, as well as musicians such as Eli Keszler, Craig Clouse ($hit and $hine), Julia Holter, Max D, Michael Beharie and Diamond Terrifier. Laurel's omnivorous influences play out in mutated fashion - coalesced, unfettered and inclusive - a broad musical palette free from entrenched modes, catalysed by digital production that could only happen in 2017. Record Label: Hyperdub Style: Electronic

500 copies - strictly limited on clear vinyl - 180g. For fans of: Black Crowes, Dirty Streets, Rival Sons, Royal Blood. Formed in 2008 after the duo had spent a number of years in other bands, Chris Tapp and Brian Mullins got together for the sole reason to jam. No preconceived notions; just do what comes naturally. The result is a sonically and emotionally weighted, story-based brand of rock sung directly from the soul. Chris' unique guitar rig and Brian's giant bass drum provide a visual and sonic landscape for the two to travel on different paths than other acts. You may find yourself looking for another member behind the curtains, but nope. It's just the two of them. And their success has come from hard work and perseverance. From keeping everything in-house: Booking, promotion, recording and merchandise design, Chris and Brian have handled it at all themselves. Fans have seen The Cold Stares in venues like Pianos in New York City and the Viper Room in Hollywood, and at festivals like The Ride, Copperhead, Handy Bluesfest, with acts like Rival Sons, Big Head Todd and Spoon among many others. This summer Cold Stares will be opening für Grand Funk Railroad(!). Following up with their two successful EPs recorded with Mark Needham, their new album, Head Bent, will be released in May 2017 on Small Stone Records. Record Label: Small Stone Style: Stoner Rock

When it comes to a career the magnitude of Paul Oakenfold it’s hard to encompass one of the true legends of electronic music into just words. For over 3 decades he has elevated and shaped an entire genre and remains one of the leading force Record Label: New State Style: Electronic

Laurel Halo returns to Hyperdub for her third LP with a fresh approach and a new sound. Routed out of the electronic abstraction of 2015's In Situ - but with clear reference to 2012's sleeper-hit Quarantine - Dust is an album revolving arou Record Label: Hyperdub Style: Electronic

EP that showcases five remixes from Eric Copeland, a frequent collaborator of Animal Collective; the Swedish producer Peder Mannerfelt; two from the exceptional musician and DJ Tevo Howard and Escapismo, an anonymous project of which we cannot detail any information. The release will be available in vinyl and digital towards the start of June, reuniting the subjective and stylistic interpretation of each producer, effectively translating the tracks into a more dance-oriented, clubbing feel Record Label: Modern Obscure Music Style: Electronic

"Repetition is a form of change," reads one of Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies. Seth Haley knows the concept well, and his style of technicolour synth-wave takes the mantra as a challenge. Six years after Galactic Melt introduced the cosmic story of Com Truise, Iteration now concludes his sprawling saga. True to its name, the album is built on Com Truise hallmarks: neon-streaked melodies, big drums, robotic grooves, bleary nostalgia. But Iteration is also the most elegant and streamlined that Haley's singular music has ever sounded. At the album's heart is an elaborate narrative, one full of longing, hope, anxiety, and triumph. Iteration illustrates the last moments Com Truise spends on the perilous planet Wave 1, before he and his alien love escape its clutches to live in peace. "...Of Your Fake Dimension" launches the interstellar drama with its anthemic swells and widescreen sound design, before lovesick songs like "Dryswch" and "Propagation" outline scenes wrought wi th cybernetic pathos. Later, the frantic rhythms of "Syrthio" conjure images of panicked flight as Haley's gorgeous synth melodies gild the action in quiet heartbreak. Then comes the resounding "When Will You Find The Limitâ?Ý", when Iteration's pain and sadness finds liberation in the vast unknown. The closing title track ends it all in a gush of majestic revelry. So goes the winding story that Iteration tells, and yet there's more behind its telling. "I try hard not to write from my personal life, but it's inevitably going to seep into the music," Haley explains. "It's basically like I'm scoring this film in my head, but that film I'm scoring is also somehow my life." There are glimpses of the difficult time the East Coast native spent adjusting to a new life in Los Angeles, fighting homesickness and burnout while also touring the world. It was a time full of uncertainty, transition, and self-realization. After a year and a half of living in California, Hayley finally recapt ured his creativity by finding new excitement in his work. "I put more air, more breathing room in the music-- that was the big change," he says. And once that clicked, the album just poured out of him. "It was like an information dump. I feel like I finished the record in two weeks." Such a clear refinement of the Com Truise sound took time to develop, but Iteration is well worth the patience and perseverance it cost. Some of Haley's smartest, catchiest work is here, from the weightless pop of "Isostasy" to "Ternary"'s lush synth-funk. A song like "Vacuume" somehow balances massive bass drops and smashing drums with angelic gasps, and "Usurper" gracefully pairs subtle poignancy and uplifting dance beats. "For me, it feels like change," Hayley says of his second album, and yes, this is Com Truise like never before. By embracing the music's inherent nature and peerless qualities, Iteration finds new avenues of expression in its vivid, familiar surroundings. Record Label: Ghostly International Style: Dance

This 16 track full length onslaught of gruesome deathgrind mixed with an enraged thrash brain hammering is the third gory chapter in the Putrescence reign of horror, fear and toxic plasma. These new studio tracks along with some live and previously unreleased material is a true blacked out drunk poseur-stomping party from the depths of hell. Come for the defecation, stay for the vomit... Putrescence dish up filth-laden blasts of old school grindcore with a technical edge that serves as the final nail in humanity's coffin Record Label: Power It Up Style: Grindcore

Genre: Electronica, IDM, Experimental Almost one year after his debut LP Feed The Tape, Orson Hentschel enters new musical terrain wearing old shoes. His second LP Electric Stutter, which is almost 55 minutes long, is only loosely connected to his debut. Whereas Feed The Tape was strongly shaped by Classical Minimal Music, Hentschel now incorporates influences of Trip-Hop and Electronic Pop Music. Since his childhood, he considers artists like Massive Attack, Portishead and Björk as some of his most important sources of inspiration. The influence of this kind of popular music is clearly audible. Hentschel's new tracks are shorter, more shaped and reduced in the density of their sound material. Pattern-oriented repetitions, which where in the focus of Feed The Tape, now fulfil the function of sophisticated sub-components of the overall composition and are subordinate to the melodic forms or merge with them. Also the amount of sample-based material has decreased in order to create space for synthetically produced sounds with melodic character. Electric Stutter is more complex and more detailed than Feed The Tape. At the same time the reduced density of sound material and the higher amount of melodies form a kind of music that is more easily accessible Record Label: Denovali Style: Electronic

Genre: Dark Jazz The new album "Astrild Astrild" is a glimpse of the present live sound of the Dale Cooper Quartet: 50's crooners singers, noisy guitars, atmospheric electronic and hypnotic jazz. All of these elements painted in monochrome black. The characteristics of this full-length are classic drone soundscapes mixed with deep tone saxophone parts that became the band's trademark since the release of their debut album in 2006. Slowly paced, the new tracks are following the Quartet's basic structure and classical sound. Apart from that the new full length conceals more live takes including guitars, bass and Rhodes keys and even piano sounds are haunting for the first time at the end of 'Ocho Acenteur'. With these new elements the songs of "Astrild Astrild" are pushed further into a large tunnel of deafening rhythmic parts and field ambiant textures. Record Label: Denovali Style: Electronic

Artist: PEACERS Label: Drag City