The Veal Pen

After 587 posts, I've decided to bring The Pen to a close.  

In collaboration with DFA’s Gavin Russom, Delia Gonazalez came to prominence in 2005 via the marathon synth odyssey, ‘Days of Mars’. Reflecting her pursuit of higher brow arts over the past decade, ‘In Remembrance’ is based around four piano pieces she composed for a series of ballet films in 2010. The first of this two-disc package is formed of the hypnotic originals - the second, packs remixes by New York techno producer, Bryce Hackford.

Genre: Classical / Disco

Label: DFA

You’ll like this, if you like: Gonzales ‘Solo Piano’ [No Format]

Release date: April 28th 

01. I 02. II 03. III 04. IV 05. Remix I 06. Remix II 07. Remix III 08. Remix IV

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The autonomous capital of Catalunya and Europe’s playground of expressive creativity plays annual host to Sonar Festival in eight weeks time. Of its three-day programme this year, ‘Sonar by Day’ on the Friday once again surfaces as our pick. Among a typically broad range of experimental composers and artists, Pen favourites Voices from the Lake are due to deliver a techno set rich in immersive elements and organic visualisations, ahead of their confirmed album release. Elsewhere, twenty-two year old Bristolian Sebastian Gainsborough (a.k.a. Vessel) makes his debut this year alongside fellow Brit experimentalist Klara Lewis, before headliner Tom Jenkinson (a.k.a. Squarepusher) unveils his new album ‘Damogen Furies’ via a new electroacoustic AV set. Our pick of the other Friday acts include Erased Tape’s Kiasmos, KTL (Stephen O'Malley and Peter Rehberg’s collaborative project) and Austrian composer Dorian Concept (who’ll be making an anticipated appearance in Sonar Village). All in, a fine day of choice acts proves that the ambitious and pioneering musical spirit of Sonar Festival continues unabated. Ben Romberg

Date: Friday, 19th June 

Venue: Fira de Barcelona

Doors: 12:00 - 23:00

Photo of: Sebastian Gainsborough (a.k.a. Vessel) 

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Arriving via a partnership between Modeselektor’s Monkeytown and Ninja Tune’s Counter imprint, Howling is a seemingly unlikely collaboration between Âme’s Frank Wiedemann and Australian folk crooner, Ry. The foremost point of mention here is just how flawlessly stunning the spacious yet intricate production work is. So much so, Ry’s soft vocals in the opening two tracks (‘Signs’ and ‘Stole The Night’) feel slightly unneeded. However, this isn’t to say there’s a lack of synergy throughout, because ‘X Machina’, ‘Litmus’ and ‘Forest’ make for immersive songs. Instrumentals ‘Zürich’, ‘Quartz’, ‘Lullaby’ and the two interludes are all equally balanced compositions, which go towards completing a tranquil masterclass in downtempo electronics. 

Genre: Electronica

Label: Counter / Monkeytown

Rating: 7.8/10

You’ll like this, if you like: Try Tropics ‘Parodia Flare’ [Planet Mu]

Release date: 4th May

1. Signs (Album Version) 2. Stole The Night 3. Interlude I 4. X Machina 5. Litmus 6. Zürich 7. Short Line 8. Quartz 9. Interlude II 10. Forest 11. Howling 12. Lullaby

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For the follow up his 2012 debut, Phillip Lauer defers from the Lorsch-based Running Back to Munich’s Permanent Vacation. Stylistically aligning with its predecessor, ‘Borndom’ is instrumentally rooted in classic electro, yet this time there’s more influence drawn from 80s synth-pop and rave. 

Genre: Electro / Disco

Label: Permanent Vacation

You’ll like this, if you like: Headman ‘It Rough’ [Gomma]

Release date: 8th May

1. Crewners 2. Gammelan 3. Hump Acid 4. Telefon with Ela 5. Msndrstndng 6. ESC with Jasnau 7. Borndom 8. Pal_Oh 9. Mausback 10. Reebe 11. Carpet 12. Alright with Ela 13. By By

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Followingon from two notably strong EPs last year, Dara Smith and Ian McDonnell return to R&S for their first long-player together. The Dublin-hailing, Berlin-based pair have both been producing behind the scenes for over a decade, with most of their respective involvements being in experimental techno circles. The 10 productions forming their debut remain in this remit whilst incorporating field recordings from motorway tunnels in Japan, church bells from Schöneberg, an Irish female choir and Inuit throat singers.

Genre: Experimental / Electronica / Techno

Label: R&S

You’ll like this, if you like: Future Sound Of London ‘ISDN’ (Virgin)

Release date: 11th May

1. Echtrae 2. Milch 3. Mountain Divide 4. Three Songs 5. Ton'neru 6. Halite 7. Tundra 8. Pylon 9. Oktavist 10. Herald

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The art of understatement can serve a producer well when crafting an electronic album. As Terre Thaemlitz proved on the landmark ‘Midtown 120 Blues’, cinematic depth and gentle fluidity can be paired to mesmerising effect. David Krasemann’s third album flows to a comparable tempo, whilst stylistically aligning with Kompakt’s heyday in early-2000s. After a plaintive start, the gears seamlessly shift back and forth - spanning from ambient-touched interims to minimal tech-house. 

Label: Kompakt

Genre: Tech-house / Electronica

You’ll like this, if you like: Pantha Du Prince ‘This Bliss’ [Dial]

Release date: April 27th

1. Fade In 2. Halma 3. We Mix at Six 4. Whitehill (feat. Piper Davis) 5. Smukke Lyde 6. Naschi 7. Nueva Cancion 8. Veira 9. Immer Gut 10. Coolette 11. Cronies

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For what will serve as their final studio album, Walls defect from Kompakt to their own burgeoning Ecstatic imprint. Much like its twopredecessors, ‘Urals’ is formed from a wide selection of hardware and ranges in tempo. The synth-led title track and the spacious closer ‘Radiance’ both stay true to the duo’s dreamlike signature sound. In contrast, the acid-laced ‘Moon Eye’ and preceding single ‘I Can’t Give You Anything But Love’ are significantly higher-octane inclusions. 

Label: Ecstatic 

Genre: Electronica 

 You’ll like this, if your like: Loops Of Your Heart ‘And Never Ending Nights’ [Magazine]

Release date: May 5th

01. Urals 02. Moon Eye 03. Altai 04. Voluta 05. Tongue Pad 06. I Can’t Give You Anything But Love 07. Radiance

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Following on from 2013’s ‘Nostalchic’, Lapalux returns with a second album that he relates to the bar scene in The Shining. There’s certainly a hallucinatorylounge vibe, and in contrast to its bolder predecessor, it’s an altogether moreemotive and lower-slung record that often feels rooted in West Coast G-funk. Ninja Tune soulstress Andreya Triana features on the woozy opener and on the jazzy vibes of the standout ‘Puzzle’, with her labelmate Szjerdene on the more R&B-leaning ‘Closure’. The sudden tempo switches of the instrumentals largely work, and all in, this peculiar fusion of electronica and soul should be credited for its distinct sound and engaging flow.

Label: Brianfeeder 

Rating: 7.7/10

Genre: Electronica / Glitch-Hop / Soul 

You'll like this, if you like: Beat Spacek ‘Modern Streets’ [Ninja Tune]

Release date: 6th April

1. U Never Know (feat. Andreya Triana) 2. Sum Body 3. Closure (feat. Szjerdene) 4. Midnight Peelers 5. Push N’ Spun 6. We Lost 7. Autumn (Tape Interlude) 8. Puzzle (feat. Andreya Triana) 9. Bud 10. Don’t Mean A Thing 11. 1004 12. Make Money 13. Funny Games

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Formed in Leeds in 2005, Worriedaboutsatan self-released a volley of singles in the run up to a memorable long-player, and then disappeared before rebranding as Ghosting Season in 2011. Last summer, the duo unearthed some old demos in their Manchester studio and decided to resserect their original project. As a result, next month will see the release of a new album consisting of eight typically spectral productions.

Label: This Is It Forever

Genre: Electronica / Drone / Nu-classical  

You'll like this, if you like: Roll The Dice 'In Dust' [Leaf] 

Release date: 16th March

Tracklist: 1. I'm Not Much, But I'm All I Have 2. Sleep Of The Foolish 3. Baychimo 4. Church Of Red 5. MV Joyita (feat. Morgan Visconti) 6. A Damaged Magician 7. Jaki 8. All Safe, All Well

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You'll probably already know that Aphex Twin recently uploaded 156 unreleased productions to an anonymous Soundcloud account for free download. First came early demos from the Selected Ambient Works era, then followed numerous sought-after live tracks before a slew of jungle bastardisations from the AFX days and onwards. Ninja Tune's resident chronicler, Kevin Foakes (aka Strictly Kev/ DJ Food), meticulously combed the entire collection and selected his favourites for the first half of this week's Solid Steel radio show. The 85-minute mix spans 35 picks, with vintage interview clips along the way. Highly recommended. 

Genre: IDM / Electronica / Jungle 

Photo of: A young Richard D James (aka Aphex Twin)

1. th1 2. 39 Fnkmg 3. Floating 4. 19 Ssnb 5. 8 Utopia 6. 19 [Slo]w early morning clissold sunrise 7. 21 Hapshifter 1 8. 12 Rough Beat Tune 9. Luke Vibert - Spiral Staircase [Future Music competition] [afx remix] 10. Thy're Here Aahha 11. 33 Jonny Hawkes Broken Guitar[not Finished] 12. 4 Red Calx [slo] 13. 4 Red Calx 14. 34.5 P.e. 15. 5 heliosphan live 16. 2 Afx 126b 17. 15 Bradley Jam Pump 18. GPO Beat 19. Mortal 08 20. PrncDMC 21. Fork Rave 22. T13 Quadraverb 23. 1 P-String 24. 13 Short Mental fax 25. 14 Make a Baby 26. 14 Moodular Acid [pissflaps mix] 27. 18 Mello Punchy 28. tigercubdelay 29. (HAB un23) (unfinished) 30. 26 5 Demo 31. Th1 [slo]

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The deceptively plural Lake People is the solo moniker of Leipzig-hailing Martin Enke. Held in high regard by the likes of Âme, Dixon and Guy Gerber, the German’s eight EPs over the past four years have combined spacious clarity with simplistic, rolling percussion. His debut album maintains this structural blueprint, with elongated undertones installed to give a horizon-spanning feel to the more sonic tracks, whilst several downtempo interludes aid the overall cohesion. All in, a rare comtemporary masterclass in an increasingly saturated genre.    

Label: Permenant Vacation

Genre: Minimal / Tech-house 

Rating: 8.8/10

You'll like this, if you like: Lord Of The Isles ‘301C Symphony’ [Permanent Vacation]

Release date: 8th Feb

01. Escape Velocity 02. Drifting Red 03. Entangled 04. Lamb Shift 05. Cooping 06. Orb 07. Illuminated 08. Blackpoint 09. Bora 10. Glease 29 11. Distance

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Jack Adam’s contribution towards the FabricLive series is purposed to represent the eclecticism of both his DJ sets and Rinse FM show. A granular first-half constitutes a collage of unreleased soundscapes, before four of his own collaborations with Logos kick-start the momentum. This paves the way for awell-worked selection of wonky jump-up from the likes of Eastwood & Oddz, Inkke and Jon E Cash. From there, it’s piano-led hardcore all the way includingFat Controller’s ‘In Complete Darkness’ and Ramos & Supreme’s equallybrilliant ‘The Journey’. After 160 Fabric releases dating back to 2001, this iswithout doubt the oddest, yet it’s all the more compelling for it. 

NB: Mumdance launches FabricLive 80 at Fabric on Friday 10th April with Pinch, Novelist & Riko Dan, Randall (90-92 Hardcore Set), Logos and CJ Yaxley B2B Temple. Advance tickets here. Other forthcoming dates include the FWD>> Mumdance & Logos 'Proto' launch party.  

Label: Fabric 

Genre: Experimental / Grime / Hardcore

Rating: 8.5/10

You'll like this, if you like: Gold Panda ‘DJ-Kicks’ [!K7]

Release date: 16th March

01. Shapednoise – Travels In The Universe Of The Soul [unreleased] 02. @c – Ninety-Nine (Remix for Mumdance) [unreleased] 03. Jefre Cantu-Ledesma – Untitled [unreleased] 04. Fis – Branch Light [unreleased] 05. Sculpture – Fabrication II [unreleased] 06. Sweet Exorcist – Testsix (Toneappella) [Warp] 07. Mite – Cemetery Seance [Embassy] 08. Logos – Glass [forthcoming Different Circles] 09. Pinch – Water Bomb [forthcoming Tectonic] 10. Untold – Doff (VIP) [unreleased] 11. Acre – No Signal [unreleased] 12. Mumdance & Logos – Hall Of Mirrors [forthcoming Tectonic] 13. Mumdance & Logos – In Reverse PIV [Keysound] 14. Mumdance & Logos – Cold [forthcoming Tectonic] 15. Helm – Outerzone [unreleased] 16. Wanda Group – Piano In The Corner Of The Room [unreleased] 17. Strict Face – Rushed [unreleased] 18. Mumdance, Logos & Rabit – Inside The Catacomb [Different Circles] 19. Inkke – Choong (Devil Mix) [unreleased] 20. Novelist x Mumdance – 1 Sec (FABRICLIVE VIP) [XL exclusive] 21. Mumdance feat. Riko – Take Time VIP [Rinse exclusive] 22. Eastwood & Oddz – Coalition [A.R.M.Y Bullet] 23. Jon E Cash – Kamikaze [Black Ops] 24. Bass Selective – Blow Out Part II [SOUR] 25. Fat Controller – In Complete Darkness [Uphoria] 26. Jimmy J & Cru-l-t – Six Days [Remix Records] 27. Ramos & Supreme – The Journey Part 1 [Hectic]

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With Whiplash and the Birdman score putting the demanding art of jazz drumming in the spotlight in both the metaphoric and literal sense, comes a new album from freeform instrumentalists, BadBadNotGood. Assembled without samples, the young Canadian trio deliver twelve bass-heavy compositions richly steeped in nocturnal decadence. The Wu-Tang's Ghostface Killah lends his distinctive riddles to almost all of the inclusions, with indie-rap figurehead (MF) Doom and Slum Village’s Elzhi on hand for two standout duets (both embedded below).  Having successfully collaborated with FrankOcean and Tyler The Creator in the past, BadBadNotGood’s crossover ability wasn’t ever in doubt, yet ‘Sour Soul’ ups the bracket to achieve a slicktriumph in dynamic hip-hop. 

Label: Lex

Genre: Hip-hop / Jazz

Rating: 8.3/10

You'll like this, if you like: Madlib 'Shades Of Blue' [Blue Note]

Release date: 24th Feb

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Not only am I a big fan of Martyn, but I also like to offer up a decent free download. So, when I saw the Dutchman's live set at BPM flash up on the Ninja Tune forum, I felt to bring it to the attention of Pen readers. No tracklist is currently available, but I can tell you that the two-hour mix features plenty of tracks from Martyn's superb album last year. 

Genre: House / Bass 

Photo of: Martijn Deykers (aka Martyn)

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As illustrious as Kompakt’s catalogue undeniably is, the latter half of its two-decade legacy hasn’t seen much stylistic progression. So, maybe it’s not wholly surprising that the once-diverse John Tejada has delivered three albums in as many years that all sound notably similar. However, judged on the merit of the content, there are positives to this, because much like its two predecessors, ‘Signs Under Test’ is a meticulously produced body of work. Modules and synths are once again central to the multi-layered assembly, with a spacious sonic dynamic running throughout. If plaintive tech house is your bag, then this is nigh on essential, but it does all feel a little familiar. 

NB: Read my full review in the on-sale issue of MIXMAG. 

Genre: Deep House

Rating: 7.4/10

You'll like this, if you like: John Tejada 'Parabolas' [Kompakt]

Release date: 2nd Feb

1/A1. Two 0 One  2/A2. Y 0 Why  3/A3. Beacht  4/B1. RUR  5/B2. Vaalbara  6/C1. Cryptochrome  7/C2. Rubric  8/C3. Penumbra  9/D1. Endorphins  10/D2. Meadow  11/D3. Heave In Sight

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With numerous era-defining instalments throughout its 20-year legacy, !K7’s DJ-Kicks series represents the closest there is to an audio compendium of modern dance music. Clearly wishing to leave her mark, Nina Kraviz responds to her predictable call up with a mix that’s clearly had considerable time and thought spent on it. In terms of craftsmanship, no less than 31 tracks pass the fader in just over an hour, whilst in terms of resourcing; just under half of the inclusions are unreleased exclusives. Stylistically, there’s a surprising lean towards Detroit futurism, with the tempo kept sparse yet rolling throughout. Perhaps it’s not a DJ-Kicks classic as such, but a noteworthy catalogue entry for sure. 

Label: !K7

Genre: Techno / House / Minimal 

Rating: 7.5/10

You'll like this, if you like: Robert Hood ‘Fabric 39’ [Fabric]

Release date: 26th January

1. Egotrip – Dreamworld (Acapella) 2. Nina Kraviz – Mystery (DJ-Kicks) 3. Area – Broken Glass Everywhere 4. Prototype 909 – Atma 5. Goldie – Truth 6. Bjarki – Revolution 7. Nina Kraviz – IMPRV 8. Bjarki – Polygon Pink Toast 9. Population One – Bonus Beat 10. Flatner / Ingram Project – Da Comin’ (Jay Denham RMX) Acapella 11. Parrish Smith – 1.0 / 8.0 Afrika Genocide Acapella 12. Breaker 1 2 – In The Distance 13. Steve Stoll – Pop Song 14. Bradley Strider – Untitled 15. Stanislav Tolkachev – I Will Not Pee In The Pool 16. Armando – Pleasure Dome 17. Nina Kraviz – Prozimokompleme 18. Baby Ford – 24 HR 19. Fred P – Higher Mentalism (edit) 20. Exos – Nuclear Red Guard 21. Steve Stoll – Corona 22. Freak Electrique – Parsec 23. Population One – Out Of Control (Vocal Mix) 24. Exos & Octal – Grow 25. Porn Sword Tobacco & SVN – Complaints A 26. Plaid – Oi 27. DJ Bone – The Vibe 28. Adam Beyer pres Conceiled Project – Pattern 1 29. Polygon Window – Quino-Phec 30. Nikita Zabelin feat. dBridge – So Lonely 31. Rizhome – Corridor

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