Blossom – Blue Balloons

Mellow guitars start this release out, but it doesn’t take long for the nicely mellow breakbeat to show up. Blue Balloons is reminiscent of Revolution Void and Boards of Canada, though not as all over the place – these tracks are more structured, and would be perfect background for some trip-hop vocals. I especially love the big fat square bass synth in my favorite track from the album and that is track 5 – Nightbeat. All in all, this is an excellent release, one of the best I’ve heard this year.

Blossom – Blue Balloons

Th.e n.d – Metaphors

Th.e n.d is the artist Norman Dauskardt who hails from Berlin. Norman has a style that is hard to define, for it is so unique. Blending ambient movements and middle eastern acoustic trance elements with well timed rhythms and diverse imstrumentation, Metaphors gives the listener a chilled out experience. Down-tempo and minimal, each track has something different to offer – from distant, spacey ambiance in The Bane of Tadziu (is that the scanner from the bridge of the original star ship Enterprise I hear in there?) to acoustic guitar backed by a heavy hip-hop beat in Wild White. Favorite track on this release is definitely Chromatic Sins; I love the Asian sound the lead instrument takes.

Th.e n.d – Metaphors

Culprate – Avian Life on Mars Will Be…

A smooth release full of glitches and all manner of electro goodness. Part hip hop, part electronica, Culprate has created six tracks for this release. Culprate is not afraid to go crazy with effects, using comb filters and speeding up vocal samples like there’s no tomorrow. Each of the tracks has it’s own feel, ranging from a sort of psychotic mo-town feeling to a circus full of meth addicted clowns… yes, seriously. This one you have to hear to understand – the only other way I can describe it is to say that if you like this sort of thing, then this is the sort of thing you like.

Culprate – Avian Life on Mars Will Be…

Brigitte Bijoux – Le Fleuve Profond

id003_frontcover_mittelBrigitte Bijoux is something of an anomaly in the world of electro. She creates music similar to Hermegerville,  but with a more ‘no nonsense’ attitude, as if it is a job that needs to get done and get done right. And get it right she does. Backing the thumping, distorted beats with ethereal sounding strings and samples, and incorporating a sort of down tempo, trip hop feel, this is electro / dj music at its finest.

Brigitte Bijoux – Le Fleuve Profond