Lamprey - Climbing The Walls (Hype & Soul Recordings)

Lamprey, the newest addition to the Hype & Soul Recordings family, has arrived with his "Climbing The Walls" EP. Featuring the wild, incoherent rantings of an ancient blood sucking creature, this release will have even the most seasoned ravers climbing the walls. As the night gets darker and the sweat fog closes in, you wont find any "islands of safety" in these dark room jams. This is one release that’s designed strictly for the big room.

The project kicks off with the Red Light Mix of the title track. Low slung, acid driven techno with pumping bass and razor sharp 303 rips. There’s no escape. Whatcha Doin? (Sweat Fog Dub) is designed for those late-nights, when that haze forms on the dancefloor. That ain’t smoke my friend. Bot Fly (Paralysis Mix) closes it all out in true morning fashion – Once its gotten under your skin, it's too late. A perfect soundtrack for the late night crowd.

Jon Fugler (Fluke) – “Bot Fly - wow - what a breakdown - faultless. Climbing the Walls coming in a very close second.”
Anthony Pappa (Bedrock) – “The Sweat Fog Dub is excellent.”
Arne Goettsch (Electronic Earthquake) – “Tasty sound. Support!”
Spaceotter (Camp Conception) - “Love the depth of Climbing the Walls”
Magnus Asberg (On The House Records) – “Yes! Full support.”
DJ Morpheus (Lysergic Factory Radio Show) – “Grooving nicely. Me dig!”

Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, Apple Music, And Spotify.

PointBender - Violaceous (Harmonious Discord)

Music creation is not all hype and roses, and few understand that as deeply as Harmonious Discord owner and synthesizer composer Sean Anderson aka PointBender. His fourth artist album is a two-and-a-half-year journey into a growing studio discipline formed by a worldwide pandemic. In a time when humans felt so lost, the importance of being close to music and the artist community was a healing force that was ever-powerful. Calm, almost serene at times, to points approaching mania. Sean encompasses the entirety of the spectrum of human emotion in sound.

Violaceous is a journey through deeply moody ambient, heady electro, and boundary-bending house and techno music. Creative concertos process moments of joy, grief, and experimentation. This stand-alone album offers a musical listening experience all its own. From the ambient and melodic beginnings of "Conflict" and "SY35" — which feature live clarinet instrumentation, experimental synth applications, and manipulated field recordings — to the deeply textured electro offering "CBD." For "Agent of Peace," we see PointBender partner with longtime collaborator KiloWatts for beautifully constructed ivory implantations that elevate the bliss factor. "Plastic Cities" is an homage to the early Plastic City sound, featuring the vocals of Suza Kanon who originally released recordings with Sean on the Guidance and Fair Park imprints. Shifting powers to more playful arenas is "Mistakes Are OK," a fun and bass-centric smooth mover that progresses into haunting overtones. Keeping it light, the undeniable weightlessness of "The Bells Found Me Motionless" collides staggered bells, growing pad tension, and sonically special drums into a growing cacophony of layers. Capping off our ascent is "Altocumulus," an homage to early hard techno composed on all hardware and recorded linearly in real-time with friend Harmon Giddles. The final descent offers a sonic reminder of forgiveness and understanding channeled through a synth-driven ambient outro.

Violaceous, a collection of creative curiosities, aims to please the ears and at times tickle the cerebrum, a familiar formula from PointBender.

Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit Recordings) – “Plenty to play here. Lovely release. Will support on my radio show.”
Michael de Hey (Circle Records) – “Excellent release, thanks!”
Tony H (Late Night Munchies) – “Lovin’ the vibes of Mistakes are OK.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle radio show) – “Great work again from PointBender. Plastic Cities in particular is a gem.”
Jon Fugler (XLNT radio show) – “Sy35 is such a lovely piece it had to be the fave. Some great tracks jostling for the coveted silver.”
Jon Barnes (Airpusher) – “yes! Funky, spacey, original. Mistakes are OK and CBD are the ones for me.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Bandcamp, Apple Music, And Spotify.

1981us - Lore (Harmonious Discord Recordings)

In 2022, Harmonious Discord is on a journey of depth — taking the label's listeners through un-charted sonic territories and creeping into unexplored chasms of the dance floor and beyond. A highly representative example of this journey is this fantastic album from 1981us. Lore is a culmination of beauty collected across found sounds, detailed sound design, and synthesis.

With a tapestry of ambient music, future garage nods, and outer space breaks, 1981us breaks through the confines of traditional house music formulas to produce an album that holds up to congruence and depth. Masterfully melodic selections like "Induction," "Rituals," and "Fracture" weave cinematic construction with masterful garage beats. Experiments in ambient texture like "Meditations," "Covet," and "Disarm" showcase the artist's creative calculation while selections like "Portal" and "Simulacra" pay homage to early rave breaks production. "The In-between" offers a mid-album reprise focusing on new wave and industrial shades and the album’s bonus track. "Part III (Night Park Remix)," packs the dance floor punch with a moody four-on-the-floor selection. Lore evokes many feelings and memories, a comprehensive capture of a dynamic and evolving creative ecosystem.

Nick Warren (The Soundgarden) – “Exceptional album. Very good indeed.”
Anthony Pappa (Bedrock) – “Really cool tracks. Great release.”
Projekt Gestalten (VRAAA Records) – “Beautiful atmospheric album. Full support.”
DJ Firefly (WCRT 88.3 FM) – “So mesmerizing. Love it!”
Dr. Best (Radio Z, Nuernberg) – “Wow, what a fantastic release. 10/10.”
Jon Fugler (XLNT radio show) – “Portal is undoubtedly the most immediate, yet the more atmospheric tracks hold up to some very deep listening – lovely!”

Available Now From: Beatport, Bandcamp, Apple Music, And Spotify.

KiloWatts & PointBender - Western Wolf Remixes (Harmonious Discord)

Last summer Harmonious Discord released a rare vinyl feature highlighting two long-time label creators, KiloWatts and PointBender. The EP featured deep, cerebral journeys like “Circling the Crown”, pulsating nighttime anthems like “Western Wolf’, and low-swung cross-over classics like "Swangert." For this release, the two producers enlisted the brainpower of close friends, returning artists, and consistent innovators to help celebrate 20 years of the label.

Included in this set is the return of house music legend Demarkus Lewis. Demarkus remixed Morgan Page on Harmonious Discord in 2004 and his applied skills to this project produced two fantastic flavors of "Western Wolf," ripe with bumping movement. Behind The Sky boss and genre-bending force, Bluetech applies his deep knowledge and context to deliver a beautifully evolving masterpiece. Berlin’s Noah Pred explores innovative angles of bio-mechanical feedback with a beautifully growing, often organic feeling re-imagining.

The project starts off with a musically elevated remix of “Swangert”. Bluetech sets free the dithered musical undertones with modulated synth patterns that dance romantically by and through each other. The vocal treatment enters cosmic terrain while the subtle bass jamming keeps a funk focus flowing. Next up is the Deez Puppy Chow Mix of "Western Wolf" which tames the elements of the original into a body-moving selection prime for rocking big-sound speakers. The remix reaches peak-time tension with the introduction of expertly crafted acid lines. The following Deez Acid Free Remix delivers the same energy without the frontal acid line, but more emphasis on rising effects patterns that maintain the level of insanity. Our final guide into the deep crevices of a-cult warehouse worship is the Acid Reign Remix by Noah Pred. Pred doesn’t hesitate to get into melodically complex corners from the start and leaves plenty of room for sonic expansion as his synthesizer elements embody a mind of their own. A true embodiment of Harmonious Discord's 20-year celebration is perfectly captured in this high-powered collection.

Colin Dale (Abstrakt Dance Records) – “A solid EP with some really cool sounds.”
Anthony Pappa (Bedrock) – “Noah Pred’s Acid Reign remix is cool.”
Rory Hoy (Howlin’ Records) – “I really like the Bluetech remix. Funky stuff!”
Scheibosan (Shanti Roots) – “I like the acid on Deez Puppy Chow Mix.”
Black Mighty Wax (Irma Records) – “An intriguing release.”
DJ Firefly (Couch Dancing) – “Great new takes on some excellent originals.”
Simon Kirk (Proton Radio) – “Powerful remixes. Truly forward thinking music.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Bandcamp, Apple Music, And Spotify.