Sabab
Foundation Rumble / Fortified 45

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF THE RECENTLY DISCOVERED MUSICAL RECORDINGS OF THE ESCAPED EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL LIFEFORM KNOWN AS DARLING', WE HAVE UNEARTHED TWO MORE AURAL EXPLORATIONS THAT WE BELIEVE THE SAFE TRIP ORGANISATION MUST MAKE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC..THE FIRST WE ARE CALLING SIM'. IT IS THE SUBJECT'S MOST ALIEN AND OTHERWORLDLY COMPOSITION YET, COMBINING MIND-ALTERING RHYTHMIC ELEMENTS WITH ELASTIC ELECTRONIC BASS AND CHORDS FROM BEYOND THE STARS. THE SECOND, MOON FLEET', CAN ONLY BE DECRIBED AS NEXT-LEVEL SCI-FI DAYDREAMING. SINCE DARLING' HAD NO ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC HARDWARE OR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS DURING HIS TIME IN OUR HOLDING FACILITY, WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA HOW THIS MUSIC CAME INTO BEING.

Detroit's Ali Berger joins up with FatCat Records' sub-label FCR to release four acid-tinged cuts entitled 'Keys The Door EP1'.Michigan's Ali Berger has been making music for nearly ten years now and was first introduced to house and techno in 2012 through a party at New York's Dope Jams. Later that year he went on to release his debut EP on Militant Science and has since gone on release music via Clave House, Isaiah Tapes and Firm Tracks. Ali represents a new wave of producers coming through the US scene earning him regular slots at venues across the country. His 'Keys The Door EP1' sees him join Brighton's FatCat sub-label FCR which launched with two releases from Cottam, in addition to records from DJJ and Project 223.Ali uses mostly hardware from the 90s and early 2000s to make his music and the stripped back nature of production is a constant feature throughout the EP. 'Badlands' opens things up with a chugged out groove immersed with weaving 303s and eccentric modulations before rhythmic synth stabs, angelic leads and delicate chords take the focus in 'Love In This Box'.'Secrets' maintains the attractive atmosphere through a lusciously deep bassline, a haunting acid line and inviting oscillations until 'Sleeves' finishes things off with a raw drum sequence, illustrious melodies and alleviating pads in the second half.

Quite a number of techno fans will go weak at the knees when they spot this expansive collaboration between longtime friends and occasional studio partners Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock. It's their first combined release since 2013. Both slabs of wax are full of high quality, atmospheric, late night techno workouts, from the creepy riffs and off-kilter drums of "Phantom Studies", and the horror-influenced post-dubstep shuffle of "The Room", to the raging, mind-altering dancefloor heaviness of "Bay Boy" and sparse, minimalist techno closer "The Tenant". Given their abilities as producers, we'd expect nothing less than superbly produced, club-ready cuts. Predictably, Phantom Studies delivers that in spades.

So, how long have you been waiting for this one to drop? The answer really depends on two things - whether you've just been waiting for new long form material from the UK IDM legends Autechre, or whether you've been waiting for Autechre to put a proper album together that stays true to the principles and format of a 'proper album', as this does.Either way let's just say Sign has been some time in the making, and it's definitely a case of payoff for patience. For the most part it's the waves of space age melody that really stand out, tracks like 'Esc Desc' seem to fill the room with bands of sci-fi harmony. Of course there's plenty of glitch and bleep here, too - the stepping 'Au14' is a case in point - alongside rumbling, bass-heavy business like 'Si100', where playful drips of percussion create a juxtaposition of innocence and menace.