Over the years, it’s been vital for Mortellaro to maintain a more backgrounded presence with Stroboscopic Artefacts, allowing the music and artists to develop without his involvement appearing too closely in the frame. This EP, however, is a chance for him to boldly toast some of the label’s standout music, as Stroboscopic Artefacts marks ten years of challenging contemporary techno’s conventions.

The post Reworks appeared first on Ultimae records.

Title track The Light Touch is perhaps one of Shifted’s more diosyncratic pieces. Instantly recognisable with it’s heavily granular finish and subtle shifts in delay and reverb composition, the track is rich with groove and moves relentlessly across it’s five minute run time. Seel showcases the artist’s talent for building tension with minimal elements – built around a single warping lead, noise tracks drift in and out of the mix to generate effective builds and subtle releases.

EP closer, Mixen, riffs on it’s predecessor’s approach but strips back the percussive elements further and ups the ante with searing drone signals rising up above the lead sequence driving the track. As ever, Brewer’s musical output looks to the heart of the genre – remaining true to purist sensibilities that favour economy of sonic components and studio prowess over unnecessary fanfare, but all the while forging new ground, refining a genuinely personal aesthetic. A powerful debut on a label in fine form that represents some of the best of the British artist’s work.

The post The Light Touch appeared first on Ultimae records.

Their first collaboration took the form of mutual remixes. Lucy remixed Rrose, taking on his modern classic Waterfall while Rrose remixed Dadub for Stroboscopic Artefacts, and shortly thereafter contributed an extended EP as part of SA’s Monad series. Eventually, the idea of working together became inevitable.

Several intense sessions in Lucy’s Berlin studio followed, using mainly analog hardware. These sessions gave birth to a new project, starting with two EPs signed Lucy and Rrose, called The Lotus Eaters and The Lotus Eaters II. With the Desatura album, the first release signed under the project name The Lotus Eaters, their common work is refined further, also becoming a live act which will debut at ADE 2018.

With Desatura, Lucy and Rrose explore themes of physical density, emptiness, and space, creating sonic objects which can be rotated and viewed from multiple perspectives. Eschewing the typical instrumentation of techno, the duo use synthesized sound and feedback as fundamental sources to generate both textural and percussive elements. A sense of tension and weight emerge from sources that cannot be easily pinpointed. The resulting album forms a complex narrative from a paradoxically simple and restrained set of sound sources. A mysterious and profound accomplishment.

The post Desatura appeared first on Ultimae records.

His other Stroboscopic Artefacts contributions have already hinted that a more complete exposition of his unique inner world would surface, and here it is at last. Over the course of his young career, Chevel has gained a mastery over several compositional elements: Polaroid-like slow melodic fades, sharp ricocheting beats, and simply making one’s headphones feel like a viable means of physical transportation. All of these elements come into play shortly after the needle hits the grooves of ‘Comb’ a euphoric introductory track marked by a spectral panning sequence and by beats chopped with a culinary expert’s sense of elegance.

Despite Chevel‘s keeping the sonic toolkit and overall atmosphere consistent from track to track, there is a rich variety in the emotional affectivity on display here. The net effect is like a dream state that leaves strong impressions even though one can’t pinpoint exactly why they are doing so (and which leaves one wanting to dive back into the dream pool and experience something similar again.) This is a talent that unifies the diverse constellation of Stroboscopic Artefacts producers, and one that makes Chevel in particular one to continue watching, listening to, and experiencing.

The post Blurse appeared first on Ultimae records.