2019 saw Firescope release a seminal album, The Lonely Machine by Britain’s John Shima. The world has become a very different place since then. The pandemic, economic turmoil and global crises prevail. It is amidst such uncertainty that Shima returns with a new collection to combat the savagery of our times, enter Empty Lands.

Dauby basslines and silken strings introduce “Component”, saturated snares giving ballast as Shima’s signature style immediately comes to the fore. A throbbing kick and orbiting notes are peppered with hi-hats for “Neglected”, a sonorous stratum synergising beautifully. Shima is a student of techno. His appreciation and knowledge of the sound is central to the album as he composes within the traditions of the UK and US canon while exploring new plains. The influence of “bleep” is woven into the tapestry of pieces like “Depart” and “Mettle” with the minimalism of the 90s genre reimagined through new textures. “Sayaka” flows with a different current. Rhythms are understated, lapping against undulating keys as dawn rises. Harmony and melody are cornerstones of record, the gentle ebbs and flows of key and drum merging. Inspiration arises from home as well. The steady pulse and metallic tang of “Projection” recalling the industry of Sheffield and the pioneering electronics that sprouted from that rust red earth.

Track titles, and the album name itself, suggest periods of challenge and difficulty. “Paralysis”, “Desolate”, “Empty Lands”. Words that conjure certain feelings and responses. Shima’s music is a counterbalance to these emotions. Positive compositions of subtle shifts, complementary percussion and welcoming warmth acting as a tonic to the negativity that swirls; the ten audio works on offer acting as a balm to soothe the soul in these troubled time

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Firescope are always on the lookout for new music, searching and sieving with headphones clamped over ears. GGGG, a recent discovery, unveils a stunning debut release. The co-founder of D.Ko Records may be a fresh face when it comes to releasing, but he has a wealth of both experience not to mention talent. His album, Gaze´, is testament to this.

A spread of styles and influences coalesce to create GGGG’s unique sound. Ambient. Braindance. Electronica. Techno. All are melted and forged into the new. Processed percussion is the shifting sands from which a swooping melody takes flight, a melody that bends and soars as “K-Robot OG” ascends. Crystalline chords are shaven with fizzing drums in the frenzied elation of “Cas Contact.” And this is what lies at the heart of the collection, a rapturous joy that permeates the entire record. From the complexity and grandeur of “Chien Flu^te 5.1” to the considered and subtle “Mudla 2”, the brightness of the audio palette chosen gives tracks an incandescence. This “joi de vivre” glistens and glows in the more playful tones of “Broutine Lame´” and “Cat Intro.” Textures are another area of interest for GGGG. Pieces like “Slowdry” and “Trip 2 Delinc” reshape and ruffle rhythms to bring a counterpoint to form and harmony. Beats are replaced by gentle waves of sound as the twelve-work collection culminates in “Sac Ala Blofel.”

Gaze´ tracks a course. From the energy and frenetic rhythms of first encounters to the atmospheric embrace of the latter part of the album, there is the sense that GGGG is celebrating the astounding of the ordinary, the amazing that is contained from the routine of dawn to dusk.

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Steevio is perhaps one of the most influential electronic artists you’ve never come across. With more than forty years of knob-twiddling experience, this modular magician boasts enough cable to bring you to the moon and back. Away from the blinking racks, Steevio runs music festivals, like Freerotation, manages record labels and generally paves the way. Now this pioneer and Firescope are teaming up for a very special EP.

With Acatalepsy, this veteran dives deep into his machines before resurfacing with four tracks of melting organic techno. “Tarantism” comes to life with drums, percussive textures that prove fertile ground for ever more intricate patterns while orange blossom keys bloom. From understated chatter, a hive of beats soon forms around “Cynefin” as dewy notes float on the warmth of a new dawn. The natural world is an integral part of these compositions, the industrious movement of rhythms, the change and reshaping that comes with growth. Another presence on the 12” is the musician himself and his own influences. These early inspirations come to the fore in the hazy hi-hats of “Oxytocin” with its satellite-like bleeps and dreamy basslines that echo both the armchair and club of sounds of 90s techno. Those bleeps grow ever more distant in the fragile finale of “Intonation.” A melody precariously perches, thawing like ice, above delicate echoes that ghost behind modular bulges as drums fade.

Acatalepsy encapsulates the ephemeral nature of sound. Through this selection of one-off recordings, through these live jam sessions, Steevio captures a palpable and primal energy with an expert’s ear. An EP that casts spells from beginning to end, an EP from a true waveform wizard.

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Steven Rutter aka B12 is one of techno’s most influential artists, famed for many releases on the iconic Warp Records including "Electro-Soma" that defined what is now the deep techno genre.

B12 was originally a duo before Steven Rutter took over the alias as a solo artist, but after a string of new releases on labels like Soma and Delsin, he decided to start producing under his own name.

Deciding it was time to look to the future with a new lease on life, Steven Rutter kept his sound the same, but shed the skin of B12 to mark a new point in his musical career.

Battling with personal demons, the B12 sound had become dark and introverted, and the Steven Rutter style keeps that same moody atmosphere, while adding upbeat rhythms and more jovial chord progressions without losing focus of the core sound that’s made his music so influential.

In addition to a numerous EP, “Riddle Me Sane” is the third album Steven Rutter has done under his own name, and it's in the timeless B12 style that's adored by his fans in all four corners of the world.

Cosmic melodies and sci-fi influenced textures with dystopian sound design, the thought provoking album paints pictures of alien landscapes, while its down tempo grooves also have the key elements needed for the dance floor.

Comfortingly familiar for those who love the classic B12 style, it also marks a distinct turning point in the sound that Steven Rutter has been looking to focus on.

Tracks like “Techno Prisoner” perfectly embody the style this release is aimed to purvey, but this masterpiece has been expertly programmed to play as a continuous piece of music rather than a selection of solo cuts.


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Roger Van Lunteren is an artist of enviable experience. For more than two decades the dutchman has been developing and perfecting his sound. After his first steps on Heimelektro Ulm in 1999, Van Lunteren has shown his talents on labels like 030303, Diffuse Reality and Something Happening, Somewhere. It is this knowledge, and his musical craftsmanship, that Van Lunteren draws upon for his debut on FireScope: Future Wounds.

The EP is a veritable universe of delights. At either ends of the galaxy you’ll find two takes of the same piece. The textured “Stop (Sync In)” opens. Satellite bleeps bob on a flotsam and jetsam of pads as strings soar above hedged claps. “Stop (Original) flows in a beatless ambience, heady yet light and ephemeral. Coquettish and playful, “Spa¨tzu¨nder” is an altogether different entity. Dancing between braindance and house, this jam has all the spontaneity of a live track with flourishes of the silken-funk of Chicago. Clouds gather for “IRF4.” Haunted modulations and reel scratches lurk before a slow rhythm lumbers forth. Stalking through a moonless sky, the track is chillingly atmospheric with an undeniable lo-fi groove. Drums stagger and swell in the sweetness of “Coinc.” Bright and dreamy, the track cherry-picks from a spread of influences and sounds and is emblematic of the EP.

Future Wounds is a constellation of Roger Van Lunteren’s music. From cheerful and innocent to shadowy and subtle, this quintet is a cross-section of this artist’s abilities. Rich and infinitely varied, five tracks to explore and return to.


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Repress!

In 2018 Morphology released their third album, debuting on FireScope with Traveller. The sci-fi inspired ten tracker was an immediate success. It also marked a subtle evolution in the sound of the Finnish pioneers of Michael Diekmann and Matti Turunen. Compositions became more complex, melodies more refined. 2020 sees that transformation continue with the pair returning to FireScope for a brand new album: Horta Proxima.

This twelve track album, recorded between 2018 and 2019, sees the electronic partnership continue to further hone their audio craft. The otherworldly is ever present, in the liquid harmonies and sliding synths of “Photospehere” and the shapeshifting brightness of “Aphelion.” Countering these aural journeys into the beyond is a balance, the pulsing keys and crunched beats of “Rustbelt” and the fluid warmth of “Downlink” tethering the narrative to the here and now of terra firma. A central tenet of Horta Proxima is possibility, the possibilities of a technological future expressed through cables, filters, oscillations and permutations. Morphology have delved deeper into the potential of their machines, resurfacing with a wondrous wealth of musical works. From the chopped percussion of “Parsec” to the spirited playfulness of “Triangulum”, new advances and avenues have been explored by the duo. Despite the future gazing focus, the carnal persists. “Shadows from the Past” bares its teeth, rumbling drums chase sailing notes and acid spectres. And within this range, what the listener leaves with is an irrefutable sense of awe. The understated grandeur of “Luminous Entity”, the sensuous stratification of “Multiplex”, the reduced radiance of “Horta Proxima”, only go to further exemplify the respect and reverence this album deserves.

Horta Proxima is firmly set in the Morphology canon. The collection is undeniably daring. Diekmann and Turunen have continued their musical journey from Traveller, pushing their sound further, developing their technique and delivering sheer quality. A beautifully crafted album that broadens themes and horizons, a musical milestone, a triumph.

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As the Summer sun begins to fade and the shadows grow longer, FireScope returns to record store shelves with an EP from the label’s founder; Steve Rutter. Reflecting this change in the season, Science and Neuroses explores sounds that reverberate with darker tones.
Introspection is central in the cold currents and fragile melodies of “Neuro Fracture.” A deeply psychological piece which casts images of woodlands, night skies with a suggestion of something altogether sinister stalking the opener. Echoing samples introduce “Not to be Trusted.” The track skulks in a haze of bass as notes ghost through a heady mist of claps, kicks and snares. Steeped in the traditions of ambient and atmospherics, Rutter creates an audio landscape of unsettling vistas and alien forms. “Divine Intervention” is emblematic of this. Bold and expressive, harmonies are allowed to float freely with new ideas and shapes drifting and gliding into the arrangement. To close, “Reds Dead” brings the EP full circle. Xylophonic notes bob on juddering patterns of cymbal and tom as distant keys rise and fall in a silvery blue sea of meditative waves.
With this quartet, Rutter has given the listener a privileged journey into his musical mind. Watery shades mingle and melt in wintry hues, eclipsing canopies obscure and magnify elegance, fractured and fragmented phrases fusing through freeform.

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The Summer sun is shining. New possibilities and a new signing for FireScope. Miles Atmospheric aka Miles Sagnia is a U.K. producer whose absorbing compositions have garnered him with releases on A.R.T., Finale Sessions and his own Atmospheric Existence Recordings.
Four works make up Sky Healer. As with all Miles Atmospheric’s productions, there is a liberated and untethered touch to the entire quartet. From a steady kick and rusted clank, “Exoplanetology” sets sail. The track soars on rising strings, muffled samples feeding back indecipherable messages to terra firma. Bright bars introduce “Our Future”, notes shimmering in their radiance as dew drop splashes of percussion form. Xylophonic keys, energetic drums and silken tones coalesce to create the aquatic journey that is the “Waters of Life” before “See The Light.” Snapping drums from the bedrock from which a plethora of tones and textures grow. Sweetened lines ascend to bring perfect balance to this superb finale.
With Sky Healer, Miles Atmospheric accomplishes a very difficult feat. Not only has the British musician produced a body of techno that is organic and unencumbered but also, he has sculpted soundscapes to escape to.

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FireScope welcomes the amazingly talented Russ Gabriel aka Mr Ferox with his debut Firescope EP - The Controller. The opener and title track “Controller” twists and turns its bass line to speak to us in tongues. With no kick drum, this one is interlaced with strings and percussion and the melody of a future classic. “Drimmits” takes over the reins and is a surprising contrast with its pounding kick drum and accompanying bass groove, lush strings and an upbeat happy vibe.
Turning to the B Side “The Way To Go” leads the way. When label boss Steven Rutter heard Russ jamming with this on a FaceBook Live stream he just had to sign it. Reminiscent of some early Detroit techno, this one uses glorious pads to evolve into and epic track. Leading out we have “Nova Deep” with a nice retro feel and prominent bass line once again. This joyful uplifting track could have you dancing around or just chilling out with your headphones on.
Finished in blue and white splatter vinyl with exclusive full colour artwork as always.


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Many have tried to recreate the following with varying success, but why reach for an imitation when you have the originators at work here in a first-ever collaboration between UK stalwarts Steven Rutter (B12/Warp/FireScope) and Kirk Degiorgio (As One, Applied Rhythmic Technology). Building a bridge across the sounds of the UK and Detroit, the combined influences, styles and elements of this teaming-up is fully realised in 4 tracks of neo hi-tech soul, where the rhythm and groove of Degiorgio meets the emotive atmospherics of Rutter.
‘Reconnaissance Pass’ opens up the channels with a quirky, upbeat jaunt alongside drawn out honeyed sunset sky hues and glittering oceans, a luscious prismatic medley of body and soul. Drenching darkness with lightness, ’Sechel’ has delicately tuned percussion and sensitively sustained strings together with a relentless pounding kick and an acid bassline in the same elevator headed towards the future.
Etheric synths and strings float above the groove pool of ’Encapsulation’, at once both reaching for the heavens and grounded in a shaker-filled dance. First led by a muted bassline, ’Tri Order Descent’ bursts open in kaleidoscopic brilliance midway before breaking into arpeggiated locomotion, a spacecraft discovery journey set forth for new and uncharted terrain.
Finished in orange and red splatter vinyl with exclusive full colour artwork by Mass Roman.

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Label head Steven Rutter joins forces with John Shima (FS005) on this bright EP with its direction turned towards the light.
The heavenly ‘Skywards’ leads the way upwards with tenderly treated spacious drum programming and light-as-air atmospherics while darker and deeper cavernous tones create the yin-yang balance of lightness and dark. ‘Broken Spell’ continues the uplifted vibe of a spell that when broken, blooms open with an intoxicating permeating sweetness like an exotic fragrance that lingers in one’s memory. ‘A New Day’ leans slightly more towards a heavier driven track featuring a funky bassline with bright electronic notations as counterpoint while drifting, dreamy pads keep the overall mood airy and light. The off-kilter knob is turned way right on the bouncy final track ’Disjointed Route’, injecting dashes of wry quirk alongside a lightly moving groove.

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This is the ninth EP on FireScope Records, the new sub-label of the legendary B12 Records.Although B12 output has been the solo work of Steven since 2015-2017, this time he steps outside of the B12 name and releases under his own name. One of the founders of UK Techno, he has released on labels such as Warp Records UK, B12 Records, Soma Records, Delsin Records, FireScope Records, ART , Buzz and De:Tuned. The EP entitled “From Me To You” is all about the sharing and passing on of feelings and emotions from another place. It touches on sadness, joy and gratitude.



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The FireScope Records adventure goes from strength to strength with release number 8, and we are very proud to present on this label Mr Derek Carr. Established in Ireland in the early 90’s Derek has released many ground breaking and classic EPS for labels such as 'For Those That Knoe’, 'Revoke' & 'Why So Series'.



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The seventh EP on FireScope Records, the new sub label of the legendary B12 Records, welcomes Bauri (Martin Abrahamsson) a producer based in Malmö, Sweden. Bauri has been releasing tracks on labels such as Drumcode, Neo Ouija, Sloboda, Random Island and is known to cross various styles of electronic music. The EP entitled Vinkelvolten showcases Bauri’s form of techno on a platform that; as promised; will diversify and show consistency. This EP takes us on a journey built around gorgeous sounds and crisp abstract beats to a place calmness and peace. Originally part of Bauri’s 2nd album that never got released due to the slow down in the IDM scene; these tracks have matured like a fine wine for 12 years; and now are on a 12” released by B12.



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