After his debut on PoleGroup last year with a track 'Hate' selected for the compilation release Unknown Landscapes - EP 1, Kwartz makes a proper return to the label with Form and Void EP. Hailing from Madrid, DJ and producer Kwartz started his career in 2011 and within fairly a short time he has developed and refined his own hypnotic, dark and enveloping techno. Amongst notable releases to date is his first vinyl EP Fenomen (2013), a joint release with Pole Group artist Exium on their Nheoma imprint. Form and Void EP features two strong originals and two equally powerful remix supports from the label mates and core members of Pole Group, Reeko and Exium. The title track 'Form and Void' kicks off with straight forward 4/4 rhythmic groove that gradually builds up layer by layer in to the darker shade to meet the mysterious break, followed by heavy brooding bass tones slashing through the kick drums, deepening the atmosphere with the hollowing echoes. Reeko's remix elevates the dark mood of original while pumping in even more energy with rolling kick/hat combo and psychedelic swirling chaos of synth that intensifies throughout the entire length of the track. 'Breakage' on the flip side possess much more hardened groove, pounding out the drums packed with blinding force. Exium's remix takes the tension-filled doomsday feel of original to another level and gives a new dimension to the heavy merciless percussion by adding haunting howling echoes that growls like that of ghosts combined with more muted drums and subtle layers of stabs of kicks and effects. Kwartz holds nothing back with Form and Void EP, delving in to the darkest and deepest realm of subterranean pulses that fit perfectly for the dance floor with dimmed light and big sound system. More

Tracklisting
A1 El Joven Prisionero - Tactel Kid
A2 El Joven Prisionero - Kinki
B1 El Joven Prisionero - Anti tu
B2 El Joven Prisionero - La Raya

Sales Note
For our release number 073 we go hard and strong with the mysterious combo El Joven Prisionero. They come back home, ten releases after their Sesiones Mercurio EP. The formula is again direct to the floor with no roundabouts, strong percussive elements and direct sonic aggresion provided at a high tempo rate.

Tactel opens fire with an enourmous bass drum spiced with stereo panned high frequencies, shuffled hats add tenstion to the equation while micro drones and processed textures do the rest. A perfect shot to demolish some club roofs around the globe.

Second bullet is Kinki, hypnosis is the key here, starting with the whole groove from bar one, then growing in intensity with different sound layers all served in a continuous and progressive arrangement. This one is for the mind and the body.

Anti Tu combines scifi vibes with heavy duty drums in an elastic tool for skilled mixers out therem setting the pace to the next exercise, La Raya where asymmetric Fm sequences bring the funk, again over a superb drum programming workout.

Digital bonus is Sin el Groove, drastically reducing the BPM rate, using Fm synths again for the sequences, closing this aerobic session in an exhausted mood.

This release is going to be a limited one with 200 numbered copies pressed on red vinyl before another standard edition with different artwork and classic black wax. More

Tracklisting
A1 Oscar Mulero - Aroma de Falso Amor
A2 Oscar Mulero - Poisonality
B1 Oscar Mulero - Iris Malicioso
B2 Oscar Mulero - Dos Pequenos Zorros More

Tracklisting
A1 Nørbak - Regra
A2 Nørbak - Ferramenta
B1 Nørbak - Amarante 9am
B2 Nørbak - Nota More

Tracklisting:
A1 Lewis Fautzi - Total Absence
A2 Lewis Fautzi - Paranoia
B1 Lewis Fautzi - Ground State
B2 Lewis Fautzi - Uncertainty More

Tracklisting
A1 Ribé - La Penumbra
A2 Ribé - El Método
B1 Ribé - Las Raices
B2 Ribé - Bajo el Olivo

Sales Note
After his acclaimed album for us released recently, Ribe comes again into the mothership with this modular madness EP, proving again his mastery of intelligent techno and sound design.

La penumbra is the first track, as the title suggests, darkness and shadows come immediately to mind when listening to it. A solitary bass drum joined by several drones and ambiences interleaving and mutating over the arrangement.

El Metodo follows, electric and sharp, with repetitive modular bleeps floating over a bass heavy groove. The only additional elements are percussive and come into the track progressively until the hypnotic climax.

Flipping the record, Las Raices introduce distortion and roughness on the equation, relying on a powerful groove soon accompanied by high pitched drones and electric synthetic washes.

Last Tune is Bajo el Olivo, liquid and elastic, with resonant bubbles going asymmetrically on top of the rhythm with occasional percussive details going on the back. A sci-fi sequence appears in the middle of the track adding additional sound hypnosis.

No doubt that Ribe has his own trademark sound and we are really proud of having him onboard. More

Tracklisting:
A1 Kessell - Nothing left to say
A2 Kessell - All that matters
B1 Kessell - Descending darkness
B2 Kessell - Cyclical nature

Sales Note
Kessell is back at home with a powerful EP plus a bonus digital track on the digital edition. There is no need to remind everyone that Valentin Corujo is one of the most experienced producers on the techno scene. And this new work is the sonic proof.

Nothing left to say opens fire with distorted broken beats soon aligned by a solid 4/4 groove. The harsh sounds run across the stereo field wisely while the beat goes relentless. A powerful and raw peak time tool.

All that matters is the second cut, beginning with a bass heavy groove, sibilant and distorted at the same time until the additional percussive parts appear and the subterranean bass turns into distorted hypnosis as the bars go on. An intense and obsessive piece of rugged techno.

On the B side, Descending Darkness, an industrial funk workout made of continuous distorted sequences and an enforced drum beat. No sign of breakdowns or epic moments, just a continuous drill for your neurons.

Cyclical Nature goes scifi and mental, with reverberated sequences running over a solid cemented pattern the spiral sequence turns into overdriven madness as the track goes combining aggression with futurism.

Inside Trauma uses broken beats as a basement, one of Kessell's personal signatures when working on his side project Exium.

Another stepping stone on a solid and long career for this excellent creator. More

Tracklisting:
A1 CONCEPTUAL - Ninna Nanna For Bad Children
A2 CONCEPTUAL - Me Medesimo
A3 CONCEPTUAL - Højer
B1 CONCEPTUAL - Not An Easy One
B2 CONCEPTUAL - I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me More

Tracklisting:
A1 Oscar Mulero - Flujo Fatal
A2 Oscar Mulero - Nueva y Oscura Era
B1 Oscar Mulero - Noches de Menta
B2 Oscar Mulero - Dos Esqueletos

Release Note:
Brand new EP from the boss showcasing his new perspective and vision about techno along five cuts. Oscar Mulero's sound it's always changing and evolving, it can be physical and muscular or deep and sci-fi or both at the same time as this record shows.

On this occasion Spanish titles explain the feeling of each track perfectly, Flujo Fatal is the first slice, Fatal Flow in English, a mental and deep voyage into intelligent techno: full of detail but with an energetic pulse below that activates the dance while the mind is traveling in unveiled territories.

Nueva y Oscura Era is the second cut, fast and obsessive, with detailed percussive elements crossing the stereo field while continuous synth lines run over the precise beat. An ideal mix tool for the peak time hours in the dancefloor.

Noches de Menta reminds us of the good old Birmingham days, intense, rugged and fast. Minimal in the components and pristine in the sound processing. Music for those who dance with closed eyes in the shadows and strobe lights.

Dos Esqueletos is the last cut on vinyl, an elastic and liquid piece made of shuffled rhythms almost 90% percussive. Perfect mixing tool for those who know.

On the digital release appears an extra track called Aire Silencioso, sibilant and resonant textures fly on the high part of the sound spectrum while a compact groove keeps the pace for a full physical experience. The extreme frequency treatment will cause waves in people's minds while dancing... immersive and expansive at the same time.
More

Tracklisting:
A1 Nørbak - Tell Me I'm Wrong
A2 Nørbak - Amongst Them
B1 Nørbak - Pure and Faithful
B2 Nørbak - Unbearable Lightness

Release Note:
It's always good to have Norbak onboard again with this brand new slice of plastic. Four cuts of precise and gymnastic techno aimed for the most advanced dancefloors energetic and intelligent at the same time, as we like.

A side starts with "Tell me I'm wrong" a fast paced hypnotic exercise with adrenalinic synth lines running over complex rhythms, properly arranged in a constantly changing structure.

"Amongst Them" follow, textured flanged sounds running across the stereo field, shuffled beats and lots of space, the definition of how profound techno should be.

Flipping the vinyl, B1 is "Pure and Faithful", funk infused sequences constantly altered in shape, complex grooves and as always a profound structure full of twists.

Last cut in this exercise is "Unbearable Lightness", continuous and repetitive randomized synth lines spiced with lots of reverb over a well crafted drum workout, intense and spacious at the same time.

Another demonstration of studio skills and sound design from this young Portuguese producer.
More

Tracklisting:
A1 Sesiones Mercurio - El Joven Prisionero
B1 Sesiones Mercurio - Agítate
B2 Sesiones Mercurio - Extraño Mundo

Release Info:
First vinyl slice of the year and a brand new act onboard: El Joven Prisionero. We have been told that this project is made by two well known experts: Oscar Mulero and Another Machines.

About the music, three cuts on vinyl and four on digital, all named in Spanish to add more confusion for the non speakers.

El Joven Prisionero opens the EP in a gymnastic mode, solid kicks, an energized raw sequence setting things up and a mutant structure. A proper bullet for the post restricted dancefloors when ready.

Agitate incides directly on the most sensible parts of your mind and sound receivers, hysterical synth lines running over a shuffled beat and random resonant bleeps. Another physical exercise of abstract dancefloor weaponry.

Extrano Mundo follows, an elastic beat runs alone on the first bars, soon joined by martian and asymmetrical sequences growing from below. Additional percussive layers complete the equation, that as always is wisely administered on an intelligent arrangement.
More

- repress on dark red marbled vinyl / in original sleeve -
More

Tracklist
A1 Lewis Fautzi - Induced Pulse
A2 Lewis Fautzi - Undirected Differential
B1 Lewis Fautzi - Intense Mechanism
B2 Lewis Fautzi - Stimulated Desorption

Release Note
Portuguese sci-fi maker Lewis Fautzi is here again with his very own recipe about how the music of the future should sound like.

His style has evolved to harsher territories lately, with distortion appearing as one of the main components here.

First cut "Induced Pulse" is a broken groove exercise, with pounding kicks and vocal samples providing the introduction while obscure components join the march as the minutes go.

"Undirected Differential" goes straight to the point from the beginning, with obsessive sequences running across a solid paced rhythm. The synth line evolves continuously, changing the filter frequency, mutating and constantly changing.

The B-side opens with "Intense Mechanism", in a galactic mood with one bar arpeggiated sounds, modulated wisely running over a blurred and distorted drum line.

Last slice is "Stimulated Desorption", again hypnosis and repetition as leitmotiv with similar sound components as the previous one but with a more shuffled drum approach. More

It's been a while now since dance music stopped suddenly and also it's been a while since the Exium duo released stuff here at home.

Hector and Valentin have been busy in their studios during these uncertain days, extracting the best out of their minds and tools to create this four tracker. If you are familiar with the Exium sound over the years, you can feel here a sort of comeback to their primitive roots. The sound is harsher, more violent, the components are a chosen few but well standing in the mix, the rhythms are broken and twisted. Nothing easy for the ear. If you push the boundaries like they do, there's still hope in techno as a constantly new and risky journey. Totally the opposite of cloning what is done.

"Ascendo" relies on a broken kick surrounded by industrial noises and distorted textures. Merciless

"Atheris" uses again nonlinear drums as the basement, spicing the recipe with overdriven pads and abstract sonic elements.

"Cyclotron" is the only 4/4 cut here. A random square wave distorted synth line is the leitmotiv, joined by different layers of sonic components creating an aggressive sci-fi joint.

"Low Pressure Discharge" closes the release returning to abstract breaks as foundation, with metallic industrial hits on top.

This release is not for the tuff ones or the soft minded. Tradition and futurism all in one. More

The gang of four have a new waxed weapon in their arsenal and as expected, it bites. Three slices of complex futuristic beats with no mercy.

As in previous sound exercises, they have collided in the studio, each one with his preferred tools, recording bites, mutating audios, twisting frequencies, and this is the result:

"MG009" is a mechanical tool constructed over a concrete drum architecture, surrounded with bleeps, distorted drones and cutting hi hats. All the elements come and go wisely creating an obsessive atmosphere.

"SQMD3" follows on similar parameters, fast, distorted, enforced with the essential layers of sound required to make massive damage on a proper sound system.

"SNT0073" closes B side as an extension of the message proposed on the previous cuts: a few elements fighting in a frequency range quest in order to destroy any sign of easyness and vulgarity.

Only for the brave. More

After the 10" appetizer we gave you this summer, here comes the big deal: eight cuts of the new Seleccion Natural stuff, this time cooked alive, by the four founding members reunited at Oscar Mulero's studio, eight hands, four brains and a bunch of hardware and software tools colliding to redefine the standardized sound of today's techno. Only those who were there in the beginning can understand in depth the sound design and groove of an always-futuristic sound as pure techno is or should be.
For this purpose they get rid of any superficial element, keeping it minimal and functional, starting with the experimental synthetic drones of the first cut "Absolute Zero", an ever growing single wave filtered and mangled over the stereo field. "Moving Forward" follows, dry kicks, distorted reduced sequences and subtle percussive elements going in and out wisely. Next audio assault is "From Out Of Nowhere", a continuous synth line that is soon joined by a tremendous kick while mutating in shape and timbre all over the arrangement.
"Future Ride" keeps spaces open, with an opaque sound palette in the beginning, spiced from time to time with harsh sweeps and distortion... a roller. "Left Behind" goes next, showcasing a clean obsessive synth line and building drum elements added progressively. Additional sound layers are added while minutes go on to spice things a bit.
"Inverse And Perverse" acts as an interlude that brings us to the last cuts of this body of work. "Rolling On The Ground" relies on broken distorted beats with diverse noise washes and additional sequences appearing randomly, a great mixing tool for those who know. "Modernist Descents" closes the collection, with shuffled random synth lines over a traditional kick / hat groove. The sound layers change and evolve constantly to make a super dynamic dance floor exercise. More

Our dream team is back in the studio for the new installment of the Seleccion Natural series. This limited 10 inch vinyl comes as an advance of a full-length work to be released this autumn as PoleGroup057.
We provide two cuts of raw and powerful techno cooked by Oscar Mulero, Exium and Reeko in Oscar's studio in the north of Spain. Modular synthesizers, samplers and drum machines expertly crafted on behalf of this proper techno workout.
On the A-side "Split Didactics" gives all the energy from the beginning, fast tempo, hard drums, obsessive sequences and a linear and hypnotic arrangement.
On the B-side "A New Description of Hell" runs in similar parameters, hi speed, harsh sound design, no breaks, no pads no useless elements, just energy and purity.
As an extra bonus, artwork by the mighty Silent Servant. More

PoleGroup presents Unknown Landscapes selected 06, a vinyl release with 4 tracks taken from the mix series Unknown Landscapes Vol 6 / Selected and mixed by Lewis Fautzi. More