Tracklisting:
A1 Ben Pest - 8 Octavial
A2 Ben Pest - Amirite
B1 Ben Pest - VCS Wig
B2 Ben Pest - Strict Saws

Release Note:
Ben Pest debuts on Berlin's Mechatronica with four lethal electro cuts, built to morph minds and move bodies. More

Brains rule for the next No Static / Automatic release as the hyper-prolific DMX Krew presents five new tracks of laser gun acid, bleepy electro and mutant tunnelling techno on Brain Mutants EP.

NS/A could not be more honoured to bring DMX Krew to the label, hugely influential in UK’s electronic music world, the sheer mass and relentless ingenuity of his release history is breathtaking. There’s over 24 albums and even more EPs released to date, found on Rephlex Records, his own Breakin and Fresh Up labels, and more recently a string of albums on Hypercolour Records. It really would not be right to pin him down to one style of beat with the expanse of his work covering braindance, electro funk, pop, acid, ambient, techno and beyond.

Working with the Aphex Twin created Sample Brain, old disco records and analogue synth notes were fed into the sample mashing web app to create the sounds used on this EP. Label boss Ara-u picked out his favourites from the palette which DMX Krew cut up, looped and added in rock-hard drums. The results are super playful, high calibre club tracks you expect from the one and only DMX Krew - designed for heavy impact on the club floor. More

ARA-U & Radioactive Man turn a bad situation into a great collection of tracks with their latest collaborative release The Houghton Blues EP. Across two sides of vinyl on ARA-U's NO STATIC / AUTOMATIC label, the accomplished electro innovators once again serve up pure analogue vibes and raw machine funk.

When cult Norfolk gathering Houghton Festival was cancelled in 2019 because of high winds, this pair had just bought some booze and were already on their way. After a moment's sadness, they decided to turn bad news into good and head to the studio to work on some tracks. For the next two days, they stayed high on music as their Prophet, 101, 808, 303, and the Juno synths whirred and flashed.

ARA-U, of course, is the UK-based Venezuelan and longtime live specialist. He runs his own NO STATIC / AUTOMATIC label and, like Radioactive Man with whom he has already collaborated on the Plastic Attack EP, he is a master of his machines. dBridge, Posthuman and Alienata have all played his music before now and he remains at the heart of underground electro.

Right there with him is Radioactive Man, who has a career spanning 30 years, labels like Warp and many seminal collaborations from Two Lone Swordsman with Andrew Weatherall, with dBridge as dBRm and Billy Nasty as RadioNasty. He is a hugely prolific producer who has kept the quality levels high across five solo albums and countless EPs. He now heads up his own Asking For Trouble label and continues to innovate in the studio thanks to his live approach to making music.

The opener 'Sounds Like Prince' is electrifying from the off with its neck-snapping drums and perc and squelchy synth lines. It's potent and powerful and perfect for packed dance floors. The superb 'Machines Chit-Chat' is a deeper cut with cosmic synths. The drums still bang, but with wide-open spaces around them which are detailed with subtle hits and sci-fi motifs.

'What Happened To The Stash' is as dark and urgent as someone who has indeed lost their stash. It's got paranoid lines spiralling around the hurried groove in an inquisitive fashion while the booming bass drives forward. It's high-grade dance floor tackle then closer 'The Houghton Blues' brings a sense of machine soul that will melt your heart. The smeared chords, pixelated pads and melancholic robot sounds all coalesce into something as brilliant as it is beautiful.

ARA-U puts it best when he says, "This EP has all the moods and the jam really made sense. It has the funk, the stomper, the deep and the raw.” More

As he entered he cast his eyes around the room, taking in a mirage of flickering colours and luminous buttons. He had been travelling for what had felt like a lifetime through the dense and murky undergrowth in search of the mysterious cavern. Now as he sat perched upon the rubble he truly knew his purpose.

The walls were paved with silver and gold. The cave dimly illuminated by a thin hazy light - this would be his guide through the small hours to follow. Smoke billowed in the corner of the room, casting off a haze which was sweet and sticky to the senses.

One by one he flicked each switch, a throbbing current pulsed beneath the dense rocky structure as the frame of the cave echoed and rumbled into life. The walls began to shake beneath the strain of the sound, the noise echoing between wires, between tunnels and into the very core of the cave as the pressure increased. He was now one with the space and sound - connected by the very DNA of such a wild and wondrous place.

In the morning, as the sun rose in the distance, he would unearth himself. He’d return to reality and much as it pained him he would vanish. The noise of the night, the sound of the cave still playing in his mind.

Hiber-nation EP was Recorded at Siesta Delfauno, Buenos Aires, Argentina in December 2019. A place steeped in history and that has seen artists like Carl Craig , DJ Hell and Rob Acid grace its halls. Ara-u worked alongside engineer and member of Argentinian electronic band Klauss Pablo Gil, while getting lost in red wine and deep into the jam amongst a mix of analogue machines. Ara-u edited the resulting takes and put together the EP : Hyber-nation. More