After building up a head of steam on labels such as Craigie Knowes and Rotterdam Electronix in the past couple of years, Larionov debuts on Sheffield's Central Processing Unit with the Space Threat EP. Larionov's previous releases have shown off a musical sensibility which is both schooled in classic electro stylings and also able to reach for leftfield sonics in a way which sets the producer apart from the pack. It's a vibe that continues into this record, a quartet of busy electro joints which are characterised by a brooding, neurotic energy. The opening title-track is precisely the sort of thing which would soundtrack a voyage to the outer-edges of the solar system. 'Space Threat' is a nervy, restless bit of machine-funk, the track moving forward at a midtempo which manages to be at once steady and slightly fidgety. The beat skitters and swerves, a perpetual-motion machine of minor-key bass, strange modular flutters and thwacking snares. All of this is draped in icy washes of keyboard - think Drexciya if they blasted into outer space rather than delving deep down in the ocean. 'Asteroid Attack' works from the same blueprint for 'Space Threat' but ratchets up the intensity a little to take the track to another galaxy. It's still powered by a livewire neurosis, all piston-sharp drums and whirligig synth percussion. However, an increased tempo, strangely poignant keyboard lines and little snatches of vocoder-drenched vocals turn 'Asteroid Attack' in the direction of modern practitioners like Cardopusher and CPU homie Silicon Scally. Opening up the EP's B-side, 'Flying High' finds a midpoint between its predecessors, returning to the steadier pace and twitchy vibe of 'Space Threat' but maintaining 'Asteroid Attack's single-note counter-melodies and digified vocals - although here the ghostly treatment on the voice makes for a hugely eerie atmosphere. Around the four-minute mark, the track peels back the veil of synth pads and wobbling keys stabs to turn the attention wholly to the rhythm section, a choice which feels like taking a stiff drink in order to redouble your energy for the next part of the night. 'Vimana Ride' runs with 'Flying High's approach to see Space Threat out in style. There's something to the digital vocal sighs that make up the melody of this cut which gives things a really uncanny quality - it's the kind of sonic choice that Sadboys producers like Yung Gud and Yung Sherman would make, but applied wholly to the service of crafting body-popping, acid-tinged electro. Larionov arrives on Central Processing Unit with an EP of anxiously excellent electro experiments. More

Tracklisting
A1 Larionov feat. Djedjotronic - Space Is The Place
A2 Larionov - Antigravity System
B1 Larionov - To Another Galaxy
B2 Larionov - Extraterrestrial
B3 Larionov - We Came To Dance More

Gladio Operations launches its fifth release, which bears the signature of the excellent Russian producer Larionov. Dmitry is one of the new talents asserting himself and one of the most promising on the European Electro scene, having worked with renowned labels such as Craigie Knowes and Hilltown Disco, among others.

On his Gladio debut, Larionov gifts us with ‘Lost Alien’ an EP permeating with well-constructed electro sounds, where ‘Lost In Space’, an awesome energetic track, opens the pack. ‘Lost In Space’ is accompanied by an additional remix by the owners of the UHF label, on which they delve into EBM terrain, offering a contrasting approach to the original cut.

On the B side, we encounter ‘Alien Friend’ whereupon we perceive compact and well-moulded sounds, accompanied by an aggressive bassline, very characteristic in the productions of the Russian artist.

The EP closes with ‘System Error’, a wild and powerful track that will no doubt stimulate your sets in any demanding club. More

Not content with a double 12” of acid drenched delinquency, Schrödinger’s Box have drafted in four 303 addicts to bring their own acrid fire to Hard Ton’s Bigger is Better. To get the bitter ball rolling, Larionov opens. Known for his dark electro and EBM leanings, this reinterpretation of “Transcend Your Body” is a bruiser of throbbing pulses, lancing lines and stabbing synths to pierce the fog and strobe. Rude 66 follows with his beloved vocoder doing battle with Massimo Bastasi’s original vocals. The result is a duel of distant rhythms and shimmering wordplay. The flip sees Nightwave on the attack. Brawny beats elbow lyrics in this driving audio onslaught. Bulging rusted basslines crush speaker cones as a blistering remake takes hold, blasts of body bending brutalism turning Hard Ton’s original into an even sweatier brute. An artist born and raised on analogue squawk and squelch finishes. Posthuman, one of the infamous figures behind the I Love Acid nights, takes the tongue-in-cheek Brit Pop flashback of “Girls and Boys” and contorts it into a grimy Chicago jam. More

The genre re-defining chameleons of Hard Ton are back on Schrödinger’s Box with their own brand of style splitting acid house disco. Bigger is Better, a double EP album, has all the depravity and drama you would expect from these disruptors. “Waking Up The House” melts claps, cowbells and vocals over a molten melody. Bold stabbing keys are central to “The Right Thing”, lyrics spiralling skyward as a bitter acid line pulls the track down into the sweaty pit of the club. That TB303 goes into overdrive for the wonderfully demonic hedonism of “Bypass My Love.” Two-stepping jack is given a voice thanks to the breathy words of Josh Caffe as fanfare rains. The understated “Let Yourself Go” is a distant cousin of the bawdy and brutish “I Know A Bitch”, the heavy bass and cutting samples of the finale recalling the basement bruisers of Chicago. More

The genre re-defining chameleons of Hard Ton are back on Schrödinger’s Box with their own brand of style splitting acid house disco. Bigger is Better, a double EP album, has all the depravity and drama you would expect from these disruptors. “Be Somebody” is a proud call to a dirty beat; chin up, chest out and let the claps and hi-hats fly. Flanger effect units are pushed to the max in “Trip To Your Mind”, an acid dripping, falsetto bending banger. Rhythms collide and sweat hits the floor in the body jacking “You Want Me” before new age rave mantra of “Transcend Your Body” with its steepling synth stabs and 303 barbs. The close, “Girls and Boys,” is inspired by a Brit Pop hit. Beefed-up, muscled-up, this club ready weapon will bring the house down. More

Mark Du Mosch is a master of electronics. Gracing a glut of labels in a career spanning more than a decade, he arrives at Schrödinger’s Box with a very special release. Presence is a fiver tracker of enviable quality. Set in the canon of warm techno, Du Mosch focuses on melody and texture. “Studio M Uno” is bright and unassuming, “Koriander” both assured and fragile. The tracks on offer feel like the musical accompaniment to a Summer’s day, a time where cares are in the present and future worries do not exist. The unseen complexities of the everyday are an audio focus, the intertwined interplay of drum patterns in “Mrk I Utilities” and the mechanical dawn of the title piece throb with a human pulse. Always present, but never imposed, is the techno composition that brought this dutchman to the attention of so many. This is plain to hear in the diverse threads that are collected to produce the rich and varied closer, “Too Much.” More

A 12” filled to the brim with talent, Schro¨dinger’s Box have collected three juggernauts of wave tainted electronics for the latest. Dmitry Distant teams up with Norwell for a partnership of serious intent. The pair deliver a trio of blackened tracks, opening with the ghoulish caverns of “Transient State” before the long shadows, acid stains and painful echoes of “Visionary.” The duo venture into brighter territory with the computer funk of “On A Verge of Veil”, crisp beats and bubbling melodies changing the tone. Following Beyond the War, Cute Heels returns to occupy the flip. The Colombian is immediately on it with the swirling mirrors of “Kuriyaki Horizons,” a kick drum offering solid footing in this entrancing piece. An aloof, yet alluring, disco hook takes hold for “Litua”, a low thump keeping time. The finale arrives with the clipped industrial gait of “Determinated In Order.” Marching to a military beat, this work is industrial inspired with Cute Heels keeping a close ear to the pressure release gauge. More

Izorgor’s sound reflects his burly bouncer name. Drums pound and hi-hats slash in the mean and murderous “HDF-N”, a soundtrack for car crashes and late late club sessions. “Nosferatu” comes from a similarly evil place, percussion is fed through a mincer before a fog of distortion descends to smother samples. If you’re after a respite, you’ll have to wait or feck off home. “HDF-S” wades in. Similar to his sibling in terms of rancorous rhythms, this beast drips with 303 sweat and venom with just a touch of salvation in those soaring notes. Boris Brenicki, of Ontal fame, ends with his own sepulchral take on “Nosferatu.” More

Schro¨dinger’s Box found a true audio delinquent when they discovered Rapha. Resident at Alphabet Club in Tel Aviv, this is a musician who creates tracks with a punk attitude and a painted acid smile. The co-founder of Chateau Royal arrives with four blistering numbers for our box. After the pounding percussion and 303 smears of “Ivanka”, this sidewinder synthesist unfurls the brooding darkness that is “Transform.” Lighter tones pierce the gloom in the carefully crafted “Visionia” before The Exaltics lands for some deep and dreamy electro with an incredible remake of “Voyager101.” Rapha’s original of “Voyager101” closes the 12”. Rasping rhythm patterns cut a path for rich dauby analogue bars in this stripped-back, late-night close. More

Never ones to turn down some acid, Schro¨dinger’s Box welcome a well-seasoned 303 master into its ranks. With more than a decade’s experience of knob jerking body bending bangers, Snuff Crew are true veterans.

The intent of Always Oldschool is laid bare on the needle drop. Throbbing beats are laced with silver-box squawk as vocals circle in the midnight sweat of “Mile High.” Forged in the sound of Chicago, “Mousehole Groove” is a gnarled and nasty banger brimming with attitude. Accentuating that attitude, Hard Ton arrives to bring his unique vocals to the proceedings. Drenched in simmering decay, spiked with rusted snares, “Jack Until” is an ode to the club and the possibilities it brings. Carrying on from that late night romp, we wake up with “Sunday Morning.” Club comedown? Think again. Piano keys cut a sharp and fine mood with lyrics only pushing the happiness even higher. Smouldering with a touch of something sinister, “Friendship” closes the proceedings.

Always Oldschool burns with a full intensity. A 12” of fiery floor funk and enflamed passions, a 12” that comes with Snuff Crew’s guarantee of sore muscles and a flourish of romance More

Torrent unleashes 8 malevolent creatures that writhe, scream and fight their way across both sides. Opener “++^. x^ -_-___” playfully introduces the record, the iridescent melody creeps in and out of range, surrounded by distorted drums and twisted arrangement. The “Handler” trilogy and “XXXX” 1&2 all shining light on Torrent’s different approaches to the gruesome subject matter at hand. The remaining 2 tracks “ORDER BLACKLIST NO. 17” and “Duel” compound the nightmare. Both drenched with screaming, demented vocals with unmistakable influences from EBM and Techno. Transparent / smoky vinyl. More

Perseus Traxx makes his Schrödinger’s Box debut with a 4-track EP of experiments forged in the depths of Northern England. Pristine plateaus and eerie sweeps cover the entire first side, a Perseus Traxx from 2090, shimmering in and out of phase within a murky acidic landscape. Introspective and thoughtful throughout. B1 surges forth with resolute intention, headed straight for the singularity. The UK’s answer to Legowelt – Timothy J Fairplay finishes off the final quarter with a summer-garden Techno banger. Purple / transparent vinyl. More

It’s with a pride filled, yet heavy, heart that Schrödinger’s Box bid a welcoming return to the uncrowned King of Acid, Andreas Gehm. After Cosmic Interrail come four tracks of acid scorn, corrosive jack and twisted spite. Under his own name, and the time honoured mantle of Elec Pt 1, Cologne’s 303 contortionist serves three works dripping in bitter bars and skewered by claps and snares. “Captain Future” sits outside of the quartet, a carnival outake of whirling lights and crashing cymbals. Pure quality from the Acid King. Yellow / marbled vinyl. More

It’s electro, but definitely not as we know it. Sorrowbot arrives with a new perspective of the classic sound. Traditional frosted sounds are picked apart and injected with some new found energy. C64 chiptune chicanery is crumbled across thick bass lines, acid squirms atop biting beats as this newcomer offers something different to the ears of the machine funk faithful. A frigid style that skates on a shimmering surface of subtle shifts and warming currents. Braindance with a touch brainfreeze to it. White / marbled vinyl. More

Hard Hitting Bass Villains More

Andrea’s second album “Due In Color“ was primarily created in 2020 and 2021. During these crazy and decelerated times he explored more hazy and experimental Jazz, which inspired him to use more acoustic sounds in his productions. Dark loud clubs are in a far away distance, while Andrea takes us to wonderful blooming fields. More