Tracklist:

Track Names:

A1 Werewolves and Poisoners
A2 The Crusade against Idolatry
B1 The Absence of Diabolism
B2 Envious are all the People, Witches Watch at Every Gate


Release Info:

The latest release on Arma comes from Dutch legend and devoutly deviant underground operator Ruud Lekx, aka Rude 66. With a legacy that reaches back to the early 90s and the rough and ready Dutch electro sound of Bunker Records and The Hague, he’s maintained a distinctly non-conformist approach that touches on acid, Italo, techno and more besides, all finished with the punky attitude that sets him and peers like Unit Moebius and I-F apart.

The tracks gathered together on The Witch Trials EP come from throughout Lekx’s career. As the artist himself says, “tracks from wildly different eras and sessions suddenly can combine to form one coherent EP. It’s almost like the A-side tracks were waiting for 20 years to be combined with the B-side tracks.”

The overriding theme that binds together these timeless machine excursions is that of medieval witch trials – a global phenomenon that peaked in the 15-1600’s. Considering the suspicion, propaganda and mass moral panic involved in this strange curio of distant history, Lekx points to the parallels with the current age, “of political polarization and fake news accusations flying all over.” The EP title is also a tribute to two records close to his heart: The Fall’s Live At The Witch Trials, and the one-off Witch Trials project by members of the Dead Kennedys, Adrian Borland and Christian Lunch.

“Werewolves & Poisoners” and “The Crusade Against Idolatry” are both archive tracks from the 1994-5 period when Lekx made his first albums for Bunker Records. The first track’s charging arps, rugged kicks, nagging acid lines and discordant paranoia all speak to that trailblazing period, while “The Crusade…” revels in canny programming of interwoven synth lines feeding into an unhinged, psychedelic rampage that reflects the righteous fervour and spiritual confusion of the EP concept.

“The Absence Of Diabolism” opens up the B-side with a different tone, having been produced in 2016 and demonstrating the deeper acid undulations Lekx has become known for in more recent years. Still delivered via the same trusted tools he was using in the 90s, the sound feels like an extension of the Rude 66 vision rather than a separate entity. “Envious Are All The People, Witches Watch At Every Gate,” a cut from the late 90s, closes the EP out in a spacious, snarling exploration of broken acid electro laden with cinematic sweeps of synthesizer and a constant sense of unresolved tension.



Across these four tracks, Lekx displays the scope of his craft as Rude 66 while also proving that timeless music can make sense in any context, and that the threads of inspiration in an artist’s journey can be followed, explored and even resolved 20 years later, when you least expect it.




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2023 Repress edition

Tracklisting:

1. The Healer
2. Silence
3. Kuda
4. Song Of The Woods Nymphs

Charlotte de Witte continues to establish herself as a driving force on the contemporary techno scene with The Healer, her second EP on seminal British imprint NovaMute. The four-tracker comes after the Belgian has fully broken through with a dark, dense and driving sound that is proudly unrelenting. Her meteoric rise has come off the back of a series of huge productions, plus standout sets at key festivals and clubs all around the world.
Charlotte's fresh and innovative sound is immediately laid bare on opener 'The Healer', with eight minutes of spine-tingling, hypnotic techno. The sleek drums and icy hi-hats soon cast their spell, as well-crafted synths unfold up top to bring real emotion. 'Silence' is another slice of tunnel vision techno with perfectly designed drums rolling on and synths peeling off the groove. It is trance inducing and otherworldly, with eerie voices adding to the all-consuming atmosphere. Then comes 'Kuda', a track built on monstrous kicks that hit hard and drive forward with real force. Filtered vocals bring character, and sharp edged percussion grows ever louder to take the track, and the club, to the next level. Last of all, 'Song Of The Wood Nymphs' shows another side to the producer with three minutes of suspensory synths and expansive ambient sounds that are filled with drama and tension.

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