Melts In Your Mind is the mercurial new LP by Healing Force Project, aka Italian producer Antonio Marini.

An amorphous, shapeshifting, intangible proposition, Melts In Your Mind represents Healing Force Project at it’s most fluid and alchemical yet, a melon-twisting amalgam of jazz, dub and acid house tropes mulched and rearranged in inimitable style. Seemingly live and erratic polyrhythms, liquid basslines and expressive roving keys combine with kitchen sink sample hits and rogue licks for a thrilling, constantly shifting, alive sound. It’s music that’s difficult to grasp on first or even fourth listen, and as such continues to reward on repeat. Rather than going somewhere, tracks just go, rarely repeating motifs but riffing on, digging into and working out.

Behavior Of Waves sets the scene discretely enough, a simple bass refrain that is eventually overcome with an urgent rhythm that stumbles over itself into a post-dub cavern. The title track resembles a scramble of disparate earthly sounds - lurking synthesizer, restless popping drums, West African balafon and a muted vocal sample - sucked into the same swirling black hole and dropped into another dimension, completely cohesive. Equator acts as loose-limbed palette cleanser, an unmoored drift gently driven forward by an insistent snare roll and improv piano stabs. Inharmonious Layer stands out on the record for being less reliant on samples and by it’s relatively predictable unfolding, a queasy acid lope from the darkest corner of a deviant dancefloor, while on Diaphonization Marini flexes his aptitude with drum sampling, a bouncing excursion in sampled loops interrupted by unironic jazz cliches, the product of an omnivorous lover of the genre’s high and low. Melts In Your Mind closes on the droning tambura, ethereal pads and scattered rhythm of Two Waves In The Dark, a suitably metaphysical and ultimately peaceful resting place for a record that challenges perceptions from the outset.

Marini has released records as Healing Force Project on Firecracker, Berceuse Heroique, Bedouin and most recently Beat Machine Records. He’s based in Treviso, Italy.

Melts In Your Mind was written, produced and mixed by Antonio Marini. It was mastered by Chris Wang. Art and design by Ginji Kimura. More

Introducing a brand new label of mutant, fusioneering styles from the pulsating brain that rules from the centre of the Firecracker constellation.

The maiden voyage by Healing Force Project traverses further and deeper into the wormhole that was first explored in his Gravitational Lensing EP on Firecracker.

A full panoply of bubbling, semi-submerged, electro-acoustic abstraction, lysergic drones and oblique, polymetric time signatures recalling the work of Italian avant-jazz outfit Gruppo d’Improvvisazione while simultaneously picking up distant echoes from 'Pangaea' era Miles Davis, 23 Skidoo, Source Direct, Squarepusher, The Heliocentrics, This Heat and Mosquitoes.

'Fizz-cracking drum machines and sparring breakbeats knitted with eyes-shut chord progressions and a seemingly mystic sampler that spits pure magick vibes'.

This is electrified, psychozoic jazz fusion for tomorrow's unlocked vortices!

All music by Healing Force Project.

Artwork by Drew Miller.

Mastered by Linkwood. More

"Transhumanism EP" is a combination of ethereal and angular sounds, but with many points of reference concatenated between them. Starting from the Side A, if "Methodical Ear" has as its base, a rhythm with an incipit house, but with edgy sounds always in progress, "Shadow Manipulation of Mind" looks at an utopian techno, together a dense and obsessive hypnotic groove. Instead, in the B-side, "Synapsi Sonora", presents a classical structure, but with kick and snare somewhat in the foreground, with low, evolving, sick and stifling pads in their concept of low-fi timbal. "State of Induced Hibernation" is an alien traces in his gait ... Metal Percussion and sharp synth, make a song to say the least harsh and unwilling to be defined and confined to specific genres, as in the complex is all this project for Ambiwa Records. More

First release on Eerie that is not by his founder/owner Marco Shuttle, is by Healing Force Project (Antonio Marini), another italian obscure electronic music producer who has already been delivering pure crystal quality on labels like Acido, Electronique and Sequencias. The release has been defined by Marco Shuttle himself as ''a very diverse and hypnotic 4 tracker of Electronica, spiritual jazz, psychedelic funk eclectically fused together for what is a very sophisticated and modern idea of techno''...do we need to say more?

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Ali Berger drops a gorgeous three track ep with the right amount of bump in its tracks. Lovely tracks with a fine drive in it, somehow reminding of the early releases on Patrice Scott's Sistrum label. Adventurous, Fresh and energetic. More

Repress!

Sequencias introduces MaSpaventi to their catalog with this EP called Le Cose Che Sentivo, which is a mixture of tempos with a melancholic feeling spread throughout. The dexterity of MaSpaventi is shown on this one; from the funky drum programming and melodic lushness of "Una Piccola Amaca" on the A-side, to the more ethereal downtempo/ambient side of him with "Profondo Blu" and "Coralli Lia" on the B-side. More

As we get ready to seclude ourselves for another long Winter, Area provides the soundtrack. This EP is some of the most beautiful shit we've heard in a long time. From late night meditative dancefloor bliss, to midtempo 4 to the floor sonic experimentation. So without getting too wordy, we'll leave these flowers right here, please don't let them dry. More

It's been a really long Winter for us, we've been praying to the gods non-stop to send some heat our way, and they have finally answered!

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Our first release for 2015 comes from Chicagoan, Area. His previous releases on various labels including his own, Kimochi, show a producer who spans many genres while maintaining a particular aesthetic. This untethered approach has lead to "One Less Me"—one of his most moving records to date. Area has melded elements from bass music, industrial, electroacoustic, spoken-word and techno into 3 tracks that distill their influences into something greater than the sum of its parts. Opener "Circadian" is built on a two-chord refrain to a stepping rhythm amidst a dank warehouse atmosphere. Spoken-word interlude, "One Less Me," is little more than a female voice processed and cleverly twisted over crisp electronic filigree. The EP closes with "XXeXX” (Crushkilled Version), which sounds like the remnants of the opening track after being drop-forged and scattered to the breeze—long peals of reverberating melodic feedback straining under a dense bank of static fog—breaking free every few measures to expand into the light, then crushed. "One Less Me" is the beginning of a new relationship that we look forward to see flourish in the future, and of course, to share it with you.

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2014 has been a slow year for Sequencias in terms of releases. Most of our energy has been spent towards the development of different projects, like our new webstore, that has become an outlet for us to share some of the records that influence the way we do things. So, with the wax offering slowing to a mere trickle, who better to entrust with our sole release for the rest of the calendar year? dcantu, of course. Cantu's electro-heavy sound is fleshed out here and while still lean enough for dance floors, it makes bolder moves into atmospheric and melodic territory. The A side, "Some Kind Of Strange...," begins with long synth strains before one of his signature overdriven drum workouts immediately punches through the lush spectral melody. Cantu runs through the patterns on his 808, weaving a sort of broken beat track that cruises through acidic space time. On the flipside you're treated to the electro/freestyle jam, "A Space Age Function." There aren't many surprises here nor is there any need for them: just pure and grimy electro joy...right down to the pitched down vocal sample and octave-hopping bassline. "September," the beatless coda, is an echo from a childhood spent in dark cinemas with the sounds of Carpenter and Howarth. Tinkling FM bells dot the layers of rich ethereal pads and you can practically hear the clattering of the projector somewhere behind you in the dark. Also, you probably noticed the changes on our artwork direction. We have made the conscious decision of going with a classic look for the upcoming series of releases. Nonetheless, expect some curveballs during the process.

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Sequencias number 10 should give anyone unfamiliar with the label a good idea of what we're about. Three very different artists have given us three very different tracks—collectively forming a sort of manifesto. Experimentation, rhythm and reflection are all given equal weight on this record. As with everything we present, it is all in the service of expressing the flawed and the human. Nick Lapien returns once again as Metropolis, starting off the EP with the miniature epic "Balefire". Just shy of ten minutes, the beatless undulating cypher flows and fluctuates, its tangle of vibrating arpeggiated melodies whip about gaining momentum, falling into the ether. Brooklyn's Shawn O'Sullivan comes through with "Corypha", a straight up club track showcasing some well-crafted modular treacle over a tough brokenbeat. Mathematics affiliates Echo 106 close out the compilation with the meandering Chicago-facing "Withered Leaves". Tried and true box work merely sets the stage here with haunting melodies at the forefront, floating towards a swell of doleful synths as an emotional coda.

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And here we are, just as promised, exploring the dark corners of Nick Lapien; the man otherwise known as Metropolis. This time around, he comes back with a pair of extended cuts that veer off into heretofore unexplored terrain, relishing in detail with a sharp focus on momentum and lyricism. 'Glow', the A side, uses a basic 2-note sine wave bass line and a 136 BPM kick as the backdrop for a 13+ minute descent into a thicket of static and clattering modular craftiness—a pathway into the unknown through auditory hypnosis. On the flip side, 'Rebuild', a milder 4/4 beauty, uses a soft bass riff for its duration as shuffling synth experimentation stretches the stereo field. A long trumpet solo by Mark Nieuwenhuis casts a soothing, mournful light into the piece. Immerse yourself into the sounds and let yourself be guided, let yourself be found.

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Nicolas Cantu makes a welcome return to Sequencias with The Lost Tribe—a brisk 808 workout with lush synthwork and psychedelic acid stylings. This is a more breezy approach compared to his work on other labels yet spares none of the imaginative or emotive qualities. On the flip side, label head JM De Frias offers up the dissonant groover The Light as a follow up to his debut track from Levon Vincent's acclaimed Fabric mix CD. Brash percussion collides with staccato melodies awash in echo and organ, sustaining an intensity that never quite boils over. The two team up for the closer The Last Light, an atmospheric epic of growling strings, breathy ambience and melancholy stitched together with creaky, decrepit acid stabs and brittle percussion. This is the beginning of an on going collaboration between the two, keep your ears open in the near future.
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Nick Lapien's debut release as Metropolis garnered little attention when it materialized last year. A skeptical yet dedicated network of underground heads built up a subterranean buzz that has yet to spread into the daylight. That initial transmission was thick with the raw analogue flavors that have become ever-present in dance floor fare recently—but his is a sound that is dedicated to the emotive, narrative aspects of electronic music rather than simple fetishization or passing curiosity in the days of yore. This, his second release as Metropolis, shows a more focused and patient hand at work. The titular track on the A side is a deep, psychedelic groover. Melodies, textures and sequences undulate and intertwine within a lightless atmosphere guided by Lapien with optimum restraint. Equally pensive and gorgeous, The Flood serves as a Machine's beat-less foil on the reverse. Made up of little more than feedback and two slow, echo laden arpeggiated sequences, this is reminiscent of Jean Michel Jarre's more sinister moments: a brilliant paradox of economy and indulgence. Expect to hear more from Lapien here at Sequencias. He has many more dark corners left unexplored. More

Chicago legend Jamal Moss makes a return to Sequencias with two tracks of overdriven angularity in his most jacking incarnation, The Sun God. If you know Jamal, then you're aware that no other artist has informed electronic rhythm-based music quite like he has. The current crop of raw, low-fi house and techno owes a large share of it's existence to his releases under various monikers: Hieroglyphic Being, IBM, and as one half of Africans With Mainframes. These latest transmissions for Sequencias show Moss at his most avant-garde, so gird your self before you drop that needle. A side "Spoken By The Spirit" works a thicket of hi hats and snares around an incessant clav in one of Moss's signature persuasive work outs. A smudged kick and sparkling lead synth pushes the track steadily along with a syncopated dialogue going on in the background. AA side "4 This Is Your Salvation" seems to run in the opposite direction of the A side—the tangle of stuttering, overheated circuits now being sucked into a vortex with an uneasy momentum. Almost everything about this track seems somehow reluctant—like Moss had to struggle with some powerful entity for control of his instruments. A low acidic bass stab, squealing digital improvisation, a confused thud of a kick drum, a tambourine—all on their way to the frightening and wonderful Unknown. More