It is with undoubted excitement that Stroboscopic Artefacts can present the new release from Irish duo Lakker as SA019. This comes hot on the heels of Lakker's recent work for the label through the dark trappings of Monad XIV.?
'Harbour' could imagine a vessel out to sea, battling a tempest. Heavily distorted rhythms build like the swirl of a storm, a distress signal popping on, radio distortion. As implosion seems near a moment of calm sets in and a less maniacal beat assumes control. But the unpredictable hammers resume once more, thumping above a sheet of glinting and sharp precipitation. The storm eventually ceases, abruptly, and the 'Harbour' is left still.?? 'eeAea' is a different experience. It is based on surer footing, concrete beneath the limbs. A thump, incessant, pounds in the background, giving clarity to a winding sigh and dissonant percussion. Yet there remains melody in the madness, with beautiful hi ends peeking through the atmosphere and a strut which surges towards conclusion. The conclusion ends (unresolved) at 'Valentina Lane'. It is a street of mystery, set upon a gas of syncopated flashes and airy scrapes. An uncomfortable synthesiser hums in the background, darting high and interjecting low. And it meanders thence, pausing for the odd moment of reflection. It is as deliberate as 'Harbour' is chaotic; it is a tight, cogent finale.
More

Opener 'Mountain Divide' hits the listener with a epic blitzkrieg of bass, juddering noise, and howling, subterranean feedback, cut through with fizzing drums, to tremendous atmospheric effect: "Like screaming into the wind on the top of a mountain" in the words of the boys themselves. 'Mathfall' is a sinuous groover, built around a lolloping bass sequence, grime infused beats, sinister chords and vocal chatter. 'Mon La' rounds out the release in a more introspective mood, heartbreaking pitch bent chords wash together like Boards Of Canada heard through a broken tube-radio. Their intricate, yet muscular soundscapes and skittering percussion have an epic, alien quality that set them head and shoulders above their less ambitious peers. Having a background in punk, metal and broken beat as well as noise and techno helps give Lakker their truly unique and uncompromising sound. Currently touring their blistering live /AV set across the planet and hard at work on their debut LP for R&S you'll be hearing a lot more from Lakker very soon.


More

kAfter a decade of creating some of "the most distinctive techno around" (Resident Advisor) for the likes of Blueprint and Stroboscopic Artefacts, R&S is delighted to welcome Dublin based duo, Lakker into the fold with their stunning new EP 'Containing A Thousand'. Lakker: 'We're delighted to be releasing on R&S. It's one of those labels that has been huge in electronic music for years - anyone who is into modern electronic music will have a few R&S records in their collection. Ourselves included - classics from Joey Beltram and AFX up to the recent Tessela stuff. It's all in our bag!"
Their intricate, yet muscular soundscapes and skittering percussion have an epic, alien quality that set them head and shoulders above their less ambitious peers; witness the blistering noise of the brooding title track, the staggered, slurping beats and mechanistic clanks of 'Mausoleum', the crisp, propulsive grooves of 'K'antu' and jagged slashing drums of 'Thermohaline'. Having a background in punk, metal and broken beat as well as noise and techno helps give Lakker their truly unique and uncompromising sound - indeed their music has won them the most coveted recommendation in electronic music - Richard D James (Aphex Twin) himself has been known to deploy multiple Lakker tracks in his face melting live sets.
More

Following on from their ‘Arc EP’ released in April, Lakker return to Blueprint with ‘Torann EP’ featuring five new cuts from this Dublin based duo. Dara Smith and Ian McDonnell (aka Eomac) formed Lakker back in 2001, with early tracks appearing on compilations for various labels, alongside a number of EPs, followed by their debut album ‘Ruido’ on Lazybird in 2007, plus more recent excursions on the likes of Killekill and Love Love Records. With influences ranging from breakcore and jungle to techno and electronica, their sound is just as far-reaching with organic sample-based productions and synthetic, processed electronic beats. Lakker’s ‘Torann EP’, their second release for Blueprint, kick-starts with the dappling beats of ‘Summer Rains’, before
moving onto the more experimental ‘Mustard Crying’. ‘Ciar’ takes us back to the dancefloor with ominous undertones, while ‘Static & Amp’
is a simple but effective exercise. Finally the diminutive but meticulous ‘One Note’ caps the EP off in fine Lakker style.

More

Irish lads Ian Mc Donnell and Dara Smith have been recording for some time as Lakker with a number of releases for the likes Lazybird, Alphabet set, Acroplane and most notably Killekill. Here we proudly present their first Blueprint record in the form of the Arc E.P. A superb mix of bass driven techno and electronica across the four tracks here but the office fave has to be A2's super-shuffling piano track 'Ed'
which reminds very much of mid-period Anthony 'Shake' Shakir material from days long gone...
More

Whirling Hall of Knives is a collaboration between Trensmat founders Magnetize and The Last Sound. Harsh smouldering circuits and eruptions of panicky white noise have a profoundly unsettling quality, a sense of gnawing paranoia but interspersed with moments of almost euphoric epiphany, as if in the grip of an unshakeable 4am psychosis a growing sense that the door will be kicked in at any second and the world outside will come pouring in. Psyche electronics of a particularly greasy and grime-flecked hue... The remix comes courtesy of Downwards duo, Talker. The American duo of Karl Meier and Jon Krohn (a.k.a Stave) turn in a heavyweight version of 'Vacuulum' on the flip...

More

Candela Rising welcomes Manni Dee to the fold with 2 original tracks covering broken beats, nostalgic rave elements, Industrial menace and heavy bass rhythms, All topped off with 2 remixes. Ancient Methods remixes ‘A Lover’s Rhetoric’ with his now famous ‘pitch black techno war funk’ attitude. ‘Voluptuous Surrender’ is reworked by New Yorker and L.I.E.S affiliate, Shawn O’Sullivan. Early support from Surgeon, Perc, AnD, Truss, Svreca, Tom Diccico and more....
More

US Techno legend Paul Birken steps up for Candela Rising with 3 original tracks, all topped off with a remix from Scottish duo, Clouds. Raw analog jams covering dark soundscapes, acidic brutality and the outright insane.


More

The theme for the first release is historical rising. The first release features a lost photo from the 1800’s which is used to portray faces with no names - unknown soldiers. The ‘Unknown Soldiers’ represents our first artist, the infamous Mørbeck from Berlin. Following on from his work on Vault Series which he co-runs with Subjected and having only ever released on his own label, this is Mørbeck’s highly anticipated first release away from Vault Series. ‘Magneto’ is a bulky 4/4 kicker which is built around stuttering vocals and shadowy synth waves. ‘Morbius’ is the dub figure on the EP, stripped back of any fuss, this track lets the bass do the talking. ‘Mystique’ on the B side is a real acidic mover; this one is all about the melody with as much funk in it as it has pace. Jeroen Search steps up for remix duties and delivers his interpretation of ‘Mystique’, this mix retains the original’s groove but adds a cold hypnotic melody across the middle.

More