Julian Anthony
7 To Smoke EP

Garage Hermétique bids farewell to the music studio where many seeds were planted between 2016 and 2020, including Onirik's solo projects and collaborations. Hidden under the Schlesicher Tor underground station, it was a chaotic but special place. This release contains a number of tracks recorded at the beloved location, with different aesthetics, seeking a balance between positive and mysterious vibes. On A1 and B1 we find two tracks from the collaborative project Oni-KI. On A2 we find a west coast infused joint recorded with jazz pianist (and ex-Flatmate) Uri Gincel. The Ep is rounded off on B2 with a solo production by Onirik, aimed at potential mind relaxation. Good Bye Schlesi. Ltd pressing of 150 copies

Oslo based house pushers ́badabing diskos ́ enter the world of vinyl with an all star family affair. After decades of cementing themselves as steady contributors to Norwegian house export, they continue pushing their rhythmical snowball south. The inaugural EP spans across three innovative cuts from Berlin jock ́Jarle Braathen ́, label chief ́Vinny Villbass ́ and badabing regular ́Sommerfeldt ́. Each of them telling their own late night legend, melding genres as they move.

For the first serving on his new label, A:G presents a four tracker with his very own take on the darker, retro-infused style with a multitude of spaced out, futuristic energy.Opening with a acid tinged builder with eastern scales for Beyond The Veil, then shifting gears into fast no-nonsense spacey electro on Patience Paradox, before the b-side opens with rave infused and stabby moods with First of 22, before everything is rounded off with Going Full Circle, as a total package for various legs of a nocturnal expedition

After recent explorations into ambient and pop under his full name, Sacha Renkas switches back to his Antenna moniker for ALT013. The Kiev-born, longtime Rotterdam-based artist uses a rough-around-the-edges, hiss-laden palette to construct his intricate, pensive club tracks. Often recording on the fly, he embraces the limitations and quirks of the hardware he works with, curating the happy accidents that come with them and that help make his music feel as alive as it does. It is emotional and imaginative in spirit, yet raw, almost instinctive in its rendering. Renkas cites the new wave and synth-pop from his youth and the sounds coming from Chicago and Detroit, as well as the Dutch West Coast he encountered later on, as inspirations. The sensitivity and hands-on approach associated with these are also tenets throughout his work. The ''Another Wave EP,'' a selection of tracks created over nearly a decade, further substantiates this approach. Made on multiple MPCs, Juno synthesizers, and an Akai S900, and mixed on a Mackie 16-channel mixer, it blends, among others, elements of first-wave techno and European proto-trance. Opener ''Alisa'' stacks angular sine melodies and formant basslines one upon another yet flows like silk, its balance immaculately kept in check. On ''Everyone M1,'' the bass organ patch from which the track derives its title finds itself amidst a lo-fi flux of capricious arpeggiators, ethereal pads, and decocted drums. ''Another Wave'' is a carefully sculpted slow burner, collected in its unfolding. Wisps of melody, gated pads, and whisper seem to wind between its drum patterns; the tension looming beneath this patchwork never entirely reveals itself. ''Quasar'' blends signature dramatic chords and off-rhythm bells with a creeping acid bassline and more kaleidoscopic drum patterns. It closes an EP distilled in its form, confident in its intent, and nowhere too bothered by genre boundaries or other formal constraints.

Bristol-based, vinyl-only imprint Sex Tapes From Mars continues its voyage through the cosmos of underground electronic music with Suburbia head-honcho, Cam Stockman. His latest EP, “All Juiced Out”, is a raw, hypnotic four-tracker, and deep-dive into the world of vintage analogue synthesis, acid-drenched basslines, and sensual vocal hooks - a bold statement from an artist unafraid to push boundaries.

Locked-In is back with a fifth voyage with a four-track odyssey from Benjamin.Spacious and airy, "Floating" starts the EP with tasteful elegance. Softly interwoven atop a driving kick, Floating takes you on a heady trip through the astral planes of your next summer.Benjamin turns things up a notch with this groovy slammer, "Deep Trails". A meaty kick and juicy padded-out bass line give the listener something to get their teeth into, whilst the track's snappy percussion provides a playfulness that no dancer can resist.There's interstellar lift-off when the growling engines of the aptly named "Smashed Star" hit the dance floor. A significant low-end and flirty rhythm section drives the track forward with a momentous entourage of squashed synth patterns and nostalgic sample loops. Strap yourselves in; the only way is up!"Cosmic Medicine" cools off EP with a horizontal closing that tickles the weary traveller's mind into its deserved bodily rest. Strommesque whistles and twists go through the sumptuous haze of misunderstood vocals and compressed, weighty bass lines. Take a seat and breathe in the light: Your place or mine?