IMPRINT: Alley Version
In our new “Imprint” series we select six tracks from a certain label at random. Get a first glimpse on what they have on offer and dig deeper in the catalogues of some of the greatest imprints the electronic music scene has on offer. Up next: Alley Version
Mituo Shiomi / Drum Machine - Demons & Tapes
Anyone who’s followed Mituo Shiomi’s work to date will know all too well of the Japanese producer’s penchant for high-end electronica. A purveyor of raw, immersive sounds, his is a sound palette that’s never found wanting in the intensity apartment. Drum Machine is no less prolific. Another individual whose sound features a gritty aesthetic, the Greek producer’s presence here is the proverbial cherry on top of a release that’s notable for its heavyweight vibes throughout.
Getting us going is Shiomi’s ‘The Way’. Featuring a brash baseline that wastes no time in getting down to action, it’s a catchy, at-times-uncomfortable tune that’s perfect for peak time floors. A rollocking track that forces parallels with vintage Dance Mania efforts, it gets us underway here with serious gusto. ‘Now I Know’ is another Shiomi original that’s not light on vibes. A stirring track that again harks back to old school planes, it nonetheless also boasts a forward-thinking aesthetic that’s hard not to fawn over.
The B side is dedicated to Drum Machine’s works, with the brilliantly titled ‘Acidopolis’ first up. A crafty acid tool that does exactly what it says on the tin, it’s an eerie cut that’ll sound most apt during the party’s more fervant hours. ‘Midisex’ is a star-gazing track full of cosmic vibes and an abundance of percussion, before the record comes to a conclusion courtesy of ‘Off Road’, a more downtempo track that sees the producer delve toward deeper pastures.
ABYSSY / DONARRA - CLOSE
ABYSSY aka Mayo Soulomon has, over the years, released records of great interest for Mathematics, New Interplanetary Melodies and many other labels, marked by Detroit and Chicago influences reworked in his personal complex cut.
DONARRA comes to ALLEY VERSION after two beautiful E.P. for Skylax Records and La Chinerie, and recently spotted, with its synth-dark-industrial-punk moniker Cardinal & Nun, on L.I.E.S.
The opening ABYSSY's "Close To Me", an obscure rough track totally jacked with the legendary rhythm sampler E-MU SP1200, is an instant cult. In the following "Lower Michigan Ave", a hypnotic dark plot of analog synthesizers runs on a leftfield rhythm cut, while a whiny female voice condenses the air.
First track of DONARRA's side, "Nostalgie Futuriste", is a surreal sound voyage where are merged Chicago House and Zen atmospheres. In the culminating Detroit style banger "Rivières Lumineuses", the trippy movements of percussions and synthetic melodies are pure magic.
Takeshi Kouzuki / FLML - Tracks From The Alley
From his early cult releases for Mathematics Recordings, Takeshi Kouzuki, as in these new tracks, keeps crossing old school house with his recognizable classy signature. The warm but hitting acid of “福”, opens the Takeshi Kouzuki’s side, while in the second track “1986” deep-and-dark synthetic magic atmospheres are driven by the beating of the twins TR707 and TR727 drum machines. “Yellowacid” burns in its acid-jackin’ madness.
Opening FLML’s side “Hot Spread” is obscure jackin’ techno mechanical psychedelia, the following “Jack That Strings” is a pure raw windy city deep‘n’acid track.
In the closing “Does Mean It’s You” a freaky FM synth melody is driven by the pulsing of liquid and creepy analog synths and drums, while an 8-bit sampled Andy Warhol’s speaking fragment marks the space, until dies in a delay feedback.
FLML - N°5
For the fifth release of the label Alley Version, the E.P. entitled "N°5", the duo FLML explores ambient pop music in raw key, in which are recognizable some house elements, such as synthetic analogue basslines textures coupled with TR707 drums, and influences derived from 80's digi dancehall. All the tracks are performed & recorded live on reel to reel.
FAX FROM BASEMENT - PRICK
One take impro recorded on reel-to-reel in the Alley Version studio, PRICK is the exclusive bandcamp debut single for the electronic band Fax From Basement, formed by Francesco and Marco Leoci aka FLML, and Alessio Corni aka Raoul/Raoh. Inspired by the dirt side of Chicago tracks and early industrial music, PRICK is performed with only 4 gears: Roland SH09, Roland MC202, Roland TR707 and Alesis HR16.
VA - Tracks From The Alley VOL. IV
The fourth installment of the ‘Tracks From The Alley’ series continues to explore the oblique edges of the jacking zone, dragging recognizable primitive elements of dance music through narcotic madness; a possible soundtrack for sleepless nights at the skate park.
Involved in this 4 tracker mini-compilation are the Greek dj/producer DimDj, the Berlin-based Italian producer and part of Sons Of Traders, TANS, the Portugal-based Brazilian Unrealistic Expectations label owner Nothing Was There, and the ALLEY VERSION’s brothers FLML.
