Review: Geistform - Tension E.P (Hands Productions)

Artist: GEISTFORM
Album: TENSION
Label: HANDS PRODUCTIONS

Geistform is Spanish rhythmic noise, techno, and breakbeat musician Rafael Martinez Espinosa he is no stranger to the industrial techno scene. 

This 4 track E.P is industrial techno at its best. i love the attention to detail in this release and the constant shifting of analog rhythms. My favourite track off this E.P has to be Dark Matter. 

Absolutley amazing work and i really hope to hear more from this artist very soon.

8.5/10

https://www.facebook.com/Geistform/ 

Review: Syntech ‎– Only Ruins Remain / Decade (Hands Productions)

Artist: SYNTECH
Album: ONLY RUINS REMAIN / DECADE
Label: HANDS PRODUCTIONS

Syntech is the Project of German Artists Bjoern Boysen & Steffen Lehmann of the Greyhound fame, This double CD album Release is absolutely relentless and a uncompromising attack of distorted tribal rhythms and sledge hammer kick drums. The First CD is weighs in at 14 tracks of pure gold, the second CD is a remix CD with a vast amount of very different remixes of some amazing artists and names in the genre such as Philipp Muench, Dirk Geiger, Dirty K,Totakeke and  Mortal Void to name a few. 

This kind of sound is exactly what the scene is missing. 

Exellent work! 

8/10

https://www.facebook.com/Greyhound.Syntech/
 

Review: Ecstasphere - Feed Your Head (Raumklang)

Artist: ECSTASPHERE 
Album: FEED YOUR HEAD
Label: RAUMKLANG

Ecstasphere is the fairly new project of German based Ophelia The Suffering. Feed your head is the long awaited debut release on the new label Raumklang, I have been looking forward to hearing this,
it has 13 tracks, it's a very accessible release and has beautiful progression through out, for a new project, the Ecstasphere sound stands up there with the big names of the scene.What keeps ones attention is the fine detail track to track and the way it builds from start to finish, the haunting piano lines in Track 1 entitled "Our Souls" and the errie vocals layered upon driving drone soundscapes set the pace. Then the big noisey kick drums come in, with layers of fractured rhythms, breaks and harsh marching percussion.It is really hard to pick my favourites from this release as it was a great pleasure to listen to from start to finish, this will keep any avid listener very very  happy. 

Look out for Ophelia touring her new release, you will not be dissapointed.

9/10

http://raumklangmusic.bandcamp.com/album/feed-your-head

 

Review: Monolith - Crashed (Hands Productions)

 Artist: MONOLITH

Album: CRASHED
Label: HANDS

Monolith is one of many monikers of Berlin based Eric Van Wonterghem if you have been on the scene for aslong as i have you will know Eric is no stranger to this scene, with dance floor destroyers  like Disco Buddha under his belt  you will know exactly what to expect from this guy, although its been a while since a full time release for Monolith.

this year he shows the release of his brand new album entitled Crashed on the HANDS label. This release has 11 tracks of pure gold,

The album starts with a track called No Escape, its a nice analogue noisescape with big clean pad strikes,  it sets a nice pace for the rest of the album, however,

Eric doesn't waste any time getting down and dirty with the tribal percussion and distorted techno beats that we have all grown to love over the years as heard on track 2 Rotated, Tracks 3 and 4 are pacey numbers but unlike Rotated, takes its time from pure progression right into a mind losing climax, track number 5 and 6  are  slightly more chaotic, then comes track 7 the album title track Crashed, this will for sure be a new dancefloor anthem worldwide, its crushing groovy rhythm, acid bass and vocal fx reminds me of how techno used to sound but way more advanced and updated,track 8 Wired keeps the same monolith format but adds flickers of psychodelic trippy and ambient grooves making its way right through the track, tracks 9 and 10 have more of a minimal techno approach, whilst the finishing track 11 has a 4x4 psychodelic techno feel but is fluid like the rest of the release and has heaps of progression throughout its 9 miniutes and 59 seconds. Over all this album is absolutely stunning, most of Eric's peers should listen to this and take note.

10/10

https://www.facebook.com/technobuddha

Review: Le Moderniste - Too Rough Is Never Enough (Hands Productions)

Artist:  LE MODERNISTE

Album: TOO ROUGH IS NEVER ENOUGH
Label : HANDS  PRODUCTIONS

Le Moderniste is a project of Laurent Delogne based in Belgium. Laurent has had a number of releases on a wealth of different labels such has Le Petit Machiniste, Soviet Media Kontrol and Modern Tinnitus Theory, however this is the first release on HANDS Productions.There is 17 tracks on this release and is a mixture of very distorted rhythmic noise mixed with harsh spikes, monotonous and dense soundscape's, whilst the tracks on this album have very powerful and distorted beat structures, it is very repetitive and somewhat flat and the same all the way through. I think it would probably work a hell of a lot better in a club environment. If this had have been released around 7 years ago i would be raging over this. If i had to pick 3 tracks that i liked from this album it would be track 2 At the edge of the end, track 5 Say My Name  and track 13 Rupture. Over all as a new artist on hands the album does not  bring anything new to the genre, in places it reminds me of the legendary Greyhound but not to that standard and  sounds a bit rushed in places..

6.5/10

https://www.facebook.com/lemoderniste

Review: Tapewyrm - House Of Cards E.P (Juggernaut Music Group)

 

Artist: TAPEWYRM
E.P: HOUSE OF CARDS
Label : JUGGERNAUT MUSIC GROUP

Tapewyrm is the brainchild of  UK based Michael Drayven.

This release is the first since being signed to the new UK label Juggernaut Music Group, it consists of 5 tracks. House of Cards through and through is a lofi rhythmic noise assault with heavy power electronic and angry distortion. Its infact a pure progression from the last releases, needless to say Michael is stepping up his game somewhat. 

The first track is the title track house of cards the track has a solid structure with guest vocals from Tiffanie Wells of the UK based duo Beinaheleidenschaftsgegenstand.

Track 2 chasing ghosts and track 3 careless are full on brutal, fluid lofi noise at its best. 

The thing i love about Tapewyrm is its unique, refreshing and has its own originality and there is no copy cat stuff going on here, however i think the sound of Tapewyrm would fit well to seminal german label Ant-Zen, Tracks 4 and 5 are remixes by the likes of the  UK rhythm and noise act Dirty K  and UK artist Ruinizer (CE Digest) overall this release is strong, I hope to see a full length album from this guy very soon.

8/10

https://www.facebook.com/Tapewyrmofficial