Passing by: Echaskech, Kangding Ray, Textural Being, Edanticonf & Jesse Somfay

Echaskech – Form | Function

Echaskech are long overdue a new album and news of their latest masterpiece, ‘Origin’ landed in my inbox last week. It’s been on repeat ever since and i’m working on a full review, but until then you can get a small tantalising node of Ech with an EP titled ‘Form | Function’ – set to be released on the 17th Feb prior to the full album dropping on 24th Feb. Keep your eye on Just Music for more news.

Kangding Ray – History of Obscurity

I’ve got to admit i’ve always been a bit reactive with Kangding Ray’s releases. Sometimes they’re a little too much for my liking and need a certain mood (one which i’m not always in). But the video for the track ‘History Of Obscurity’ confirms what many reviews were reporting – that “the different sequences (from the upcoming album) are arranged seamlessly into dense, evolving compositions, while keeping their autonomy,”. Perhaps this is a clever way of saying this album will span a few styles of techno? Either way, this is one album I will be positively pursuing. ‘History of Obscurity’ will be released on February 24th via Raster Noton.

Textural Being – Cranberry

Textural Being has become synonymous with dreamy dub-techno, so it’s a rather pleasant surprise to see him creep out of this title slightly. This EP, uploaded to Soundcloud as a free download sees Sage experimenting with percussion, leaving the bubbly beats alone and creeping into a funkier, more techy vibe. Download on Soundcloud.

Edanticonf – The Boundary of Nowhere Land

Silent Season’s latext vinyl issue is a euphoric and expansive techno piece. This is the kind of stuff you lose yourself with – in amongst a dense forest surrounded by nature and solitude. And i’m pretty sure that’s exactly what Silent Season and Edanticonf are hoping for. Look out for a full review soon – i’m waiting for my LP to drop through the door any day now. See Silentseason.com for more info.

Jesse Somfay – Love Affair With The Moon.

Jesse Somfay has had somewhat of a revival with his most recent electronic ventures as Borealis. I’ve been a big fan of him since his very early releases on Traum and his melodic techno back then was every bit as unique as his recent electronic onslaught under the Borealis name. Just like 2005’s ‘Between Heartbeats’ and 2009’s ‘A Catch In The Voice’, his first release on Archipel, ‘Love Affair With The Moon’ is beautifully rewarding minimal techno. Recently uploaded to Soundcloud, you can download the release for free over at Archipel.

“As the sun rises over a perfectly calm ocean, pink popcorn clouds spackle the sky and an ethereal moon grows weary and sets as sand blows around with a gentle breeze”

Passing by: Winter Flags, Blair French, Need A Name, Hammock & Doyeq

Winter Flags and Blair French

John Beltran recently launched a new label, titled ‘Dado Records’ the label’s focus is on film music, spanning a variety of genres from cinematic to ambient and rock. I’ve found it hard to keep up with the relentless amount of talent it’s put forward so far but two artists jumped out.

Winter Flags self-titled album – a cross between Bonobo, Bibio, Tycho and I guess, the man himself, John Beltran, it’s packed full of gentle melodies, subtle percussion and all-around good vibes.

And forthcoming, an artist called Blair French, who’s sampler below sounds pretty spectacular. Some beautiful textures spanning all types of ambient styles, from instrumental to tape-loops. More info and links to buy via Dado Records website.

Need A Name – 2013 Collection

Talking of relentless production, Need A Name had a busy 2013 and I for one struggled to keep up with many of his releases. Luckily, Dario has put together this 2013 originals collection for ‘name your price’ on Bandcamp. Take a stroll through his sun-kissed beats and colourful palettes in this 13-track compilation. Download.

Hammock – An Introduction to Hammock

Another artist collection, this time from our favourite heart-wrenching duo, Hammock. I probably don’t need to praise these guys any more on here – i’m confident many of you are familiar with Hammock’s post-rock lullabies, but again, for ‘name your price’ this is a compilation that can’t be missed. Especially as it has my favourite track from their 2013 album Oblivion Hymns- ‘Then the Quiet Explosion’. Download.

Doyeq – soundsphere

Lastly, no ‘Passing By’ post is complete without some dub-techno. This one, coming from the consistent Subspiele label, with Doyeq – two guys from Moscow running on a world of “Moog Voyagers, Virus ti2, TC Electronic M3000… and no VSTi’s”. Lively and energetic, ‘soundsphere’ captures a classic dub-techno sound verging on minimal techno, reminding me of the likes of Mule Electronic’s outputs.Download.

Photo – the original to Doyeq’s artwork, by photographer malte.