Joey Fdh
Level 7

EYA Records gets off to a strong start of 2022 by inviting ‘The Nothing Special’ producer Oli Silva and Argentinian hardware maestro Manuk for their 16th release.A1 ‘ Mirage man’ by Manuk is a wonderful, expressive techno and trance infused number, while A2 ‘Mutant Mindset’ by Oli Silva has a raw breakbeat impact with classy eerie chords,haunting vocals and a killer bassine.B1 is the result of the joint effort by the two producers, ‘Multiple Minglings’ is a very impactful psychedelic journey. The EP is completed by a ‘Freestyle’ remix of B1 by UK legendary producer Dave Campbell aka HI-Ryze.

Having made his debut with the track ‘Sky Stepping’ on ‘Of Paradise Vol. 2’, Will Lister now cements his status as a full time family member with the release of his ‘Glow EP’, a masterful four-tracker that firmly establishes this young talent as one to watch in 2020 and beyond.Kicking off the A-side is ‘Glow’ a cinematic and expansive slice of deftly produced electronica. Pattering synths and glistening melodies work in unison with full-bodied drums and intricate percussion to create an atmospheric and intoxicating journey through sound and rhythm. Following this is ‘Pleasant Air’ a deconstructed and slightly frantic house number. Playful melodies, stumbling drums and urgent percussion all work together to build a wonderfully colourful yet sinister landscape of sound.The flipside launches with ‘Patience’, a spiralling and constantly building breaks affair that pushes the release into darker territory and showcases a rich new layer to Lister’s dynamic and expansive sound. Closing out the EP is ‘Forth’ an expertly crafted piece of electronic music that sits somewhere between deconstructed house, techno and breaks. Jagged drums, razor sharp percussion and sentient synths cut through the smoke like the distress signal from a long lost starship, as Lister pushes things into uncharted territory and brings the lights down on a breathtaking collection of future music.

Boredom, anxiety, painkillers and frustration make a heady mix for both reflection and action. For three weeks I stared out of the window of the tower block onto the tall brick towers of the old asylum chimneys. The past was a strange land suddenly out of reach, the present confusing and claustrophobic, the future something I could only visualise and idolise. From the balmy Autumn day of my release a light was switched on, buzzing urgently like a neon street lamp on my path. Life took on new vigour and meaning. Pleasures starkly illuminated, annoyances inconsequential. Old work was re-examined and appreciated. Machines treasured and connected. My basement filled with ever greater warmth and excitement. The toy towns of our inner minds are constructed of a million tiny building blocks of experience.There’s a freedom that comes from realising what might have been. Peace in reflection, and I take pleasure in the hum drum. Unhampered by trends, untethered to a scene, stripped back to essential carnal influences and desires.Who are we but the sum of our experience. ‘Everything Is Quite Now’ meanders through a reimagined landscape of personal history, releasing musical fragments to drift among soaring treetops, hollowed lakes and labyrinthine concrete structures, liberated from genre and form – alive at last. In these great expanses, light and dark are presented not as polar opposites, but as a limitless, unified whole. References to EBM and industrial techno manifest within the sporadic percussive framework whilst gauzy ambient backdrops form an entire world of their own, constructed from the gentle hiss of a looping tape, the booming caverns of a muffled kick, the vivid distortions of a crystalline synth. In the depths of a misty forest, warmth permeates, absorbing inside it all of the darkness, pain, romance and beauty from before.

2nd release from the Berlin based label “Overground”

SAISEI founder Junki Inoue continues his vital archival work uncovering the riches of Japan’s distinctive electronic music scene and bringing them to new audiences around the world. The Sounds Of Transonic compiles six tracks recorded in Tokyo between 1991 and 1995 and released by the pioneering Transonic label, founded in 1994 by Kazunao Nagata and active until 2004.Transonic’s catalogue is a glittering roll call of the scene’s major players, whose inventive and genre-blending work established forward-thinking house and techno in Japan in a way that would shape the country’s electronic sound for years to come. Transonic was instrumental in giving exposure to the work of these artists with its emblematic series of CD compilations, released over a short couple of years in the mid 90s. Beginning with 970-1450km/h, Feedback and Range, the series also included The Roots Of Transonic, featuring music from parent label Trigger. Alongside these compilations came much sought-after solo albums each packaged with striking cover art that makes the discs a visual treat for collectors to this day.The Sounds Of Transonic brings together six tracks from the catalogue into one breath-taking package. The influence of hi-tech jazz and machine funk from Detroit is undeniable in ‘Dream Trance’ (Mind Design) and ‘Blasting Soul’ (Interferon), while ‘Under The Ground’ (Palomatic) and ‘Chelsea’ (Suzukiski) are permeated by the artificial intelligence and trip hop emanating from the UK at the time. The compilation is bookended by two tracks by Nagata himself (as Organization): ‘Space Ball’, a Model 500-worthy chase through the cosmos, and ‘Call’, an eerie echo of Kraftwerk’s telephone, transmitting expectantly out into the void and, finally, receiving its celestial answer.With The Sounds Of Transonic these formative pieces of music will now be available internationally and, for the first time, on vinyl.SAISEI is a Japanese word which translates to ‘reproduction’ and ‘to play’ (as in playing records). Japanese culture is widely known for its traditional nature just as much as it is for being forward into the future and this label’s concept does justice to exactly that. Having started digging for records as early as 16 years old, Inoue delved into productions from 1990s Japan to uncover these native gems. SAISEI’s core concept is to recapture and reintroduce unique pieces of Japanese electronic music onto vinyl, to an audience it never reached before as most of this music was only released in Japan.