Cosmee
Groovy Tangle

The new LP by Krefeld-born, Berlin-based artist Philipp Otterbach entitled 'The Dahlem Diaries'.Recorded in a little-visited corner of the German capital, 'The Dahlem Diaries' is a convergence of ideas, sketches and tracks, both old and new, most of which were produced between 2020-2022. Whilst eerie atmospheres, electronics and drums have played a pivotal role in Philipp’s earlier releases, his latest is a rather more introspective affair, in which the guitar takes a leading role. A role Otterbach uses to quietly bring light and hope to his music.Speaking about his writing process, Philipp explains that, based around his original compositions, “Friends were nice enough to contribute additional parts on their instruments which I then reworked, put together and re-contextualized. The recordings encapsulate a very specific moment in time, one that would have sounded perhaps very different the day before or after.”Combined with a strong use of effects and field recordings, 'The Dahlem Diaries' feels somewhat like a scene or fragment from a story, in which the narrative remains undefined. It is a playful album that is something of a blurred underwater adventure, sounding as bright as it is hazy, even psychedelic at times, yet with an almost melancholic positivity. In Philipp’s own words: “It could be an album about friendship and being at one with myself, whilst at the same time bringing a certain seriousness to my music, but not necessarily to myself; there is also a playful humour hidden in there. ”Artwork by David McFarline.

Merrin Karras’ 2020 foray into extended compositions combining his Berlin School tendencies and expansive ambient is finally pressed-up on cloudy transparent 12”. Remastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri and featuring revisited art by Noah M / Keep Adding. ~Conceived and composed in two days, Silent Planet is Brendan's first attempt at a fully continuous piece of music. Normally, albums under his Merrin Karras guise take many months, if not years, to put together:"I wanted to challenge myself to create a mini-album in a short amount of time, not to think too much about it, but just to let it flow and see what happened. Everything was created in one project, but it's comprised of six distinct sections. Several motifs and elements are re-used at various points throughout the work. It's also the first time that I've used percussion elements in a Merrin Karras work".The mood spans from brooding to almost Balearic at points, with strong elements of Berlin School and Space Music, classic Trance, and Ambient all intertwined.

When was the last time you were Hearing Colours? Long term music companions, and more importantly close friends, Felipe Valenzuela and Argenis Brito unite once more for their collaboration project - FAER, showcasing their timeless chemistry. This time the Berlin based duo have created an innovative four track EP, “The Fraud Era” and it is ready to see the light of day on the blossoming Hearing Colours label which is co-founded by Felipe himself, and Miami based Max Kraushaar. Opener “Space Cuts” is a serious and gritty number, with real tenacity, hypnotic synths melt into the snappy and crisp broken drums. Squelchy acid bass leads you down a path of curiosity in “Trick Or Trick”, before being met with an intricate groove that enables you to release the tension. Two dancefloor dynamic tracks, both in their own right. The B side showcases the more eclectic and complex side to the pair's productions. Mysterious tones and atmospheres continuously evolve in “Inmersion”, creating an otherworldly yet infectious mood. Mechanical whirrs and bleeps maneuver their way around a glitchy body in the final track, “Fraud Era”. Trippy and eccentric energy for the after party hours, intelligently arranged by two masters of their craft. Since their well received “Internal Jokes And Other Matters'' EP on Raum Musik... tastemakers have been patiently waiting for the next FAER encounter, and this will undoubtedly wroth the wait.

The Swedish/Dutch label De Vloer is back with its signature sound of floor focused dub, produced by the label owners themselves.

Originally released in the mid 80's on UK cassette label Bite Back!, this nearly lost gem finds new life 30 years later on Cocktail D'Amore Music. Steve has cobbled together a superbly melancholic electronic concept album. Wistful melodies often evoke sentiments of a lost childhood and hazy English mornings. Each song within remains untitled allowing full perceptive freedom as to what they all communicate, a language for the feelings that have no name. Untitled A1 - A6 leads one along intimate soundscapes of pattering drums and tinkering piano, a sense of closeness and trust develops with the introduction of each new idea much like the beginning of a bed time story. Untitled B1 - B3 then begin to breathe more openly awash in angelic colours before abruptly turning downward on B4, a wall of booming drums and atmospheres from the furthest reaches of the galaxy before the last trio of songs settles gently back on Earth.

With her DJing and creative project Automagicalley​ on hiatus, Adi’s 2020 ​has been home to a slower kind of alchemy - the creative processing of two years’ worth of musical sense impressions into the basic fact of a needle on a record.Our dear Walrus tells the story best:“Adi picked me up from El Dorado airport around Christmas 2018. I remember that moment stuck in a hot summer traffic jam, both of us laughing at the rattling from the trunk of her dad’s car - good ears! That evening we played outside under a lemon tree at one of the first Automagicalley events, a wonderful b2b full of curiosity and honesty about art, spirituality and life. Fast forward through some Europe trips - of course including a Basic Moves party - and we arrive at this mini album. The fruit of half a year of friendly exchange between Adi, me and our magical mix engineer Chris ‘Funk’ Ferreira, it reveals Adi’s authentic spirit - always moving, forever creating and endlessly believing.”Adi herself explains the many emotions and headspaces influencing her process: the self-reflective loop of lockdown, the ebb and flow of working alone and with others, the despair of conflict and endings, the dizzy optimism of a Don Cherry album. Now these feeling-frequencies can be heard even louder around the globe.