Trent Voyage Elena Moroder
Parasol

Ukrainian producer and DJ Sider returns to the catalog with another ethno-techno filled four tracker!The release contains tracks that were written while traveling the world. Inspired by his favourite places- Indonesia and Sri Lanka, these tracks contain live field recordings from his travels beautifully blending techno, trance, drum & bass, amdient, electro and breaks!Halted by the travesty of war, traveling through sound has become more essential than ever. This beautiful EP represents the strong artistic culture of the many Ukrainians that are no longer able to travel physically around the world but continue to traverse soundscapes, continuing to dream and create.

Across these 7 untitled tracks (as is the modus of all blundar releases) the producer known as Unfinished Portraits crafts a coherent album experience that is equal parts empty space and density. Working in a seemingly collage-like fashion, the opening track juxtaposes rhythmic elements that just barely fit together; declaring upon entrance that all expectations from here on out are futile. Tension builds through a sparse palette of sounds both tactile and atmospheric. Dry, isolated clicks of digital clean trickling through a humming industrial space. Segments are abstract on their own, but stitched together still form an elegant whole. Just when you think you’re getting lost into avant experimentation, something cuts in to surprising effect. It feels “live” in a way only improvised music can.And there is a conceptual sense of humor in letting the seams of the process lay bare. A string section builds only to be cut short upon completion. A field recording is audibly (i.e. intentionally) looped. The listener is made aware of the illusion and manipulations that ‘music’ creates in the same way Martin Margiela handled ‘fashion’ - with a postmodern kind of wit.Hailing from Cairo but residing in Argentina, Unfinished Portraits could easily exude upon a dual exoticism in nationalities and climates. This is however not on the agenda, as for where this artist truly resides, is in the hypertextual realm of late capitalism. Identity loss, internet culture, the aesthetic of sadness and the Warp Records catalogue all come into play.No matter what city, the urban landscape is always concrete and glass. And as the sleeve photo suggests - a picture of a former park turned to rubble in the process of housing developments - all cities are essentially unfinished.

The Ossario EP presents four serpentine and labyrinthine techno tracks produced between 2019-20 by Andrea Bonalumi, also known as Big Hands. The title is an homage to San Bernardino alle Ossa in Bonalumi’s hometown of Milan, and personifies the ethereal and opaque atmosphere of his ouevre.Stylistically ‘Girde Maye/Astere’ embodies the interrelation between his Milanese roots and adopted home of London. Recorded one summer evening in Bow, it includes an original vocal by a Turkish immigrant, spoken in Italian - a paean to an unrealised, borderless world. This is followed by the pendulous, mutating bell tones of ’Modulo’, a fragmented and abstract epic of sublime beauty that defies easy categorisation.On ‘Oscillation’ the producer explores polyrhythms, which also functions as a tool for DJs to transition between tempos. The undulating groove of ’Cariatide’ rounds out the EP, a statement from a talented producer who deftly crafts a soundworld which is at once contemporary and historical.

Fastforward 2023, back on the highway with four twisted tracks from Rupert Marnie. The Hamburg based producer with a weakness for spicy japanese food and science fiction novels is part of The Press Group label and Remoto Recordshop, which both has been close to the LV musical mind and hearts – delivers the stuff we want to play with. Fail we may, sail we must.

Iro Aka are back on Hivern with the last installment of the trilogy that started back in 2020 with "El Passatge de les Ombres". The present album, "Planet Earth", which will also be released on CD, showcases a new side of the catalan duo. The seven songs share a clinical approach in sound design of both percussion and ambiances. Cuts like the opener "14.696" build up slowly while "Aquamarine", one of the singles, showcases a more euphoric side of the project. This combination of tension, spaced out beats and hypnotic cuts reflects Iro Aka's commitment to creating a cohesive and immersive work that rewards thorough listens. Illustration by Vica Pacheco and design by Eenyakee.

Futuristic electro by Gerald Donald (Dopplereffekt, Drexciya) and Beta Evers, originally released on Weme, including a previously unreleased track.