Dekmantel Electro 14 Items

Celebrating the interconnected strands of head-tripping electronica she holds dear, Nadia Struiwigh arrives on Dekmantel with her fourth album of widescreen machine soul. Birds Of Paradise joins the dots between electro, techno, ambient and jungle as a reflection of the symbiotic relationship between the contrasting elements which drive all life on earth - the inescapable and chaotic forces of cause and effect. Echoing the free-spirited approach of electronic music in the mid-90s, it’s an album which rejects absolutes in favour of emotionally honest expression, true to Struiwigh’s deeply felt passion for the sounds and styles which defined her own journey into music. Since first emerging in the wider scene, Struiwigh has ably demonstrated her instinct for different sonic approaches across her accomplished career, whether exploring expansive ambience on album projects or holding down the physical intensity of a residency at Berlin techno temple Tresor. Her 2017 debut album Lenticular on Central Processing Unit most closely resembles the approach on Birds Of Paradise, where introspective beat constructions and nuanced sound design folded into a natural, flowing whole unbound by perceived rules around genre. The narrative flow uses contrasting energies to glide though distinctive spaces, unfolding with the considered pace of a truly immersive listening experience.

From the rich, undulating beatless pastures of ‘jsf48’ to the intricate mechanics of ‘02nd’, the dubby downtempo of ‘cmmn cmmn’ to the crunchy beatdown of ‘Dreamsynth’, the spaces Struiwigh defines on Birds Of Paradise are brilliantly vivid and bound together by an affinity for emotionally-charged ambience. At times the effect is nostalgic, calling to mind the exotic ecosystems of Future Sound Of London or Higher Intelligence Agency, but even these passages are charged with a restless futurism informed by the imagined vistas of science fiction as a comment on the realities of the here and now.

Widely recognised for her expertise in a multitude of production processes (not least her extensive knowledge of outboard gear), Birds Of Paradise pools Struiwigh’s devotion to her craft into an exquisite instant-classic to be savoured and absorbed in the same fashion as so many iconic electronica albums which have come before.

Parrish Smith is never one to let you breathe easy. As a globally renowned DJ, he’s become synonymous with high-velocity sets that cut and collide through his distinct array of obscure sounds. Meanwhile, however, the artist has been carefully constructing his own musical idiom. Manoeuvring his most delicate and most defiant feelings, Light Cruel & Vain (Dekmantel Records, 2022) is the first fruit of that painstaking process. A compilation of ‘imperfect music’, the record is shrouded in the artist’s characteristic veil of mystery. As always, his sound cuts and chokes – sometimes cruelly, sometimes soothingly – yet this record offers a new, longer, lighter gulp of air. Here, Parrish Smith bares his most private process so far: one of personal transformation and becoming a better version of oneself.

Light Cruel & Vain was developed over the course of nearly three years, following nearly a decade of individual experimentation. Where on the one hand, Lc&v reflects an inward pilgrimage (aka Parrish Smith facing the world and Parrish Smith facing Parrish Smith), the project simultaneously reflects the birth and growth of a band. Each track on the record is originally based on a solo idea, moulded and fine-tuned in conversation with contributing musicians Sofiane Brahmi and Javier Vivancos, then finalized by the producer. The collaborative process brought together niches that wouldn’t typically share territory or sound, allowing music to emerge that transcends each of their boundaries. In the making of Lc&v no conventional studio sessions occurred; due to covid-19, the full collaboration process was a remote affair of sharing snippets, (re)working recordings and, most of all, exchanging thoughts and feelings.

Those who know Parrish Smith a little, know his long-standing mantra: ‘No elitism, no prejudices, no genre. Hypnotic, tense, comprehensible – a state of mind.’ It’s this dictum that best describes the Lc&v sound(s). Tapping into all irreverent niches close to his heart – noise, punk, industrial, electronic, and even pop – Parrish Smith refuses to foreground one influence over another, instead layering and warping his personal interpretations of each. To categorize his seeking sound would be to limit the artist who, more than anything, thrives in limbo. ‘You could call it a concept album because the sounds are so far apart. But perhaps that’s not a concept, perhaps that’s just me…’

Parallel to his extensive musical experimentation, the past years have allowed Parrish Smith to zoom in on his writing. The resulting fragments form the foundation of Lc&v’s collage-like, soul-searching lyrics. Never, however, does the artist take his words to the front of stage; instead treating his voice as a malleable instrument, just one of many shifting layers in a bigger picture. The distorted lyrics, as such, are an statement: ‘It’s alright to be insecure about some of your qualities. In fact, the key is to embrace just that, to take matters into your own hands.

2x12" vinyl with printed innersleeves.

"Interstellar Funk has crafted a raw, yet simultaneously hauntingly beautiful and endlessly intricate record. Layers of blended harmonies and melodies form the basis for jettisons into leftfield experimentation, heavily processed drums and oscillating frequencies. The result is as infectious as it is pensive; a transcendental journey into a synth-laden landscape.

A stalwart name on our Dekmantel line-ups and with prior releases on the likes of Rush Hour, Berceuse Heroique and L.I.E.S., Interstellar Funk is synonymous with the more brooding side of Dutch electronica. Akin to his DJ sets, which also glide effortlessly between genre, tempo and sound, Into the Echo is daringly eclectic, combining sung-spoken iterations with hypnotic samples and machinic industrial. The release will be supported by a hardware based live-show tour later in 2022.

Ethereal voices haunt the album, a spectral presence emanating both on the titular track and its eponymous twin, 'Octave Echoes.' The latter is built up around breathy reverberations partnered with steely chords and dissected drumbeats. While 'Crickets at Night,' featuring fellow Amsterdam-based producer Loradeniz, switches pace from ghostly ambient to a pulsating, metronome's tick, clockwork rhythms and eerily looped vocals.

Channelling introspective atmospheres, Into the Echo nevertheless holds steadfast to a club- ready beat and momentous bass. 'Northern Winds,' composed with Jasss, edges along the hardcore continuum, exploding with spiraling percussion and flashes of the pair's shared affinity for electro's gyrating-circuitry and dub's ominous dread. And, ionised by piercing synth and bolts of acid, 'Psycho Panner's occultist refrain climbs to an otherworldly crux.

A homage to the potency of analogue machinery and experimental electronica, Into the Echo fluctuates with organic life, often melding synthetic and acoustic instruments together. Guitar riffs flutter on 'Dreamers' before pattering out into warbling, glacial fragments and 'Last Piece of the Puzzle' features a glockenspiel-esque rhythmic element rising to a harmonic crescendo.

Sleeve Photograpy by Bea1991. "

For Dekmantel Festival 2019, The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision’s RE:VIVE initiative and Dekmantel teamed up for the third time to invite four artists to bring fresh music to a curation of Dutch archival films. As debuted live in Amsterdam’s Eye Filmmuseum, 2019 featured new scores from Safe Trip eclectic left-of-centre DJ / producer, Max Abysmal, 80s pastiche, keyboard wizard duo, Lamellen, Italian contemporary composer and saxophonist, Laura Agnusdei and heavy-hitter, Identified Patient. 2019’s films were as diverse as the invited artists. Three of the films come Academy Award winning Dutch producer, Nico Crama whose collection is held by The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision while Comeback (Poppenfilm) was made by amateur Dutch filmmaker, Otto Laan.
Comes with liner notes inlay and pressed on 180 grams vinyl.

Synergising their respective studio prowesses and harnessing their accomplished hardware artistry has helped establish Neon Chambers as a modern symbiosis of atmospheric, contemporary club sounds, and multi-rhythmic machine-driven sonics, the two producers have set out on the beginning of a new era of electrifying, astute sound design, and breathtaking modern electronic music.
The duo’s debut EP, One is a whirlwind of crushing modern sonics, that is equal parts jagged rave, progressive dub-fuelled two-step and night time-ethereal IDM. Throughout all five-tracks, the producers wield a wicked awareness of state-of-the-art sound design, that makes each kick cerebral, every bass-sound an epic vibration, and every synth a futuristic cacophony of finely-tuned noise. The sounds are an amalgamation of everything that has made each artistic unique in their own right, while correspondingly helping create something new. ‘Apollo’ is a prodigious working of melodic synthesis, with delicate, and rolling breaks, while ‘Cascade’ moves into a more grandiose, heavenly territory, befit with trance-like, precision synthesis. ‘What it takes’ brings on board a more UK, post-dubstep sound, albeit one with more craft, and sonic mastership. ‘Your Touch’ toys once more with atmospheric rolling breaks and solemn vocal samples, while ‘Helles’, the closing track, is an excursion into more compelling, auditory realms.
Neon Chambers is the new project of UK producer Sigha, and French artist Kangding Ray. Sigha, aka. techno producer James Shaw comes from a steadfast background in abstract and grounded techno, with previous works on Token Blueprint, Avian and his own Our Circular Sound imprint. Kangding Ray, aka. David Letellier, has made a career for himself with genre-breaking and experimental sonic adventures that have taken him across such era-defying labels such as Raster-Noton, and Stroboscopic Artefacts. In 2019, he also started his own imprint ara for more bespoke, avant-garde releases. The duo came together to create Neon Chambers to further extend their analogous ambitions, and create bigger, and more daring live and audiovisual performances.

French wielder of exotic machine music Epsilove debuts a full EP of sensuous, melodic electro on Dekmantel. Formerly one-half of Syracuse, Isabelle Maitre depicts a vision of daring, yet euphoric vocal-led, dreamy electro that oscillates with sturdier, warehouse sounds full of heaving 808s, and experimental qualities.
‘Time is the longest distance’ preaches the qualities that brought Antinote’s Epsilove to the distinguished status she has today. It is the sound of chic dancers, shuffling-together leisurely under neon lights, pressing against each other along to nostalgic acid basslines, interstellar synths, and dreamy, cinematic vocals. Rich with harmony, emotion, and cold-wave sensuality. ’Sea Snakes’ pulses faster under a Drexciyan dream-state, painting kaleidoscopic motifs, as the 808 rattles out multi-paced tempos, driving levels of uncompromising Detroit velocities, through to Lynchian-mirror-world listlessness. It’s an acid-acid test of colourful, pulsing electro.
On the remixes are fellow Parisian’s Ali Bobo (Bruits De La Passion) and Shelter (Bigwax Records), who rework ‘Time is the longest distance’ into something more sinister, reflecting the dystopic IDM aesthetics of early Rephlex Records with playful, darkened electronics. The more elusive pairing of French producer HAJJ (Dawn Records) and Lastrack (BFDM) meanwhile, team up to turn ‘Sea Snakes’ into something that harkens towards the world of Warp-like experimental and progressive contemporary post-trap, and breakbeats.
"À dix mètres sous moi, l'eau invisible. Entre l'eau et la brume, pas de frontière, la brume aussi lourde que l'eau, l'eau aussi irréelle que la brume. Passage dans un autre monde, transition par une osmose où toute forme ancienne est désagrégée et dissoute.” Raymond Abellio, Heureux les Pacifiques (1946)

The second edition of Dekmantel’s foray into the era-defining, trans-Atlantic, cult techno label that is Djax-Up-Beats, comes another re-issue of classic 90s cuts.
The label say "The Dutch label was responsible for releasing some of underground’s most foundational dance music, mixing together Chicago and European artists alike, and acting as the launchpad for some of today’s biggest producers. Featuring offerings from luminaries such as Felix Da Housecat, and Glenn Underground, alongside veterans such as Steve Poindexter, and DJ Skull, this second EP highlights the classic label’s old-school’s sound, while showcasing its diverse range, from dubbier, ambient moments, to wall-thumping, body crushing house force. Timeless music, repressed, and re-released for a new generation of DJs who covet the classic machine music.
The second re-issue EPs, offer a more introspective look at the label’s earlier releases. Leading Volume 2 is Terrace’s 'Bewitched', to which DJ Richard has described as being the defining track of the label’s beginnings with its "dreamy, Detroit-style techno mixed with the harder rave elements of Northern Europe”. Glenn Underground’s bass-roller 'Real Space' weaves together soulful passion and Chicago prime beats, while Felix Da Housecat’s Temptation — originally from 1993 — gets a well earned re-release, reminding us of the soulful, deep and lustful energy the producer once had. China White, whose name doesn’t get banded around as much as it should nowadays, see their ethereal hit 'Theme from the Underground' get another opportunity to bliss out the more upbeat rave community.
The energy turns darker with Frank de Groodt’s The Operator, breaking the outer-most barriers of electro-techno, with 'The Mind Strike'. Chicago and Dance Mania’s Steve Poindexter turns out rolling, dance-energy bomb 'Body Jam', while Mike Dearborn’s deliverance of unreal, dry techno in 'Deviant Behaviour' runs aplomb with classic drum-machine pulses, claps, and uncomfortable, yet punishing melodies. DJ Skull’s 'Don’t stop the beat' rides the EP with gushings of hand claps, and gentle, early 90s warm techno color, that transport you back to a time of more informed, and conscious electronic musings, a feeling that embodies Djax’s heyday.
Founded in Eindhoven at the turn of the 90s, Djax-Up-Beats quickly earned an international reputation for being a key source of Chicago house, acid techno, and floor-filling, heavy-hitting, straight up underground 12”s. It’s a sound that spawned the sonic aesthetics of today, and can be heard in the left field techno productions of the likes of Bjarki, Salon des Amateurs and other erstwhile analog junkies."

Territroy, the Greek duo of Panagiotis Melidis (Larry Gus / DFA Records) and Stathis Kalatzis (formerly Mr. Statik), release their first album Skulls & Plants on Dekmantel’s UFO label. A collection of experimental and spacious deep techno, psychedelic ambiance and compelling drums that draw you into a unique world of rhythmic sound and expect in DJ sets from Lena Willikens, Helena Hauff, and Vatican Shadow.
As starting point for their music the duo points at the AGET Heracles Cement Factory Plant in Volos, Magnesia. The factory is a metaphor that processes the land itself, ignites it in a cancerous way then dumps it into the sea and the atmosphere. It’s a combination of all possible scenarios of optimism and negativity, the essence of trying to do the best for everyone, but accidentally killing everyone in the process. That contrasting duality is mirrored in Territroy. What ties them is a constant rhythmic element that is persistent and comes from growing up in Greece and absorbing the rhythmic specificities of Southern Europe and unique Mediterranean attitudes.

Taken from the forthcoming Dekmantel LP Center Parcs by esoteric Dutch production duo Betonkust & Palmbomen II, comes the 'Leo/ Mirjam’. The track is a rendition of upbeat-melancholic, future- retroism, and a slice of saturated house music. The flip features a special, unyielding, acid-tempo rework by Legowelt. Likely to vanish soon.. TIP!

Super solid and hand-selected line-up on number 9: Tracks by Bufiman (Wolf Müller), Betonkust & Palmbomen II, Space Dimension Controller and Lena Willikens! Tip!!!!
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Dekmantel’s goings on in the world of events, festivals, and great music, the team behind the label have been releasing a record a month featuring some of their favourite artists, as part of a ten-year anniversary series collection. Featuring acts close to the label’s collective, debuts, and legacy talents the crew have always wanted to sign, the series has seen the likes of Gigi Masin, Call Super, Fatima Yamaha, and more. This penultimate EP, sees Dekmantel debut releases by Lena Willikens, Space Dimension Controller, and Dutch lo-fi star Betonkust and Palmbomen, in addition to a special cut by Bufiman.
The EP kicks off with a new track by Salon Des Amateurs resident Bufiman — real name Jan Schulte — who also goes by Wolf Müller. 'Hymn to the Moonface' ensures that percussion comes first and foremost, in this upbeat, prog-breaks, jaunty, summer cut following up on his Dekmantel debut "Peace Moves". Dutch duo Betonkust and Palmbomen release their first track on Dekmantel with 'Onrust Bij Tihange' - an ode to the Tihange Nuclear Power Station in Belgium. Specialists in crafting lo-fi, nostalgic sounds, Betonkust and Palmbomen do what they do best, with a pulsing, analog, nostalgic electro track that sounds as if its been fed through a VHS player, a top of recording of Miami Vice. What happened at Tihange through is another question.
Belfast-producer Space Dimension Controller, a.k.a. Jack Hamill adds some galactic, space-flare, mid-tempo, D-funk to the flip side. With a debut EP dropping on Dekmantel soon, SDC contributes one of his most beautiful compositions to date, highlighting his flair for melody, blending it astutely together with rich techno hat and snare combos. Concluding the record, is Dekmantel favourite, Lena Willikens. After so many appearances across so many of Dekmantel festivals, it’s a pleasure to have the astute selector release a rare production on the label. Willikens' dark wavey cut is something one would expect to hear in one of her sets, sounding like a modern take of a long-forgotten, and unknown krautrock band.

Tidy Line-up including Randomer, Gilb’R, Voiski and Tolouse Low Trax...TIP!

In terms of experimental, techno, very few come close to the impact that this UK producer has had on the scene. With a sound that is rarely classifiable, Randomer’s Dekmantel contribution is a staggered, minimally-twisted, dark, kind-of-two step, awesome thing. Versatile Records’ Gilb’R has found himself an integral part of the Dutch scene since moving to Amsterdam, and brings forth his organic, percussive grooves that have helped define his music, and label to date. Salon Des Amateurs’ Tolouse Low Trax provides a seasoned session of amniotic, grizzled, hypnotic post-everything music, that is eerily discomforting and wonderfully pleasurable at the same time. And on the EP’s fourth track, Parisian techno wizard, Voiski adds layered organic, futuristic loops that work to stale the progress of time, and space.

To date the 10-year anniversary series has seen new releases by the likes of The Egyptian Lover, Levon Vincent, Gigi Masin, Fatima Yamaha, Burnt Friedman, and many more. Each record is held together by stylistic glue, touching upon the varying facets that come to define Dekmantel as a label, and event series. Along the way, many pioneering artists have been brought under the Dekmantel umbrella, making their debuts on the label – and this, the seventh EP is of no exception, with Gilb’R, and Tolouse Low Trax all releasing their first full tracks with the Dutch imprint, while Randomer and Voiski, having previously released on Dekmantel’s UFO techno side imprint, are also brought into the main fold.

On EP5, legendary German musician Burnt Friedman makes his Dekmantel Records debut with ‘Monsun’. The Berlin based artist, who built a reputation for himself through his explorations into obscure, finely-tuned, experimental dub through his label Nonplace, alongside his collaborative relationship with the late Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit, is one of the crucial, sonic manipulators of our time. ‘Monsun’ finds Friedman crafting flowing, percussive, dub techno that is both esoteric, and progressive. Befitting of a Dekmantel release. Alongside Friedman sits legendary Detroit act Ectomorph, aka. BMG & Erika, also making their Dekmantel inauguration, with a record that surmises’ the group’s anologue, style of Motor City beats.

There would be no Dekmantel celebration without longtime family members, JuJu & Jordash. With three LPs and countless EPs released on the imprint to date, alongside a sleuth of festival, and party appearances, the improvisational duo have become masters of off-kilter, and poly-rhytmic electronic funk, of which ‘Neon Swing’ -a fast-paced and extremely invigorative cut- is of prime example. And then there’s Dekmantel favourite Fatima Yamaha – an artist who has a keen ear for gentle, analogue hooks that have gone to become ample festival fodder. The Dutchman maintains an ear for the serene with the track ‘Platforms’, a sullen, yet beautiful ambient track, the drives deep into the emotive world of soft, tender, heartfelt music.

Following celebrated compilations from Motor City Drum Ensemble and Young Marco – and with the second edition of its limited-capacity festival in Croatia right around the corner – Dekmantel’s Selectors series now continues with an edition curated by Marcel Dettmann
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Although he’s now known as one of the world’s most celebrated techno artists, even Marcel Dettmann had to start somewhere. Long before he ever held court at Berghain (or its predecessor, Ostgut), he was just another young boy in Eastern Germany, one whose earliest encounters with capitalism involved spending every penny he could scrape together down at the local record shop. In those days, it wasn’t techno that got him excited, but new wave, post-punk, industrial and EBM acts like Front 242 and Depeche Mode

“It’s music from my childhood,” says Dettmann. “It’s still relevant and still inspires me.” That inspiration can be heard across this edition of the Selectors series, as Dettmann has put together what he describes as a “pre-techno compilation.” Much like the previous Selectors editions, the compilation is not a mix CD, but a collection of tracks hand picked by Dettmann from his own vinyl archives. Freshly remastered – and occasionally reworked or re-edited by Dettmann himself – the songs here are undoubtedly vintage gems, but they also represent a very personal journey into Dettmann’s past.

“It was a great opportunity to dig deeper into my own musical outlook,” he explains. “The tracks come from a time before Marcel Dettmann became a DJ.” Simply put, the songs here are some of the building blocks upon which he’s built an incredibly storied career, and now he’d like to entrust them to future generations.