Rave4evar Electronic & Dance 3 Items

Following the release of Limewax's Untitled and Speed Dealer Moms' Sdm-la8-441-114-211, Trickfinger and Aura T-09's Evar Records imprint is keeping its foot on the gas, officially introducing the arrival of its sub-label, Rave4evar. Embracing more of an outlaw mindset, Rave4evar was created as a place for rebellion to collide with rave, offering refuge for off-the-cuff releases, special projects and occasional one-off collaborations.

Ushering in the sub-label's inaugural release, Rave4evar is proud to present Chicago-based DJ, producer and new media artist S4m23's debut EP, Angelface. The five-track project, set to arrive on July 2nd via a limited edition cassette and digital download, combines haunting vocals with pounding kicks and rave synths to create a moving take on hardcore. Written and recorded during a weeklong session in April 2020, the creation of Angelface took place during a period of processing grave personal loss juxtaposed with the collective state of chaos, grief and fear brought on by the covid-19 pandemic.

Within that specific period of time, S4m23 channeled intense emotion to reflect how cathartic it can be to honor the connections we build with one another despite how frenetic and heart-wrenching the circumstances of a particular moment or experience can be. Pouring an immense spectrum of emotions into Angelface, these productions eschew simple repetition to create unexpectedly complex rhythms and textures that evoke the sounds of British club music and '90s rave, while simultaneously creating something entirely new.

Los Angeles based producer Minion debuts on Evar Records with the four-track EP 'Nite Lyfe.' Released on Aura T-09 and Trickfinger's revered record label, 'Nite Lyfe' merges hardcore, techno and gabber with soft textures and gossamer sheens, evoking an intense, wavey trip. This one is suited to a churning, post-3 AM dancefloor, or in Minion's own words, "warm summer nights in Los Angeles warehouses."

Opener 'sAD B0i MASSiVe' blends distorted, gabber-flecked drums with crunchy snares, while a hazy, Daft Punk-esque synthline conjures a dreamy vibe. This signature Minion move conveys his knack for serving up harsh yet romantic atmospheres, pairing two opposite moods that melt into one another like acetone and water.

On 'Magnetar', we're caught up in the Thunderdome circa 1990, but just for a moment. While rubbery kick drums and whooshing hoover sounds shape the track, Minion combines these old-skool elements with a more modern quirk, producing a twinkling melody that arouses emotion and euphoria.

The penultimate track 'Grey Goo' is the toughest of the foursome. Built with off-kilter, grainy kickdrums and cinematic pads that slink between rusty beats, it bridges hardcore motifs with delicate shades of grey, Minion-style.

Final track 'Saturday Night in a Parallel Universe' displays Minion's versatility as a producer. Delving into a potent palette of electro, breakbeat, techno and 2-step, he welds rapid-fire claps, fizzing hi-hats and a heartfelt melody, weaving through bleeps and a chunky bassline—a signal to end a long trip, somewhere in a parallel universe.

Although Minion produced the tracks four years ago, 'Nite Lyfe' stands the test of time and doesn't follow any one trend or genre. Instead, it's an alchemy of sonic patterns and contrasting colours, nodding to Minion's punk, hardcore and experimental influences that cultivated oddball electronic music in the 80s. The afterglow of these sounds culminates in an EP that ripples with intriguing hooks, corrosive qualities and strangely blissful melodies. It reflects the expansive ethos of Evar down to the final bar.

Los Angeles-based video artist and producer Laskfar Vortok makes his first appearance in the Evar catalogue with "Erbsat Esrhosc." An unusual title that reflects the artist's interest in the bizarre, whether he's making music or producing videos and visuals, "Erbsat Esrhosc" bristles with erratic patterns, anarchic atmospheres and glitchy soundscapes. The Mexican-born talent explores ideas based on the hypothetical concept of a planetwide city, otherwise known as an ecumenopolis, weaving such ideas against a cinematic backdrop, nodding to his long-running love for cinema. Across the five-track EP, he also draws inspiration from the heated and hectic energy of L.A, where he's resided most of his life.

Produced in memoriam of Michael Gregory Harrison, aka Bad Timing, and following a period of introspection and creative and personal challenges, Laskfar Vortok began work on "Erbsat Esrhosc" in 2018. The EP honours Michael's brilliance as an artist and a friend;the title being an anagram of a phrase that they shared between them.

"Eclipse" opens the EP on a haunting note. A spidery melody and chilling pads punctuate the witchy soundscape before syncopated sequences collide with snafued textures, signifying a sharp left turn into breakcore. With its nebulous atmosphere, this track offers the first glimpse into the concept of an ecumenopolis. On "Hyperdrive", frenetic percussion dominates while zappy noises and a doomsday melody slink in and out of earshot. Bursts of broken wub exacerbate the uneasy mood while cinematic, almost ethereal chords twinkle in the background.

"Base" offers a moment to recover one's brain cells after the nosedive into the near future. A lugging kickdrum and broken, woody percussions swirl around the troposphere while creepy pads convey a sinister aura. "Mutation" catapults us back into chaos with claustrophobic polyrhythmic structures, smatterings of kickdrums, and a sporadic mad-scientist-type synthline, adding a jittery layer. An unexpectedly orchestral outro completes the bizarre nature of the track.

Closing out on "Send Off", Laskfar Vortok blends freezing-cold chords with snaggy synth notes and a tangle of drum constellations tied up with a gossamer melody and splattered across an eerie terrain.

Using Bitwig Studio, orcλ, TidalCycles and Renoise as his modus operandi, Laskfar Vortok produces a trip that intrigues but disturbs, serving a shimmering yet terrifying squint into a technoid-led utopia. And we're only just getting started.