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A heady fusion of rock’s steely drive, cosmic trance, wiggy acid basslines and cavernous dub, Talk is at once rooted in the turn of the millennium while sounding utterly outside of space and time. A combination of coveted un- and self-released material, the record features a remix, specially commissioned by Betonska, from Naone.Jin Won Lee (이진원), otherwise known as Gazaebal, is a Korean producer and DJ whose sensual, spacious approach to electronica is rooted in his background as a sound engineer. Having begun his career in New York, in recording studios working with the likes of the Wu-Tang Clan and Janet Jackson, his expansive creative repertoire further includes media art and chart-topping K-pop. A member of Tacit Group, a collective creating algorithmic and audiovisual performances, Gazaebal is presently best known for ambient-adjacent soundscapes, yet in the halcyon late 1990s and early 2000s, he synergised a uniquely potent take on club music.The titular track was initially released in 1999 on the independent imprint dmstrax, established by Gazaebal’s agent and wife, Nine. First appearing on techno@kr, a compilation CD dedicated to Korean electronic musicians, ‘Talk’ is an hybrid, electro-punk anthem. Colliding sung-screeched Korean lyrics with heavy breakbeat, its abrasive textures are delivered with ultra-slick orchestration. Halfway through, the jittery breaks collapse, reprised by momentous four-to-the-floor. It’s this dichotomy between poise and power that characterises the record as Gazaebal flexes his ear for intricate melodies and rocketing build.Composed alongside Big Hit Productions founder and BTS songwriter Mr. "Hitman" Bang, the original version of 'And So On' was not available for re-release due to licensing difficulties. But thankfully the multitrack was well preserved. Utilising these components, Nawon Ha (AKA Korean-but-Netherlands-based artist Naone) re-imagines the song for Betonska. Remixed with her own hypnotic vocals, she inflects the track with mesmerising, multi-layered dimensions; a fractal, downtempo trance number that connects two generations of underground electronic musicians from South Korea.From the pulverising kickdrum of ‘Gilda’ to ‘Spiral's acidic dub fuzz, Talk moves between sharp crests, twists, and turns, enveloping driving 4/4 and shuffling half-time. Presented as a mix-friendly mini-album, the carefully selected 6 tracks are ideally tailored to DJ-level quality and loudness. As much suited to the psychedelic rave scene of yesteryear as they are to contemporary dancefloors, Gazaebal’s productions are defined by his idiosyncrasies. Melding the sheen of tight-production with a flagrant DIY spirit, his music assuages the high-commercialism of the 2000s, resulting in a sound that’s as definitely punchy as it is intoxicatingly precise.

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EM Records: ...From Scratch was an innovative and highly influential New Zealand-based sound-performance group, making extensive use of found and repurposed objects as well as custom-made instruments in their intricately interlocking percussion music. One of their signature instruments consisted of carefully tuned PVC pipes, played with foam rubber mallets; arrays of these feature prominently, along with drums and tuned percussion, in Gung Ho 1,2,3D, an extended composition which sumptuously investigates polyrhythmic relationships indicated by the number sequences which title each section of the piece. Featured here is the original 1982 recording of the "8, 9, 10" and "9, 10, 11" sections of the piece, previously issued in 1988 by Flying Nun.Rounding out this 2LP and CD release are three 2016 translations of the piece, based on the original score. Japanese group goat provides a driving rhythmic and mathematical analogue, which From Scratch's Phil Dadson, who provides liner notes, describes as "a fast moving shadow, familiar in outline but from another world". German producer Don't DJ imbibes the tribal spirit of Gung Ho and its sense of ritual to deliver a hypnotic immersion, and Utena Kobayashi Group adds wordless voice-worlds and distorted blasts to the ever-onward mix, before a final tropical down-shift.

Efficient Space: ...Efficient Space continues to expose Australia’s esoteric musical history with Oz Waves - a collection of 80s DIY recordings, compiled by odd wave anthropologist Steele Bonus. Definitive proof that inhabitants of the Down Underground were links in a global network of creative kooks, Oz Waves connects those who utilised mobile recording rigs and small press releases to create and disseminate misfit synth-punk, tape loop experiments and inner city pop. Through overseas mail order exchanges, anonymous groups like Zerox Dreamflesh could find place on Belgian compilations, while Chris and Cosey lullabied their son to sleep with Irena Xero and her interdisciplinary art collective Zip.

Bonus selects 10 survivors from this fertile period (1982-1989), most of which were only issued on cassette in tiny editions of 5 to 100 copies. M Squared affiliates Prod join the extraterrestrial Software Seduction, minimal wave neglect from He Dark Age and the irreverent cut ups of The Horse He's Sick and MK Ultra & the Assassins of Light. The remaining tracks have been sourced from musicians’ private archives and are being officially released on Oz Waves for the first time - Andy Rantzen’s industrial dub Itch-E & Scratch-E precursor, the buoyant vocal-drone of Ironing Music and Moral Fibro, Sydney’s short lived answer to Weekend and Marine Girls. With detailed track by track notes, lines are drawn to Severed Heads, Scattered Order and other antipodean post-punk royalty.

As a DJ, Steele Bonus has gained notoriety via the exquisite selections that form his ongoing mix series Odd Waves. Sydney-born, Amsterdam-based, his graphic design has not only been responsible for sleeves on Efficient Space, but also trusted Amsterdam connoisseurs Music From Memory and Young Marco’s Safe Trip.