Ras _G & The Afrikan Space Program
Stargate Music

Bringing his signature heavy freak crunch to the label, Cocktail Party Effect's "Oscilloscope Detachments" is the latest addition to the Midnight Shift catalogue.Instructions: Follow the oscilloscope to jack into the EP's pulse from start to end.Headliner A1 '77' dazzles in melodic glory paired with glitchy underfoot and a high-voltage wire running hot. Next, '88' lets it all loose with classic breaks twisted on its head and with its core intestines spilling out. Unexpected turns in this effect-heavy club composition recalls the phrase that "you've gotta know the rules to break the rules" and CPE is undoubtedly a master of that. '99' takes it further down South London style for the heads, while ambient closer '111' visualises the previously underscored oscilloscope in full spectrum.creditsreleased November 4, 2022Written and produced by Eric BaldwinArtwork by EPODLayout by Graeme "Gramrcy" BatemanMastered and cut by Simon from The Exchange

EM Records: ...These recordings pull back a curtain to reveal the mysterious world of Syntoma and early-80s underground Mexico. Founded by Alex Eisenring in 1980, making use of synths and drum machines and driven by a freedom-seeking DIY ethos but informed by a "rock-jazz-prog-experimental" background. These 70s-born influences throw crazed funhouse mirror reflections onto later Kraftwerk, UK synth-pop, post-punk and pure pop forms. The first five tracks are instrumental, evidencing some intelligent melodic and harmonic conceptions; the same can be said for the remaining female/male vocal tracks, but the sense of otherness is boosted as the vocal stylings combine a definite UK 80s feel with an unplaceable geo-temporal essence, spanning decades and continents. Primarily a trio during the period of these recordings, 1981-84, Syntoma transcends the era and stands apart from their peers with a surprising melodic sense, harmonic adventurousness, interesting arrangements and, above all, an atmosphere of freshness and enthusiasm. Available on CD and 12" vinyl with liner notes and lyrics.

Merriware presents “Lectroniq Love Affair” - A split EP from the members of Australian dance music group @menage.official and the fifth release from Naarm/ Melbourne based imprint Merriware.Dashiell, Sam Brickel and Eugene Pascal each offer up a track of their own solo material as well as a collaborative remix of the title track, giving an insight to their individual production styles and their sensibilities when working together.The A1 “Lectroniq Love Affair” is unapologetic, no frills club music, with a vocoded hook taunting throughout and a bassline you wouldn’t tell your mum about! Following this, the A2 entry from @animalialabel and Steeplejack alumni Sam Brickel “Vespene Dreams” is a heady mix of pinnacle late 90’s UK house with the sound palette of modern breaks. A real deep burner for the heads!On the flip, things get stripped down for the B1, A Ménage Remix of the title track. Vocals peppered in the background as a chorus drenched acid line drives deep! Think Zip on the DC10 terrace and you’re getting there! Rounding it out, Eugene Pascal’s B2 offering “Late Night” is a delicate breakbeat mediation, with multiple synth lines converging to create a harmonic bed perfect for those sessions late into the morning hours.

The Wormhole: ...The shadowy forces behind The Tapeworm are delighted to announce the latest release to come flying out of The Wormhole. On a limited edition split LP two of Europe's foremost exponents of the tape loop go head-to-head, recorded within the hallowed environs of a former Buddhist Monastery – with dramatically un-Zen results.On one side, Italian composer Marta De Pascalis mixes loops and analogue synthesis to create densely layered collages of glowing melodic shards and growling bass distortion, her hypnotic minimal synth figures warping and whirling around each other before dissolving into entropic oblivion. 'Her Core' is a rusty, sand-blasted slab of heaviness that provides the perfect continuation from her two solo albums – a hall of mirrors collapsing in on itself, over and over.Meanwhile, Howlround is in full contraction mode on 'Hard Core', heading directly into the murky innards of a quartet of vintage reel to reel machines and using live tape delay to create syncopated rhythmic pulses, crackles and squelches that founder member Robin The Fog describes as 'accidental gabber'. Originally rising to notoriety through sonic portraits of entire buildings, here Howlround dramatically scale down the subject matter to concentrate on mapping out the endless psychedelic dimensions of a circuit board, discovering a whole new world of creative potential in the process.Both sets were recorded live at London venue Iklectik during the fall of 2017 at "A Can of Worms", an event to celebrate The Tapeworm's 100th release. What's perhaps most remarkable about this LP is that it captures a pair of artists in a snapshot, in parallel. Here, Howlround shakes off the back catalogue, stepping out of the comforting confines of the studio. De Pascalis plays harder than ever before. Both artists taken by a moment, into the harsh glare of the unknown. The fact that each has created their noisiest and most abrasive work yet will surely be seen as a happy coincidence. A can of worms, indeed…

Timedance: ...Following up on his Timedance debut in 2019, Sydney based wunderkind Air Max ’97 signs his return in style with a double dose of hi-detail club warpers.Without sacrificing any of his grimy and sub-loaded tendencies, the New-Zealand born producer expands his intricate and futuristic palette further with his most trance-inducing production to date.