http://mu42.com/level News on level ... Mu42 http://mu42.com/level/MP321 2011-11-27 17:20:43 A1023 Anders is finally back with a new CD album on Level Records following the casette only release ‚Vidare‘ on Further Records in July and the recent CD ‚Stories of Old‘ on Yard Rec, making this his third album of the year 2010 and in fact his tenth album since the debut Everdom in 2003 (Shitkatapult). Even so Wavefunction Formula has a two-part storyline wich takes the listener on a journey through a maze of dancefloors, catacombs and deep vast oceans of mystery, and then finally discovering and entering a secret back door that quite unexpectedly leads you out to a completly new secret magical place under the wide open skies. The story starts with ‚Ineptitude‘ which sets the mood with its deep cavernous yet minimal beats and atmospheres interjected with random analog bleeps and wierd arpeggios. Setting the stage for the first seven tracks wich could be seen as an expanded version of last years Cellular Memories EP. Then comes the plot-twist. The last four tracks of the album can almost be enjoyed as a separate EP in itself. Where the previous tracks are primarily aimed for the dancefloor this final quartett is more focused on beauty in melodies and harmonies interlaced with laidback downtempo rhythms. A real surprise ending for this album. The CD cover with a somewhat menacing picture of a Shanghai road cluster seems to be a good metaphor for asking the questions, where are we coming from and where are we going? As we‘re all riding that propability wave of quantum reality the trick is to find those secret magical doorways and dare to step through. And transform to a different level. http://mu42.com/level/MP320 2010-07-15 22:48:10 A631 Beautycase is Ziggy Kinders first EP released by Level Records. The production is a promise of unconventional minimal house. The four tracks of the EP show the deep side of the producer Ziggy Kinder: Earcatcher rattles, bounces and sweeps under a hypnotic dub baseline accompanied by subtle interweaving melodies; Funstones, which is the most minimal track on Beautycase, takes its time to fathom the minimal landscape by a distinguished and cautious shuffle; Munchies reflects Kinder‘s typical sense of humor disregarding a too serious electronic attitude; and with Bible Kinder gets support from delayed and twisted loops lifted by a surface of sounds, which closes the electronic beautycase in a easygoing approach. http://mu42.com/level/MP319 2010-07-15 22:43:41 A630 In contrary to many contemporary productions, which tend to minimalism and reduction, Danietos dense harmonies are interwoven by polyrhythmic structures. His style is a reminiscence of the zenith of minimal productions around the turn of the millenium, when stilistic variety was broader and much more differentiated than nowadays. In the remix of the polish producer Slg pianopatterns and hypnotic synthesizer lines meander continously over the old school drumset and transform Danietos version into a veritable classic housetrack; russian trio Modul disentangles the dense original and dissolves a compact pushing groove as well as fragments of harmonies. Through this reduction and the new arrangement of the remix develops huge radiance and club compatibility. http://mu42.com/level/MP318 2010-02-17 19:03:58 A629 Almost one year after his exceptional album “Sworn“, Anders Ilar is back with his new “Cellular Memories EP”. Its four tracks could be regarded as a safe cure for uninspired strictly functional DJ-sets. You probably won’t find many records which are that packed with enchanting sounds and melodies, longing emotions combined with infectious solid grooves. From the dubby “Back To Square One”, over the minimal massive 808 kicks in “Hazard Ahead” and the dramatic but blissful clicky and groovy “Ulterior Motives”, to the stunning choral epic “Ocean Sonata”, “Cellular Memories EP” is a musical pleasure and another masterpiece, a must for fans of Anders Ilar. http://mu42.com/level/MP33 2010-01-18 04:23:41 A614 The EP features richly flavored variations of Fax’s distinctive approach to minimal music. From rolling clicks and glitches, all against the backdrop of anulated ambience, to dubdriven chords and grooves. The four tracks are highly emotional pieces of incredibly deep & warm sounds and delicate beats. Fax creates arrangements that reveal a unique symbiosis between the heat and vastness of the Mexican desert and modern elements with a strong urban touch. While many minimal artists opt for mere functionality, Fax with his 12” Bilateral EP manages to introduce deep and complex grooves of a next-generation dub-mood aesthetics into the clubs. http://mu42.com/level/MP32 2010-01-18 04:23:27 A613 Daniel Fritschi is the founder and head of “Level Records”, a new minimal-electronic label from Düsseldorf, Germany. After releasing his debut-track “vortex” together with tracks by Oliver Hacke, Rhythm_Maker and Andy Vaz on the compilation “quartett ep” (level1), Daniel Fritschi finally steps out of the background and establishes himself as a full-fledged musician with this 4-track 12” vinyl, called “Intonation EP”. a1 Flexion-Wavelet The a-side starts with “flexion-wavelet” – a track of 120 BPM with mellow chords and filigree clicks, zaps and bleeps. The track tenderly develops into a free-floating and deep ambience, thinning out here and there to intonate a delicate piano melody and a counterbalanced more techno kind of bass drum. The bouncing bass and the smooth flow of “Flexion-Wavelet” maturely explore the ramifications of minimal techno – it has a similar flavour as “Vortex,” Fritschi’s debut track on the “Quartett EP” (Level 1) compilation. a2 Adrift “Adrift” merges classic Detroit-like augmented chords with a driving groove at a 120 BPM. The result is a very deep yet merry house-track with a catchy bass line and adorned by gentle clicks. The long chords and sharp hits take some surprising changes and manage to keep the tension and capricious mood adrift until the last reverberations have faded away. b1 Follicle Follies The b-side speeds up the tempo with “Follicle Follies” to a driving 130 BPM. Fluffy and fidgety micro-grooves are embedded by analogue bass-sweeps and weird sine waves that keep bouncing around the beat. The chords eventually resolve in a downward movement, giving the playful depths of the track a decent and relaxing atmosphere. b2 Interglacial “Interglacial” leaves the 4/4 territories and enters the realm of deep ambience with an almost imperceptible 75 BPM. Held together by a long drone and a meandering bass line, the abstract sound scenery of “Interglacial” moves through cascades of solemn beat-patterns, pierced by distant screeches, fragile crackles and loose crystalline sounds. A sheer incessant chill and thrill. http://mu42.com/level/MP31 2010-01-18 04:23:10 A612 Quartett EP is the first release of the new minimal-electronics label Level-Records from in Düsseldorf/ Germany. This record features four artist with one track each and reveals the variety of different fresh approaches on minimal from Düsseldorf. Oliver Hacke, who also released on such labels as Traum, Trapez and Background, starts with a slightly dark, very deep ambienced, but nevertheless very dancy track. Andy Vaz (Sound Variation [---]/ Background) contributed an, in comparison to his past releases, a much straighter/cleaner arranged track without loosing the dense and sometimes weird athmosphere, many people appreciate his tracks for. Stephan Schwander under his Rhythm_Maker pseudonym (aka Antonelli electr., Repeat Orchestra), sets the tempo for the b-side to laid back 120 bpms with very deep, melodic chords, arcoustic-bass and tiny distortion effects. Daniel Fritschi has his debut-track on this EP. Its slowly upbuilding surrounding sound scapes go in hand with filigran beat-patterns and effects. http://mu42.com/level/MP317 2010-01-18 04:22:46 A628 “Cancel” is Duesseldorf based producer Antonelli Electr. 3’rd EP for Level Records. While most producers arrange their tracks on Laptops, using the latest software synthesizers and sequencers, Antonelli choose to ban computers from his studio in order to concentrate on a production method which hasn’t change much since the early days of House music. All tree tracks are arranged and recorded live without any edits resulting in very pure record which a magical flow. The first track is the very dense and euphoric House hymn “Hush”. “Deal” and “Cosy” are both quite stripped down House tracks which where created only on one Drum sequencer. Both tracks sport a subtle developing percussive but still harmonic monotone approach and represent Antonelli Electr. new way of producing perfectly functional House cuts. Lowtec the man behind the label Workshop finishes the EP with his delightful rework of “Cosy”. http://mu42.com/level/MP316 2010-01-18 04:22:19 A627 “Colorante EP” by the Mexican artist Fax is his second release for Level Records. It’s three tracks go beyond boundaries of musical styles or genres. Beneath solid grooves, synth- and basslines you’ll find decent strings, trembling guitars and onomatopoetic vocal-snippets as well as undefinable sounds, that could derive from a singing saw, or even a soprano from out of space. Fax’s tracks are both: dreamy and catchy, uplifting and melancholic, camp and serious. Through over the tracks one can feel the presence of deephouse, electro and even acid, all together resulting in Fax’s very original sound. There has never been such eclecticism and pop-appeal on Level Records yet. Deadbeat from Canada kicks off the flip with his first class remix of “Sin Aire”. He strips it down for the contemporary House-floor and transforms it to an intense and slow-growing track with a keen sense of dub and melodies. http://mu42.com/level/MP315 2010-01-18 04:22:01 A626 Russia’s Minimal Techno traditionally sounded different from its Western European and American counterparts. Modul’s new 12” “Pioneers EP” for the Duesseldorf-based Level Records imprint lacks American Minimal’s invincibility and straightforwardness as much as the nerdy, druggy or avantgarde-borne quirkyness many European interpretations of Techno show. Modul substitutes these prominent attributes with a baroque synthetical deepness fueled by slick, modern beat skeletons and in doing so makes a welcome addition instead of a counterdraft. http://mu42.com/level/MP314 2010-01-18 04:21:34 A625 Anders Ilar from Sweden is definitely one of the world’s most versatile producer of electronic music today. From deep, frosty ambient scapes up to cold and academic abstractions Ilar seems to be able to produce everything. Like on the 12inch “Organza”, that was released on level records in 2006, Ilar’s fifth Full-length-release “Sworn”; has a mostly warm sound design, which fits perfectly with the label. The eight new tracks on Sworn have a romantic and sublime feel and combine a wide range of musical styles: you will find sparkling electronica, abstract IDM-ish parts and deep clubby tunes with slices of acid and Chicago house in it. Despite the many different influences the result is a very coherent one as everything is embraced by Ilar’s enigmatic and unique haze of sound. On “Sworn”, undoubtedly one of Ilar’s finest works to date, sophistication and blissfulness go hand in hand. http://mu42.com/level/MP313 2010-01-18 04:21:09 A624 Level Records twelth release is the most minimalistic one in the label’s history so far. The first track on the EP, which has nearly 30 minutes of running time, is „Narcotic“ - a track, that starts very percussive with a driving one-note bassline, that reminds us in the best way of what some people call the new school of Minimal. But then Kaitaro opens the track and lets outlines of moody melodies in, that fit with the label’s older releases. „March“ is a very reduced house-track. With very warm sounds and a few deep scapes, Kaitaro creates a minimal track as atmospheric as it could be. „Cosmo“ has a funk-infected bassline and a slice of more experimental harmonies and sounds. The track takes much time to build up until the listener notices himself nodding his head. „Washer“, the final track, is the most minimalistic but at the same time the most danceable track. Its rolling percussive elements make it a fine DJ-Tool, that will make every crowd move. http://mu42.com/level/MP312 2010-01-18 04:20:53 A623 Antonelli Electr. is delightfully composing himself back into a perfect arrangement between house and minimal techno. One thing, two sides - and a gradual change of perspective, developing from straight techno beats to a gas and steam cogeneration plant. Side A starts off with DUSTY, a straight techno track with a slurping bass that easily masters the quirky house chords. SLIPSTREAM is an accelerating impulse for the dance floors and will make them hit and kick till their hearts are content. Side B sways more into serenely playful sounds: SNOWFLAKE FUNK is sure funky, even jazzy with a clearly swishing and rustling scent. LAZINESS, the last track then tumbles over into a new interpretation of deep and dubbed minimal techno - playful without being abstract - a snapshot of relief and liberating contemplation. LAZINESS EP is not entirely without double and maybe triple irony, yet it displays too much friendliness and equanimity to be full-swing iconoclastic, and what is more, it will knock over your flower tub real good, too, just as the mood pleases. http://mu42.com/level/MP311 2010-01-18 04:20:33 A622 Level Records reached the 10th release and in order to make it something special, we decided to release “Top Ten” it in three separate parts. Part one starts with Marcin Czubala, who already performed countless concerts of classical music before he got into electronic club-music. His musical skills become apparent with the full a-side cut of “Diagonal”, a massive, melodic track that reveals a rather unexpected side of him. On the b-side bVoice and kHz a Moscow-based collaboration unveil “Present für kHz” a delightful, dreamy track with a warm, friendly groove and a slight jazzy approach - just right for the ones who love the more subtile, classical minimal approach of well balanced complexity and groove. As already well established member of the Level-roster, Anders Ilar once again rather tells a whole story than just presenting a track. “Made for us to Love” starts off rather straight, shifts into a half-tempo broken-beat intermission, but returns with an energetic and beautiful finale. Watch out for the forthcoming album of Anders Ilar on Level. http://mu42.com/level/MP310 2010-01-18 04:20:14 A621 Level Records’ first release, Quartett EP, opened up with “Millepieds” by Oliver Hacke. The sixth release on Level now sports five Artists who use their individual techniques and remix approaches on Hacke’s acclaimed track. On A1, Slg extracts an incredible funkyness from the original material that won’t leave anybody unmoved. Although its sounds are all based on the original, Slg’s approach is very different yet funky as hell and deep at the same time. People who already know his EP on Level might be reminded of his highly regarded „Anymore“-Track which features a similar kind of bassline. A2 by the Mexican artist Fax is a very surprising remix. It starts off with very grounded groovy loops with a quite solid feel, sustaining in a traditional micro-house manner until unexpectedly, beautifullymodulated, dreamy chords emerge from the solid base groove. Surprises like this make many of Fax’ tracks so special. Side B starts with labelhead Daniel Fritschi who creates a track which does only loosely refer to his previous releases. Daniel picks up the slightly dark mood of the original, develops it to a nicely grounded sequence and garnishes it with a grooving bassline plus dubs. Anders Ilars remix can be regarded as an appetizer for his forthcoming EP on Level. He builds up a dense and beautiful athmosphere which feels like wide spaces, opulated by millions of gentle clicks, all kept together by the warm and dominant bassline of the Millepieds original. The final track by Jeff Milligan is a more free interpretation of the original, focused on the dominant, beautiful warm chords, sparkling beats and hihats cutting sharp like scalpels. http://mu42.com/level/MP39 2010-01-18 04:19:33 A620 Since his acclaimed debut EP on Level Records in 2005, Slg (Lukasz Seliga) has managed to establish himself as one of the leading producers in Poland. His second EP for Level is strongly influenced by his countless accomplished live performances and is a testament to just how well club and deep music can work together. From the fantastic minimal stomper “Sixty Six” over the very deep, funky title track “Invisible” with its deep meandering melodies to the more rave-orientated “Rain Over Lodz”, Slg presents an extraordinary symbiosis of deepness and functionality. The EP is closed with Anders Ilars refined reinterpretation of “Sixty Six”. http://mu42.com/level/MP38 2010-01-18 04:19:13 A619 On his 2’nd instalment on Level Records Antonelli Electr. appears with a fresh set of sounds emerging from his Monomachine-Synth/Sequencer, still aiming for a different, more musical approach to Minimal. The EP starts with “Shrinking” a rhythmic modulated warm chord-theme with an un-doubtful popappeal and continues with “Kimbo” which develops around a sort of American rooted looped chord-sequence. The B- side opens with the most club-orientated track of this EP. “Les Beaux Arts” is based on a darker, detroitish sequence, slowly up-building harsh effects and a grooving tonal percussion-line. Finally the fully opened filters, morph this one slowly into a raving beast. Similar like his previous Laziness EP, it manifests 4 tracks of different approaches and finishes with the more laid back, warm and grooving tune “Wood Turns Electric”. It is build around an acoustic bass line, carried by the gentle chords, sweet strings, teasing sweeps and a ringing, but never picked up mobile-phone… http://mu42.com/level/MP37 2010-01-18 04:18:41 A618 The third and final part of level record’s 10th anniversary release “Top Ten” starts with the highly acclaimed polish artist Slg. Since his debut EP on Level he became also well known for his releases on labels like Trapez and Cynosure. His outstanding track Freefall combines strong and energetic beats and basslines with scapes that remind us of Boards of Canada. Pure dancefloor magic. The second track is by one of Montreal’s best known producer Jeff Milligan. “Knoll Ogg Tott” is an abstract, subtle, but very intense tune, that makes you watch your steps on the floor. Label founder Daniel Fritschi contributes his minimal slow-mo-remix of “Paracaidas” by Fax, a track with a heart-warming deephouse flavour. The EP closes with Ekkohaus from Greece, who produced a very minimalistic and funky House-Track, full of delicate percussion and warm sounds. This 12inch comes in a lovely artwork by Nicola Roman Walbeck, a photographer from Duesseldorf. http://mu42.com/level/MP36 2010-01-18 04:18:26 A617 The second part of the three-EP series celebrating Level Records’ tenth anniversary “Top Ten 2/3”, is literally a miniature world tour on Vinyl. Ferenc Vaspoeri kicks off with an escape from the city and deep into Hungarian forests yet maintains a metropolitan perspective with his harmonic, almost texture-free sound design. Next on the map is Hidenobu Ito, who summons ghosts in Tokyo’s Asakusa district with the spookiest House sneaker released on Level Records to date. On the flipside, it’s back to Duesseldorf, Germany, with local legend Antonelli Electr. throwing on a twisted Chicago-esque House tune before Fax from Mexico invites us to his mountainous home with a miracoulous track which may surprise fans of his earlier works with electric guitar sounds over a massive and insisting groove. http://mu42.com/level/MP35 2010-01-18 04:18:12 A616 „Organza EP“ is the first full 12“ of the Swedish artist Anders Ilar on Level Records, after his appetizer on the last Remix-EP, but not only the length of this release could justify to see it more like an album. On a1 „Existing In The Dreams Of A Flower” a modulated chord, driven by a bouncy bass line takes you to a journey that makes you feel like passing a wide meadow, surrounded with sounds coming out of a nearby tropical rainforest - a deep, euphoric track, surely one that works the dance floor. There are few who are capable of merging deep touching adness and absolute beauty with the necessary bit of optimism over a complex, broken beat, like Anders Ilar does it on the b2-track „Can’t Force A Tree To Grow“. Fans of Lawrence shouldn‘t miss this one! The title-track of the EP „Organza” on the flip-side comes again with a bouncing but deadly, deep grooving bass line and develops through nice, never ending modulations. “Lakeside” is a masterpiece of nearly 10 minutes length, which steadily builds up new surprising progressions and winds you in sounds so thick, you hardly can pass through. -A very intense EP that might leave you speechless.