|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12"
|
|
FIGURE X022EP
|
Benjamin Damage reports back for a fresh slice of his singular strain of modern-day techno. "Alpha Centauri" institutes the record atmospherically, setting up the scenery of ethereal winds, prowling basses, and muscular drums. Picking up the pace, "Circle Machine" is a busy tune, rigidly rattling towards an array of tripped-out synths, yet captivating with their off-key harmonics. Heavier but equally distinctive, "Damage" opens the B-side with his skillful blend of assaulting, rough-edged machine sounds, and soothing, celestial ambiance. He then twists around again, cleverly seeing his listeners out with a surprisingly lively arrangement of sneaky synth squelches, making for a well-rounded as accomplished EP-package.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
12"
|
|
FIGURE X014EP
|
Following his remix of Len Faki on Robot Evolution Remixes (FIGURE X008EP), Benjamin Damage now fully signs for an EP with the label. Here he shows just what is defining his sound as a singular artist. Known for weaving together the various threads in UK club music, this EP is tied it all up together. There's the rolling sound, so deep and dramatic, the signature that first got him credited. Then the record picks up old themes of early Bass music, playing wonky horns and nodding respect to South London's burrows. On the flip you get treated to a more dreamy and introspective side of Damage's sound, one genuinely exploring the melodic trope, yet without losing the steady groove forward. Finally closing the EP out with a mighty roar, the ultimate track is bellowing and bustling with rhythms, like a beast of creativity trying to break loose.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
2LP
|
|
50 018LP
|
Double LP version. Includes download code. Obsidian is the third album from Benjamin Damage (his second solo long-player) and the end of an era for both himself and 50WEAPONS. As the first artist (outside of Modeselektor) to release on the label, it's apt that he delivers the last album on 50WEAPONS. Benjamin Damage himself states, "Obsidian is a collection of fragmented memories from all the music I've ever liked, distorted and restructured into a full length techno record. A purely personal project and an end of an era with 50WEAPONS." It's easy to forget that Benjamin Damage has only been releasing records since 2010. Just two years after the release of his first track, he dropped his first album, They!Live (50 005CD/LP), alongside production partner Doc Daneeka, to critical acclaim. The following year saw his first solo album release with Heliosphere (50 012CD/LP), marking a pronounced sonic sci-fi development toward Plaid and Jeff Mills, and hailed by critics as a return of soul and warmth to the cold, industrial world of Berlin techno. Mining a deeper furrow than 2013's Heliosphere, Obsidian eschews crushing rhythms, for the most part. Unraveling in a dream-like realm where melody has space between the kicks and snares, the album affects a more emotional dancefloor-pull. That's not to say that the album lacks punch, as tracks like "Cosmonaut," "Parallax View," and "Transmission" deliver that adrenalin rush with aplomb. But it is on tracks such as the beautiful "Pulse Width," sublime "Shimmer," acid-tinged "Tetrapod," and ethereal "Poly" that Benjamin Damage stretches further into the unknown, touching on the genius of AFX, Skam, and Autechre. Obsidian delivers warmth, heart, soul, and sweat throughout, and, as such, couldn't be a better parting shot for the label.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
50 018CD
|
Obsidian is the third album from Benjamin Damage (his second solo long-player) and the end of an era for both himself and 50WEAPONS. As the first artist (outside of Modeselektor) to release on the label, it's apt that he delivers the last album on 50WEAPONS. Benjamin Damage himself states, "Obsidian is a collection of fragmented memories from all the music I've ever liked, distorted and restructured into a full length techno record. A purely personal project and an end of an era with 50WEAPONS." It's easy to forget that Benjamin Damage has only been releasing records since 2010. Just two years after the release of his first track, he dropped his first album, They!Live (50 005CD/LP), alongside production partner Doc Daneeka, to critical acclaim. The following year saw his first solo album release with Heliosphere (50 012CD/LP), marking a pronounced sonic sci-fi development toward Plaid and Jeff Mills, and hailed by critics as a return of soul and warmth to the cold, industrial world of Berlin techno. Mining a deeper furrow than 2013's Heliosphere, Obsidian eschews crushing rhythms, for the most part. Unraveling in a dream-like realm where melody has space between the kicks and snares, the album affects a more emotional dancefloor-pull. That's not to say that the album lacks punch, as tracks like "Cosmonaut," "Parallax View," and "Transmission" deliver that adrenalin rush with aplomb. But it is on tracks such as the beautiful "Pulse Width," sublime "Shimmer," acid-tinged "Tetrapod," and ethereal "Poly" that Benjamin Damage stretches further into the unknown, touching on the genius of AFX, Skam, and Autechre. Obsidian delivers warmth, heart, soul, and sweat throughout, and, as such, couldn't be a better parting shot for the label.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
12"
|
|
50 031EP
|
Single-sided 12" with two tracks: "Revolve" and "Recursion." Benjamin Damage's brand-new 4600 EP is an homage to a rare analog synthesizer and a more dancefloor-oriented follow-up to the album Heliosphere (50 012CD/LP). Benjamin Damage: "Most of the source sounds come from my recently repaired ETI 4600, a massive synth I rescued from a garage it had been sitting in for 30 years. It's a really unique machine with a reverb chamber and pin matrix. It spent 18 months with a synth-obsessive in Suffolk, north of London, who fixed the major design faults and believes it is the only existing model that has ever worked properly."
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
12"
|
|
50WRMX 005EP
|
Remix pack number two from Benjamin Damage's solo album Heliosphere (50 012CD/LP) -- features raw, deep techno by L.A.'s Truncate and SCNTST from Berlin. Following the highly-praised Robert Hood remix of "Delirium Tremens," the two remixes of "010x" are no less effective and shall both be found in various DJ playlists.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
12"
|
|
50WRMX 003EP
|
"Delirium Tremens," one of the more club-focused tracks of Benjamin Damage's Heliosphere (50 012CD/LP) album gets a remix treatment by Detroit techno legend Robert Hood. On the flipside, Benjamin reworks his own tune into an extended long version for maximum impact.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
2LP
|
|
50 012LP
|
Double LP version. Benjamin Damage presents his second album. Benjamin Damage's first single with Venom has already been a big underground club anthem in the UK. The track "Deeper" caught the attention of Modeselektor and became an instant classic in their DJ sets. Not long after, Benjamin had his first track released on a 50 Weapons split 10". With "Creeper," a collaboration with his old Swansea buddie Doc Daneeka, Benjamin delivered another dancefloor destroyer, released on 50 Weapons in early 2011. Only two years after his first track was released, Benjamin presented his first album They!Live, once again produced with Doc Daneeka. The pair used some Modeselektor recording off-time and produced the album in a period of six to eight weeks at Modeselektor's studio in Berlin. The trip to Berlin had a definitive influence on the sound of the album, successfully merging UK and Berlin styles. Everyone at 50 Weapons knew immediately that the album was something very special. The record was "album of the month" in De:Bug magazine, DJ Mag, The Independent, K Mag, and got brilliant reviews in many other magazines and online media around the globe. Soon after their temporary stay, both artists decided to move to Berlin. After two years of mainly collaborative work, the time had come for Benjamin to focus on some solo activities. He did a few remixes for Sizzar, Data Romance, and others, followed by a strong techno single named Swarm/Headache released in October 2012, once again on 50 Weapons. Heliosphere is a sonic sci-fi techno album reminiscent not just of early Plaid, Black Dog Productions, Boards Of Canada, or Luke Slater's 7th Plain project, but also dancefloor classics by the likes of Surgeon, Regis, Dave Clarke, and Jeff Mills, who all knew how to keep a crowd entertained. It brings to mind the flavor of 1994 without losing the sense that we're into 2013, as of now. Heliosphere is equally straight and beautiful, with ear-catching, murky numbers, and some merciless bangers and beautiful soundscapes ranging from melodic to dark, rough and sweet, all at once. Heliosphere is dance music with conviction.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
50 012CD
|
Benjamin Damage presents his second album. Benjamin Damage's first single with Venom has already been a big underground club anthem in the UK. The track "Deeper" caught the attention of Modeselektor and became an instant classic in their DJ sets. Not long after, Benjamin had his first track released on a 50 Weapons split 10". With "Creeper," a collaboration with his old Swansea buddie Doc Daneeka, Benjamin delivered another dancefloor destroyer, released on 50 Weapons in early 2011. Only two years after his first track was released, Benjamin presented his first album They!Live, once again produced with Doc Daneeka. The pair used some Modeselektor recording off-time and produced the album in a period of six to eight weeks at Modeselektor's studio in Berlin. The trip to Berlin had a definitive influence on the sound of the album, successfully merging UK and Berlin styles. Everyone at 50 Weapons knew immediately that the album was something very special. The record was "album of the month" in De:Bug magazine, DJ Mag, The Independent, K Mag, and got brilliant reviews in many other magazines and online media around the globe. Soon after their temporary stay, both artists decided to move to Berlin. After two years of mainly collaborative work, the time had come for Benjamin to focus on some solo activities. He did a few remixes for Sizzar, Data Romance, and others, followed by a strong techno single named Swarm/Headache released in October 2012, once again on 50 Weapons. Heliosphere is a sonic sci-fi techno album reminiscent not just of early Plaid, Black Dog Productions, Boards Of Canada, or Luke Slater's 7th Plain project, but also dancefloor classics by the likes of Surgeon, Regis, Dave Clarke, and Jeff Mills, who all knew how to keep a crowd entertained. It brings to mind the flavor of 1994 without losing the sense that we're into 2013, as of now. Heliosphere is equally straight and beautiful, with ear-catching, murky numbers, and some merciless bangers and beautiful soundscapes ranging from melodic to dark, rough and sweet, all at once. Heliosphere is dance music with conviction.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
12"
|
|
50 023EP
|
At the end of January 2012, Benjamin Damage released They!Live, his album collaboration with Doc Daneeka. The album has received fantastic media feedback and was album of the month in several magazines all over the world, including De:Bug and DJ Mag, amongst others. Swarm/Headache is a bold solo statement -- it's UK techno reminiscent of killer DJ tools, a reference to the heydays of techno with a fresh and nonchalant approach.
|
|
|
|