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12"
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ARMA 021EP
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For the new Arma release Ena explores different, distinct facets of his sound across three productions. "Pale" distills his vision of techno as a minimalist, repetitive construct. Working around non-standard time signatures, he creates a densely-woven lattice of percussive pulses, which cut a polyrhythmic path through nightmarish sheets of noise. "Secondary Color" uses a broader palette that opens the Ena sound up to the light. "Wired" heads further away from the grid in pursuit of sound design exploration, as a rack of pipes and chambers strike, boom, and chime against artful distortion and cavernous reverb. While Ena has historically been hesitant about remixes of his material, he warmed to the idea of long-time Arma friend Jasss reworking "Wired." Taking the track into her own fiercely individual sound world, she uses the harmonic tonality of the original as a jump-off point for an epic, emotionally forthright chiller loaded with cold wave bombast, trap hats, and Silvia's own voice. Coming from entirely different angles of approach, Ena and Jasss are bound together by their fearless individuality. One can sense the slithers of pre-existing music somewhere in their constructions, but such familiarities are no more than faint echoes of places they passed through on their way to somewhere new.
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12"
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ARMA 020EP
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Arma continues to explore the dark and wild corners of contemporary machine music via a new split 12" featuring LVRIN and Maoupa Mazzocchetti. LVRIN occupies a sound world where blown out boxes spit out gnarled beats and slimy basslines through an overdriven desk, with the ghosts of post punk and industrial looming over his nocturnal incantations. Maoupa Mazzocchetti has been weaving defiantly unconventional strains of electronic music since first emerging on Unknown Precept and Mannequin. He delivers three rugged, body-poppin'' grooves to the B side.
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12"
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ARMA 019EP
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The latest release on Arma comes from Dutch legend and devoutly deviant underground operator Ruud Lekx, aka Rude 66. With a legacy that reaches back to the early '90s and the rough-and-ready Dutch electro sound he's maintained a distinctly non-conformist approach that touches on acid, Italo, techno and more besides, all finished with the punky attitude that sets him apart. The tracks gathered together on The Witch Trials EP come from throughout Lekx's career, displaying the scope of his craft as Rude 66 while also proving that timeless music can make sense in any context.
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2LP
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ARMA 018LP
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Ukrainian producer Vakula, whose name is linked to the early days of Arma Records, re-emerges with Techno Game. The double vinyl features seven confidently-carved tracks that reflect Vakula's current exploration of techno landscapes. As the cover suggests, it is a game. The author does little to nothing to explain the rules, throwing the listener into an elegantly structured space that feels alarmingly material. Artwork by Juli Kozyr.
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LP
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ARMA 016LP
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"... It is making my blood boil. Man, my jaw is hanging down listening to this stuff" reads the email from Butthole Surfers producer, Paul Leary, when he heard the demo for what would become the debut Philipp Gorbachev & The Naked Man album. Philipp Gorbachev, the Russian musician and DJ, has been throwing killer parties and making some of the most innovative and exciting electronic music to come out of Moscow in years. In 2014, he released his debut album Silver Album (COMEME 005CD/LP), but when invited to perform a live Boiler Room he had something else in mind: a band scenario. The resulting concoction was not something locked into a 4/4 beat, but rather a much more organic, groove-based sound with funk-strutting basslines and live drums that rolled and flurried around the beats, jumping around and leading charge on the songs along with Gorbachev's Damo Suzuki-like vocals. Taking that experiment into the studio, I Don't Give A Snare is a wild ride that jumps genres, switches paces, and alters tones frequently. The opening 'Goodman' explodes with intense rhythms and heavy, spiraling riffs that at times recall Sabbath, but the ever-shifting drums and gargling electronics give a wonky freshness that feels impossible to place into genre. Whilst Gorbachev cites a range of influences from Beck to Blind Willie Johnson as being core to him, the primary motivation is the live nature of the project itself. Gorbachev on the record: "The main influence is the constant live experience we have as music players and performers. I want to get the most out of every party, every jam, and every dancefloor." Comes on 180 gram vinyl; Includes download code.
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12"
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ARMA 015EP
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Michael Avery under his Acid Elf guise, presents four essential tracks from the archives. There's a subdued, hypnotic, and delirious quality to the productions on this EP, ranging from the uneasy delay pulses of "Fetus" to the metallic clamor of "Urban Wasteland", but most importantly they're all injected with a distinctive personality. This is undoubtedly acid music, but it crackles with an energy far removed from the cookie-cutter Chicago knock-off formula. Perennial favorites such as the 606, 707, 808, 909, Jupiter 6, 101, 303, MS-20, and a Dopefer modular are all run through a Space Echo.
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12"
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ARMA 014EP
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Hypnobeat, spearheaded by James Dean Brown, invited Helena Hauff to join a him live for the Save Festival in Moscow in 2015. The material on Ritual Fire Dance EP is gathered from this set. Interlocking percussive rumble takes on a cyclical, tribal quality as aligned with traditional music as it is with contemporary electronics. For the technically minded out there, the kit list included one 707, three 808s, two 303s, Alesis airFX, EHX Deluxe Bass Big Miff Pi, Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo and Boss RE-20 Space Echo, all of which can be seen on the accompanying postcard.
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12"
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ARMA 012EP
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Alex Danilov, notable DJ and producer from Yekaterinburg, presents the Noises EP. Three originals and a reshape by Fred P (Black Jazz Consortium). Having been welcomed at diverse clubs throughout Russia and Europe, Alex Danilov has all the experience needed to know how dance music works. His own productions are about sustaining deep, mystic atmosphere within signature low-pass rhythms. Artwork by P. Kuznetsov.
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12"
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ARMA 011EP
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Four exceptional tracks by Ukrainian producer Vakula. Known for his classic deep house productions, Vakula steps up his techno game and approaches 4/4 zone with the thorough insistence for which he's known. Black cardboard sleeve with artwork by P. Kuznetsov.
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12"
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ARMA 010EP
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Moscow's Arma17 crew continues its musical activity through Arma Records, here presenting its tenth release. Benjamin Brunn builds an analog stairway with ascending rhythms, merging minimal techno and futuristic house sounds for a wonky and stylistically undefinable track, suitable for both your mind and your dancing needs. Alex Danilov, a well-known figure from Arma's label and other imprints, delivers a remix that brings down the tempo and creates a deep cosmic mood with dreamlike chords to carry you into the sunrise. Steve Summers's remix brings a punch and drive to the record, with rolling patterns that build the techno energy.
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