EABE

Mikael Vilja

Mikael Vilja arranges us a ritual for upcoming winter with these four minimal techno masterworks.

Empath & Halvtrak

Two of Finland's finest authors of dark electro join forces for an experimental split EP. The artists wanted to combine musical ideas on this release, after noticing some interesting similarities in th^eir musical tastes. They made some tracks influenced by 90s EBM and electro, with techno attitude. Genre lab test would probably find substantial traces of IDM, abstract electro, industrial and techno. Shining in darkness, these visions exist in a warm loving space.

kurir

Swedish sonic wizard Kurir helps us to begin ceremonies for upcoming summer with his 4 techno spells. ISOL is full of banging quality dancefloor-crushers.

HAPE

HAPE's five-song mini-album Night Life will be released on September 4th under the Finnish online label EABE. On the electro EP, 80% of the tracks have been completed in recent years, but the remaining 20%* originate from 2009. HAPE (eng. ACID) is the more rhythmic electronic music project of composer, soundscape designer and visual artist Taavi Tulev. HAPE has been present since 2007 but despite the project's longevity, Night Life is Tulev's second release under this alias. HAPE has mostly been seen and heard as live performances and production in the studio has been fruitful, but compared to live performances it has been more in the background. Tulev has previously published electronic music without a specific stylistic definition, as well as several records with nature recordings, the latest of which "Äike" (Thunder) – a vinyl record with thunder storm sounds, was released in the spring of last year. Having previously collaborated on album designs with various artists such as Holger Loodus, Kristi Kongi, Okeiko, Liisa Kruusmägi and Triinu Lille, this time the author made the night digital painting for the cover of this edition himself.

Empath

”This music captures the feel of my debut novel, taking the listener on an imaginative journey through the narrative, chapter by chapter, whether propulsive or ambient.” Jeff Noon My favorite cyberpunk-book is Vurt by Jeff Noon from 1993. I re-read it some years ago and had a clear vision what has to be done. Soundtrack. This visceral hallucinogenic rollercoaster of a book became sounds in my brains and they had to be composed and recorded. I adore also those weird sci-fi/horror/freak-movies in the 90s which had eclectic killer soundtracks combining industrial, gothic, metal, shogaze, indiepop, rap and electronica. Soundtracks from The Crow 1-2, Spawn, Judgement Night, Lost Highway and Trainspotting were the soundtracks of my juvenile years. So I wanted to capture some of that essence too, and not to have any genre restrictions when creating songs as I read the book, chapter by chapter, delving deeper into that sweet chaos. I wanted also to have some cool collaborations to make the atmosphere more diverse, like there were many artists in the album. The process took about 3 years, so it is the most personal project for me so far. I am so happy that Jeff Noon himself showed me green light to do this and ODJ Pirkka understood my vision and took this album under the wings of Eabe. Big thanks for Rami Mursula who also gave album its stunning artwork. Read the book, it is something else. Trip that never lets you forget it.

Half A Map

Half A Map is fascinated by rhythms outside 4/4. Listeners sharing their allure may seek to figure them out, but everyone can let the pulse and syncopation move their head, hips and feet. Techno, IDM, both? Does it matter? Air gets worked up whichever way. With BPMs from 104 to 130, there’s room for nodding with eyes closed and keeping on your toes up off the floor. Half A Map strives to combine catchiness with surprise, and roughness with gentleness. They relish sampling various objects and weaving them into their sound. Four originals plus a cherry on top with an Empath remix.