Reclaim Your City | NovaFuture Blog

out now: Sterac | Kr!z – Lightworks EP [Reclaim Your City]

Artist:
Sterac | Kr!z

Title:
Lightworks EP

Label:
Reclaim Your City

Cat#:
RYCL019

Release Date:
17th July 2023

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Sterac
Muff Case

A2.
Sterac
Strike Icer

B1.
Kr!z
Sorcerer

B2.
Kr!z
Lightworks

Press Info:
Helmed by two longstanding legends of the scene, our next installment pays tribute to the Benelux techno connection as we welcome Dutch maestro Steve Rachmad under his Sterac alias and Token boss Kr!z to the fold. Each contributing a brace of the typically elegant hard-hitters they’ve become so widely reputed for, the pair has us swinging in balance between proper floor-destroying potency and mind-expanding otherworldliness. A homage to the uncluttered and beautifully escapistic vision they’ve advocated throughout their career and continue to push in their various endeavors, RYCL019 is a feast for the purists as much as a compellingly future-facing manifesto: classic in essence but vanguard in its quest.

Holding the reins of the A side, Rachmad gets the ball rolling pedal to the metal. ‘Muff Case’ is genotypic Sterac material with its surgical uptempo groove and malleable analogue membranes leaning against a sci-fi-indebted scenario. Twisting gridlocked 4×4 semantics whilst his trademark machine funk runs the voodoo down in euphoric style, the Amsterdam-based magician has us hanging onto each bar’s end as we’d be watching a thriller: eager and excited for the next shift of gears. A deluge of chromatic arps and subtle chord distortions agitate the sleek surface of ’Strike Icer’ – a euphorically effervescing and inch-perfectly built slice of liquid-like techno pyrotechnics, congealed into something of a classic for the future ahead. Lovers of Rachmad’s precise yet richly-hued blends shall rejoice, for the Dutch producer flexes the refined brilliance and implacable relevancy of his sound in an epoch not so highly regarded for its risk-taking, soul-searching qualities.

Cross the other side and here’s Belgian techno don Kr!z laying it down badman style. True to its name, ’Sorcerer’ is a spell of unrelenting techno boggle, tailored to withstand the heaviest DJ use without losing any of its punishing grit. As blunt synth arpeggios keep looping in and out of focus, from sub-end depths to foreground in-your-face’ness, Kr!z harnesses a wild bassy storm, inbound for total floor obliteration. Shifting the angle onto deeper envelope fine-tuning and lysergic mind-games, ‘Lightworks’ fuses a sense of weird acid sensuality with the incisiveness of crisp drum patterns and bass-heavy aggression. Shining through the squelchy layers of FX-laden baselines, Kr!z’s emphasis on textural interplays and rhythmic overlaps blazes to further devastating effect.

Snippets:

Full Track Streaming:
Sterac – “Muff Case”

Kr!z – “Sorcerer”

Video:
Sterac – “Strike Icer”

Video made by the29nov films

Specials:
Sterac – “Reclaim Your City 463”

Kr!z – “Reclaim Your City 524”

Recommendations:
Kr!z’ “Revelation EP” on Blueprint Records
Kr!z’ “Atlantis EP” on Token Records
Kr!z’ “Neutrino EP” on Blueprint Records
Sterac’ “Light In The Darkness EP” on Token Records
Sterac’ “Numbers EP” on Mote-Evolver
Sterac’ “Different Strokes” on Mote-Evolver
“Speedy & Steve” by Speedy J & Steve Rachmad on Mote-Evolver
all featured releases from Reclaim Your City

Buy Vinyl:
Deejay
Juno
Hardwax
Decks
Oye Records
Red Eye Records
Clone
HHV
more soon

Buy Download:
Reclaim Your City @ Bandcamp
JunoDownload
Beatport
iTunes
TraxSource
Hardwax
Clone Digital
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Deezer
Spotify
Apple Music
Youtube Music

Booking:
AD Sound for Sterac
Kr!z

Websites:
Sterac
Kr!z
Reclaim Your City

out for a while: Amotik | Janice – XVII [Reclaim Your City]

Artist:
Amotik | Janice

Title:
XVII

Label:
Reclaim Your City

Cat#:
RYCL017

Release Date:
29th September 2022

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Amotik
Narangi

A2.
Amotik
Hara

B1.
Janice
Mass Formation Hypnosis

B2.
Janice
Names And Excuses

Press Info:
True to AMOTIK’s minutely balanced, well-integrated blends of punishing kick drums and sunken harmonics, metronomic destroyer “Narangi” swings the pendulum sharp and clean, from deep down a thick sludge of reverb-soaked, FX-topped percussive armada to bleeps n’ bloops barrage fire, whereas quake-inducing tides of 909 thunder hail down upon the dance floor with unrelenting frenzy. The dusty bone-bruiser “Hara” picks up the torch and it’s in no calmer mood. A slowed-down, breaks-loaded churner, this one relies on a fine engineering of lo-freq moves and pure hardware-processed filth to establish a murky motel, cinematic narrative of sorts.

Up with the fracturing wares, here’s Janice rocking the flip upside down with the aptly-titled “Mass Formation Hypnosis”. Doing what’s written on the tin, the faceless producer rushes us headfirst into the boiler for a thorough, unfaltering brainwash. Smelling of leather, grease and coal, this one’s bristling with a delectably rugged palette of unambiguous electronics: an ultimate shelling of chest-rattling drum work, in-your-face bass uppercuts, trumpeting stabs and menacingly altered vox. The final salvo, “Names and Excuses”, tops it all off on an ominously droney tip, flinging us right away into the frothing mouth of a deadly machine giant, hurtling and tumbling down mazy bowels of washed-out ambient techno via rhyzomatic gutters of brooding abstract motifs and no-frills heavyweight pound. Hectic.

Also available as 180+ gram quality black vinyl from Clone, Deejay and Juno, among others, “RYCL.017” comes adorned with a duly outstanding frame to shine, pleasing the eye and the ears in equal measure. Limited edition pressing, once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Snippets:

Specials:
Amotik – “Kalt Podcast #3.2”

Janice – “Lost In Ether | Podcast #144”

Recommendations:
split EP “AMTK+001” w/ Amotik on AMTK+
all featured releases from Reclaim Your City

Buy Vinyl:
Deejay
Juno
Decks
OYE Records
Clone
Hardwax
HHV
more soon

Buy Download:
Reclaim Your City @ Bandcamp
JunoDownload
TraxSource
Beatport
Hardwax
iTunes
Clone Digital
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Spotify
Apple Music
Deezer
Youtube Music

Booking:
Outlined AM for Amotik

Websites:
Amotik
Janice
Reclaim Your City

out for a while: Jeroen Search – Enigma EP [Reclaim Your City]

Artist:
Jeroen Search

Title:
Enigma EP

Label:
Reclaim Your City

Cat#:
RYCL016

Release Date:
15th July 2022 (vinyl & Bandcamp)
in May 2023 (other digital stores)

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Enigma

A2.
Modules

B1.
Object Of Ridicule

B2.
Circle Park

Press Info:
A coinage derived from the sharp, clinically designed blends he has come to be known for, that Search-sound has long established as a blueprint for DJs seeking laser-guided weaponry into their sets, and Jeroen’s maiden effort for RYC follows that very guideline. Starting with the massive pound of the title-track, “Enigma”, the EP knocks into your system with blunt force, ushering us into a no-frills corridor of hydraulic kicks and sizzling static. As per usual with Jeroen’s compositions, minimalism serves a purpose of exponential effect.

True to the fuel-efficient philosophy of the producer, “Modules” harnesses a controlled avalanche of modular signals and no-prisoner, big-room techno dynamics to forge a piece of exquisitely raw rave material that can move blocks of concrete with its nose. Letting the groove a little bit looser, “Object of Ridicule” spins at fierce tempo whilst relying on the same limited palette of chiselled drums and ominous strings to plunge the dance floor into a darker, neo-noir paradox of rhythmic straightforwardness and mystery-shrouded ambiguity.

Topping the release off is “Circle Park”, a cut that further exposes Jeroen’s constant juggling between atmospheric opacity and a surgical, technicist approach towards production. A matter of thoroughly finessed textures and obsession for the faintest detail that shines through “Enigma” with unrelenting ebullience. More than anything the fruit of an endless search for fresh, unheard forms of transcending techno expression.

Snippets:

Special:
“Reclaim Your City 487”

Recommendations:
split EP “Contemplation” w/ Jeroen Search on Platform 22
Jeroen Search’s “Aether EP” on Token Records
all featured releases from Reclaim Your City

Buy Vinyl:
Deejay
Juno
Clone
Decks
OYE Records
Red Eye Records
Hardwax
more soon

Buy Download:
Reclaim Your City
JunoDownload
Hardwax
TraxSource
iTunes
Beatport
Clone Digital
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Spotify
Apple Music
Deezer
Youtube Music
more soon

Booking:
Parabel Agency for Jeroen Search

Websites:
Jeroen Search
Reclaim Your City

out now: Eric Fetcher | Arthur Robert – Strange Ability [Reclaim Your City]

Artist:
Eric Fetcher | Arthur Robert

Title:
Strange Ability

Label:
Reclaim Your City

Cat#:
RYCL015

Release Date:
09th November 2021

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Eric Fetcher
Arrival

A2.
Arthur Robert
Petrichor

B1.
Arthur Robert
Centipede

B2.
Eric Fetcher
Balter

Press Info:
For its fifteenth iteration, Reclaim Your City travels to Paris via Vienna with complementary pair Eric Fetcher and Arthur Robert taking over for a round of cold-blooded club-busting blends. Whereas the first spent the past half-decade honing his machine-based mind-control skills and abilities through a stream of EPs for KEY, Granulart and Warm Up Records, the latter broke through more recently with a quartet of pace-setting releases for Len Faki’s Figure imprint.

A full-on hypnotic affair leafing through the darker districts of dubbed-out deep techno, “RYCL.015” eases us in a sunken realm of unquiet oneiric folds and further afield, obscure crannies. Fetcher strikes first with “Arrival” – a pulsating meshwork of distressing signals going pong on the reverbs, as sturdy kick drums and skittish percussions guide the groove onto proper club-ready rails via a clinical 4×4 frame.

Then comes Arthur Robert’s “Petrichor”, an enslaving roller tailored to catch you in its intricate web of sonar-like bleeping and wild, homing hats let loose like hounds on their prey, whilst you progressively lose track of your actual environment to enter a new world of multisensory stimulation and blurred-out abstraction.

Flip the record and here is Robert’s “Centipede” taking over with an uptempo cascade of heavily delayed machine talk, dust-clogged kicks and surgical 4×4 swing bound to have everyone losing their shit in the basement with shadow-knightly swagger and in-your-face attitude. Fetcher’s closing number “Balter” adds a further hip-swaying, breaks-laden, rowdy spin to the overall forward-moving ride, but also some more warmth sound design-wise, which will most certainly find a positive echo in DJs looking for true-school hybrid weaponry – capable to keep the dancing clock ticking in full-swing, without jeopardising the after’s chiller vibes.

As per usual, RYCL.015 comes adorned with a bespoke piece of artwork, this time courtesy of talented Dutch photographer Joris Graaf, and will be pressed on 180-gram audiophile orange gold vinyl for the discerning heads.

Snippets:

Full Track Streaming:
Arthur Robert – “Petrichor”

Eric Fetcher – “Arrival”

Videos:
Arthur Robert – “Petrichor”

Eric Fetcher – “Arrival”

Videos made by the29nov films

Specials:
Arthur Robert – “RL. 167”

Eric Fetcher – “Reclaim Your City 425”

Recommendations:
Arthur Robert’s EP “Transition (Part 2)” on Figure
Arthur Robert’s EP “Transition (Part 1)” on Figure
Arthur Robert’s EP “Arrival (Part 2)” on Figure
Arthur Robert’s EP “Arrival (Part 1)” on Figure
Arthur Robert’s EP “Draft I” on Reduktion
Arthur Robert’s EP “Alternate Realities” on Atmophile Electronics
Arthur Robert’s EP “Die Flut” on Reduktion
sampler “Fuga II” w/ Arthur Robert on Token Records
compilation “IMF10” w/ Arthur Robert on Index Marcel Fengler
Eric Fetcher’s “Extension EP” on Inpureform
all featured releases from Reclaim Your City

Buy Vinyl:
Juno
Deejay
Red Eye Records
Clone
Decks
Hardwax
more soon

Buy Download:
Reclaim Your City @ Bandcamp
Beatport
JunoDownload
TraxSource
Clone Digital
Hardwax
iTunes
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Spotify
Deezer
Apple Music
Youtube Music

Booking:
Arthur Robert

Websites:
Arthur Robert
Eric Fetcher
Reclaim Your City

out now: Stanislav Tolkachev – Up The Steel Stairway EP [Reclaim Your City]

Artist:
Stanislav Tolkachev

Title:
Up The Steel Stairway EP

Label:
Reclaim Your City

Cat#:
RYCL014

Release Date:
03rd July 2021

Format:
Vinyl & download

Tracklist:
A1.
Up The Steel Stairway

A2.
The Less You Know

B1.
One More To Go

B2.
The Way To The After

Press Info:
Over five years on from his first appearance on the label with ‘Follow Me’ off the ‘Dnepr_Vancouver’ VA, Ukrainian don Stanislav Tolkachev resurfaces with his debut solo four-tracker for RYC. Not quite swerving from the sonic pathway his name has become synonymous with over the years, ever so alien and transporting, Tolkachev’s latest boasts the very exact qualities that have made his sound stand out from others, earning him a constantly growing crowd of heirs and imitators along the way.

Breaking the trip in, ‘Up The Steel Stairway’ sets the tone for the EP without further ado. Sniping hails of steadily frantic, arpeggiated synth chords and puncturing kick drums that’ll have you dancing like one rolls with the punches, Tolkachev sails into the eye of the cyclone all guns blazing. Lacking no pounding heft either, ‘The Less You Know’ slits a way open into your head through a carefully dissonant symbiosis of corrosive synth lines and octave-shifting bass gone astray. On-the-edge techno at its rowdiest, most mentally challenging.

Flip the coin and here comes the deranged, trouble-brewing ‘One More To Go’. Cranking the mind-bogglingness a notch further, this one bulldozers its way past all sanity thresholds without blinking. Final number ‘The Way To The After’ tops it off in more straightforward but equally immersive fashion. Plunging us in a submerged chamber of sorts, where heavily verbed-out synth flexions entangle along tranquilly ascending pads, progressively dissolving in inert pools of FX-charged bleach and slo-dripping dub venom.

Snippets: