Token Records | NovaFuture Blog

out now: Sterac – Light In The Darkness EP [Token Records]

Artist:
Sterac

Title:
Light In The Darkness EP

Label:
Token Records

Cat#:
TOKEN109

Release Date:
08th July 2022

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Mangled

A2.
Light In The Darkness

B1.
S.O.

B2.
Solidify

Press Info:
Gracing Token with a 12” of reliable effect, Sterac (a.k.a. Steve Rachmad) offers 4 titles that go beyond the club – balancing raw Detroit influences and contemporary depth. With a reputation built on years of developing his scene through important record releases and local as well as international activity, ‘Light in the Darkness’ confirms Rachmad’s artistic relevance in a quickly developing scene.

With a tone-setting introduction for the EP, Rachmad immediately grips the listener’s attention with the pragmatic yet nostalgic ‘Mangled’. Chord stabs inch away from a brutal on-beat drum sequence, a technique responsible for many hits in the genre, this time tastefully repolished through spreaded wooden percussion in direct support. ‘Mangled’ boasts what A1’s should – a worthy first impression – before luring us into what can be considered the apex of the EP. ‘Light in the Darkness’ claims the project title with a gradual exploration through celestial bodies. A minimal opening with a simple acid bassline shows a great deal of attitude before the listener gets caught in an unexpected tide of cosmic pads, dimensionalizing an initially linear record . With slow waves of rich synth work enveloping the only anchor to time that is rhythm, the result is a closed-eyed dance floor experience to be selected in prime conditions. Thick pads are immediately offered again, this time more orchestral than mental. The softness of this primary sound design is expertly dissected by a razor sharp resonant top synth and an upward drum construction, completing the spectrum of sound and unveiling a record with a size fit for warehouse capacities. Rachmad adds almost cinematic suspense to the EP with ‘S.O.’ – certainly not to be underestimated. This leads us to the project’s closer ‘Solidify’, a delirious club groover. With a sound as bent and confronting as a house of mirrors, Rachmad leaves us with a final chapter to keep the heart racing past the end.

Snippets:

Full Track Streaming:
“Solidify”

“Mangled”

“S.O.”

Special:
“Reclaim Your City 463”

Recommendations:
Sterac’ “Different Strokes” on Mote-Evolver
Sterac’ “Numbers EP” on Mote-Evolver
all stuff on Token Records we featured

Buy Vinyl:
Sterac @ Bandcamp
Deejay
Juno
Decks
OYE Records
Red Eye Records
HHV
Hardwax
more soon

Buy Download:
Sterac @ Bandcamp
JunoDownload
Beatport
iTunes
TraxSource
Boomkat
Bleep
Clone Digital
Hardwax
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Spotify
Deezer
Apple Music
Youtube Music

Booking:
AD Sound

Websites:
Sterac
Token Records

out now: Planetary Assault Systems – Devotion EP [Token Records]

Artist:
Planetary Assault Systems

Title:
Devotion EP

Label:
Token Records

Cat#:
TOKEN108

Release Date:
10th June 2022

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Devotion

A2.
Devotion
(Truncate Remix)

B1.
Eden Tide

B2.
Eden Tide
(Barker Remix)

Press Info:
Hot on the heels of his full-length LP ‘Sky Scraping’, Luke Slater is back as Planetary Assault Systems with a victory lap titled ‘Devotion’. A trailblazer in techno with anticipation ahead of every release, Slater appoints complementary scene heavy weights Truncate and Barker for the remixes.

With the title track being reissued after its primary release on ‘Sky Scraping’, ‘Devotion’ opens the EP with what can only be described as raw drum machine psychosis. Slater whips up a classic tom-based 909 sequence with impact, keeping things straight to the point before introducing the defining vocal sample. Wasting no time with 1 bar melodies, Slater boosts up the resonance and LFO rates to create hypnotic textures with a large stereo spread to affirm the sheer size of the track. It comes as no surprise that ‘Devotion’ was picked up by Los Angeles’s Truncate for the remix. Truncate employs the head-turning efficiency that’s made his name a stylistic reference for the past 10 years for this remix, making the vocal cut seem like his idea to begin with. Stripping down the track to its bare essentials and emphasizing the rumble of the kick that clears the way for his original groove, Truncate surprises the listener with a progression into a more maximalist record than his fans might be used to. This marks a fair compromise with Slater’s original track and makes for a reliable weapon for clubs everywhere. Slater then offers ‘Eden Tide’ as his B1 for this record, introducing a track independent of the LP. Here, Planetary Assault Systems fans find comfort in the cosmic synth lines and ambience that justify his name. This glides over a reliable groove with shaker-like hi-hats he’s been known to use in the past coupled with an identifying progressive structure to make things even more hypnotic, making the track a recipe for acclaim. ‘Eden Tide’ could only be strengthened with a remix from Berghain resident Barker, who takes things even further into the mind with his signature kickless techno. Always picking up on the details, Barker takes advantage of the space given by Slater to offer his rendition of ‘Eden Tide’. Barker lifts the mood with melody and dives into the subconscious through dub with delays and psychedelic movement, introducing the end of the EP with a meditative eye closer to smooth the edges of a rougher record.

Snippets:

Full Track Streaming:
“Eden Tide (Barker Remix)”

“Devotion (Truncate Remix)”

Special:
“Live at Boiler Room & Ballantine's Stay True Scotland”

Related Release:
album “Sky Scraping”

Recommendations:
all stuff Luke Slater stuff we featured
all stuff on Token Records we featured

Buy Vinyl:
Planetary Assault Systems @ Bandcamp
Deejay
Juno
Red Eye Records
Decks
HHV
Hardwax
more soon

Buy Download:
Planetary Assault Systems @ Bandcamp
Hardwax
JunoDownload
Beatport
iTunes
TraxSource
Boomkat
Bleep
Clone Digital
7Digital
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Spotify
Deeze
Apple Music
Youtube Music

Booking:
Reprise Talent Agency

Websites:
Planetary Assault Systems / Luke Slater @ Facebook
Token Records

out now: Ignez – Nadi EP [Token Records]

Artist:
Ignez

Title:
Nadi EP

Label:
Token Records

Cat#:
TOKEN107

Release Date:
06th May 2022

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Aura

A2.
Warrior One

B1.
Nadi

B2.
Centaurus

Press Info:
Following the release of his track ‘Celestial’ on Fuga III, Ignez is back on Token for his own 4 track EP ‘Nadi’ to confirm that his work cannot be overlooked. Dissonant and seductive synth work offer the only release from a uniquely unforgiving use of percussion throughout the project – a masterclass in effect.

Kicking off the record with a track built on atmospheric shifts certainly sets the tone and it’s called ‘Aura’. Carefully sequenced and erratic synth lines are thinly sliced by high energy top percussion to make an anxious opening. Moving on to the A2, Ignez strips things down to the essentials and takes out the ear candy. Being the most rhythmically-centered piece of the project, ‘Warrior One’ fills space through the body of its few elements to accept tension from a simple yet hypnotic vocal synth. The linear quality of this piece then dives into the persistently moody title track ‘Nadi’. A more cinematic addition to the EP, ‘Nadi’ brews tension through most of its elements over the duration of the track to be released into a deep club groove with expert attention to detail. The attitude of this track makes for a twisted way to drop into the final piece of the EP, ‘Centaurus’. Built on a strong base of a more classically crafted rhythm, the unpredictability of this B2 lies in the melodic interactions between the bass synth and suspenseful strings that stalk the listener for a cliffhanger of a closer.

Snippets:

Full Track Streaming:
“Warrior One”

“Nadi”

Special:
“Reclaim Your City 479”

Recommendations:
all releases on Token Records we featured

Buy Vinyl:
Token Records @ Bandcamp
Deejay
Juno
Red Eye Records
OYE Records
Decks
Hardwax
HHV
more soon

Buy Download:
Token Records @ Bandcamp
JunoDownload
Beatport
iTunes
TraxSource
Boomkat
Bleep
Clone Digital
7Digital
Hardwax
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Spotify
Deezer
Apple Music
Youtube Music

Booking:
Kromanti Agency

Websites:
Ignez
Token Records

out now: Border One – Cyclone EP [Token Records]

Artist:
Border One

Title:
Cyclone EP

Label:
Token Records

Cat#:
TOKEN105

Release Date:
04th February 2022

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Cyclone

A2.
Halo

B1.
Stratus

B2.
Spheric

Press Info:
Token sees the return of Brussels-based Border One for 4 tracks of no nonsense, body focused music. This collection of tracks, meant to deliver uncompromising groove, affirms Border One’s sonic identity through his use of evolving yet persistent tension brewing above hypnotic elements. This signature storm adds a dimension to Cyclone that guides the listener between club and mind by adding this constant yet recognizable anticipation.

The EP opens up at full capacity with the title track; bent metallics over an intimidatingly deep kick are stalked and circled by a sinister pad that leaves only to release maximum tension. This peak-time cut is followed by the subdued A2 ‘Halo’ where, this time, melodic ambience is prioritized. Light toms drive us forward to undress a track with a patiently strained arrangement, partially through a filter only opening fully midway through, imposing the producer’s pace. Border One then lifts the energy with ‘Stratus’ through 1/16th rhythmics with an almost psychotic arpeggio and tunneling hi hats in a track that can be visually described as racing fractals. The invigoratingly hypnotic quality of ‘Stratus’ creates an ultimate closed-eye dance floor experience to then pull us into ‘Spheric’ that closes the EP out in an entirely new but familiar cosmic atmosphere. Space is given to this last cut, with short plucked synths resonating through vast soundscapes, giving the project an ethereal closing over lighter, bouncing percussion.

Snippets:

Full Track Streaming:
“Halo”

Special:
“@ Token Records Night, Fuse Brussels 9-10-2021”

Recommendations:
Border One’s “Radon EP” on Token Records
Border One’s “Host EP” on Border One Records
Border One’s “Samadhi EP” on Knowledge Imprint
Border One’s “Restless EP” on SK_Eleven
Border One’s “Abyssal EP” on Border One Records
Border One’s “Insight EP” on Wolfskuil Records
Border One’s “Restive EP” on Escapism
Border One’s “Unspoken Voices EP” on Invite Records
Border One’s “Despair EP” on Form And Function
Border One’s “Throw EP” on Ressort Imprint

Buy Vinyl:
Token Records @ Bandcamp
Deejay
Juno
Decks
Red Eye Records
Rush Hour
HHV
Clone
Hardwax
more soon

Buy Download:
Token Records @ Bandcamp
Qobuz
JunoDownload
TraxSource
Beatport
iTunes
Boomkat
Clone Digital
Hardwax
7Digital
more soon

Commercial Streaming Services:
Tidal
Qobuz
Deezer
Spotify
Apple Music
Youtube Music

Booking:
Border One

Websites:
Border One
Token Records

out now: Oscar Mulero – Titan EP [Token Records]

Artist:
Oscar Mulero

Title:
Titan EP

Label:
Token Records

Cat#:
TOKEN104

Release Date:
26th November 2021

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Carnage

A2.
Spirit Train

B1.
Titan

B2.
Elektra

Press Info:
Oscar Mulero returns to Token. Titan follows up 2018’s Electric Shades EP and marks the Spaniard’s fourth appearance on the label. A brace of uptempo, dance-floor focused tracks in the artist’s inimitable style, the EP showcases the veteran producer’s knack for memorable sonic motifs and enviable studio prowess.

As ever, the music feels fresh and modern. Driving, polyrhythmic recording Carnage sets the tone for the record–high energy and off-kilter, it’s a dense workout that feels as focused as it does powerfully untethered. Hypnotic follow up Spirit Train channels the best of the heads-down end of the genre with a single delayed synth that warps across its runtime, buoyed by exquisite drum programming and bound neatly by the artist’s precision engineering. Title track Titan heads up the B1 and the EP shows no sign of slowing. High energy from the start, Mulero delivers an exemplary slice of peak-time acid-Techno that finds extraordinary energy in its crisp main riff. Elektra closes out the EP and focuses heavily on groove. A single reverberating lead synth sequence does the bulk of the movement, moving in and out of the sonic periphery to build and release tension, all the while propped up by the chunky, driving drums that have powered the record throughout.

Snippets: