ARTICLES
2006 Top 10s and 20s
2006 Artist Picks

ALBUMS
17 Pictures
Angina P
Ateleia
Benni Hemm Hemm
The Boats
Cappablack
Celer
Dead Letters Dead Words
Deceptikon
Deerhunter
Denzel + Huhn
Displayaz
Dollboy
Drone
Eluvium
Emanuele Errante
The Eternals
Fear Falls Burning
Marcus Fjellström
Fonoda
Funkstörung
Goldfrapp
Gyroscope
Robert Henke
James Holden
The Idealist
Anders Ilar
Landing
LCD Soundsystem
Library Tapes
L Pierre
Lullatone
Tor Lundvall
Mad EP
Mahogany
Melodium
Mem1
Daisuke Miyatani
Mole Harness
Momus
Monoceros
Mormo
Mothboy
Original Hamster
Pierson & Horton
Prince Valium
Radical Face
Retail Sectors / Yaporigami
Rylander & Elggren
Scott Solter Plays PIM
Sideshow
Silicone Soul
Skream
Splinters
Mark Templeton
Thread Pulls
T. Raumschmiere
Tycho
Ultre
Virculum
Xela

COMPILATIONS/MIXES
AudioArt 03
Cumulous
Dubstep Allstars Vol. 4
Eriksen / Toft / Utarm
Katapult VA Vol. 3
Let's Lazertag Sometime
Mr Geoffrey & JD Franzke
Skagen / Halvorsen / Toft
Tectonic Plates

3"/7"/10"/12"/EPs
Gabriel Ananda
Robert Bardini
DAT Politics
Dead Letters / R. Sundin
Dogmixer
Benjamin Fehr
Fenin
HL
I Make This Sound
Zoë Irvine
Kyriakides and Moor
Lamont & 2tall
Ljud. & Piloten / Kama Aina
Jacob London
Sam Mcqueen
Miskate
Ryo Miyashita & Hiiragi_
[nara]
New Faces
Of / Greg Davis
Charlemagne Palestine
Phon.o vs Litwinenko
Portable
PostPrior
Samarah
Nicholas Sauser & Ditch
Someone Else
Hannes Teichmann
Tractile
Andy Vaz

IMAGES
F.S. Blumm

T. Raumschmiere: Random Noize Sessions Vol. 1
Shitkatapult

Random Noize Sessions Vol. 01 impresses me a whole lot more than some of Marco Haas's previous T.Raumschmiere output. Some listeners will bemoan the mellow vibe of the new release and long for the pile-driving crunch of the monster-truck material on Radio Blackout and Blitzkrieg Pop, among others, but I'll take the cool sophistication of this latest release any day, even if it is comprised of lost 1995-2005 studio and live recordings. The decidedly unclubby Random Noize Sessions Vol. 01 enters Pan Sonic territory in “Wer War Nochma Vermona?” and “Der Eisenwracktraum” while “Radikal Meditation” and “Drosophila Matsch” are as clinical and controlled as anything issuing forth from the Raster-Noton or Line camps. The surprises don't stop there: “In The Ghetto” isn't a booty-bass raver but a Gas-styled orchestral-electronic vignette of two minutes duration, and “Die Alte Leier” is sunlit minimal techno that wouldn't sound out of place blaring out of an amusement park's speakers while children ride the carousel and Ferris wheel. Only once does Haas get his hands dirty (“GrobMotorOmsk (Holz Uber Kopf)”) but, even then, the track's steamrolling chug has more in common with Pan Sonic than Venetian Snares. Somehow I don't expect Haas will stay this well-behaved for long, so don't be too surprised if the next T.Raumschmiere outing is as noisy and ugly as this one is restrained and refined. Enjoy it while it lasts.

January 2007