Dick Walter
Playing With Fire 1

Rory McPike is an artist who holds a special place in the core of Melbourne’s musical heart. His primary alias for the past 5 years, Rings Around Saturn, has been releasing sub loaded technotic synthesis with hints and glimpses of a 140 bpm’d dubstep track on the horizon — The horizon is here — Welcome. Goose Step pays homage to the UKs 06-07 dubstep powerhouses with undeniable sound system power itself. Minimalistic on first listen, rude tune on the fourth. Goose Step is a piece we have been looking forward to pressing for a long time here on Modern Hypnosis. All this talk about dubstep, we almost forgot about the A side!!?!! THX Assassin has more character than Mary and Pippin in LOTR. A hot piece of dub garage combining ultra pleasing sonics with clean percussion, articulated wubs and a halfway vibe check.

Linkwood and Other Lands are well known from their various outings on Firecracker, Night Theatre, The Nuclear Family, Rush Hour, Dekmantel, AOTN and many other labels, both talented musicians and fierce producers. The plan was simple, drop them into the mostly finished Athens of the North studio and cross the streams.The results are nothing short of spectacular but putting them into words or genres on paper is somewhat of a challenge. Folding modular textures, post-punk, Electro, House and Techno even ending in some lush Balearic business, they have moulded their years of experience and translated it into something new.What strikes me when listening to the LP is both their voices have come through in this production. Other Lands guitar work and Vocal and Linkwood deep sense of Rhythm and structure. The recording of this LP was just pre-covid which seems strange as it fits now so well. Like a dream of what it would be like to be out In the city night in all its different factions.

Plasma Audio are rolling this year. They’ve racked up releases from the likes of Icicle, Safire, Rido, Proxima, Cursa, Fre4knc, Kolectiv and Survey and now they’ve got a heavy remix single from the mighty Alix Perez. Sabre’s track Yoga came out on Plasma in 2014 to critical acclaim and now it’s got a whole new lease of life, courtesy of Mr. Perez, with two new versions.Both remixes have manage hold on to plenty of the original’s wonkiness. The Club Mix creeps along with an irregular pace. Buzzing synths call out and reply to each other in a conversation, which builds up an abstract sonic landscape that bulges and swells as the track continues. The Warped mix brings more space to the track’s reinterpretation resulting in a more dubbed out feel accentuating the tracks sense of pace.

Second album from Flying Lotus that arguably really put him on the map as one of the leaders of the L.A. beat movement.The talented young producer fuses dark soul electronica with jazz & psych-rock elements, scattered dance floor jams & lots of bass. Growing up with HipHop & Roland synthesizers, Flying Lotus crosses diagonally opposed musical worlds, which has earned him remix jobs for Kelis & Madvillian as well as praise from Erykah Badu, Neneh Cherry & the Gorillaz.