Browse by Label: MINUS (CANADA)

Artist:	PLASTIKMAN
Title:	Nostalgik. 1
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS -001EP

"Nostalgik.1 is the first in a small series of recovered unreleased material from the Plastikman archives that sound as timely now than when originally recorded. Born from a similar vein of Plastikman classic's 'Sickness' and 'Panikattack', both of these tracks echo the tripped out, synthetic groove that came out of Richie Hawtin's Windsor Ontario Canada studios in the mid-1990's. 'Snark' builds and bubbles with its muted kick, signature Hawtin hi-hat programming and a snappy snare that manically pops like a firecracker. Recent edits by Berlin's Ricardo Villalobos help bring the schizophrenic hiccups and flares into the mix, building then rapidly dropping the beat, steering the track into even more loopy territory. 'Aquatik' moves along a similar axis as 'Snark' but walks closer in hand with Hawtin's Hardtrax, Robotman and Concept 1 identities. The off-kilter soul of Plastikman is undeniably present here as Hawtin tunes into the darker area of the dancefloor thru experimental sounds and effects. Hawtin's mixing and production from this era shows how his surgically-loose and unique off-balance rhythms can bend and flex within the lower frequencies."

Artist:	PLASTIKMAN
Title:	Nostalgik.2
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS -002EP

"Nostalgik.2 follows up 2004's Nostalgik.1 with more recovered unreleased material from the Plastikman archives, sounding as timely now than when originally recorded nearly a decade ago. The music and approaches heard within these unreleased recordings reveal Hawtin's blueprint for future mind-bending projects like Concept 1 and Plastikman albums such as Consumed and Closer. From his beginning projects starting in 1990 as States of Mind and FUSE, early on Hawtin has been able to reach futuristic rhythms while working with limited technology, found here with Nostalgik.2. Beyond the drums comes a groove -- 'Plink Plonk' is as raw and jacked as Hawtin pushed with his Circuit Breaker alias from the early 1990s, created with strict percussion, shuffling drums in between distortion and minimal effects. Caught here in a serious man-machine connection, much like the stripped playfulness behind his classic single 'Spastik,' the elements are limited but the output bounces and rattles within. Moving into more experimental zones of minimalism, the B-side delves into the drum manipulation and programming style that is unmistakably Plastikman. The sheer tonal pulse of 'Kink' gets heady right from the start with delays and echoes in the mood of his 1995 single, 'Sickness.' 'Plonker' and its detuned drums twist the few channels of sound into a psychological treatment of bass and Plastik-effects also from the time of the 'Sickness' sessions."

Artist:	ROBOTMAN/FUSE
Title:	Hypnofreak/NT
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 007EP

Split release between Minus and Plus 8. "The acid?house classic Robotman project resurfaces with a 2001 tune-up by old school believer Steve Bug, known for his Poker Flat releases out of Berlin. 'Hypnofreak' was originally released in 1993 on Definitive by Robotman, a secret alias of Richie Hawtin, well known by the single 'Do Da Doo' which also boasted a Plastikman remix shortly after the original. Steve's version brings up the bass and pulls out the catchy pulse of a melody while adding his own trademark tones. Richie Hawtin pulls one out of the acetate archives reminding us of his Fuse identity from the early-mid 90's. 'NT' was a Detroit-play-only acetate which Rich pulled out for special occasions when DJing his now legendary JAK events in Detroit. It ties in the spatial effects that branched his Fuse sound into Plastikman while sticking the dancefloor with a haunting bassline and drum programming that is impossible to ignore."

Artist:	HAWTIN + STEVE BUG, RICHIE
Title:	Low Blow
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 009EP

"No strangers to producing and performing a hybrid mix of 'call it what you want' top-notch electronic music, these two deliver up a new collaboration that brings it all together for a dark and cloudy dancefloor with Low Blow. Recorded at Hawtin's studio in winter 2002, Low Blow delves DEEP into a hard house groove backed with a gripping and edgy bassline. Precise rhythms meld into the beat and bass as the occasional weirdness creeps in unexpectedly. Styles of each of their monikers (Plastikman, Steve Bug) can be slightly detected, but something new has developed here that is sure to please."

Artist:	BERICOCHEA, I.A.
Title:	A
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 014EP

"Tapping warmth from his lifeless machines, the sincere introduction of A delivers Ignacio Bericochea's debut release. Interestingly, Bericochea didn't realty attack electronic music until recently. It wasn't long after that Ignacio dropped out of the Physics program at the University of Madrid, bought a computer and began composing his own tiny symphonies in the digital realm. Now he takes his influence from John Coltrane, minimalist composer Erik Satie and Tango king Osvaldo Pugliese, adding to the already complex arrangements of his first release for Minus."

Artist:	ALGORITMO
Title:	Indus EP
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 016EP

"New project on Minus from Brooklyn's Algoritmo, aka Ilana Ospina and GoodandEvil. When Ospina moved to New York City to continue DJing and begin producing her own tracks she was introduced to GoodandEvil by a mutual friend, Felix da Housecat. The vibe was instant and the two began producing tracks as Algoritmo almost immediately. Both Ospina and GoodandEvil continue to work in other realms of the NYC art scene. Ospina is the co-founder of Sonicontinuum, an artist collective with a vision based in the futuristic philosophies of Alvin Toffler and intent on delivering audio and visual art in the digital realm. GoodandEvil has recently recorded with Northern State for Sony. In addition, he has two collaborations in the pipeline for the Thirsty Ear label, first with avant pianist extraordinaire Matthew Shipp and the second with a group of Cuban musicians."

Artist:	RUN STOP RESTORE
Title:	Geometry
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 020EP

"At a time when national borders are under scrutiny and politics make the loudest noise, Run Stop Restore is in an advantageous position. The duo actually holds dual citizenship. The studio-strong Marc Houle resides in Windsor, Ontario, Canada while Troy Pierce -- the DJ of the group and recent Berlin transplant -- spent the last few years in Brooklyn, NY. Nonetheless, like happy accidents, creativity is born out of chance meetings, even in Windsor. Their introduction was by a mutual friend (and third member of Run Stop Restore) -- now the Berlin-based Magda. Even with the help of technology, living in different cities meant their work took time to come into shape and form. Houle, the analog mastermind, delivered dozens of tracks to Pierce, who then edited, chopped, enhanced, and boiled them down to a select few, putting a more current flair on the production. That's when things really started to get. Musically speaking it's the past more so than the present that has influenced them. Kraftwerk, Human League, Berlin, Bauhaus, and some Baby Ford -- it's in there."

Artist:	DJ MINX
Title:	A Walk in the Park
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 022EP

...with remixes by Matthew Dear & Magda. "Some background...Minx was a key component of the legendary 'Deep Space Radio' weekly program on Detroit's WGPR 107.5 FM. This radio show was headed by the innovators of techno music: 'Magic' Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, Eddie Fowlkes, and Derrick May. Currently she can be heard on the weekly 'Rhythm Gallery,' an afternoon mix show that she co-hosts with Jerry the Cat on CJAM-FM. In December 1996, Minx gave birth to Women on Wax, a collective of lady DJs from the Detroit area that held frequent events to support up-and-coming female talent."

Artist:	JONSON, MATHEW
Title:	Decompression EP
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 024EP

"The irresistible force of 'Decompression' and lofty pulse of 'Ultraviolet Dream' are crafted by Latin-infused rhythms sheared by gripping basslines and synths that swell. Jonson's productions are somewhere in between cosmic house and minimal techno with influences of jazz, fusion and analog electronic music of decades past. His live shows deliver a refreshing force against a stark laptop set, with Jonson pushing live analog boards, drum machines and effects to the edge, programming, tweaking and reworking his tracks on the fly."

Artist:	DJ MINX
Title:	A Walk in the Park Remixes
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 026EP

"No strangers to high-quality remixing or releasing nothing less than exquisite productions of their own, Josh Wink and Ricardo Villalobos remix DJ Minx's 'A Walk In The Park'. The superb original of 'A Walk In The Parkl' was released on Minx's Airborne EP thru her Women on Wax label (womenonwax.com) in August of 2003. While great fans of the original, Minus re-released the song 'A Walk In the Park' with new remixes of the underground minimal house hit by Minx, Matthew Dear and Magda on the A Walk In the Park EP (Minus22) in May 2004."

Artist:	JAKSHUN, ACTUAL
Title:	Sequential Circus
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 027EP

"Lingering from the echoes of a few select owners, Actual Jakshun's 'Sequential Circus' was limited-access before 2005 to say the least. Grabbing the ears and attention of Richie Hawtin (exposed by Ricardo Villalobos), Jakshun has been present but mainly underground since the singles' debut in 2000. Originally released on Incomplet, 'Sequential' was freed out of Oakland, California's experimental techno freakout scene of the late 1990s with characters like Jakshun, Televazquez, K. Blectum and B. Blectum in effect. The label produced only two releases which were limited editions featuring detailed hand-fashioned artwork and laying down some future blueprints at the same time. Operating on 'less is more,' the track was made almost exclusively on a single Sequential Circuits Studio 440 (circa 1986), fusing sampling, sequencing, drum programming and more all-in- one machine. Half a decade has passed and the outer-edge minimal rawness of 'Sequential Circus' is back, here with a new remix by Run Stop Restore's Marc Houle along with two unreleased tracks from the original sessions -- the pulsing throb of 'Sulkr' and the erratic gallop of 'Chup Chup.' The EP is challenging as it is playful, turning and swerving with compu-rhythms and edits that seem more random than humanly accidental. Minus is proud to re-issue these underground gems, even though our jackets aren't hand-dipped in red latex paint like the original, time for respect to Actual Jakshun."

Artist:	FALSE [A.K.A. MATTHEW DEAR]
Title:	River Camping
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 030EP

"Drawing on the gut and outer edges of what and where Detroit techno has (be)come, Matthew Dear is in deep. Over the course of the past three years, his output has rallied him into orbit with stellar releases backed by a determined pace and power on the road as a live performer and DJ. His False alias, home to Canada's Plus 8 Records and Minus imprints, has become an escape-ground for his further experiments into expanding new horizons. 'River Camping' serves up Matthew's second single for Minus, with added bounce and texture from 2004's 'Sink the Ship' single. The brilliant title track swoons with smooth pads, erratic alarms, bells and Dear's sneaky vocals, taking the quieter but still very rhythmic path of composition. 'Falling Away's' deep bass builds the platform for a pulsing slow jam with Dear organically layering in new and unique subtleties throughout. The single finishes up with 'Tanning Booths,' the most pitched-up of the three new tracks. Haunted and pounding from the start, this is territory where Dear is most comfortable; shuffling layers of melting percussion in with bass lines and tones, from one of techno's most freely developing producers today."

Artist:	HEARTTHROB
Title:	Time for Ensor
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 031EP

"Debut single from the elastic sounds of Brooklyn's Heartthrob. One thing is certain with the wide-eared palette in the hand of Heartthrob, aka Jesse Siminski -- melody and swing are in harmony. Time for Ensor is a debut single full of playful bass lines and pop motifs decorated by animated electronic symbolism. Heartthrob's sound contains the balance of respect for dance music's past while embracing focus, freedom and fun via today's soft/hardware possibilities and potential. Dancing the line between sparse and complex, Heartthrob's subtle hooks on 'Golum' and off-world echoes in the title cut. 'Time for Ensor,' are more in the moment than moody or grabbing nostalgia. (T)his fresh outlook is a preview to much more sonic art from Jesse Siminski in the future."

Artist:	MAGDA
Title:	Stop
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 035EP

"The words irregular and off-kilter serve a dual-purpose when (lovingly) describing Magda and her unique music mix. Judging by appearances the girl just wants to have fun, but once that needle drops prepare for a session in tension, groove and yes, good times. Her now internationally demanded DJ sets are hard to top and even harder to align to another DJ, as this Minus debut single, 'Stop' strives to follow that same path. Without a doubt Magda's sound is coming from musical influences that are more personable than 'programmed.' Picking up the slack and noise from techno and bass she shows a relish for funk and electro matched with the European-cured synth pop of the '80s. Her experiences behind the decks and living in cities like Detroit, New York and Berlin can't hurt either. One of the first users of Final Scratch, Magda schooled herself by becoming a 're-edit master' creating renditions of her record collection readymade by technology. This call to action accelerated her studio skills and has opened a new strange portal of intimately being one with your original music and your DJ sets -- ying and yang between the decks and the hard drive. Tight and yet elastic at the same time, the flexibility within the sound of 'Stop' works on the dance floor at peak hours or late morning for those Twilight Zone moments without a hitch. Stacked intricate sounds slowly build in a mental manner as she turns notes into noise and reveals beats into bass lines. 'Stop' follows up her Minus debut contribution to 2005's Minimize to Maximize compilation plus remixes & releases thru Underl_ne, Telegraph and Foundsound labels."

Artist:	GAISER
Title:	And Answer
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 036EP

"The sound and background of Gaiser delves from an upbringing deep in percussion. Starting out as a drummer in his teen years, he played with bands behind a kit. What interested him even more though was experimenting with drum machines and he learned a balance between digital and real world instruments. Living in and around Michigan (Detroit for a few years) Jon Gaiser frequented the music and underground parties from Detroit, citing heavy influences from the Plus 8 and Minus events during the mid-1990s onward. Through the kick drums, flailing blips and static, And Answer introduces Gaiser's playful sound of finesse and seduction with rhythm. Animated but controlled, his grasp on multiple elements of tone is enticing as it is anxious. The title cut slaps your ears around with anticipated smacks of shaped noise and dark notes that growl and groan. 'Pandrip' creeps along with its bouncing bassline, horns and barely transmitted stuttering voices from outer space."

Artist:	BERG NIXON
Title:	Box Escape
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 037EP

"Minus debut of elastic techno from Detroit's Berg Nixon (aka Ryan Crosson). Drawing from artists like Plastikman, Matthew Dear, Stewart Walker and a heavy dose of DJ sets by Magda, Ryan focused his attention on percussive programming, dubby basslines, and dark atmospheres. As Berg Nixon, Crosson walks in line with the elastic techno dub that has inspired him from producers such as Ricardo Villalobos and Troy Pierce. The A-side title track 'Box Escape' builds up a melody that side-steps bass tones and bendy lines with the middle of the dancefloor in mind. 'New York Minute' swells and shifts in robotic darkness while 'The Depths' and 'Abstraction' rock the B-side to deeper corners of minimalism with distortion, shuffling hi-hats and haunting bell tones."

Artist:	PIERCE, TROY
Title:	25 Bitches Vol. 1
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 038EP

"Blow-up new single from Troy Pierce + remixes by Berg Nixon and Matt John. Troy Pierce (aka Louderbach, Slacknoise and one third of Run Stop Restore with Magda and Marc Houle) unleashes one of the year's most anticipated tracks with '25 Bitches.' The original track goes back a while, coming into creation as a joke composed while stuck waiting in an airport. Not like humor is never ever a part of Troy's music or persona, '25 Bitches' has been knocking down doors in his and fellow DJ's sets like Magda and Richie Hawtin since last fall. Pierce's bass-heavy mix starts off full of dark ghosts, working into a dub bassline and surgical mix of effects and vocals. Remixers for Volume I stepped up to the challenge with steam and force. Detroit's Berg Nixon moves two ships in the night, colliding his vibes in the razor-sharp edit on side A that swells and pings while shifting to his more melodic and animated B-side version with Berg's 'ZigZag remix.' Matt John hits the chip from Berlin with his '25 Pitches' remix. Matt slices thru the bassline by creating a new intimate close-up version with a monotone pulse and subtle sneak-attack. Both remixers deliver the energy for DJs and dancefloors while also working in subtleties for deeper listening."

Artist:	PIERCE, TROY
Title:	25 Bitches Vol. II
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 039EP

"Part II of 25 Bitches with new remixes by Gaiser, Marc Houle & Heartthrob. Troy Pierce (aka Louderbach, Slacknoise and one third of Run Stop Restore with Magda and Marc Houle) unleashes one of the year's most anticipated tracks with '25 Bitches.' The original track goes back a while, coming into creation as a joke composed while stuck waiting in an airport. Not like humor is never ever a part of Troy's music or persona, '25 Bitches' has been knocking down doors in his and fellow DJ's sets like Magda and Richie Hawtin since last fall. Pierce's bass-heavy mix starts off full of dark ghosts, working into a dub bassline and surgical mix of effects and vocals. Gaiser packs dynamite into his reworking with 'Too Many Bitches Makeover'. Explosive bass and a sonic edginess are Gaiser's weapons, working with percussion and effects into a fever-pitched remix that has been destroying dancefloors in Gaiser's live sets and DJ sets by Pierce & Hawtin worldwide for months. Marc Houle reworks 'Bitches' like he's dragging it through an arcade floor from the 1980s. His bounce and snap treatment turns the original on its side, carving in a pop-ish attitude and a new aggressive side to Houle's electro analog wisdom. Under the controls, Heartthrob detunes and operates the subject into a haunted bendy swing, adding his soon-to-be-signature bassline. It's the slow punch and melody that Heartthrob hooks into with his grinding yet flowing treatment."

Artist:	VA
Title:	min2MAX Part 1
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 040-1EP

M_nus' 2006 min2MAX compilation was originally released as a triple pack vinyl edition (MINUS 040LP) and extension single (040X). That triple pack is now deleted and M_nus presents a new "un-packaged" version, with each individual record from the compilation available separately (the 040X extension single remains available separately as well, as before). Each record contains the same tracks that appeared on the original version, delivering a powerful collection of artists and music across all four singles. Packaged in M_nus generic jackets with appropriate sticker. On Part 1 artists include: Heartthrob, Marc Houle and Wink.

Artist:	LOCO DICE
Title:	Seeing Through Shadows
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 041EP

Known for his deep and groovy productions and driving DJ sets, Loco Dice debuts on Minus with Seeing Through Shadows, a symphonic slice of minimized and maximized techno. An untouchable hit for the few DJs that possess it, "Seeing Through Shadows" is a track that delivers. Its intoxicating slow-build introduction rises to the perfect point, breaking over with a bassline and beat that kicks the night into the afternoon. "Backroom Melody" pops and pulses along a more experimental route -- tones mutate and forge together as rhythms evolve, propelling a sketch of minimal movement to another, out-there dimension. Yes, do believe the hype and look out for Loco Dice.

Artist:	JPLS
Title:	Program
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 044EP

This linear down shift in tempo is a product of the American Midwest by way of Jeremy Jacobs, an Indiana native and adventurer searching for secrets in the spaces within the beat. JPLS's analog attitude is stripped down amongst the ever-growing digital landscape of expanding sound fields. Recording as JPLS with recent net releases on Clever and Redevice, he made his first Minus appearance on 2006's min2MAX compilation. The sound falls into a range of dub-punched techno while under the minimal aesthetic from the top down. "Program 1" sets precedent for bass and distortion, "Program 3" bumps and pans around unpadded walls, and "Program 2," is a ten-minute throb that echoes with dulled-snares, muted hi-hats and tone pulses.

Artist:	GAISER
Title:	Neural Block
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 045EP

Gaiser ups the ante with his second Minus EP. Following on his And Answer EP, Jon Gaiser cements his growing reputation with another finely-crafted selection of tunes, demonstrating a deep understanding of the intimate mechanics required for minimalist sound sculpture. "Neural Block" employs a subtle use of reverse snares, scuttling percussive bleeps and subliminal samples, while "Half Life," with its s�ance-like voices and liquid grooves, swells to the maximum. Then there's the nocturnal landscape of "Seepage," complete with sliding delays that slowly space out before giving way to moody synth-pulses and a rocking metallic snare solo. Neural Block is a classy release.

Artist:	TRACTILE
Title:	Silent Movie/Dynam
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 046EP

Tractile have come up with a full debut release so exhilarating, so packed full of refreshing takes and ideas that they could have blown the doors off the traditional minimal sound for good. Silent Movie effortlessly shifts from rough angular beats to flowing, floor-friendly grooves at the flick of a switch. Whether it's the hypnotic acid attack of "Silent Movie," the retro bass funk of "To Go To," the pummeling beats and hi-hat frenzy of "Dynam," or the lazy swagger and moody vocals of "Stay Out," there's a feast of techno-hybrid energy on offer here. One thing's for sure, with a swiftly-growing international fan base of DJs and music fans alike, Tractile will be rocking the floor the world over this winter.

Artist:	HEARTTHROB VS TROY PIERCE/GAISER VS HEARTTHROB
Title:	MVS1
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 047EP

MVS1 is the first installment in a series of collectable EPs designed to document spontaneous, unpredictable and potentially explosive collaborations. First up is Heartthrob vs. Troy Pierce with "Horse Nation Amended." The tin can alley snare rolls and "ooh yeah, yeahs" all retain their place in the mix next to a fresh staccato bass riff and a flowing 4/4 drum pattern. If you ever wondered what Prince might have sounded like if he'd grown up in Detroit rather than Minneapolis, then look no further than "Nasty Girl." Gaiser and Heartthrob have come up with a dirty, twisted dancefloor burner that will shake the life out of many an unsuspecting PA system. Also, a dark, sexy, distorted vocal hook rides the groove effortlessly.

Artist:	HEARTTHROB
Title:	Baby Kate Remixes
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 048EP

Heartthrob's "Baby Kate" with remixes by Magda, Konrad Black, Sascha Funke and Plastikman. This EP kicks off with Magda's beautifully-crafted, percussive dub, complete with a morphing, distorted motif, bouncing acid bass and subtle use of space. Then there's Konrad Black's energetic signal to rave, with its gated hookline, phat electro bass and nu-school flavor. Sascha Funke presents a blissed-out bassline, skanking hi-hat patterns and hypnotic melody, and finally the EP concludes with Plastikman's dive into the track's murkiest depths. It's an 8-minute subsonic adventure that leaves you lost.

Artist:	HOULE, MARC
Title:	Techno Vocals/On It
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 050EP

To mark the label's 50th release, Marc Houle gets back to the basics with two raw, stripped-down future classics. On "Techno Vocals" each sound commands its own space: rigid drum patterns, analog explosions, regimented snare rolls, laser-guided effects and delayed bleeps match a perfect, pitched-down vocal hook. "On It" revolves around a heavily filtered melodic bass riff and a choice selection of rough, old school samples and moody bass variations that give the track its distinctive flavor.

Artist:	PIERCE, TROY
Title:	Gone Astray EP
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	2x12"
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 052EP

2x12" version. Gone Astray continues his mission up river into the heart of darkness, with arguably his most accomplished collection of tracks to date. Made up of music composed almost exclusively on the road, this release is driven by choices and ideas that would not normally have surfaced in a typical studio environment. It's an innovative, ambitious project, not least because it tackles so many abstract themes in one sitting, often taking more than one mix to fully explore the hidden pathways that disappear off into this dense catacomb of sound.

Artist:	GAISER
Title:	Eye Contact
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	2x12"
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 054EP

Striking the perfect balance between the romantic and the classic, Gaiser's music stimulates the head and heart. The first track has infectious snare fills and subtle synth patterns, culminating in a ghostly howl. The second has a freaky vocal that ebbs and flows behind the groove which continues on "Chlorine" and "Withdrawal," adding an extra dimension to their cavernous soundscapes. "Sightblotch" presents a rubber bass line and '60s sci-fi fx while "Out Of Sort" rounds everything off.

Artist:	FALSE [A.K.A. MATTHEW DEAR]
Title:	Fed On Youth
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 055EP

False (aka Matthew Dear) makes a welcome return to the Minus fold. After his recent adventures as Audion, Dear shifts down a gear to negotiate deeper, darker, minimal terrain. "Fed On Youth" is stripped down to essential ingredients: based around a gravity-defying single note pattern, it's likely to cause a momentary lapse of reason in even the most hardened clubbers. "Face The Rain" starts off with a wash of background white noise held down by a metronomic kick drum. It's a dense, multi-layered piece of music, full of subtle movement and peripheral percussion that perfectly accompanies those reflective parts of the night. Let your mind wander while your feet do the work.

Artist:	AMBIVALENT
Title:	R U OK Remixes
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	2x12"
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 056EP

Cleverly combining black humor with reduced micro-grooves, the title track from Ambivalent's R U OK EP has become one of the most memorable tunes of 2007. It reappears remixed and revamped for a fresh onslaught: Marco Carola offers up two versions of stripped-down metronomic tech-funk, and the "Like It Or Not" mix from Troy Pierce is a murky ride, with a scuttling 6/8 acid bassline that's dark as f**k. The "Kasper is OK" mix keeps the tension at a maximum, the trademark JPLS elastic bass is in full effect, and Tim Xavier and Camea present cool, subliminal fx and jarring claps that resonate into the darkness. R U OK?

Artist:	JPLS
Title:	Fuckshuffle EP
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 057EP

JPLS returns with more dark, brooding electronics. The urgent repetition of "Fuckshuffle" seems to exist in a million different places at once while the bubbling acid bass worms itself into your head, scribbling odd patterns of thought across your subconscious. "Activatroy" is stripped-down acid techno featuring a dangerous 303 line that morphs and squelches alongside a tripped-out vocal sample. Similarly, "Quasarlude" presents a psychedelic mirage of shimmering sound. Finally, Wax edits the monolithic "Synthesis."

Artist:	BAREM
Title:	Never Better Than Late
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 059EP

You may already know Barem (aka Mauricio Barembuem) from his releases on Unfoundsound, Pariter and Phonocult or from his remixes on Resopal, Mo's Ferry and Einmaleins. This new release starts off with a phat, marauding bass/kick combo on "Censored Elephant," "Then They..." is a tough drum groove punctuated with raw percussion fills, snare hits, warped, tubular bell efx and earthy grooves. "Ponymal Morning" concludes with melodies, reverbs and a synth line that will have you floating in space.

Artist:	MAURIZI, FABRIZIO
Title:	Ok, Switch On
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 060EP

Fabrizio Maurizi presents Ok, Switch On. A product of Bologna's underground scene, Fabrizio has fast become one of Italy's most prominent minimal DJs. "Cabr�n!" is pure dancefloor. Driven by an irresistible metallic snare pattern, it's a patiently-constructed track with a strong sense of space and a succession of dramatic build-ups. "My Imaginary Friend" features distorted vocal cut-ups, giving the track a tripped-out flavor, while twisted percussive melody fills the air. Both tracks are Richie Hawtin and dancefloor-approved.

Artist:	HOULE, MARC
Title:	Sixty-Four
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 064LP

This is the third full-length release by Ontario-based Marc Houle, only released on vinyl. Sixty-Four represents an exciting phase in Marc Houle's production cycle with most of the year having been spent testing ideas for his album. As a result, these seven tracks were only ever meant to represent "works in progress", functioning primarily as DJ tools for Magda, Troy Pierce and Richie Hawtin . However, exactly because of their "inbetween" nature, their inherent quirkiness and route one approach, the crowds have really taken to them and other DJs have been desperate to get their hands on them. The resulting carefully selected tracks contain such a wealth of unique and twisted sounds as Houle attacks each idea with verve and tenacity, constantly varying the unconventional line up of machines at his disposal. In fact, there's a vast collection of equipment on display here -- early analogue synths, sequencers and drum machines, '80s digital synths, modern Buchla synths, samplers, vocals, acoustic drums, electronic trigger pads, bass guitar -- even a VST! The result is a plethora of sound, encapsulating different styles and multi-colored dimensions as each track revolves around a musical motif that's subsequently stretched, contorted and wrenched in every direction possible. Just check out the heavily treated raw bleeps and blips that usher in the huge, filtered bass loop on "Sands," the lush analogue landscape on the fantastically titled "Meatier Shower," and the tasty electro-funk groove of "Ketchup and Beans." It all works perfectly as Houle never loses sight of the basic orthodoxes needed to make a techno track kick.

Artist:	GAISER
Title:	Trunkated EP
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 066EP

"Trunkated" and "Face Down" are the first two tracks to be lifted from Gaiser's Blank Fade full-length. "Trunkated" is a real powerhouse with every element honed to perfection, from the driving kick and molten bass to the irresistible percussion, from the mischievous, dancing bleeps to the twisted synth motif. "Face Down" is a departure in style for Gaiser -- the beats still push forward, but the space in between allows more of the peripheral elements to come to the fore.

Artist:	BAREM
Title:	Kolimar EP
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 068EP

Barem presents a departure from previous releases. Each track stretches out to around the 9-minute mark with Barem adopting a more patient, relaxed approach to his arrangements. The resulting laidback grooves -- loopy, organic and sexy -- effortlessly seduce the crowd. "Seeee" is a true dancefloor bomb. Seasoned with short, dry samples, clean percussion, and a rush of white noise, this song toys with dancers. "Kolimar" possesses a memorable bass line, delayed vocal samples and a strong groove that is unifying.

Artist:	HOBO
Title:	From A To B
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 069EP

Joel Boychuck is Hobo (also one-half of Tractile) and this is his debut solo release. This is smooth techno that pays tribute to the hobo: a lifestyle that is as relevant for a travelling electronic musician as it was for Jack Kerouac. "Failsafe" features organic beats and samples that mix without abrasion, zippy synths, and a spaced-out vocal mantra. "Midnight" possesses a sliding acid-bass motif and loose percussion. This is a proactive tune that will inject energy into any set.

Artist:	MAURIZI, FABRIZIO
Title:	Habitat
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 070EP

Italian minimalist Fabrizio has an ear for the dramatic and a distinctive approach to mapping clean and precise percussive efx. "Daddy Diego" flickers between light and shadow. Cavernous vocal sighs rise from the depths while the metallic melody and slow-phasing laser tone offer an effective foil to the low-end bass drive. On "Mars Needs Bitches," the looping bass groove slides through a creaking trap door with heavily-treated robotic voices and sci-fi efx punctuating the sparse groove, ensuring the crowd never stops moving.

Artist:	FALSE [A.K.A. MATTHEW DEAR]
Title:	Love Letters
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 072EP

Matthew Dear aka False presents the Love Letters EP -- two tracks that deliver a very specific message, ranging from the metallic, tribal groove of the title track to the rolling, hypnotic techno of "Practice," proving that he's among the most inventive, enterprising and versatile producers around. His subtle use of processed vocals lends an earthy, organic quality to the synthetic storms on offer, infusing the groove with affirmative shouts and indecipherable chants that conjure images of psychedelic rituals.

Artist:	CLICK BOX
Title:	Shades
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 073EP

S�o Paulo duo Click Box (Marco A.S., Pedro Turra) present their first M_nus EP, offering a refreshing return to a bygone era of classic instrumentals. "Berlin Shades" begins in a jittery minimal fashion, but soon dives much deeper. The cascading hook and in-your-face sci-fi synth motif add a sense of tongue-in-cheek drama to a dynamic arrangement. "Lost Road" features some low-slung interplay between a two-note bass line and a whiplash snare that dishes out a serious spanking.

Artist:	JPLS + AMBIVALENT
Title:	Creeps ep
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 074EP

Ambivalent and JPLS team up for a collaboration that can only mean trouble for the dancefloor. The resulting EP features a collection of sparse, skeletal grooves dominated by various percussion-driven moments. "Creep" is a high-grade mixing tool utilizing hypnotic loops and subsonic bass to patrol a constantly-shifting landscape. The jacking percussion on "Frontstab" soon makes way for heavy-duty psychedelics. "Stalker2" introduces a modulating acid pulse, circling sci-fi drone and distant, ghostly chimes before letting it rip. Another topnotch mixing tool.

Artist:	LOUDERBACH
Title:	Shine
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	7"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 075.2EP

Troy Pierce and Gibby Miller aka Louderbach present the first single from their Autumn album. "Shine" is edited down into a compact radio-friendly version -- the perfect soundtrack for a late-night drive with Miller's vocals recalling the cathartic Joy Division/New Order crossover period in both texture and mood. "External Envelope" consists of analog synthesizer drones, treated sitar and low, warbling vox-like chants which pulse at various oscillating rates, inviting a trip to the local sensory deprivation tank.

Artist:	LOUDERBACH
Title:	Autumn
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	2x12"
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 076LP

2x12" version. This is the long-awaited second full-length release by L.A./Berlin duo, Louderbach (aka producer Troy Pierce & vocalist Gibby Miller). Autumn represents another jump in the evolutionary cycle of minimal techno, having developed from the largely instrumental project that gave us 2006's Enemy Love into a fully-fledged, song-based outfit. As a result, Autumn has a much deeper feel than its predecessor and breaks new ground, with the dark metaphors of Gibby Miller's often chilling vocal performances fitting hand-in-glove with the ominous landscapes and broken architecture that Troy Pierce constructs so effectively. Drawing on shared influences such as Bauhaus, Coil, and Joy Division, the duo have conceived an album of emotional depth and exquisite detail, appropriating the best elements of these early-'80s pioneers and reinterpreting them through a contemporary lens to achieve a perfect balance of style and content. Rolling in on waves of icy pads, the languid tones of "Autumn" pulse and swirl before Miller's voice rips through the shadows. The echo returns as "Seems Like Static" opens with a seductive, atmospheric chord progression. The mood is abruptly broken by a booming 808 kick and Miller's claustrophobic vocals slowly begin to unravel. The pummeling electro beats and heavy compression of "One Hundred Reasons" continue the decent that dominates the album's opening stages. Played out against a wall of feverish analog noise, the constant throb is gradually overwhelmed by a gnarly, twisting synth-line that's as seductive as it is lethal. "Notes" is glitchy insomnia, complete with ambient street sounds, "Nothing More Than A White Poison" is another dancefloor cut, and "She" has an elongated intro punctuated by booming 808s. "So This Is Control" is accompanied by a more laid-back, housey groove, culminating in a high-velocity breakdown. The sci-fi spirals of "Sunspots" produce a skeletal design of ebbs and flows with bass-heavy growls, reverberating bleeps and a frozen melody. "Shine" features another loose-fitting arrangement full of dark, low-end melodies, slivers of glistening hi-hats and heavily modulated analog layers. Autumn -- an album that grips the attention with smoldering intensity from start to finish.

Artist:	CLICK BOX
Title:	Wake Up Call
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 077EP

On their second M_nus release of 2009, S�o Paulo DJs/producers Marco AS and Pedro Turra pick up where they left off with the roving bass and pumping rhythm section of "Wake Up Call." "Nebula" extends the party vibe with a funk-infused hi-hat pattern while a moody, throbbing bass pulse stalks the undergrowth. The tight interplay between the drum parts and bass patterns is a constant theme throughout these tracks, but it's the musical sensibility that really captures the imagination.

Artist:	CLICK BOX VS. RUN STOP RESTORE
Title:	Helen In The Keller
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 080EP

Run Stop Restore is Marc Houle, Troy Pierce and Magda. The collaboration produces two cylindrical grooves that work like a thermos flask, signifying heat without radiating it. "Helen In The Keller" should be approached with a certain amount of caution -- the glassy shards of warping live bass guitar together with raw vocal musings create a dark tone. There's also a low, oscillating Juno-60 style bass riff that merges with the hi-hat-driven rhythm section to enhance the track's danceability.

Artist:	GAISER
Title:	Pullpush/Oolooloo
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 081EP

Gaiser presents two pulsating peak-time cuts for M_nus. "Pullpush" gets straight down to business. The looping groove and tight elastic bass pattern sets the scene for reflective reverbs and pitch bends to tease and tear at each new element. Film samples burst through the beats, leaving trails before crystallizing into more lucid phrases as the high-end tom pattern tops it all off. The squelchy FX introduce a more pensive state during the lead-out as ghostly pads drift across the stereo field.

Artist:	GAISER
Title:	Flashed
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 082EP

Gaiser's Flashed EP features four instantly-accessible techno cuts. With a set of low melodic toms hanging back as the snare shepherds in another sublime Gaiser motif, "Backyard" revolves around a reverse melody that gives the sensation of simultaneous forward and reverse motion. "Flashed" reaches darker territory. Lined with reverberations and sonic hallucinogens that slow the senses, the riff steals the limelight, shifting through space and time, worming its way deep into your brain until its luminescence has infiltrated every corpuscle.

Artist:	HOBO
Title:	Trackz
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 086EP

Joel Boychuk aka Hobo presents his second EP, Trackz. "Eazy" features subtle movements of a delay unit as it undulates over a deep bass line, "3rd Dimension" has a darkness and lightness that playfully jostle for attention before coming together to create a new form, "Touch" adds a can of funk to the techno stew with a bouncing bass line that occasionally gets taken over by a driving rhythm, and "Symptom" is absolutely infectious with its monster bass line and disease-ridden hook.

Artist:	AMBIVALENT
Title:	Rumors
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 091EP

With his Ambivalent alter ego, Kevin McHugh has become a leader in the new school techno underworld. Rumors is cutting edge dance music with a balance of form and function, made to tear the clubs to pieces. The title track is a disorienting vocal number that takes the words and throws them into a warped headspace of paranoia, humor and confusion. "Bumble" takes a quick peek back into previous Ambivalent productions, with a familiar focus on some clever FX work.

Artist:	HEARTTHROB
Title:	Setting Up
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 093EP

Jesse Siminski's (aka Heartthrob) Setting Up is poised to have crowds swooning over his sound once again, desperate for his aural attention while sweating the night away in a perpetual state of techno bliss. The title track teases the listener with a well-crafted hypnotic strut, "Your Body" uses vocals as a featured instrument in the flirtatious overall palette, "Dancing" is a straight forward stomper, and "In My Room" is utterly filthy dance music with a devilish glint in its eye.

Artist:	MAURIZI, FABRIZIO
Title:	Chronicles
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 097EP

Fabrizio Maurizi's third release for M_nus features two instrumental dancefloor-appointed tracks with a clever splash of humanity. "Bring Me Back" showcases Fabrizio's ability to fuse the robotic movement of proper underground techno, with the patience and steadiness of a perfectly-developed human mind. Produced with a tempo at a refreshingly slower pace, "Bring Me Back" is a perfect DJ tool, useful for both a highlight of the set, or a fully-functional programmer for building tension in-between tracks.

Artist:	MAGDA
Title:	From The Fallen Page
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 101LP

2LP version. This is the debut full-length album from Berlin's reigning queen of minimal, Magda. Enter the disorientating, evocative world that Magda has created -- otherworldly but visceral, brutally dark with a warm sense of beauty and grace, sparse yet full-bodied and dense. Haunting electronic soundworlds that fall somewhere in-between reality and some sort of intangible dreamscape, brimming with nostalgic clues to the past and a curiosity-rousing sense of remembrance. From The Fallen Page is an engulfing, transportive album that takes listeners from one end of the spectrum to the other, treading the fine lines of extremities along the way.

Artist:	JPLS
Title:	Voxplosion
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 102EP

JPLS' Voxplosion EP finally reveals key pieces that have woven themselves throughout Richie Hawtin's sets for the past year. "Voxplosion Puss" features an endless vocal statement constantly collapsing in on itself. "Voxplosion Escape" focuses on a conversation regarding one's hopeless, inevitable fate. Radio distortion twists in the background as signature JPLS vocal modulations tear apart. "Voxcycle A" features a gravity-defying bass line and sharp vocal stabs. "Voxcycle B" opens up like a tense computer trying to diagnose its own madness.

Artist:	HOBO
Title:	Berlin Booty
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 103EP

Joel Boychuk aka Hobo presents his third outing for M_nus -- a double whammy of funkatronic hobo-techno, with both tracks showcasing two very distinct journeys into the depths of his musical merry-making. "Berlin Booty" is a proper party jam set to wake up the freaks and party animals and get their asses shaking. An incredibly sinister and massive saw-wave bass tone dominates the cut, with growling, grinding frequencies guaranteed to make partygoers sneer a devilish grin on the dancefloor.

Artist:	AMBIVALENT & ALEXI DELANO
Title:	Brooklyn Weekdays
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 104EP

Kevin McHugh, the producer & DJ commonly known as Ambivalent presents five tracks born out of a collaboration with Alexi Delano, the Swedish-born producer and resident of McHugh's old New York stomping ground. The result of what started out as something resembling a game of musical Consequences beginning in the summer of 2009, Brooklyn Weekdays was conceived mostly in Delano's New York studio as the two producers swapped loops and parts from works in progress that the duo had been working on individually.

Artist:	CAROLA, MARCO
Title:	Play It Loud!
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 106-1EP

M_nus presents three collectible 12"s cherry-picking the ripest cuts for DJ use from Marco Carola's Play It Loud! (MINUS 106CD) album. Each is housed in a gatefold sleeve with sleek spot-varnished cover art. This first installment features the bass-laden groove of "The Jingle," a sonic reverie filled with a vast space of percussive layers and stuttering vocals; "Magic Tribe," a playground of drums and colorful beat texture, the anthemic title-track and the suspenseful "Suspense."

Artist:	JONSON, MATHEW
Title:	Learning To Fly
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 108EP

This is arguably one of the most exciting singular works of Mathew Jonson's career, recalling his first Wagon Repair release: 2005's Marionette, a record that continues to inspire cultish devotion 6 years after its release and thoroughly deserves every adjective for "hypnotic" and "anthemic" that's ever been thrown at it. "Learning To Fly" retains those qualities while taking them yet further -- a 12-minute sci-fi exploration that achieves that mark of classic electronic music production.

Artist:	BAREM
Title:	Blue
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 109EP

Barem offers fans a preview of what's forthcoming on his debut LP After The Storm. The alternate vocal version of "Blue" conjures images of rain-soaked, squall-battered beaches with clouds breaking just enough to reveal the daylight. Also included is Mathias Kaden's interpretation of the lead track, which takes the skittering drum-fills of the original and brings the percussion to the fore. Meanwhile, D'Julz brings the trippy house sensibility. Also included is a new edit of "Clear" remodeled as a woozy DJ tool.

Artist:	BAREM
Title:	After The Storm
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 110CD

There. Is. Nothing. Better. Than. A. Clear. Blue. Sky. After The Storm. Taken literally, the track listing for Barem's debut LP represents that fleeting moment when nature puts its house in order, when calm and clarity triumph over chaos. Of course it also works perfectly as a metaphor for those fuzzy moments of self-reflection while sprawled on a hotel bed after another mind-blowing night at the controls, or while taking stock of a musical journey that's about to culminate in a debut album for the internationally-renowned label that motivated you to start making music in the first place. Barem has always offered a more laidback counterpoint to the edgy sounds of some of his label mates. His decision to progress in a deeper, percussive direction began with the Kolimar EP and apart from the dark, ambient intro, this vibe dominates the first half of the album. "Is" and "Nothing" really showcase his skill at concocting instinctive, percussion-driven grooves, expressing a natural inner rhythm that exploits the full stereo field. Rich, rounded drum fills puncture the hidden space behind the beats, shimmering reverbs drench the cymbals while the bass lines remain reassuringly fat and familiar, gently hypnotizing as the LP settles into its groove. By the time we reach "Better," the low pressure is beginning to break. Additional elements gradually make their presence felt as the beats continue to flay and splinter, phasing strings heighten the suspense and a delicate one note riff skips and bounces through spot effects and sprinkled vocal snippets as Barem coolly maintains the growing intrigue. As if to highlight the evolving nature of the LP, the transition to the more dubbed-out "Than" goes almost unnoticed as the gentle undertow begins pulling us into more familiar M_nus territory. Disorienting percussive delays start jarring into the void, indiscernible vocal slurs reverberate out into the corners of the room and warm, acidic bleeps start tapping at the doors of perception. By the time we reach "A," the psychedelics have well and truly kicked in. The percussive onslaught of the preceding tracks gives way to a deeper, mystical atmosphere driven by shakers and hats and offset with cavernous delays and detuned pads that warp and envelope the collective consciousness in the orange-red glow of some ancient tribal ritual. The last four tracks are all about the future. "Clear" gives ground to an abstract, subsonic groove that hisses and crackles like the dying embers of the night, while "Blue" embarks on a spiral dive that represents Barem's new unity of sound in one magic bullet. "Sky" then announces the final ascent with a long, seductive intro that crystallizes into an elegant melody, while the throbbing bass line generates another ecstatic rush of dark energy. On "After The Storm" we're greeted with tribal rhythms, muffled brass sections and a superb fretless bass riff all benefitting from a shift in 6/8 blues time signature that gives the album finale a fittingly reflective sensation.

Artist:	BAREM
Title:	After The Storm
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 110LP

This is the vinyl version of Barem's debut album, with five specially-edited tracks for all vinyl-lovers. There. Is. Nothing. Better. Than. A. Clear. Blue. Sky. After The Storm. Taken literally, the track listing for Barem's debut LP represents that fleeting moment when nature puts its house in order, when calm and clarity triumph over chaos. Of course it also works perfectly as a metaphor for those fuzzy moments of self-reflection while sprawled on a hotel bed after another mind-blowing night at the controls, or while taking stock of a musical journey that's about to culminate in a debut album for the internationally-renowned label that motivated you to start making music in the first place. Barem has always offered a more laidback counterpoint to the edgy sounds of some of his label mates. His decision to progress in a deeper, percussive direction began with the Kolimar EP and apart from the dark, ambient intro, this vibe dominates the album. On "After The Storm" we're greeted with tribal rhythms, muffled brass sections and a superb fretless bass riff, all benefitting from a shift in 6/8 blues time signature. "Is" really showcases his skill at concocting instinctive, percussion-driven grooves, expressing a natural inner rhythm that exploits the full stereo field. By the time we reach "Better," the low pressure is beginning to break. Additional elements gradually make their presence felt as the beats continue to flay and splinter, phasing strings heighten the suspense and a delicate one note riff skips and bounces through spot effects and sprinkled vocal snippets as Barem coolly maintains the growing intrigue. As if to highlight the evolving nature of the LP, the transition to the more dubbed-out "Than" goes almost unnoticed as the gentle undertow begins pulling us into more familiar M_nus territory. Disorienting percussive delays start jarring into the void, indiscernible vocal slurs reverberate out into the corners of the room and warm, acidic bleeps start tapping at the doors of perception. "A" features a mystical atmosphere driven by shakers and hats and offset with cavernous delays and detuned pads that warp and envelope the collective consciousness in the orange-red glow of some ancient tribal ritual. "Sky" then announces the final ascent with a long, seductive intro that crystallizes into an elegant melody, while the throbbing bass line generates another ecstatic rush of dark energy.

Artist:	LOCO DICE
Title:	Knibbie Never Comes Alone/Loose Hooks
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 111EP

This is Loco Dice's first release on M-nus since 2006, exploring an abstract and cerebral techno template. The opening 90 seconds of the A-side is all sparse atmosphere, static crackles and weird effects with just a sole note played over and over. The pulsing of a deep sine wave hints at what is to come. "Loose Hooks" is a deeply-burrowing affair with an extra-heavy kick hitting every four bars to give things an air of extra insistency.

Artist:	GAISER
Title:	Some Slip/Elastrik
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 112EP

Continuing a busy run of recent releases on M_nus is one of the label's core contributors, Jon Gaiser. "Some Slip" is at once a firm, drum-led track that clears a path down which you gleefully march. As it weaves its way through endlessly dripping, popping, aqueous FX, the whole thing feels like wig-out, late-night stuff. Busier and more complex is "Elastrik" where de-tuned synths shoot off in all directions as the clicking bass rotations below endlessly churn up the dancefloor.

Artist:	MATADOR
Title:	Kingswing
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 116EP

M_nus are proud to present Matador aka Gavin Lynch. His first full EP for M_nus explores the twisted but organic techno sound he's best known for. The title track is all bleeping, soft-focus melody lines and cantering kicks. Elsewhere, there is shimmying, suggestive minimal coated in warm tape hiss on "Mambo" and brooding, heavily-weighted backroom sounds speckled with rasping synth lines and glistening percussion on "Hitbox." "Nomans Land" is bouncy, with wispy hi-hats and a buried-in-the-mix, undecipherable vocal.

Artist:	MATADOR
Title:	Spooks EP
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 117EP

Matador's Spooks EP sees him step-up for a five-track outing which balances his usual melody with a real techno drive. The title track opens proceedings with predatory, roughshod bass tone running underneath blippy melodies, snappy house influenced percussion and a dark male vocal where "Kenekt" is all out sci-fi weirdness. "BamBam" is the most heads-down and streamlined techno offering of them all before "Klay" drips little melodic droplets down the face of slinky hi-hats and deep, rolling basslines.

Artist:	AMBIVALENT
Title:	Snowblind
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 120EP

Ambivalent returns with a 2-track 12" of stripped-down, bonafide techno. Aimed at the darker, more energetic moments of techno sets, this EP anchors Ambivalent's focus on eerie melodies with his more recent higher-octane material. "Snowblind" lives up to its name in coldness and disorientation and has become an unmissable staple of Richie Hawtin's DJ sets, "Witchfinder" is loopier and slips in and out of hypnotic repetition, varied by delays and short changes. Emulating minimal heroes like Hood and Mills, this track keeps its focus simple.

Artist:	LAYO & BUSHWACKA!
Title:	Storm & Stress
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	PLUS 8119EP

London production and DJ duo Layo & Bushwacka! have continued to champion the finest techno talents and return to Plus 8 for a second offering."Storm & Stress" is a steely tech cut that fuses the detail of a dystopian, darkened landscape with the power of a marauding beat structure. "Artillery" pumps its way through frantic blips and sandy snares with all the intent a prime-time techno cut needs. These are well-designed sounds that have gotten Layo & Bushwacka! where they are today.

Artist:	THEOREM VS. STEWART WALKER
Title:
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	THX 003EP

"In the 3rd wave of a series of collaborations between Theorem and like-minded producers from around the globe. Dale Lawrence (Theorem) goes head to head with Stewart Walker. Stewart resides in Boston and has releases on Force Inc., Tresor, Mille Plateaux and has been releasing music since 1997. The sounds for the A side were supplied by Stewart in Boston, and the tracks were recorded by Theorem in Detroit. The tables are turned for the cuts on the B side, with Stewart in his studio composing with sounds supplied by Theorem." Limited stock, deleted item.

Artist:	QUELL/JACK UNION/SQUARE ROOM HEROES
Title:	Claap Presents....
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	CLAAP 005EP

Claap presents 3 new names on the label's roster. Quell has already caused waves with releases on Ibadan, 8 Bit and These Days, amongst others. His track is steady with a very pumping bass, building a very sensual mood. Jack Union is a side project from label owner Alex Tsotsos for his retro-sounding house productions. On the flip are Square Room Heroes with "Now Is The Time," combining modern sound aesthetics with a smoky voice urging you to release the freak.

Artist:	HAWTIN, RICHIE
Title:	Concept 1: 96:CD/VR
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	CONCEPT 96CD

Remastered and freshly compiled collection of all the Concept 1 tracks -- previously available as two separate CDs: the now-deleted Concept I 96:CD and Concept 1 96:VR: Variations -- now reissued on a new M_nus double CD. Over 10 years down the line, it's safe to say that Richie Hawtin's 1996 Concept 1 series stands out as a body of work that perfectly represents the spirit of the time. Marking a year-long correlation between musical development and the progression of time, the original series consisted of 24 tracks spread over twelve monthly 12" singles and was strictly limited to 2000 copies per release. However, before the release of the Concept 1 96:CD in February 1998, Thomas Brinkmann made the trip from Germany to Windsor to play Hawtin some of his "Variations" of the series. The results were mind blowing -- even by Hawtin's standards -- opening up a space where emptiness and substance neatly overlapped to conjure up sounds that no one had ever heard before. It started back in Cologne where Brinkmann had employed the Concept 1 series as part of an experiment together with his own custom-built turntable system (including a 30 kilo plate and 2 SME 309 tone arms utilizing both Ortofon and Van Den Hul moving-coil pick-ups). By playing Hawtin's original compositions on his two-arm turntable -- slowing down the speed of the records and separating the left and right channels -- Brinkmann identified previously-unheard dynamics within the recordings and a melodic displacement between the channels. Even the imperfections of the vinyl pressing process added new character to his variations. Essentially, the "Variations" contain the same information as the original "Concepts." Like the idea of cloning twins, Brinkmann has taken Richie's DNA and nurtured subtle mutations to create a strangely familiar but altogether different set of grooves, allowing us to hear what he hears by enhancing something that was there but unheard until now in a triumph of sensibility over creativity. In the true spirit of M_nus, he has used an unorthodox technique based on theories of alternative listening and experimentation to produce a startlingly different perspective. A scientific yet natural way of revealing the complexity of what was originally deemed minimal. 2007 would appear to be an optimal year in which to re-visit and to re-listen to these groundbreaking pieces, collected here together in a very limited CD double pack and especially remastered by Stefan Betke (aka Pole).

Artist:	HAWTIN/PETE NAMLOOK, RICHIE
Title:	From Within I
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	FW 001CD

Reissues of these collaborations; the first 3 volumes of which were originally issued by the Fax label. "The fusion of electronic masters Richie Hawtin and Pete Namlook has set its own course of time and tone. Three chapters of musical departure and introspection have made these three albums some of the most sought after ambient recordings of the last decade. Elements of classical, jazz, atmospheric and world rhythms are all present, brought together by analog and digital synthesis. Hawtin and Namlook are currently planning the fourth and final installment."

Artist:	HAWTIN/PETE NAMLOOK, RICHIE
Title:	From Within III
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	FW 003CD

Third volume is this collaborative series, originally released by the Fax label in 1997; as the original CD length was 54.25 and this one is 78.38, it looks like some bonus material has been added. From the Fax web site about the original release: "It has taken nearly 2 years to get these two composers together again. Richie wanted to wait until the new studio (4 times the size of Klanglabor Frankfurt) was ready for recording. After successful testing with The Dark Side of the Moog VI it was time to refine the studio and to use even some more of its features. The compositions have been created in the way the AIR recordings of Peter were done. Different parts... all in one take... instead of being compiled later. With this technique all the parts lead perfectly into each other and seem to be all an organic progression of one gentle entity. As this music is another step in Electronic Fusion Music the different styles of Ambient, Jazz, Environmental and Intelligent Electronic music have been combined to what we call 'Silent Intelligence'.

Artist:	NIEDERFLUR
Title:	ND4
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 011CD

"The Cologne U-Bahn is a 30-track, 100-mile labyrinth that snakes itself through the city and over the Rhine, consuming every neighborhood in its path. The only vehicle capable of traversing its corridors is the low-floor tram or Niederflur. ND4 collects Niederflur's examinations of the depths of this subway system as they sample its natural acoustics, machine manifestations and other sounds indigenous to the platforms of the Teutonic unterwelt. The duo of Hannes Wenner and Christopher Bleckmann compose human-like, emotive passages from stark field recordings of the U-Bahn while embracing their city's mechanical current. Niederflur rides the rails of rhythm and repetition to a Zen-like, hypnotic effect. Their obsession with movement, precision and efficiency reaches a new height in minimal docu-techno."

Artist:	BERICOCHEA, I.A.
Title:	Rojo
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 015CD

"With Rojo (the color red in espanol), his Minus debut, Bericochea gives lifeless machines a sense of humanity, injecting character and warmth into the coolest depths of their binary makeup. Interestingly, Bericochea didn't really attack electronic music until recently. In 1999 a friend turned him onto Richie Hawtin's Concept series and he was immediately taken with its use of intense bass and stereo effects. It wasn't long after that Bericochea dropped out of the Physics program at the University of Madrid, bought a computer and began composing his own tiny symphonies in the digital realm. Now he takes his influence from John Coltrane, minimalist composer Erik Satie and Tango king Osvaldo Pugliese, adding to the already complex arrangements of his first release for Minus. While Rojo may be an allusion to Pugliese (his orchestra always left a red carnation on his piano during his blacklisted absence,) Bericochea contends that the color refers to the heart and living emotions, those things that deliver far more feeling than any circuit ever could."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Minimize to Maximize
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 025CD

Brilliant comp of exclusive tracks from Richie Hawtin's label. Features: Plastikman, Magor, Niederflur, Dinky Dog, Marc Houle, False, Hearthrob, I.A. Bericocher, Run Stop Restore, Slacknoise, Matthew Jonson. "The concept behind Minimize to Maximize, the first Minus compilation to date, was to join together new and exclusive cutting edge music rather than just collect up the past. For these producers (and many of us listeners) in the Minus family, electronic music is not simply background music to a lifestyle but has become a part of our lives. Ups and downs, changes and reflections, the music and the times Minimize to Maximize.

In 1998, Richie Hawtin set out to venture even further into the outer limits of new music and its experiences by starting Minus. Over the past six years, Minus artists have grown into a group of friends (some old, some new) from across Canada, the US, Germany, Spain, the UK and more. Building on the expansive sound and energy of Minus during 2004, Minimize to Maximize assembles an international variety of people, moods and tempos, all searching for the next wavelength in new music. M2M combines new producers on the scene weaved in with some mavericks and rising personalities like Matthew Dear and Mathew Jonson. Hawtin's 'Circles' takes his Plastikman space even deeper with pulsing beats and animated panning that lives up to its title. This sonic weirdness is equally met by the out-there techno frenzy of the unidentified Dinky Dog on 'UnEasy Horizons'. Another track to mess with your equilibrium while keeping you grounded, it twists and tweaks that deep sound to the extremes. From Detroit to Brooklyn, Windsor to Berlin, or Cologne to Madrid, the geographical scope of M2M is an inside glimpse at the time zones versus the tones. Bass professors Niederflur (Cologne) bring back their soundtrack to the U-Bahn while their Madrid-based compatriot Nacho Bericochea conjures up a precise wave of minimal flanges with 'Uno'. Matthew Dear and Marc Houle are trying to tune-up the Detroit/Windsor border with their adventurous and inventive export of minimal techno funk. Dear was named XLR8R Magazine's 'Artist of the Year' (no easy feat) while Houle has been hitting it hard with recent solo live shows showcasing his new release 'Restore'."

Artist:	VA
Title:	min2MAX
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 040CD

Subtracting some letters from the title Minimize To Maximize and adding new artists to the collective, Minus returns with a new compilation simply titled min2MAX. The package is conceptually connected and musically collected by the eyes and ears of Minus bringing together a variety of dynamic music through a creative index of outlets. The sound of the collection features all new and exclusive material from established Minus artists Heartthrob, Marc Houle, Gaiser, Troy Pierce and Magda. min2MAX also introduces developing new artists Tractile and JPLS and joins forces with some of dance music's esteemed producers such as Loco Dice, Konrad Black and WiNK. An extension single is attached at the hip with the compilation delivering additional tracks from Niederflur (aka Cologne's Misc), Barem (Buenos Aires) plus False (Matthew Dear) and Berg Nixon (Ryan Crosson) representing Detroit. Fourteen new musical works collected and connected by shared inspirations, international friendships and unique reactions towards dance music, assembling the minimal sound of min2MAX.

Artist:	MAGDA
Title:	She's a Dancing Machine
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 043CD

This is DJ Magda's first full-length mixed release for Minus. Evolution is a fuzzy thing when it comes to electronic dance music, especially when left in the hands of certain DJs. From experimental to disco to pop to house and everything in between and to come, the mutation is the now and new. Known for mutations of her own, DJ and producer Magda brings her influences and creations full circle in this runway soundtrack act She's A Dancing Machine. There are 16 indexes on the CD, which are made up of 71 original tracks of classic and fresh-as-hell dance burners. The selection and style is reflective yet reactive to what "minimal" music and mix albums ought to create. From robotic hustles to disco house sprinkler moves and electro-tech windmills, Magda turns the years back to phuture. Equal parts perspiration and inspiration, She's A Dancing Machine delivers with micro-edits, custom loops and lofty effects, born out of her DJ ascension from beating the bits out of her Final Scratch in clubs. The mix has the range you'd expect with top shelf artists included such as Metro Area, Ricardo Villalobos, Marc Houle and Robert Babicz and sets up some surprises from decades past by dropping in Larry Heard and Portion Control. Amongst personal favorites from The Persuader (Jesper Dahlb�ck), she's not afraid to loop in her own productions from Minus and her new label (along with Marc Houle and Troy Pierce), Items & Things. She's A Dancing Machine paints the experience and attitude from a night with Magda in control at the decks. Magda has taken the chosen path of a DJ with a mission -- searching, finding and carving her own way from being a slave to the rhythm.

Artist:	JPLS
Title:	twilite
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 051CD

This is the debut full-length release by JPLS. Hot on the heels of his Program EP on M_nus, the man from Indiana returns unscathed with a collection of refreshingly understated techno, penned between the hours of 3-5a.m. and each with a perfectly formulated musical equation at its heart. From the album's onset, as the distant echoes of "twilite 1" reach out like shards of light bending over the horizon, it's clear this journey is not for the faint-hearted. "twilite 3" provides further evidence as JPLS skillfully demonstrates the enduring simplicity of a well crafted bassdrum/hi-hat groove. Along with "twilite 6.1," "6.2" and "4," this is sparse, minimalist expression at its most raw, filled with discordant harmonies that offer beauty and menace in equal measure. Delve deeper and "twilite 8" is simply a revelation: set against an initially disjointed rhythm section, the track suddenly explodes into life in one of the most memorable sequences on the album. As if pounding the cavernous, empty hull of some great vessel, this skillful sound sculpture is guaranteed to send shockwaves across the dancefloor. Further highlights include the playful tones of "green01" (featuring the first of two appearances by Skoozbot), which dishes up all sort of mixing possibilities for the more dexterous DJ. There's a more laid-back house groove in effect here, working in perfect tandem with the urgent subsonic bass line, while the bouncing bleeps punctuate the darkness like fireflies. Similarly, "twilite 7" sheds light on a deeper, more contemplative landscape before the morning sun reclaims the sky and "twilite 9" shuffles lazily to its conclusion amid a deluge of sub bass drops and flickering hi-hats. Sometimes, in the harsh light of day, music can seem awkward, out of place even, but when experienced in the twilite hours they it comes alive, resonating at a frequency that disrupts the thin veil of reality, allowing us to slip through to the other side.

Artist:	PIERCE, TROY
Title:	Gone Astray
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 052CD

From the cornfields of Indiana to new Berliner, Troy Pierce offers up his first CD EP release. Gone Astray continues his mission up river into the heart of darkness, with arguably his most accomplished collection of tracks to date. Made up of music composed almost exclusively on the road, this release is driven by choices and ideas that would not normally have surfaced in a typical studio environment. It's an innovative, ambitious project, not least because it tackles so many abstract themes in one sitting, often taking more than one mix to fully explore the hidden pathways that disappear off into this dense catacomb of sound. "Even If It's Alone (Black Acid)" is a good case in point. The original version is abstract, freeform techno full of disorientating bleeps, metallic snare rolls and messed-up vocal overdubs that offer the listener little in the way of a safety net. The Louderbach remix, however, is an altogether different trip. Sparser and pinned down by a mechanical hi-hat/snare pattern, it utilizes spaced-out delays and reverbs to create an equally intense atmosphere. Further highlights include the classic, arpeggiated hookline at the heart of "Lost On The Way To DC10" (prepared moments before a gig at the self same club) and the urgent tribal stomps of "Klitkut" -- another track with Ibiza after-hour origins. Dramatic changes of pressure abound throughout the whole project, with Pierce making full use of the audio spectrum as he painstakingly deconstructs and reconstructs frequencies. Each sound is teased and twisted in all manner of directions, (check out the morphing acid line on "Golden") with particular attention paid to the drum machine patterns that are refreshingly free from the linear constraints of standard techno. As a result, the sound seems to move forward like a wall, constantly changing room size and shape, which is why you'll be forgiven for sometimes finding a door where the window should be. Going astray can be a good thing, especially when you end up finding a better way. Gone Astray is available on double vinyl, with the CD release including two additional tracks "Word" and "Go Without Me (Stay Away)."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Nothing Much -- A Best Of Minus
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 053CD

Eleven track compilation CD plus bonus M_nus mix CD: Something More mixed by Troy Pierce. From its minimalist aesthetic, increasing output and steady impact on electronic music since 1998, a blueprint has been developing at M_nus. Nothing Much takes a snapshot of rock-solid M_nus memories that are more nouveau than retro, challenging any notion that the sound has remained the same. While not representing the complete history here on disc, the compilation addresses a deeper note with a bonus disc showcasing Berlin's Troy Pierce as he weaves a web of stolen moments from the catalog. Connecting the storytelling pop behind Heartthrob's "Baby Kate" and Mathew Jonson's "Decompression" to the funk flex of Gaiser's "Egress" or Marc Houle's composed anthem "Bay of Figs," it's time to take a bow. The collection also contains recent hits from Heartthrob, Troy Pierce, Ambivalent and JPLS. The method behind Nothing Much is pure M_nus music for your head and your feet. Created at first as a boutique, design-oriented musical gallery for Richie Hawtin and select electronic artisans, M_nus has grown into a megaphone for minimal techno and everything beyond. Its sound and style has branched out by enlisting a troop of inspired producers and talented performers that can rock the house and delve deep into the psyche with precision and skill. Post-everything electro, techno, acid and house, the sound has blended its own unique vintage by influences from contemporary art, travels, relationships and the ever-changing environment of the global party. Also includes artists Richie Hawtin, Magda, False (Matthew Dear), Loco Dice, Niederflur, Berg Nixon, Matt John, Konrad Black, Tractile, Robotman, I.A. Bericochea and Skoozbot.

Artist:	FALSE [A.K.A. MATTHEW DEAR]
Title:	2007
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 055CD

This is the second full-length release by DJ and producer False (aka Matthew Dear, Audion). Essentially a special one-off live set, 2007 defines Dear's relationship with M_nus. Together with the accompanying vinyl release of Fed On Youth/Face The Rain, he's concocted a work of such stunning intricacy, verve and substance that it will surely be amongst the favorites when this year's highlights are assessed. The opening sequence unfurls gradually, but even as the ominous "Indy 3000" drifts into the metronomic comfort of "Meat Me In The Market," you can already feel the gravitational pull sucking you in. The electro shock therapy of "Warm Co." and the pensive minimalism of "Timing" and "Alright Liar" continue turning the screw -- and before you know it, you're lost in a void of slow, chugging sub-beats, filtered vox fx and dense, disorienting reverb. Distant melodies somehow make it through, like the soft, meditative tones on "Plus Plus" and the melancholy motif of "Face the Rain," which leaves you temporarily frozen and suspended before the energetic "Dollar Down" ushers in the pivotal, subsonic avalanche of "Disease/George Washington." The album starts to gather momentum on the home stretch, as the tension and suspense of "Act Like Children/Excalibur" rolls into "In The Heather," which in turn, breaks under the weight of "Fed On Youth" as Dear finally unleashes a sequence of laser-guided synth stabs that recall the hi-octane drive-by of the intro. "Stomachs/Ankle Biter" extends the climactic conclusion amid a wash of analog white noise before "Forgetting" finally releases the pressure valve, slowly drifting back to the initial point of origin. What is so memorable about this collection of tracks is the way it strikes the perfect balance between abstract experimentation and full-on techno nirvana without ever breaking stride or losing focus. There's nothing brash or over-blown here, all the real action is nestled between the beats -- enticing yet unreachable -- while the grooves he concocts are all so earthy and raw that the kick drum functions as an alternative rather than a necessity.

Artist:	VA
Title:	EXPANSION \| contraction
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 058CD

Of the continuing themes found throughout the music released on M_nus, one constant exploration is the relationship between sound and silence. Within the stripped-down but dimensional outcome there exists a polarity that is neither controlled nor accidental, where life imitates art in between the notes. The act of finding inspiration from a sonic molecule or the inaudible space around that element is the nature of EXPANSION | contraction. Dubfire (Ali, ex-Deep Dish) enters the EXPANSION with the tremendous "Emissions." This is his first track to be released on M_nus and is the culmination of his gravitation towards the Minus sound cemented by a friendship over the years with label head Richie Hawtin. Gaiser again hits the mark with "Mute," which captures the excitement of his storming live shows throughout and is taken from the sessions that spawned his double pack release, Eye Contact. Marc Houle continues his own musical expansion with "Porch," following up and going beyond his Extreme and the monstrous Techno Vocals/On It double-header. Plastikman's "Risk Assessment" begins the contraction with a simmering builder of a track guaranteed to disconcert even the most sonically-prepared of listeners. Jesse Siminski aka Heartthrob is right back on form and contributes the growling funk beast that is "Roundabout." JPLS' "Isolate" contracts further and establishes him as one of the darker elements on the Minus roster, and Troy Pierce's gargantuan "Oxytocin" takes up the gauntlet thrown down by his own twisted Gone Astray release. All the artists featured on EXPANSION | contraction are fully experimenting with balance, interaction and interplay. To complement the music on this release, the accompanying artwork maps out the boundless possibilities of in-between potential. The CD format also features embossed artwork and contains an extra track not found on the vinyl version.

Artist:	HEARTTHROB
Title:	Dear Painter, Paint Me
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 063CD

This is the debut full-length release from Berlin-based Heartthrob aka Jesse Siminski. With Dear Painter, Paint Me, Siminski has assembled a remarkable collection of emotionally-charged, provocative, humorous, self-reflective techno tracks that continue the upward trajectory that started with the ubiquitous Baby Kate 12" and his genre-busting collaboration with Gaiser. As the title suggests (borrowed from a series of paintings by Martin Kippenberger), Heartthrob is a musician who wears his heart on his sleeve, and a maverick musician even within the M_nus ranks, focusing intently on the melodic, harmonic and tonal aspects of his music while openly railing against the "redundant percussive techno stuff" that currently clogs dancefloors. But that's not to say he lets up on the beats for a second, in fact, his tracks are equally characterized by a deep understanding of the formal and conceptual ideas that define and shape the M_nus sound. Add to that the mischievous time signatures, a penchant for the dramatic and an underlying sense of the absurd, and you have all the ingredients for a hi-octane rollercoaster ride. Following the continuous play CD format, the opening track "Future's Past" sets the emotional and structural tone for the next 50 minutes. Coming on like a funked-up John Carpenter movie theme, it's cinematic, big room techno at its best. Epic in proportions, "Confession" is one of the major achievements of the record and continues the expansive theme. Timeless techno strings drift in to dominate the first half of the track, while the lush soundscapes, hypnotic melodies and edgy peripheral efx combine to create a structurally complex, symmetrical arrangement. "Signs" (which has figured heavily in Richie Hawtin's sets) features a funky bass line, loose hi-hat groove and sci-fi vocal efx that soon make way for an urgent, cavorting melody. In a similar fashion, "Out Of Here" employs a crazy swing-beat groove in tandem with a fragile, otherworldly main motif. "Blind Item" is another linear groove that relies on an endlessly morphing, hypnotic hookline. "Interference" is a breathtaking example of edgy, paranoia-inducing techno. "Slow Dance" has a beautifully ugly main theme, pumping bass line and call-and-response percussion fills. "Heading For A Heartbreak" with its quirky, acid overtones has the feel of a 1960s sci-fi pilot theme that was just too far out to make into a series. It's a warm, satisfying end to an album that not only hints at so much more to come from this increasingly influential producer but will be one of the highlights of the summer and beyond.

Artist:	GAISER
Title:	Blank Fade
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 067CD

This is the highly-anticipated full-length debut from Jon Gaiser. In a genre where artists often struggle for identity, Gaiser is one of those rare producers whose sound is instantly recognizable. The solo projects, collaborations and remixes he's created over the course of his output on M_nus, all contain a very specific signature, communicating in a language that speaks with the strangest, most intoxicating of tongues. Blank Fade is no exception, and it sees him pushing the envelope even further, resulting in the most comprehensive and impressive body of work he has accomplished so far. Alongside this he has taken full advantage of the vinyl, digital and CD formats on offer to not only produce a collection of stunning individual tracks but also to mix them together in a way that typically reflects his live performance. Gaiser's music works like a soundtrack to some hidden nocturnal habitat, full of weird and wonderful creatures that stalk the darkness -- and it's not long before we're lost in the forest of his imagination. Eerie and atmospheric, "Volve" sets the scene perfectly, drifting amid a wash of distant echoes and ghostly EFX before a solitary kick drum punctures the darkness. "Face Down" gradually picks up the pace as the beats begin alternating around a tight, metronomic snare. A pulsing sub-bass loop carries the groove while abstract vocal cut-ups penetrate deep into the subconscious. "Ground" effortlessly switches to a 4/4 kick pattern and continues the unearthly vocal theme against a sparse backdrop of crackling electricity and metallic drones. "Ciliate With" lets fly with a trademark bass riff that's soon joined by one of those memorable bleeping call-and-response riffs that could only ever be the work of Gaiser. "Whether Or Not" maintains the tension with an urgent bass line and a brutal snare that powers head-first into a swarm of warping synth lines, before "Substance B" turns in a percussive frenzy that's as devastating as it is intuitive. "Comma, Fade" ushers in a more subliminal groove, driven by a funked-up bass/organ riff and cantering percussion, while "Leave It" dims the lights once again with pitched-down vocals and distant, drifting sirens that add a hint of menace to the mix. This all sets things up perfectly for "Trunkated" -- a real powerhouse of a track, that's as complete as anything you're likely to hear this year. Molten bass, irresistible percussion, dancing bleeps, twisted synth motifs and more. "Descending Order" releases the pressure valve as distant melodies gently eat into your serotonin supply and you lose yourself in the breakdown. "One After" utilizes a sliding, bass-driven variation of the preceding melody, as the beats finally begin to thin out, allowing the slow, ambient drift of "Outline" to smooth out the fragmented memories of what has gone before.

Artist:	LOUDERBACH
Title:	Autumn
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 076CD

This is the long-awaited second full-length release by L.A./Berlin duo, Louderbach (aka producer Troy Pierce & vocalist Gibby Miller). Autumn represents another jump in the evolutionary cycle of minimal techno, having developed from the largely instrumental project that gave us 2006's Enemy Love into a fully-fledged, song-based outfit. As a result, Autumn has a much deeper feel than its predecessor and breaks new ground, with the dark metaphors of Gibby Miller's often chilling vocal performances fitting hand-in-glove with the ominous landscapes and broken architecture that Troy Pierce constructs so effectively. Drawing on shared influences such as Bauhaus, Coil, and Joy Division, the duo have conceived an album of emotional depth and exquisite detail, appropriating the best elements of these early-'80s pioneers and reinterpreting them through a contemporary lens to achieve a perfect balance of style and content. Rolling in on waves of icy pads, the languid tones of "Autumn" pulse and swirl before Miller's voice rips through the shadows. The echo returns as "Seems Like Static" opens with a seductive, atmospheric chord progression. The mood is abruptly broken by a booming 808 kick and Miller's claustrophobic vocals slowly begin to unravel. The pummeling electro beats and heavy compression of "One Hundred Reasons" continue the decent that dominates the album's opening stages. Played out against a wall of feverish analog noise, the constant throb is gradually overwhelmed by a gnarly, twisting synth-line that's as seductive as it is lethal. "Notes" is glitchy insomnia, complete with ambient street sounds, "Nothing More Than A White Poison" is another dancefloor cut, and "She" has an elongated intro punctuated by booming 808s. "So This Is Control" is accompanied by a more laid-back, housey groove, culminating in a high-velocity breakdown. The sci-fi spirals of "Sunspots" produce a skeletal design of ebbs and flows with bass-heavy growls, reverberating bleeps and a frozen melody. "Shine" features another loose-fitting arrangement full of dark, low-end melodies, slivers of glistening hi-hats and heavily modulated analog layers. Autumn -- an album that grips the attention with smoldering intensity from start to finish.

Artist:	JPLS
Title:	The Depths
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 084CD

This is the second full-length album by JPLS for the M_nus label. The Depths is a collection of complex, challenging compositions that beam in from the depths of the M_nus universe. Fusing classic minimal techno with industrial electronica, he has created a brooding, deep-space opera that needs to be experienced in its epic entirety before individual aspects can be extracted to exploit their dancefloor potential. All JPLS releases are dominated by an underlying concept -- a self-imposed set of values that are stretched to their logical limits and beyond. 2007's Twilite set the tone, containing a set of tracks strictly conceived between the hours of 3 and 5 a.m. Then there was the application of delay and overlays to create a "non-standard" harmonic content and defeat the machines on the Combination EP. This time around, inspiration has been derived from theoretical physics, specifically the idea of sub-sub atomic movement and interaction. During the course of the album, JPLS explores continuous creation, the transformation of sound into energy and the expanding and contracting reaches of space and time. The collection begins with "Reset," a 12 and-a-half minute exercise in construction and deconstruction. The vast soundscape pulses with expectation before a host of mutated percussion starts scything its way across the stereo field. The electro-magnetism and gravitational pull of "Zero Point" creates more elegantly-hewn glaciers of sound that slowly disintegrate into white noise, reforming in different spatial arrangements while the melody slowly fractures into anti-melody. "Displacement" features a relentless kick that beats a path straight through the core of a spinning, turbulent vortex. "Basis" adopts a straighter structure modified by electrified percussion fills -- physical sounds vanish before reappearing in different forms, converting to energy, and then back again. The booming, broken electro of "Fold" twists an undulating bass line in on itself, adding an additional layer of random harmonics to the spectrum before the shuffling triplets of "Collapse" introduces an alien vocal. "Convolution" is a perfectly-executed marriage of stripped-down beats and deep harmonic percussion programming that underlines the unique way JPLS approaches electronic composition. "State" rounds it all off with bleeps and gentle melodies that draw ever closer until they reveal themselves as giants; their residual energy leaving imprints that linger long after disintegration. The album loops perfectly, maintaining its cyclical nature by utilizing the same pads for the end as the beginning. Limited edition of 500 copies.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Making Contakt
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD/DVD
Price:	$25.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 089CD

DVD is European PAL format only. In 2008, M_nus celebrated its ten year anniversary with Contakt -- a free-flowing, improvisational show involving the label's top DJs and live performers backed up by state-of-the art visuals. The fly-on-the-wall documentary edited by Niamh Guckian (Totally Wired Movie) superbly documents the journey, offering a unique, behind-the-scenes look at what makes this crazy, passionate and highly-focused group of individuals tick, as they attempt to redefine the conventional clubbing experience. Interspersed with running commentary from the artists, friends and backroom staff who made the event possible, it's a warts 'n' all appraisal of the highs, lows, triumphs and near catastrophes that accompanied the tour, revealing exactly what it takes to get a performance of this magnitude on the road and keep the electronic movement pushing forward. Aptly kicking off amid the shaky foundations of St. Andrews Hall in Detroit, where the bass frequencies literally bring the house down, the show moves on through a host of major cities before peaking with an awe-inspiring spectacle in Amsterdam and a memorable finale in Tokyo. Each venue poses a new challenge and the close-up camera style and subtle juxtaposition of images get right to the heart of the matter as the crew battle with a seemingly endless string of problems -- whether it's the dimensions of the building, an excommunicated Cube, overheating equipment or self-inflicted software updates. As the drama unfolds, it's fascinating to watch how the show evolves. The nimbus clouds from the Detroit experience slowly disperse and the performers gradually embrace the new format, harnessing the creative potential at their fingertips. It all boils down to keeping a cool head while others are losing theirs and the multi-tasking M_nus collective all have a part to play in making sure the show can go on. Bonus material: Contakt Special, Photo Gallery. Directed by Ali Demirel and Richie Hawtin; co-directed by Naimh Guckian. 79 minutes; PAL; 16:9; Language: English; Subtitles in German, Italian, Spanish and French. Includes a CD compilation of music from Heartthrob, Cybersonik, JPLS, Marc Houle, Bryan Zentz, Click Box, Monkey B, Fabrizio Maurizi, Barem, Marco Carola, The Selph, Uto Karem, Alex Under, and Richie Hawtin.

Artist:	HOULE, MARC
Title:	Drift
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 098CD

This is Marc Houle's first CD album for M_nus. Drift is an album of tracks inspired by the prolonged Berlin winter, and the depression, which it so often causes -- from the chill of the coldest nights felt on tracks such as "Inside" and "The Next," through to songs that encompass the frustrations of gray skies such as "Seeing In The Dark." Marc has created a season of emotions, and in doing so, put forth his own personal frustrations towards what is considered "techno" in its most basic form. Locking himself away during a winter season to fully embrace his own idealism has resulted in an album on which his rebellious nature and desire for a more experimental musical mentality has cast him further from the standard practice of the techno underworld. His grievances are at their most clear on the title track, which is an intense, and ultimately angry, techno belter produced as the winter season caused feelings less of "beauty" and more of suffocation. However, Drift is not without moments in which the sunlight peeks through the layers of heavy clouds. Tracks such as "Sweet" and "Hitcher Man" provide the audible interpretation of a person dreaming of warmer climates -- the not-so-forgotten idea of being elsewhere, with the experience of finally seeing the snow fade away and the clouds drift towards springtime skies. By the time the album reaches its finale, it's clear that Marc's winter blues have receded, as the few remaining patches of ice melt into puddles of past musical memories. A mainstay of the M_nus camp, Marc Houle has been known to push the boundaries with his output for the label, always adding tweaks and twists from analog synths, unexpected, obscure sounds, and an onslaught of vocals and playfulness. His take on electronic music is a personal sound that draws upon his early influences from industrial, retro and Detroit, along with a modern vision of path-finding techno. This latest venture for the label, although inspired by the coldest moments of the year, is undoubtedly hot as fire.

Artist:	PLASTIKMAN
Title:	Slinky
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 099EP

Richie Hawtin sneaks up with a new Plastikman single. If you heard Hawtin spin in the summer of 2010, you're going to recognize "Slinky" as one of the highlights of his set: a blistering acid track that immediately stands out from today's standard-issue bass line techno hits. "Monkee" is a properly minimalist jungle-drum groove made of dizzily syncopated toms and clean, linear 808 patter. It's a trip into the darkest recesses of the rainforest, complete with the screeching of unknown beasts.

Artist:	PLASTIKMAN
Title:	Arkives Reference 1993-2010
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	15 CD BOX+DVD
Price:	$115.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 100CD

[Last 6 copies of this now deleted boxset; these copies all have minor split seams on the box, and/or minor cover wear. They are being sold at much lower as a result, was $200 in the past. Sold: as is, no returns. All discs/packaging intact.] 17 years of Richie Hawtin's alter-ego Plastikman in one super-limited, luxurious box comprising 15 CDs, 1 DVD and a book! Richie Hawtin's triumphant return to the stage as Plastikman in 2010 proved that his best-known alias is as innovative and as relevant as ever. Hawtin has taken Plastikman's most classic material, originally released between 1993 and 2003, and reworked it for a truly live performance accompanied by mind-bending, synchronized visuals. Since 2003, Hawtin has been far better known simply as Richie Hawtin, the celebrated DJ and mastermind behind the M_nus label. Some fans today were still infants when Plastikman's acid ripple first began streaming from Hawtin's basement studio in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. For long-time devotees and new fans alike, Hawtin now presents Plastikman's Arkives, a comprehensive box set that pulls together all 17 years of the Plastikman story so far, including remastered versions of all six previously-released Plastikman albums and a trove of rarities, unreleased sessions and new material. Arkives is a strictly-limited, made-to-order edition. Arkives Reference, the main personalized edition, features 15 CDs and 1 DVD. The deluxe packaging includes a slipcase with fold-out sleeves for all 16 discs, plus a 94-page book that tells the Plastikman story in archival photos and a newly-commissioned text. The set includes newly-remastered versions of all six previously-released Plastikman albums -- Sheet One, Musik, Recycled Plastik, Consumed, Artifakts (B.C.), and Closer -- and nine further CDs of rare and unreleased material: Rekonstruktions collects Plastikman's classic and hard-to-find remixes for other artists, including La Funk Mob, System 7, New Order, Depeche Mode, Hardfloor, and even an unreleased remix of his own Robotman project. Replikants features all-new remixes specially commissioned for the project, in which Hawtin's influences and heroes rework Plastikman's back catalog. Reaching far beyond the world of techno, the disc features luminaries such as Vince Clarke, Cliff Martinez, Fran�ois Kevorkian, Moby, Chris & Cosey, Severed Heads, Flood, and Mute's Daniel Miller & Gareth Jones. Additional CDs contain previously-unreleased material -- one features the never-before heard, complete recording session from which Spastik emerged, along with an unreleased John Peel in-studio live session. Still more previously-unreleased Plastikman material follows, including the single "Slinky." Finally, Nostalgik collects rare, out-of-print, vinyl-only editions and bonus Plastikman tracks. In addition to the CDs, Optik is a DVD of classic & rare Plastikman videos plus previously-unreleased footage of Plastikman live at Glastonbury, 1995 and Plastikman live at Mutek, Montreal, 2003. Arkives Reference also includes a digital download code redeemable at m-nus.com, which will unlock additional material not included on the CDs (or other Arkives editions), insuring that each collector receives the most complete Plastikman Arkives to date. Just as Hawtin and his crew used to cap admission to their underground parties, Arkives' edition will be strictly limited. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience the full sweep of Plastikman's journey so far.

Artist:	MAGDA
Title:	From The Fallen Page
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 101CD

This is the debut full-length album from Berlin's reigning queen of minimal, Magda. Enter the disorientating, evocative world that Magda has created -- one that teeters on opposition: otherworldly but visceral, brutally dark with a warm sense of beauty and grace, sparse yet full-bodied and dense. Haunting electronic soundworlds that fall somewhere in-between reality and some sort of intangible dreamscape, brimming with nostalgic clues to the past and a curiosity-rousing sense of remembrance. From The Fallen Page is an engulfing, transportive album that takes listeners from one end of the spectrum to the other, treading the fine lines of extremities along the way. Starting with "Get Down Goblin," a growling, dramatic entrance into her electronic voyage, the album bleeds into tracks of all shapes and sizes, from the swelling, eerie chords and solid rhythms of "Lost In Time," to the oozy, bass-ridden "Breakout," to the dynamic tech-y workout of "Your Love Attack." And though the tracks sequence to tell a story, they all fall under the same alluring spell regardless of order: for instance, "Music Box" -- a daydream-y sound-world filled with chilling chords and a lurid sense of dread (indeed, a music box from a dark past) -- is a cinematic pairing to the dizzying builds and piano fills of "Doom Disco," which sounds somewhere in-between a hand-clapping, bouncing club and an ancient, creaking haunted house. The funked-out, low-slung groove of "Japan" closes the chapter, a melancholic farewell immersed in soft, lush melodies. The darkly-tinged collection takes on a personal, animated effect as a result of entirely unique sounds. In fact, everything in the album's movement came about naturally, from its inception to its change in direction. Originally set out to be a post-punk, dark disco set of soundtrack-inspired music, it evolved into a melodious and percussive adventure into Magda's past and influences. The album's punchy bass lines and hypnotic drum patterns tell of her days growing up in Detroit, she didn't purposefully set out to find memories; the memories found her.

Artist:	CAROLA, MARCO
Title:	Play It Loud!
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 106CD

Legendary Italian DJ Marco Carola presents his first studio album in nine years. Play It Loud! is a massive album about groove and bass lines, a playground of drums and colorful beat textures and vocal snippets. In all his years of being a certified veteran in the world of techno -- from his beginning days in Napoli in the early '90s to his celebrated status around the world today -- Carola never once lost grip on his main priority: letting the music speak for itself. Carola retains a rare sense of integrity, despite being an artist who has consistently changed the face of techno. On Play It Loud! he embraces an entirely new expansion of sounds, concepts and formats. The album is not a collection of individual singles (as unique as each may be). True to form, and an encapsulation of his incomparable expertise, the artist "born as a DJ" opted to blend all 10 previously-unreleased tracks to form one tight-knit, seamless mix. In keeping with a typical Carola DJ set, the album has a divine ability to morph and shift, bleed and punch between beats and grooves so smoothly, it's impossible to hear when one track ends and the other begins. Play It Loud! kicks off with no restrictions, and certainly no hesitation. Jittering, building drums in the album's "Intro" quickly construct the heavier bass-laden groove of "The Jingle," a sonic reverie filled with a vast space of percussive layers and stuttering vocals. Sharp rhythms interlock through the divine unfolding of his mix into "Magic Tribe," a playground of drums and colorful beat textures. The groove never loses its hold through the gripping twists and turns of "Kimbo," and liquidly bounces through the shuffling bass line of his masterful "Lighthouse," where around each loop lies a surprising new rhythmic element. "The Black Box" feels exactly as it sounds, teasing and throbbing with dynamic climbs into a soundworld immersed in shadows, leading into the intricate subtleties of breathy vocal hints and hand claps in "The Tool." Melodies slowly emerge and begin to take shape through the aptly-titled "Suspense," raising the energy to meet stomping bass weight through the wide-eyed entertainment of "One Man Show." The album, after taking the listener to all corners and colors of the electronic spectrum, kicks into its final chapter on the all-out club-shattering closer "Freak On." From start to finish, so many layers and beautifully subtle intricacies are hidden and tucked inside of the LP's many narratives, if you're not listening close enough -- or loud enough -- you may miss them completely.

Artist:	JAKE & AMBER
Title:	This Is Mine
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 113EP

Jake & Amber met while studying advanced hemp-weaving at Colorado Springs Community College. They discovered electronic music by way of a Steve Rachmad CD flying through their car window one summer evening. Deciding that it was the perfect music for dolphins and other sea creatures, they set about making water-tank soundtracks for flippered beat-friends at the local aquarium. Now Jake & Amber spend their days tuning 909s to elicit responses from thought-impaired Europeans instead of their underwater cousins.

Artist:	GAISER PRESENTS VOID
Title:	No Sudden Movements
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 115CD

Perhaps better known for the explosive techno of his recent M_nus releases, Jon Gaiser turns his attention to exploring inner dimensions through his new Void guise. Stepping away from the dancefloor to present the debut Void album No Sudden Movements, the new project finds Gaiser in a mode unfamiliar to those who have come to know him as the manufacturer of incendiary EPs such as Some Slip (MINUS 112EP) and Unstable Witness. Conversely, No Sudden Movements seeks warmth as the cold European winter approaches Gaiser's adopted hometown of Berlin, traversing ambient soundscapes and downtempo rhythms to create a sparser, gentler sound. Remaining true to his attention to production detail that has characterized him as one of the most accomplished and distinctive electronic music producers working today, Gaiser said the ideas and feeling behind this project came from the urge to create something that is easy to listen to, while at the same time possessing a hidden complexity: "A lot of the material was recorded during the dark, colder months in Berlin, when it was most inspiring to create something that was bleak by nature and sparse by composition, but using warm sounds to off-balance and provide an escape. There will be some moments of atmosphere, some moments of melody, and some moments where it all comes together."

Artist:	HOBO
Title:	Iron Triangle
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	MINUS 118CD

M_nus introduces a new name to its artist family: Hobo. Iron Triangle is a stunning take on the stripped-to-the-bone essence of electronic dance music. Joel Boychuk aka Hobo takes us on a tour of the Iron Triangle -- a destination point for the techno artist whose very name embodies both the restless spirit of his productions and his journey from being one-half of the former M_nus duo Tractile, to being a recognized star performer in his own right. With this album, Boychuk intends to encapsulate the unique atmospheres of the three geographical points and spaces in between that have influenced both his musical output and his outlook as a person. What is the Iron Triangle, and how has it influenced his approach to making his first full-length album? "The Iron Triangle is both a simple concept and complicated percept -- kind of abstract but also very simple. In it's simplest form it's an area between three places where I come from, covering a bit of Canada and the U.S. -- three places which are connected by a lot of history and three important train lines that once ran between them, hence the 'iron.' Where it begins to stretch into a much more abstract and complicated territory is in how I relate to the iron triangle: sometimes I'm there, sometimes I'm not there and sometimes I wish I was or wasn't there. At the end of 2010, I had been away from the triangle for much longer than usual and mentally, I was as far away as ever. I reflected on past experiences and looked forward to new ones as inspiration for the album: All of the tracks are based around experiences I've had at this place, sometimes just an image or memory. My approach to production changes frequently: sometimes I produce just because I enjoy doing it; other times I view it as something that needs to be done for the purposes of clearing the mind; and sometimes it's just done for raw musical experimentation. I think my sound went back to its earlier roots while making this record, at times playful and weird with a tinge of darkness. In that respect, some of the tracks on the album share exact influences with other previous tracks of mine, so I can infer from that the evolution in the album's sound directly reflects my evolution as a producer."

Artist:	HOBO
Title:	Iron Triangle
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	2x12"
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 118LP

2x12" version. M_nus introduces a new name to its artist family: Hobo. Iron Triangle is a stunning take on the stripped-to-the-bone essence of electronic dance music. Joel Boychuk aka Hobo takes us on a tour of the Iron Triangle -- a destination point for the techno artist whose very name embodies both the restless spirit of his productions and his journey from being one-half of the former M_nus duo Tractile, to being a recognized star performer in his own right. With this album, Boychuk intends to encapsulate the unique atmospheres of the three geographical points and spaces in between that have influenced both his musical output and his outlook as a person. What is the Iron Triangle, and how has it influenced his approach to making his first full-length album? "The Iron Triangle is both a simple concept and complicated percept -- kind of abstract but also very simple. In its simplest form it's an area between three places where I come from, covering a bit of Canada and the U.S. -- three places which are connected by a lot of history and three important train lines that once ran between them, hence the 'iron.' Where it begins to stretch into a much more abstract and complicated territory is in how I relate to the iron triangle: sometimes I'm there, sometimes I'm not there and sometimes I wish I was or wasn't there. At the end of 2010, I had been away from the triangle for much longer than usual and mentally, I was as far away as ever. I reflected on past experiences and looked forward to new ones as inspiration for the album: All of the tracks are based around experiences I've had at this place, sometimes just an image or memory. My approach to production changes frequently: sometimes I produce just because I enjoy doing it; other times I view it as something that needs to be done for the purposes of clearing the mind; and sometimes it's just done for raw musical experimentation. I think my sound went back to its earlier roots while making this record, at times playful and weird with a tinge of darkness. In that respect, some of the tracks on the album share exact influences with other previous tracks of mine, so I can infer from that the evolution in the album's sound directly reflects my evolution as a producer."

Artist:	PLASTIKMAN
Title:	Kompilation
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	PP 001CD

Plastikman is the alter ego of one of the world's most revered electronic DJs and producers, Richie Hawtin. Born in Banbury, Oxfordshire in England, his family moved to Windsor, Ontario when he was nine. The proximity to Detroit meant regular trips across the bridge to the Motor City where he was influenced by the first wave of techno greats, and it was almost inevitable that he would begin experimenting with music-making himself. Between 1993 and 2003, the Plastikman persona, born from the mood and state of mind in late night warehouse parties in Detroit, manifested himself in six albums ranging in style from hypnotic and acidic to brooding and introspective, but always with the common thread of a minimalistic 303, stripped down to a unique brand of techno. Live shows were few and far between, having been reserved for special events like Glastonbury 1995 and Mutek 2004. Now in 2010, Plastikman has re-emerged to perform a 15-city tour, reinterpreting the original Plastikman material using today's technologies, and creating a fully immersive concert experience using synchronized audio, visuals, and communication technology. Kompilation is the next chapter in the Plastikman story; a limited edition CD containing tracks from 1993's "Helikopter" through 2003's "Ask Yourself." Presented in new packaging with the trademark Plastikman logo, it works as a collector's item just as well as an introduction to the full Plastikman discography and reflects the running order of the 2010 Plastikman Live show.

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Artist:	SLACKNOISE VS. PLEXUS
Title:	Ana Tak
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 028EP

Artist:	VA
Title:	min2MAX Part 3
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$7.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 040-3EP

Artist:	HEARTTHROB & TROY PIERCE
Title:	Square One
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUS 095EP

Artist:	TALE OF US
Title:	Another Earth
Label:	MINUS (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	MINUSMIN 002EP