Browse by Label: MODERN LOVE (UK)

Artist:	BITSTREAM
Title:	One Third Standard Lux
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	LOVE 002CD

"Bitstream is the brothers Steve and Dave Conner, born in the mid 70's in a small town in Northamptonshire, England. Compiling some of Bitstream's rarest material to date alongside their best known work, One Third Standard Lux is a perfect starting point from which to establish the importance the brothers Conner have had on the British electro scene over the last few years. Originally championed by the Autechre-related Skam label in Manchester and their pioneering DJ Rob Hall, Bitstream have been releasing innovative and complex electronic music to an ever-growing audience of dedicated followers. Their love of experimental music is also proudly on display, vocal treatments on the harrowing 'Lost Cluster' and 'Madame Resonance' showing this to most devastating effect, while the unadulterated crunchy euphoria of the classic 'Radiotherapy' acts as the perfect album opener. With a formidable catalogue of releases to date for labels like City Centre Offices and their own Pylon Recordings, Bitstream transcend the confines of the electronic dancefloor through to a much broader spectrum of sound. One Third Standard Lux is the definitive retrospective of that particular sound."

Artist:	TROUBLESHOOTER
Title:	Troubleshooter
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	12"
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	LOVE 003EP

"There's a lot of excitement surrounding the debut material from this mysterious ex-Bitstream operator. The 6 tracks on board take us to over half an hour's worth of ruffage, emanating from the twisted mangled beat and bass mashup of opening track 'Freeform Render' to the classic late night IDM of 'Rotating Mass', the sparse synth-heavy electroid breakbeat of 'Micro-Dotz', heavy bass decimations on 'Nuclear Fusion', classic acidic spacious electro on 'Spacemission One' and the monstrous, rigid low-end magnetism of the closing 'Subversive Chasm V2'. There's a distinctive sound at play here that brings to mind all manner of electronic blueprints as defined by the likes of Afx, EOG and, of course, Bitstream, but there's a certain twist to the beats and the synths that you just won't hear anywhere else this year."

Artist:	PENDLE COVEN
Title:	Trouble At Mill
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	12"
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	LOVE 005EP

"The mysterious Pendle Coven crew dropped in on us cloaked and masked, their credentials indisputable, their material absolutely devastating, their obscured faces oddly familiar to us from someplace. Trouble At Mill is the first batch of tracks to be released under this moniker(check out the NMB 12" and you just might hear another) - although an intermittent series of transmissions is planned. The music doesn't really start or end with an adherence to one school of thought or another, just a display of love for the music that has shaped their lives: music from Detroit, Berlin, Manchester, West London, Chicago, Sheffield...all being the operative cities in question."

Artist:	BITSTREAM
Title:	Domestic Economy 7
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	LOVE 011CD

"Brothers Steve and Dave Conner have long been at the forefront of uncompromising electronic music -- though this is, remarkably, their debut full-length album. Their output so far has been confined to a series of blistering 12"s and EP's that have re-configured the bearings of squashed electro as it collides with old school hip hop -- owed in no small part to Steve's prize-winning turntable dexterity. Their output has also, through a deep infatuation with the choral genius of Penderecki and Ligeti, owed much to the haunting Weltanschauung of modern science fiction -- in particular to the monolithic imagery of Kubrik's 2001 A Space Odyssey. Across these 11 tracks Steve and Dave are finally able to expand their ideas into a full narrative, much like their Detroit-bound aquatic operators sometimes known as Drexciya."

Artist:	PENDLE COVEN
Title:	Ł100 a Metre EP
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	12"
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	LOVE 013EP

"Spanning the whole of the A-Side with a double-loud cut, 'R.E.S.P.E.C.T.' slides into existence with a furious cut-up homage to breakbeat revolutionaries, from Urban Shakedown to the Rufige Crew, 2 Bad Mice, G double E, The Ragga Twins, Remarc and countless shady operators who pinched dub, reggae, techno and hip hop by the scruff of the neck and delivered one of the UK's most individual contributions to modern popular and club culture. 'Unit 6' on the flip mirrors this legacy with a shuddering bass-heavy variant, a slow-motion stab of metallic clunks and obese low-end shudders, a generic amalgam that works a treat. 'Artificial Root' closes proceedings with a hazy wash of sunset vibes and effervescent melodies, slowly evolving into a determined shuffle of widescreen proportions, somehow managing to deploy the most serene signals with the heaviest of tools."

Artist:	ITO, MARIEL
Title:	Indexed EP
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	12"
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	LOVE 014EP

"Having already made a name for himself as an exponent of some of the most complex, metallic and mashed-up dancefloor beats for the Kompakt-sponsored Treibstoff imprint under the 'Maetrik' tag, Eric Estornell has decided to take things one step further with the creation of a new alter ego programmed and honed for maximum dancefloor impact. At once painfully sharp and breathtakingly complex, the Indexed EP proves the unhinged meeting point between funked-up vocal house, reduced Cologne party music and classic mashed electro...beautifully measured for absolute hedonistic enjoyment."

Artist:	PENDLE COVEN
Title:	Marriage of Convenience EP
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	12"
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	LOVE 017EP

"If Pendle Coven's most recent transmission from the Bunker (Ł100 a Metre EP) unleashed their admiration for classic UK hardcore circa 1992 -- Marriage of Convenience sees them take an altogether more cherry flavoured pill. 'X Marks The Sample' happily spreads its wings across the full span of the A-side and with insatiable melodic abandon delivers an alternate take to the pop-fuelled minimalism Cologne has claimed as its own over the last five years. This is a track of lovingly expansive proportions, a majestic blend of happy beats and reflective chords -- if the underground ever deserved an after-hours anthem, this is surely it."

Artist:	CLARO INTELECTO
Title:	Warehouse Sessions Volume 2
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	12"
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	LOVE 021EP

"Warehouse Sessions Volume 2 arrives with a twisted show of appreciation from one of the most gifted techno producers anywhere in the world. 'Trial & Error' on the A-side is a malfunctioning beast of a track, a filthy modification of house presets rewired with a crushed square bassline and turned into something positively sleazy -- by far the most exuberant and narcotic track ever produced by Mark Stewart and a real mashed-up anthem for neon-stripped warehouses and modified bunkers the world over. 'Signals' on the flipside applies the same contaminated aesthetic to a more robust techno pattern, a rolling tumble of kickdrum and snare mutilated by a metallic screen that squashes the track into a very dark corner, only to be illuminated by patient, distant keys."

Artist:	STOTT, ANDY
Title:	Merciless
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	LOVE 024CD

This is Manchester-based Andy Stott's debut full-length release on the Modern Love label. Andy Stott's ascent has been astonishingly quick and gained early momentum as his unique combination of crisp beats and fragile melodies combined to mint a sound that was informed by a spectrum of styles, yet remained charmingly idiosyncratic in execution. Put together with a delineated narrative, Merciless clocks in at a little over forty minutes -- and in doing so harks back to the days of classic vinyl LPs where an album could be readily consumed in one sitting. Opening through a cold-water batch of sprawling strings, Merciless kicks off with "Florence" -- wherein a widescreen vista is brought down to piquant levels of detail as thundering piano juxtaposes perfectly with a compacted batch of tech-fingered beats. From here we're taken on a messy journey through a twilight landscape, as the powdery rhythms of "Edyocat" give way to "Choke" and its take on dubstep, before "Hi-Rise" lightens the mood through some carbonated beats and analog melodies. The album's title track is a beautiful piano smudge -- wherein a deceptively simple melody extends with filigree grace to a sonic peak that is neither forced nor overwhelming. Elsewhere, the phone-intro of "Boutique" provides a natural break in the record as the lurching rhythm takes hold of the cranium and refuses to yield. "Blocked" is a furnace blast of blanched dubstep, whilst "Come To Me" takes a cavernous approach which allows the skittering beats to etch deep within the psyche. Closing with a towering strings 'n' piano interpretation of Claro Intelecto's "Peace Of Mind," Andy Stott has consummately proven that mercy is a mightily overrated commodity.

Artist:	DEEPCHORD PRESENTS: ECHOSPACE
Title:	The Coldest Season
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	LOVE 033CD

Echospace is the collaborative venture of DeepChord's Rod Modell and Soultek's Steve Hitchell, and this is their first full-length release on the Modern Love label. Detroit's Rod Modell is one of the most noted producers operating in the dub-infused aftermath of the Basic Channel axis and all its myriad offshoots. His series of 12"s on his own eponymous imprint were released at the tail-end of the '90s and the beginning of the new century, and are considered by many as the natural progression from the effervescent, super-dense techno of Berlin's Chain Reaction. Following an extended hiatus, Rod Modell has re-wired his studio again and is once again receiving great acclaim for his low-end techno variations. Chicago's Steve Hitchell is a longtime DeepChord cohort and a noted producer in his own right -- most notably under the Soultek moniker. The Coldest Season was produced using nothing but vintage analog equipment: Roland Space Echo, Echoplex, Korg tape delay, vintage signal processors, noise generators, Sequential Circuits 8-bit samplers & numerous analog synthesizers. This project goes back to the heady days of Berlin-based proto dub/techno variations, recorded and produced in Detroit and Chicago. Three of the world's most important techno cities colliding to form a whole that perfectly bridges the gap between The Motor City's emotive arrangements, The Windy City's percussive robustness, and Berlin's life-altering Basic Channel continuum.

Artist:	PENDLE COVEN
Title:	Habitual Stress EP
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	12"
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	LOVE 036EP

Pendle Coven seem to confuse people. Never quite managing to settle down into one signature sound, they've jumped from producing purist '92-style hardcore through to abstract techno minimalism and the kind of euphoric 4/4 the Kompakt crew would be proud of. "Habitual Stress" evokes the darkest, most demented club space you've ever occupied, a cavernous resonance and a squashed acid signature guiding you into the nether regions of the night. "Brick Tutor" is a more velveteen affair: padded kick-drums and washed-out strings align themselves around crisp snares and a 6 a.m. vibe.

Artist:	CLARO INTELECTO
Title:	Metanarrative
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	LOVE 038CD

This is Manchester-based Mark Stewart's second full-length release and first release for the Modern Love label as Claro Intelecto. Following the release of 2004's Neurofibro, Stewart decided to re-direct his attention away from the IDM and electro influences that shaped much of his early work. Mark made use of an astute line in reduction and a love of sonorous bass lines to develop the Warehouse Sessions, a series of EPs that carried the essence of Manchester's infamous club prototypes with a look towards the stripped aesthetic of Berlin and Cologne. With four years gone since the release of his debut, Mark has spent the last year piecing together Metanarrative, built around 8 tracks that provide the backbone and emotive arc for the grand narrative alluded to in the title. Gone are the uncompromising percussive arrangements of the Warehouse Sessions, instead the sound returns to a more melodic, quietly euphoric display of opposites: sweet melodies and heavily padded bass frequencies, introspective conceits and propulsive percussion, and populist arrangements built with a deviant sound palette. The opener "Operation" sums this process up perfectly, the arrangement building around a succession of chord progressions and shuffling percussion that develops sweet tension and momentum without ever breaking into the obvious. "Harsh Reality" tugs more openly at the heartstrings with an intro that gives you every reason to believe that what's to follow might be the most readily commercial material from this artist yet, but the eventual bass line inverts expectations and delivers something both moving and exhilarating. By the time the album ends with "Beautiful Death" a mere 40 minutes later, all that's left is a weathered bass pulse and long-forgotten memories that urge you to press "play" again. Short and perfectly formed, Metanarrative builds bridges between techno and pop, between minimalism and rich songwriting, between the memories of the past and the opening of new horizons.

Artist:	CLARO INTELECTO
Title:	Metanarrative
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$23.50
Catalog #:	LOVE 038LP

Double LP version. This is Manchester-based Mark Stewart's second full-length release and first release for the Modern Love label as Claro Intelecto. With four years gone since the release of his debut, Mark has spent the last year piecing together Metanarrative, built around 8 tracks that provide the backbone and emotive arc for the grand narrative alluded to in the title. Gone are the uncompromising percussive arrangements of the Warehouse Sessions, instead the sound returns to a more melodic, quietly euphoric display of opposites: sweet melodies and heavily padded bass frequencies, introspective conceits and propulsive percussion, and populist arrangements built with a deviant sound palette.

Artist:	MLZ
Title:	NewAnalogueCentury
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	12"
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	LOVE 049EP

Devastating new heavyweight 2-tracker from DJ Miles, precision cut for maximum bass-weight by Berlin's Dubplates and Mastering. "NewAnalogueCentury" rides on frayed dub chords and a padded kickdrum, eventually tumbling into a mass of delayed stabs and skittering hi-hats coming across like the bastard child of Vainqueur, Maurizio and T++ : messed up and unbelievably HEAVY. "OneState" channels one colossal, beautifully padded kickdrum into an arrangement of bass, drums and endless space. Absolutely deadly, sick wares.

Artist:	STOTT, ANDY
Title:	Unknown Exception
Label:	MODERN LOVE (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	LOVE 050CD

Subtitled: Selected Tracks Vol. 1. This is the second CD release from Manchester's Andy Stott for the Modern Love label, since his 2005 debut, Merciless. This is the first-ever collection of some of Andy Stott's standout vinyl-only releases, remastered by Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin. Andy Stott has developed a unique sound since his debut on Modern Love -- his first demos for the label were heavily influenced by the square bass line techno variations of Claro Intelecto, a longtime friend, mentor, and eventually label-mate and collaborator. His first release, Replace featured a mixture of disciplines that took in elements of Detroit techno and Chicago house and fast found favor with the likes of Kompakt, De:Bug magazine and DJ Lawrence, who fell for Stott's intuitive, warm melodies and padded percussion. From that point on, Stott has continued to shift and adapt his sound to take in ever disparate influences, from the driving techno of Dave Clarke's Red series through to Basic Channel through to dubstep, garage and the minimalism of classic Sähkö. This chameleon-like quality has set Stott apart from his contemporaries, gaining him interest from all quarters of the electronic music scene, championed by Mary Anne Hobbs (recording two sessions for her show), and playing to increasingly large audiences (including several shows at Berghain's legendary Panorama Bar, the Sonar Festival, Bloc Weekend and countless others). His inspired shifts from traditional techno blueprints through to the bottom-heavy signatures of dubstep and the steppers arrangements of garage have also placed him at the forefront of the dubstep/techno hybrid sounds that have started to dominate the electronic music scene in 2008 alongside the likes of Martyn, Peverelist and T++. This compilation brings together selected tracks dating back to Andy Stott's debut in 2005 and reaches all the way to his most recent material in 2008. Tracks feature here from his most captivating EPs and stream through his fascination with deep, almost uncontainable bass lines and ever-inventive percussive shifts.

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