• V/A - Patterns in Balance [Osmura] (London, UK)
Bass, dub, dubstep
Seattle producers enereph and noRecall join London-based label Osmura for their Patterns in Balance VA, released October 30. enereph’s offering, Calopteryx, is a twisting, dubby faerie dance - the flutter of damselflies across the water’s surface crystallized in gently mutating plucks and cinematic swells. noRecall’s Morph Meditation inhabits an eerier place; dredging the lake with a sub-heavy, skittery, sweeping uneasiness that hits right in the chest. enereph and noRecall appear alongside NEXCYIA, amuwa, Maelita, Beaabea, and Cwtch; making Patterns in Balance a must-grab comp for the texturally-inclined.
• noRecall - Collapse (incl. Chewlie Remix) [Of Paradise] (Seattle via UK)
Bass, breaks, dubstep
Another shout for the prolific noRecall, whose forthcoming EP on UK-based label Of Paradise is available for pre-order ahead of its November 13th release. Collapse spans five tracks, including a remix from Swiss bass-mangler Chewlie, showcasing noRecall’s ability create dark, haunting soundscapes that leave their listeners fully submerged. The album’s track previews can be found at the Soundcloud link below, while Persistent Memory Loss is available in full when pre-ordering on Bandcamp.
• Relaxer - Serrations [Ommaya Records] (NJ via Seattle/New York)
Bass, breaks, idm
Upcoming on Seattle’s Ommaya Records, founded by noRecall and Sawyer James, is Dripping Festival co-founder Relaxer’s five-track album Serrations, out November 6th. Serrations’ title track is available now - a freewheeling, madcap typhoon of sound that melds heavy distortion, jungle breaks, and a cacophony of elastic basses. A 165-BPM crescendo of energy, Serrations is an intriguing preview ahead of the NYC producer’s full project. Listeners can pre-order the digital album or go all in on the vinyl for the label’s first-ever physical release.
• MFÒ - Haunted City EP [Third Landscapes] (Vancouver B.C.)
Tech house, dub techno
Vancouver-based MFÒ has released a four-track EP on their label, Third Landscapes. Haunted City EP proffers a cadre of tasteful, carefully restrained techno that pushes up against its edges, threatening to spill out, while never quite losing itself over the brim. Moody, melodic, and carefully sculpted, Haunted City is one for the impish late-night - the soundtrack of thick fog and sated spirits.
• veneko - noor [Club Moniker] (San Francisco)
Club, techno, bass
New from San Francisco’s Club Moniker imprint: noor, a three-track EP from veneko, Venezuelan DJ-producer of Syrian descent, now based in the Bay Area. noor is sexy, fresh, and deftly executed - spring-wound percussion and organic textures meet teched-out basslines in an ungovernable, irresistible collection of subzero heaters; cryogenic bangers to get lost to.
• V/A - Electro Objects II: New Forms [SubSensory] (Portland)
Electro, bass, breakbeats, acid
Portland’s SubSensory Recordings is back with Electro Objects II: New Forms, featuring eight tracks from a global assemblage of artists, including Portland’s own R A L L Y, d.lawrence, and Centrikal. Heavy, brooding, and groovy, Electro Objects aggregates opposing dancefloor electricities across its runtime - a track for every hour, from d.lawrence’s playful, clear-eyed Erosion to R A L L Y’s nasty, bass-driven Clarity.
• Myxa - She Wonders [Self-Released] (Seattle)
Trip-hop, electronica, alternative pop
Seattle-based trip-hop duo MYXA recently released She Wonders, a meandering, gothic single featuring crisp drums and grungy basslines wrapped around sultry, sirenesque vocals. Up-and-coming in the Seattle scene, more of MYXA can be found in a gorgeously electric performance done at KEXP this past July.
• rivs - Map Point [254 Science & Research] (Portland)
Drum n bass, club, footwork, jungle, breaks
Bay Area’s Rivs unites with Portland mainstay 254 Science and Research for Map Point, a four-track, renegade-ready EP replete with classic breaks and blistering bass. Referencing the foundations of underground rave, Map Points assembles itself around eerie sample manipulation, warp-speed breakbeats, and dirty, rolling basslines; culminating in a hypnotic wormhole of electronic retrofuturism.
• loveli - Freaks [Self-Released] (Bellingham)
Club, bass, house, downtempo
Bellingham’s loveli is back with another EP, following an edit pack released earlier this October. Continuously growing in their productions, Freaks sees loveli bridging into new territories inspired by their travels and sonic experimentation.
A heartfelt, personal, and danceable offering, Freaks swirls and sparkles behind spoken word poetry and deep, warm basslines; ending with a ridiculously sweet edit of The White Stripes’ We’re Going To Be Friends.
• Onionz - Horns In My Cave [Tango Recordings] (Oakland)
Funky house, tech house, west coast house
Oakland’s Tango recordings tenders a laid-back antidote to impending PNW gloom with a digital release of Onionz’ two-sider Horns in my Cave. Originally released February 25, 2002, Horns is groovy and to-the-point - one foot in the haze, the other in the sun.
• gmo - Twist [Canary Sound Werk] (Los Angeles)
Trip-hop, shoegaze, electronica, dream pop
Los Angeles electronica trio GMO lands on the city’s Canary Sound Werk imprint with Twist, a dreamy, soft-spoken traversal through the sonisphere of shoegaze, dream pop, and trip-hop. At times gentle and buzzy, like the glow from a single light outside a rest stop, Twist is comforting, hazy and contemplative. The EP is fleshed out with a spacious reimagination of Sticky Swim by Maara, who sweeps away some of the original track’s fogginess, rinsing off the vocals and sharpening the drums - before promptly re-hazing it down. Twist’s final track is a title-track refix by Portland’s Ben Bondy, who melts it all together; wax running down a candlestick. Drawn-out reverberations wash around GMO’s vocals, distant and ghostly as they swirl against a dusty rhythm, a heartbeat that slows as the music ends.
• V/A - CULT CLASSICS [320 RIP] (Seattle)
Bass, club, breaks
Honorable mention out to 320 RIP, back with another compilation heavily-laden with Seattle talent. CULT CLASSICS is a Soundcloud exclusive: 27 tracks available for free download. CULT CLASSICS features familiar names such as N SO, Fleksor, noRecall, ri, Edders, and many more.
That's all for now. If you appreciated this round up, support Peace Portal via Patreon.