Jega - Geometry (Planet Mu)

Here's a brief history of Planet Mu, which is very much relevant to Jega. Planet Mu was born in 1995, and was originally setup as a sublabel of Virgin Records, on which it initially planned on releasing music by µ-Ziq (Mike Paradinas), and similar artists. The …

Label Profile: Somnia

It's time for another installment in our Label Profiles feature.
This month, it's an in-depth interview with Evan Bartholomew of Somnia.

Read Label Profile: Somnia on reviews.headphonecommute.com

Rival Consoles - Helvetica (Erased Tapes)

From the label that brought you majestic modern classical music from Icelandic rising star, Ólafur Arnalds, comes a new installment in emotional... wait... what's this? My expectations for melodramatic orchestral stabs are shattered by explosive drums and drilling …

Two and a Half Questions With Ryan Lee West

I hear some very advanced techniques in your production, yet you only have a few EPs under your belt. When and why did you start producing?
i've been producing for a few years now, i guess i'm interested in what Stockhausen, Eno amongst others pioneered - using the …

Resonant Forms (Los Angeles, April 3 - 5, 2009)

I rarely get this excited about live shows these days. Don't get me wrong, I love to see the artists perform. But with the bad sound system, rowdy crowd, and god awful hours, it's difficult for the event to compete with my studio speakers. But Resonant Forms is a whole …

Bersarin Quartett - Bersarin Quartett (Lidar)

From the very few opening notes, I know that I'm in for a treat. As the album progresses, I get wide-eyed, and instead of paying attention to details [I know I will be coming back for more later], I spend time researching, tracing the steps that led me to accidentally …

Another Electronic Musician - Five (n5MD)

It's about time that I got my hands on Jase Rex's fifth release, appropriately titled Five. Critics universally agree, that unlike his moniker suggests, Rex is not just Another Electronic Musician. And though the past releases by Rex were closer to subdued melodic …

Two and a Half Questions with Another Electronic Musician

I have to ask - what made you choose your moniker?
When I chose "Another Electronic Musician" as my moniker the number of bedroom composers (or under the stairs for me) within the electronic music community was growing rapidly. My intention was to communicate that, yes, …

Interbellum - Over All of Spain the Sky is Clear (FlingcoSoundSystem)

FlingcoSoundSystem is a relatively new Chicago based label spearheaded by Bruce Adams, who back in 1993 was one of the co-founders behind Kranky. OK, do I have your attention? Now settle down and keep listening. With this fourth label release, Over All of Spain the Sky …

Two and a Half Questions with Brendan Burke

I'm very curious about the role of "applied mathematics" and "durational processing" in your work. Can you elaborate?I've been interested in algorithmic composition for quite a while now. Probably the first time I began to think about it was many years ago in college …

Reso - Live @ The Kinetic Playground (Chicago, 03.14.08)

I always show up early. Especially at the club. I like to watch the atmosphere evolve, the vibe morph, and the dance floor slowly cover its shameful nudity with a layer of sweaty bodies. Tonight, I'm at The Kinetic Playground - a Chicago venue, which usually showcases …

Mechanical Steering - 10:10pm (self)

It seems that bigger labels started to steer away from straight up IDM in the recent years. Perhaps the passing away of Merck, and the resurrection of Neo Ouija may be a testament to that. Even n5MD chilled out and turned towards emotional electronica. In my opinion it …

Two and a Half Questions with Mechanical Steering

You initially started off with an alias Head. Why did you change your name to Mechanical Steering?
The answer is very simple. After some time, I realized that there are many artists with the name "Head". I was discovering hundreds and thousdands of them on the net. I …

Yagya - Rigning (Sending Orbs)

It is raining. I drag myself out of bed onto the wet pavement for a daily crawl to work. The raindrops typewrite poems on my umbrella. Time to put on Yagya. After a certain point, I can't tell if the sound of the rain is coming from outside, or strictly from my …

:papercutz - Lylac (Apegenine)

From digitally manipulated recordings of organic instruments, to organic interpretations of abstract digitalism, :papercutz presents his debut album, Lylac, for the fans of experimental leftfield pop music. Broken breathy vocals contributed by Melissa Veras intermix …

(via Headphone Commute)

Two and a Half Questions with Bruno Miguel

What instruments do you play on Lylac?
Piano, acoustic guitar, xylophone, melodica, synth & sampled strings. Some instruments I was taught to play, others I just learned the basics by myself. But the piano has been my main interest for some time now and I recently got …

(via Headphone Commute)

Propellerheads - Decksandrumsandrockandroll (Wall of Sound)

So whatever happened to these guys? You remember their hit single History Repeating, which at one point was played on every radio station back in 1997 after being featured in that hysterical film, There's Something About Mary. Then, there was the Spybreak! track which …

The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die (Take Me to the Hospital)

Should I even bother covering this? It's not like Liam needs my help. His 5th studio album, Invaders Must Die, barely hit the streets, and already all of the notable publications have lauded this long awaited album with more than favorable reviews. It's not like Liam …

Spleen - Where We All Fit In (Summer Rain Recordings)

Beautiful melodic electronica will always have a slot on my shelf. Even if it's a digital only release. And here's one from a quickly gaining recognition netlabel, Summer Rain Recordings. And the label has a clear defined goal and purpose - all signed artists donate 5% …