Acheulian Handaxe equals radical improvisation and if you ever tasted one of their products you know the meaning of what I've just wrote, this duo shows they're stubbornly following the label's lane. On this nowhere headed route, Dafna Naphtali on vocals, electronics and sound processing and Chuck Bettis electronic and voice, have combined a series of really spectral solutions. I think a lot of the odd suggestion given me by this work has to do with the fact they both have used their voices and they twisted the shape of what was coming out of their throats, plus consider they developed every word really slowly and those delirious voices by Naphtali and you'll get exactly the picture. These odd, liquid vocalizations float and get pierced by some electronic beeps and sounds that give it all a next age dimension and bring the result right there in the outer space. This live recording in New York pictures what can't exactly be considered an easy to be digested performance, but at the same time this strange analog-electronic, bleeps, angel vocals, lyrical intersections, outer space yodels and overabundance of delays creates this strange "life after death" experience. An interesting release, not exactly dark, not just experimental and not simply effected-live improvisation, but all of them at the same time. Not always completely focused but definitely interesting.

If you consider I tend to have a soft spot for the majority of releases involving Z'ev, you can imagine how happy I was in reviewing this collaboration. Z'ev teamed up with Jason Khan you probably know both for his solo career and for his many collaborations. This cd features two long long tracks involving percussion for both and analog synthesizers for Jason Khan, the end result reminded me of a release by Norbert Moslang and Andy Guhl titled "Knack on" (release date 1982...and if you never heard this work you'd better look for it, every other comment is superfluous), same intensity, same deepness and above all same inspired performance...funny both of the records have been both recorded in Swiss, maybe it's the power of cheese with holes!. As I've just said both of the tracks have been recorded in the land of banks during april 2009 and present some dense parts and some skeletal section where you can clearly distinguish percussions and cymbals. If you ask me, I really think the importance of Z'ev in the economy of the sound is great or at least that's my personal impression since I find some typical characteristics I usually hear in may releases involving this industrial percussion pioneer. Beside the use of pauses, space, intensity, noises, reverbs and heavy odd sounds they manage to create with their percussions, Khan uses his synth to add all of the lacking colors of this recording. Strange to say that, but beyond the fact there's no use of direct melodies, I find this work so expressive and at the same time so deep in its apparent simplicity. This cd is so good.

Available as bonus album with the triple vinyl edition of "Global Surveyor Phase 3" and also available for purchasing alone (as CDr or digital download), GLOBAL SURVEYOR REMIXES is not a simple spin off of remixes and tracks who didn't make it to be on the original project. We could say that this is a second wave of the original project which you shouldn't miss as well as the main release. The CD contains four new tracks by Audiohead ("Global domination" is a short tune is a menacing instrumental introduction), Komarken Electronics ("Avoid society" is an upbeat mid tempo sounding robotic and atmospheric at the same time), E-Control ("Vision" is an hypnotic tune with liquid sounds, squared rhythms and catchy melodies) and Magnetic Bass Force ("Cold surface" is a tune with throbbing bass lines, dreamy pads, filtered vocals and dance attitude) plus eight tune which are presented as remixes but that should be considered as new tracks, because to the remixers have been provided only the vocal lines of the original, so, The Exaltics (Robert did two great versions, the first one is more ambient and mysterious and the second a bit inspired to Detroit techno), Scape One (great electro tune with 808 drum sounds and sci-fi atmosphere), Dr. Schmidt (epic and mysterious this remix is powerful and relaxing at the same time), Roadking (their track seems recorded by a b-boy of the next century), Crotaphytus (as usual, they sound menacing and a bit techno just like the final remix was made by Godzilla), Rob Real's (a bit dubstep and grime but with a big electro heart, this tune sounds like coming from a nightmare) and Dark Vektor (electro funk is the key, and as usual, Ivan Arnau doesn't fail!) gave their version of "Global surveyor" being true to their original style since they had to write new music from scratch. The incredible thing is that all the artists (remixers and not) provided to Dominance Electricity electro tunes sounding really dark, just like they agreed to do so (and they didn't as far as I know). Anyway, as I told you, if you loved the original compilation and you love the sounds of labels such as Solar One, you have to get this!

PAS stands for Post Abortion Stress. As the four people collective states, the "name refers metaphorically" to those who have been aborted by society". An interesting starting point that doesn't lead to any form of really "disruptive" music anyway as someone might expect indeed. On the other hand is hard to talk about music also, PAS don't follow any convention about structure or harmony as conventionally defined, it's more about creating rarefied soundscapes. In this sense they fulfill the task enlightened by their name. Sound sources vary, vocals as well as synths some kind of field recordings. Their nature is not harsh or particularly gloomy, they reflect various states of mind. Creativity flows freely, but I would call it mostly a "peaceful" kind of ambient, relaxing rather than ominous. The record is selfreleased but has the barcode on.

Dedicated to our beloved star, center of our universe and to its processes, FUSION is the newest Axess album which is released almost two years after "Voices of dawn". Having a photo of the sun on its cover, FUSION could be seen as "Voices of dawn" counterpart both visually and musically. Sounding upbeat and intense the six tracks of the album show Axess dealing with classic late 70s / early 80s analog synth instrumental tracks (see also Zombi/Steve Moore, Gatekeeper, Antoni Maiovvi or Umberto which all refer to the classic sound of Klaus Schulze or Vangelis mixed to the synth horror tracks composed by Carpenter). Arpeggiators create rhythmic patterns while beautiful synth pads paint sidereal dreamy scenarios. "Speed of light", "Fusion", "Pictures", "Nefilim", "Schwerelos" and "Under a starry star" are long suites which sound modern and classic at the same time and here and there the synth sounds are joined by arioso guitar solos (like on "Pictures"). There are also darker moments like the opening part of "Nefilim", track which lighten its atmosphere as soon as the synth bleeps and the bass waves leave for making space to the rhythmic patterns. FUSION is a great album and it doesn't need you to be a synth fanatic to like it. You should only be ready to let yourself go and start a voyage thanks to Axess...