DEXTRO The Wind Of Change
Interview with Ewan Mackenzie
Ewan Mackenzie first appeared in 2004 with a first EP released on Border Community. Followed another one that same year on Jumblefunk, and his debut album, Consequence Music, was issued two years later, initially on his own imprint, 16K, then on Grönland a few months later. With a second album, Winded, now under his belt, we caught up with the man to talk about making the transition from band to solo act, how his live persona differs from his studio one, and how releasing his own music ensure he can release it exactly as he wants it to be heard.

FREDO VIOLA Army Of Me
Interview with Fredo Viola by themilkman
New York based audio visual artist Fredo Viola released his first EP, The Sad Song, to critical acclaim last year. The EP, including the video accompanying the title track, shot and directed by Viola, generated a lot of interest, especially from film directors and authors. Viola even received an offer to collaborate with Massive Attack. A few months later, he launched theturn.tv, a website collating more videos and new songs. The Turn is now being released as a full length album, and the CD also comes with a DVD featuring the videos showcased on the web. Here, Fredo discusses his artistic background, how he developed his particular blend of work and how the internet is a key part of his work.

CIRCLE OF DRUMS
Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Coronet Theatre, Elephant & Castle, London, 5/06/2009
Reviewed by themilkman
Swedish duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums put on a unique performance at the Coronet Theatre, inviting twenty amateur percussionists to play with them.

SUPREME STRINGS
Matmos with the London Contemporary Orchestra, The Village Underground, London, 26/08/2009
Reviewed by themilkman
Matmos teamed up with the London Contemporary Orchestra for a truly unique and inspiring performance in Shoreditch.

THE VILLAGE ORCHESTRA I Can Hear The Sirens Singing Again
HPLL037 Highpoint Lowlife 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
Marcia Blaine School For Girls member Ruaridh returns with his solo project, The Village Orchestra to present his second album for Highpoint Lowlife. Conceived as a one-hour single piece, this album is a truly accomplished piece of atmospheric electronic music.

YVAT Kunzite
BOLTLP007 Boltfish Recordings 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
Bucharest, Romania, based sound designer Yvat presents, with his first album for Boltfish, a gritty, angular and complex collection of electronic compositions.

RIVAL CONSOLES IO
ERATP16 Erased Tapes 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
Following three very promising EPs in two years, Rival Consoles’s Ryan Lee West now delivers with IO a very confident debut album where he recycles classic techno to give it a unique edge.

CLARK Totems Flare
WARP185 Warp Records 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
Clark is back with his fifth album in eight years and continues to bring in new elements to his music.

SANTIAGO LATORRE Órbita
ALP047 Accretions Records 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
Barcelona born and bred Santiago Latorre has created with his debut album a highly personal and unique record.

LEGION OF TWO Riffs
ZIQ234 Planet Mu 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
Combining dark electronic matter and live drums, Legion Of Two’s debut album exists somewhere between industrial and death metal

JONO EL GRANDE Neo Dada
RCD2084 Rune Grammofon 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
Five years on from his first proper album, Norway’s Jono El Grande returns with his second album and sets out to ditch the kitsch and serve a double helping of prog.

KIKI Kaiku
BPC196 BPitch Control 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
Five years on from his debut album, Berlin-based Finn Kiki returns to BPitch Control for a much more mature and elegant excercise in minimal techno.

SINNER DC Crystallized
AI026CD Ai Records 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
Swiss trio Sinner DC return with the follow up to their magnificent Mount Age and continue to develop their krautrock-infuse sound.

SND Atavism
R-N 107 Raster-Noton 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
SND return after a few years of silence with a new album, released on what seems like their natural home: Raster-Noton.

FEW NOLDER New Folder
ZIQ238 Planet Mu 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
The project of Lithuanian electronic musician Linas Strockis, Few Nolder delivers here a thoroughly enjoyable first album for Planet Mu.

MARK PRITCHARD ? / The Hologram
HOHUM003 Ho Hum Records 2009
Reviewed by David Abravanel
What indeed? It’s a new single from Mark Pritchard, which, fittingly, sounds little like anything else he’s done.

RIVAL CONSOLES Helvetica / KIASMOS/RIVAL CONSOLES 65/Milo
ERATP12 / ERATP13 Erased Tapes 2009
Review by themilkman
Erased Tapes’ Rival Consoles presents a taster of his forthcoming album with an eclectic four-track seven inch single and teams up with Ólafur Arnalds for a split EP of stunning techno.

HAUSCHKA Snowflakes And Carwrecks
FAT075 Fat-Cat Records/130701 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
Barely a few months after he released his second album, Hauschka is back with another helping of beautiful piano-led compositions.

THE BLACK DOG Vexing EP
SOMA263 Soma Quality Recordings 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
The Black Dog precede the release of their next album with this EP which comprises of two stomping remixes and an exclusive atmospheric third piece.

CLARK Growls Garden
WAP272 Warp Records 2009
Reviewed by themilkman
Warp’s enfant terrible returns with another devastating slice of dirty gritty electronic music, his most eclectic since Clarence Park.