Now this is an odd one. In 2001, Bochum Welt released "Fashion", on Hymen Records, a German label known more for the avant/post-industrial releases of SNOG (David Thrussell) , Somatic Responses , Venetian Snares and the like.

"Fashion" was pressed in limited quantities on 3" mini-CDs , but it isn't too hard to find a second hand copy online. (Try Discogs.com)

Stylistically it is a departure from his output in the mid to late 90s for labels such as Rephlex, where his works were more influenced by the ambient/IDM of that era and his own Chicago acid roots.

However "Fashion" proudly wears its Kraftwerk influences on its sleeve with  spoken vocals , understated whitenoise percussion and lush vintage synths all over the record.  But I found the opening track ("Fashion") a little  dodgy with its  cheesy voiceover ("I was chilling with my band.." what ?!?!). But the rest of the record is top-notch, especially  "Saint-Tropez (Remix)" which perfectly captures the elegance of the glamourous French Riviera town.

This is a rare and special record , definitely worth tracking down and collecting.

A new release from the hottest label out there at the moment, Citinite.

Dez Dickerson (guitarist for Prince in the 80's) produced 'Modernaire' for the soundtrack of the Prince film "Purple Rain", but somehow the track was never released , until last week, when Citinite released it as a limited edition pressing of 777 copies on red vinyl.

With an all star cast on the writing and remix credits, (Prince , Egyptian Lover , Jamie Jupitor , DMX Krew , Faceless Mind (Luke Eargoggle & Johan Inkinen)) this 12" is a instant classic.

If you were shocked by the sudden closing down of the Cybernetic Broadcasting System streaming radio station/forums.... do not fret , there's a new place for us obscure italo/acid/electro-freaks to hang out on the web!

Its at http://www.robotsforrobots.net. With its identical design and structure, you might feel the CBS never actually went away! However the bulletin board is not accepting new registrations, so you might have to wait a little.

There's an in-depth piece over at Resident Advisor about the closing down of this very influential website. Plus an interview with I-f , who founded/ran CBS.nu and literally 'invented' electroclash in '97 with the megahit "Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass".

Micron Audio (Detroit) is a record label operated by the old master Sherard Ingram, who's mostly known for his Urban Tribe alias , but when he's DJ-ing his brand of hi-speed and frantic electro in a ski-mask he goes by the name of DJ Stingray (There was a DJ Stingay 12" on WeMe Records last year, though). There does not seem to be any actual records released by Micron Audio yet , but in a recent video which I saw on YouTube , he mentioned his label and its forthcoming releases. 

I found Micron Audio on MySpace and checked out what they had in store on the music player and boy did it get me excited!  Deep , dark , dystopic , subliminal electro with right balance of experimentation and groove. One artist that especially caught my ear was Carmenelektro, she sure knows how to create a oppresive atmosphere!

Check it out @ http://www.myspace.com/micronaudio

Artists: Dj Stingray , Annie Hall , Carmenelektro , Aliensextoy , The Midnight Episode , Phovos , X-Beat

This really came out of nowhere. The classic Elektroworld album released in 1995 and long out of print, has suddenly re-appeared back on sale on the Warpmart (Warp Records' shop) site. Rumours say 500 Elektroworld CDs were recently discovered abandoned somewhere in a warehouse.

The Elektroworld album is perhaps one of the smoothest , finest , most futuristic Detroit electro-techno records out there. Even today the sound has not dated , and still holds its own against newer artists and productions. It has acquired cult status , even among all the releases in the revered and much storied discography of James Stinson and Gerald Donald. I bet Underground Resistance really regret letting this go to Warp !

I would like to think the Elecktroids vision of Detroit was different than Model 500's dystopia , and the album has a 'soulful, romantic' feel in many of the tracks, such as "Midnight Drive" and "Mystery World".

The album cover is a homage to Kraftwerk's seminal work "Computer World". Needless to say the music contains many nods to the Kraftwerk style circa Computer World!

The people behind the Elecktroids were never really verified, James Stinson of Drexciya was a confirmed member, but others say Gerald Donald (Drexciya, Der Zyklus, Arpanet, Dopplereffekt) was also a member along with the duo from Ultradyne (Alex and Dennis) , some think Anthony Shake Shakir or Sherard Ingram was involved.

The Elecktroids only had one other release, a 12" called "Kilohertz" , also on Warp, which is less romantic, but with more funky basslines.

Preview at Bleep

Lets discuss the world of electro-techno here.