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Perfectly Deep Weekly: Your primary source for the finest deep electronic music on the Internet

Perfectly Deep Weekly #65:
Materielle, Pole, Paperclip Minimizer

Dear <<First Name>>

Three new slices of deep electronic music are fresh from the presses. This week is a nice mix of an all-time legend, a well-established artist, and a new talent.

In any case, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did putting it together.

Keep it deep,

Christian Villum

Materielle - Materielle Radio #001 (2022)

Materialle Soundcloud

Tags: #dubtechno #hypnotictechno

Materielle is the newest hypnotic techno project from DECKREKORD label founder Ilayda, who is based in Los Angeles. Aside from her releases on her own label and Delusional Records, she is also known for her DJ performances around the United States. Labeling herself "a feminine sonic supply chain," she explores dubby and hypnotic techno at the very deep end of the spectrum.

Her mixes have found their way to many notable podcasts, but here I have chosen the first mix of her personal podcast series, Materielle Radio. There, she showcases her DJ-chops in 2-hour segments. She has curated and mixed an absolutely fabulous selection of records in this first installment. It starts with classic piano-chord-driven dub techno before diving even deeper along the 25-minute mark. The section starting here is ultra-minimal tracks soaked in reverb and echo that make them ooze out into the ether.

Departing the first hour, we move into even more danceable territory and experience a more pounding vibe - without ever losing the ultra-deep foundation. The last track, in particular, is a dance floor pleaser.

Soundcloud

Pole - Tempus (2022)
Mute Artists

Tags: #experimentalelectronica #experimentaltechno

Stefan Betke, who stands behind the Pole alias, is one of the giants of German - and global - electronic music. His work, which in the 1990s was a defining factor in shaping genres like glitch and dubtronica, belongs to the electronic music canon of all time. In addition to that, he also co-founded, together with Barbara Preisinger, one of the most influential labels of the 2000s, namely ˜scape Records, in 1999.

Betke, a Düsseldorf native, got the Pole moniker from a Waldorf 4-Pole hardware filter that he shattered in 1996 after dropping it unintentionally. Betke thought the peculiar hissing and popping noises the filter was suddenly making were intriguing sounds, even though the filter might not have been suitable for DJ work in its broken form. He started making music with the damaged filter, starting his musical career.

This filter was the foundation for Betke's first four albums, 1, 2, 3, and R (a trilogy of albums and then a remix album featuring tracks from Pole's 1998 debut EP Raum). The tracks on these albums often included dub basslines and rhythms with percussion produced by the namesake filter. For the album Pole (a compilation of songs from two EPs, "45/45" and "90/90"), Betke broke away from this aesthetic in 2003. The album's sound was more conventionally electronic but remained diverse.

This development and constant innovation of expression have continued up through the 2000s and 2010s. Not all albums have reached the same level of quality. Still, the constant renewal is inspiring and sets him apart from many other electronic music pioneers who have chosen to stay the course of earlier success.

On this newest Pole opus, the 'Cenote' opener is a quiet ambient track with a dark vibe. In the last half, slow snare drums are introduced, and - unusual for electronic music - sounds like an actual, live-played snare drum. This is a central theme on the album, as we'll soon learn. All in all, the track has an organic, natural sound, which contrasts with Pole's otherwise electronic musical micro-cosmos, which we've come to love over the last three decades. 'Grauer Sand' follows up and eases more into familiar Pole territory. Like the opener, it features a notable cowbell and introduces dubby piano chords.

'Alp' reintroduces the snare drum but has a much more dissonant sound. Minor chords, offbeat drums, and general disharmony characterize it, and this combination partly seems to flow over into the next track, 'Stechmück,' too. It is driven by an insisting arpeggiator and a slowly dragging beat.

'Firmament' also features the snare drum and an almost jazzy arrangement. Improvisational jazz seems like an obvious inspiration. Next comes 'Tempus,' a hypnotic electronica track with guitar fragments. Given Betke's use of the authentically sounding snare drum, I take it that this guitar was also played live. It sounds like it, if nothing else. The album closes nicely with 'Allermannsharnish,' a track brimming with melancholy. I read that Betke wrote the music on this album after learning that his mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The bleakness of this album may not be surprising, given this fact.

With 'Tempus,' Betke once again reinvents his Pole project, which never stands still, and this is one of the main reasons it is so interesting to follow, chapter by chapter. Here's a toast to another one and excitement about what comes next.

Spotify Apple Music Bandcamp Tidal Deezer Youtube Music

Paperclip Minimizer - Paperclip Minimizer (2022)
Peak Oil

Tags: #experimentalelectronica #downtempoelectronica

Behind the unusual and, perhaps, somewhat ironic artist name of Paperclip Minimizer stands Paul Howes, a British producer from the Northwest of the country, a smaller town called Salford, which should be close to Manchester. He has released quite a few records in his own name and is also known for founding the cassette tape label Cong Burn in 2015 (which, to be fair, also releases vinyl records). Here he curates a vast myriad of electronic music genres, including dub and minimal techno, experimental house music, and all the stuff that is jointly labeled 'leftfield.'

The album starts with a bass-heavy but beatless ambient track, 'A1,' which is a good intro: Almost like an aperitif. It sets the album's tone and builds up to 'A2,' where X provides us with some curious experimental downtempo electronica. It draws upon shuffly drum patterns, melodic fragments, and subtle synth pads. It's terrific and reminds me of the sound of the famed Danish downtempo label April Records, which had its heyday in the 1990s. That is not to say the sound of A2 is dated; on the contrary.

'A3' turns up the groove and has more of a bouncy, loungey feel. The bass programming is compelling and gets your head bopping. 'A4' follows with more playful electronica, and, despite it being a downtempo track in the way it sounds, the drum programming (hi-hats in particular) is curiously fast.

The second half, the B-section, referring to the vinyl version, has a slightly different vibe. 'B1' and 'B2' sport a laid-back vibe, and the latter references the click'n'cuts wave that came out of Germany in the 2000s. It is well put together and has elegance to it. Light and crisp.

'B3' is more experimental, and the shuffly drums turn almost into broken beats or polyrhythms. Still, it carries a groove and is peculiarly compelling. 'B4,' the closer, is a super slow track made up of ambient textures and long synth pads that evolve in parallel with tender bleeps and clicks that echo in the distance.

It comes out on Peak Oil, a Los Angeles-based label for experimental ambient music, as far as I can tell. Having been in business for over ten years, however, it has only released 17 releases, including this one. This album is the first or their releases in 2022. This low-frequency release schedule makes it seems like a side project for someone or a sub-label for a bigger imprint, but I could not dig out who is behind it.

If you're keen for more of Howes' sound, you can dig into his radio show 'Cong Burn w/ Howes' on NTS Radio, available from the source (NTS Radio website) or on his Soundcloud profile.

Spotify Apple Music Bandcamp Tidal Deezer

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Perfectly Deep Weekly is a free newsletter that makes it easy to enjoy quality deep electronic music every week. It is curated by me, Christian Villum, an electronic music buff based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The idea is simple: I listen to the many releases that come out, pick the ones I like the best - and share them with you here.

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Perfectly Deep Weekly #65: Materielle, Pole, Paperclip Minimizer

Perfectly Deep Weekly #65:
Materielle, Pole, Paperclip Minimizer