ToolBox Records

geneviéve pasquier's debut cd 'soap bubble factory' introduced this outstanding artist to listeners who do not have access to a record player (having a vinyl collection isn't expected anymore). now, after countless customers' requests, both geneviéve and ant-zen are presenting g.p.'s finest vinyl tracks on compact disc (for the first time). what you will find is the complete 'virgin thoughts' lp, three 7" tracks, 'fairy tale' from the split-10" with bastards of love, g.p.'s 'in stahlgewittern II' compilation contribution - and the previously unreleased 'blitzkrieg baby' (part 1 and part 2). the style ranges from distorted noise-influenced industrial ('don't think i am...') to dark electro beats ('pulse'); also included is her take on a pop tune ('today the disco'). this retrospective shows geneviéve's artistic variety right from the beginning. the mastery of many electronic sound facets, combined with her exceptional voice - claiming, alluring, repelling, suspicious - was and will be g.p.'s trademark. all of this is perfectly displayed on this truly fine release.

Featuring many groundbreaking producers, New Deal starts out with Maarten van der Vleuten's "Reptv", a severe techno track. Releasing music since the late eighties, Van der Vleuten's repetoire is huge. Effortlessly switching from spheric ambient to Detroit techno, soulful house and vocal dance, he is always reinventing and innovating, remaining a pioneer and a classic at the same time. Orgue Electronique and Pete Concrete collaborated on “Sons of the Sweet Soil", an übersweet and minimalistic Chicago house track. Orgue Electronique is not just know for his releases on Bunker records and his collaborations with Legowelt, he has released three acclaimed solo EP's for Creme organization and tours all over the world, sharing stages with many well known artists. Pete Concrete, founder of the Eat Concrete label and responsible for compiling New Deal, solo, also delivers the enigmatic "Maxwell Dreams On", techno on an acid highvibe, deep, straightforward and with soul. Involved in music for over ten years, Pete Concrete is known for his progressive style. Wether it be as a musician or through his label, he is always looking to set new standards and shift perspectives. Sensory Overload, Robbert Latumahima, is another pioneer from the Dutch undergound. As a musician Robbert sets himself apart with his minimalistic, industrial rhythms and deep spheric sounds. He has designed and built his own sequencer, using it for his famous live sets. Robbert performs throughout Europe, runs his own label (Sensory Overload Records) and his productions have appeared on labels like Team Wasted, Neutrope and Eat Concrete. One of the most prolific artists to surface from European underground techno is 69db, Sebastian Vaughan. Sebastian has been a consistent and driven performer for over fifteen years now and is considered an absolute master with his live-sets, known to bring live electronic dancemusic to another level. Working with the French Expressilon label since 1997, he has an impressive track record of releases, projects, collaborations and performances so far. US inspirator BlipVert (Will Redmond) takes the lead on New Deal as far as experimental goes. A composer and instrumentalist for over fifteen years, Will was part of a variety of ensembles from rock to jazz and experimental electronics. The music of his soloproject BlipVert combines glitchy noise, frantic rythms and alien soundscapes into a crafty collage of sonic mayhem.

This is real hardcore. No gabba, niether mid-tempo. A maximum overload MC, and a grindy beats + noizy effects. A minimum 200 PBM shit. Not a toy for kidz.

For those who can recall the anarchic elektro-punk approach of the predecessor “Bootleg”, A&E’s new album “Oi!” will come as a surprise – and that’s putting it mildly. The rest – i.e. those who’ve never heard a single note of the duo’s music and do not know anything about the protagonists’ activities or their histories – will also be surprised. Why? Because traditional sounding Japanese singing in combination with a deftly played jazz guitar plus sounds from gameboys and junkshop keyboards plus solid punk drums is clearly something you won’t hear every day. And while we’re at it: That also goes for the duo’s combination of drum’n’bass mayhem and Hawaiian lap steel sounds. And these are not the only fiendish concoctions A&E have in store for their audience. Luckily, A&E have retained their crazy (bordering on lunatic) humour and their inventiveness in dealing with all the stuff that popular music has come up with in, say, the last 70 years. Both are virtues of the venturous and cutting-edge present day musician. But apart from that, quite a lot has changed for the British/Japanese duo. With their bastard ballads, this “no genre”-band has, yes!, invented a new genre. They themselves do not proclaim that and in all probability they don’t even know it, but it is a fact. "Andrew Sharpley and Emiko Ota comprise the playpower duo of a&e and Oi!, their third album sits carefully on the fence separating the wilfully goofy from the strangely charming. Such genre-trashing voraciousness recalls Van Dyke's Parks's Discover America or Mike Cooper's aural travelogues. Like these artists, a&e play with the building blocks of nostalgic and winsome music with equal parts love, studiousness and irreverence." Jon Dale /The Wire*