ToolBox Records

Ever since his first contact with Ad Noiseam and the release of his debut album “Eating Movies” (adn44) in 2004, Matthew Peters expressed his wish to release his long-running, massive trilogy. “The Madlands”, a gathering of three mini-albums forming a very coherent entity, finally sees the light of the day in the form of a triple package showcasing Mad EP's most delicate and soundtrack-oriented work to date. If there is a story behind every song, then there is an entire travelogue that could accompany "The Madlands". Composed over seven years, while living in ten different apartments in five cities, then finalized in Brooklyn for a Berlin-based label, this deeply personal work reflects the life of Mad EP, a nomadic musician trying to find his way home. Sometimes literal and programmatic, other times artistically abstracted into metaphors, the music of "The Madlands" tells a series of seemingly unrelated tales interwoven into a single, cohesive one. Combining his oldest tracks with his most current (including his first electronic track ever written as well as tracks written shortly before handing in the whole trilogy), this non-linear collection roams deeper into the mad psyche and gives even more attention to his instrumental background. Featuring tracks written with long-time collaborators Mathhead, Chaonaut and David Young, as well as together with Matthew Peter's improv-jazz formation (The Manhattan Gimp Project), “The Madlands” appears as one of the most meditative, laid back and somewhat emotion-ridden work of Mad EP so far; the voices (essential on the previous albums "Eating Movies" and "Not Afraid Of Spiders") have been silenced, the melodies and soundscapes have taken the beat's preponderance. Mad EP might invite us to a journey through Mad lands, but you're certain he will not let your hand go.

Two years have passed between the release of AZ-Rotator's album “Science of Chance” album and “Freaky Vintage Disco Breaks”, but they have been two very busy years for Uge Ortiz (AZ-Rotator). Besides polishing the four tracks of his vinyl début, he has proved to be a must-have acts for festival all over Europe. From Barcelona's Sonar Festival to Berlin's Transmediale, from sunny outdoor stages in Spain to Germany's loud Maschinenfest, he has demonstrated repeatedly the dichotomy of his project: detailed, subtle and carefully crafted in the studio, but unmistakably dancefloor-oriented and crowd-pleasing on stage. If the previous “Science of Chance” was the fruit of a long, careful studio labour and the accomplishment of a producer with an ear for crystal-clear tracks, “Freaky Disco Vintage Breaks” is its catchier, heavier and dancier pendant. Still razor-sharp, it is a much more playful and radiant release, in which AZ-Rotator manages to marry his hi-fi (or is it sci-fi?) beats with old-school hooks and body-shaking melodies. Freaky and broken in its details but vintage and disco in its ambition and target, AZ-Rotator's new record comes as a much welcome bridge the complex form of IDM and the party function of electronic beats. A highly seductive, catchy, energetic and clever courtesy of AZ-Rotator's electronic wizardry.

Following the acclaimed “Valentine” CD released on Ad Noiseam in October 2006, Cdatakill returns with “Bleeding Hearts”, a companion to the full length album, spread on two records. The first vinyl releases by Zak Roberts (Cdatakill) since 2003’s “Southeast Aurora Syndrome” (on the Australian Hardline Rekordingz label), the two volumes of “Bleeding Hearts” act not only as an extension of “Valentine”, whose tracks get remixed over nine new versions, but also as a family and friends meeting. Nex to Cdatakill’s new “Meth-Head Trance”, a dark, broken and pummeling track that confirm his mastering of the most shattering of breakcore, the first remix comes from Übergang, the new project of Christoph de Babalon, who had offered Cdatakill his first release with the “Search and Destroy” compilation on his CFET label in early 2000. It is followed by a melodic drum’n’bass version of “You Are Mine” by Enduser, with which Cdatakill has shared the stage on many occasions. Detritus and Lapsed, two of Cdatakill label mates on Ad Noiseam, then get their first appearance on vinyl, with Detritus’s guitar-infused angry remix of “No Brakes” and Lapsed’s syncopated, distorted hip hop beat on “Hungry”. The first “Bleeding Hearts” is then closed by Mad EP, who once again manages to combine the electronic weight of the original “You Are Mine” with his orchestral narrative. More of an homage to Cdatakill’s massive, dub-brewed breaks than a confrontation of genres, “Bleeding Hearts” acts as a new confirmation of this long running act’s influence on the current breakcore, drum’n’bass and industrial scenes, and result in a diverse, hand-picked selection of remixes from Cdatakill’s friends and collaborators.

Detritus’s second album, “Origin”, takes this act’s combination of clean and powerful drum’n’bass, deep strings and emotion-ridden melodies to a whole new level. Brilliantly produced, this album is a perfect combination of beauty and musical talent, of human feeling and driven beats. One doesn’t get very often an album which is satisfying both for the head, at home, and the feet, on the dancefloor; Detritus and Ad Noiseam are proud to present the perfect example of them. Coming two years after Detritus’s debut full length album (“Endogenous”), “Origin” is David Dando-Moore’s strongest and most accomplished work to date. The fruit of a long writing and recording process, it is to date the best embodiment of what Detritus is about. A statement of emotion and beauty, it is also a statement for the improvement of composition and quality in the industrial scene. Ever since its inception, Detritus has been about mixing a musically and intellectually valid music with emotion and beauty. Refusing to fall into clichés dictated by a scene or a trend, Detritus is a sound of its own, for it manages to communicate passion and melancholy, with balance and honesty. Warm and human, Detritus’s music is first something to be felt and enjoyed. David Dando-Moore’s tour de force is then to be able to present these emotions without falling into cheap clichés and tasteless kitsch. But Detritus’s talent doesn’t only lie in his ability to suggest beauty. An experienced bass player and electronic componist, Dando-Moore thought of “Origin” as a statement against the parodic and saddening low quality of many electronic and industrial releases, where ideas are sunk by a low production and little care brought to the actual music. Written continuously over the course of two years, always with the quality of the recording, the clarity of the mix and the deepness of the sound in mind, “Origin” is an album that charms as much for its function than for its form, and is in this aspect a full work of art. Finally, the album ends with remixes by two of Detritus label mates, Mad E.P. and Mothboy, both adding a more urban and dirty feeling to this album. Ad Noiseam is proud to present “Origin”, an album where Detritus demonstrates once again that one can be melancholic and yet subtle, accessible and yet not insulting, artistic and yet human. “Origin” is a work of art which is made to stay, and will be definitely be remembered by anyone who listens to it.